The Tulsa Voice | Vol. 5 No. 4

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February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

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THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

CONTENTS // 3

4 // CONTENTS

February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

SCARY SWEET P22 February 7 – February 20, 2018 // Vol. 5, No. 4 ©2018. All rights reserved.

BY KRIS ROSE

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon

Two Valentine’s haunted houses and a do-it-yourself adventure make the holiday hair-raising

EDITOR Liz Blood ASSISTANT EDITOR Cassidy McCants DIGITAL EDITOR John Langdon

ODE TO THE LUNCH LADY P24

ART DIRECTOR Madeline Crawford GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Georgia Brooks, Morgan Welch PHOTOGRAPHER Greg Bollinger

BY KARA BELLAVIA

AD SALES MANAGER Josh Kampf

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act proves effective in local public schools

EDITORIAL INTERN Trent Gibbons CONTRIBUTORS Kara Bellavia, Kimberly Burk, Alicia Chesser, Kristi Eaton, Barry Friedman, Ryan Gentzler, Jeff Huston, Joe O’Shansky, Zack Reeves, Kris Rose, Joseph Rushmore, Amanda Ruyle, Andrew Saliga, Damion Shade, Brady Whisenhunt

The Tulsa Voice’s distribution is audited annually by

HOLISTIC REHABILITATION P26

BY KRISI EATON

Tribal programs help Native American ex-inmates reintegrate after prison

Member of

Inside Sweetheart’s Slaughter | KRIS ROSE

The Tulsa Voice is published bi-monthly by

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In Oklahoma, they’re epidemic

Exploring the flavors of Levain Kitchen & Bakery

Power of civil rights movement depicted in Crystal Bridges exhibition

8

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE RIGHT

Lunch and Oral Roberts jokes with a GOP congressional candidate

15 A STORM OF PASSION AND PLEASURE B Y ANDREW SALIGA

31 FROM THE HEART

B Y ALICIA CHESSER

BY BARRY FRIEDMAN

The classic hurricane joins Valentine’s with Mardi Gras

10 HOW YOU LOOK AT IT

BY DAMION SHADE Local tax professionals offer views on the new tax bill

16 ALL MY EXES LIVE AT HODGES

BY CASSIDY MCCANTS

But after five years, it’s still where I dearly love to be

MUSIC

NATIVE RE-ENTRY PROGRAMS P26

30 ART FOR EQUALITY

B Y KIMBERLY BURK

14 SWEET STRAINS

B Y BRADY WHISENHUNT

38 PARTY ALL DAY—AND NIGHT

B Y AMANDA RUYLE

PLUS

ARTS & CULTURE

7 DEBTORS’ PRISONS

B Y RYAN GENTZLER

FOLLOW US @THETULSAVOICE ON:

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FOOD & DRINK

Mardi Gras at the VFW will be family-friendly, then raucous

40 TUESDAY NIGHT LIVE

B Y BRADY WHISENHUNT

Deep-cut honky-tonking at the Merc

41 REVIVING WOODSTOCK

B Y BRADY WHISENHUNT

Political songwriters explore protest song-making at a fitting venue

HURRICANES MARDI GRAS VA L E N T I N E ’ S EXES

ON THE COVER A blood orange hurricane. See the recipe on page 15.

PHOTO BY ANDREW SALIGA THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

TV & FILM 43 MAGIC BIKE

B Y JOE O’SHANSKY

‘High Maintenance’ is a potent blend

44 REPEATING FORMS

B Y JOE O’SHANSKY

‘ Winchester’ is a nudging morality play

44 ALL THAT HOLLYWOOD ALLOWS

B Y JEFF HUSTON Annette Bening does Gloria Grahame justice in May-December romance biopic

45 INNER MURALS

BY JEFF HUSTON French locals inspire giant portraits in Oscar-nominated ‘Faces Places’

Feminine leadership gathering acknowledges strength in community

32 THAT WHICH IS WITHIN YOU

B Y ZACK REEVES

A conversation with George Saunders

35 THE STARS ARE ALIGNED

B Y CASSIDY MCCANTS Tulsa Opera celebrates its 70th year with pop music

ETC. 34 THEHAPS 42 MUSICLISTINGS 45 FULLCIRCLE 46 FREE WILL ASTROLOGY + SUDOKU 47 THEFUZZ + CROSSWORD

VOTE FOR THE BEST OF TULSA 2018 P12 CONTENTS // 5

editor’sletter

“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.”

—F. Scott Fitzgerald

C

onversation has been a running theme in The Tulsa Voice and in our office over the last several months.

Since the resistance issue (Nov. 1, 2017; Vol. 4, No. 22), in particular, we’ve been interested in broadening the kinds of conversations we have and the kinds of people with whom we engage.

Our goal is to keep pushing further in this area. Have an idea for a conversation you’d like to see in the paper? Send me an email: liz@langdonpublishing.com.

For this issue, Barry Friedman sat down with First Congressional

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District candidate Danny Stockstill for a lively conversation about the Right and where they think it’s failing (pg. 8). Stockstill presents as a level-headed, thoughtful Republican. Friedman presents as his usual sassy self. (We love you, Barry!) The conversation is enjoyable and revealing, and it made me consider the preconceived notions about the GOP we see pervading our media.

Damion Shade sat down with three local tax professionals and got their take on the tax bill signed into law by Trump in December (pg. 10). Full disclosure: When he

pitched the article, a small part of me thought, “Taxes … yawn.”

But I told that part to be quiet, and Shade proved this was the right move. In reading his piece I was reminded again that the big, national things—especially the ones that garner endless quarreling across the aisle—do affect us at the local, micro level.

2018 Tulsa Artist Fellow and journalist Kristi Eaton spent time with two Native women, Leslie Deere (Muscogee (Creek) Nation) and Kalli Watkins (Cherokee Nation), who successfully completed their tribes’ post-prison

reintegration programs (pg. 26).

And new TTV contributor Kara Bellavia spoke with several Tulsa and Union Public Schools staffers about the food Tulsa kids are eating on a near-daily basis (pg. 24).

Enjoy the issue, and stay warm, Tulsa! a

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February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

okpolicy

T

he problem of debtors’ prisons in Oklahoma has slowly come out into the open in recent years. More and more criminal defendants have been unable to pay off the thousands of dollars in fines and fees piled on them by our justice system. When they fail to pay, a warrant is issued for their arrest, and they might spend several days in jail for the “crime” of being poor.

We mapped the millions of dollars in court debt in Tulsa and Oklahoma Counties and found that court debt per person is up to 10 times higher in low-income neighborhoods when compared to high-income neighborhoods. The financial burden is simply overwhelming for most of the people who bear the costs.

Court records show that by 2015, failure-to-pay warrants had been issued in about 66 percent of Tulsa County’s felony cases that resulted in court costs filed in 2008. That means nearly twothirds of defendants in felony cases, whether they ended up with a conviction, deferral, or dismissal with costs, could not pay their court fines and fees.

The numbers aren’t much better for misdemeanors, even though these court fines and fees tend to be lower. In three of the five counties from which we collected data, failure-to-pay warrants were issued in about half the misdemeanor cases filed in 2008.

Because debts are so large and defendants’ incomes are generally very low, defendants are often asked to pay their debt in monthly installments of $25 to $100 a month. Even for a person with a full-time job, keeping up with these payments can be a challenge for a low-income family. As time goes by, more and more defendants slip up and get caught in a dangerous trapdoor that threatens chances for rehabilitation, even years after a case has been resolved.

Data that covers a longer period shows the epidemic of court

debt and debtors’ prisons in Tulsa County. Of the approximately 72,000 felony and misdemeanor cases that resulted in costs here between 2008 and 2015, 43.5 percent received at least one failureto-pay warrant—a total of over 31,000 cases. Those cases imposed about $154 million in court fines and fees, of which less than a quarter—about 23.9 percent—had been collected as of fall 2017.

Courts and law enforcement agencies are increasingly reliant on the fines and fees they collect due to declines in state funding. They devote a great deal of resources to pursuing, arresting, incarcerating, and adjudicating people who have failed to pay the outlandish sums demanded of them. But the evidence suggests that this is a losing financial proposition for the agencies, which end up spending more trying to collect debt than they gain in revenue.

Although judges are required by law to take into account a person’s ability to pay when imposing fines and fees, that requirement is frequently ignored in practice. Judges may ask how much a person can afford and set very low monthly payments, but there is little evidence that judges make a habit of waiving or reducing debts, even in cases of severe poverty.

Legislation to standardize ability-to-pay calculations, reduce the impact of debtors’ prisons, and create repayment pilot programs was considered last year but ultimately failed. Similar bills will almost certainly be introduced this year. For the sake of the lives of thousands of Oklahomans who become entrapped by this needless cycle of debt and incarceration, lawmakers must pass these reforms in 2018. a

DEBTORS’ PRISONS In Oklahoma, they’re epidemic

by RYAN GENTZLER

Ryan Gentzler is a policy analyst with Oklahoma Policy Institute (www.okpolicy.org).

THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 7

viewsfrom theplains

A

few weeks after writing an admittedly snarky and pissy column about those Republican candidates vying to replace First District Congressman Jim Bridenstine (TTV, Vol. 3, No. 13), I ran into one of them, Brookside Baptist Church Pastor Danny Stockstill, at Mondo’s on Brookside.

“You know,” Stockstill said, “you were right about what you said.”

“You want to sit down sometime,” I asked, pleasantly gobsmacked, “and talk about politics and religion and your candidacy?

We won’t agree on much, probably won’t like each other, but it could be fun.”

“I’d love to.”

So, we went back to Mondo’s.

He began with a great joke.

DANNY STOCKSTILL: One day a young boy was walking along the street when a young Oral Roberts approached him and asked why he was so sad. The boy responded that his father was ill and the doctors couldn’t cure him. Roberts told the boy his father needed to believe he would be healed.

“Your father isn’t sick; he only believes he is sick.”

A few weeks later, the boy meets Roberts again. When the preacher asks the boy how his father is doing he replies, “My dad no longer thinks he is sick … now he thinks he is dead.”

BARRY FRIEDMAN: That’s hysterical.

Oh! I notice you changed your website.

STOCKSTILL: I did. Once I read your article, I sat down with some of my people and said, “You know, that comes across as somewhat arrogant.” You sit in your room, you write things, and you get in this echo chamber and listen to people who believe like you, who think like you. I don’t think there’s anything wrong when you’re challenged to go back and rethink something.

FRIEDMAN: Now I have to change the way I think about you.

8 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

Father except through me.” So, the majority of evangelical Christians believe that that only takes place by confessing Jesus as savior.

FRIEDMAN: So you’re saying, “Maybe not”? Isn’t that how Carlton Pearson lost his ministry?

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE RIGHT Lunch and Oral Roberts jokes with a GOP congressional candidate

by BARRY FRIEDMAN First Congressional District candidate and Brookside Baptist Church pastor Danny Stockstill | GREG BOLLINGER

STOCKSTILL: (Laughs) FRIEDMAN: I heard you worked with Planned Parenthood? True?

would have good intentions.

(Laughs) We’re always such good partners with everyone we disagree with.

STOCKSTILL: I tried to. I know there is nothing I can do about the decision to have the child or the abortion, but I wanted them to know that we will support them.

I’d drive by and see people protesting every day, and I thought, “How in the world is that helping us as a society, us in Christian faith, women at all?”

FRIEDMAN: On that point, does Christianity work without the exclusivity?

FRIEDMAN: The ones protesting or the ones getting abortions?

STOCKSTILL: Oh, that exclusivity.

STOCKSTILL: The protestors. And I realized it’s not. When I first came to Brookside Baptist Church in June 2011, it was the first phone call I made. And it didn’t go over well. I don’t know why they didn’t think a Southern Baptist pastor

STOCKSTILL: I think it works best without the exclusivity.

FRIEDMAN: So you don’t preach the Baptist way is the only way to get to heaven?

FRIEDMAN: Yeah.

STOCKSTILL: Yes, it does work best without it. The breakdown in Christianity is John 14:6, where Jesus looks at the apostles and says, “I am the way, the truth, and the light, and no one comes to the

STOCKSTILL: My understanding of Carlton Pearson’s belief is that forgiveness is extended to all mankind regardless of a conscious decision. Romans 10:9—“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”—deals with how we live here on Earth. That the crucifixion of Jesus covers all of mankind, whether you want it to or not—what some scholars might refer to as the “Bridge verse.”

The two views of this verse are distinguished between the act of confession, which allows us to call upon the sacrifice made by Christ, and the gift of forgiveness without an actual confession. I believe that we must make a conscious decision to receive the forgiveness that is offered by Christ. This is one area [where] I hope to be proven wrong. I truly hope the grace of God goes far beyond my understanding and all people will be granted access to a God-filled afterlife (Heaven).

FRIEDMAN: You want to be wrong?

STOCKSTILL: Yeah.

FRIEDMAN: As a Baptist minister, you bring people to Jesus—that’s what you do—but as a United States Representative that’s not what you do—or shouldn’t do.

STOCKSTILL: I think my Christianity dictates how I live, not what I say.

I think God calls us to live under the principles of Christ, not force those principles onto everybody else. When Jesus was asked what are the most important commandments, he listed the Shema and to love your neighbor as yourself.

There’s nothing in there about

February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

sexual preference, stealing, nothing about being moral, nothing about marriage in there. And that’s why I called Planned Parenthood.

FRIEDMAN: Is abortion the political issue for Christians?

STOCKSTILL: No, I think for most Christians, it’s—I’m going [laughs] to end my race before I get started …

FRIEDMAN: That happened when you agreed to talk to me.

STOCKSTILL: … it’s personal responsibility. So, if you want an abortion, there are lots of people out there who believe, “You made this bed; you have to live with the actions.”

FRIEDMAN: But that’s insane and heartless. Fourteen-year-old girl gets raped and gets pregnant— what bed did she make?

STOCKSTILL: I’m not saying it’s practical. But if you look at an embryo, a fetus, the same way you would a two-month-old baby … look, as a U.S. Congressman, where I want to jump into that battle is—how do I work with those organizations so we can either prevent or lower the number of abortions?

FRIEDMAN: Will you stand up in a debate and say, “I am a Baptist minister. I’m against abortion, but I’m against defunding Planned Parenthood, considering the work they do with preventative care, cancer screenings, family planning, contraceptives, etc.”?

STOCKSTILL: I’ve said that out loud.

I know that if I defund Planned Parenthood, abortion rates are going to skyrocket because they’re stopping more abortions than they’re providing.

everybody wants to pitch in and be a part of that.

on immigration?” Your hand stays up?

FRIEDMAN: That’s not the only message embraced, say, by this president.

STOCKSTILL: No.

STOCKSTILL: I honestly don’t believe our president cares anything about a wall on our southern border. I think early on he decided if we can push this message of hate, of division, people will jump up, so one of his best fundraising messages is, “We hate Muslims and we’re going to build a wall.”

The wall is one of the worst ideas we as a country can do. We’ll welcome any Norwegian who wants to come, but Norwegians don’t want to come to the United States.

FRIEDMAN: Are you running to marginalize the crazies, as Governor Chris Christie once referred to them, from the GOP? STOCKSTILL: We’re not going to get rid of the crazies, because the crazies are the ones who run our party.

FRIEDMAN: Let’s go back to you and Trump. Is there a breaking point?

STOCKSTILL: When the damage he’s doing with his words outweighs the good he’s doing with his actions. I think we’re getting close.

The number one deciding factor [for me to get into this race]: We had our children watching the debate, which in hindsight was a poor idea, and I walked into my daughter’s room later that night— she was crying and she said, “Why are these the only two people we get to vote for?”

FRIEDMAN: Okay, so you’re at a debate and—let’s say Pat Campbell of radio station KFAQ—is moderating—

FRIEDMAN: Can you raise money on that message?

STOCKSTILL: I don’t think I show up at a debate if he’s moderating.

STOCKSTILL: There’s no money behind that message. Nobody is going to come to me and say, “I want to endorse that,” because there is no emotion behind it, but if I can get up and rattle the Bible and scream, “I’m going to defund, defund, defund, we’re going to ... ,”

FRIEDMAN: Some other moderator says, “Who supports Trump?”

Your hand goes up?

STOCKSTILL: Yes. FRIEDMAN: And then the moderator asks “Who supports Trump

THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

FRIEDMAN: You will distance yourself from the president?

STOCKSTILL: Correct. At a recent Tulsa Republican women’s debate, in my closing statement, I said, “We have a president who’s very conservative, but he’s very hateful and spiteful in the words he uses,” and I thought someone had let the air out of the room. It was just amazing; there were gasps, because I had called our president hateful. You would have thought I had become a Democrat.

FRIEDMAN: What is the mindset—I’ll ask you to speak for them—of those not offended by Trump?

STOCKSTILL: The question becomes, “How does this affect me?” So when Trump says “shithole” about Haiti and Africa, that doesn’t affect me.

It has no bearing on my life.

I want to be careful using the word “moderate” because it’s a bad word, but it takes a lot of courage to be moderate because everybody in my echo chamber, everybody in my circle, is not one—and they’re the most vocal.

My tipping point came this past summer when President Trump was out campaigning and began talking about Colin Kaepernick and used the phrase, “If he’s not going to stand up, that son of a bitch needs to be fired.” And seeing the roar of approval from conservative Christians across the country, even here in this state—I was talking to one woman in my church and I asked, “Do you really think it’s okay we call this guy’s mom a ‘bitch’?”

FRIEDMAN: What did she say?

STOCKSTILL: “Maybe his mom is.”

FRIEDMAN: Jesus!

STOCKSTILL: I realized the message I have to tout is the absolute opposite of what he’s doing. Part of it is, the Republican Party honestly—and this is what I don’t understand—feels that for the

past eight years of the Obama presidency they were the ones being victimized.

FRIEDMAN: Based on what? That’s a bumper sticker. And how do you govern with bumper stickers?

STOCKSTILL: You don’t. You raise money with bumper stickers.

FRIEDMAN: Did I hear right? Are you removing “Baptist” from Brookside Baptist Church?

STOCKSTILL: We are.

FRIEDMAN: Why? STOCKSTILL: Because we want to remove any hindrance somebody would have coming to church, and the term Baptist deters more people from walking into church than it draws people in.

FRIEDMAN: Tell me about your meeting with Bridenstine.

STOCKSTILL: That was actually an early turning point for my candidacy. It really showed me what our elected officials thought of one another.

FRIEDMAN: Are you shocked by the venom of those running against you?

STOCKSTILL: Couple of them, yeah. They’re trying to build on Jim Bridenstine. Anyway, I was sitting in his Capitol office and told him I had attended an Indivisible Tulsa [a progressive organization opposed to Trump] meeting and it reminded me of the experience I had in some of the hard-Right meetings I attended. [Bridenstine] said the Christian Far Right wing of the party had the justification of a “righteous anger.” I told him there’s no such thing. When we, as Christians, justify our anger as righteous or religious or somehow condoned by God, we become the very evil we pretend to hate. I don’t believe the idea of righteous anger is one we get to embrace, and it is for sure not a weapon we have the right or the authority to wield. I will refuse to be the candidate or the congressman that claims righteous anger in my campaign or my policy. a NEWS & COMMENTARY // 9

statewide

HOW YOU LOOK AT IT Local tax professionals offer views on the new tax bill

by DAMION SHADE John Curzon and Jeff Frable of CCK Strategies (Not pictured: Kaitlyn Sharpe) | GREG BOLLINGER

P

artisan bickering has made forming an opinion on Trump’s new tax bill difficult. So far, the record seems mixed.

In January, for instance, Walmart raised its minimum wage to $11 an hour and offered one-time bonuses of $1,000 to veteran employees. Supporters credited the bill. That same day Walmart announced it was closing 63 Sam’s Clubs throughout the country and cutting about 10,000 jobs. Opponents of the bill saw this as a clear sign of failure— higher wages don’t mean much to the unemployed.

Conservatives in Congress believe that high taxes and too much government regulation are the cause of America’s recent economic woes, but liberals and many economists believe automation and the mediocre education of the American workforce are to blame.

It seems unlikely anyone will win this argument soon. To understand what the recent tax overhaul actually means for American businesses requires a dispassionate look at the numbers.

John Curzon and Jeff Frable are partners at downtown accounting firm CCK Strategies. The pair have had long friendship and

10 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

have decades of experience with business in the state. Their firm has clients throughout Oklahoma and across the globe. Both are optimistic about the new tax law.

“We’re talking about one of the most major overhauls to the code since ‘86. So it’s a pretty big deal. My general feel is that most of the changes are positive, and we’re excited for the possibilities for our clients,” Frable said.

“Tulsa has a very strong manufacturing economy,” Curzon said.

“That’s been related to the energy sector and the aerospace sector, as well. This tax law has a much more generous ability for companies to spend money on capital improvements for equipment. It’s gonna add growth to the U.S. as a whole. How much of that growth is going to land in Oklahoma is in part going to depend on how much we Oklahomans can attract business to our state.”

Kaitlyn Sharpe, a tax project manager at CCK, sees the tax bill in a somewhat different light.

“If I were to do a tax bill, I would increase our research and development tax credit to be comparable to the rest of the developed world so that we’re benefiting the most innovative companies—but that’s not what

they did,” Sharpe said. “There are some software companies that might not even qualify for the reduced rates. I just don’t think benefiting manufacturing companies at the expense of other industries is smart policy, long term. I also work with the nonprofit Operation Aware of Oklahoma, Inc., and I’m curious to see what happens when people don’t itemize and there’s less incentive to give donations [because of the doubled standard deduction]. For a state that depends so much on local nonprofit involvement, that could be pretty harmful.

“My brother left the state, and he’s now working for CBS sports coding, and he can’t get a job here that’s comparable. I think that’s unfortunate—they all pay so much less in Tulsa because there’s not the value placed on coding here that there is in other places,” Sharpe added. “I’m worried that the jobs we economically value right now might not be around in fifteen years.”

But Curzon and Frable believe the economic leverage of the bill will outweigh its flaws.

“There’s a lot of press reaction to the corporate tax rate dropping from 35 to 21 percent, and that is very significant,” Curzon said.

“But big corporations are owned by investors, and most of those investors are in 401(k) plans that the average American is a participant in. There should be a real benefit to everyone’s retirement plan because of this tax law. Mostly because the value of these corporations is going to increase simply because of lower tax cost.

“Also, a lot of Tulsa companies are more entrepreneurial. They are family businesses or entrepreneurs that are being taxed on their business income at their individual tax rate. These types of companies will see a real benefit as well.”

The best thing about this debate is that it will ultimately be resolved by numbers. The benefits of the tax bill will either outweigh the cost or they won’t.

But in Oklahoma, the $800 million budget shortfall complicates this (and every) issue. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities recently released a report that states the new tax law will force $5.8 trillion in program cuts over the next decade, including $1.8 trillion in cuts to Medicaid. Large healthcare cuts in Oklahoma on top of those the state has already experienced could have ripple effects that would only deepen the state’s education and opioid crises. a

February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

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ModusTulsa.org NEWS & COMMENTARY // 11

FOOD & DRINK BEST BREAKFAST Bramble Breakfast & Bar Brookside By Day Dilly Diner Tally’s Good Food Café Savoy Restaurant BEST BRUNCH Bramble Breakfast & Bar Brookside By Day Chimera Cafe Dilly Diner Doc’s Wine & Food Fassler Hall Kilkenny’s Irish Pub SMOKE. on Cherry Street BEST BLOODY MARY Cosmo Cafe Doc’s Wine & Food Kilkenny’s Irish Pub James E. McNellie’s Public House SMOKE. on Cherry Street BEST COFFEEHOUSE Cirque Coffee Coffee House on Cherry Street DoubleShot Coffee Company Shades of Brown Topeca Coffee BEST BARISTA Matthew Craddock, Hodges Bend Michael Craddock, Hodges Bend Andrew Jolly, DoubleShot Coffee Company Devin Parham, Topeca Coffee Rachel Webb, Gypsy Coffee House BEST BAKERY Ann’s Bakery Antoinette Baking Co. Ludger’s Bavarian Cakery Merritt’s Bakery Pancho Anaya Bakery BEST FARMERS MARKET Bixby Farmers Market Rose District Farmers Market Cherry Street Farmers Market The Farm Shopping Center Farmers Market BEST GROCERY STORE ALDI Reasor’s Foods Sprouts Farmers Market Trader Joe’s Whole Foods Market BEST FOOD TRUCK Andolini’s Pizzeria Lone Wolf Masa Mr. Nice Guys Rub BEST DELI Bill and Ruth’s Jason’s Deli Lambrusco’z Lassalle’s New Orleans Deli Trenchers Delicatessen BEST DINER Brookside By Day Dilly Diner Freeway Cafe Phill’s Diner Tally’s Good Food Café

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BEST SANDWICH Lassalle’s New Orleans Deli – Po Boy Lone Wolf – Bahn Mi Phat Philly’s – Phat Philly Cheesesteak Trenchers Delicatessen – Dutch Crunch Trenchers Delicatessen – Reuben BEST BURGER Brownies Hamburgers Fat Guy’s Burger Bar James E. McNellie’s Public House Ron’s Hamburgers & Chili The Tavern

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BEST BAR FOOD Elgin Park Fassler Hall Hodges Bend James E. McNellie’s Public House R Bar & Grill

BEST VIETNAMESE Lone Wolf Banh Mi Pho Da Cao Pho Nhi Vietnamese Noodle House Ri Le’s Viet Huong Restaurant

BEST BEER SELECTION American Solera Bricktown Brewery Fassler Hall James E. McNellie’s Public House Prairie Brewpub Roosevelt’s

BEST VEGETARIAN / HEALTH FOOD Big Al’s Healthy Foods Chimera Cafe Laffa Medi-Eastern Restaurant & Bar Pure Food and Juice Zoës Kitchen

BEST WINE LIST Bull in the Alley Hodges Bend Polo Grill Vintage 1740 The Wine Loft Bar

ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT BEST GALLERY 108 Contemporary Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa Hardesty Arts Center (AHHA) Joseph Gierek Fine Art Living Arts M.A. Doran Gallery Tulsa Artists’ Coalition Gallery BEST MUSEUM Gilcrease Museum Philbrook Museum of Art Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art Tulsa Children’s Museum Woody Guthrie Center

BEST PATIO Blue Rose Cafe El Guapo’s Cantina R Bar & Grill Roosevelt’s Saturn Room

BEST COCKTAILS Cosmo Cafe Hodges Bend MixCo Saturn Room Valkyrie

BEST PUBLIC ART “Artificial Cloud” at The Center of the Universe Día de los Muertos Murals at Living Arts First Friday Art Crawl in The Tulsa Arts District Nature Works Sculptures at River Parks Woody Guthrie Mural

BEST VIEW Blue Rose Cafe El Guapo’s Cantina In the Raw On the Hill The Penthouse Bar at The Mayo Hotel The Summit

BEST BARTENDER Michael Flora – Saturn Room Gavin Hatcher – Saturn Room Aaron Post – Valkyrie T. Read Richards – Oren Lynn Robertson – The Starlite Bar

BEST VISUAL ARTIST John Hammer Chris Mantle Sarah Sullivan Tyler Thrasher Aaron Whisner

BEST BREWERY American Solera Cabin Boys Brewery Heirloom Rustic Ales Marshall Brewing Company Prairie Artisan Ales

BEST PHOTOGRAPHER Jeremy Charles Phil Clarkin Western Doughty Valerie Grant Tony Li

BEST NEW BAR American Solera Cabin Boys Brewery Open Container Roosevelt’s The Starlite Bar

BEST PERFORMING ARTS COMPANY American Theatre Company Theatre Pops Theatre Tulsa Tulsa Ballet Tulsa Opera Tulsa Symphony

BEST FAMILY DINING The Brook Restaurant & Bar Charleston’s Restaurant Dilly Diner Hideaway Pizza Tally’s Good Food Café BEST CHEF Nico Albert – MixCo Ben Alexander – The Tavern, Bull in the Alley Matt Amberg - Oren Roque Heidler – The Chalkboard James Shrader – Palace Café Kevin Snell – Amelia’s Wood Fired Cuisine Trevor Tack – McNellie’s Group Justin Thompson – JTR Group BEST SERVICE Bull in the Alley The Chalkboard Kilkenny’s Irish Pub Mahogany Prime Steakhouse The Tavern BEST NEW RESTAURANT Amelia’s Wood Fired Cuisine Cherry Street Kitchen JINYA Ramen Bar Oren Roosevelt’s Torchy’s Tacos BEST RESTAURANT FOR LOCALLY SOURCED INGREDIENTS Amelia’s Wood Fired Cuisine Bramble Breakfast & Bar Chimera Cafe Elote Cafe & Catering Juniper Restaurant BEST SPOT FOR DAY DRINKING Doc’s Wine & Food Fassler Hall Hodges Bend James E. McNellie’s Public House R Bar & Grill Roosevelt’s Saturn Room BEST PLACE TO WATCH THE BIG GAME Bricktown Brewery Buffalo Wild Wings Elgin Park Fassler Hall Lefty’s on Greenwood

BEST DIVE BAR Arnie’s Bar Cellar Dweller Mercury Lounge The Starlite Bar The Colony Soundpony BEST LGBT BAR / CLUB Club Majestic New Age Renegade Tulsa Eagle Soundpony Yellow Brick Road BEST BAR FOR SMOKERS Arnie’s Bar Caz’s Pub Drake’s Tavern Yellow Brick Road The Yeti BEST LIQUOR STORE Collins Midtown Liquors Deep Discount Wine & Liquor Modern Spirits Parkhill’s Warehouse Liquors & Wines Ranch Acres Wine & Spirits BEST LATE-NIGHT DINING Dilly Diner Kilkenny’s Irish Pub Phat Philly’s Tacos Don Francisco The Tavern

BEST LARGE MUSIC VENUE BOK Center Brady Theater Cain’s Ballroom Chapman Music Hall at Tulsa Performing Arts Center Paradise Cove at River Spirit Casino

AROUND TOWN

BEST PLACE FOR LIVE LOCAL MUSIC Cain’s Ballroom The Colony Guthrie Green Soundpony The Vanguard The Yeti

BEST PLACE TO SHOP GREEN Cherry Street Farmers Market Natural Grocers Sprouts Farmers Market Trader Joe’s Whole Foods Market

BEST OPEN MIC The Colony The Fur Shop Gypsy Coffee House Ok, So…Tulsa Story Slam Yeti Writers’ Night BEST RECORD STORE Blue Moon Discs Josey Records Spinster Records Starship Records & Tapes Vintage Stock BEST LOCAL ALBUM OF 2017 Big Bad Luv – John Moreland Combsy – Combsy Nothing Known Unseen – Cecada Red Dirt Improvisations – Dean DeMerritt Jazz Tribe Zunis – Zunis BEST MOVIE THEATER AMC Southroads 20 AMC Tulsa Hills 12 Circle Cinema The Tulsa Cinemark Warren Broken Arrow 18 BEST CASINO Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Osage Casino Tulsa River Spirit Casino Resort

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BEST PLACE TO DANCE Cain’s Ballroom Club Majestic Soundpony The Unicorn Club Whiskey 918

BEST PODCAST Channel 4.5 From a Basement in Tulsa Lo-Key Podcast Museum Confidential Opinions Like A-Holes The Sound of Tulsa BEST FREE ENTERTAINMENT Guthrie Green First Friday Art Crawl in The Tulsa Arts District Soundpony The Starlite Bar Tulsa Blues Project The Yeti BEST ALL-AGES VENUE BOK Center Brady Theater Cain’s Ballroom Guthrie Green The Vanguard BEST SMALL MUSIC VENUE The Colony Mercury Lounge Soundpony The Vanguard The Venue Shrine

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BEST PLACE TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW Philbrook Museum of Art Pinot’s Palette Tulsa City-County Library Tulsa Community College Woody Guthrie Center

BEST PLACE TO TAKE OUT-OF-TOWNERS The Center of the Universe Downtown Tulsa Guthrie Green Philbrook Museum of Art The Tulsa Arts District BEST HEALTH / FITNESS CENTER Lifetime Fitness Planet Fitness St. John’s Siegfried Health Club Sky Fitness YMCA BEST PLACE TO STRIKE A (YOGA) POSE Be Love Yoga Studio Guthrie Green Press Cafe x Yoga SALT Yoga The Yoga Room BEST RUNNING/CYCLING/ ATHLETIC STORE Academy Sports + Outdoors Fleet Feet Sports Lululemon Runner’s World Tom’s Bicycles BEST FOOT RACE/RUN The Color Run McNellie’s Pub Run Route 66 Marathon St. Patrick’s Day 5K Tulsa Run BEST PLACE FOR CYCLING Cry Baby Hill Physiques By Monique River Parks StudioPOP Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area BEST PLACE TO HIKE Chandler Park Keystone Ancient Forest Osage Hills State Park Oxley Nature Center Redbud Valley Nature Preserve Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area BEST PICNIC SPOT Chandler Park Guthrie Green River Parks Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area Woodward Park BEST PUBLIC PARK Chandler Park Guthrie Green LaFortune Park River Parks Woodward Park BEST FAMILY OUTING Guthrie Green Philbrook Museum of Art Tulsa Zoo Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area Woodward Park

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foodfile

U

nder the right conditions, yeast expands and multiplies and changes the makeup of the medium in which it’s placed. It can be found in the air around us and can be harnessed to turn ordinary ingredients into extraordinary culinary delicacies.

The spirit of natural fermentation is honored at 101st Street and Yale Avenue, where the pace is slower, the air is cleaner, and things are quieter than in the more densely populated parts of Tulsa.

Here, in the Shops of Seville, Tulsa restaurant scene newcomer Levain Kitchen & Bakery has started to rise.

Owners Trey and Christina Winkle explain that to them the word levain (pronounced le-VAN) is both a French term for sourdough and, more importantly, a symbol for the unpredictable richness imparted to a food or beverage as a result of fermentation. The food served at Levain reflects this character of flavor and spontaneity.

The Winkles admire the techniques and philosophies behind French cooking, which Christina admits is part of the inspiration behind their painstakingly considered menu and pastry case. The French are careful and methodical in the kitchen, considering all aspects of taste and presentation.

Levain focuses on making food that is fresh, local, and seasonal.

Locally-sourced produce, meat from Oklahoma farms, and strains of yeast native to Tulsa are highlighted in the casual neighborhood eatery’s menu. The coffee they serve is from DoubleShot in the SoBo district.

On a Saturday afternoon in the bright, friendly storefront, a customer from the neighborhood walks in, orders a bite, and sits down to eat and chat with Trey about the menu and what he loves about it, including one of the popular items on the “A Little Bit More” list, the PBLT—pork belly, arugula, and sundried tomato jam on sourdough. Levain, which is roughly two months old, offers 14 // FOOD & DRINK

Clockwise from top left: Warm salad, croissants, cinnamon rolls, and PBLT | GREG BOLLINGER

SWEET STRAINS Exploring the flavors of Levain Kitchen & Bakery

by BRADY WHISENHUNT original cuisine in a simple, transparent, and unpretentious atmosphere.

At first glance, Levain’s short paper menu—essentially a folded-over 8.5 x 11” pamphlet—is deceptively brief. But upon further inspection, the menu reveals itself to be dense and considered.

It’s easy to skim and overlook the details. Ponder the names Burger, Grilled Cheese, and Brussels

Sprouts. Without paying attention to the fine print next to these innocuous titles, one could miss the more exciting ingredients: gruyère, sourdough, brie, Mornay sauce, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pickled cabbage. Beneath the surface at Levain lies inventive, made-fromscratch food and painstaking techniques.

The Warm Salad on the menu’s coyly titled “Maybe a Bit Less” list

is nourishing and punchy, both visually and on the palate. Served in a bowl, the dish is brimming with crisp sprigs of peppery arugula that cling to golden chunks of roasted butternut squash, salty bursts of thick-cut Oklahoma bacon, quinoa, thin-sliced red onions, and umami pockets of sautéed mushroom. The thin coat of steeped herb vinaigrette pulls the flavors together and makes the rich colors glisten. It rolls round on the tongue less like a salad and more like a meal. With plenty of bacon goodness to satisfy a mean appetite but enough fresh veggies to soothe the soul, the Warm Salad could conceivably be accompanied with … a salad.

Christina, a seasoned pastry chef, is the maestro behind baked treats like the apple galettes, syrup-soaked yeast-risen donuts, and sorghum ginger cookies. Unlike in most bakeries, the croissants are not rolled in a machine—Christina rolls them herself. The breads used for the restaurant’s entrees are handmade in Levain's bakery.

Christina also is the brains behind such playful surprises as the homemade pop tarts. The lemon pop tart is a chewy, doughy, semi-sweet affair. It folds in flashes of bright citrus with thick, flaky homemade pie crust and, here and there, a judiciously placed sugar crystal crunch. Imagine the familiar grocery-store variety spent a few years living abroad and returned home wiser, more chill, and better-looking. This is a top-shelf pop tart that deserves to be warmed in an oven instead of a toaster.

Levain Kitchen & Bakery, like its menu, is small and simple but full of surprises. The restaurant is an interesting addition to its South Tulsa neighborhood, an auspicious location for the Levain philosophy to grow and gain momentum. a

LEVAIN KITCHEN & BAKERY 10021 S. Yale Ave. #108 Tues.–Sat., 7:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. levaintulsa.com

February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

downthehatch

A STORM OF PASSION AND PLEASURE

Two Spoons Eat as One.

The classic hurricane joins Valentine’s with Mardi Gras

by ANDREW SALIGA

Blood orange hurricane | ANDREW SALIGA

BOTH VALENTINE’S DAY AND MARDI GRAS involve public displays that no one really wants to see. Already you’re probably conjuring up mental images, each creating particular visceral reactions. It is possible, however, to tie these holidays together in a way that doesn’t induce a gag reflex.

The instinctual temptation for the cocktail enthusiast is to link the two with a classic red cocktail from New Orleans, the Sazerac. Unfortunately, this drink with cognac, bitters, and absinthe doesn’t have broad appeal. To be successful in bridging this gap, it takes a cocktail that’s as boozy as it is sweet.

Enter the hurricane. The hurricane’s tale can be traced back to New Orleans, and while the official history may be somewhat disputed, the generally agreed-upon ingredients are rum, citrus, and passion fruit syrup. Several variations have evolved over the years, but the classic recipe dating back to the 1940s is credited to Pat O’Brien’s Bar in the French Quarter. This is the version renowned Tiki god Jeff “Beachbum” Berry cites in his book “Beachbum Berry Remixed.” The recipe calls for 4 ounces of dark Jamaican rum, 2 ounces of passion fruit syrup, and 2 ounces of lemon juice.

Modern recipes take a different approach. Cocktail legends Dale DeGroff and Gary Regan each have their own recipes that more than double the number of ingredients used. What their modernized recipes have in common is that they use dark and light rums together. They also include orange and lemon or lime juice.

Technically, the original hurricane recipe calls for fassionola syrup, a syrup made with passion fruit, strawberries, and other tropical fruits. Fassionola is hard to find and is likely what DeGroff is attempting

to imitate in his recipe that uses passion fruit, pineapple, orange, and lime juices.

Passion fruit syrup can also be difficult to find, but Liber & Co. makes a legit bottled one made with 50 percent juice.

While the making of the classic version is straightforward, DeGroff’s and Regan’s recipes create more interesting cocktails.

The main concern in using their lengthier recipes is maintaining the right balance between boozy and sweet. The juices chosen should be unsweetened, and the use of an overproof (greater than 50 percent ABV) dark rum like Plantation’s O.F.T.D. (a blend of dark rums from Jamaica, Guyana, and Barbados) helps balance the natural sugars.

Uniting Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras requires just swapping the hurricane’s standard orange juice for blood orange juice. This creates a ruby-red cocktail that’s a great primer for a night of passion, revelry, or both.

BLOOD ORANGE HURRICANE Yield: 2 servings (10.25 ounces) 1.5 oz. dark rum 1.5 oz. light rum .5 oz. Galliano (optional) 2 oz. blood orange juice 2 oz. unsweetened pineapple juice 2 oz. passion fruit syrup .75 oz. lime juice 2 dashes Angostura bitters 1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice and shake until chilled.

2. Strain into a hurricane or other tall glass filled with crushed ice (Sonic Drive-In’s ice is perfect and available by the bag.)

3. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and an orange wheel. a

THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

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citybites

Street corn chowder and creole-spiced pork rinds from The Parish at Hodges Bend | GREG BOLLINGER

All my exes live at Hodges But after five years, it’s still where I dearly love to be

by CASSIDY MCCANTS

O

n any given day or night at Hodges Bend, you’ll hear Django Reinhardt, Billie Holiday, Nickel Creek, Leon Bridges, or The Beatles radio.

Sometimes the music is a bit more obscure—during my last time there for Jazz Night (9 p.m.–12 a.m. every Monday), the tunes of Casablanca-based hip-hop/ jazz and guitar artist Saib swept the room.

The bar’s dim. The right kind of dim, I’d argue—warm and glowy with the help of faux candles and unconventional light fixtures.

Dim enough to prompt my father to ask about the menu when he’s there with me, “What’s that say?”

But the lighting is comfortable, cozy—sexy, even. It masks the one-too-many-Irish-coffees flush, and I’m always hopeful it’ll help me hide from dreaded dates of yore. And if you gather enough of those little candles, you can illuminate the menu just enough for those whose “eyes just aren’t what they used to be.”

What they used to be. Hodges Bend turns five years old this month, and though they’ve maintained the cool Prohibition-era style they’ve flaunted since the beginning, my, have they

16 // FOOD & DRINK

grown—and expanded. They’ve just opened a spot in St. Paul, Minn., which I had the pleasure of visiting for their grand opening at the end of January.

The vibe there is similar, though during the day it’s a little brighter, a bit more airy: Half the walls in the new place are made up of windows. But the subdued yellow booth benches remain, as well as the stamped-tin ceiling, the glass-bottle chandeliers, the extensive cocktail and spirit list.

They brought Prairie Bomb!; they carried Tulsa to Minnesota. If only they’d taken my exes.

In May, I’ll have been back in Tulsa, my hometown, for five years. I’ve always sensed that Hodges and I share a special connection. They’ve been there with either Topeca espresso or various happy-hour red wines to get me through my grad school and work deadlines. And dates. Many dates—some I’ve attended, some I’ve spied on. I’m glad to watch Hodges grow.

Back to Jazz Night. Come nine o’clock, Saib radio morphed into the ever-alternating Mike Cameron Collective, on this night comprised of Jared Johnson on drums, Scott McQuade on keys,

and Cameron on sax. Just as they started to roll, out came my food from The Parish, the Hodges food truck. My pal Heather and I crunched on a pile of Creole-spiced pork rinds and slurped their street corn chowder—some of the richest chowder I’ve ever tasted—and it wasn’t long before she said, “Oh. Oh. That’s how it’s done,” as she plunged the crisps into the soup.

She was right. The rinds and the chowder are delightful, filling, and distinctive, and they make a perfect couple. The latter almost has the creaminess, texture, and viscosity of queso (it’s really Elote crema with ancho chiles), so it only makes sense to treat it like a dip. Michael Craddock, bartender and barista for the night, recommended we pair the Sazerac and Irish coffee with the two food items. The light, herbal Sazerac, the official cocktail of New Orleans, complements the heavy chowder; the Irish coffee, sweet and creamy, harmonizes with the spiced cracklings.

The Sazerac and Irish coffee— as well as the infamous hurricane—will be on special Friday, Feb. 9. for Hodges Bend’s fifth birthday party, so Heather and I

shared the hurricane for dessert (find a trusty recipe on pg. 15). Its tall, voluptuous glass was packed with ice “to make the drink less intense as it melts,” Craddock said.

He explained that Tiki beverages are intentionally built this way—they are, after all, made for the beach. We sipped the tropical cocktail just as the band started in on “Summertime.” Suddenly we were in New Orleans, or maybe on the beach somewhere. We’d been trilled and trollied away.

Hodges is our Tulsa take on Prohibition-era New Orleans— and, happily, you can get a satisfying Fat Tuesday-friendly fix almost anytime from The Parish. If you have a sweet tooth (or if you simply want to celebrate Mardi Gras appropriately), try their bread pudding with bourbon hard sauce and pair it with an Americano.

Served gargantuan and warm, it’s a fusion of crunchy and syrupy, and it makes a perfect end to an evening. a

HODGES BEND FIFTH BIRTHDAY PARTY Fri., Feb. 9 823 E. 3rd St. 4 p.m.–2 a.m.

February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

MEET ME AT THE MAX! 4p – 6p HAPPY HOUR

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THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

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February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

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THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

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Heart Shaped Pizza

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HEALTHIER FOODS • GOURMET TREATS • UNIQUE TOYS • COMFY BEDS • TRENDY COLLARS THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

VALENTINE’S DAY GUIDE // 21

FINAL RESTING PLACE The witch kept her husband’s corpse in her home and devoted much of her energy to reviving him. When the people of Skiatook caught wind of this, they put his body in the ground. The witch dug him up again.

The townspeople reburied him in concrete.

Maybe she died of a lonely, broken heart.

Maybe none of this ever happened. No one can say for sure. But lore has it she haunts and protects his grave. Visitors claim the witch has thrown stones at them; others tell of being possessed there.

I, along with my friends Greg and Hallie, went to check it out.

Online blogs indicate some confusion about who exactly is buried at the Witch’s Grave. Some claim the grave is that of the witch herself. Another man argues that the grave actually belongs to a man whose wife passed away three years prior to his death, not after.

We pulled off State Highway 11 and onto Hillside Road. Gravestones appeared before we saw the metal sign arching over a gravel driveway: HILLSIDE CEMETERY. To the left was a sign for Hillside Mission, an Indian school established by Rev. John Murdock in 1882. The cemetery was founded in 1885.

I entered the cemetery through a metal turnstile like you might see in a subway station. Greg led us to the grave, a concrete mound near a tree. This was the grave of a man, last name Parkhill—not a woman’s grave, and definitely not the grave of the witch herself.

By the mound was a name, a date, and the nearly illegible words “better known as.” A stick was probably used to carve out the letters when the concrete was still wet—but some say the witch, driven by grief, dug her fingers into the hard substance herself. All we could make of the date was “died Feb.” There was possibly a name there—Barnsett?—following “Parkhill.”

A transcription on the other side reads as a partial quote from Samuel 12:23: “Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, He shall not return to me.”

Nothing more was legible. Time and the elements had worn many of the words away. We’d have to go again with spades and brushes to get better acquainted with Mr. Parkhill.

We didn’t see any flying stones, ghosts, or witches, perhaps because it was daytime. But whenever you visit, day or night, be respectful. You never know who might be watching.

Two Valentine’s haunted houses and a do-it-yourself adventure make the holiday hair-raising

BY KRIS ROSE 22 // FEATURED

Can I bring him back again?

I shall go to him, He shall not return to me.

Inside Sweetheart’s Slaughter | KRIS ROSE

THE ASYLUM BUILDING IS TWO STORIES OF WELL-CRAFTED CREEPINESS, and the detail is incredible for a place that’s seen mostly in very dim lighting while people are distracted and moving as quickly as possible. Even after the stage lights were turned on for my benefit, the effects held up.

If you’re like my husband and me, nothing says romance like being scared together.

Isn’t that why people go on dates to see scary movies? There’s a certain bonding that happens after surviving something frightening together, even if it’s only a simulation. If your sweetheart isn’t the flowers and candles type, I recommend the 45-ish minute trip to Nowata. (Listen to the podcast Lore on the drive out. It’ll help set the mood.)

You don’t have to be in love to go—friends can also celebrate Valentine’s Day together while being chased down darkly-lit hallways by psychotic men wearing masks fashioned from burlap and blood.

I have a strong stomach for spooky stuff but have to admit that once I walked into the darkened building, my heart began to race. Then, a hospital patient led us into a maze of chain link fences.

The idea is simple: You and a loved one are trapped inside a mental institution-type facility that houses such treats as a crematorium, a blood-soaked mattress, and a darkened boiler room. There are mad doctors, evil nurses, and an assortment of odd and disturbing characters. Oh, and patients—there are many of them. The menacing crazies are balanced out with unsettling but seemingly well-intentioned lunatics. It provides a nice contrast, especially once you’re separated from your partner.

At some point—I won’t say when—you are split from your loved one and must interact with the performers alone. The actors either help or hinder you along the way until you (hopefully) are able to find your partner and continue on together. Unless, of course, your partner taps out at some point and leaves you behind to go it alone, in which case you might want to rethink the relationship.

I ended the experience laughing, but will admit that flashes of the evening entered my dreams that night and the next morning. To me, that’s the mark of a successful haunt.

SWEETHEART’S

SLAUGHTER

Sweetheart’s Slaughter, The Asylum Haunted Attraction 304 W. Cherokee Ave., Nowata Fri.–Sat. Feb. 9–24, 7 p.m.–11 p.m. | Sun. Feb. 25, 7 p.m.–10 p.m.

Tickets, $20 | okasylum.ticketleap.com/sweethearts-slaughter

TILL DEATH DO US INN

YOU ARE DRIVING YOUR PARTNER THROUGH THE COUNTRY DOWN AN UNLIT TWO-LANE ROAD LATE AT NIGHT. No houses or gas stations for miles. Woods and empty road. You see a sign for an inn and decide to stop before you fall asleep. The dirt road leads to a dark, deserted building. Suddenly, lights shine and the front door opens. A backlit figure, face cast in shadow, motions you inside. Once you get out of the car, everything becomes dark again. The figure is gone, but it’s left the door open and two flashlights to guide you through. You grab your sweetheart’s hand.

Welcome to Till Death Do Us Inn. 2018 marks the second year of the Inn, the newest element in the Psycho Path Haunted Attraction, which has been open for 14 years and hosts three different attractions each October. Many other haunts around the country do Valentine’s attractions—most of these places sit unused until it’s time to get ready for Halloween, meaning that repairs that need to be done can go unnoticed for months. Varied attractions also help the owners raise funds to attend the annual Haunters’ convention, where haunt owners can purchase new equipment, show off innovations, or sell their own inventions.

Though the Inn isn’t open to the public until Feb. 10, owner Victor Marquez was kind enough to allow me to tour it early.

The Inn’s hallways are covered in early 20th century wallpaper: obviously the place was very classy at one time but has seen better days. You are led to the imposing front desk where you can check in for the night and a stairway leads upstairs, but you can’t go up to your room. There’s still the rest of the Inn to explore. It looks as though it’s been neglected for decades.

The library is covered in dust. Even an innocent greenhouse is made terrifying in the dark—and you don’t want to know what they’re filling their smokehouse with for the winter months.

I was glad to have my husband with me—he scares more easily than I do, so I felt like the brave one. Even without actors jumping out at from every darkened corner, the Inn was unsettling in the best way.

And if you think there’s no romance in haunting, think again. Suzette Marquez, wife of Victor, was in one of the storage trailers organizing props when I visited. I asked her if she had heard the term “haunt widow,” which refers to a person who feels abandoned while a partner creates and runs a haunt.

“I support him totally,” she said. “I love that he’s so creative and passionate about something. I would give him my last dollar if it would help him do what he loves.”

Enough of that, though. As a horror enthusiast, I’ll warn you: There are a few areas that will scare even the toughest haunt diehards.

Till Death Do us Inn, Psycho Path Haunted Attraction 1517 E. 106th St. N., Sperry Feb. 9–10, 6 p.m.–12 a.m., Feb. 11 6 p.m.–10 p.m. | Solo tickets, $15; Couple tickets, $25 | psychopathhaunt.com a

THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

FEATURED // 23

Ode to the lunch lady THE HEALTHY, HUNGER-FREE KIDS ACT PROVES EFFECTIVE IN LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS

BY KARA BELLAVIA

24 // FEATURED

February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

O

ur public schools provide not just educational materials and instruction—they are also employed to provide an environment conducive for learning. One of the most basic and incontrovertible needs for educational success is nutrition. So the learning environment must include students being fed.

According to the Food Research and Action Center, the primary nutrition research and advisory organization to the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Students who participate in school breakfast programs have improved attendance, behavior, academic performance, and academic achievement, as well as decreased tardiness … providing students with breakfast in the classroom is associated with lower tardy rates, fewer disciplinary office referrals, improved attendance rates, and improved math and reading achievement test scores.

Oklahoma currently is ranked 47th in academic achievement nationally. Research from feedingamerica.org shows that more than 24 percent of all children under the age of 18 in Tulsa County are food insecure. Food insecurity is defined by the USDA as “a social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.”

As most public school students eat breakfast, lunch, and one to three snacks at school every day, school-supplied nutrition plays an important role in the success of these students.

In 2010, Congress approved the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA), which gave the USDA authority to set nutritional standards for core child nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. By 2013, some of the changes schools began implementing under the bill included providing meals with more whole grains, low-fat milk, lower sodium content, and increased vegetable and fruit options. It also expanded access to the National Free and Reduced Lunch Program.

THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

All good parties begin and end in the kitchen The improved nutritional requirements created big changes for many schools, but a policy shift does not necessarily change staff or students’ minds about food.

That takes time, argues Mikael Harp, director of operations for child nutrition services at Tulsa Public Schools.

“It’s about the changing of a culture … showing the students what each ingredient does for them,” Harp said.

Beyond time, this culture shift requires intentional staff education, the opportunity to expose students to new foods in a positive environment, and the engagement of families. There are numerous food programs in Union and Tulsa Public Schools beyond the purview of the national requirements working to make that shift happen.

Lisa Griffin, director of child nutrition for Union Public Schools, has a relatively simple perspective. “[We] get really good food, get a lot of student feedback, and try to keep food costs down without cutting quality … I spend a lot of my time deciding what we’re buying next year with commodity dollars.”

The larger districts like Union have purchasing power and are able to negotiate directly with producers. Griffin has created partnerships with several local producers, including Thunderbird Berry Farms and 918Beef.

Union provides a fresh fruit and vegetable bar every day with such produce as local sweet potatoes, greens, broccoli, watermelon, and peaches. Griffin says the trick is in getting the kids involved in the process—making menu decisions, cooking, and helping with cleanup. In order to cut down on food waste, Union’s McAuliffe Elementary holds compost competitions in the cafeteria, which teach students how to separate compostable materials from waste. The program connects students to the food on their plate in a new way.

Katie Plohocky, founder of and

farmer at the Healthy Community Store Initiative, picks up the compost from McAuliffe for use on the farm. Students at Union High use food scraps from the production kitchen for their own compost.

Harp emphasizes the efforts TPS puts into their nutrition department while urging the community to advocate for public schools.

“We need to produce pride,” he said. “There’s so much negativity about teacher pay and everything … this is what your public schools are doing.”

After the HHFKA, the TPS district adopted a comprehensive wellness policy, an effort that was recognized by a grant from Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust that funded the installation of blender bikes in all TPS middle and high school cafeterias. Harp is also particularly proud of their seasonal tastings display, an extra spot in the cafeteria that highlights a new recipe or ingredient for students to try and learn about.

Thanks to one of the six chefs on the nutrition education staff, the students have recently been learning about—and enjoying—the Vietnamese dish pho.

Obstacles There are many public school employees working every day to help students connect the dots between what they eat and how it affects their lives. This is dependent upon individual employees’ willingness and ability to ensure that all the administrative policies trickle down to produce food that’s actually eaten by students.

There are some obstacles, still, to achieving that goal.

Union is fortunate, for instance, to partner with Cooking for Kids, a culinary training program for students. But for food service employees in schools, adopting the 2010 guidelines proves difficult. Food workers at Central High didn’t offer much praise for HHFKA’s effects: “Since Michelle Obama changed things, the food just doesn’t have much taste”; “I make sure to give them hot sauce

and ranch and things.” This is part of the cultural shift Harp mentioned, and while the goal is ultimately to educate students about their nutritional intake, encouraging staff is as pressing.

During each school visit—to Sequoyah Elementary, Central High, Deborah Brown Community School, and Rosa Parks Elementary—the subject of unpaid lunch balances came up. Often, if a student can’t pay a meal balance, the debt is carried to the next year.

While seemingly insignificant, this affects both the students’ eating experience and the district’s bottom line.

Back to the basics As gloomy as the outlook sometimes appears for local public education, the fact that our school lunch programs are funded on a national instead of a state level has actually helped Oklahoma schools continue to provide adequate meals regardless of budget crisis.

Back to what Harp said about producing pride and advocating for the schools—here is a sliver of public education that many of us, especially those who tout eating local and eating healthy, can get behind. Tulsans are into food culture. In midtown and downtown, it’s often impossible not to see someone you know when you’re out for brunch. (It’s also popular to talk about how many of our public schools are failing at primary educational goals.) We relish the attention to detail local chefs, servers, baristas, and bartenders pay to ensure our entertainment and edification. But we often have no idea what large swaths of our population, including our children, are eating—or what it takes just to get them fed.

While the focus is often on budget crises and teacher shortages, we might also consider the 180 days a year in which a quarter of our population eats all of their meals at school. Those meals might be one of the bright spots within the system, thanks to the public school employees dedicated to the safety, wellness, and growth of Tulsa’s children. a FEATURED // 25

Leslie Deere with her grandchildren in the front yard of her daughter’s home in Seminole. Deere was a participant in the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s Reintegration Program and recently enrolled in a course to become a truck driver.

TRIBAL PROGRAMS HELP NATIVE AMERICAN EX-INMATES REINTEGRATE AFTER PRISON

BY KRISTI EATON | PHOTOS BY JOSEPH RUSHMORE

26 // FEATURED

L

eslie Deere has been in and out of Oklahoma prisons twice since 2009, serving time for various drug-related offenses. After 13 years of dealing meth, the 43-year-old said she’s ready and willing to turn her life around.

Thanks to her Native American tribe, she may have a real shot to achieve that goal.

The Muscogee (Creek) Nation, in an effort to help former prisoners re-enter society, offers a reintegration program that provides money for food, new clothes, housing, and help with court costs and fines for tribal members who served time in prison during the last four years.

February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

“There were services available, but it seemed like every time you turned around people with a felony record were denied services,” Director Tony Fish said of the program’s start in 2005. “So instead of letting our citizens fall through the cracks, we created a program that would help them.”

This requires a focus on rehabilitating the participants in a holistic manner, he said.

“We create opportunities for healing.

You may not be able to go and undo the crime you committed, but you can try to make amends.”

During 2017, Native American inmates made up 11.3 percent of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections population, increasing since 2013, when the rate stood at 9.8 percent. (Both numbers are higher than the overall percentage of American Indians in Oklahoma’s general population, which stands at 9.2 percent).

Like all convicted felons, American Indians face several challenges when they are released, namely with housing and work opportunities. The MCN Reintegration Program helps tribal members overcome those barriers.

The program first focuses on life-sustaining needs, including clothing, groceries, housing, and medical necessities. A lawyer on staff helps participants work with the justice system regarding court payments and fines, said Sprint Williams, senior case manager.

And a new multimillion-dollar sober living facility located next to the reintegration offices, funded partially with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, offers up to 36 participants a safe and comfortable place to live for up to approximately nine months.

“Without shelter, you’re homeless, basically,” Fish said. “There’s no place to lay your head at night. It’s dangerous.”

People stay in the program for various lengths of time, depending on their needs.

“For instance, we might have somebody who’s been in prison 25 years whose needs are way different from someone who’s been in prison for six months.”

Typically, participants take four to six months to complete the program, though some have been in the program for as long as a year and a half.

Since 2005, 600 people have completed the re-entry program, which is only available for people with felonies, Fish said. There are currently four case managers and a staff of around 22.

For many men, the immediate focus after being released is on money and making enough of it to cover the fines and court fees, Williams said.

THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

Without proper support, he said, they will just return to what they know—hustling—while women often work to return to their children. In one instance, a man who received a 75-year sentence but was able to reduce his term to 17 years enrolled in the tribal reintegration program upon his release. While in prison, he received his general contractor license for plumbing and returned to his wife and kids. He now works as part of the plumbing crew at the tribe’s housing authority.

“He runs the show up there when it comes to plumbing,” Fish said.

According to Department of Corrections data, the overall three-year recidivism rate for Native Americans during

fiscal year 2017 was 30 percent. For those in the Muscogee (Creek) Nation program, the rate was 10 percent.

For Deere, the opportunity to reconnect with her children and grandchildren has been invaluable. She recently enrolled in a course to become a truck driver.

“I want to change my life. I want to do better, and this is a good program. They help me out a lot,” she said.

The Cherokee Nation has a similar program, which helped Kalli Watkins re-enter society following a prison stint for drug-related crimes.

Watkins left prison on Sept. 9, 2015, and met Daryl Legg, who runs the Cherokee Nation’s Coming Home program,

which helps former prisoners get back on their feet.

Legg, a three-time prisoner in Arkansas and Oklahoma, turned his life around and started working for the Nation as a vocational rehab counselor. He moved around in Career Services and got promoted to director of vocational programs.

“Our re-entry program is a onechance opportunity,” he said. “We don’t invest millions and millions where people can just reoffend and come back anytime they want. They really are coached to take advantage of the opportunities they have.”

For Watkins, that meant a chance to return to the working world, which she said

ACCORDING TO DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS DATA, THE OVERALL THREEYEAR RECIDIVISM RATE FOR NATIVE AMERICANS DURING FISCAL YEAR 2017 WAS 30 PERCENT. FOR THOSE IN THE MUSCOGEE (CREEK) NATION PROGRAM, THE RATE WAS 10 PERCENT. THE CHEROKEE NATION'S REINTEGRATION PROGRAM RECIDIVISM RATE IS 10.8 PERCENT.

Kalli Watkins at the Cherokee Nation Career Services office in Tulsa.

Watkins participated in the Cherokee Nation’s Coming Home program in 2015 and is now employed at the Nation.

FEATURED // 27

Leslie Deere plays with her grandchildren at her daughter’s home in Seminole.

Coming Home Director Daryl Legg at the Cherokee Nation headquarters in Tahlequah

was one of the most crucial elements to re-entering society.

Watkins had previously worked at the City of Tulsa as an administrator of budget and capital planning. A second DUI after she “went wild” following a divorce earned her a felony conviction. She ended up in drug court, where she met a man who was a drug user.

“I always despised it, but at 33, I decided to start doing drugs,” she said. “And in two short years, I destroyed my life. It didn’t take long.”

She ended up with several possession charges in different counties. She was serving a 10-year sentence out of Rogers County when she was able to join a Department of Corrections program that allowed her to do six to nine months. But, being the hardheaded woman she is, she said, she quit, which turned her months-long sentence into three years.

“But I think it had to happen,” Watkins said. “That time period—that six to nine months—I still felt like it didn’t hurt me.

This doesn’t feel bad. I was just going to get out and do the same thing.”

28 // FEATURED

“WE CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HEALING. YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GO AND UNDO THE CRIME YOU COMMITTED, BUT YOU CAN TRY TO MAKE AMENDS.” — TONY FISH, DIRECTOR OF MUSCOGEE (CREEK) NATION REINTEGRATION PROGRAM

Once Watkins was released, Legg was the first person she called. They met at the Hard Rock Casino for a job fair, but Legg ultimately hired her for the Coming Home program. She works as a career specialist for the tribe, assisting with re-entry applications, finding employers who will hire felons, and working on economic development issues.

“I think jobs are the single most important thing that people coming out of prison need,” she said. “For one, just having too much time on your hands is obviously no good. It’s going to lead you back to the wrong place and stressing out about money and finances—if you can’t find a way to support yourself, then you’ll find a way to support yourself. For me, I think it was the single most important piece of my release.”

To that end, the Cherokee Nation program provides $250 worth of new clothes for job interviews, hygiene items, and help reinstating licenses.

Next, program participants focus on finding a job. While in prison some are trained in welding, plumbing, and other skill areas. Once released, they go to in-

terviews. Participants who are successful at finding a job earn anywhere from $9.50 to $26 per hour, said Legg, who received a pardon from Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin in 2017 and is awaiting a pardon from Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.

“It gives them a real big second chance,” Legg said of Coming Home.

“Just getting released is one thing, but getting released and being able to have clothes to go to an interview in, having clothes to be able to walk out on a construction site and just start working, then having your driver’s license back and not having to worry about fees and how am I going to get this. We remove barriers for folks to become employed.”

The program has a 10.8 percent recidivism rate. For Watkins, 38, the chance to work in a new field has been life-altering, she said.

“My life is better than it has ever been, probably,” she said. “In accounting, I never thought I was a people person or had the opportunity to help other people, and now I love this job. And I think helping people helps me stay better.” a February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

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THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

FEATURED // 29

daytrip

Art for equality Power of civil rights movement depicted in Crystal Bridges exhibition

by KIMBERLY BURK

F

rances Morris, director of the Tate Modern, says the “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power” exhibition at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art depicts “the fierce beauty of the art of Black America from 1963 to 1982.”

Featured artist Dana C. Chandler Jr. calls it “one of the most important shows, at least in my mind, of this century.”

The exhibition, which opened Feb. 3 in Bentonville, Ark., features the work of 60 artists and includes 164 paintings, photographs, sculptures, and murals created during the height of the civil rights movement.

The Tate-curated collection, making its American debut, will be shown only at Crystal Bridges and at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. Some of its works reflect the political events and cultural influences of the time, while others focus more on the creative process itself.

“The artists in ‘Soul of a Nation’ were asking the most fundamental questions about their role,” Morris wrote in the introduction to the book of the same name, created in conjunction with the exhibition. “Should a work of art communicate a direct political message? Could it be abstract?

Where should it be shown and what audience should be addressed?”

Chandler was among more than a dozen of the artists who attended the Feb. 2 preview and spoke during an opening-day symposium.

Also speaking were London co-organizers Zoe Whitley and Mark Godfrey, both curators of international art at Tate Modern.

30 // ARTS & CULTURE

Barkley L. Hendricks, “What’s Goin On,” 1974, oil, acrylic, and magna on cotton canvas, 65 3/4 x 83 3/4” COURTESY ESTATE OF BARKLEY L. HENDRICKS, JACK SHAINMAN GALLERY, NEW YORK

Lorraine O’Grady’s photographic collection of her performance art during a 1983 Harlem African-American Day Parade is the final installment in the exhibition, which runs through April 23.

O’Grady, speaking during opening weekend, said she came to art later in life after studying economics at Wellesley and working for the federal government. She said she soon found that “the art world was a full and complete political arena to work in and against.”

Just how and how much their work should reflect the political and social climate of the day was debated in 1963 by 15 artists who called themselves, collectively, Spiral, Whitely explained. Meeting in the New York studio of Romare Bearden, they considered whether or not there was or should be “a Negro image.”

“They gave no single answer,” Whitely said, but in 1965 they did open a joint black-and-white exhi-

bition. Collages by Bearden and other works from the 1965 show introduce the exhibition at Crystal Bridges.

By the late 1960s, members of a group called AfriCOBRA were feeling a greater sense of urgency about a black art movement.

Founding members included “Soul of a Nation” artists Jae and Wadsworth Jarrell, who attended the preview.

Wadsworth said he’d known African-American art from those decades eventually would be celebrated, but he “didn’t know [he] would still be living.” In its guiding principles, the group called for art that “shined” with the “Kool-Aid” colors of orange, strawberry, cherry, lemon, lime, and grape. Such a palette does shine in the AfriCOBRA portion of the exhibition, with paintings and screen prints

by Carolyn Lawrence, Nelson Stevens, Gerald Williams and Wadsworth Jarrell.

Such collectives are an important theme of the exhibition, and the artists who came to Bentonville acknowledged their longtime friendships and how they influenced and supported one another.

Artist and gallery founder Linda Goode Bryant said she and photographer Adger W. Cowans are both from Ohio, and he was “the first person I ever had a crush on. I was 8.”

Cowans, who started shooting when he was 15, said he attended Ohio University because Arizona State didn’t admit black students in 1958. He also said photography was generally difficult to get accepted then—for people of any color.

“The first gallery I showed in was the first gallery in New York City to show photography,” he said. “It hasn’t been around that long as an art.”

Randy Williams, whose piece in the exhibition is called “Color in Art,” said he owes much to his collaboration with Bryant, who in 1974 opened the Just Above Midtown gallery in NYC. “This is a powerful show that reveals the vastly different ways artists respond to the world around them,” said Lauren Haynes, curator of contemporary art at Crystal Bridges. She said she hopes visitors will leave “understanding that there is no one way to be a black artist.”

Many of the pioneer artists featured in the exhibition continue to work and teach.

“Right now my biggest problem is how to do everything at once, to continue to make the work,” O’Grady said. “I’m not living in the past.” a

February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

community

Celebrating the Feminine in Leadership organizers: Jamie Whartenby, Jillian Marie, Celeste McNeal Wood and Jade, Ivy Norris, Sharla Ember, Rev. Anne Clement, Yadenee Hailu (not pictured: Jennifer Thompson and Judy Keefe) | GREG BOLLINGER

FROM THE HEART Feminine leadership gathering acknowledges strength in community

by ALICIA CHESSER WE KNOW PLENTY ABOUT WHAT MASCULINE leadership looks like, but what does it look like when feminine energy leads? Like a Stanford-educated woman in a pantsuit? A nursing mother speaking at the UN? Maybe like Malala Yousafzai, or Rebecca Solnit, or Erica Garner?

Galvanized by a changing cultural landscape, more women are doing publicly what they’ve always done privately: meeting together for reality checks, wisdom-sharing, problem-solving, and inspiration for questions just like this. Such gatherings linking self-care with community vision are as old as womankind, spanning many cultures and ethnicities, all in the service of leadership—of oneself and of others.

It’s this spirit that Ivy Norris—a holistic health practitioner with two decades of experience—tapped into when organizing Celebrating the Feminine in Leadership, which will be held on Feb. 10.

“We wanted to have a gathering that more accurately reflected the community we’re in,” Norris said. “To set down, at least for an afternoon, political focuses or insecurities related to competing with other women, for a truly intercultural, intergenerational, nonpartisan gathering where we help to light each other’s torches.”

The event will open with a prayer by Carmen White Janak, who emceed the 2018 Tulsa Women’s March, followed by an exercise to help attendees hone in on their individual strengths.

A panel discussion is the afternoon’s main event, featuring five women with diverse ethnicities, ages, and areas of expertise—but the thread of leadership runs through everything they do. Yadenee Hailu,

a 22-year-old whose family is from Ethiopia and who studies at Phillips Theological Seminary, will focus on the self in leadership; Native American bodyworker Jamie Whartenby will discuss creative self-care; doula Celeste McNeal Wood talks about leadership through motherhood; longtime hospice volunteer coordinator Jennifer Thompson will address the importance of volunteerism in leadership from a business perspective; and 86-year-old Rev. Anne Clement will tell a story about the importance of elders in decision-making processes. Live music by Sharla Ember and the Cherokee Girty Family Singers will round out the event, and there will be plenty of time for networking throughout.

“Some men have asked if they were welcome to come,” said Norris. “I wanted to call it ‘the feminine in leadership’ rather than ‘women in leadership’ for a reason. If you honor the feminine in leadership, or you will bring support to that, then please come.”

“This is coming from a place of abundance,” she continued. “We really do stand on the shoulders of giants. This gathering will be an internalized, clarifying time of interpersonal relationships to get clear on making sure we’re being and doing both what’s fulfilling and what adds to the whole.” a

CELEBRATING THE FEMININE IN LEADERSHIP 1:00–5:30 p.m. | Saturday, Feb. 10 All Souls Unitarian Church 2952 S. Peoria Ave. Tickets ($35) available via eventbrite.com

THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

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For entry & vendor info: @StarbirdCarShows www.StarbirdCarShows.com | (918)-406-8966 or (316)-655-7888 ARTS & CULTURE // 31

bookworm

That which is within you A conversation with George Saunders

by ZACK REEVES

L

ast year, writer George Saunders won Britain’s Man Booker Prize—only the second American ever to do so—for “Lincoln in the Bardo.” Following a steady and lauded career as a writer of short stories and essays, his debut novel is a ghost story based on the night President Lincoln buried his favorite son. Like Saunders’s career, the book goes in many directions. “Lincoln” is written as a series of haunting monologues and historical snippets. The untraditional narrative is sad, hilarious, and moving, and it gets at all the icky parts of death we’d rather not talk about but probably should.

George Saunders will be in conversation with Booksmart Tulsa at the Philbrook Museum of Art on February 16 at 6 p.m.

An extended version of this interview is available at thetulsavoice.com.

Or going to the running of the bulls. But that was never my life. I recently found an old notebook I kept when I was in my twenties. I remember that time as being free and romantic and beatnik, but when I was reading it, every page had something about money. “If I can only get 30 dollars we can do this”; “the car broke”—stuff like that. For me it was a big moment to realize, well, that which concerns you in your actual life has to be present in literature, if that literature is going to be lively and meaningful to other people.

REEVES: When you started writing, how did you strike a balance between needing to make money and wanting to be an artist?

ZACK REEVES: Before growing up in Chicago, you were born in Amarillo, right? How does your family background inform your fiction?

GEORGE SAUNDERS: Yeah, my dad was in the Air Force [in Amarillo], and my mom was from Bartlesville.

My great-grandfather was with Phillips [Petroleum]; he had a place out there somewhere. I can’t quite remember how [my mom] ended up in Amarillo … she took me around recently and showed me some of the places they lived in those early days, and it was really hardscrabble. Her dad was a great guy and worked at one time four different jobs, including being the ice man who carried ice up to peo32 // ARTS & CULTURE

George Saunders | DAVID CROSBY

ple, even though he had a bad back.

There were, on both sides of the family, a lot of working-class roots.

That informs a lot of what I do.

I always felt that fiction should do something. It should change the way you feel about life, it should have a positive effect on the way you live, and it should give you some way of understanding the world that makes life easier for you. At some point, there was

a big moment of revelation for me, maybe when I was thirty. It finally clicked that me and everyone I knew my whole life had one primary worry in our minds: money. Or, more correctly, the lack of money, the shortage of it.

That should probably have a place in fiction.

I was a big Hemingway fan, so originally I thought fiction was about trout fishing, you know?

SAUNDERS: To be honest, there was no balance to be struck. When I was in my twenties, I just didn’t make any money. And I didn’t care. I lived low and had a good time. But when I got married and we had our daughters right away, I knew I couldn’t be a starving artist with kids in the house. I couldn’t bear to inflict that on them. So I started doing tech writing, which was a semi-decent living. But I insisted that I was going to be a writer. I have a high metabolism, so I was able to have a full working life and a full family life and then squeeze some time out here and there: stay up late; get up early.

Writing is a long apprenticeship. If I had decided not to work and only write—and I’m talking here about writing fiction, which wasn’t paying anything—I would’ve burned out, because I didn’t hit my stride and find a voice for many years. It’s differ-

February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

ent for everybody, but I’m really glad that I came up the way I did, because along the way I learned a lot about American culture.

When I was younger, the idea of working in a cubicle for five or six years made me want to jump off a bridge. But when I was forced to do it by my situation, I found a lot of wonderful and sad moments—in other words, the stuff that literature is made of—in this world I would never have voluntarily entered.

What do I have?” Which for me is fun. You can do a first round of improv without really having to worry about why that particular character showed up that day.

But you improv it, and then you polish it and polish it and polish it, and the next thing you know, it’s a person.

REEVES: The ghosts in this book have to accept something they desperately would rather not.

What do you want readers to take away from that?

REEVES: Where did the form for “Lincoln in the Bardo” come from?

SAUNDERS: Here’s how form happens for me: You’ve got some voice, or voices, that want to come out, some modality of expression that is current to you. Then you look for containers for that to fall into. With [“Lincoln in the Bardo”], it wasn’t a decision. It was a long time of trying to think, “How would I do this?”

The form is just that which allows you to go about your business un-hobbled. If you had a song you were writing with an incredible verse and a stupid chorus, well, you’d want to have a bunch of verses. And maybe no chorus at all. So that’s a weird formal malformation, to have a song that’s all verse, but if that’s what doesn’t suck, then that’s the piece talking to you, saying, “Here’s the form you should use for me.”

And it turns out that it’s perfect. It turns out that it’s just the form that I need. So that’s a really magical thing, and it’s hard to talk about, because it’s mysterious. But it’s really all there is, and that was a big revelation: that art is actually beyond my control. I can do a little dance that summons it to come out of the woods, but I can’t go in the woods and pull it out. So it indicates that there’s a part of our minds that’s really powerful, of us, but not us. If you’re me, that’s exciting, because I’d like to spend as little time being me as I can.

REEVES: This inability to make art do what you want—how does it make you feel when you go to write?

“Lincoln in the Bardo” | COURTESY

SAUNDERS: It makes me feel good, actually. Because it means I don’t have to bring much with me, except a little bit of taste and preference. My method is to do a whole lot of revision. And each time I change it a little to taste, or a lot to taste—whatever. I just mark it up. Over time, it’s like a cruise ship that starts moving in a very certain direction. You didn’t decide it. It decided for you.

REEVES: In a novel about this celebrated figure in history and his son, this could have easily been Lincoln screaming at the sky, or the ghost of his son Willie being sad he’s dead. Instead, you have this great cast of characters.

Where did they come from?

SAUNDERS: It’s always hard for me to say after the fact. The real an-

THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

swer is that they arise in response to a necessity. In this case, I had the same thought you did: It would be all Lincoln, all the time.

And that just made my heart sink.

I couldn’t do that. I don’t know enough about him. I don’t want to know enough about him. I don’t think that’s sustainable. So then I started looking for ways to get out of that, to minimize [Lincoln’s] stage time. In this case there was a practical thing: If you’re going to tell a story about this night, he’s the only living person there—as far as we know, at least as I imagine it—so then we need a few more people to tell the story.

Who’s in a graveyard at night?

Ghosts.

It’s not deciding anything.

It’s more like improv. It’s like, “Okay, I know I have to make a guy for this character to talk to.

SAUNDERS: There’s a bit in the Gnostic Gospels where Jesus says something like, “If you bring forth that which is within you, what you bring forth will save you; if you fail to bring forth that which is within you, that which you fail to bring forth will destroy you.” There’s some truth to that. As a person, as a human being, there’s nothing that’s really wrong with you. You know? You didn’t ask for it. Whoever you are, whatever foibles you have, you didn’t fill out a form in Heaven and ask to be this and that. So, then, a certain step on the way to functionality is to say, “Yeah, I do have that tendency. I don’t like it, but I do have that tendency. I accept it.”

The worst thing you can do is deny it. It takes a lot of energy to push that feeling down. Whereas if you can release it, it loses some of its power. So that, I think, was the main thing. All those people who were dead, they’re dead. And there’s an immediate relief for them when they admit it.

Likewise, in a given moment of human life, there’s a certain energy, there are certain things occurring, and there’s us, in our consciousness, often trying to either ignore what’s going on, trying to suppress what’s going on, or just ignorantly not noticing.

Those are all—I would say—a form of sin. In Buddhism, you’d say that’s how you get bad karma going, by not being in relation to what actually is. That felt to me like the underbelly of the book.

But, again, I didn’t decide that.

The book was sort of telling me that. a ARTS & CULTURE // 33

thehaps

STRICTLY GERSHWIN

Friday, February 9 through Sunday February 11, $40-$120 Chapman Music Hall, Tulsa Performing Arts Center, tulsaballet.org This is the Oklahoma premiere of the Gershwin extravaganza by Derek Deane, former artistic director of the English National Ballet. The Production bubbles over like a glass of champagne: 40 ballet dancers, 14 tap dancers (some found through a local audition), four singers, 45 musicians all onstage together, costumes straight out of a Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers number, and a parade of George and Ira Gershwin’s greatest musical hits. Jazzy swing and glamorous ballroom styles should come easily for the vivacious company of dancers Tulsa Ballet has assembled this season. Put on a snazzy suit and take your Valentine.

DYLAN SYMPOSIUM

CHOCOLATE

TU’s Institute for Bob Dylan Studies will host Dylan in the Classroom, a symposium of speakers and panel discussions on how to study Dylan’s music— and pop music in general—in a classroom setting.

Feb. 9–10, Gilcrease Museum, dylan.utulsa.edu

The Castle of Muskogee will host Home Sweet Home Chocolate Festival, an all-you-can-eat chocolate smorgasbord and wine sampling benefiting Habitat for Humanity. Feb. 10, 7–10 p.m., $15-$20, facebook.com/habitatchocolatefest

ART FESTIVAL

UNUSUAL SHOPPING

The Greater Tulsa Indian Art Festival features a national juried art show, cultural exhibitions, traditional dancing, storytelling, and a tribal language symposium. Feb. 9–11, Glenpool Conference Center, tulsaindianartfestival.com

Find taxidermy, wet specimens, jewelry, art, bones, and all kinds of weird stuff at The Tulsa Oddities & Curiosities Expo. Then see sideshow acts at the after-party Friday at Fur Shop. Feb. 10–11, $5–$9, The Bond, facebook.com/odditiesandcuriositiesexpo

MUSICAL

ON STAGE

Theatre Pops presents Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s “Assassins,” a revue-style portrayal of nine people who assassinated or tried to assassinate presidents of the United States. Feb. 9–18, $25, IDL Ballroom, theatrepops.org

“Four Chords and a Gun” is the story of The Ramones working on their fifth album, The End of the Century, with Phil Spector from 1978–80. Feb. 16–25, $30, Liddy Doenges Theatre at Tulsa PAC, tulsaprojecttheatre.com

FOR UP-TO-DATE LISTINGS: THETULSAVOICE.COM/CALENDAR 34 // ARTS & CULTURE

February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

onstage

THE STARS ARE ALIGNED Tulsa Opera celebrates its 70th year with pop music

by CASSIDY MCCANTS

“This story connects to today,” Weber said. “We’re still dealing with these problems.”

Earlier this year, Tulsa Opera put on “Puccini to Pop,” which featured virtuosic singers’ takes on pop music favorites.

“Stars Align takes this idea even further,” Picker said.

The title of the opera works on two levels: The show itself is a love story, and it brings together opera stars, new and established. Graham, a world-famous singer, joins Sarah Coburn, a local up-and-coming soprano. David Portillo, who started in Tulsa, sings alongside fellow tenor Aaron Blake, for whom Gregory Spears wrote “Fellow Travelers,” an opera about the “lavender scare” of the McCarthy era.

Picker and Weber want to remind our community that opera is an impressive, expressive, and often misunderstood art form.

“Opera used to be more informal— Victorians brought the formality, and now people think you have to love everything at the opera,” Weber said. “You don’t have to love everything in opera.”

But with this particular show, you just might. a

TULS

ON FEBRUARY 17TH, TULSA OPERA, the 12th-oldest opera company in North America, will host its 70th-year gala, The Stars Align. Artistic Director Tobias Picker, once called “our finest composer for the lyric stage” by The Wall Street Journal, and General Director Greg Weber, who’s worked for San Francisco Opera, Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, New York, and the Houston Grand Opera, have teamed up with a host of star performers to create an event that proves opera isn’t just for your grandma.

“When they see this opera,” Weber said, “young people will get it, and they’ll see that they can relate to the traditional material, too.”

The event is designed to relate to the contemporary world. Picker incorporates pop music, well-known musical theatre tunes, and songs that call for audience participation.

All of the vocalists contributed to the making of the program—Picker asked which songs mean the most to each of them. Among the tunes you can expect to hear are “Oklahoma!,” “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “I Will Always Love You,” and “You’ve Got a Friend.”

The show kicks off with a song by mezzo-soprano Susan Graham rather than with a piece by a tenor, which is traditional in the opening of an opera. Graham will perform “La Vie en Rose” by herself on the piano. Weber explained that Édith Piaf wrote the song in 1945, but, as a woman, she wasn’t able to publish it under her name in France.

A PE RFOR MING ARTS CENT ER

Sarah Coburn | COURTESY

Feb. 2-27

PAC Staff Art Show PAC Art Gallery Feb. 15

James Ehnes ORU Music Department Feb. 16-25

Four Chords and a Gun Tulsa Project Theatre Feb. 17

The Stars Align: Anniversary Gala Celebration Tulsa Opera Feb. 21

GET TICKETS

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Live: King For A Day Mills Entertainment

TULSAPAC.COM March 1 MYTICKETOFFICE.COM The Road to Ellington 918.596.7111 Sheridan Road March 4

Carnegie Hall Link-Up Tulsa Symphony

THE STARS ALIGN Saturday, Feb. 17 | 8:00 p.m.

Tulsa PAC, Chapman Music Hall Tickets: $25–$115, tulsaopera.com or the PAC box office

THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

ARTS & CULTURE // 35

MARDI GRAS EVENTS Tulsa’s biggest Mardi Gras party this year is the Tulsa Mardi Gras Masquerade at VFW Post 577, featuring music, performers, food, drink, and much more. Read more on pg.

38. Feb. 10, 10 a.m.–5 a.m., facebook.com/tulsamardigrasmasquerade Celebrate Fat Tuesday family style at Rainbowland Art Studios’ Mardi Gras Mask Making. Feb. 10, 1–4 p.m., $5, facebook. com/rainbowlandstudios The Unicorn Club’s Mardi Gras Party will feature themed cocktails and music by DJ Demko. Feb. 10, 9 p.m.–2 a.m., facebook. com/unicorntulsa Fassler Hall’s Okie Mardi Gras Party Deluxe will have a crawfish and shrimp boil and music from Combsy with many special guests. Feb. 13, 5 p.m.–2 a.m., fasslerhall.com The City isn’t throwing a parade this year, but that won’t stop Elote Mardi Gras from marching into Blue Dome and back singing New Orleans standards with Count Tutu, followed by a party in the Luchador ring.

Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m.–midnight, elotetulsa.com Celebrate Fat Tuesday at The Max for drink specials, beads, and free arcade tokens. Feb. 13, 10 p.m.–2 a.m., facebook. com/themaxretropub

BEST OF THE REST EVENTS Reflections & Remembrance // For the first time, the PAC Gallery will feature works by PAC staff and friends. // 2/2–2/27, PAC Gallery, tulsapac.com/ Swing Dance at Cabin Boys // Each Wednesday in February, Barrelhouse Swing will teach beginners’ swing dance lessons. // 2/7, Cabin Boys Brewery, facebook.com/barrelhouseswing/ Desperate Females on Exhibit // Beth Burgess will exhibit select pieces from her ongoing project, “Society Today,” // 2/8, All Souls Unitarian Church Gallery, allsoulschurch. org/ Clue // A riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an art exhibition. // 2/10, Lovett’s Fine Art Gallery, lovettsgallery.com Women’s Living Expo // food, fashion, and fun with special guests including MasterChef champion Shaun O’Neale. // 2/10–11, Expo Square - River Spirit Expo, womenslivingexpo.com/ tulsa2018/ Great Train Show // See hundreds of model trains and shop for everything you need to get your miniature railroad up to snuff. // 2/10–11, Expo Square - River Spirit Expo, trainshow.com/tulsa/ Onesie Pub Crawl // Jump into your footie pajamas and hit the town.

Tickets include one drink at each venue. // 2/10, Tulsa Arts District, facebook.com/tulsasocialsports/ Tulsa Spirit Fair // Explore and speak with practicers of alternative healing methods and spirituality. // 2/10–11, Wyndham Hotel, spiritfair.com American War - An evening with Omar El Akkad // Magic City Books will host the author of “American War.” // 2/12, Magic City Books, magiccitybooks.com Vintage Tulsa Show // The largest antique show in Oklahoma // 2/16–18, Expo Square - Exchange Center, vintagetulsashow.com Darryl Starbird’s National Rod & Custom Show // The annual car show returns with dozens of hot rods and custom cars, as well as art, ink, and rock and roll. // 2/16–18, Expo Square - River Spirit Expo, starbirdcarshows.com/

PERFORMING ARTS The Comedy of Errors // Two sets of identical twins separated at birth find themselves in a series of mishaps in one of the earliest plays by William Shakespeare. // 2/9–18, Broken Arrow Community Playhouse, bacptheatre.com The Boys Next Door // A humorous and often poignant series of

36 // ARTS & CULTURE

vignettes focused on a group of four mentally challenged men and their earnest but increasingly burned-out social worker. // 2/9–17, Muskogee Little Theatre, muskogeelittletheatre.com/

Venue Shrine, facebook.com/ bazarentertainment/

Second Sunday Serials // See five new short plays by local writers. // 2/11, Agora Event Center, hellertheatreco.com

Improv Pop // 2/10, Rabbit Hole Improv, rabbitholeimprov.com

Béla Rósza Music Composition Competition and Concert // Hear performances of pieces by student composers in college and high school. // 2/13, Meinig Recital Hall @ Lorton Performance Center, calendar.utulsa.edu Violinist James Ehnes // Ehnes made his orchestral debut with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal at age 13 and is now a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a member of the Order of Canada. // 2/15, Tulsa PAC - John H. Williams Theatre, tulsapac.com/ Hullabaloo Talent Showcase and Casting Call // A variety show featuring burlesque, comedy, circus acts, and much more. // 2/16, Blackbird on Pearl, blackbirdonpearl.com/ Harvey // 2/16–25, Sapulpa Community Theatre, sapulpatheatre.org Tom Sawyer, Detective // Tom Sawyer attempts to solve a mysterious murder in this adaptation. // 2/16–25, Spotlight Theatre, spotlighttheatre.org/ Sinatra’s America // Trumpeter Jeff Shadley and Signature Symphony play the classic hits that made Old Blue Eyes one of the best-selling singers of all time. // 2/16–2/17, Van Trease PACE, signaturesymphony.org/ Superhero Geeklesque // Hullaballoo Revue presents an evening of burlesque, comedy, live music, and more, all with a comic book theme. // 2/17, Blackbird on Pearl, blackbirdonpearl.com/ The Stars Align // Tulsa Opera celebrates its 70th anniversary. // 2/17, 8 p.m., Chapman Music Hall, Tulsa PAC, tulsaopera.org Tulsa Youth Symphony // 2/19, Union Performing Arts Center, tyso.org/

COMEDY

Crush: A Musical Improv Comedy // 2/9–2/17, Rabbit Hole Improv, rabbitholeimprov.com

Jim Gaffigan // 2/10, River Spirit Casino - Paradise Cove, riverspirittulsa.com Attempting 30 - Ashlyn Johnson and Adam Benson w/ MacKidneys Bryan, Landry Miller, Lauren Turner // 2/11, Blackbird on Pearl, facebook.com/ bazarentertainment/ Gerald “Hurricane” Harris // 2/11, Loony Bin, tulsa.loonybincomedy. com/ Comedy Night // 2/14, Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577, facebook.com/ centennialloungetulsa/ Johnny Beehner // 2/14–17, Loony Bin, tulsa.loonybincomedy.com/ Laughing Matter Improv // 2/17, pH Community House, facebook.com/ LaughingMatterImprov 6-Pack of Punchlines w/ Joan CmielWright, Meagan Carr, Charles Bubba Lawrence, Leon Lurley, Patrick Hoskins, Mike Denny // 2/18, The Venue Shrine, facebook.com/ bazarentertainment/ Soundpony Comedy Hour w/ Olivia Grace // 2/19, Soundpony, thesoundpony.com

SPORTS TU Men’s Basketball vs Tulane // 2/8, Reynolds Center, tulsahurricane. com USA BMX Sooner Nationals // 2/9–11, Expo Square - Ford Truck Arena, usabmx.com/ High School Hoops // 2/10, BOK Center, bokcenter.com TU Women’s Basketball vs Houston // 2/10, Reynolds Center, tulsahurricane.com Harlem Globetrotters // 2/11, BOK Center, bokcenter.com Tulsa Oilers vs. Florida Everblades // 2/16, BOK Center, tulsaoilers.com Nitro Arenacross Tour // 2/16–17, Expo Square - Ford Truck Arena, nitroaxtour.com Tulsa Oilers vs. Florida Everblades // 2/17, BOK Center, tulsaoilers.com

Comedy Night // 2/7, Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577, facebook.com/ CentennilLoungeTulsa

Tulsa Oilers vs. Indy Fuel // 2/18, BOK Center, tulsaoilers.com TU Men’s Basketball vs USF // 2/18, Reynolds Center, tulsahurricane. com

Patrick Melton, Mike Cronin // 2/7–2/10, Loony Bin, tulsa. loonybincomedy.com/ Connor McSpadden, Jozalyn Sharp, Garren McCurry, Zach Khan, Dave Short, Nicholas Osborn, Anna Fleeman // 2/8, The

TU Women’s Basketball vs ECU // 2/20, Reynolds Center, tulsahurricane.com

February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

ARTS & CULTURE // 37

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38 // MUSIC

Mardi Gras at the VFW will be family-friendly, then raucous MO R

by AMANDA RUYLE

GA

NW ELC

H

NEW ORLEANS IS A LOW-SLUNG, SEDUCTIVELY sticky and mystical city, so unique in its culture and heritage that it has a way of making visitors forget, among other things (name, wallet, inhibitions, marital obligations, how many shots they’ve taken), they’re still in the U.S. Mardi Gras is the celebration that takes everything that makes New Orleans a masterpiece of human expression and turns it into a largerthan-life human gumbo of art, music, food, booze, and freedom. Thanks to Nick Simon of LockHeart Productions, Tulsa is about to dip its toes in the party bayou with its own all-day Mardi Gras celebration, benefiting both the souls of the revelers and the local VFW, with 100% of profits going to Post 577, which is still recovering after a burglary in December.

Simon lived in Louisiana for twelve years while serving at Fort Polk as a U.S. Army medic. After his service he found himself in the party-throwing business, often combining partying with aiding in a good cause.

“I used to run a nightclub in Louisiana, and one of the skills I picked up was organizing events. I even did a few fundraisers for the VFW there,” he said.

Simon prides himself on creating highly visual, immersive environments, complete with props, performers, specialty food and drinks, and live bands, helping to transport his guests to Bourbon Street without ever having to leave Tulsa. He said he hopes “to bring the spirit of Mardi Gras to Tulsa and celebrate its inclusive eclectic appeal” by organizing a party that will go for damn-near 24 hours straight.

Festivities will begin at 11 a.m. on Feb. 10 at the VFW Post 577 (1109 E. 6th St.),

and the family-friendly portion of the event will be open to the public until 3 p.m. Mike Cameron Collective will kick things off, with live performance acts and members of the Calliope Circus also providing entertainment. There’ll also be a crawfish boil for those craving that Louisiana flavor.

After 4 p.m. the event will change tempo, becoming 18+ and requiring a ticket to enter. Tickets are $17 in advance or $20 at the door and will give you access to three stages devoted to music by Cucumber and the Suntans, Marie Curie, We Make Shapes, TU All-Star Jazz Band, Feenix, and more, along with fire dancers, circus acts, stilt-walkers, burlesque performers, king cake, and Cajun cuisine. Pat O’Brien’s hurricanes, the classic sweet and strong French Quarter favorites, will be on hand. The party will last into the wee hours of the morning, with a pancake breakfast beginning at 2 a.m. and wrapping up around 5 a.m.

Order your beads, paint your mask, throw together an outlandish outfit, start hydrating, then head out to get loose for a good cause. As they say down in New Orleans, laissez les bons temps rouler—let the good times roll! a

TULSA MARDI GRAS MASQUERADE Saturday, Feb. 10 | VFW Post 577 11 a.m.–3 p.m.: free and open to the public 4 p.m.–2 a.m.: 18+, $17–$20 2–5 a.m.: pancake breakfast Tickets: www.stubwire.com For Creole sponsorship tables: goo.gl/jRu5We

February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

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musicnotes

TUESDAY NIGHT LIVE Deep-cut honky-tonking at the Merc

by BRADY WHISENHUNT John Fullbright singing at the Mercury Lounge on Jan. 23 | GREG BOLLINGER

T

here was a time when I was in it for the principle, but now I’m all about profit and gain. That’s why I order a shot of Jim Beam and a bottle of Miller High Life. Because it’s simple and dirt cheap, and this is Tuesday night at the Mercury Lounge—not a mixer at the Waldorf. A Merc shot-and-a-beer special is the name of the game.

I set my phone alarm for T minus 75 minutes into the future, because I’ve got a band to watch, and I need my mind sharp, supple, and quick. And though the shot tastes soft and smooth like the scarlet clouds of a Tennessee sunset and the High Life is cold, nimble, and crisp, this isn’t just any old band setting up. This is Mercury’s Tuesday night band.

In exactly 75 minutes I will order another High Life.

The Merc is dark and red, the palette of blood and punk rock.

On Tuesday nights the Merc chatters with activity. It’s just 10 degrees before top-dead-center of mid-workweek, and thank the Tulsa County heavens for that.

Tuesday night is assumed to be dry and empty.

40 // MUSIC

Jacob Tovar, Wink Burcham, and their associates have been blowing the doors off Mercury every Tuesday night for over two years, but recently there’s been a change. Wink and Tovar have been out the past couple of weeks—and John Fullbright is playing in their stead. Tonight it’s a little less honky-tonk and a hair more Billy Joel, but only incrementally so. A tipsy couple still breaks out into a two-step in front of the stage, as usual.

The Tuesday night Mercury experience is somewhere between an old-time country show and a ‘60s rave-up. Tear-in-yer-beer cowboy ballads crescendo into wild stretches of Western improv.

There’s an electricity in the air, and the momentum is read out on the faces of the musicians.

And, while we’re on the topic, why is it that all good pedal steel players look like they’re conjuring a demon? One that might, with the slightest provocation, tip the Balance of Good and Evil towards the latter?

I explain to the laughing taxidermied coyote across the bar that I have invited three friends to

join me tonight. One has blatantly flaked, and the other two will not show until five minutes after midnight, exactly five minutes after the band has stopped playing.

I believe this is also, somehow, a classic Tuesday night at Mercury experience. Tulsans don’t want to get out on a Tuesday night, and if they do, they drag ass. Their loss.

I can name at least five people who have recently discovered Tuesdays at Mercury and who now regularly seek it out, and I see familiar faces week after week.

I had long been a fan of Tovar’s solo shows, and of Wink’s, but the first time I saw them in a band together was something entirely different. Like pieces of some alien puzzle that unlocks a door to a secret dimension, Tovar, Wink, and their band are greater than the sum of their parts.

I can also say that I have witnessed the conversion of adamant haters of country music after bringing them to see Wink and Tovar on a Tuesday night just like this one, not too long ago.

No, they did not go right out and buy a pair of boots and a Johnny Paycheck record. But they pivoted.

I saw it happen in real time.

It’s a war of attrition. Tuesday night has that power. People hate country music because they don’t understand it. To see it in this setting is to see country music without the posturing. Anyone can resonate with that.

By midnight, the band has torn a new hole in the ozone. My last 75-minute alarm goes off, and I order my final High Life of the evening and tab out. My friends show up right on cue, and we sit down to chat as a dozen or so people stream out of the bar to smoke. I explain that they missed a killer set. I explain how I can’t really describe what type of music the band played, but that it’s good, and it’s kind of like country—but not. I say how pumped I am about this weekly thing that happens here.

I reassure them this is not just the booze talking, either. That this is the real deal—and I have a drink-pacing system that requires a timer. a

WINK BURCHAM AND JACOB TOVAR—OR WHOEVER’S IN THEIR STEAD Tuesdays, 9 p.m. | Mercury Lounge 1747 S. Boston Ave. | Free

February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

its context and meaning, and then follows it up with an original, often related song. Valenti’s intention is to give the audience not just an idea of how protest songs have changed with the times, but also how some remain timeless.

Valenti will cover Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War” with a modern twist, updating the song with a final verse. There will, of course, be at least one Woody Guthrie cover, but the songs won’t be the only elements honoring the Dust Bowl

troubadour at the event. Valenti will bring a guitar that Guthrie’s granddaughter played after hearing a protest song he’d written as a tribute to Guthrie years ago.

“There’s a bit of Guthrie DNA in that instrument,” he said.

Since he wrote his first song a decade ago—when he was 60 years old—he’s built a reputation as a ‘60s-style topical songwriter. And satire is his favorite political tactic.

“Satire is the most effective

form of protest song, because it always gets the best audience reaction,” he said. “Before I was writing music, I was writing letters to editors about the absurdities in the news. My music is a continuation of that.”

“The Art of The Protest Song” is scheduled for February 11, 2 p.m. at the Woody Guthrie Center Theater. Program admittance is included with tickets to the Center.

Visit woodyguthriecenter.org for more information. a

Singer-songwriter Bill Valenti | COURTESY

REVIVING WOODSTOCK POLITICAL SONGWRITERS EXPLORE PROTEST SONGMAKING AT A FITTING VENUE

by TRENT GIBBONS

T

he Woody Guthrie Center will soon host “The Art of the Protest Song,” a program centered on music with a message in mind. Presenting the program is musician Bill Valenti, a political singer, songwriter, and satirist from Bend, Oregon. The event will also feature performances by Farrel Droke and local singer-songwriters Adrienne Gilley and Cody Brewer.

Valenti has hosted the songwriting event all over the country, 19 times since its inception in 2014. He conceived the program just after performing for an event in tandem with the Occupy Wall Street movement. The program is “meant to inspire,” Valenti said, to revive the Woodstock spirit, albeit in smaller venues. The protest aspect of these songs separates the program from the typical casual folk event, and this is a rare chance to hear many protest songs performed live.

“Superstars like Bruce Springsteen can still get away with protest songs at large shows,” Valenti said, “but otherwise it’s rare to hear them live at all.”

The structure of the show has a bit to do with one of Valenti’s priorities. He calls it “edu-tainment.” Each of the artists plays one classic protest song, explains THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

MUSIC // 41

musiclistings Wed // Feb 7

Sat // Feb 10

Coffee House on Cherry Street – Open Mic Lefty’s on Greenwood – Soul Cool Mercury Lounge – Jared Tyler & Seth Lee Jones Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesday River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Jacob Dement Soul City – Don & Stephen White The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project The Vanguard – Reload Wednesday Tin Dog Saloon – Dan Martin

41 Brookside – Adrienne Rosie Gilley Bad Ass Renee’s – Kompulsive Child Blackbird on Pearl – Cowboy Jones Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – Pumpkin Hollow Band Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Darren Ray, Breakdown Shakedown Josey Records – Golden Ones, Carlton Hesston Lefty’s on Greenwood – The Percolaters Mercury Lounge – *The Grits, Unkle Funkus Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Jammin for Jama Benefit Concert w/ Leon Rollerson, Annie Ellicott, Olivia Duhon, Stephanie Oliver, and more River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Sellouts River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Travis Kidd Soul City – Oklahoma Room at Folk Alliance Fundraiser w/ Dan Martin, Chris Blevins, Chris Lee Becker, Jared Tyler, Beau Roberson, Bat-or Kalo, Andy Adams, Levi Parham, Lauren Barth, Kalyn Fay, Suzie Vinnick – ($10) Soundpony – Pony Disco Club The Colony – *Briana Wright – ($5) The Hunt Club – Str8ght Shot The Max Retropub – DJ AB The Old Maestro The Pit Stop – DJ MO The Venue Shrine – *Holatafest w/ Nameless Society, Reliance Code, Oklahombres, Enslaved

By Fear, Grind, Less Than Human, Machine in the Mountain, XIII Minutes, Burning Icarus – ($10-$15) VFW Post 577 – *Tulsa Mardi Gras Masquerade w/ Count Tutu, We Make Shapes, Cucumber and the Suntans, Marie Curie, The Marriotts, and more

Thurs // Feb 8 Crow Creek Tavern – Randy Brumley, Josef Glaude Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – James Mums Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Scott Ellison, Empire Lefty’s on Greenwood – Branjae Mercury Lounge – Shane Smith and the Saints River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Jake Flint Soul City – The Begonias Soundpony – Chocolate Proclamation Party The Colony – The Soup Kitchen The Hunt Club – Clay Aery and Tyler Brant The Vanguard – Demun Jones, Dixie Wrecked – ($13-$15) Yeti – Raw Space, Hey Jellie

Fri // Feb 9 41 Brookside – Dan Martin Bad Ass Renee’s – DJ MO Beehive Lounge – Ryan McLaughlin Cain’s Ballroom – Blackberry Smoke, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real – ($25-$40) Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – Josh Ricks, Rachel Bachman, Adrienne Rosie Gilley Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – Rusty Meyers Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Chris Hyde, That 80s Band Lefty’s on Greenwood – The Feelers Mercury Lounge – Net, Teenage Self, Tight Rope PJ’s Pub & Grill – Zodiac River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Hi-Fidelics River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Mike Wilson and John Conrad Soul City – Cary Morin, Jesse Aycock & Lauren Barth – ($10) Soul City – Susan Herndon, Scott Musick & Friends Soundpony – Afistaface The Colony – Chris Blevins,Tanner Miller Band – ($5) The Hunt Club – JT and the Dirtbox Wailers The Max Retropub – DJ Kylie The Vanguard – Sedated (Ramones Tribute), Panic (The Smiths Tribute), The Secret Post – ($10-$25) The Venue Shrine – *Holatafest w/ Garrett Heck, Sovereign Dame, Severmind, Vague Vendetta, Fist of Rage, DRYVR, Forsaken Few, Screamind Red Mutiny – ($10-$15) Woody Guthrie Center – Reed Turchi – ($15-$20) Yeti – Cucumber Mike’s Happy Hour

Wed // Feb 14 Cain’s Ballroom – Keys N Krates, Promnite, Jubliee – ($24-$39) Coffee House on Cherry Street – Open Mic Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Barrett Lewis, Time Machine Hard Rock Casino - The Joint – Peter Cetera – ($49-$69) Mercury Lounge – Jared Tyler & Seth Lee Jones Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesday River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Vashni Duo Soul City – Don & Stephen White Soundpony – Lyrical Smoke w/ Dismondj, Damion Shade, The Neighbors, Pries, Adam the God, C’Doe The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project The Vanguard – Valentine’s Day Dance w/ Feenix The Venue Shrine – Love Night w/ J. Friday – ($15-$20)

Sun // Feb 11

Thurs // Feb 15

East Village Bohemian Pizzeria – Mike Cameron Collective Mercury Lounge – Brandon Clark River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Brent Giddens Soul City – Bruner & Eicher The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing The Hunt Club – Preslar Music Showcase The Pit Stop – DJ MO Tin Dog Saloon – Dan Martin Woody Guthrie Center – *The Art of the Protest Song w/ Bill Valenti, Cody Brewer, Adrienne Gilley, Farrel Droke Yeti – The Mules, Rock Botton String Band, Jillian Holzbauer

Beehive Lounge – Duane Mark & Tim Vee BOK Center – Blake Shelton, Brett Eldredge, Carly Pearce, Trace Adkins – ($46-$95) Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – Misfit Cowboys Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Weston Horn, Stars Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Jake Flint Soul City – The Begonias Soundpony – Soft Leather: Slow Down The Colony – Tovar’s Western Night The Hunt Club – Ego Culture

Mon // Feb 12 Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – Dave Les Smith, Papa Foxtrot, and Friends Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective Mercury Lounge – Chris Blevins River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Marriott’s The Colony – Seth Lee Jones The Vanguard – The Toasters, The Big News, Stinky Gringos – ($10-$12) Yeti – The Situation – ($5)

Tues // Feb 13 Bull & Bear Tavern – Dan Martin, Chloe Johns Crow Creek Tavern – Open Mic Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic Night Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Chubby Carrier

42 // MUSIC

Lefty’s on Greenwood – The Marriotts Mercury Lounge – *Wink Burcham & Jacob Tovar Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Depot Jazz & Blues Jams River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Dane Arnold Soul City – *Soul City Mardi Gras w/ Dustin Pittsley, Jesse Aycock, Skin Tight Dave White, Poppa Foster, Travis Fite The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night The Max Retropub – DJ Kylie The Venue Shrine – *Roxy Roca, Brujoroots – ($7-$10) Yeti – Yeti Writers’ Night

Fri // Feb 16 Bull & Bear Tavern – The Tiptons Cain’s Ballroom – Wade Bowern, Kaitlin Butts, Bryce Dicus & Th eMercenaries – ($18-$33) Fassler Hall – MONTU Fur Shop – Ryan McLaughlin Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – George Brother Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Donte Schmitz, Weekend All Stars Mercury Lounge – Dalton Domino River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Brent Giddens River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Ayngel & John Soul City – Susan Herndon, Scott Musick & Friends Soundpony – Seasides Stillhouse Bar & Grill – DJ Nasty Navi The Colony – Grazzhopper – ($5) The Hunt Club – Jimmy Blythe Band The Max Retropub – DJ Moody The Venue Shrine – Vintage Pistol – ($7-$10) Yeti – Cucumber Mike’s Happy Hour

Sat // Feb 17 Cain’s Ballroom – *Split Lip Rayfield, Electric Rag Band, Joe Myside – ($10-$12) Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – The Captain Ledge Band Fassler Hall – *Freak Juice, Mike Dee and Stone Trio – ($5) Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – Rivers Edge Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – 80z Enuf, Boogie Fever Mercury Lounge – OC45 River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – DJ and the Band River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Jimmy Blythe Soul City – Monica Taylor and her Red Dirt Ramblers – ($10) Soundpony – Andey’s B-Day Bash The Colony – Smoochie Wallus – ($5) The Hunt Club – Hosty The Max Retropub – DJ AB The Old Maestro The Pit Stop – DJ MO

Sun // Feb 18 East Village Bohemian Pizzeria – Mike Cameron Collective Fassler Hall – Disco Brunch w/ Ject & Darku J Mercury Lounge – Brandon Clark Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Annual Guitar Summit – ($5-$20) River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Brent Giddens Soul City – Bruner & Eicher Soundpony – Malik Music The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing The Pit Stop – DJ MO

Mon // Feb 19 Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – Dave Les Smith, Papa Foxtrot, and Friends Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective Mercury Lounge – Chris Blevins River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Marriott’s Soundpony – Bitchin Bajas, The Earslips, The Dull Drums The Colony – Seth Lee Jones Woody Guthrie Center – Guy Davis Yeti – The Situation – ($5)

Tues // Feb 20 Cain’s Ballroom – Nothing More, The Contortionist, Big Story, Kirra – ($20-$125) Crow Creek Tavern – Open Mic Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic Night Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Brandon Butler Lefty’s on Greenwood – Olivia Duhon Mercury Lounge – Wink Burcham & Jacob Tovar Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Depot Jazz & Blues Jams River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Dane Arnold The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night Yeti – Yeti Writers’ Night Soul City – Dustin Pittsley

February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

popradar

Magic bike

‘High Maintenance’ is a potent blend

by JOE O’SHANSKY

“G

lobo,” the second-season premiere of HBO’s stoner-centric series “High Maintenance,” is something of a Ground Zero assessment through the lens of The Guy (Ben Sinclair, also the show’s co-creator). A nameless bike-riding weed courier in Brooklyn, The Guy—on this particular day— goes about tending to his shaken and baffled thirty-something clientele (and, by proxy, most of the rest of us) upon their learning about the reality of Donald Trump’s unlikely election.

“People were acting like they’re stocking up for the Apocalypse or something,” says The Guy—a mashup of The Dude and every great bartender-psychiatrist you’ve ever known. For fans of the show, this feels like a reassuring group hug. I know I needed one.

Launched in 2012 as a web series on Vimeo, “High Maintenance” hit its stride right out of the gate. In each of the eighteen short episodes, the show explores a different human of New York with vignettes ranging in length from 6 to 16 minutes. Meanwhile, The Guy serenely winds through bustling Lower East Side, delivering flowers to a cornucopia of arty, weird, neurotic, and sometimes asshole-ish denizens.

Sinclair and co-writer/director Katja Blichfeld are clearly writing the world they know—the people, the neighborhoods, the weed—and peppering the show accordingly with their friends, fellow artists, and borough natives who are celebrities in a 20-square-block area. The result is a sincere diary of details, foibles, and dysfunctions that can come only from living them. The bite-sized, slice-of-life narratives taken together form a vividly realized snapshot of a living, breathing city. It’s a laid-back, funny, halfbaked version of “The Wire.”

Ben Sinclair in “High Maintenance” | COURTESY

The last episode of the first season of “High” involves a “Girls” crossover (both productions inadvertently found themselves shooting on the same street in real life). But Lena Dunham’s show was always in a box, constrained by its half-hour sitcom template, as well as Judd Apatow’s omnipresent raunchy/sweet creative aesthetic and the Seinfeldian conceit that clueless narcissists are inherently funny—forever. “High Maintenance,” despite some closeknit ties to the same place and similar archetypes, is thankfully (so far) a different animal.

Season one, episode two, titled “Heidi,” finds wannabe screenwriter Mark (Kyle Harris) attempting to appease his uber-hot Korean girlfriend, Heidi (Greta Lee), only to discover, thanks to The Guy, that he’s dating the notorious Homeless Heidi, a serial couch surfer with an entitlement fetish.

THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

“Helen” introduces us to Patrick (Michael Cyril Creighton), a gay shut-in obsessed with Helen Hunt, La Croix, and buying herb from The Guy (who he’s crushing on) for his terminally ill mother— only to stash it all in a box, never to be smoked.

“Jonathan” finds The Guy playing therapist (as he so often does) to a standup comedian (Hannibal Burress) after he’s almost assassinated onstage. In “Ruth,” The Guy plays Cupid between two customers, a recovering cancer patient, Ellen (Birgit Huppuch), and lonely security guard, Victor (Chris McKinney), who, after chopping hot peppers for an abortive dinner date, takes a piss before washing his hands. The two bond when she has to find a bowl of milk to dip his balls in.

When the first season premiered, I worried that the meandering perfection of the web series would be lost. Sinclair and

Blichfeld enjoyed a level of creative control that’s rarely afforded or well-utilized. It didn’t cost much (episodes were being made for less than $1,000). Fortunately—aside from the veneer of more money—not much changed, despite the new 30-minute format that came with the move to HBO. If anything, the show is better than ever. It routinely subverts the expectations that come with a 30-minute cable comedy—be it with a single-story episode in which the main character is a dog (“Grandpa”) or through a series of vignettes working as thematic cousins, mini-episodes within episodes.

It still brings laughs, but the reward comes from the continuity of its world- and character-building.

And we find out more about The Guy. In a sense, The Guy is the most Seinfeldian element of it all. The show is more focused on everyone around him, even though he’s our tour guide. And it’s essentially about nothing.

Most situations in real life (I’m not kidding) can be compared to some “Seinfeld” episode. Even if it doesn’t get more seasons, in a decade “High Maintenance” will have that same kind of retro integrity. a

Tulsa’s independent and non-profit art-house theatre, showing independent, foreign, and documentary films.

FILM & TV // 43

filmphiles

filmphiles

Annette Bening and Jamie Bell in “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” | COURTESY

ALL THAT REPEATING FORMS HOLLYWOOD ALLOWS Jason Clarke and Helen Mirren in “Winchester” | COURTESY

‘Winchester’ is a nudging morality play “WINCHESTER” IS THE LATEST FROM AUSSIEhorror nerds The Spierig Brothers. The film mines the true story of Sarah Winchester, the widow of William Winchester, owner of Winchester Repeating Arms (originally Volcanic Repeating Arms), which helped win the Civil War and strap every open-carry guy out there with their very own bolt-action hog leg.

In 1906, we meet Dr. Eric Price (Jason Clarke, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”), an opiate-addled psychiatrist from San Francisco who is hired by the Winchester company to evaluate the mental state of its majority shareholder, the widowed Sarah (Helen Mirren). Upon inheriting the modern equivalent of half-a-billion dollars, Sarah spends her time in San Jose overseeing the ongoing construction of the “house that spirits built”—where the souls of those killed by her namesake product could come to grips with their sudden and violent exit stage left.

When Price arrives he finds 24-houra-day construction of the house, which is worthy of Escher. Staircases lead to ceilings. Doors open over a four-story drop.

Rooflines meet like an ADD Etch-a-Sketch.

It was (and still is) massive. The rooms, sometimes sealed by timbers with 13 nails, were built to mimic the locations where the deceased met their fate. When the ghost in question found peace, workers would destroy the room and build a new one. Often 44 // FILM & TV

the phantoms were fairly benign. Until one baleful spirit decides to take revenge.

The Spierigs are long-time favorites of mine. They’re like the Lord and Miller (“21 Jump Street”) of taking tired, horror genretypes and reinvesting them with vital imagination. 2009’s “Daybreakers” is a great example. Vampires, sure—but it’s loaded with non-sparkly surprises. Their early zombie-indie, 2003’s “Undead,” similarly turned expectations on their ear.

“Winchester” doesn’t really say anything overt about the current state of affairs concerning gun violence, though its formality made me wish they were directing a “Tales From the Hood” entry that applied this concept to unarmed black dudes who’ve been shot by the police. That would be their kind of crazy.

Instead, “Winchester” is more dramatic than horrific, though its thoughtfulness and creativity on both counts is pure Spierig. There are only so many jump scares and creepy angles to be had in this realm.

Here we have a well-made, well-acted ghost story, the reward of which lies in the script from the Spierigs and co-writer Tom Vaughn. The twists and turns are compelling enough alone and are made even more so with Mirren and Clarke’s engaging, invested performances.

Then again, I could also watch Mirren smoke cigarettes and read gun control legislation for two hours. – JOE O’SHANSKY

Annette Bening does Gloria Grahame justice in May-December romance biopic AS IF COMMISSIONED BY TURNER CLASSIC Movies itself in a paean cued up for its core demographic, “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” is a biopic by way of Douglas Sirk melodrama.

Gorgeously captured in a luminous gloss, this provocative real-life story about actress Gloria Grahame ends up following a fairly conventional path, swinging from passionate desire to volatile confrontations. But Annette Bening anchors the film by fully immersing herself in the fragile insecurities of this aging ingénue.

Gloria Grahame was a starlet in Hollywood’s Golden Age. Known primarily for noirs, she won an Academy Award for her supporting turn in 1952’s “The Bad and the Beautiful.” Sooner state residents may recognize her from her last major screen role as Ado Annie Carnes in 1955’s “Oklahoma!”—but she’s probably best remembered as Violet, the sultry blonde of Bedford Falls, in 1946’s classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Her life, however—which included four failed marriages and one child from each—was a tumultuous one. “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” focuses on her final years, before she passed away in 1981 at the age of 57. To the very end, Grahame’s life was defined by high drama, including her notorious romance with a man thirty years her junior.

Peter Turner was a struggling young actor in Liverpool when he met Grahame (depicted here in a sensually-charged, meet-cute disco dance). With finely-tuned seductive skills, Grahame beguiles Turner.

Her allure is subtle yet potent, but Turner is no lusting dupe; his attraction is sincere, as is hers, and their love genuinely grows.

Inevitably, however, she’s simply too much for Turner to handle. Like many of her peers past their primes and in denial, Grahame still clung to the need for vain affirmations about her beauty and her bygone youth, determined to defy the wear of time and ravages of illness. These desperate delusions made her damaged goods.

Bening, who can turn any role into a showcase, humanizes this tortured self-image while also transforming her own natural baritone into Grahame’s higher cutesy vocal register. The film’s script, based on Turner’s memoir, reduces her broken psychology to surface levels. Bening makes them heartbreaking. Jamie Bell also renders Turner’s maturation with real conviction and grace (as in a scene the two share onstage in an empty theater).

More artful than candid—even blue collar locales and seaside shacks look lush—“Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” may not be entirely gripping, but it’s still effective as poignant nostalgia.

– JEFF HUSTON

February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

filmphiles

A BRIEF RUNDOWN OF WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE CIRCLE CINEMA

OPENING FEBRUARY 9 FACES PLACES See review at left.

Special screening on Sun. February 11 at 1:00 p.m., sponsored by Alliance Française de Tulsa and Tulsa Global Alliance; a “cidre et crêpes” reception follows.

2018 OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT FILMS – ANIMATED A feature-length collection of the five short films nominated for the Animated Short Film Academy Award. Not Rated.

OPENING FEBRUARY 16 FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL See review at left.

Agnès Varda and JR in “Faces Places” | COURTESY

INNER MURALS French locals inspire giant portraits in Oscar-nominated ‘Faces Places’ A COMMON MISSION TO HONOR THE common man brings two iconic artists together in “Faces Places,” an author-intrusive documentary that plays like the most benevolent reality TV show ever conceived.

Filmmaker Agnès Varda is an 89-yearold legend of French cinema. 33-year-old JR is a self-described “photograffeur” who pastes massive pictures on public walls and landmarks. His initials are a pseudonym; his real identity remains unknown. She’s short in stature with a frosted velvet bowl-cut coif, and he’s tall and lanky, hiding behind ever-present sunglasses. These co-directors make for quite a pair.

Like oddball wonder twins, this duo combines their artistic superpowers to activate a fascinating project: Traveling across France to small towns, they conjure massive make-shift frescos of strangers they meet, informed by time visiting with them. Employing Varda’s incisive expertise and JR’s flair for transforming a building into a canvas, they paint portraits both literal and personal.

Varda and JR are gypsy spirits following no plan or itinerary. They engage the faces and places as they come to them, inviting locals to their retrofitted shipping truck-turned-photobooth. JR takes pictures of people, instantly printing large-scale black-and-white posters of single or group portraits, then he finds a

public space to plaster them on (a business, a residence, a train car, and so on).

At times, he creatively marries multiple images together.

This process evolves in tandem with conversations between Varda, JR, and town residents. The photos are merely an entrée for getting to know people, to hear their stories. As certain individuals pique their fascination, a work of art forms on a billboard-scale landscape. When finished, these townsfolk are genuinely touched, seeing themselves in new, revelatory ways. Some are overwhelmed. The reactions are tender and beautiful.

Varda and JR have given these people unexpected gifts, ones that will last long past the time when rain washes the murals away. Such is the power when an average person becomes an artist’s muse.

“Faces Places” is also about Varda and JR’s unlikely partnership in which each eventually lets their guard down. Energized by shared experiences and philosophical differences, candid exchanges emerge as trust builds, especially for Varda; each new place stirs memories—many of which she’s documented (and we get to see).

Inevitably, death comes up, too, as they reflect on time and life and how quickly it all passes.

“Faces Places” captures all of these depths. It is a film of generous humanity.

– JEFF HUSTON

THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

HAPPY END From Austrian director Michael Haneke (“Amour”), this drama starring French legend Isabelle Huppert is about an affluent family facing a variety of medical challenges and dark secrets, all set against the backdrop of the European refugee crisis. Rated R. 2018 OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT FILMS – LIVE ACTION A feature-length collection of the five short films nominated for the Live Action Short Film Academy Award. Not Rated. Parental discretion advised.

SPECIAL EVENTS RUMBLE: THE INDIANS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD FREE event.

A documentary about the role of Native Americans throughout the

history of popular music, from the early days of rock and roll to today.

Pre-screening event begins at 6:00 p.m., with a new gallery featuring work from the Greater Tulsa Indian Arts Festival, an installation by Comanche artists Nocona Burgess and Tim Nevaquaya, and music from American Indian blues group “Native Blues.” (Thu. February 8, 7:00 p.m.)

WILD AT HEART (1990) Winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern star in this bizarre road odyssey of young lovers chased by killers. From iconic auteur David Lynch. Tickets $10. (Fri. & Sat. February 9 & 10, 10:00 p.m. A bonus screening at 7:30 p.m. on Valentine’s Day, Wed. February 14.)

GRANDMA’S BOY (1922) Second Saturday Silents presents this comedy from legend Harold Lloyd.

He plays a coward who summons the courage to capture a notorious criminal, endearing him to the heart of a woman. Accompanied

by Bill Rowland on Circle Cinema’s original 1928 pipe organ. Adults $5, Children $2. (Sat. February 10, 11:00 a.m.)

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF: NT LIVE This London stage revival of the Tennessee Williams classic melodrama, set on a Southern plantation, stars Sienna Miller, Jack O’Connell, and Colm Meaney. Adults $18, Seniors $15. (Thu. February 22, 6:00 p.m.)

FREE IT ’S L E G A L T IL L

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Free legal representation for first offense marijuana possession.

Tulsa District & City Courts only.

No juvenile cases.

Reasonable fees for other charges.

Some restrictions apply.

Michael Fairchild • Attorney at Large • 918-58-GRASS (584-7277) FILM & TV // 45

free will astrology

by ROB BREZSNY

AQUARIUS

(JAN. 20-FEB. 18):

The pawpaw is a tasty fruit that blends the flavors of mango, banana, and melon. But you rarely find it in grocery stores. One reason is that the fruit ripens very fast after being picked. Another is that the pollination process is complicated. In response to these issues, a plant scientist named Neal Peterson has been trying to breed the pawpaw to be more commercially viable.

Because of his work, cultivated crops have finally begun showing up at some farmers’ markets. I’d like to see you undertake metaphorically similar labors in 2018, Aquarius. I think you’ll have good luck at developing rough potentials into more mature forms of expression. You’ll have skill at turning unruly raw materials into more useful resources. Now is a great time to begin.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): An iceberg is a huge chunk of ice that has cracked away from a glacier and drifted off into the open sea. Only nine percent of it is visible above the waterline.

The underwater part, which is most of the iceberg, is basically invisible. You can’t know much about it just by looking at the top. This is an apt metaphor for life itself. Most everyone and everything we encounter is 91 percent mysterious or hidden or inaccessible to our conscious understanding. That’s the weird news, Pisces. The good news is that during the next three weeks you will have an unprecedented ability to get better acquainted with the other 91 percent of anything or anyone you choose to explore.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Anders Haugen competed for the U.S. as a ski jumper in the 1924 Winter Olympics. Although he was an accomplished athlete who had previously set a world record for distance, he won no medals at the games.

But wait! Fifty years later, a sports historian discovered that there had a been a scoring mistake back in 1924. In fact, Haugen had done well enough to win the bronze medal. The mistake was rectified, and he finally got his long-postponed award. I foresee a comparable development happening in your life, Aries. Recognition or appreciation you deserved to have received some time ago will finally come your way.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In 1899, Sobhuza II became King of Swaziland even though he was less than five months old. He kept his job for the next 82 years, and along the way managed to play an important role when his nation gained independence from the colonial rule of the United Kingdom. These days you may feel a bit like Sobhuza did when he was still in diapers, Taurus: not sufficiently prepared or mature for the greater responsibilities that are coming your way. But just as he received competent help in his early years from his uncle and grandmother, I suspect you’ll receive the support you’ll need to ripen.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In my ideal world, dancing and singing wouldn’t be luxuries practiced primarily by professionals. They would be regular occurrences in our daily routines. We’d dance and sing whenever we needed a break from the numbing trance. We’d whirl and hum to pass the time. We would greet each other with an interpretative movement and a little tune. In schools, dance and song would be a standard part of the curriculum — as important as math and history. That’s my utopian dream, Gemini.

What’s yours? In accordance with the astrological omens, I urge you to identify the soul medicine you’d love to incorporate into your everyday regimen. Then go ahead and incorporate it!

It’s time for you to get more aggressive about creating the world you want to live in.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Psychology pioneer Carl Jung believed that most of our big problems can never be fully solved. And that’s actually a good thing. Working on them keeps us lively, in a state of constant transformation.

It ensures we don’t stagnate. I generally agree with Jung’s high opinion of our problems. We should indeed be grateful for the way they impel us to grow. However, I think that’s irrelevant for you right now. Why? Because you have an unprecedented opportunity to solve and graduate from a major long-running problem. So no, don’t be grateful for it. Get rid of it. Say goodbye to it forever.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Between now and March 21, you will be invited, encouraged, and pushed to deepen your understanding of intimate relationships. You will have the chance to learn

Place the numbers 1 through 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once.

NOVICE

much, much more about how to create the kind of togetherness that both comforts and inspires you. Will you take advantage of this eight-week opportunity? I hope so. You may imagine that you have more pressing matters to attend to.

But the fact is that cultivating your relationship skills would transform you in ways that would best serve those other pressing matters.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In December, mass protests broke out in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city. Why? The economy had been gradually worsening. Inflation was slowly but surely exacting a toll. Unemployment was increasing. But one of the immediate triggers for the uprising was a 40-percent hike in the price of eggs. It focused the Iranian people’s collective angst and galvanized a dramatic response.

I’m predicting a comparable sequence in your personal future, Virgo. A specific irritant will emerge, motivating you to stop putting up with trends that have been subtly bothering you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the late 1980s, Budweiser used a Bull Terrier to promote its Bud Light beer in commercials. The dog, who became mega-famous, was presented as a rich macho party animal named Spuds MacKenzie. The ad campaign was successful, boosting sales 20 percent. But the truth was that the actor playing Spuds was a female dog whose owners called her Evie. To earn money, the poor creature, who was born under the sign of Libra, was forced to assume a false identity.

To honor Evie’s memory, and in alignment with current astrological omens, I urge you human Libras to strip away any layers of false identity you’ve been pressured to acquire. Be your Real Self — to the max.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The giant panda is a bear native to China. In the wild, its diet is 99 percent bamboo. But bamboo is not an energy-rich food, which means the creature has to compensate by consuming 20 to 30 pounds of the stuff every day. Because it’s so busy gathering its sustenance, the panda doesn’t have time to do much socializing. I mention this, Scorpio, because I want to offer up the panda as your anti-power animal for the coming weeks. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you should have a diversified approach to getting your needs met — not just in regards to food, but in every other way as well. Variety is not just the spice of life; it’s the essence.

MASTER

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You’re the star of the “movie” that endlessly unfolds in your imagination. There may be a number of other lead actors and actresses, but few if any have your luster and stature. You also have a supporting cast, as well as a full complement of extras. To generate all the adventure you need, your story needs a lot of dramatis personae. In the coming weeks, I suggest that you be alert for certain minor characters who are primed to start playing a bigger role in your narrative.

Consider the possibility of inviting them to say and do more to advance the plot.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Thirty-five miles per hour is typically the highest speed attained by the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. That’s not very fast. On the other hand, each ship’s engine generates 190 megawatts, enough to provide the energy needs of 140,000 houses, and can go more than 20 years without refueling. If you don’t mind, I’m going to compare you to one of those aircraft carriers during the next four weeks. You may not be moving fast, but you will have maximum stamina and power.

Imagine that you’re still alive in 2090. What’s your life like? t h i s w e e k ’ s h o m e w o r k // T E S T I F Y AT F R E E W I L L A S T R O L O G Y. C O M .

46 // ETC.

February 7 – February 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE FUZZ THE TULSA VOICE SPOTLIGHTS: TULSA SPCA

2910 Mohawk Blvd. | MON, TUES, THURS, FRI & SAT, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 918.428.7722

Have you ever met a 60-pound lap dog?

JACKSON is a big two-year-old lab mix who loves getting in your lap and giving you lots of kisses. He likes people of all ages and would absolutely love a forever family to run and play fetch with him.

Jackson is a very loyal dog and will exceed anyone’s expectation of companionship.

ACROSS 1 Cause of white noise 7 Oddly eccentric 14 Superior 20 Big-time record label 21 A Christian experience 22 City in Pakistan 23 Type of equation 24 “You blew my mind!”

25 Displays contrition 26 Plug 27 RAF awards for gallantry 29 Prefixes for heavenly bodies 31 Japanese food staple 32 Overly pamper 34 Smeltery supply 35 Theater intermission 37 What you are free to spend 41 “Fix” a pet 42 In the style of 43 Eye shade providers 44 Suffers from or owns 46 “Buona ___” 49 Charles, Harry and Beatrice 51 Type of wave 53 Popping up 56 Part of a mountain 57 “Cool!”

59 Old gas station abbr.

60 Genetic stuff 61 Winter Olympics event 64 Receiver jack abbr.

65 U.S. citizens, abroad 67 Job-related bios 70 Hypothetical remedy for all ills 72 Criminals on the water 75 Diego or Pedro lead-in 77 Some hospital workers

MOMMA was rescued from a cruelty situation a little over a month ago. She is a two-and-a-half-yearold chihuahua mix and has grown leaps and bounds since she arrived at the Tulsa SPCA. Currently, Momma is slightly timid and needs time to warm up to new people, but she finds comfort in being held and snuggled.

80 Words with “snail’s pace” 81 Italian three 82 Columbo wannabes 85 Aussie’s friend 87 Allow to leave 89 Without any company 90 Faces courageously 92 Place for luxurious sweaters?

93 Coloring agent 94 A Zoroastrian in India 97 Impressive mountain 98 The words of Jesus 101 Divine thing for Franco Harris 103 Overnight office crew’s job 106 Relatives 107 Manicurist’s subjects 108 Old-fashioned fishing assistant 109 Heavenly beings 111 Beast like Shrek 112 Place to slalom in Utah 116 First-elected Congresswoman Jeannette 118 Typical example 120 Soft upholstery fabric 122 Little buzzer 123 Longtime magazine subscriber 124 A source of fur 125 Urging from one on bended knee 126 Forward-thinking woman?

127 Is a back-talker DOWN 1 Common condiment 2 Group dividing paychecks by three 3 Japanese native 4 Deadly African fly 5 “Let’s call ___ night”

6 Sedan’s foursome 7 Black-and-orange birds 8 Non-masc. ones 9 Raiding grp.

10 With two parts 11 Wipe the slate 12 Periodic table abbr.

13 They’re home in Ohio 14 Bombing results 15 Take in takeout 16 Ribs and breastbone areas 17 Gin go-with 18 Standing with good posture 19 Bring in for another checkup 28 Valley in California 30 “In a million” starter 33 Collins or Donahue 34 Spring in the desert 36 Quitter 37 Infield cover 38 Soothing medicinal plants 39 Cold canoe 40 Baseball’s Rose 44 Make campy, as a skit 45 Name spoken to a speaker 47 Be a passenger 48 Hathaway of Hollywood 50 Kurosawa of moviemaking 52 ___ double take (look again) 53 Some Indo-Europeans 54 Jump at a loud bang, e.g.

55 Transportation mover 57 Tickles or makes giggle 58 Stat for typists 62 Throw overboard 63 Software operators 66 Fate or destiny 68 History test part, sometimes

LAYLA is an affectionate social butterfly who is friendly with people of all ages. This two-and-a-halfyear-old basset hound mix is cute as a button! Layla enjoys occasional playtime, but her favorite activity is cuddling and belly scratches.

69 La ___ University, Philadelphia 71 Biomedical research inits.

72 Inflate, as expenses 73 “You know how ___” 74 Speak with a grating voice 76 Film role for Keanu 78 Like a U.S. military branch 79 Ancient stone pillar 83 Detach, as a campaign button 84 Jerker lead-in 86 Use binoculars, e.g.

88 Empty rhetoric 90 Accepts as true 91 Stagger while walking 93 Angry things to shoot, figuratively 95 Park securers 96 Evidence of a bad scratch 99 Seven-footers, to five-footers 100 Motel relative 101 Sir relative 102 Book of the Old Testament 103 Late Farley 104 Anders of “Easy Rider” 105 Itty-bitty 106 Kevin of “A Fish Called Wanda” 110 Pentathlon sword 111 Cockney residences?

113 Superman’s lady friend 114 Bring into harmony 115 Mythical god of war 117 Rocks for tumblers 119 Be indebted to 121 Historical time period

Find the answers to this issue’s crossword puzzle at thetulsavoice.com/puzzle-solutions.

THE TULSA VOICE // February 7 – February 20, 2018

The Tulsa SPCA has been helping animals in our area since 1913. The shelter never euthanizes for space and happily rescues animals from high-kill shelters. They also accept owner surrenders, rescues from cruelty investigations, hoarding, and puppy mill situations. Animals live on-site or with foster parents until they’re adopted. All SPCA animals are micro-chipped, vaccinated, spayed/neutered, and treated with preventatives.

Learn about volunteering, fostering, upcoming events, adoptions, and their low-cost vaccination clinic at tulsaspca.org.

Although the Tulsa SPCA does not advocate declawing, we rescue declawed cats like JAXS often. Jaxs is a two-year-old curious cat with a lot of energy. He enjoys climbing and investigating every nook and cranny of the cat room. Jaxs would fit very well with a family who will spoil him like a king and give him a lot of space to play and explore.

Are you an adopter looking to rescue a cat to be your one and only pet?

CINI may be the cat for you! He is a three-year-old long-haired cat who was rescued from a cruelty case where the animals were fighting for very scarce resources. Darling Cini loves attention and affection from people and would be a great companion to snuggle up on the couch with you.

Universal sUnday Crossword TeaM worK

By Timothy e. Parker

© 2018 Andrews McMeel Syndication

2/11 ETC. // 47

Pleas e re cycle this issue.