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VIEWS
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY OF LOUISVILLE, WITH LOVE, THROW OUT YOUR SINFUL WARDROBE By Erica Rucker | erucker@leoweekly.com
CHRISTIAN Academy of Louisville wants its students to tell their queer friends that they are living sinfully and are terrible people. Sure, they phrased it with nicer words, but this is what they are going for. The irony is astounding. It looks like, unsurprisingly, the persecution fantasies of modern Christians are again simply projections of their actions against others. In a Twitter post, JP Davis shared the assignment. The instructions read: “In at least 8 sentences, try to show the friend from the Bible, reason, and your personal friendship: that God’s design for them is good, that homosexuality will not bring them satisfaction, that you love them even though you don’t approve of their lifestyle.” The assignment is one geared toward middle schoolers, kids who have either not begun to explore their own sexuality or who are just beginning to form their positions about themselves and others. It’s highly inappropriate to assume that the students who received the assignments aren’t also part of the LGBTQ+ community and it is inappropriate and presumptuous to think that these children disagree with those who are part of that community. Modern Christianity, particularly evangelicalism, isn’t about love if that love comes with conditions. If you can only love someone who abides by your rules, it isn’t love. It’s narcissistic, abusive and dangerous.
While it is true that across the globe, Christians face dangerous situations (i.e. North Korea, some Muslim-governed nations), overall their fear of persecution, especially here in the United States, comes from their need to persecute others. In an article for The Atlantic, Alan Noble, an assistant professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University, wrote in detail about the evangelical persecution fantasy, saying, “In the United States, evangelical values have often been in tension with public policy and cultural mores, especially in the last several years; this includes recent debates over contraceptives coverage, abortion rights, and the rise of same-sex marriage. Some Christians anticipate major restrictions to religious liberty in the future as a result of these tensions, a concern that is not unfounded. But in anticipating such restrictions, it is easy to imagine, wrongly, that they are already here.” Meanwhile, CAL is actively persecuting LGBTQ children. Being queer is a legitimate existence as any other existence on earth. It is as old as any other way to exist and love on this planet. The way this assignment has been presented sounds like being homosexual is something you purchase on the black market. It’s ridiculous and if it wasn’t such a harmful ideology, it would be worthy of much ridicule. How in 2022 are we still debating this? What other harmful archaic values are we allowing to trickle through our education
systems? I’m frustrated that Christianity has been given a bullhorn in our society. What good has it given us? From the damage to women’s rights, proper health and deathcare to the way we should shame people for who they love. Someone please enlighten me on the positive role of Christianity today. I’m just not seeing it. Sure, as a personal choice, kept quiet like overeating ice cream, I can understand. But the way it has pervasively invaded the government, the healthcare system and education is unacceptable to me. It should be unacceptable to anyone, from any faith. There are places where religion doesn’t need to go and yet again, we’re seeing a sick example of this. Yes, I understand it’s a private Christian school. The problem is they wanted to go past their doors with this assignment. This school is harming children on the dollars of parents who are hoping that they can produce good citizens. If you’re a parent of a child at this school, rethink where your dollars are being spent. You can have good children, who are morally adept and kind without this. In a written statement following the assignment going viral, CAL Superintendent Darin Long said the school will evaluate the assignment to be sure it has “clarity in its purpose and language.” He also attempted to paint the course as simply an elective (as if
that changes its harms) and went on to quote the Bible’s “Old Testament” regarding the “covenant of marriage” and sex within that “covenant.” Convenient picking and choosing of scripture to suit their needs. Here’s a complication for you, CAL: not everyone lives under the laws of your book. In fact, you don’t even live under the laws of this book. If you do, remove the polyester blends from your closets because Leviticus tells you to. Your preacher’s polyester suit is sinful. I digress because arguing the Bible is foolish, the book doesn’t keep itself consistent, so how can its followers? Long’s statement went on to say, “We believe that all individuals are created in the image of God and therefore should be treated with compassion, respect, dignity, and love at all times even in disagreement.” In response to this assignment, Davis wrote a letter to himself in 7th grade. It’s a letter that LEO has published online and one that I think is worthy of a read. It is imperative that all children, regardless of who they fall in love with, know that they are loved and supported and that it doesn’t come with any conditions. If you’re a young person reading this online or in the LEO newspaper, you are loved and we fully support you... whoever you are and whoever you love. •
LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
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VIEWS
THE MIDWESTERNIST
THE BABY BOX MOVEMENT By Dan Canon | leo@leoweekly.com
BEYOND the occasional mass shooting, now as unremarkable as a traffic jam or a tornado, there isn’t much Big News out of central Indiana. So when a baby was deposited in a box affixed to the Carmel Fire Department last month, it was Big News. It has thus far proved to be the feel-good Big News of the year for Hoosiers. All the local media outlets were slipping in their own saliva to cover it, and the comments sections were mostly full of praise for the “wonderful” baby boxes, the “courageous mother” who made a “heartbreaking decision,” the “heroic firefighters” who retrieved the baby in less than a minute, and so on. The Carmel fire chief said: “It was so adorable.” It was even Big News to Todd Young, our all-American goodboy soldier/lawyer/senator. On his social media accounts, he wrote: “Baby boxes are saving lives across Indiana and giving mothers a place to turn. Thanks to all those who support the baby box movement.” “Ha ha, that’s a funny thing to say,” I thought. “’The baby box movement.’” Then another baby was left at the same fire department. Then another. Three deposits in five weeks. And that’s just in Carmel. Again, Young posted effusive praise for infant collection devices. In fact, if you dig through Young’s social media, you’ll find several posts on the subject from the last few years, including one personal visit by the senator to a Seymour fire station. Nearly all these posts mention Safe Haven Baby Boxes, Inc., a nonprofit that installs human deposit receptacles in fire stations all over the Midwest. At least one has a photo of Young with Safe Haven’s founder, former Indiana firefighter Monica Kelsey. Safe Haven has its own robust social media presence. Most of its posts are celebrations of new box installations (“Welcome to the party, Fort Wayne!”) or of successful infant retrievals (“Welcome to the World, Sweet Baby!”). You can also buy t-shirts with witty slogans at their online shop (“I love Jesus but I cuss a little”). These boxes are saving tiny little lives? Great. But something about Young’s attention seemed to transgress boundaries of ordinary tractor-and-hay-bale-photo-op politicking. Baby hatches (or “foundling wheels”) were common from the 12th to the 19th century. These baby drop-off points have fallen out of favor in the industrialized world because we have mostly figured out how to afford the upkeep on our kids, even if just barely. And now all of a sudden they’re popping up everywhere? Senators are tweeting about them? “I’m a red-state lifer and therefore used to weird Dickensian shit,” says I, “but something ain’t right here.” Then it hit me: “Christ! This is their policy solution!” You see, the GOP has a bit of maneuvering to do. They have to figure out how to soft-land this anti-abortion blimp they’ve been flying for the last 50 years. If unskilled hands are at the yoke, they’re going to crash into a tower of “How are people with no health care, no parental leave, and no money going to raise the children they are forced to give
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birth to?” So far, they’ve mostly answered this question the way they answer all policy questions: With more questions. (What about critical race theory? Isn’t it terrible about trans girls in sports? Aren’t lizard-people operating secret pizza sex dungeons in D.C.? Etc.) But if babies start to die of malnutrition — a possibility even now, with domestic infants in comparatively short supply — they know there’s a risk that things could get messy. Faced with this problem, Republicans could support modest Medicaid and FMLA expansions, extended unemployment benefits, food stamps and other social programs. Or they could simply follow the lead of some European countries and allow for anonymous births at hospitals. Or they could come up with some minimalistic, medieval monstrosity that sticks the parent with a hospital bill and/or the risk of unassisted home birth and act like it’s an honest-togod policy solution. Well folks, if you know American conservatism, you know where this is going. Baby hatches began their American comeback tour in 2016, around the same time that the end of Roe became a real possibility and not just a Falwellian wet dream. The first two were installed in northern Indiana courtesy of — you guessed it — Safe Haven Baby Boxes, Inc. The company has installed over 100 more in the last five years. Suspect timing alone wouldn’t mean that baby boxes are about to be the GOP’s universal answer to the social ills that are coming post-Roe. But you have to wonder why else a goober like Todd Young would pay so much attention to them. Is it really because they save lives? The Safe Haven Baby Boxes, Inc., website says: “Since April 2016, when the first box was installed, there have been no dead abandoned infants in the state of Indiana.” Ok, but I couldn’t find much evidence of “dead abandoned infants” ever in the state of Indiana, let alone any evidence that firehouse incubators were preventing such deaths. Safe Haven posts stories about “infants in dumpsters” from elsewhere in the country, but most of these end up being women who have panicked after a miscarriage or stillbirth. There’s an oftrepeated assertion that the boxes prevent abortions, but come on. What pregnant person has ever said “I was going to get an abortion, but luckily now I have the option of carrying to term, delivering a baby and leaving it in a night drop?” The real tell came when Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who, at the hearing in the case that is about to overturn Roe, asked this question: “Both Roe
and Casey [v. Planned Parenthood] emphasized the burdens of parenting and the obligations of motherhood that flow from pregnancy. Why don’t the safe haven laws [allowing anonymous infant surrenders] take care of that problem?” What Aunt Amy is saying here is not that the boxes prevent abortions, but that the “burdens of parenting” are no longer a thing because you can drop the baby in a box. Add to all this the fact that Safe Haven Baby Boxes, Inc., is propelled by extreme anti-choice ideology, and you start to see why Republicans are spilling so much seed over baby hatches. Safe Haven’s website boasts that it “has referred over 500 women to crisis pregnancy centers.” Founder Monica Kelsey’s personal website explains that “Monica has been sharing her pro-life views with millions of people since February 2011 and works diligently to support pro-life legislators who take a stand to defend the lives of children conceived in rape.” See? Rape is no excuse because you can drop the baby in a box. Stories about rescued kids sound nice, but when Senator Young gushes about the “baby box movement,” he’s really broadcasting the GOP’s answer to “what do we do postRoe?” It’s another question: “Why are you complaining about having to raise your rapist’s child when you could have just left it in one of the boxes affixed to fire stations all over the country? Everyone knows about those, they were Big News a while back.” • Dan Canon is a civil rights lawyer and law professor. His book “Pleading Out: How Plea Bargaining Creates a Permanent Criminal Class” is available for preorder wherever you get your books.
LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
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VIEWS
TITLE IX GUY
SOCIETY NEEDS TO CHANGE HOW IT HANDLES MALE TRAUMA By James Wilkerson | leo@leoweekly.com
ON MARCH 27, the world witnessed a man’s trauma cup finally fill to the brim and overflow when Will Smith took the Academy Awards stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock for making a joke about Smith’s wife. The media was swift with their takes on the matter, with talking heads like Stephen A. Smith and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar condemning Smith. The social media reactions ranged from sharing “humorous” memes about the incident to calling Will Smith, of all people, a thug, and for the Oscar he’d win later in the night for Best Actor to be revoked. While many had an opinion on Smith’s outburst, Power 105.1 radio host, Charlamagne tha God, began a conversation few others were having, saying: “Listen, I love Will Smith and I love Chris Rock and I said this earlier, but I’ll say it again, I’ve gone to enough therapy to know that slap he gave Chris Rock, that joke was a very, very, very small part of the reason. I don’t know what the ‘why’ is but for Will to react like that, there is something way deeper going on inside of him that we don’t know about.” Smith’s reaction, while shocking, is not uncommon. We see scores of men in the legal system who have mishandled trauma, anxiety and stress. In many cases, this emotional malpractice can be traced back to formative lessons learned.
THE MAN BOX
From a young age, boys are taught not to feel. Phrases like “Boys don’t cry” and “Take it like a man” serve the purpose of reinforcing the toxic shaping of a man as one that avoids expressing any feeling that can be interpreted as weak. While these phrases can be commonly heard in playground chatter, they are also taught in the home as well. “Young boys are given a small box to choose emotions from,” says Dr. Michael Day, the director of counseling and psychological services at Indiana University Southeast. “When society structures anger, aggression, excitement and happiness as the ‘acceptable’ emotions for men, boys grow to view emotions like fear and sadness as weak or ‘girly,’” Day continues. Henry Lucas from Louisville Health & Healing, also speaks of the box young boys are placed in. “We are put in a box at a very early age by the messages such as ‘Suck
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it up,’ ‘Don’t be a sissy’ and ‘Don’t be a girl,’” Lucas says. “So we grow in this box that not only contributes to how we conceptualize what it means to be a male, but also teaches that to be outside of the box is to be equal to the opposite sex.” As the man box only teaches men a limited range of feelings, it becomes easy to understand how men can mishandle emotions they don’t understand. “When you see men act out later in life be it through a violence or some other method, it’s all a way of coping with what we don’t understand and what we can’t explain about ourselves,” Lucas said.
“HE HAS MONEY TO AFFORD A THERAPIST”
Some have shown a lack of empathy towards Smith’s mental health, citing that his wealth affords him access to high quality therapy. A man’s path to therapy isn’t without obstacles, however. In a 2021 article in Orlando Health, Dr. Siddharth K. Shah highlighted several masculinity barriers men face, preventing them from approaching therapy. “Some dislike the idea of being dependent on medications or therapy to be functional or feel happy,” says Shah. “Though most wouldn’t hesitate to seek medical care for a broken ankle or take medication for high blood pressure, some men may worry they’ll be perceived as weak or broken if they need therapy or medications to help with depression or anxiety.” Day agrees with Shah’s statement and points to perceptions we have of the mind and body. “The mind has a reputation as something we should be in complete control of and that isn’t ‘corruptible’ like the body,” Day says. “So, if the mind has a problem, some men view that as a moral failing. As such, going to therapy is to admit that moral failing.” Participating in therapy also requires a level of vulnerability that can serve as a barrier based on how vulnerability has been taught. Day says, “If the man box teaches vulnerability as a weakness, men will avoid anything that makes them vulnerable, such as therapy which can be a helpful emotion management tool.”
James J. Wilkerson.
CHECK ON THE GUYS
Intentional actions are required to facilitate change in longstanding cultures. One such action for healthy emotional management for men is to openly model compassionate behavior. For parents looking to infuse a dose of healthy masculinity into the lessons they teach their sons, Day points to communication as an important tool. “When boys exhibit an emotion, instead of the dismissive ‘buck up and handle it response,’ try taking a moment to discuss what they are feeling and why,” he says. “We have to search for that middle ground where we aren’t wallowing in our emotions but not ignoring them either and getting across the message that it is ok to feel sad and ok to face fear.”
Lucas feels this culture change can also be accomplished by creating opportunities for men to check on each other. “There is nothing wrong with having the fellas over to play cards and using that as a distraction to segue that into having some conversation,” Henry says. Even communication as simple as a text message can open the door for healing. “It can be a simple ‘Hey, how are you?’ or a ‘I know you are going through this thing, I just wanted to say I’m thinking of you,’” Henry continues. “Part of my responsibilities as a man is ‘I got to check on my guys.’” • James J. Wilkerson, J.D., is the director of Staff Diversity and Equity and the Deputy Title IX Coordinator at IU Southeast.
NEWS & ANALYSIS
4 THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED FROM A WILD KENTUCKY PRIMARY NIGHT By Danielle Grady and Scott Recker | leo@leoweekly.com
LOUISVILLE was understandably mostly focused on who won our mayoral race and congressional race during the primary on Tuesday, May 17. But, there were big races outside of the city, smaller races in Louisville and even some surprising performances from those who lost that deserve our attention, too. Here are some important takeaways that you may have missed.
PROTESTER’S ATTORNEYS MOVE ON IN JUDGE RACES At least three attorneys who were covered by the media for representing protesters who were arrested during the Breonna Taylor uprising will continue on to the general election in November. (The top two vote-getters in judicial races run in the fall.) One, Tracy Davis, faces Mary Shaw, the Jefferson Circuit Court judge who signed the search warrant to Taylor’s home that ended in her death. Davis came in second to Shaw, but the race was close — separated by less than one percentage point — with the final breakdown being 37,844 votes for Shaw and 37,706 votes for Davis. Despite Shaw’s connection to Taylor’s death, she was still rated as highly qualified by 42.4% of the attorneys who took the Louisville Bar Association’s poll on 2022 judicial candidates. Only 8.4% of those surveyed said Davis was highly qualified, although 45.6% simply said they didn’t have enough
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information to say. Ted Shouse, who was one of the organizing lawyers who united other attorneys to represent protesters pro bono, was the clear frontrunner in his circuit court judge race, garnering 41% of the vote, with his secondplace opponent Melissa Bellows receiving 34%. Karen Faulkner, who worked with The Bail Project to help protesters, also handily came out on top in her district court race, garnering 47% of the vote. Jessica Stone will also be moving on in the race with 31% of the vote.
THE LIBERTY CANDIDATES COULD SHAKE UP THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The newest sprout planted from the seeds of the Tea Party, the right-wing “liberty” branch of the Kentucky GOP, suffered a major loss in a Senate race during Tuesday’s primaries, but their members also knocked off three incumbent reps in the House in Northern Kentucky. Those incumbents, Reps. Sal Santoro, Ed Massey and Adam Koenig, lost to liberty affiliates Marianne Proctor, Steve Rawlings and Steven Doan, respectively. The liberty candidates had more scattered results in their Senate primary races. One of the group’s most well-known candidates, Andrew Cooperrider – a Lexington coffee shop owner who openly broke COVID restrictions and petitioned to impeach Beshear — was defeated, losing to Sen. Donald Douglas in the
District 22 Republican race. In District 24, incumbent Shelley Frommeyer also beat liberty candidate Jessica Neal by about three percentage points. But, liberty candidates Lindsey Tichenor (District 6) and Gex “Jay” Williams (District 20) both won their Senate primaries by wide margins. Al Cross, a political columnist and the director of the University of Kentucky’s Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, said that if the liberty candidates are elected to the General Assembly, it could change the balance between the more moderate conservative Republicans and the members that have more hardline right-wing stances. “Any additional votes on that side of the scale could move the party caucus into a more extreme direction,” Cross said. “There’s going to be increasing pressure from people within the House and Senate caucuses from people who want the party to be more Trumpist and populist,” he continued.
DSA COMES CLOSE TO METRO COUNCIL… AGAIN
Louisville’s chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America came close to securing the Democratic nomination for a Metro Council seat race for the second time in two years. Tyler Lamon, a self-described community organizer, lost by 51 votes in his race against four other candidates, including winner Jennifer
THORN: LOUISVILLE’S PERENNIAL POLICING PROBLEM Louisville’s primary proved that we have learned little from 2020’s policing protests. Craig Greenberg handily won the Democratic mayoral nomination after campaigning on fully funding Louisville’s police department (which is already overfunded). It’s the same strategy as Mayor Fischer’s, and it’s the same strategy that was in place as Louisville’s homicide rate soared and when Breonna Taylor was killed. For more proof of how terribly it’s going, just read our next thorn. THORN: THE POLICE NARRATIVE PUZZLE On Friday, May 20, U.S. Marshals executing a search warrant with LMPD officers shot and killed the fleeing suspect, Omari Cryer, a Black man. When considering the official narrative for a police killing, what’s just as important is the information that they choose not to share. LMPD Chief Erika Shields refused to say whether Cryer, who was armed, shot at officers during the pursuit. She wouldn’t say how many times he was shot nor how many marshals fired their weapons. Those are key pieces of information that the public needs as soon as possible. ROSE AND THORN: THE TEACHERS ARE NOT ALL RIGHT IN KENTUCKY SCHOOLS We felt immense pride when former Kentucky Teacher of the Year Willie Carver testified before a Congressional hearing, sharing his experience as a gay educator. But the picture he painted of life in Kentucky’s public schools for LGBTQ youth and teachers was horrific. Carver may be out, but his school seems to be trying its hardest to shove him back in line: Allegedly telling him that people feel as if LGBTQ advocacy is being shoved down their throats and ignoring his accomplishments, such as being honored at the White House. There’s much more. We recommend reading about his full testimony on our website. ROSE: FEWER PEOPLE IN THE SYSTEM In coordination with the ACLU of Kentucky, Louisville Urban League and the Bail Project, the office of County Attorney Mike O’Connell is providing people with a chance to clear outstanding bench warrants for non-violent offenses and revolve their cases “without the fear of being arrested.” “Amnesty dockets” will be offered June 7-9 at 1 p.m. in Jefferson District Court. Those interested must sign up by May 31 at Hall of Justice or at louisvilleprosecutors.org/redocket. With the recent string of jail deaths that have stemmed from worker shortages and overcrowding, this is a step in the right direction. More of this, less people unnecessarily caught in the system. LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
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PHOTO SCREENSHOT OF ROBERT KAHNE’S TWITTER
Chappell. They were vying for the District 15 Metro council seat, which will be left empty by Democrat Kevin Triplett’s departure. Chappell is set to take it over as no Republicans are running in her district. In 2020, DSA member and candidate Ryan Fenwick almost won in his Democratic primary, losing to District 10 councilperson Pat Mulvihill by just over one percentage point. Lamon ran on what he called a Green New Deal for Louisville, including private ownership of LG&E; universal pre-K; affordable housing; and holding cops accountable. Robert Bell, another DSA-associated candidate, did not come as close as Lamon in his race for the Democratic nomination to District 43’s House of Representatives seat, but he did secure 46.2% of the vote. Like Lamon, his opponent, Rep. Pamela Stevens, is running unopposed.
EVEN THOUGH SHE LOST, SHAMEKA PARRISH-WRIGHT HAD A SOLID TURNOUT Craig Greenberg cruised to victory in
LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
Louisville’s Democratic Party mayoral primary, securing 41.3% of the votes with 35,341. It wasn’t a surprise, as the high-profile and deep-pocketed candidate pulled in $1.4 million, giving him the ability to spend on an abundance of TV and streaming ads that were ubiquitous in the weeks leading up to the election. But with a war chest of only $71,000, Shameka Parrish-Wright finished in second, with 18,493 votes, putting her around 5,000 in front of longtime Jefferson County Circuit Court Clerk David Nicholson, who pulled in $626,000 dollars. “The fact that we were able to have such an impact and a reach with our budget and resources shows that people power works,” Parrish-Wright told LEO. According to a map made by data analyst Robert Kahne, Parrish-Wright did extremely well in the neighborhoods that are adjacent to the South and East sides of downtown and she also thrived in some pockets of the West End and throughout other parts of the city. •
@leoweekly
LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
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Craig Greenberg celebrates winning the Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday, May 17, at the C2 Event Venue. | PHOTO BY CAROLYN BROWN
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RGIN. A M Y H T A HEAL D TIF Y B Y R A IC PRIM D THE WEST EN T A R C O HE DEM E FUNDING AN RTY T N O W ENBERG NCES ON POLIC SOME IN THE PA E R G G I By Josh Wood | leo@leoweekly.com STA CRA IDE BUT HIS WILL DIV LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
IT’S EIGHT DAYS until the primary election and Craig Greenberg, the then assumed Democratic mayoral frontrunner (and now, the nominee), is going door to door in Bon Air, competing with the sounds of barking dogs and small planes taking off from Bowman Field as he tries to give his sales pitch to those who answer their doors on a sweltering Monday afternoon. Greenberg had raised more than twice as much money as any other candidate and had bombarded TV and streaming service viewers with ads in recent weeks. He’d secured endorsements from prominent Metro Council members who campaigned on his behalf. And if that wasn’t enough
Craig Greenberg takes a selfie with his wife, Rachel Greenberg, and sons Benjamin and Daniel. | PHOTO BY CAROLYN BROWN.
to make him recognizable, a failed assassination attempt against him in February ensured that he was in front of the cameras, in the papers and on everybody’s mind frequently. But primaries — especially in local elections — are more inside baseball politics. They lack the turnout or enthusiasm of general elections and races can feel like they’re flying below the radar as Election Day approaches. Debates take on the form of hasty, awkward introductions. And votes — or that voters even know that there is an election — can’t be taken for granted. So Greenberg was out pounding pavement in khakis and a blue polo shirt, knocking on doors and introducing himself
to passersby on the street, part of an effort by his team to hit 8,000 doors during the last eight days prior to the election. At many homes, there is no answer, so Greenberg tucks a pamphlet in the door handle as he leaves. With few folks home, the team quickens their pace to intercept the few people out walking on what might be the first truly uncomfortably hot day of the year. Some people seem unaware there is an election approaching. At one residence, Greenberg asks a young man if he’s seen his commercials after the man says he’s concerned about violence in Louisville. The man says he doesn’t really watch TV. LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
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Councilperson Nicole George speaks in support of Craig Greenberg on Tuesday, May 17, at the C2 Event Venue. | PHOTO BY CAROLYN BROWN.
A Black man sitting on the steps of an apartment building tells Greenberg that, while he can’t vote because he’s a felon, there’s no point in voting because nothing ever changes. When Greenberg finds out the man works at an auto detailing shop, he offers that he has a 1974 Cadillac Eldorado convertible. That seems to cool the slight tension of the interaction. In that same apartment complex, a woman downstairs is already calling the candidate “Mayor Greenberg” and asks for a photo with him and his canvassing team to send to her friends. “A lot of people just recognize me because of the coverage after the shooting, so I get a lot of nice support — whether they are a supporter or not — saying ‘glad to see you’re OK,’” said Greenberg as he walked through the neighborhood. Both apathy and excitement were on display as Greenberg walked through Bon Air. While the man sitting on the apartment steps did not really oppose Greenberg (he seemed apathetic), his sentiments, to a degree, reflected those who did: To many of those on the left that opposed Greenberg, he was another Greg Fischer, and electing him would ensure that no real change actually happened in Louisville.
District 21 Councilwoman Nicole George recalled how she decided to back Greenberg after realizing he was the only candidate with the “competence” and “commitment” to be mayor. Taking a page from the Bon Air apartment-dweller’s book, District 3 Councilwoman Keisha Dorsey was already saying “Mayor Greenberg.” Louisville is a Democratic city and has had a Democratic mayor since 1969. Nothing is certain, but in Louisville, to win the nomination of the party means you are in good position to win the race. In the end, Greenberg captured a decisive victory, with his 35,341 votes nearly double his closest competitor’s — activist Shameka Parrish-Wright’s — 18,493. Taking the stage a little after 9 p.m., Greenberg gave his victory speech with a wall of supporters assembled behind him. “To those who supported another candidate in the primary, I hear you and invite you to join our team and contribute your ideas and energy,” he said. “And to those who didn’t vote in the Democratic primary: I invite you to also join our team to make Louisville a safer, stronger and healthier city.”
THE RESULTS ROLL IN
But many of those who voted against Greenberg in the primary might have a different take on what makes Louisville safer, stronger and healthier. Nearly 32,000 votes — 37% of all votes in the race — were cast for Parrish-Wright and Tim Findley, who came in second and fourth place respectively. The candidates, both Black, both activists and both arrested by the Louisville Metro Police Department during the course of the 2020 protests, both backed using some money now spent on police on addressing root causes of poverty and crime in the city.
About an hour after polls closed on election night, any apprehensions that Greenberg may lose had evaporated. At the C2 Event Venue in Smoketown — the same venue now-Gov. Andy Beshear chose for his 2019 election watch party for his razor-thin win over Matt Bevin — the mood was light and jovial as the returns came in. On a stage decked out in green and white balloons, former District 4 Councilwoman and election night master of ceremonies Barbara Sexton Smith was jumping up and down for Greenberg.
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THE AFTERMATH
That message was a far departure from Greenberg’s calls to “FULLY FUND THE POLICE” in TV commercials that seemed impossible to avoid leading up to election day. Greenberg has latched onto the staffing shortages at LMPD, saying that the department needs to be fully staffed in order to increase public safety and get a grip on violence that is on a record-breaking pace for the third consecutive year. However, he has also said he wants LMPD to become a model police force: The most trusted, best trained and most transparent in the country. Walking through Bon Air ahead of the election, Greenberg defended his ads calling for “fully” funding the LMPD. “Most people I’ve run across want a police presence,” he said. “Now, they want a police force that is fair, they want a police force that isn’t escalating situations, they want a police force that is diverse, that’s transparent. But I think people would want to see police, what I call community policing — old school walking the beat.” Despite the high levels of distrust and the vocal opposition to LMPD by many in the community both before and after the 2020 police killing of Breonna Taylor and the force’s heavy-handed attempts to suppress protests that broke out as a result, there is some evidence that Greenberg might be onto something. In a November poll of Louisville residents by the Courier Journal, USA Today and Suffolk University, 66% of respondents said they would feel safer with more police in their neighborhoods. However, that figure is nuanced and did not translate into people wanting more police funding: While only 20% supported the idea of “defunding” the police, 47% backed decreasing police funding to spend more on social services. Greenberg does acknowledge that simply putting more police out on the streets will not in itself solve Louisville’s violence. “I don’t think you can police your way to safety. That can’t be the only solution. You have to do things like we were talking about: Providing more mental health resources, group violence intervention is a huge initiative that I think can really work,” he said. “And also just investing in the root causes of crime, which oftentimes leads to poverty…Some of them are long-term solutions, like universal pre-k, getting kids to start off right, others are more short-term things.” Taylor U’Sellis, an organizer with The 490 Project, a Louisville activist group seeking police reform, said so far, Greenberg was a mixed bag regarding LMPD. U’Sellis said Greenberg told the group that he would include people affected by police misconduct in the negotiations over the next collective bargaining agreement with LMPD. “That’s one thing with Greenberg that we hope he does and stays accountable to. However, we have serious concerns about the campaign messaging that he put out regarding fully funding the police without any sort of caveats,” she added. Policing is an issue that will be unavoidable for Greenberg if he is elected mayor. LMPD remains under investigation by the Department of Justice and it is expected that the department will come under federal consent decree. Despite the city and LMPD promising more transparency and changes, the organization remains opaque and scandals continue to arise with regularity. (At the time of writing, LMPD’s latest information blackout came after 25-year-old Omari Cryer was shot
and killed by a U.S. Marshal who was serving a warrant alongside LMPD in the Black-majority West End on May 20. The police department’s initial silence on the shooting, and a vague statement released the following day, again strained public trust and kindled anger. The timing of the shooting right after two widely seen VICE News Tonight documentaries on alleged sexual misconduct and theft by LMPD officers aired — both without comment from LMPD — further inflamed tensions. “Part of transparency is being prompt with disclosures,” Greenberg told LEO on May 23, after the shooting. “The community has a lot of questions about the shooting by the U.S. Marshals that took place last Friday, a lot of questions about the VICE documentaries, so I think it would be helpful if LMPD would provide more information on that.”)
THE CONFLICT WITH THE TIF
Another lightning rod for Greenberg’s critics is the West End tax increment financing program, or TIF. The program,
Craig Greenberg hugs a supporter onstage after winning the Democratic mayoral primary.| PHOTO BY CAROLYN BROWN.
which is part of legislation passed by Kentucky lawmakers last year, directs 80% of new tax revenue in Louisville’s West End above current tax revenue to the West End Opportunity Partnership to reinvest in West End neighborhoods. Proponents of the TIF, which will redirect tax money for two decades, say it will lead to needed economic growth, address infrastructure needs and improve the quality of life of residents. But critics of the TIF say it was developed behind closed doors without community input, and they fear that it could result in widespread gentrification and, eventually, evictions, by incentivizing new developments. Online, the Historically Black Neighborhood Assembly’s #StopTheWestEndTIF campaign features images of a tick sucking on a map of the West End and portrayals of Greenberg, who activists accuse of co-writing the legislation and standing to benefit financially from it, surrounded by dollar bills. Speaking to LEO after the election, Greenberg said he was consulted by legislators who were drafting the TIF but
did not write the legislation. He said while he saw promise in the program, he also saw things that needed to be worked on. “I believe it has the potential to be a transformative program for the West End of Louisville. I also think it needs improvement,” he said. “It needs to have better protections for renters. I’d like to see the property tax freeze for home owners be a true freeze or credit as opposed to a refund. I believe I’d like to see more resident participation in the governance and stronger protections to crack down on outof-town landlords who aren’t providing safe and affordable housing to residents of West Louisville.” He added that it was “past time” local tax dollars get reinvested in the West End. Greenberg has championed his development and business credentials in his quest for the mayor’s office. Best known for being the former CEO of 21c Museum Hotels, the whimsical, yet opulent hotel chain based in Louisville, Greenberg has said he is the right person to breathe economic life into LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
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Democratic mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg poses with a resident of Louisville’s Bon Air neighborhood on May 9. | PHOTO BY JOSH WOOD.
a stunted downtown Louisville coming out of two years of stagnation during the pandemic. Last year, before announcing his run for mayor, Greenberg announced the launch of the Greenberg Group, a firm that would focus on urban revitalization in the city. The #StopTheWestEndTIF campaign has labeled that business venture a conflict of interest, saying that the TIF could end up working with Greenberg’s company. Speaking to LEO, Greenberg said he would not be making new investments locally. “I will take every precaution to avoid conflict of interest with my current business holdings,” he said. “I’m not making any new business investments locally — and it will all be transparent and disclosed. I think that’s critically important.” While Greenberg breaks from Parrish-Wright, Findley and elements of Louisville’s left on issues like LMPD funding and the West End TIF, he has confidence they can be won over. “I think we have a lot in common,” he said of the other Democratic candidates. “I think a lot of the issues that we care about are the same and while we might have had disagreements about certain issues and we certainly have different experiences and backgrounds, I think those of us who have run for the Democratic nomination shared very similar
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values, goals and aspirations for this city.” Parrish-Wright, who came in second-place in the election, told LEO she is meeting with Greenberg around the time this issue is due to be published and will hear him out. However, there are still some sticking points for her. “It has to be about more than fully funding the police — you have to have a real plan and strategy that’s going to impact the lives of Louisvillians,” she said. “I want to attach my name to someone who is listening from the ground up, who is going to make those bold moves and appointments and things that I would have did as our mayor. I have to really think about it.”
THE SHOOTING AND THE CAMPAIGN
Experiences Greenberg has had since campaigning have influenced his worldview. He had already declared public safety his No.1 priority by the time of the Feb. 14 shooting at his office, but the attempt on his life saw Greenberg recommit and feel a personal connection to the violence that has been haunting Louisville for years. His campaign’s first commercial would focus on the shooting, showing a wall filled with bullets and a picture of Greenberg, his green sweater ripped by a bullet, talking with LMPD officers. An avid runner, Greenberg set out to jog across all of Jef-
ferson County’s 623 voting precincts by election day. That political stunt gave birth to the campaign’s slogan — “Run With Craig” — but it also brought Greenberg to every corner of the city, from its manicured estates in the eastern suburbs to its rural fringes and impoverished quarters. Seeing so much of the city from the ground-level at the relatively slow pace of a runner showed him places where improvements were needed. “The most danger I’ve ever been in when I’ve run anywhere across the entire city is running on streets where there truly is no place for pedestrians,” he said. “Particularly when it was on snowy days so the road sort of shrinks, and then cars and trucks come by and don’t slow down at all for pedestrians.” The shooting in February put a pause on his campaigning for a few weeks. But soon, he said, he felt a need to get back out. “If I was going to be a mayor, I thought it was important to run a campaign just like I was before the shooting,” he said. “To be out there and meet people. I don’t think you can be an effective mayor if you’re not regularly talking with voters and getting to know people and seeing every corner [of the city].” • Additional reporting by Scott Recker.
PHOTO ESSAY
HERE’S WHAT WE SAW AT POORCASTLE 2022 By Nik Vechery | leo@leoweekly.com POORCASTLE proved it really was back after two years off with a three-day festival packed with local Louisville talent at Breslin Park from May 20-22. Even though a storm briefly stopped the festival on Saturday, it returned later that day with performances. All told, there were 36 performers on the lineup — all with local ties. Here are the ones we captured — from lovestruck dream pop by Genevva to thrash metal madness courtesy of Belushi Speed Ball. •
Tez of 2Deep.
Shark Sandwich. | ALL PHOTOS BY NIK VECHERY.
Routine Caffeine. Rosario. LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
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PHOTO ESSAY
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TrapKingKai.
The crowd during Belushi Speed Ball.
Lacey Guthrie.
Genevva. LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
STAFF PICKS THURSDAY, MAY 26
Clean Comedy Showcase
MONDAY, MAY 30
Primus: A Tribute To Kings
Old Forester’s Paristown Hall | 724 Brent St. | kentuckyperformingarts.org | Tickets start at $49.50 | 8 p.m. Legends will cover legends during the A Tribute To Kings tour, where Primus will perform Rush’s 1977 prog gem A Farewell to Kings in its entirety. —Scott Recker
A FAREWELL TO KINGS
Aloft Louisville Downtown | 102 W. Main St. | redpintix.com | Free | 7:30-9 p.m. Louisville Laughs is coming clean for its next free comedy FUNNY showcase. Don’t expect any dirtymouthed shenanigans from the comics on the schedule: Adam Minnick from Cincinnati, Kris Izzi and Andy Imlay from Evansville and Louisville’s Lucious Williams, Hillary Boston, Lena Beamish, Andrew Riggs and Patrick Lynch. It’ll be a (polite) riot, honest. —Danielle Grady
SATURDAY, MAY 28
Star Valley Strawberry Festival
Borden Community Park | 100 E. Main St., Borden, Indiana | facebook.com/starvalleystrawberryfestival | Free | Noon-9 p.m. This is berry delightful news: Southern Indiana’s Strawberry Festival is back after being canceled, and it’s at a new venue with a new name. There’ll be plenty of strawberBERRY ries (of course), and vendors will be on hand with strawberry-themed merch, crafts and more. Take part in the pie eating contests (there’ll be one for under-11s and one for anyone 12 and older), play bingo, bid on desserts and listen to live music. — Carolyn Brown
TUESDAY, MAY 31
Randy’s Cheeseburger Picnic Tour
21st in Germantown | 1481 S. Shelby St. | LeoPresents.com | $25 | 7 p.m. An iconic member of a ridiculously wild cult COMEDY classic TV show, the actor who plays Randy in “Trailer Park Boys” is coming to 21st in Germantown for a night that mixes stand-up, games, crowd interaction and, of course, cheeseburgers. The shirtless antagonist who always tries to foil the plans of Ricky and the boys is swinging into town, which is sure to be a night of absurdity, led by an actor who’s provided a lot of laughter over the show’s long and storied run. —Scott Recker
LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
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STAFF PICKS
FRIDAY, JUNE 3-9
SATURDAY, JUNE 4
Various locations | alicenter.org/ali-fest | Prices and times vary
Jeff Street Baptist Community at Liberty | 800 E. Liberty St. | jeffstbaptist.weebly. com | Free | 4 p.m.
Ali Festival
This multi-day festival celebrates the life and legacy of The Greatest. As part of the event, participants can lay roses at Ali’s grave, learn how to box, tour important LEGEND sites in Ali’s life and visit the Ali Center. — Carolyn Brown
Poet Mackenzie Berry has gone to universities to hone her POETRY art — but her perceptive eye is a gift from her hometown. She’s given back to Louisville much already, with some of it compiled into her first book, “Slack Tongue City.” Berry’s neither obsessed with, nor afraid of, abstraction. She’s also not hesitant about grit, but has the maturity to understand the loss that would result from wallowing. Instead she wades into the ways our culture and mistakes and relationships have nurtured (or exposed) her to see shame and comfort and resilience — whether obviously affecting herself, or implicated through the lives of those she shared breath and space with, down the street or across town. Berry will read at the Jeff St. Baptist Community at Liberty (also the title of one of her poems). To accept her brazenly exploitative downtown suits as much as her hopeful rebellious Baptists, you might have to gird yourself for “the spill that beckons the washing, the deep clean, loud & heard.”—T.E. Lyons
SATURDAY, JUNE 4
Southern Indiana Pride SATURDAY, JUNE 3-4
Louisville Greek Festival
Assumption Greek Orthodox Church | 930 Ormsby Lane | louisvillegreekfest.com | Free (but bring money for food) | Times vary If you’ve never been to a Greek Festival, get your Tupperware ready and don’t miss this event. The Louisville Greek Festival celebrates Greek culture with live music, GREEK dancing, a market and, of course, lots and lots of food. The event is free to attend, but you will want to bring cash or credit card to purchase the delectable Greek pastries and food. Forget your diet plans for the weekend and try everything. —LEO
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Slack Tongue City Poetry Reading
LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
Big Four Station Park | Jeffersonville, Indiana | soinpridefest.org | Free | 4-11 p.m. June is Pride month, and Southern Indiana is getting in on the fun with Southern Indiana PRIDE Pride Festival. The Festival kicks off with a parade (parade entry is free, just saying... ready your rainbows). Expect the usual fun of festivals with food, live music, vendors, fellowship and a good healthy dose of affirmation for being exactly who you are. The theme of the festival is “Together Again,” and that is truly something to celebrate. —LEO
STAFF PICKS
THROUGH JUNE 19
‘Celebrating The Black Experience’
Kentucky Center for African American Heritage | 1701 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd. | kcaah.org | Free KCAAH’s call for art inspired by the Black experience resulted EXHIBITION in works as varied as the artists themselves and the media they used. The exhibition consists of 35 works by 22 people selected by local artists Elmer Lucille Allen, C.J. Fletcher, Gwendolyn Kelly and Nathaniel Spencer. It features local, national and international artists, including a number from Trinidad and Tobago. The show runs through Juneteenth with plans for it to be an annual event. —Jo Anne Triplett
‘Metamorphingsis’ by Jamie Philbert. Digital photograph on canvas.
THROUGH JULY 2
‘And We Floated On Home’ By Teri Dryden WheelHouse Art | 2650 Frankfort Ave. | wheelhouse.art | Free
Viewing abstract art is not passive activity. It makes people work and Teri Dryden knows FLOAT that. “The abstract and mysterious result of [my] imagery invites viewers to look closer, feel deeper and to revel in the subtle dimensions beneath for clues about ourselves,” she said. To do all this heavy lifting of finding “the essence of who we are in this strange and often confusing world,” Dryden adds, then partially removes, paper, paint and marks resulting in dense, layered surfaces. Multiple views are required. —Jo Anne Triplett
The Liminal Playhouse presents
‘Hanna #2’ by Teri Dryden. Mixed media on panel.
THROUGH JULY 16
‘Form, Not Function: Quilt Art at the Carnegie’
Carnegie Center for Art & History | 201 E. Spring St., New Albany, Indiana | carnegiecenter.org | Free The Carnegie has been showcasing contemporary art quilts since 2004. While there QUILTED aren’t any artists from Louisville or Southern Indiana this year (the closest we get is Bowling Green and South Bend), guest jurors Tabitha Arnold, Rosy Petri and Daren Redman did pick 22 quilts from the 241 submissions. The exhibition focuses on the art in textile art, not bed coverings. Hence the show’s title, “Form, Not Function.” —Jo Anne Triplett
Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness by Anthony Neilson Directed by Tony Prince
Featuring: Jason M. Jones Lauren Argo Jacob Cooper Spencer Korcz
‘River of Knowledge’ by Ellen Blalock. Quilt, hand painted silk, cotton and non-woven.
Scenic Design by Eric Allgeier Lighting Design by Gerald Kean Costume Design by Tony Prince and Cast Properties Design by Keith Kimmel Sound Design by Richard McGrew May 26 — June 5, 2022 The Henry Clay Theatre 604 S. 3rd St., Louisville, KY
Tickets: TheLiminalPlayhouse.org 502-553-8056 LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
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TOMBERLIN COMES BACK TO LOUISVILLE WITH NEW RECORD By Erica Rucker | erucker@leoweekly.com
ARTISTS are exploring the ways they need to make sense of the two years we’ve lost so far during COVID. These years are not whole, and yet we are having a unique experience that with time may fill in what feels like a gap in time. A singer-songwriter and preacher’s kid, Sarah Beth Tomberlin, who makes music under her last name, looks at this on her new record, i don’t know who needs to hear this… “I wrote it primarily during the pandemic,” said Tomberlin, who will perform on Tuesday, June 7, at Zanzabar. “When I write songs, I don’t necessarily set out to be like, ‘I’m gonna write a song about this particular thing.’ It is like an examination of what’s going on in my life, and the world, and where I’m at with all of that. So I think it’s only natural that those themes kind of organically arrived.” Tomberlin is sitting in a rehearsal room. In the background another band is practicing. Though it seems to be distracting to Tomberlin, I can barely hear them. “Sorry, there’s another band.” Tomberlin, like most artists (who are all probably getting tired of this question) was obviously affected by the pandemic when creating the new record. Instead of digging in her roots — she was born in Florida, raised in rural Illinois and lived in Louisville for a bit — she cut her tether and moved around. “Every touring musician had to stop,” she said. “Touring is how we make money in this day and age when streaming doesn’t pay anyone, anything,” she said. “And, your advance from the label generally goes to making the record. So you don’t really get paid aside from touring and selling merch.” “So I was living with friends and ended up bouncing around,” she continued. “I was back in Louisville for a little bit, living with a friend for a moment, lived in a friend’s house in LA for a bit, was with a friend in South Carolina for a bit, and then landed in Brooklyn.” The bouncing around gave Tomberlin something to stave off the boredom of being stuck in one place and she got to help some friends in the process, but during the time — which she calls “a bit of a shit show” — she was also writing for this record.
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Occasional Louisvillian Tomberlin performs at Zanzabar on June 7. | PHOTO BY MICHELLE YOON
MUSIC
raised in the church and homeschooled gave “It’s a wild way to try to focus. And, also just not knowing when things are coming Tomberlin something more valuable. back. It’s like this weird thing where it’s like “I have two sisters, as well, and they [my finishing a paper or something that’s due, parents] raised us to be really critical thinkbut the due date isn’t really known to you,” ers,” she said. “And, it was always annoying she said. “You just know it might be soon growing up. It was like any book, any CD, right. Like a pop quiz or something. So it any movie we saw; it was always, ‘What was a really wild time to be working.” was the message of that?’” “It was so annoying as a kid who was Tomberlin’s website bio says that part of the making of this record was to honor space like, ‘Can we just watch ‘Finding Nemo’ and not talk about it? Not think about it?’” for people’s grief and anxieties including making altars, a unique perspective from But, the deep thinking has made Tomberhaving lived much of her life in the church lin a better writer. Her concepts are clear setting. and she can extract what she needs from her “I had a very religious background. My songs and she’s excited to bring them back to Louisville. dad’s a pastor and I grew up in the church, “Every time I’m there, I’m like, ‘Fuck, I so altars to me meant a very different thing,” miss this place,’ but Tomberlin said. “As I stepped away from it’s good for me to be that and started gainout doing different ing my own idea of too,” she said. “Every time I’m there, things altars — historically We spoke about I’ve always been into I’m like, ‘Fuck, I miss Louisville and finding witches — learning a her tribe and other this place,’ but it’s bit more about actual local folk musicians witchcraft has been she was leaving for good for me to be out as interesting.” Brooklyn. All water “I don’t practice doing different things under the bridge now but it does interest me as she has met her too,” she said. a lot, she continued. tribe in Brooklyn and “I had a full birth made some friends in We spoke about chart reading in 2020. Louisville, too, and I got my first tattoo Louisville and fınding she can’t wait to get and the idea was to back. her tribe and other get a candlestick, “I’m really excited but I kind of added to come play at Z-bar, local folk musicians some more elements ‘cause I haven’t as she was leaving for played like a proper and my friend gave me a full birth chart Louisville show Brooklyn. reading, and we were ever,” she said. “I talking about fire. I’m played a Guestroom also an Aries. I didn’t Records show and I even think about that played at some brewwhen I was wanting to get the tattoo, but ery and I played a house show in Louisville, it was just kind of unpacking all of these but I’ve never played a proper show. So things and they were like, ‘This is a theme I’m really excited. I’m really happy to be in your life for many different reasons, but coming.” • have you ever thought about the intention of setting a candle, remembering yourself. You Tomberlin is set to perform at Zanzabar have to remember to blow out the candle.’” on Tuesday, June 6. Jana Horn opens. Tickets are $18. Thinking about the candle and making time for herself inspired the music to help others realize the same things. Certainly, not in an obvious way but in a way that reverses the way that she was taught in the church, which was, “Forget yourself, deny yourself, focus on other people and, like, the Lord.” She laughs as she says this. It’s a moment of realization. When you say these things aloud and you realize that living in a way where there is no space for one’s own needs or peace is unsustainable. However, being
ZANZABAR ZANZABARLOUISVILLE.COM
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25 JOHN R. MILLER VINCENT NEIL EMERSON SCOTT T. SMITH 26 BOMBINO JAYE JAYLE FOOD 27 AFTER SESSIONS feat. DANNY GROOVES & ALEJO 28 SONDRE LERCHE mmeadows 31 JAVA MEN 01 MATT HECKLER JULIAN RAY SIKES LIVE MUSIC 03 49 WINCHESTER EL DORODO 05 PODCAST BUT OUTSIDE BUT INSIDE LIVE 06 MESS ESQUE 07 TOMBERLIN JANA HORN ARCADE 08 CUT WORMS JOHN ANDREWS & THE YAWNS 09 DUSTY BO REVELRY ACE MONROE NORMAC 10 CANE HILL AFTERLIFE VCTMS MOODRING 11 BORN CROSS EYED MUSIC OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD NICHOLS & CORY BRANAN (6/15) -- NOGA EREZ (6/21) ON SALE NOW BEN WILDERADO (7/20) -- SALES (10/18) -- KELSEY WALDON (11/10)
LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
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A TIME TO PLAY B-SIDES: TALKING WITH ‘60S SUPERSTAR TOMMY JAMES By Kevin Murphy Wilson | leo@leoweekly.com WHEN Abbey Road on the River returns to the Big Four Station Park in Jeffersonville, Indiana this May 26-30, Tommy James & the Shondells will be among the many noteworthy acts on the bill. We recently caught up with James to discuss his band’s staggering amount of hit records — that included such classics as “Hanky Panky,” “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “Mony Mony,” “Draggin’ the Line” and “Crimson & Clover” — as well as his inadvertent work for the mafia and his current radio show on SIRIUS/XM’s ‘60s channel. LEO: What can you tell us about your early days in the music business? Tommy James: I basically got my first guitar when I was 9 years old, after seeing Elvis [Presley] on TV and deciding that’s what I wanted to be when I grew up. When I was 12 years old, I started my first band, and by the age of 13, I was playing professionally in my hometown of Niles, Michigan. I guess I was 16 when I had my first hit record locally with “Hanky Panky.” And it was that song that eventually opened up doors for you on a much larger scale, right? Yeah, I came to New York to sell the master to whoever we could get to put it out nationally because it had also become a huge hit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, of all places. And since Pittsburgh is such a large market, we were already known in all of the trade papers by the time I showed up in New York. Because of that, we had initially gotten an enthusiastic ‘yes’ from all the labels that we had shopped it to: Columbia, Epic, Atlantic, RCA and a little independent entity called Roulette Records. But, by the very next morning, every one of them, with the exception of Roulette Records, had called me back saying they were sorry but that they were going to have to pass. So, what happened? Well, I had no idea that Roulette Records was a front for the Genovese crime family. But that’s what was going on there and [the label’s president] Morris Levy apparently got heavy with the other interested parties telling them to leave me the fuck alone,
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that I was his artist now. He basically scared the hell out of them; leaving me with no other viable option to pursue. Obviously, we signed with Roulette, and in the end they turned out to be a pretty good little label. In fact, they took “Hanky Panky” to number one everywhere in the world. It ended up being the biggest record of the summer in 1966. That’s insane. But at least you were able to have an enormously successful run there nevertheless. I wanted to ask you specifically about ‘Mony Mony.’ Is it true that you grabbed that phrase from a flashing Mutual of New York sign? [Laughter] Yeah. Singer Tommy James performs with the Shondells at Abbey Road on the River Saturday May 28 | PHOTO PROVIDED BY CAROL ROSS I know it sounds like a story that was not having ever been on that side of the mic jukebox. Is that what you were going for? made up by some publicist somewhere, but before. I really love what it has become, Why thank you. I don’t know about that, that’s exactly what happened. I had been but, actually, it turned out to be perfectly struggling to come up with the namesake though, and the fact that I get to play “new’’ suited for FM radio, also, which was a real for the song, you know, something like old records all the time that nobody has blessing because it allowed us to switch over ever heard of. You know, there are all these “Sloopy,” or whatever, and then it suddenly from being an AM singles group at such a appeared before my eyes. Of course, timing amazing songs that should have made it in is everything. If I had been looking the other pivotal moment in music history when bands the 1960s but there was just no room on the like Blood, Sweat & Tears, Led Zeppelin, way, I might have only received “Such and radio. • and Crosby, Stills & Nash were all the rage. Such Hotel” as my source of inspiration. Tommy James and the Shondells play a Beyond writing and performing the mate- And now you’ve transcended even FM headlining set on Saturday, May 28, at the rial, you were eventually turned loose as a by taking a job as a DJ and storyteller at Abbey Road on the River festival. Prices Sirius/XM. How did your gig in the world producer, too. One of your greatest works vary. For more info, arotr.com. of satellite radio come about? in that regard was ‘Crimson & Clover.’ They came to me with the idea for the What a sound. It seems to have been show, and I was honestly kind of nervous made just to be played loudly on an old
MUSIC
SONDRE LERCHE PLAYS ZANZABAR MAY 28 WITH HIS ‘AVATARS OF LOVE’ By Melissa Gaddie | leo@leoweekly.com
PRESENTS
Sondre Lerche comes to Louisville Saturday May 28 at Zanzabar. | PHOTO BY TONDE THILESEN
SONDRE LERCHE received international attention while still a teenager with his album, Faces Down, which was released in the U.S. in 2002. Lerche has played Louisville before and is coming back with his newest release, the double album Avatars of Love. The album is very different from prior releases as Lerche explores different genres, styles of songwriting and themes of love and loss. Lerche is touring the U.S. for the first time in five years, and is making a stop in Louisville at Zanzabar on Saturday, May 28. LEO spoke with him about his new album and returning to touring. LEO: How has your approach to songwriting changed with Avatars of Love? Sondre Lerche: Obviously, I’ve explored a lot of different impulses with each record and with each sort of detour that I’ve done. I’ve always been really hung up on trying to always do the thing that I most want to do. I am very selfish in my process, I don’t really think about any other needs than my own. That led me to some inspired
places and maybe some confounding places but that feels good now that I’ve survived, you know, 20 years of making music. So I feel happy about that. I think the one thing that I can see that I’ve gotten a little bit better at with each record is sort of getting a little closer to articulating my emotions and lyrics with more precision. I’ve gotten a little closer to finding a way to make use of all the possibilities that work and that’s something I feel suddenly exploded with this record. Or, maybe it’s a payoff from really working on that, maybe just suddenly having more say, or casting a wider net. I feel that for this record it feels really charged and it feels a bit different to perform the songs because they’re so driven by the words. That’s been a very gradual process for the lyrics to just take more and more focus in the writing but also then in the performance. It does something different to me as a singer and as a performer. Before the pandemic started, you were planning your first tour of the U.S. since LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
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2017. What had kept you from touring up to 2020? I did want to tour less after the Pleasure tour in 2017. We played so many shows that year and it was really fun and really intense; and I did find myself a little exhausted afterwards in a new way that I hadn’t been before because I’ve just toured blindly, as much as I can since I was a teenager. I wanted to leave time for all these other things that I wanted to do and I sort of never actually gave myself time to do because there’s always a new tour. I think it sort of coincided with wanting to devote myself to other things than just traveling and playing shows. I took a step back from it first for 2018, and then I liked it so much and I found that was very productive. So I did it for 2019 as well. And then I was going to in 2020 put out Patience, and I was going to tour everywhere. And of course that didn’t happen. At the beginning of the pandemic you moved back to Norway and were able to creatively tour there by playing very intimate shows. What was that like? There was really only one opportunity to play a show: if you could do it alone and I realized that, in a way, is a super skill because I think a lot of people aren’t neces-
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sarily comfortable doing that or it feels like a compromise. To me, it was the place I came from and so it felt very natural and it certainly didn’t feel like a compromise. I felt very lucky to be able to do it, and I think it reconnected me also with how I write songs and then formed this record because a lot of the songs I started writing on the on the road that summer when I was just required to do everything myself. I’m very happy to share some of those responsibilities with other people now that I’m on tour and traveling with a trio of musicians, and I think it’s really just about variation. I like to do both. It was an opportunity for music and connection, and I grabbed it and I’m really glad I did. I think it set in motion a really good, good vibe through a really hard time that I think informs this record. • Sondre Lerche is set to perform at Zanzabar on Saturday, May 28. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $18.
Sondre Lerche took 2018 and 2019 off from touring then of course, 2020 happened. | PHOTO BY TONDE THILESEN
FOOD & DRINK
RECOMMENDED
ALLEY CAT CAFE HAS NO CATS, ONLY GREAT CHEAP EATS By Robin Garr | LouisvilleHotBytes.com “WE DO not have cats,” a sign in the front window of Alley Cat Cafe’s little dining room warns, perhaps to ward off disappointment from visitors expecting to delight in a cat cafe with cute kittens jumping on the tables. There are, in fact, a few ceramic cats on a tchotchke shelf in a corner. But Alley Cat Cafe is best known as a destination for delicious, affordable breakfast and lunch, attracting crowds on Middletown’s old Main Street for 21 years. It’s been almost that long since I last reviewed Alley Cat Cafe, and looking over my 2003 review, it appears that hardly anything has changed. The casual, homey decor is about the same, most of the menu selections remain unchanged. The room is as neat as a pin, with a big green Health Department “A” and a 100-point score on the wall to prove it. Even the prices haven’t gone up as much as 20 years of economic turmoil might suggest. “I’m hard pressed to think of any other local eatery that offers food of this high quality for a price this low,” I wrote at the
Like quite a few of Alley Cat’s dishes, the delicious Milano sandwich boasts an Italian accent. It adds aromatic basil pesto flavors to roasted eggplant, portobellos, red pepper, provolone and more. | PHOTOS BY ROBIN GARR.
end of that review. “Highly recommended.” From 2003 to 2022, I wouldn’t change a word of that. Alley Cat Cafe is open daily except Sunday for breakfast and lunch, beginning the day with basic breakfast dishes and continuing through early afternoon with a selection of soups and sandwiches plus a few entrees, many showing a faint Italian accent. Everything on the breakfast menu is $9.99 or less, and the same is true for all the lunch items except three entrees that top out at $13.25 (for salmon sauteed in lemon caper sauce). The cafe is also famous for its homemade cakes, which are on display in a glassfront case to tempt you through your meal. When we arrived, the polite server let us know that she was working alone in the crowded room, so service might be a little slow. That’s a smart move: It’s much easier for me to relax when I know there’s going to be a delay than to be irritated with an unexpected wait. As it turned out, our meals didn’t take that long anyway, and the noonday crowd
Italian wedding cake doesn’t get much better than this outstanding, huge slice at Alley Cat Cafe. LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
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Winning LEO Readers’ Choice Best Thai Restaurant since 2009.
Middletown 12003 Shelbyville Rd. 690-8344
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St. Matthews 323 Wallace Ave. 899-9670
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MAGGIE ROSE BOA BOYS | PHOURIST & THE PHOTONS WATERFRONT PARK’S BIG FOUR LAWN • EVENT BEGINS AT 5PM • FREE ADMISSION OUTSIDE ALCOHOL IS PROHIBITED. NO COOLERS, GLASS OR PETS ALLOWED MEMBER SUPPORTED PUBLIC MEDIA • WFPK.ORG
LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
Alley Cat Cafe’s version of a classic french dip roast beef sandwich comes sliced on a hoagie roll with a cup of salty bouillon for optional dipping.
thinned out while we waited. We took advantage of the Cafe’s lunch special, which offers half of any panini or sandwich and a cup of soup or a salad for a thrifty $7.59. (The only asterisk to this deal adds 50 cents if your package includes a caesar salad, or a roast beef or sausage sub sandwich. A hot roast beef sandwich ($9.49 on the regular menu, $7.99 on the half-and-half special) piled several evenly-sliced pieces of warm roast beef with crisply seared darkbrown edges and a single slice of melted provolone on a standard hoagie roll. A small tub of salty beef bouillon came alongside for optional dipping. A portion of Southwest caesar salad ($6.49 small, $7.99 large on the regular menu, 50 cents extra on the sandwich-andsalad combo) was a good one even though a couple of the cut squares of romaine looked a bit brown on the edges. All the romaine was crisp, not wilted, though, and a good, savory Caesar dressing was a definite plus. A few bits of artichoke heart, diced red and green bell pepper and shreds of Parmesan added color, and the crisp croutons were excellent. A Milano panini ($8.49 on the regular menu, $7.49 with the half-and-half special) was excellent, and it boasted distinct Italian flavors. Roasted rounds of Italian eggplant, slices of portobello mushroom, a beautiful tender lettuce leaf and bits of Brie were pulled together with the distinct basil scent
of pesto mayo on sliced toasted Asiago cheese bread. It was an excellent sandwich, and in retrospect, I could have eaten a whole one. The soup of the day — asparagus portobello — also showed off the chef’s creative skills. Cream-based and rich, it contained fine-chopped asparagus as well as bits of sliced mushroom and long-simmered asparagus spears. The flavors worked exceptionally well, with the mushroom imparting a subtle note almost like truffles. A huge slice of Italian wedding cake made a delightful finish. It was wonderful cake, a highlight of an already good meal. Three-layers high, with a mix of coconut and pecan bits to add texture to its yellowcake base, it was finished with a thick, succulent cream-cheese icing studded with pecans. Please, sir, may I have some more? With a tall glass of strong, fresh iced tea, unsweet with lemon, our exceptionally appealing lunch for two totaled $27.85. I added a $10 tip because the standard percentages don’t work for restaurants as affordable as this. •
ALLEY CAT CAFE
11804 Shelbyville Road 245-6544
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
WHAT TO SEE: GALLERY ROUNDUP BY JO ANNE TRIPLETT | leo@leoweekly.com
A gallery roundup of art shows to see in Louisville this month. Note: This list is a selection of current exhibitions. “STILL, LIFE! MOURNING, MEANING, MENDING” Through December The show focuses on dealing with loss during the pandemic. 21c Louisville 700 W. Main St. Hours: Mondays-Sundays, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. 21cmuseumhotels.com “PRINT MURALS AND SCULPTURES” June 10-July 15 Art by Donna Stallard and Wende Cudmore. Bourne-Schweitzer Gallery 137 E. Main St., New Albany, Indiana Hours: Thursdays-Fridays, noon-5 p.m.; Saturdays, 1-3 p.m. bourne-schweitzergallery.com “FORM NOT FUNCTION” Through July 16 Annual exhibition of art quilts. Carnegie Center for Art & History 201 E. Spring St., New Albany, Indiana Hours: Mondays-Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursdays, noon-8 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. carnegiecenter.org
“FORGOTTEN FOUNDATIONS: LOUISVILLE’S LOST ARCHITECTURE” Through Sept. 23 Exhibition of photographs and architectural records of destroyed historic architecture in downtown Louisville. The Filson Historical Society 1310 S. Third St. Hours: Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. �ılsonhistorical.org “WEST OF NINTH: RACE, RECKONING, AND RECONCILIATION” Through September Photographs, artifacts and wall panels featuring stories from the nine neighborhoods in West Louisville. Organized by Walt and Shae Smith of West of Ninth. Part of the Louisville Photo Biennial. Frazier History Museum 829 W. Main St. Hours: Mondays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sundays, noon-5 p.m. fraziermuseum.org SPRING EXHIBITIONS Through June 4 Three solo shows by Emily Church, Lena Wolek and Don Buckler. Galerie Hertz 1253 S. Preston St. Hours: Thursdays-Saturdays, 12-5 p.m.; most Sundays, 12-4 p.m. galeriehertz.com
“STILL II: AN ELABORATION ON THE INANIMAGE” Through July 1 The gallery’s second annual still life exhibition.
“ANIMAL ATTRACTION SHOW” Through June 4 Animal themed exhibition.
Chateau Gallery 1230 S. Third St. Hours: Saturdays-Sundays, 12-2 p.m. chateaugallery.com
“RED, WHITE & BLUE” June 7-July 16 Show celebrating America. Gallery 104, Arts Association of Oldham County
104 E. Main St., La Grange Hours: Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. aaooc.org “CELEBRATING THE BLACK EXPERIENCE” Through June 19 Features more than 20 local, national and international artists inspired by Black life. Kentucky Center for African American Heritage 1701 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd. Hours: Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. kcaah.org “THE REALITY OF OUR ESSENCE” Through Aug. 14 Paintings of Black women by Sandra Charles. KMAC Museum 715 W. Main St. Hours: Wednesdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. kmacmuseum.org “PROMPTS: A SERIES OF SHORT STORIES” May 27-June 25 Solo show by Anne Currier. Moremen Gallery 710 W. Main St., Suite 201 Hours: Thursdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. moremengallery.com “SHINING A LIGHT” Through Aug. 7 Annual photography contest and exhibition. “WHAT LIFTS YOU” Through Dec. 31 Work by Kelsey Montague inspired by Muhammad Ali.
The Carnegie Center for Art & History is showing “Form, Not Function” in June.
portlandky.org “THE SUM IS GREATER THAN ITS PARTS” June 3-July 3 Sculpture by John McCarthy.
“SANFORD BIGGERS: CODESWITCH” Through June 26 First survey of quilt-based works, inspired by African American quilters, produced by the American interdisciplinary artist.
PYRO Gallery 1006 E. Washington St. Hours: Fridays-Saturdays, noon-6 p.m.; Sundays 1-4 p.m. pyrogallery.com
Speed Art Museum 2035 S. Third St. Hours: Fridays, 1-8 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. speedmuseum.org
“NOT A CERTAINLY BUT A CIRCUMSTANCE” Through June 4 Group show featuring Martin Benson, Letitia Quesenberry, Gibbs Rounsavall and Skylar Smith.
“AND WE FLOATED ON HOME” Through July 2 New work by Teri Dryden.
Muhammad Ali Center 144 N. 6th St. Hours: Wednesdays-Sundays, noon-5 p.m. alicenter.org
Quappi Projects 827 E. Market St. Hours: Thursdays-Fridays, noon-4 p.m.; Saturdays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. quappiprojects.com
“I BET WE CAN BUILD THAT: WEBER GROUP PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE” Through mid-September A retrospective of the Louisville-based Weber Group design �ırm.
“SITES AND SIGHTS OF WORK” May 27-Aug. 26 Show focusing on printmaking from 19th-21st centuries.
Portland Museum 2308 Portland Ave. Hours: Wednesdays-Fridays, 12-5 p.m.; Saturdays, 12-4 p.m.
WheelHouse Art 2650 Frankfort Ave. Hours: Tuesdays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. wheelhouse.art
Schneider Hall Galleries, University of Louisville 104 Schneider Hall Hours: Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. louisville.edu LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
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Are you a fan of flowers? Because this Violet is in full bloom! Violet is a gorgeous medium-haired cat that is searching for a home. She came to the Kentucky Humane Society when a rural shelter ran out of room for additional cats like herself. When three-year-old Violet arrived, we noticed her legs were splayed outward and gave her an unusual gait. After some x-rays and testing, we found out what was causing Violet's unique walk: hip dysplasia. This congenital issue doesn't seem to be causing Violet any pain, and she gets around things like stairs just fine. In fact, Violet loves to play and snuggle! She will give some nips when she's finished and enjoys VIOLET attention on her own terms, so young children won't be a good fit for this kitty. Violet has shown she's not really a fan of other cats and would appreciate a home where she can be the only feline or maybe with another cat who stayed in their own space. Violet is also spayed, micro-chipped and up-to-date on her vaccines. Come visit this very sweet and wonderful girl today at our East Campus, 1000 Lyndon Lane. Are you looking for a loyal friend? Someone who will keep you company and sit by your feet on those tough days? We've got just the pal for you! Meet our handsome buddy Maverick. Maverick is a sevenyear-old Labrador Retriever/Pit Bull Terrier mix who weighs 55 pounds and came to the Kentucky Humane Society when his family could no longer care for him. Now he's ready to find his true forever home and family! Despite being over seven years old, Maverick still has a lot of energy and loves to be on the move. He enjoys playing tug, and fetch, going for long walks and hikes with his people, and playing with other dogs. He would love to meet any potential dog friends to make sure they'll want to play with him too! Maverick does not like cats and thoroughly believes they cannot be trusted! Because of this, he needs a cat-free home and family. In his previous home, Maverick did not like being left alone and struggled with some mild anxiety. He'll need a patient family who can help him feel secure when they're away. Maverick is a very loving guy who appears MAVERICK house-trained and is ready to settle down with a family who will love him as much as we do. Maverick is neutered, micro-chipped and up-to-date on vaccinations. If you're in the market for an adorable Velcro-companion, come meet Maverick today at our Main Campus, 241 Steedly Drive!
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YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOODI H T By Krystal Moore | leo@leoweekly.com
COMIC BOOK REVIEWS! “Twig” #1
Written by Skottie Young Art by Kyle Strahm Colors by Jean-Francois Beaulieu
This is a beautiful book to look at, and with Skottie Young writing, the story is compelling, as well. It’s drawn by Kyle Strahm, who builds a world of his own with fantastical beings and settings that are literally out of this world. Add the colors by Jean-Francois Beaulieu and it becomes a feast for the eyes. Twig is a little blue fellow with big eyes and, for gosh sakes, he’s late! He’s overslept on a very important day, and his snail-like sidekick Splat didn’t bother to wake him, even though he knew being late was not something they should be. They rush out the door on their way to Mount Guphin. As they pass friends and acquaintances on the way, all remind him of his lateness, which doesn’t help at all. When Twig and Splat make it to the mountain, it too informs him of his lateness. It seems this is Twig’s first day as the new Placeling and that involves a journey into the mountain (through his mouth, no less) where Twig discovers a very significant stone, setting him on a mysterious beginning to his new job. This five-issue series is, so far, suitable for all ages. Whether or not it stays that way is yet to be seen. I’m so looking forward to the next issue of this gorgeous book!
Amazing Spider-Man #1
Written by Zeb Wells Art by John Romita Jr.
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LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
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Spider-Man is not getting along with all his usual allies, including Aunt May. As I was reading the all new #1 issue, it definitely made me think I’d stepped into a conversation that had already started, but I’m sure that’s on me, as I haven’t kept up on all the comings and goings of our favorite web slinger lately. We have the usual run-ins with villains and friends that usually happen in Spidey’s titles, but this story has a sadness about it, and a Peter Parker that’s different. So many different artists and writers have taken on this character but he still tends to have an optimism about him that’s missing here. He and Mary Jane are on the outs, and she doesn’t even want him to call her anymore. The last panels give us a huge twist, that if it remains canon, could mean big changes in Peter Parker
and Spider-Man’s world. As we’re nearing the milestone issue of Amazing Spider-Man #900 (also known as Amazing Spider-Man #6) it was odd to me that Marvel decided to put out the same title starting over with #1. What are they doing?! But they’ve brought back legendary Spider-Man artist John Romita Jr., so let’s hope there’s method to their madness!
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
IN THIS TWELFTH NIGHT, THERE’S NO CROSS-DRESSING HEROINE, JUST A QUEER CHARACTER’S EXPLORATION OF THEIR GENDER PRESENTATION By Alicia Fireel | leo@leoweekly.com SHAKESPEARE and gender identity have been twisted up and complex since long (LONG!) before English had the phrase, “gender identity.” One example is the tendencey for Shakspeare’s comedic young heroines to don the garb of the opposite sex, often in pursuit of a lover. Usually the assumption, onstage and in the rehearsal room, is that the character in question is a straight cis woman who just happens to wear men’s garb. But what does it mean when a trans non-binary actor is playing that character? Does it suddenly make that character queer or trans? Well, is gender a construct? Is sex biological? Voof. Go unpack the latter questions with Judith Butler. But for Mollie Murk, the actor playing the dude-duds donning Viola in Kentucky Shakespeare’s upcoming production of “Twelfth Night,” the answer to the first question is a resounding “verily.” LEO: So you’re playing Viola, who crash lands in Illyria, and disguises herself as a youth named Cesario, and then gets caught up in several romances. Talk to me about how your gender identity changes your approach to the character. Molly Murk: Playing Viola, who is so openly exploring gender and sexuality in a new world is such an exciting shift for me, somebody who is actually on a gender journey, and has not landed on like, “I AM THIS!” But it’s also really challenging because gender issues are so present in me, in my everyday life. And then bringing that to the stage in a play that’s over 400 years old, has its obstacles. So, you’ve worked with Kentucky Shakespeare for several years, does that also affect that gender/character matrix? When I started working here, I was 22 and playing young ingénue characters almost exclusively, and I was seen as a young girl. I had to work so hard to be seen as anything else. Right? Even in a progressive space, women don’t usually get as many — or any — of the chunky roles, like Othello, Hamlet or Macbeth. Especially not women who are read visually as ‘young girl.’
And that was something that was constantly in my mind all the time. Like, I don’t want to be seen as this. It took me a long time to recognize that feeling as feelings of dysphoria and gender questioning, and being somebody who is not all they way on the cis female side of the spectrum. It took me awhile to recognize it as that, and not just like, feminist rage. Outside of Cesario’s masculine presentation, what about “Twelfth Night” interests you? What I love about it is the characters are so messy, and it’s not like these picture-perfect love stories. It paints so many different pictures of what love can look like, and what desire looks like, and what attraction looks like. And they are all confusing. For the characters. And that. to me, as a queer person, is the most relatable shit ever. A friend said to me once, ‘nobody teaches you how to be queer.’ A lot of us are walking through this life with very few role models. Because there is no roadmap. There is no clear remedy. ...And that speaks to the messiness of love and gender complexities in the show. Right! So when Viola calls out, ‘Time, thou must untangle this, not I, it’s too hard a knot for me to untie,’ that tells me something about really where Viola is, and the desperation and kind of the cluelessness, that comes with being in relationships that aren’t clear cut, or have a social reference point. Can you share, like, another specific moment of the show that speaks to you as an actor, or as an actor portraying Viola? There’s this moment in the show where Bee [BeeBe Patillo, the actor portraying Olivia, part of the Olivia/ Orsino/ Viola/ Cesario/ Sebastian love pentangle] started doing this thing where she takes my arm, in kind of like that very traditional promenade, ‘going for a walk’ way, and I think that’s such a moment of clarity for Viola. Like, ‘I’m on the other side of the arm. She is taking my arm as she would take a man’s arm.’ And I have never been on that side of
Mollie Murk in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” | PHOTO BY BILL BRYMER
that pairing before. And being the person who’s walking her downstage, it feels like it fits right. This is a role I am able to play. I feel affirmed by this; I feel seen by this. And that affects your portrayal? Then I am able to bring that to the character, because I think that’s truthful for Viola as well. And there’s room for that [in the script]. I think for me what’s been interesting is finding, where is there space for me to bring my queer experiences into this story. And there’s so much space. Have there been any difficulties? Matt [Director Matt Wallace] has been supportive of my life experience and identity being brought to this production. In this company, I’d say the majority of the older actors have worked on this show multiple times. And I’m thankful to be in an environment that is encouraging and supporting. But there is a certain kind of fear with bringing up things like, ‘Hey, so, this is how I see this part.’
Yeah, a lot of cis people don’t get that being a queer voice is still scary. Even in a roomful of supportive allies. But it’s so necessary to bring about change in the industry. And to make a really fully formed character in a lot of instances. And what’s really cool about “Twelfth Night,” at no point in the story does Viola talk about going back. Like, to being seen as a woman. Even when she meets Sebastian again, Orsino still refers to her as Cesario. And what I found is a lovely kind of ‘take me the way I am’ energy in that last scene. Because Viola doesn’t go back to being Cesario. • Kentucky Shakespeare’s production of “Twelfth Night” runs Tuesday through Sunday May 25 - June 5, with additional performances on July 16, 19, and 22. Performances are held at the C. Douglas Ramey Amphitheater, Central Park, 1340 So. Fourth Street, curtain is 8 p.m., and every performance is free. LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
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78 82
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102 Frost 103 Davidson of ‘‘S.N.L.’’ 104 Richard and Jane in court 106 Commercial prefix with postale 107 Out of office?: Abbr. 108 One-named Irish hitmaker 111 Tops 112 Madrid’s country, in the Olympics 113 Song lead-in to ‘‘Believer,’’ ‘‘Loser’’ or ‘‘Survivor’’
O S M T E I E A L L L B E L I E S O V E P C H R O I E I N L I N S I N G A Z Y C T E R I W E E T I N D I T Z P R E M E O N A T E X E S
O G A R E B C A P O A R O U C U T C A L F O S T A M E C R E I D E L U S T I C E A A T C H T I I E T S G U I O O S F A E I L E S M A R P A G O
R E T D E X O D U S
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60 Unearthed 61 Mi, in a C major scale 62 Number twos 63 Pelvic bones 64 Air carrier 68 Island where Paul Gauguin painted 69 Book that’s the source of the phrase ‘‘a land flowing with milk and honey’’ 70 Go back (on) 72 Instruction in an oatmeal recipe 74 ‘‘Zebra’’ 75 Slugger from Louisville 76 Florida city whose name has three pairs of doubled letters 78 Upscale watch brand 80 Annual eight-day celebration 81 Basketball stat: Abbr. 82 Numbskull 83 Poetic dusk 84 Color of traffic on a GPS 87 Craft carried over a portage 88 Rhythmic part of a heartbeat 89 Same: Prefix 90 Sense of self 93 Protagonist in ‘‘The Stepford Wives’’ 94 FedEx competitor 95 Clears for takeoff? 96 Old Glory 97 1964 Tony Randall title role 98 Like oranges and some gossip 99 Duck or Penguin
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LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
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1 One of eight in a stick of butter: Abbr. 2 Jolly laugh 3 Dec. 24 and 31, e.g. 4 Minor accident 5 Mary ____ Evans a.k.a. George Eliot 6 Opposite of paleo7 Memo abbr. 8 When doubled, Hawaiian food fish 9 Pique 10 Terk in Disney’s ‘‘Tarzan,’’ e.g. 11 Opera with the aria ‘‘Ave Maria’’ 12 Naval engineer 13 Air traveler’s accumulation 14 Quint’s boat in ‘‘Jaws’’ 15 Enclosure for a bike chain and sprockets 16 180 17 Arthur who invented the crossword puzzle (1913) 18 Overgrown, say 24 Kind of terrier 26 Young chicken, e.g. 30 Actress Tyler 32 Move barefoot across a scorchingly hot beach, maybe 33 Shock’s partner 34 Throw ____ (rant and rave) 36 No longer frozen 37 Kind 38 Crop up 39 Chafe 40 Out of gas, informally 41 Internet ending that’s also an ending for inter44 Part of the brainstem 45 Chatter 46 Greek letter that might follow ‘‘z’’ 48 Affix, in a way 50 Eyelashes 51 Ketchup brand 52 ‘‘One ____-dingy’’ (Ernestine the operator’s catchphrase on ‘‘Laugh-In’’) 55 Arch type 56 Landlord’s due 57 Petrol unit 58 Surgically remove
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1 Symbol of authority, informally 7 Compañero 12 Delhi issue 16 Reaction to puppy pics 19 Water buffalo, for one 20 French ____ (trick-taking game) 21 Land of blarney 22 Pass during the N.F.L. playoffs 23 THE LADY VANI__ __ __ __ (No. 2, 1964) 25 Who infamously boasted ‘‘They can’t collect legal taxes from illegal money’’ 27 Luxurious 28 Suffix in some pasta names 29 BILLE (No. 3, 1972) 31 He gave Starbuck’s orders 34 NATO members, e.g. 35 Adorable sort 36 x0 (No. 1, 1985) 41 Barnyard baby 42 Keep one’s mouth shut? 43 Porky Pig’s girlfriend 44 It cost 5¢ in 1965 47 Home of Iowa State 49 Help with a crime 50 Google web browser 53 Laser-pointer chaser 54 Like the Balkans in the 1990s 57 Certain peaceful protest 58 Country singer McEntire 59 Captivate 60 VAUDEVILLIAN (No. 2, 1988) 65 Become more complicated, say 66 Getting together 67 Sheen 71 LOST, E.G. (No. 1, 1984) 73 Glacier-scaling tool 74 Yard tool 77 Private student 78 Figure it out 79 ____ Lilly (pharmaceutical giant) 80 ‘‘Jeez!’’ 82 Actress Garr 85 Beach shaper 86 Only player to win the U.S. Chess Championship with no losses or draws 88 Darling 91 Harbor helper 92 ____ story (tale of a car company’s bankruptcy?) 93 CHAN__E __PPEA__ANCE TO CONCEA__ __ __D MISLEA__ (No. 1, 1968) 97 Islamic spirit 99 Brand of insecticide strips
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No. 0130
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R A K E L I F I S S I M M E E
BY DERRICK NIEDERMAN | EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ
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J U I C Y
PLAYING THE HITS
100 Madhouses 101 TITTLE-TATTLE (No. 16, 2011) 103 Opposite of post105 Airline posting 109 Furnace for calcium oxide production 110 ENT I CEMENT (No. 1, 1983) 114 Big club in Las Vegas? 115 The final word 116 Give a lift 117 Know-it-all 118 ‘‘____ Como Va’’ (Santana hit) 119 Female Olympian of note 120 Palindromic battlers 121 Place of worship whose third, fourth and fifth letters are appropriate
D R L A O
The New York Times Magazine Crossword
PHOTO BY RACHEL ROBINSON
ETC.
SAVAGE LOVE
By Dan Savage | mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage
QUICKIES
My laptop died last week. My laptop couldn’t die when I was in the office, with capable tech support people close by. Oh, no. My laptop lost its will to live when I was thousands of miles away, in a country where I don’t speak the language. So, I wasn’t able to access my Savage Love email – which is a problem, since no questions means no column. So, I put out an SOS on Instagram, asking my followers there to send me their quick-and-dirty questions. I wrote my responses on my phone… which I dropped at one point, shattering the screen, BECAUSE OF COURSE I DID. So, my laptop is dead, my phone is broken, and my thumbs are bloodied. But I got this week’s column done with the help of my followers on Instagram. Thanks, gang. - Dan Q: In the mountain climbing community there is a backlash against a route at a particular climbing site that’s named Gangbang. Critics say it refers to a non-consensual sex act. Your thoughts? A: Missionary position in the absence of consent is not sex, it’s rape; a gangbang with consent is not rape, it’s sex. That said, most representations of gangbangs in film, porn, literature, etc., portray non-consensual scenarios with women as the victims, and it’s understandable why some would want the name of that route changed. So, change it. Q: What do you do when you’ve told someone who is supposed to be a friend to stop making sexual comments but they keep saying sexually charged things? A: You realize this person isn’t a friend and hang out with your actual friends instead.
Q: British fag here. (I mean, cis gay guy in his mid-30s in the U.K.) I am living in Germany. My question: You had a British caller living in the USA on the Savage Lovecast a few episodes back and he said his accent alone unbuckled belts there. Is it true? German guys do not find my accent sexy. But if I moved to the States would I be drowning in cock? A: Cock is a solid (ideally), not a liquid (although with a powerful enough blender, anything is possible), so you would be choking on cock over here, not drowning in it. And, yes, a British accent is a plus in the USA – because unlike Europeans, Americans don’t have to put up with mobs of English tourists hopping on cheap flights, terrorizing our city centers with their drunken bachelor/ bachelorette parties, and puking on our doorsteps. Q: How do I tell my friends and family that I’m poly now? A: Use your words. Q: Best way to tell your hubby his armpits have started to smell? (He’s never needed deodorant before!) A: Use your words! Q: How do I tell my boyfriend nicely that he needs to brush his teeth more often? He’s very sensitive to this kind of feedback, but I don’t want him to have stinky breath in a work meeting! A: USE YOUR WORDS! When my breath stinks or I need to take a shower or use some deodorant, I’m grateful when my partner says something to me – because I’m a grownup. If your partner can’t handle this kind of feedback, you need to ask yourself why you’re wasting your time on someone who isn’t a grownup.
Q: I’m a 40-year-old woman. I was sexting with a guy (29) who started sending me nude/sex pics (including face shots) of another woman he had been with, without her consent. He thought it was sexy, but I was repulsed. Teachable moment or trash him? A: If you ghost him, he’s likely to assume the photos he shared (and the massive consent violation they represent) weren’t the issue or even an issue. He needs to know. So, teach then trash. Q: Can you please explain the difference between transgender and transsexual? A lot of arguments happen online about the semantics of these foundational definitions, so some clarity would be appreciated. Thank you! A: Definitions and redefinitions come at us so fast these days – to say nothing of redefining old definitions as hate speech – that there’s no point in attempting to answer this question. Because by the time this column is published, odds are good that whatever I write today will be out of date and/or a cancelable offense. But so far as I know right now… all transsexual people are transgender but not all transgender people are transsexual. I hope that clears things up. Q: Do you think we will keep seeing significant changes in sexual-orientation-self-labeling in the future? A: In the future everyone will have their own niche sexual orientation for 15 minutes – and their own neo-pronoun and their own pride flag. And it’s going to be even more confusing than it is now, and everybody is going to get everybody else’s orientations, pronouns, and flags wrong all the time, and absolutely everybody is going to be upset with absolutely everyone else, all the time. The oceans will rise and the planet will bake and we will be arguing about whether “cake” can be a pronoun as the meteor hurtles toward earth. Q: How much time do bottoms really douche? A: “You can douche all of the bot-
toms some of the time, and some of the bottoms all of the time, but you can’t douche all of the bottoms all of the time.” – Abraham Lincoln Q: Will you marry me? A: I will not – while I am sure you’re lovely, I already have a husband, and a boyfriend in the on-dick circle. (That is a baseball pun just for my older brother. Hey there, Billy!) Q: My S.O. is good friends with a number of their exes. I know it’s probably a good sign that they are mature, but it makes me jealous and paranoid. How to get over that? A: Keep telling yourself that being friends with exes is a good sign about your S.O., and then carry that thought to its logical conclusion: being jealous and paranoid about your current being friends with his exes is a bad sign about you – not a fatal sign for this relationship, but definitely something you should work through with a shrink. Q: I’m that rare thing: the one-minute woman. How do I delay orgasms? A: Every time this subject comes up, someone recommends low-dose SSRIs. Ask your doctor if they’re right for you. Q: I’m on anti-depressants and my libido has been ZAPPED! How to brainstorm sexy time when you don’t feel sexy? A: Talk with your doctor about adjusting your meds – that’s the first step. While you work on finding the right dosage, e.g., the dosage that alleviates your depression without killing your libido, a little going-through-themotions with your partner will keep you in the groove and may even help you catch a groove. questions@savagelove.net Listen to Dan on the Savage Lovecast. Follow Dan on Twitter @ FakeDanSavage. Columns, podcasts, books, merch and more at savage.love. LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
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UPCOMING EVENTS Thursday, May 26, 2022 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM EDT
Clean Comedy Showcase
Thursday, June 02, 2022 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM EDT
Aloft Louisville Downtown Sunday, June 05, 2022 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM EDT
Captivating Themes from the MOVIES
Story Louisville
Thursday, June 09, 2022 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM EDT
New Comics Showcase
Aloft Louisville Downtown
Beargrass Christian Church
Sunday, June 19, 2022 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM EDT
Friday, June 10, 2022 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM EDT
MC Leitsy & Winslow Dumaine Falls City Brewing Company
REDPINTIX.COM
LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 25, 2022
Louisville: Queer Inclusive Workshop State Tour
2022 Trustees of Inclusive Equity Awards Gala The Atrium at Old Walnut Street