OCTOBER 2018
C
26 YE G N I T A R ELEB
INSITEATLANTA.COM
ARS!
VOL. 27, NO. 3 FREE
Haunts
Tours and Events
o l l aH weeN ISSUE
Fall Patios • Top Sandwiches Simple Minds • Sex pistols • MICHELLE MALONE
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PG 2 • October 2018 • insiteatlanta.com
CONTENTS • OCTOBER 2018 • VOLUME 27, NO. 3
Fall for Decatur @found-co-decatur
EARS! ING 27 Y T A R B E CEL
Atlanta’s
Entertainment Monthly
INTERVIEWS
13
13 Netherworld 15 Michelle Malone 16 MST 3000 16 CeCe Peniston 17 Sex Pistol’s John Lyden 18 Jim Kerr of Simple Minds 18 Roger McGuinn
Say hello to autumn
with seasonal shopportunities – Storefront Saturday, Oct. 27 and special holiday deals on Terrific Thursdays in November and December.
16
FEATURES 09 Atlanta’s Best Subs 10 Fall Patio Guide 12 Halloween Guide 13 Costume Guide 15 Out on Film
VISITORS CENTER 113 Clairemont Ave., Decatur 30030 | visitdecaturga.com
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Decatur-atl-in-site-oct-2018.indd 1
9/25/18 5:55 PM
COLUMNS 04 05 06 08 08 11 14
Around Town On Tap Atlanta on a Dime Under The Lights Station Control New Releases Movie Reviews
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insiteatlanta.com STAFF LISTING Publisher Stephen Miller steve@insiteatlanta.com Art Director / Web Design Nick Tipton nick@insiteatlanta.com Managing Editor Lee Valentine Smith lee@insiteatlanta.com Local Events Editor Marci Miller marci@insiteatlanta.com Movie Editor Steve Warren s.warren@insiteatlanta.com
Music Editor John Moore john@insiteatlanta.com Contributing Writers / Interns: Alex. S. Morrison, Dave Cohen, Benjamin Carr, Demarco Williams MAILING ADDRESS P.O. Box 76483 Atlanta, GA 30358 WEBSITE • insiteatlanta.com ADVERTISING INFORMATION (404) 308-5119 • ads@insiteatlanta.com 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 misleading advertising or editorial content, nor do the OCTOBER 2018 INSITEATLA NTA.COM publisher or editors of INsite assume responsibility VOL. 27, NO. 3 FREE should such advertising or editorial appear. No Haunts Tours and Events 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. C E L E B R AT I N
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Please check out our Halloween Guide on page 12.
G 26 YEARS!
HalloweeN ISSUE
Fall Patios • Top Sandwiches Simple Minds • Sex pistols • MICHELLE
MALONE
insiteatlanta.com • October 2018 • PG 3
Around Town
Events and Performances taking place this Month
OCTOBER 10 - 27
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12
Center for Puppetry Arts
Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center
The Ghastly Dreadfuls
Girl With No Job
The Ghastly Dreadfuls return from the afterlife for another season of supernatural storytelling with a chilling cast of characters that has made it an Atlanta cult classic. The Ghastlies will perform 15 ghost stories and musical numbers including frightful fan favorites: The 11:59, Danse Macabre, and The Horrific Experiment. A night full of creepy characters, scream-worthy stories and scary songs. Puppet.org
Claudia Oshry is the creator of the breakout Instagram account @girlwithnojob. Oshry, 24, is a former New York University student who has made a career on social media about not wanting a job. She has amassed a female-millennial-skewing audience of more than 4 million followers online, including 2.8 million on Instagram. Oshry hosts and produces the entertainment news show, The Morning Toast, alongside her sister Jackie that streams live on YouTube and Facebook weekday mornings.
OCTOBER 10 - NOVEMBER 4
Brookhaven Park
The Royale
Theatrical Outfit
Loosely based on the true story of the first black world heavyweight champion Jack Johnson, The Royale offers a blazingly theatrical look at the high stakes, segregated world of boxing at the turn of the twentieth century. Jay “e Sport” Jackson dreams of being the first black heavyweight champion of the world, but in the segregated world of boxing, his chances are as good as knocked out. When a crooked promoter hatches a plan for the fight of the century, Jackson finds himself facing the reigning white defender. Performance schedule at eatricaloutfit.org.
PG 4 • October 2018 • insiteatlanta.com
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13 Atlanta Chili Cook Off
Featuring 100 booths with over 60 competing restaurant and amateur teams. Restaurant teams compete for bragging rights for best chili & the best Brunswick stew. Visit AtlantaChiliCookOff.com.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14 Harvest on the Hooch
Chattahoochee Nature Center
Visit the Chattahoochee Nature Center and enjoy food from farm-totable- to-your mouth at the annual Harvest on the Hooch taste fest Oct. 14. This event celebrates the vital connection between the garden and the plate and raises funds for CNC’s Unity Garden and programming. In addition to
featuring local restaurants and breweries, the event includes Bluegrass music, farm animals, garden games and tours. The Unity Garden is a half-acre urban farm dedicated to growing fresh, organic, natural plants and vegetables to teach local schoolchildren where their food comes from. Tickets found at HarvestontheHooch.org.
friendly costume characters, and enjoy the sights and adventures of whimsical Zoo Boo Town. Highlights include costume contests, an inflatable corn maze, music from a kids’ party DJ, appearances by storybook characters and more. Event times are. More info at ZooAtlanta.org.
OCTOBER 21-28 SATURDAY & SUNDAY, OCT 13 & 14 Forced From Home Chalktoberfest
Marietta Square
Chalktoberfest is an exciting combination of their annual Chalk Art Festival with Marietta's premier Craft Beer Festival. On Saturday, enjoy an afternoon sampling craft beers, live music from local artists, watching professional Chalk Artists chalk the streets and eating great food at the beautiful downtown square of Marietta. The Chalk Fest continues on Sunday and is free to attend. Visit chalktoberfest.com.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20
Incognito Featuring Maysa
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
The enduring success of Incognito is one of the great stories of UK music during the last four decades. JeanPaul “Bluey” Maunick and Incognito, formed in 1979 and are celebrating 39 years of positive vibes and undiluted Jazz-Funk. CobbEnergyCentre.com
OCTOBER 20, 21, 27, 28 Boo at the Zoo
Zoo Atlanta
Atlanta’s favorite fun family Halloween festival returns for four magical days. Sample sweet treats around the Zoo, meet
West Plaza Park
The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders marks World Refugee Day with the tour Forced From Home, a free, interactive exhibition about the global refugee crises. At a time of increasingly cruel migration policies that deny safety to people whose lives are at risk, the Forced From Home exhibition presents a startling new perspective on the human consequences of closed-door policies. This immersive tour brings visitors closer to the real experiences of people displaced by violence and extreme hardship. Visitors navigate an immersive outdoor space designed to simulate the journey of a person forced to flee. Visit ForcedFromHome.com.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27
Haints & Saints Halloween Parade From Post Office to Decatur Square
In 2011, the Haints & Saints Halloween Parade was born as a small walking parade around the square. The next year they added floats, bands, hearses & classic cars. The event has grown each year and now includes live music. HomeGrownDecatur.com
On Tap this Month MAJOR EVENTS COMING TO ATLANTA
Daily through Oct 28: Festhalle in Helen, GA
HELEN, GEORGIA OKTOBERFEST
Beer, brats, bands and Lederhosen - the Helen Oktoberfest has them all! Join the longest running Oktoberfest in the United States, taking place every day in October through October 28. e Helen Festhalle houses the event. German-style bands from around the country and around the world play on the stage. Grab your partner and take a spin on the dance floor to lively Polka music. Visit the Helenchamber.com.
October 13 - 14: Piedmont Park
ATLANTA PRIDE FESTIVAL
e Atlanta Pride Festival coincides with National Coming Out Day. e Official Kickoff Party returns to the Georgia Aquarium on Friday, October 12. is event has now become a tradition for many and launches the Southeast’s largest Pride Festival. ere are two marches scheduled for Saturday and the parade begins at noon on Sunday from the Civic Center and enters Piedmont Park. Visit Atlantapride.org.
October 13: Georgia State Stadium
GREAT ATLANTA BEER FEST
Back at its original location in the new Georgia State Stadium. Over 150 beers to sample plus ciders and over 25 wines. e festival will take place from 1 - 4pm inside the stadium using the bricked plaza area and the Chop House. College Football will be on the huge TV in the plaza and Chop House with live music outside. Festival Tickets are $45 in advance, $45 and $55 day of. Parking in the Green Lot. Greatatlantabeerfest.com
11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Downtown Kennesaw, GA
(Main Street / Depot - Downtown Kennesaw) FOR MORE INFO 770-423-1330 KennesawBusiness.org
PRESENTING THE 2018 & 48TH ANNUAL
October 19-21: Downtown Decatur Square
TASTE OF ATLANTA
e city’s oldest food festival is comes back October 19 - 21 to the Old Fourth Ward Park. e festivities begin with the VIP Kick-off party on Friday night. Over the weekend experience delicious tastes from more than 90 of Atlanta's favorite restaurants. Sample exceptional food, wine, beer, and cocktail tastings and participate in seminars and food pairings and relaxing music cafes. Tickets at Tasteofatlanta.com.
October 20: Downtown Decatur Square
DECATUR CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL
Enjoy an afternoon of beer tasting and music on the square. Each general admission ticket includes a special tasting glass and sips from more than 80 breweries. Rock out to live music throughout the festival, while a DJ keeps you moving between sets. Get a VIP ticket for the ultimate beer festival experience with an exclusive VIP entrance and special beers made just for this event by craft brewers. Decaturbeerfestivals.com
October 21: Piedmont Park
AIDS WALK ATLANTA & 5K RUN AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run, produced by AID Atlanta, benefits thousands of people living with HIV/AIDS in Greater Atlanta. Since its inception in 1990, AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run has increased awareness of HIV/AIDS throughout the community and has involved hundreds of thousands walkers, runners and volunteers. All funds raised here, stay here in Atlanta. Information at AIDSWalkAtlanta.com.
Oversizesd, Pretzel eer B Brats & se Chee
Large Selection of Germ & Domes an tic Beers
LIVE GERMAN MUSIC DANCING Separate Kids Dance Floor Dog Friendly Biergarten September 27 – 30; October 1 – 28 Admission: $8 Mon–Fri, $10 on Sat, FREE on Sun Times: Weekdays 6–10:30pm, Fri 6pm–12am, Sat 1pm–12am
1074 Edelweiss Strasse • Helen, GA 30545
For more information, contact the Alpine Helen Chamber of Commerce at 706-878-1619
HelenChamber.com
Oktoberfest Festhalle Friends
insiteatlanta.com • October 2018 • PG 5
Saturday & Sunday, October 20 & 21 Saturday & Sunday, October 27 & 28
BROOKHAVEN ARTS FESTIVAL SMYRNA FALL JONQUIL
EVENTS HAPPENING FOR SMALL CHANGE IN ATLANTA
Know of a low cost event happening? Event@AtlantaOnADime.com By Marci Miller
Friday, October 5
MOVIES BY MOONLIGHT
Saturday, October 13
TASTE OF ACWORTH
The Green@City Springs Begins at 6pm Marietta Square; 10am - 6pm Free; Leadershipsandysprings.org Free admission; acworthbusiness.org Join family & friends for Star Wars e Last Jedi offered for free on Friday, October 5 under the stars at the beautiful new Green @ City Springs. Arrive early at 6:00 p.m. for entertainment, prizes and fun activities. Movies begin at dusk. emed entertainment includes a Star Wars Costume Parade and Star Wars live music. Food Trucks and other concessions will be on hand.
e Taste of Acworth offers more than 25 restaurants and 100 booths featuring businesses from around the Acworth area. Two stages providing live entertainment throughout the day along with great food! e event also includes a kid zone featuring inflatables, a quad bungee, and challenging games. Admission is free and food samples range from $1 to $4. Bring the family and join over 18,000 people.
Saturday & Sunday, October 6 & 7
Saturday & Sunday, October 20 & 21
NORCROSS ART SPLASH & WINE FESTIVAL
Downtown Historic Norcross Free & ticketed; splashfestivals.com e charming downtown district of Historic Norcross comes alive with artisan booths and a large tent where shoppers can sample wines while browsing the artist displays. Enjoy continuous live entertainment on the rasher Park Stage, energizing Kidz Zone, festival cuisine and tasty food from local restaurants. Free to attend with ticketed wine tasting tent.
FESTIVAL ON PONCE Free; Olmsted Linear Park FestivalonPonce.com
e Festival on Ponce is a 2-Day local arts and crafts event held at the Olmsted Linear Park. e Artist's Market features arts and handmade crafts. ere is a Children's Park, local food and beverage concessions and live acoustic entertainment. Attendance is free. Stroll the event while enjoying the art, the historic gardens and appreciate the legacy of one of America's most celebrated landscape architects.
behind Brookhaven MARTA Free; BrookhavenArtsFestival.com
Free Admission; Village Green in Downtown Smyrna; smyrnacity.com
e 14th annual Brookhaven Arts Festival showcases over 140 artists with musical performances taking place over the two days. Enjoy art, terrific food, music, kids’ activities and a classic car show on Sunday from 1 – 4pm. e festival is located at 4047 Peachtree Rd. behind the Brookhaven MARTA station. ere is plenty of FREE parking in the MARTA lot.
e Fall Jonquil Festival takes place Saturday, October 27 from 10 am - 6 pm and Sunday, October 28 from 12 pm - 5 pm. Featuring 175 hand-made arts & crafts booths, local non-profit booths, puppet shows, live music, plenty of festival foods, a local entertainment stage, costume parade and all types of children's activities.
Saturday, October 27
TASTE OF KENNESAW
STOREFRONT SATURDAY
Shops across Downtown Decatur Store Discounts; VisitDecaturGA.com On Saturday, October 27 Decatur's stores come together to host Storefront Saturday, a city-wide shopping event. e day includes prizes, pop-ups, snacks, specials, and oh-so-much more at participating local shops.
Saturday November 3
Downtown Kennesaw Free admission; Kennesawbusiness.org Taste of Kennesaw offers samplings from over 30 local restaurants for just $1 - $4. Partake in their beer garden, Kids Zone, sample delicious food, and sit back and listen to great music. e Main Street stage offers local entertainment all day and culminates with a free concert at 6:00 p.m. Movies by Moonlight Star Wars The Last Jedi Friday, October 5 The Green @ City Springs
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PG 6 • October 2018 • insiteatlanta.com
A FREE INTERACTIVE EXHIBITION ABOUT THE GLOBAL REFUGEE CRISIS
WEST PLAZA PARK, ATLANTA
ACROSS FROM THE GEORGIA WORLD CONGRESS CENTER
OCT 21 – 28
Monday – Friday 4pm – 8pm Saturday – Sunday 10am – 6pm
insiteatlanta.com • October 2018 • PG 7
Under The Lights COMING TO ATLANTA STAGE
NOMAD HOTEL
Now Through October 21 Horizon Theatre (404) 584-7450 HorizonTheatre.com Nomad Motel is a funny and poignant tale of motel kids and parachute kids raising themselves and making something out of nothing in the land of plenty. Alix lives with her family in a tiny motel room, caring for her brothers while her newly single mom figures out a plan. Her Chinese classmate, Mason, lives alone in a grand, empty house, composing music and dodging child services and immigration while his absent father runs jobs for the Hong Kong mafia. Then suddenly, his father and source of funds disappear, and Alix shows up at his front door without a home. An unlikely friendship is born as they learn to scrape by without giving up on their dreams.
NELL GWYNN Thru October 21 Synchronicity Theatre (404) 484-8636 SynchroTheatre.com Nell Gwynn, a comedy based on the true story of an orange vendor who becomes one of the most celebrated actresses in 17th Century London – and King Charles II’s mistress. Eleanor "Nell" Gwynn was an “orange hawker” at the Drury Lane Theater in London when her “quick wit” and “remarkable beauty” grabbed the attention of Charles Hart, a prominent actor, who became her lover and trained her for the stage. Soon, Nell was the leading comedienne of the King's Company – and the mistress of King Charles II. With Puritanism a recent thing of the past, Gwynn was one of the first actresses ever allowed to perform on the English stage. The public found her refreshing, and she became a symbol of Reformation comedy. NICK’S FLAMINGO GRILL
September 29 – October 28 Alliance Theatre Hertz Stage (404) 733-5000 AllianceTheatre.org/Nicks
Nick’s Flamingo Grill is inspired by the true story of the first integrated jazz club in Atlanta. Two friends, ex-WWII GI’s turned jazz musicians, have had great success performing in Paris nightclubs for the past 10 years. Convinced that their mixed-race act will also be a hit in the U.S., they decide to return home to 1950’s Georgia. Featuring ten original jazz songs in the style of the era, Nick’s Flamingo Grill is a story of hope and brotherly love.
SCHOOL OF ROCK Oct 16 - 21
The Fox Theatre (855) 285-8499 FoxTheatre.org/SchoolOfRock Based on the hit film, School of Rock – The Musical is a hilarious new musical that follows Dewey Finn, a failed, wannabe rock star who decides to earn a few extra bucks by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. There he turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. While teaching these pintsized prodigies what it means to truly rock, Dewey falls for the school’s beautiful, but uptight headmistress, helping her rediscover the wild child within.
NOT ABOUT HEROES
November 2 - 18 Aris Theatre at 7 Stages Theatre (404) 692-0053 ArisTheatre.org August 1917. Wilfred Owen, a 24-year-old shell-shocked British soldier, meets the famous poet, soldier, and war protestor Siegfried Sassoon at Craiglockhart War Hospital in Scotland. Their mutual love of poetry and disillusionment with the war draws them together, sparking a powerful friendship. Sassoon nurtures Owen’s budding talent, and between them, they convey the horror of their experiences in the death-filled trenches of France and Germany in a way that forever alters the public’s opinion of World War I. Their story is a testament to the enduring power of love and poetry.
TV
Station Control
EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF DEATH BY BENJAMIN CARR
T
HERE IS NO CORRECT WAY TO grieve. The death of a loved one can hit you as a surprise - a random, terrifying and unfair twist that wrenches you open in uncomfortable ways. It saddles you with all sorts of tasks. It leaves you with questions never to be answered. Surprisingly, because of the success of the weighty drama This Is Us and the airy, light but inventive afterlife comedy The Good Place, death and the minefield of emotions that come with it are central themes of many new shows this fall.
A MILLION LITTLE THINGS (ABC)
Jon Livingston, David Giuntoli, James Roday and Romany Malco play close friends who once met on an elevator in this new ABC show being marketed as an ‘emotional drama’. When Livingston’s character Jon commits suicide, the rest of the gang are forced to confront their own mortality. They also reevaluate how they conduct their friendships while seeking answers surrounding the tragedy. The phrase ‘Everything happens for a reason’ is repeated throughout the pilot - it was dead Jon’s mantra. In dramas like this, that can be true. Someone’s death kick starts a series, there are clues to discover and puzzles to solve. One character dies to enrich others and get them to embrace life, and that is the point of the series. It’s a nice idea but life often has no supporting players. Everyone is the protagonist in their own story. Death is not a plot twist or mere catalyst for others to learn lessons. It doesn’t follow clear cause-and-effect logic. Such lessons can be the silver lining found in a tragedy, but you’d probably get really upset if you found out that your friend killed himself just so that you would actually learn to hug people more.
SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS (Facebook Watch)
One of the best TV shows of the year launched on Facebook in September in the company’s bid to create original programming. Sorry for Your Loss is a masterpiece of writing and acting. It’s stunning and immediately hooks you. Seek it out. The show centers around Leigh, a young widow played by Avengers star Elizabeth Olsen. Three months ago, her husband Matt died. It blindsided her. It upended her entire family, for Matt was a grounded, sweet presence who connected everyone and made them feel safe. Now Leigh is confused and angry at everyone all the time. She lashes out at anyone who dares to express their own feelings regarding her husband’s death, including her recovering
Forever (Amazon Prime)
addict sister played by Star Wars star Kelly Marie Tran, because she cannot stand to share such a fresh loss with anyone. Leigh fiercely defends herself against anyone or anything that suggests she budge from grief. Things are bleak for her. The world as she understood it was devastated. Olsen is raw and acidic, engrossing and even funny, in the way she tackles this character. It is must-see.
FOREVER (Amazon Prime)
This new comedy, starring Saturday Night Live alums Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen, tackles the effects that unexpected and sudden death have on a normal, boring couple’s slowly deteriorating marriage. June and Oscar live in a crappy suburb. They vacation in the same spot every year. She’s dissatisfied. He’s awkward and avoids confrontation. Then they both die. What would your death do to your marriage? The premise, shrouded in secrecy until its premiere in September, is similar to the great NBC comedy The Good Place. The Good Place was twisted, bright and raucous in its approach - using the hereafter as a way of exploring what it means to be a good person. Forever uses the afterlife as a means of exploring connection. If you’re mostly content but a little stuck and unsatisfied, what would it take to jar you into action? What would it take for you to spice up or even shatter your marriage? Rudolph is great as June. Armisen is a very strange, dry, alienating and annoying comedian. But that has its place in this show. The chemistry between the two of them makes for a rather strange show. But its first season mostly works.
Soak up the sun! PATIO SEATING Great Subs, Sandwiches, Salads & Wings Since 1980
(Mondays Only)
$8.50 Large Cheese Pizza!
Just off I-85 @ Clairmont (Corner of Briarcliff & Clairmont)
3109 Briarcliff Rd. • (404) 320-1258 • MosPizza.com PG 8 • October 2018 • insiteatlanta.com
Taste of the Month...Sandwiches! Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs
Marietta 80 Powers Ferry Rd. (at Hwy. 120) 770.321.1177 I Doraville 5697 Buford Hwy. (Just north of 285) 770.455.8570 Milton 12890 Hwy. 9 (1/8 mile West of Windward Pkwy.) 678.580.0434 Baldinos.us
Voted best in Atlanta again this past year, Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs is recognized as the only true New Jersey sub sandwich in the South. Their in-store bakery assures the freshest rolls baked daily. Throughout October they are offering up a different specialty sub each day for just $3.99! Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs also serves homemade soups and fresh baked cookies and brownies. For catering they offer single subs, party subs, deli salads by the pound, cookies by the dozen, and iced-tea by the gallon that won’t break the bank. Head on in to Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs and watch your favorite team, or head on out with a Baldinos Family Sub (pictured) and enjoy the game at home with a few of your friends.
TAILGATE TAiLgATe HEADQUARTERS HeADquArTers
Mo’s Pizza
OCTOBERSpecialS SPECIALS OctOber
3109 Briarcliff Rd. 404.320.1258 MosPizza.com
Mo’s Pizza has been serving up great pizza and subs for over 30 years. Here you will find a huge Italian Sub made with ham, pepperoni, genoa salami, mozzarella, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions and Italian dressing. Their Italian Sausage comes from a special recipe and is sliced and grilled with onions, topped with Marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Their Philly Cheese Steak is real sirloin steak that is trimmed and sliced on premise and grilled with onions and topped with American cheese. Come to Mo’s this fall to watch all your college and pro football games on one of the plenty of new plasma TVs offering great views from any table. They are one of the longest running neighborhood restaurants in Atlanta, come in and see why their customers say they are one of the best.
Downwind Restaurant Dekalb Peachtree Airport 2000 Airport Rd. #201 770.452.0973 DownwindRestaurant.com Downwind has been serving award winning food for almost 30 years! From fresh baked turkey for the Turkey Club to Wild Caught Salmon for the BLT, deciding what to eat is not an easy one. Other sandwiches offered include Tuna, Chicken Salad, Egg Salad, BLT’s and Grilled Cheese. Recently pairing up with “The Hunter Cattle Company” for their grass fed, grass finished pork & beef; they have added Hunter burgers to the lineup of already famous burgers! Downwind has something for everyone including all “Wild Caught” fish such as Grouper, Sea Bass, Salmon, Mahi Mahi and Barramundi. Open Monday - Friday 11am - 9pm, Saturday noon - 9pm, closed on Sunday. Downwind equals great food, service, value and plane fun!
Athens Pizza House 1341 Clairmont Rd. 404.636.1100 AthensPizzaAtlanta.com Since 1966 Athens Pizza has been serving up great Greek and Italian cuisine to the Emory / Decatur area. Some of the favorite recipes on their Greek dishes go back over 50 years! They have many terrific sandwiches on their menu with a Mediterranean flair. For example their half pound burger comes on grilled Ciabatta bread topped with roasted red pepper feta spread. There is also a Greek style oven roasted lamb sandwich on French roll. The Italian Sub comes with Athens Greek dressing, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cappicola, pepperoni, Genoa salami and provolone cheese. While your here most haves are their Veal Parmesana, Roasted Lamb or the Oven Baked Chicken. Athens Pizza offers daily specials for lunch and dinner and has an extensive catering menu. Athens Pizza is Zagat rated and winner of several awards including Best Greek Cuisine. The restaurant can also accommodate parties large and small with their private room.
Johnny’s NY Style Pizza
$3.99 $3.49
ALLDAY DAY ALL MONDAY: Baldinos Combination (34) with your choice of side
Monday – baldinos Combination (#4) w/ your choice of side TUESDAY: Turkey out with (#18) Lean Smoked Turkey & Cheese Tuesday – Turkey out with (#18) Lean Smoked Turkey & Cheese WEDNESDAY: Itzza Meatball (#12) with choice of soup or side Wednesday ItzzaGrilled Meatball (#12) w/ choice&ofToasted! soup or side THURSDAY:–The American – Grilled Thursday – The Grilled American – Grilled & Toasted! FRIDAY: Meatless combo – Tuna (#10) or Veggie Stir Fry (#27) w/side Friday – Meatless – TunaSub (#10) VegChoice Stir Fry(#11, (#27)13w/orside SATURDAY: SteakCombo Out-A-Steak Your 19) saTurday SteakSpecial Out - Any Steakwith Subchoice Your Choice 13, or 19) SUNDAY: –Italian – (#15) of soup(#11, or side sunday –MARIETTA: Italian Special – (#15) DORAVILLE: w/ choice of soup or side MILTON 80 Powers80Ferry Rd. Ferry rd. Hwy. 9 5697 Buford Hwy. Marietta: Powers Doraville: 569712890 Buford Hwy. (770) 321-1177 (678) 580-0434 (770) 455-8570 (at Hwy 120, 1/4 mile east of Big Chicken) (1/4 mile outside i-285) 770-321-1177 770-455-8570
Your Neighborhood Pizzeria!
Multiple Locations JohnnysPizza.com
Johnny’s Pizza has come to be synonymous with great pizza and subs in Atlanta. They always use the finest ingredients. Hot OvenToasted Subs are served with: Provolone Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions and Johnny's Own Great Italian Oil & Vinegar Dressing. Try their Johnny’s Special which is an Italian sub made with ham, salami and capicolli meats. The Johnny’s Turkey sub is made with the highest quality Hormel breast meat. They offer several hot Parmesana style subs toasted with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella. These include: chicken, eggplant, Italian sausage and meatball. Johnny’s restaurants offer dine-in, take-out and delivery. Call your nearest location for special catering menus being offered this fall.
Savage Pizza 484 Moreland Ave L5P 404.523.0500 115 Laredo Dr. Avondale 404.299.5799 SavagePizza.com Savage Pizza prepares all the sandwiches using only the freshest vegetables and top quality meats, cheeses, and breads. On Savage's menu you'll find thoughtfully prepared dishes made from scratch every day. Their Italian Sub is made with fresh cuts of capicolla, salami, pepperoni and provolone -served hot, crusty and melted. The Turkey-Cheddar Sub comes with smoked black forest turkey and cheddar cheese served hot. Try Savage's Eggplant Parmesan Sub; breaded and baked eggplant, red tomato sauce, mozzarella, provolone and parmesan. Savage serves both lunch and dinner, has indoor and outdoor seating and offers catering and delivery.
Atlanta’s BEST Favorite ATL Pizza! Winner of
I Ns i t e ★ 201 7
Multiple Atlanta Locations: JohnnysPizza.com insiteatlanta.com • October 2018 • PG 9
Fall Patio Guide
Places to Go when Dining Outdoors! Park Tavern
available on tap or try one of their 15 Tasty Margaritas. Try Raging’s Famous Guacamole, Pineapple Salsa, or Fire Roasted Salsa and chips to start your dining experience!
Savage Pizza
484 Moreland Ave. 404.523.0500 115 Laredo Dr. 404.299.5799 SavagePizza.com
500 10th Street NE 404.249.0001 ParkTavern.com
Pizza is the recipient of various awards including Best Greek Cuisine in Atlanta. 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 generations! As the weather accommodates in fall, diners head out to their patio. Their patio can also be booked for private parties. Athens Pizza offers an extensive catering menu for events.
Mo’s Pizza
3109 Briarcliff Rd. 404.320.1258 MosPizza.com
The Patio at Park Tavern has one of the best views in the city overlooking Piedmont Park and the Midtown Skyline. This amazing backdrop provides for a great atmosphere and is dog-friendly. The large climate controlled patio includes table seating, private cabanas, an oyster bar, fire pits, and TV's to catch your favorite teams in action. The patio can be transformed for weddings, private events, and Spooktacular concerts and events. Kick-off Atlanta Pride weekend with the Heaven Pride Party on Friday, Oct 12. Their annual Halloween Bash the Saints & Sinners Ball takes place on Saturday, October 27. Park Tavern offers half-off Sushi nightly from 10pm - Midnight.
Agave
242 Boulevard SE 404.588.0006 AgaveRestaurant.com
Consistently voted the Best Southwestern restaurant in Atlanta, Agave uses only the freshest ingredients to create chef inspired dishes with an authentic southwestern flare. Agave’s menu is a unique blend of eclectic southwestern cuisine and extensive tequila bar
that goes great with al fresco dining. Start with their two for one appetizers at the bar; available from 5pm - 7pm seven days a week. Then head to your table on their romantic southwestern designed patio with fireplace. With creative daily specials, award winning margaritas and great ambiance one can see why this is a Cabbagetown favorite.
Raging Burrito & Taco
141 Sycamore St. Decatur 404.377.3311 RagingBurrito.com
This eclectic neighborhood restaurant is a favorite hangout among residents of Little 5 and Avondale Estates. Both locations offer ample table seating inside and large patios. Savage prepares all their menu items using only the freshest vegetables and first quality meats, cheeses, breads and pastas. On their menu you'll find innovative homemade sauces, fresh dough and thoughtfully prepared dishes made from scratch every day. They offer is a wide variety of salads, subs, calzones and of course pizzas to choose from.
Athens Pizza House
1341 Clairmont Rd. Decatur AthensPizzaAtlanta.com 404.636.1100
Raging Burrito & Taco on Decatur Square offers one of the best patio scenes in the city. As leaves fall people in Decatur look for places to dine al fresco their patio comes alive. The menu features hearty burritos, tasty tacos, large salads, quesadillas and more. On weekdays they offer free chips & dip from 11am to 3pm. While relaxing on their patio, enjoy one of the 16 Craft Beers
Mo’s has been serving up great pizza in Atlanta for over 30 years! But the menu isn’t limited to pizza: sandwiches, subs, wings, nachos and salads ensure that anybody who comes here can find something they like. Check for daily lunch and dinner specials. Everything is made using the freshest ingredients including the dough built from scratch every day. In fall, their front deck is the place to be. Families and friends gather to enjoy food and drink, watch the Falcons and college football on one of their many screens.
The Downwind Restaurant
Dekalb Peachtree Airport 2000 Airport Rd. #201 770.452.0973 DownwindRestaurant.com
Since 1966 the Papadopoulos family has served up great Greek and Italian cuisine to the Emory / Decatur area. Athens
How many restaurants can boast patio seating with views of airplanes taking off and landing? The Downwind Restaurant & Lounge, a family owned establishment off of Clairmont Road can. Not only is their view superb, the food is fabulous
raging
Voted #1 since 1996
Burrito Voted #1 Since 1996!
Celebrating 18 Years! Special 7 Course Tequila Dinner
Paired with Ocho Single Estate Tequila Limited Seating Call for Reservations
& taco
ON DECATUR FREE ValidatEdSQUARE! PaRking! Enjoy onE of our 16 craft BEErs on tap or Margaritas on our HugE gardEn patio Decatur, GA •
ragingburrito.com • 404-377-3311
Live Music & Entertainment • Full Bar • Daily Specials • Takeout Available
Downwind Restaurant at the Dekalb Peachtree Airport
orhood b h g i e N 0 “Top 10 in America.” urants a t s e R m e G –Open Table Mon-Fri 11am-9pm • Saturday Noon-9pm • Sunday Closed
770.452.0973 • 2000 Airport Rd. #201, Atlanta DownwindRestaurant.com PG 10 • October 2018 • insiteatlanta.com
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Escorpion
800 Peachtree St. Midtown 678.666.5198 Escorpionatl.com
too. Downwind boasts outstanding offerings including award winning burgers, great sandwiches and some of the best seafood in Atlanta. They offer a full bar and live music every Friday night, football on Saturday. Downwind is family friendly with an aviation themed playground right next to restaurant. Open Monday - Friday 11am - 9pm, Saturday noon - 9pm and closed on Sunday.
The Flying Biscuit Cafe’
1655 McLendon Ave. 404.687.8888 1001 Piedmont Ave. 404.874.8887 Catering 404.849.2283 FlyingBiscuit.com
Escorpion is a regionally i n s p i re d Mexican tequila bar and cantina from chefo w n e r Riccardo Ullio. The restaurant captures the authentic tastes and ingredients indigenous to the country as Escorpion’s food and drink menus are rooted in Mexican flavors and culture. Find familiar favorites like queso dip, quesadillas, and burritos. Also explore more exotic specialties like Tinga, a Mexican meat dish made with pork and sausage, slowly cooked and served in a corn tortilla. The atmosphere is electric making Escorpion one of the hottest restaurants in Midtown.
Fritti
309 N. Highland Ave. 404.880.9559 FrittiRestaurant.com
The Flying Biscuit serves great breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Their Candler Park location (shown) is the original Flying Biscuit cafe and boasts a large renovated patio. The Midtown location off Piedmont Park allows for dining inside and out. Their corner patio which is surrounded by windows that come off when the weather cools, offering great views of the bustling Midtown scene. The Midtown and Candler Park locations are offering a new beer & wine menu this fall in addition to nightly dinner specials.
Located in the heart of historic Inman Park, Fritti is nationally recognized for its pizza. It is authentic Neapolitan and prepared according to traditional artisan methods in a state of the art wood-burning oven. This world class oven can maintain a temperature of 1,000 degrees and cooks pizza unlike anything you have ever experienced. Their patio is among the hottest places to be in Inman Park as the entire dining room opens up to the lively street scene.
HOME THEATER
NEW RELEASES
THE LATEST DVD, BLU RAY & VOD RELEASES By John Moore
RBG (Magnolia)
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the 85-year-old Supreme Court justice, has morphed into a liberal icon thanks to her role as one of the last bulwarks holding back the complete takeover from Conservatives in this country. And that’s exactly how she’s portrayed in this entertaining, informative documentary from Betsy West and Julie Cohen. Debuting at Sundance before getting it’s premier on CNN, the film documents the justice’s childhood in Brooklyn, her role as a trailblazer for women throughout her legal career, before being nominated by Bill Clinton to the ultimate judgeship in this country. Conservatives will likely label this one propaganda, but it’s tough to ignore the oversized role she’s served as both an influential leader and pop cultural phenomenon. How many other Supreme Court justices have their own action figures?
ROLLING STONE: STORIES FROM THE EDGE (Shout Factory!)
This massive documentary (more than
5 hours-worth of interviews) about the most influential rock music magazine to ever come out of the U.S. is as compelling as it is exhaustive. Directed by the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind the Scientology doc Going Clear, and narrated by Jeff Daniels, the film is a six-part series that looks at the beginnings and ultimate influence of the publication at 50 years old. It includes a slew of interviews with everyone from Cameron Crowe (a former writer for the mag), Anne Liebovitz (photographer), to the magazine founder Jann Wenner. There are also hours of fantastic live performances here from The Clash, Springsteen, Tina Turner and others.
BILLIONS – SEASON THREE
(Paramount) The Showtime drama Billions is one of the most addictively, underrated dramas currently on TV. Season Three, just out of DVD and Blu-Ray, proves the show is not slowing down in the least, rather they are ramping up the intrigue. The just-indicted billionaire hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) is certainly not tamping down his “creative” opportunities to contine to trade on Wall Street even with his nemesis, U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) following his every move. The only thing better than the superb writing here are the brilliant performances by Giamatti and Lewis. insiteatlanta.com • October 2018 • PG 11
INsite’s Guide to Halloween Haunts, Tours, Parades and Costume Suppliers Haunts
Netherworld
2076 West Park Place Blvd., Stone Mtn. (404) 608 - 2484 fearworld.com Open Nightly October 5 - November 4
N e th e r w o rl d H a u n t e d H o u s e , Atlanta's most popular selfguided, dark attraction, is known for its o v e r- th e - top special effects, unique make-up, elaborate costuming, skilled stunt actors and unusual themes. They have moved from its long-time location in Norcross to its new home just off Exit 9 on US Highway 78 in Stone Mountain. The massive complex sits on almost 10 acres and will feature much larger haunts, escape games, party rooms, a monster museum (called the “House of Creeps”), an expanded midway, an elaborate gift shop and lots of free parking! Anticipation has been running high for haunt fans to see the new location, as Netherworld has become a serious Halloween tradition for generations of Atlanta residents. This year features two different haunts – the classically terrifying The Awakened, and the more sci-fi themed Subject: Unkown. Netherworld’s new location also feature plenty of free parking, with additional free overflow parking just across the street, courtesy of SpaceMax Storage.
Camp Blood
2277 Whooping Creek Rd. Carrolton CampBlood.com 770.854.CAMP (2267) Open Thurs, Fri & Sat nights through October 27th then Tues & Wed October 30th & 31st The Frights begin at 9pm. Box office closes at 11pm weekdays and midnight on Fri & Sat.
Now in their 28th year, Camp Blood offers thrills & screams Hillbilly & Red Neck style! First visit Nightmare Inn - where your nightmares begin and tell us what haunts your nightmares so we can try and make it come to life for you next year. As you leave Nightmare Inn you will find yourself suddenly on the legendary Camp Blood Trail. The trail is nearly a half mile of redneck terror where hungry haunted hillbillies & dead rednecks try and search out their favorite nighttime snack, you! Do you have what it takes to walk through the haunted woods of Camp Blood? There are plenty of things to do while you wait your turn to enter the haunt including a redneck fortune teller named "maw maw", sitting by the campfire and hanging out with "paw paw", watching a movie in the "Redneck Theatre", visiting the gift shop, concession stand and paintball pro-shop or playing carnival games to help raise money to buy toys for kids at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Be sure and pur-
chase your carnival game tickets from the owner, Michelle at the box office window and do your part in putting a smile on a kids face this Christmas. Camp Blood & Nightmare Inn is only $25 for both haunts. Guest appearances include, R.A. Mihailoff, "Leatherface" from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movie, Savanah Wehunt of The Walking Dead & Circus Envy of "The Devil's Rejects!" Box office opens at 8pm and the frights begin at 9pm. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at CampBlood.com. Watch for updates, guest appearances and other info at Facebook.com/camp.blood.haunt.
Tours & Parades
Haunted Happenings
Aurora Theatre Lawrenceville (678) 226-6222 AuroraTheatre.com In the mood for a thrill? Join Aurora Theatre for spooktacular fun this fall. Take a scary stroll on a moonlit night in Metro-Atlanta’s oldest city. The L awrenceville Ghost Tour, highlighted by a trip to the old jail, takes place every night in October. Lawrenceville Haunted Cemetery Tour explores the nationally renowned paranormal hot spot on weekends. Brews & Boos Lawrenceville Haunted Pub Crawl is a 21 and over bawdy tour which includes libations. New this year: Encuentro Fantasmal de Lawrenceville, our haunted
history walk performed in Spanish. Looking for something spooky inside with comfortable seating? Attend Spirits & Spirits, an adults-only evening of spooky storytelling and cocktails in our mainstage theatre. It’s a creepy, crawly season full of devilish fun at Gwinnett’s favorite theatre!
Fox Theatre Ghost Tours
The Fox Theatre (855) 285-8499 FoxTheatre.org The Fox Theatre Ghost Tours are back this Halloween season. A motley crew of historical spirits and specters will join guests as they walk the haunted halls of one of the city’s most treasured landmarks to learn about ghastly sightings or unexplained bumps in the night. Spooks and scares will be around every shadowy corner as guides recount supernatural tales collected from theatre staff and contractors over the years. Tours run up to every 20 minutes and are approximately 60 minutes long. Not recommended for children under the age of 10.
Spirit of Oakland Halloween
Oakland Cemetery (404) 688-2107 OaklandCemetery.com SOLD OUT Enjoy historic Oakland Cemetery after dark at Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween Tours, an autumn tradition in Atlanta! Capturing the Spirit brings to
Halloween Store
Atlanta Costume 2089 Monroe Dr. NE • Atlanta • 30324
(404) 874-7511 • norcostco.com Extended Hours: Mon - Thu 10am-8pm; Fri – Sat 10am-9pm; Sun Noon-6pm
PG 12 • October 2018 • insiteatlanta.com
life the stories of some of the cemetery’s noted residents and is one of the only times visitors can explore and experience Oakland Cemetery after dark. Meet some of Oakland’s residents in our Halloween tours that enlighten, not frighten. A costumed docent guides you through the cemetery’s beautifully-lit Victorian Gardens. The evening also includes musical performances, and guests are encouraged to arrive in costume to set the mood.
Little Five Halloween Parade
From Euclid Ave. to Freedom Pkwy. Parade 4 - 6 pm L5PHalloween.com Head to Little Five Points this Halloween season for the 18th annual Halloween parade and festival. The festival takes place Saturday, October 20 from noon to 11:00pm. Festivities will consist of live entertainment on two stages, great food selections and shopping from local artisans who, along with the area businesses, provide a wide variety of offerings for festival attendees. The Parade runs from 4:00 - 6:00 pm beginning on Euclid and ends at Freedom Parkway.
Costumes & Accessories
Norcostco Atlanta Costume 2089 Monroe Dr. 404.874.7511 Norcostco.com Extended hours begin October 10
Norcostco is Atlanta’s theatrical superstore, and has been for more than 40 years! They rent and sell costumes and accessories, makeup, wigs, hats, foggers, black lights, strobe lights, and much more. Norcostco is America’s oldest costume rental house with the most outstanding collection of rental costumes available in the widest range of sizes, from
all periods of costume history. Not only does Norcostco have exclusive, original costumes include drag wear, masquerade and rave/club wear; you will also find Atlanta’s largest selection of professional, air-brush and FX make-up, prosthetics, zombie kits, vampire teeth and more. Let their trained staff show you what Norcostco Atlanta Costume is all about!
Psycho Sisters Little 5 Points 428 Moreland (By Vortex) 404.523.0100 FB psychosistersatlanta
Established in 1991, Psycho Sisters in Famous Little 5 Points, Atlanta is Far Out! If you love timeless fashion, Psycho Sisters offers you the best of every era vintage, mixed in with more desirable current funky trends. Let Psycho Sisters super friendly sales team help you create an outrageous Halloween costume, the perfect outfit for any party or special occasion, or simply mix and match our pieces to originally express yourself. If you're a lover of accessories, Psycho Sisters offers a dazzling array of masquerade and specialty masks, steam punk items, sunglasses at $10, top hats & tutus, cowboy and combat boots, hosiery, colorful wigs and wings, belly dancer garb, classy costume jewelry and so much more. If you love leather & lace, fur & fringe, sequins & anything sparkly, then Psycho Sisters is your Sugar Daddy for Fashion.
HALLOWEEN
THE SPOOK-TACULAR NEW NETHERWORLD! The Popular Haunted House Attraction Scares Up a New Location
BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH
I
T’S OCTOBER, SO THAT MEANS pumpkin spice lattes, suburban corn mazes, pop-up Halloween accessory stores and most importantly - the return of Netherworld. Now in a convenient new location with easy access from Atlanta’s major thoroughfares and plenty of free parking, the shows are bigger and better than ever. Consistently voted one of the top haunted houses in the nation, the multi-story, multi-attraction haunted event has thrilled patrons since 1997. From the deceptively normal new location at 2076 West Park Place Boulevard in Stone Mountain, co-owner Billy Messina spoke with INsite about its latest attractions. What’s new at Netherworld? The biggest news is, we’ve moved and now we’re bigger than ever. After 20 years in the with signage. But we thought, you know, let’s same spot, my concern is that people are just use the old sign this year. People have going to go back to the old location just on been seeing that sign for 15 years. They saw rote memory. But don’t go that route. As it off the highway. Everybody knows that far as access goes, it’s literally less than ten thing. So it was like let’s put it here, just a miles away from the old place. If anything, transition. But more as tradition. There’s a it’s easier to get to. There’s less traffic on 78 sense of familiarity. Even though the place than on 85 and you’re still driving on major looks different from the outside, once you thoroughfares. Coming from intown, you get inside, it’s still very go down 78, pass Stone much Netherworld. So it’s Mountain Park, get off on a way to honor the past, exit nine and there we are. while keeping it an all-new You pull in, drive to the attraction. Until Nov 4 back of the building and it’s 2076 West Park Place Blvd. just so much easier on so The new building is Stone Mountain many different levels. deceptively normal.
NETHERWORLD
COSTUMES
HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2018 YOUR PSYCHO SISTERS TEAM /PSYCHOSISTERSATLANTA 428 MORELAND AVE NE ATLANTA (NEXT TO VORTEX) 404-523-0100 • OPEN 10AM – 10PM(ISH)
fearworld.com
Change is good, but it can be a little scary. People are resistant to change, and we were too. We enjoyed being where we were but we literally were just out of opportunities at the other location. That’s what it comes down to, so when it’s a change for the better, like here, you just can’t resist it. Now we’re on almost ten acres with tons of free parking. That could be a problem at the old location, but I don’t think that’ll be an issue anymore. In the final years at the other location, we were literally chopping down any square foot of backstage space that we could, to kind of morph it back into the show.
The new spot has been over a year in the making. We had the building last year, but it just wasn’t Netherworld yet. It had to be ready. It can’t just be another haunted house where you turn the lights off and hope people won’t know any different. But they do know and we know, too. It’s going to get better and better as we keep building on it and that’ll be great. There’ll be learning curves, but to start, we just want to let everyone know we’re back and as strong and scary as ever. We want to keep it familiar yet at the same time, totally different. And we’re still working with VetTix and the antibullying campaign Don’t Be A Monster. One holdover is the familiar Netherworld sign. Yeah, you know we were talking about doing a crazy new sign that’s three-dimensional and all the new things you could imagine
It’s very non-descript. If you blink you might not even see it at first. It looks like a simple one-story brick office building on almost ten acres of land. It actually has two stories with a very high ceiling and at almost 75,000 square feet, it’s more than double than what we had before. But it’s much like Netherworld has always been, the magic that happens when you walk through the doors. With the new space, we have the ability to expand, which we really needed. So we’ve changed the haunts and added three escape games, a monster museum, an amazing gift shop, meeting spaces for corporate events, and even a midway for concessions. There are offices and even a mini-theater for the cast to relax in before and after the shows. With all the space, there seems to be much more room for lining-up indoors. That could come in handy on rainy fall nights. A whole lot more and there’s now room for indoor box office cuing, and more room to get to the haunts. So there’s a kind of carnival atmosphere about the new Netherworld. I would say so. I think we always had that, but it was always so contained. We’d had food trucks before, but that was in the parking lot. Here it’s inside and there are fun games along the way, like a zombie braintoss game and now the five-minute escape room is outside. Please see Netherworld on page 17
insiteatlanta.com • October 2018 • PG 13
MOVIES
Movie Reviews BY STEVE WARREN
THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS (PG)
I keep waiting for director and sometimes writer Eli Roth to equal or top his early films, Cabin Fever and Hostel; but alas. Just this year he tried remaking Death Wish, and now this scary movie for kids that couldn’t even get a rise out of my inner ten-year-old. That’s the age of Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) in 1955, when his parents die in a car crash and he goes to live with his weird Uncle Jonathan (Jack Black) in Michigan (played, of course, by Georgia). “Things are quite different here,” he tells the boy, as accurately as when he describes Florence (Cate Blanchett), the witch next door, as “literally look(ing) like a Q-Tip.” Lewis is a little weird himself, wearing Captain Midnight goggles on his first day at a new school to be sure he doesn’t make any friends. Jonathan’s a warlock and begins training Lewis in the dark arts. The “smart kid” is a good student and soon revives the house’s late former owner, Isaac Izard (Kyle MacLachlan), who wants to trigger the doomsday clock he planted in the walls so the human race will have to start over. Black does his usual schtick, which is occasionally amusing but more often tired, despite being delivered energetically. Blanchett lets you read into her character what she doesn’t bother projecting. I liked the animated stained glass windows but most of the effects are same-old same-old.
FAHRENHEIT 11/9 (R)
As the country becomes more polarized, political documentaries have become pure propaganda. Michael Moore and Dinesh D’Souza preach to their respective choirs on the left and right, with neither likely to change anyone’s mind. Few would deny that Moore is the better filmmaker. His new antiTrump diatribe is a warning to Democrats to vote in November to turn the country from its current course. Moore begins with the surprising events of Election Day 2016, when much of the country went to bed thinking Hillary Clinton had been elected and woke up to learn the opposite. Most of the final half-hour compares Trump to Hitler, complete with recent audio over ‘30s visuals. In between are enough long segments about the water crisis in Moore’s hometown of Flint, mishandled by Trump crony Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, that I suspect Moore was going to make a feature on this topic before deciding to integrate it into a larger one. Democrats don’t get off scot-free, with
Obama and Bill Clinton called on actions contrary to what should have been their agendas, sometimes by compromising when Republicans refused to. A lot of familiar footage, including some less than three months old, is entertainingly assembled. I learned the origin of the term “redneck” and why Gwen Stefani was responsible for the Trump candidacy. From striking teachers in West Virginia to Parkland students turned anti-NRA activists, Moore finds hope that America can be made great again. The likeminded will cheer, the rest will see another movie instead.
LIZZIE (R)
Despite the well-known spoilers in poem (“Lizzie Borden took an axe...”) and song (“You can’t chop your papa up in Massachusetts...”), Lizzie is a murder mystery that makes you wonder whodunit? to the end. Oh, Lizzie Borden (Chloë Sevigny) has motives for killing her father (Jamey Sheridan) and stepmother (Fiona Shaw); but so do Lizzie’s sister Emma (Kim Dickens); Borden’s business partner, “Uncle John” Morse (Denis O’Hare), who’s schemed to disinherit Borden’s daughters; the maid, Bridget Sullivan (Kristen Stewart), who Borden’s been forcing himself on at night; and many residents of Fall River, who have lost their land to Borden’s cutthroat business tactics. The first hour covers the six months from Bridget’s arrival at the Borden house, early in 1892, until August 4, the day of the murders. We meet the characters, learn about them and watch them interact. We see that Lizzie has physical problems – she’s subject to fits – and possibly mental ones. She’s independent and a bit of a feminist ahead of her time. She befriends Bridget and teaches her to read (“Men don’t have to know things, Bridget. Women do”). Gradually it looks like they can be more than friends; Fall River may be close enough for a “Boston marriage” (Look it up). Then of course the axe falls (I counted 19 whacks on the mother and 14 on the father – don’t believe every poem you read), and the truth is gradually revealed. Sevigny and Stewart keep the women believable, while the screenplay by Bryce Kass and direction of Craig William Macneill keep you guessing.
BLAZE (R)
1/2 After watching Blaze I read Rolling Stone’s piece about singer-songwriter Blaze Foley (1949-89) to find out what I’d just seen. There’s probably more truth in Stephen
FAHRENHEIT 11/9
BLAZE
L. Betts’ article than in the admittedly somewhat fictionalized movie, but more importantly it’s better organized and more coherent. Ethan Hawke directed as if he were making a music video, with songs continuing on the soundtrack while the time/place of the visuals drifts between then and now, here and there. Hawke wrote the screenplay with Sybil Rosen (played by Alia Shawkat), based on her memoir which says her love affair with Foley spanned “two years and ten states” (including Georgia for much of that time), but seems in the movie to span
LIZZIE
GOLDEN JOB (NR)
most of his last two decades. An alcoholic who would get belligerent with inattentive audiences, Blaze (Ben Dickey) was not always at his best. It’s hard to tell when he is supposed to be. The only songs I found listenable in context were a solo by Townes Van Zandt (Charlie Sexton, who also gives the most interesting performance) and a Lucinda Williams record at the end of the credits. We’re told early on (and not quite accurately) that Foley recorded a live album the night he died, and we keep returning to the Austin bar, the Outhouse, where the recording was made. I was hoping Blaze would introduce me to a great artist I had somehow overlooked. Instead it was only trying to figure out what was going on that kept me from being totally bored.
SCIENCE FAIR (PG)
Get ready to geek out over geeks! Another documentary about a competition, this one opened my eyes to life on the planet Science. My concept of science fairs, probably from sitcoms, was kids asking their fathers to help them throw together a silly project for school the night before it was due. It turns out some of those kids take their PG 14 • October 2018 • insiteatlanta.com
projects seriously, like the Brazilian girl, the daughter of a farmworker and a maid, with an idea to stop the spread of the Zika virus; the German boy with a fresh take on the flying wing aircraft; the West Virginia guy, too advanced for the boring math they teach in school, who studies how computers learn from each other. And you’re obsessing over what to wear to the prom? These students, plus a few others we meet on the way to the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), may someday regret growing up too fast; and they may be celebrated for saving the world. While they don’t all win prizes at ISEF, even the annoying ones sneak up on you and make you care about them before it’s over. I couldn’t help wondering how directors Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster chose their subjects from among more than seven million possibilities, even before they won their local competitions. Some were from schools with a track record at ISEF but some weren’t. Also featured is Dr. Serena McCalla, a Long Island teacher who uses tough love to push her students to become winners. Now pardon me while I bemoan my wasted youth.
1/2 A Chinese caper flick? Sounds like Pacific Ocean’s Eleven – or Five in this case. Unlike some American heist films, the scheme here is less schematic and the consequences more consequential. Lion, Bill, Mouse, Crater and Calm bonded in the orphanage where they grew up together, and have considered themselves brothers ever since. Five years after screwing up an assignment to protect a drug developer in the opening sequence, they reunite to steal a van full of drugs in Budapest to help some refugees in Africa who have been ripped off by Big Pharma. But these five brothers are four Abels and one Cain. The latter didn’t tell the others the van was actually full of gold. Resolving the resulting family problems involves a lot more action, the specialty of director Chin Ka Lok. Golden Job features spectacular stunts and scenery (in several countries, including Japan and Montenegro); but to appreciate them all you’ll have to be on the same drug the editor must have used, because everything flashes by too fast for the human brain to comprehend, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the actors and have to look down to read subtitles. It’s probably the best recent action movie other than Mission: Impossible – Fallout; but you should approach it like an opera, studying the plot in advance so you’ll be able to follow it as it unfolds. See the rest of our movie reviews at insiteatlanta.com/movies.asp
FILM
MUSIC
OUT ON FILM
Three Decades of Progress BY STEVE WARREN
A
TLANTA’S OUT ON FILM BEGAN in 1987, a decade before Ellen DeGeneres came out and longer before Will & Grace and Queer as Folk brought LGBT characters into your home every week. Aside from a rare commercial breakout, LGBT films were considered too “niche” for mainstream distribution. Those who wanted to find their lives reflected on screen had to search dusty shelves in the back of video stores (remember those?) or wait for this annual festival. Today Out on Film serves a different purpose. household is expanded by the arrival of Coogan’s With too much of all kinds of content available via grandson, also ten. (Note: The language is not for video, cable, streaming, etc., the festival searches through haystacks and other stacks to bring you the most ten-year-olds.) sharpest needles. While some specifically target Kink: Instability causing unpredictability features LGBT viewers and those curious to learn more in two potential gay romances, Hard Paint (Oct. about them, most can be appreciated by anyone 3, 9:10 p.m., Landmark) and Devil’s Path (Oct. 5, 9 who doesn’t live in a bubble surrounded by mirror p.m., Out Front), that shift gears often enough that images of themselves. they may be thrillers or horror films instead. No This year’s festival continues through October spoilers here. 7 at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinemas, with additional shows the final weekend at Out Front Trans-cendentalism: Despite Theatre and the Plaza Theatre. the increasing visibility of trans Out On Film director Jim persons, many people don’t know Farmer seems to call every year’s any – or don’t think they do. festival the biggest and best yet, SEPT. 27–OCT. 7 TransMilitary (Oct. 6, 3:15 p.m., but this year’s does live up to his enthusiasm. LANDMARK MIDTOWN Out Front) and Call Her Ganda (Oct. 7, 3 p.m., Landmark) are You can find full details, ticket ART CINEMAS documentaries that can change info and last-minute changes at OUTONFILM.ORG that, taking you deep into the lives outonfilm.org, but here are some of four trans individuals serving recommendations based on their country and one Filipina trans woman, previewing about half of the festival’s features. Jennifer Laude, who was murdered by a U.S. My absolute favorite is Good Manners (Oct. 2, 7 Marine in 2014. p.m., Landmark), a Brazilian film that begins as a lesbian love story and changes at the full moon into Competition: Man Made (Oct. 3, 7 p.m., a first-rate horror movie. Landmark) profiles four more trans persons, The others are easier discussed in pairs. contestants in an Atlanta transgender bodybuilding competition. Atlanta also figured prominently Art: If you’re not turned off by the slow pace in the festival’s opening night feature, When the of many European dramas, A Moment in the Beat Drops. Reeds (Oct. 4, 9:10 p.m., Landmark) and Sodom (screened opening night) are worth seeing. Both The Good Old, Bad Old Days: History are about two men getting to know each other, comes alive in Riot (Oct. 1, 9 p.m., Landmark), a over a few days in Finland (Reeds) or one night in docudrama about Australia in the 1970s and the Berlin (Sodom). gay men and lesbians who created Sydney’s Gay Education: As exhaustive as college courses about Mardi Gras; and 1985 (Sept. 29, 7 p.m., Landmark), a drama set at the height of the AIDS pandemic, their subjects, but far more entertaining, Dykes, where a young man pays a final visit to his family in Camera, Action! (Sept. 30, 5:10 p.m., Landmark) his Texas hometown. tells you everything you always wanted to know about Lesbian Cinema. Every Act of Life (Oct. In or Out? Sexual orientation isn’t the hot-button 1, 7:05 p.m., Landmark) does the same for gay issue it once was, as in For Izzy (Oct. 7, 1 p.m., Out playwright Terrence McNally. Front), where an out lesbian befriends an autistic neighbor; but many individuals still struggle with Fun: Because festivalgoers also want to have finding acceptance from themselves and others, like fun, Ideal Home (Oct. 6, 7 p.m., Plaza) and My the South African draftee in Canary (Sept. 30, 7 Big Gay Italian Wedding (Sept. 29, 12:45 p.m., p.m., Landmark), who tours with a military chorus Landmark) are barrels of laughs, while scoring (in the mid-‘80s). some serious and/or sentimental points along the way. In Wedding an Italian man brings his fiancé Those are some of my favorites. Check the schedule home to meet his family and friends, including his to see what sounds interesting to you: outonfilm. homophobic father. In Ideal, Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan have been together for ten years when their org/2018-film-schedule
OUT ON FILM
Good Manners
GA GROWN & PROUD Michelle Malone Brings the Party to Pride WELL THAT’S WHAT I DO, I BRING THE PARTY. AND YEAH, I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PLAYING EDDIE’S ATTIC AND A BIG FESTIVAL LIKE PRIDE.
BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH
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OR THREE DECADES, MICHELLE Malone has been a fixture of Atlanta music. Born of the same scene that brought Indigo Girls, Shawn Mullins and the core of Sugarland, she’s a staple of the AtlantaDecatur singer-songwriter aesthetic. Even though she left town for ten years, Malone has maintained a steady presence around town. Now after months on the road, she’s designated the last few months of ’18 for staying close to home with big shows at Pride, a high-profile November gig with Shawn Mullins at Variety Playhouse and her annual New Year’s Eve party at Eddie’s Attic. Malone spoke with INsite recently for a wideranging interview.
my authentic self. I didn’t really have any other agenda except to collaborate. I’ve written so many records, I’m kinda tired of myself. Some days I needed a little bit of a catalyst to start writing. So it’s nice to be able to write with people like Randall Bramblett or Chuck McDowell. We cut it all in the studio together, pretty much live, to capture that feeling when people are playing off of each other. People sometimes say my live show is better than my records, so I said, ‘Well let’s just do a live show in the studio.’ I called up a bunch of folks that I admired and loved and we all got together.
It doesn’t sound stale and just ‘done to death’ like so many studio recordings. Some of the songs Sunday, Oct 14 weren’t finished when Progress Stage • Piedmont Park we started playing them, You’re known as such a so I think it sounds fresh vital part of the Atlanta Atlanta Pride because we’d never even music scene, yet you atlantapride.org heard some of these actually left town for songs until we did them. almost a decade. I guess that human Yeah, I left Atlanta for almost ten years but I element is what makes it sound so immediate. continued to play here often, so maybe nobody Even mistakes can become happy accidents missed me too much. I’d come down and pick that lead to something great. up the band in the van and we’d go on tour. I lived in Boulder, Colorado for a couple of years and I lived in Nashville for a couple of seconds. Now you’re bringing that live band excitement to Pride. The audiences are definitely there to It just wasn’t for me. Then I lived in Decatur, Alabama for about five years. I enjoyed all of it, have a good time. Well that’s what I do, I bring the party. And but one day I woke up and it was just time to yeah, I know the difference between playing come home. Eddie’s Attic and a big festival like Pride. You bring the party, you don’t bring the heartaches. The intrinsic pull of the magnetic south. I guess so. I’ve started exploring my heritage a But I think that’s good for me because I’ve always liked upbeat, fun music anyway, so it little more and I found that my daddy’s side of seems to work. Of course, I’ve also written the family had been in Georgia since the midplenty of singer-songwriter songs, and 1700’s. So is it any wonder I want to stay here? sometimes the two worlds converge. But for this show, it’s more of a celebration. We’ll do a On the back of your latest album Slings and Arrows, it says proudly that ‘This is a Georgia whole lot of songs from the new record and then cherry-pick some other songs from my catalog. record by Georgia artists.’ But you’ve always been very Atlanta-based. So many artists are celebrating anniversaries I think with the exception of one record, I’ve always recorded with local folks. I like what we lately. And your debut album is now at bring to the table. I love our vibe, our aesthetic. that pivotal 30th anniversary level. Are you I just want to use Georgia artists of all kinds on planning anything special to celebrate the release of New Experience? every project, even graphic artists, because I No, I don’t think so. I’ve only felt comfortable truly like who we are. in my own skin for a few years now, so I’m really not interesting in looking back that For this album, you chose to collaborate and far. I have plenty of good new songs to play, co-write with a number of great local artists. why go back that far? It’s not 1988 anymore, For this one, I think I just wanted to capture thank God!
MICHELLE MALONE
insiteatlanta.com • October 2018 • PG 15
COMEDY
MST3K: THE ART OF THE RIFF
Cult-Favorites Celebrate 30 Years of B-movie Commentary and Sci-Fi Mayhem spoke with INsite after a recent visit to Atlanta for DragonCon and the Center For Puppetry Arts
BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH
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YSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000, the irreverent and clever comedy series created by Joel Tom Arnold says you were an early Hodgson, premiered on Thanksgiving Day, influence on his comedy when you were 1988 on a local TV channel in Minneapolis. both doing stand-up. It later aired on Comedy Central and The Oh my gosh, I just talked to him last week. Sci-Fi Channel. I met him in Iowa when I was doing a show For the uninitiated, Hodgson plays there. He was still in college and he opened Joel Robinson, a janitor trapped by mad the show for me. I said, ‘If you really want to scientists and forced to get into comedy, come up to watch a series of obscure Minneapolis.’ I was on my B-movies as a part of their way out to L.A, and I got plot to take over the world. on Letterman and things Sunday, Oct 21 • 3&7pm Joel has crafted a number started to happen for me. Atlanta Symphony Hall of robot companions, Then I came back to do a including Tom Servo, Crow atlantasymphony.org show in Minneapolis and T. Robot, and Gypsy for he was the drunk guy in company and to comment the audience. I made him on each movie as it plays. Rather than jokes, come and sit on the stage just to get him Hodgson prefers to call the humorous to shut up! I used to do this bit in my act commentary “riffing.” where I had a goldfish in a bowl. I had an In 2015, he began a crowdfunded revival old record turntable and I’d put the goldfish of the show that led to 14 new episodes on in the bowl on the turntable. I’d say, ‘When Netflix in 2017. This year, to celebrate the my goldfish are tired, I do this.’ And I’d turn 30th anniversary of the show, another sixit on. The fish would be perfectly still as episode season will debut on Thanksgiving. the water would rush around it. Next time So far, the franchise has produced over 200 I saw him, a year later, he was a comic and episodes and a feature film. he was doing Tom Arnold and His Fabulous After last year’s successful touring edition Goldfish Review. of the show, Hodgson will join the current cast for a new nationwide tour that includes So you inspired the fish. two shows at Symphony Hall on October 21. Absolutely and I think he’s finally at the The laid-back comedian/magician/inventor stage of his life where he’s admitting it.
MST3K
You went the comedy and magic route for a while, which is still unusual for a stand-up. I’m not sure if I’d do that if I was starting now, but 35 years ago, I thought it was a good idea. But there’s so many people who are just amazing now. The internet has really cultivated some great talents lately. Now You Tube stars are playing the same venues we are. The internet really picked up on MST3K early on, as well. I think it’s because the premise of what we do is actually very intimate. It’s like you’re in the room with the cast. It still works because we were the first show to feature the screen and we’re all seeing it at the same time. It’s like you’re sitting next to these people. For the live show, is translating that intimate viewing experience to a big stage difficult for you? It’s way different. You’re riffing in front of 1800 people, so there’s a lot of things at work. I haven’t done it in a few years but when I did it before, it’s like you’re performing each riff in perfect time. You can’t stop the movie, it’s like the clock and you have to have the lines ready. The audience becomes part of the process. They’re collaborating with you. They’re consuming the movie and as a performer, you have to know that if they laugh longer
at a line than they did the night before, you have to know when to hold off on the setup to the next joke, all while the movie is going. So there’s kind of a dance going on; it’s a completely live experience. It’s the weirdest thing, man. You just have to know when to wait for the next thing. It’s almost hard to explain. Which movies will be featuring at the Atlanta show? We’ve got “The Brain” and “Deathstalker 2.” What is the selection process for a film in the series? A lot of people call them “bad movies,” but some aren’t bad at all. I always look for the production value and it helps if there’s a monster in it. And yeah, they’re not all terrible movies. But they’re mostly forgotten movies. That actually works for us because a lot of times the audience hasn’t seen the movie before, so they’re exploring it at the same time we’re watching it.
MUSIC
UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
“Finally” Hit-Maker CeCe Peniston is Ready for Pride fitness challenge with the group Az Yet from the ‘90s. There’s five of them and they all took me up on the offer. Now we’re all on a tough 90-day fitness contest and we’re posting back and forth about it on Instagram. In 2014, I did the NPC Bikini Fitness competition and that’s my goal, I want to do another one. I want to be ready.
BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH
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ECE PENISTON HAS ONE BIG hit, but it’s a massive moment in dance, R&B and video. In 1991, “Finally” made her a star, but the talented performer hasn’t taken the easy road to fame. The Phoenix-based vocalist and songwriter has never tried to fit into any one category, which has opened her opportunities from You’re no stranger to initial major-label success to contests. You participated independent entrepreneur. in beauty pageants She’s moved from multiin college. October 13 act radio-promo shows Yep, I sure did. In 1989, I to performing at galas for Coca-Cola Stage was “Miss Black Arizona.” Aretha Franklin and Bill Piedmont Park Clinton. In between, she’s But you also did a lot of Atlanta Pride appeared on reality TV theater. Those seem like atlantapride.org (Celebrity Wife Swap) and two very different worlds. worked with a number of I’ve always been the type PTA and youth foundations. to try not to fit into any She returns to town this month for a featured box. Whether it’s writing poetry or taking performance at Atlanta Pride. dance lessons, I just like to do things to INsite spoke with Peniston by phone challenge myself on a regular basis. from Arizona.
CECE PENISTON
Is “Hot” your newest release? You’re looking great on the cover. Yes, that’s the newest release and that’s really me. You know, I’ve put on a few pounds since that picture was taken. I was dealing with family issues and hadn’t been on my gym workout as much. So recently I started a new fitness challenge. I’m not quite in supergirl shape, but I’m getting there. I decided to do a PG 16 • October 2018 • insiteatlanta.com
Now that you’re an independent artist, that’s one more challenge for you. Yeah, we have Team CeCe and I pay everybody. Everything is from me. But that’s good because you can actually see where the money goes and when it comes back in. It’s great for me because there’s so many possibilities we’re working on, from skin care to licensing music. It’s been a really busy year.
1991 was a good year for you, as well. Yes! You know, a couple of days ago was the 27th anniversary of “Finally.” I was writing a lot of poetry at the time and that’s where the song originally came from. Then about six weeks later, the label called and said, ‘You have a hit and you’re about to travel the world.’ I woke up the other day and said, ‘Oh snap, that was 27 years ago?’ It’s just a blessing that I’m able to do what I do, all these years later. It’s become a classic and it’s created so many memories. You know you have a solid hit when people connect their life stories to a song. I can’t thank the LGBTQ community enough for loving me. I have heard so many stories about “Finally.” People came out to that song, people have gotten married to it. It means so much to me to know that it all started with a poem from a girl with a dream. And now here we are. Tell us about the Atlanta Pride show. I’ll definitely have my DJ and I’ll need dancers. Whoever I don’t bring with me, I tend to be very good at picking people out of the crowd. I remember one time in Vegas, I had all these rappers and dancers. Really talented people. And Atlanta is full of so much talent, I know we’ll have a good time. I’ve done so many Prides. I think I’ve done them all at this point and it’s always the best audiences.
At this point, do you play with a live band or do you strictly work with a DJ? How do you present the live show? All of it! I have bands in different cities that I go to. I’ve built up a network all over the country. That keeps it fresh and fun for everybody. It’s really like a variety show. It gives me time to do more ballads and R&B and I’ll be doing some new stuff, too. Atlanta hasn’t heard “Hot” yet, but they’re about to! In the live show, I can tweak the energy to match the flow of the city. I really love it because the music doesn’t tell me when to stop.
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JOHN LYDON: STILL ROTTEN
The Former Sex Pistols Frontman Celebrates 40 Years of Public Image Limited
BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH
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hate me. But I’ve never declared myself an anarchist, really. It was a song and the ideology in the song that I tear apart. It’s like now with politics, a’right? Along comes this business bod and he’s making them all look foolish. I’ve always said I don’t see big business as the alternative to politicians. I think this will prove me right, sadly. You cannot run the world like a business, because a business is about selfishness. It’s sad, it’s confusing, but it is change. And change can lead to good things. Bad things too, but don’t be despondent. Make your enemy your friend, because there’s worse enemies around the corner.
F THE MANY BANDS celebrating groundbreaking anniversaries this year, the 40th anniversary of Public Image Limited may be one of the most important of the batch. Formed in 1978 by John Lydon in the aftermath of the Sex Pistols’ demolition, the group started life as a self-described antirock “company.” Film soundtracks and video productions were among the groups’ intended projects, but their main output has been ten highly-influential albums of abrasive, confrontational multi-genre music. Pontificating by phone from the West Coast, the former Wednesday, Oct 18 Johnny Rotten was as brash 8:30PM and verbose as ever during a long conversation tempered Variety Playhouse with shrewd sarcasm, variety-playhouse.com punk wisdom and frequent laughter.
PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED
For the anniversary, you have a full slate of activities planned. A big tour, comprehensive box set and a great documentary [“The Public Image Is Rotten”]. Yeah, well it’s the 40th anniversary. It’s all a bit of an overload, if you know what I mean. We didn’t know how overwhelming it would all be. Unlike the Pistols, Public Image Limited has actually been making music for 40 years, so it’s a different approach for us. You’ve always had a different approach for PiL, famously saying on the Tomorrow show that it’s not a band, it’s a company. Yeah we were cooperating with each other, rather than corporate thinking, a’right? I know I’m beginning to sound like a politician, but I knew at the time I wanted to dive into that area because I could see that corporations were taking over the world. But that line of thinking can be user-friendly, so we’re not all just victims of it. You’ve always taken the stance against the corporate mindset. Well yeah! What’s the point of calling yourself an anarchist when you’re taking flights and you’re wearing Dr. Marten’s corporate shoes and designer rug sacks and staying at nice hotels? That’s not anarchy, is it? No, that’s the worst kind of compliance. Right, it’s all dot org - and that’s the lot that
You’ve always been an agent of change. Well, an accidental agent. It just seems to attract that rebellious thing in me. As they used to say to me in school, you’re repulsing. Little did they know!
The new documentary opens with a great quote from you, saying you’re one of the few people in pop music history who just won’t go away. Well why should I? I’ve something that I’m good at and people respect me and expect me to be good at it. That’s an unsafe safe place for me; I’m living my life on a knife edge, really. There’s always compromises offered to me, or the easy way out, or the easy money. They say, how many times can you reject that? Well, ad infinitum, apparently! I’ve never followed the Pete Townshend concept of I hope I die before I get old. That’s nonsense to me, so I call us a folk band because age doesn’t come into it. Yet you’ve stayed true to the real punk mindset. That’s whole point of punk from day one! Don’t adhere rigidly to any system. Understand that rules are for fools. Learn them, know what they are and then completely disregard them. That way, when you achieve any kind of success at all, you’re getting the full reward because you know what you just dissed. It’s served you well for all these years. A good set of values, I have. Not morals, I always say, because morals implies a sort of religious sensibility, which I definitely do not have. That’s one of the worst things you can have, it’s the precursor to politics. Mass manipulation. You know, you have that period in your life where you think people will wake
Netherworld from page 13
But you’ve retained the two main haunted house sections from the other location. Yes, but they’re bigger because we’ve built the place from the ground up. All the wood is fire-treated and there’s an all-new sprinkler system. Everything is rock solid. So that gives us more room for the haunts. Basically before, if you bought a combo ticket, you could go into either show. Now it’s more linear in nature, so if you buy a single ticket, you’ll go to the first show and then exit out into the midway. Get a drink, spend some time there and then you can cue directly into the second show. A combo ticket is only five dollars more on weeknights, so it’s a really good value. Tell us about the shows. They’re new this year, too. Yes they are and they’re in the same formula as before. The first haunt has more of a traditional haunted house storyline. That’s the marquee event and it’s called The Awakened. It’s an incredibly detailed production. We never want to do the same thing twice because we have a lot of return visitors and we always like to present a new story. Both of these are vastly
up? Generally speaking about 90 percent of the people are in some kind of a deep sleep. They’re in a flock and they expect somebody else to do their thinking for them. Look at the trouble that leads to! It’s the indifferent that really cause wars. When you formed PiL after the Pistols, were you looking for a way to leave the Johnny Rotten persona or expand it? Well, I never agreed with the situation that Malcom was trying to pretend existed. It was more like, let’s throw all the ideas out in a shared experience, of doing things in unison. But that doesn’t always work, particularly when the record labels are handling the purse strings. It damaged me there, somewhere in the middle of PiL to the point where I had to actually go outside of music to come back in and basically buy my way out of the record deals and start completely afresh. That’s what we did. Our own label, our own everything. And because of that, I’ve finally found continuity. And artistic freedom. Exactly. Which is not a frightening thing at all. So there it goes. I grew up facing adversity and found a way out of that. Probably by being adversarial. But it worked. It worked! If you’re in a trap, make the best ya can of it, but don’t saw yer foot off, just to get out of it. Patience. Just out-wait them. One way or another, you’ll free yourself up. With all the newfound freedoms, does it make touring easier?
Well PiL is always on tour. It’s how we make the money to be able to record. And in the middle of this tour, we’re actually recording as well. We made quite a few tracks in England during a short little gap that most bands would call rest and relaxation. But not us. It’s straight into the studio. It’s non-stop and it’s hard work. They say hard work doesn’t kill ya, but it bloody well tries to, though! So it goes on and on. I like it like that. The ideas flow when we’re under stress. Right now I’m working with people I respect and I know respect me, which is quite different than having to just endure. The current line-up of PiL seems to be the most solid one yet. Ever! Historical, really. Two albums and a new one on the way, all with the same people. Wow! It’s a good position to be in, but it’s not cozy. We’re so open with each other it can lead to ferocious situations. But there’s none of that ‘I’m leaving.’ None of that sort of spite is there. Everybody feels solid about their position in all of this. No egos? No egos. And that takes years, really, to perfect. It’s not to do with musicianship, it’s to do with the blend of personalities. When I pick people to work with, it’s really about how they are as human beings. You seem a bit more tolerant than in the past. Does that come with age? It’s wisdom, really. The longer you’ve lived, the more integrity you should be developing. I think like a fine wine, I’m maturing with age.
different environments. The Awakened features monsters that have emerged from the depths to basically destroy everything. So that’s always fun. There’s a cemetery, a mansion and a creepy city deep below the mountain. Just good, traditionally scary stuff. The other room is a little more of a darker attraction, right? Well it’s definitely more gritty. It’s gorier but our type of gore is more fantastical than graphic. It’s called Subject: Unknown. It deals with extra-terrestrial life and mutating viruses that infect the facility. The subjects go a little wonky and they get some extreme powers of aggression and become fairly indestructible. It’s like going through an industrial facility. There’s a lot of machinery, weird experimentation pods and cold metals. Basically it’s a good excuse to make some amazingly freaky creatures. When you have a virus that runs rampant, pretty much all the doors are open. We’ve had a lot of fun creating monsters that are basically running amuck. Netherworld is open until November 4, 7:30 to midnight on weekends and 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. on weeknights. Visit www. fearworld.com for more information and tickets. insiteatlanta.com • October 2018 • PG 17
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THIS COUNTRY’S FOR THE BYRDS!
Roger McGuinn Looks Back on 50 Years
THE JOURNEY OF SIMPLE MINDS
Jim Kerr on the New Album, Tour & More
BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH
T BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH
Do you think you’ll ever get around to recording T WASN’T A MASSIVE HIT WHEN it was an album of that magnitude? No, I’m not sure I want to do that anymore. originally released in 1968, but the legacy Though I have done solo shows that’ve had of The Byrds’ sixth album Sweetheart of that theme. the Rodeo has grown over the decades. Once viewed as a novel stunt by long-haired West Coast interlopers of Nashville’s ultra-conservative Once Gram was in the band, you jumped into country music full-force. country music scene, the record is now cited by Yeah, whole hog! It was fun; we enjoyed it. It many in rock and Americana as one of the most was really a great pleasure to do all of that music influential records of the ‘60s. at the time. Produced at a crossroads of culture, art and personnel changes, The Byrds of springtime ’68 You even adopted the whole lifestyle - jumping were radically different than previous lineups. in “whole hog” on the fashion aspect of Founders Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman the country scene at the time, with flashy remained but drummer Michael Clark had quit Nudie suits. the group and outspoken singer-songwriter We really got into it. I even bought a black David Crosby had been dismissed. In their place Cadillac El Dorado. I used to drive it around L.A were Hillman’s cousin Kevin Kelley on drums listening to country music and just lovin’ it. and multi-instrumentalist Gram Parsons. McGuinn had planned an ambitious overview Once you decided to go with an all-country of musical styles for the collection. But guided format, the ideas seemed to flow effortlessly. by the rootsy influences of Parsons, the record That’s right and [producer] Gary Usher was leaned heavily on country, or “Cosmic American great. He jumped into it with us. So we went Music,” as he later called it. The result was a to Nashville and got [steel masterpiece of Americana. guitarist] Lloyd Green and During a break from the SWEETHEART OF [bassist] Junior Husky and album’s 50th anniversary tour featuring McGuinn, Hillman THE RODEO TOUR boy, it was a really good time. Lloyd Green commented that and Marty Stuart with his Sunday, October 21 • 8pm he loved it because it was so Fabulous Superlatives, the Sandy Springs Performing unstructured. He was used to soft-spoken McGuinn spoke Arts Center somebody telling him exactly with INsite from his home citysprings.com what to play. It was definitely in Florida. a different kind of recording session for him. It wasn’t quite as conservative. Great art comes from Turbulent times, so as a He said, ‘Where do you want me to play?’ We man of faith – how does it reflect in your art? said, ‘Everywhere, man!’ I just try to take the attitude that when we perform for people for a couple of hours, we’re It must be great playing the Ryman in Nashville taking their minds off of all these nasty and now and sell it out, playing the same music you turbulent things, and giving them something were doing 50 years ago. soothing to make them feel better. Yeah we played with Marty at the Ryman in June. I’d played there before then with him on Sweetheart came from a crazy time for music in one of his late-night jams. That was his doing. He general and for your band in particular. Yes indeed. We’d lost all the members but Chris said, ‘You got so dissed at the Ryman back in ’68, I want to have you come back and do it again.’ and then he finally quit. But Chris was still there Everyone was very gracious. for the Sweetheart album and Gram was a great catalyst for us to do it. Chris and I had done country before and loved the genre. That was the Now looking back on it, Sweetheart has become one of those classic albums like Pet Sounds or reason we did the album, because we all loved Odessey and Oracle. The legend has grown country music so much. with time. It has and I’m lovin’ it. I’m really enjoying Previous to the country concept, your idea for playing with Marty and Chris again. the follow-up to The Notorious Byrd Brothers was a genre-spanning, two-record-set exploring Marty is a walking country music encyclopedia the history of popular music. and memorabilia museum. Yeah, that was a very ambitious idea. It was Marty is like having [former Byrds guitarist] gonna be a double-album starting with early Clarence White with us again. He’s got his European music, going through the Baroque b-bender guitar and he really knows all the licks. period and then on through Celtic, folk and He said the Sweetheart album was always his eventually country music, ending with rock blueprint of what to do, to mix folk and country and roll, jazz and finally space music with the and rock. So we’re all just having a love-fest synthesizer. But nobody would go along with it. up there.
I
PG 18 • October 2018 • insiteatlanta.com
classic Simple Minds sound. It has to have an energy that’s vital, to show that we’re really committed and that this is not just another album and tour. Judging by the audience reaction, we’ve gotten close to our heart’s desires.
HE JOURNEY OF SIMPLE MINDS started in the gritty punk clubs of Glasgow in 1977, travelled to small theaters and halls and on to massive stadium-rock appeal. Along the way, they became the most commercially successful Every Simple Minds album, including the Scottish band of the ‘80s. Forty years later, new one, contains a wide variety of styles, they’re bringing their Walk Between Worlds yet it still retains a readily identifiable tour to Atlanta for a show at the Tabernacle. band sound. Lightyears away from their debut as part of It’s great that you pick up on that point, a cheeky punk outfit called Johnny and the because a lot of people don’t. I take pride in Self-Abusers, Simple Minds founders Jim the band and we all have so many influences Kerr and Charlie Burchill are celebrating a and styles, yet intrinsically that hodge-podge lifetime of creating challenging yet accessible somehow comes together as Simple Minds. music - including the internationally known Breakfast Club soundtrack hit, “Don’t You How do you classify the Simple (Forget About Me).” Minds sound? Released earlier this year, Walk Between I still think of us as an art rock band, to Worlds takes the band’s self-described art be honest. We can find the mainstream, rock and updates it for modern listeners. The but when I look at the lyrics and I hear collection melds the best of the band’s MTVwhat we’re doing - I think that in the way friendly ‘80s sound with its lesser-known Bowie was art rock, or Talking Heads were progressive ponderings of art rock, for lack of better the ‘90s. The result is an terminology, that applies to immensely entertaining SIMPLE MINDS us as well. set of lushly-layered Monday, October 8 • 8pm anthemic pop. Tabernacle Every time I hear Simple INsite recently spoke with tabernacleatl.com Minds, especially from the founder Jim Kerr by phone first few albums, I think of from the BMG Records you more as a progressive office in New York City. rock band than anything else. That’s exactly right. A lot of those songs Are you excited to be back on the road to came from just having an idea, setting up the States? the equipment and the guys would just jam Hand to heart, this is what we’ve always it out. The first gig I ever saw was Genesis wanted to do - to have a great live band and and Charlie saw Yes and Emerson, Lake and take it around the world. Unfortunately, it’s Palmer. King Crimson was a big favorite, so been a while since we’ve been able to do we definitely like that stuff. the work in North America that we really wanted to do. At one point, I wasn’t sure if You mentioned the word journey when we we’d ever get the chance to get to America were discussing your career. This has been an again. But now it’s time for us to prove incredible journey. It’s definitely a long way our worth. from the Johnny and the Self-Abusers days. (Laughs) I like to think it’s all been Not only is this a long tour, it’s also a long downhill since then! But I was thinking the evening of music. other day about the hutzpah we had to put We felt that since we haven’t been to the out that Self-Abusers single and then break States recently, we thought we’d give a little up on the day it was released. That was bit more. We won’t drive people crazy like a pretty punky. Springsteen thing that goes on all night but through the evening, we hope to give a real That’s the very definition of punk. sense of our journey because there are levels You can’t get much more nihilistic than of Simple Minds fans. The ones that go way, that. It seemed like satire or a joke, but it was way back, then the MTV kids and the people really a catalyst to keep going. How many that like what’s going on at the moment. We people start a like to throw in screenplay or a a few surprises, book but then too, so if we life takes over can do all of and they never that, it ticks a finish it? In our lot of boxes. case, Johnny and SelfThere’s a lot Abusers made of material us get up and to pick from, play. We weren’t including the any good, new stuff. but the joy of We really playing and the wanted to do reactions we something that got made us would conjure think, ‘Wouldn’t up some of it be great if we the ghosts of could do this the past, by for real?’ keeping to that
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