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INSIDE COVER P. 4 Oklahoma Gazette spring intern

Nikita Lewchuk explores the fluidity of gender and his own nonbinary experience.

By Nikita Lewchuck Cover by Ingvard Ashby

NEWS 4 STATE nonbinary life in Oklahoma 7 STATE rally for coverage

8 CITY OETA Foundation settlement 9 COMMENTARY cannabis v.

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COV E R

NEWS

She/He/They/Me

Finding identity

You are born into a place where gender exists.

10 Gender assignment happens at birth.

For trans or nonbinary people, explaining the fluidity of gender can be complicated.

Your society has two genders.

By Nikita Lewchuk

13 You are assigned female at birth.

She/He/They/Me: For the Sisters, Misters, and Binary Resisters by Robin Ryle attempts to explain where people fall on the gender spectrum. | Image Sourcebooks / provided

Take, for example, the transgender community. We are just now beginning to see examples of transgender people in the public eye. “Call me Caitlyn,” the Vanity Fair cover featuring former Olympic athlete Caitlyn Jenner after her transition, ran July 2015, and Laverne Cox became the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for a primetime Emmy in 2014 for Orange Is the New Black. These are big steps forward in changing perception of gender from something black-and-white (or pink-andblue, as it were) to something more reflective of the whole human experience. I am transgender, meaning all these changes are not just abstract. When I first came out as transgender, I chose the label “nonbinary,” which is a broad 4

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Nikita Lewchuk used She/He/They/Me: For the Sisters, Misters, and Binary Resisters to chart his own personal experiences with gender identity. | Image Ingvard Ashby

You live in a patriarchal society.

You aren’t a woman or a man.

You are socialized as a girl.

You are nonbinary.

Are you married?

Your country has medium gender inequality.

You live in the United States.

You are transgender.

Your parents are accepting.

You are a trans man.

You choose to transition medically.

You do not have gender reassignment surgery.

81 You are a bisexual man.

You are a bisexual man.

You are a demisexual man.

65 Are you married? Dating is the primary way of finding a partner in your culture.

123

109 78

You are a demisexual man. You are happy with your body.

140

You are able to choose your spouse. You are white.

You are a white man.

111

term that refers to any gender aside from male or female. Lately though, I have started to doubt if I made the best choice, not because I feel male or female, but because it’s so difficult to translate that concept to those around me. Society is still learning what it means to be transgender in the binary sense — going from male to female or vice versa — and adding the complexities and gray areas of genders besides male and female only serves to further complicate things. Describing gender is complicated because there is not much choice of language when it comes to describing what leads people to change their gender presentation. The phrase “feels like a woman” trivializes the notion of gender, as though it were a choice or something done on a whim instead of something based in reason and reality. There is not much I can say that describes the feeling of dysphoria other than this: If you woke up tomorrow with the organs and genitals of the opposite sex, you would still be the same person you are today. If people address you with male pronouns (he or him) and everyone has treated you as a man your entire life without incident and you woke up tomorrow with a uterus and vulva, you would still be the same person; you would still “feel like a man” although your physiology would be different. But there is nothing that I “feel” that points me in the direction of male or female. Neither of those accurately describes me, but masculinity feels less uncomfortable to me because it does not come weighted with all the negative feelings and experiences I had throughout my childhood. This leaves me in an exceptionally weird limbo because when I tell people I am not female, I have nothing else concrete or commonly understood to point to. It is incredibly hard to get people to buy into my otherness. In the absence of a clear male or female response, people tend to become overwhelmed by the unknown and revert back to classifying me as female. In response to this, I have begun to lean more and more masculine in the way I present myself. I started with a

Are you married?

Whether you think Facebook is a useful tool to keep up with your friends and current events or despise it as a datamining tool of big corporations, you have to admit they got one thing right: the “it’s complicated” relationship status. It is absurd to think the complexity of the human experience can be expressed using choices that fit on a dropdown menu. Slowly but surely, society at-large is catching on to this whole “it’s complicated” thing regarding how we see ourselves and those around us.

Gender and sexuality are related in your society.

You are disabled.

113

You play a role in the workforce.

112 You are not happy with your body.

81 You are a bisexual man.

130

You are a trans man who works for pay outside the home.

144

You have leisure time.

157

You do not play sports.

147

You are transgender.

Access to birth control can be limited in the U.S.

You are on birth control.

154

115

160

You have access to healthcare for trans people.

161

148

What do you think about gender?

END

100

We should work towards gender equality.

You want to reimagine gender.

Definite

Either way

Stop

Choice

Turn

haircut and a wardrobe change. Later, I changed my pronouns to they and them instead of she and her and my traditionally feminine birth name to the more gender-neutral Nikita so I could go by Nik if I wanted. After four years of living this way, it has become clear that this is not enough to convince people that I am not a woman. Though they might logically understand that I am not a woman, people often struggle with the underlying concept and revert back to the assumption that I am female. If they struggle with using they/them pronouns, the pronouns they fall back on are she/her. It does not matter how many times I tell people I do not feel any sort of femininity — it is the characteristic I am still defined by. The vast majority of people still address me with a feminine understanding. My own androgynous understanding of who I am simply does not extend to the people around me. As a result, I have changed my strategy a little bit. I have stopped telling people I am nonbinary when I first meet them and started telling them I am a trans man instead. It is something easier to understand, and it lessens my dysphoria substantially. Instead of trying to use they/them pronouns with everyone I meet, I have included masculine pronouns as well. This means

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that people who rarely interact with me, like teachers I have never had or parents of my friends, have an easier time understanding. They do not have to completely overhaul their way of thinking for someone they talk to once every couple weeks. In the long run, this does not do me or my fellow nonbinary people any favors. The only way to make they/them pronouns and nonbinary genders a societal norm is if they are used frequently and persistently. It will not become any easier unless people around me completely overhaul their thinking about gender. And that is a big ask.

She/He/They/Me

Applying for colleges, I found almost half had an “other” option when it came to gender. Unfortunately, these steps forward on paper are often the only ones available to me. Because gender is largely performative, much of the debate around the transgender community concerns identity in its most basic sense: whether your documents and other information show information consistent with who you are. But this progress on paper is hard to match in real-world scenarios. I and other trans people absolutely deserve the right to have the correct sex designations and pronouns in our documenta-

tion, but that is the easy part. Integrating this progress into society can present an almost insurmountable headwind.

It will not become any easier unless people around me completely overhaul their thinking about gender. And that is a big ask. Much of my life as a nonbinary person is spent trying to balance self-authenticity with practicality. The biggest stumbling block I have come across in my time transitioning is the sheer amount of time it takes to explain myself to someone. It is just not something I can do or do well in the given time frame. When you meet someone for the first time, you introduce yourself with your name and maybe one or two other things about you, like where you work or how you know of each other. This short time frame makes it feasibly impossible for me to tell everyone I interact with I am nonbinary. The fastest, most practical method I have come up with is the hardware-software analogy, and even that requires some prior understanding. If you take an iPhone and install Android

software on it, it will function as an Android phone and vice versa, regardless of what it says on the back of the phone. This covers what it means to be trans in a binary sense, but I am often at a loss when it comes to explaining where I fall on the spectrum — and that is just exposing the other person to the information. In the years I have been doing this, I have never come across someone who understood immediately and did not have more questions. I recently came across a book, She/ He/They/Me: For the Sisters, Misters, and Binary Resisters by Robin Ryle, that offered some answers in unexpected ways. It is structured like a Choose Your Own Adventure book designed to describe the complexities of gender and what leads people to present themselves the way they do. The first couple of steps were relatively straightforward: I live in a society with two genders where gender assignment happens at birth. I am raised as a girl in a patriarchal society, and my gender does not match the one I was assigned at birth. At this point in following Ryle’s book, I hit a snag. I could turn to Chapter 18 and continue my path as a nonbinary person or I could continue as a trans man. I first turned to the nonbinary continued on page 6

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NEWS continued from page 5

COV E R

chapter but found I could only get a couple steps farther. The next chapter asked about my sexuality, something defined by your gender. This is a problem I had come across before: If I find women attractive, does that make me homo- or heterosexual? Because I do not define myself as a woman or a man, defining my sexuality becomes much more difficult. I ended up settling on the label “bisexual” because I am not entirely sure what my sexual orientation is yet, and partly to reduce confusion. Ultimately, it did not matter. Whether I chose trans man, nonbinary, bisexual or otherwise, I ended up at the same question: “Are you married?” I have not even graduated high school yet, and I would like to take things a step at a time, thank you very much. I ended up flipping through the book until I found a place I could continue: dating. From this point, the path begins to describe your adult life with categories like jobs, leisure and health care. Just when I thought I had found the parts that were relevant to me, I discovered what I had been dealing with for the last four years. There was no way to continue as a nonbinary person. You could be a transgender male or female or a cisgender male or female. Nothing else. Though I have cut a lot of feminine lifestyle choices out during my transition, I had really only briefly toyed with the idea of presenting as masculine instead of nonbinary. She/He/They/ Me made me question that. As you can see, my nonbinary path is much shorter than my path as a trans man, and that is no accident. There is not a lot of space in this world for people who do not fit in the gender binary. It feels to me like, despite my best efforts, my only two options remain male and female. This book, which is designed to teach about the area outside the binary, offered me no option to continue

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as a nonbinary person. Interestingly, I ended up fitting into the trans man pathway more than I thought I would. I am on testosterone, typically considered a “masculinizing” procedure, and in many other areas, such as sexuality, I found I was already operating under a masculine viewpoint anyway. So here I stand, at a crossroads in many different ways. I am going to college in a month in a different country. I will be able to start with a clean slate and introduce myself however I want. Do I choose the nonbinary route and risk exposing myself to the same default-feminine assumptions I have been trying to erase, or do I take the easy way out as “just another guy” even though that does not truly represent me? I would love to escape all the assumptions the people here in Oklahoma have built up through the years about who I am and just start fresh. I am seven months into my testosterone treatment, and my voice is beginning to drop into the masculine range. Now, instead of people assuming I am a woman or a 12-year-old boy who has not gone through puberty, they might assume I am a young man, and that is incredibly exciting for me. But by assuming a masculine identity, am I ignoring my responsibility to my community and society as a whole? It is not going to get any easier for me to live as nonbinary if people like me do not step up and make themselves known. And on a more personal level, if I had known growing up that there were more than just two options — if I had known somebody who was nonbinary — I might have been able to transition earlier and save myself years of dysphoria. These were questions that had been in my mind since I started transitioning, and even before, that I can no longer ignore. Unfortunately, the only answer I have come up with so far are the two words: “It’s complicated.” High school senior Nikita Lewchuk has navigated the difficulties of nonbinary life for four years. | Photo Alexa Ace

S TAT E

Hundreds of Oklahomans gathered at the state Capitol April 24 to advocate for Medicaid expansion. | Photo Alexa Ace

Health gap

Several organizations are calling on lawmakers to expand health coverage to more than 100,000 uninsured Oklahomans. By Miguel Rios

Oklahomans throughout the state are urging lawmakers to expand health care coverage before the legislative session ends. Various organizations within Coalition to Expand Coverage came together to host Rally for Coverage April 24 at the state Capitol. Oklahoma is one of 14 states that has not accepted federal funds for Medicaid expansion. Expanded coverage would provide “more than 100,000 uninsured Oklahomans” with health care, according to the coalition’s website. Rev. Joseph Alsay, rector of St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church, gave a speech at the rally in which he recounted stories of people struggling to afford live-saving medicine, resorting to diluting it or not being able to afford it and dying. “Many times, these tragic stories could be diverted or prevented with adequate health care coverage,” he said. “More than 100,000 Oklahomans don’t have access to quality or affordable health care because the Legislature has not acted to expand access of health coverage to everyone. That means they can’t see a doctor. That means they can’t fill their prescriptions. That means they cannot adequately manage the chronic conditions like diabetes, and that’s just one of the ailments that plague our state. That’s utterly appalling, the fact that most of those who can’t afford insurance come from low-income working adults, from adults who just can’t make ends meet.” At the end of 2013, SoonerCare, the

state’s Medicaid program, served 790,051 Oklahomans. Compared to 796,455 since October 2018, there has been less than a 1 percent growth in coverage, according to healthinsurance.org. “Since 2013, the Legislature has refused to accept federal funds to expand access to health coverage in Oklahoma. That’s left more than 100,000 people who can’t see a doctor or fill a prescription or get treatment for conditions like diabetes or depression. Now, there’s 37 other states that have done that, leaving us very much in the minority with the second-highest uninsured rate in the U.S. because of this decision,” Carly Putnam, Oklahoma Policy Institute’s health care policy analyst, told Oklahoma Gazette. “But in November, three states voted to expand Medicaid through the ballot initiative process. I think those states — they were Nebraska, Idaho and Utah — really show that even in red states, voters can step up when our legislators don’t. And so I think our Legislature is now very much aware that if they don’t act, there will likely be a ballot initiative. So we’re urging them to, in spring, do the right thing.”

State Question 802

A ballot initiative has already been filed as State Question 802. It would change the state’s constitution to expand SoonerCare “to include certain lowincome adults ... whose income is less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level.” The initiative will require more than 177,000 signatures to be added to

a November 2020 ballot. There is currently not a bill that would expand coverage, but Putnam said she is optimistic one might be introduced. “What we’re anticipating is a bill will come later,” she said. “I think they have a better shot this year than they have previous years. … But contact your legislator. The joke I like to use is, ‘The question isn’t “Do you know who your legislator is?” but “Does your legislator know who you are?”’ Because they need to be hearing from voters that this is something that they care about.” Coalition to Expand Coverage is made up of more than 40 local organizations, including League of Women Voters of Oklahoma, ACLU of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Policy Institute. Rebecca Greenhaw, chair of League of Women Voters of Oklahoma, said there is a lot of misinformation surrounding Medicaid expansion, which is why it is crucial for people to become informed and talk about the facts with legislators. She hopes lawmakers listen to their constituents this session because the ballot initiative would take more than another year to pay off. “It would delay health care access and delay support for rural hospitals for another year, but if that’s our only alternative, then we will avail ourselves of it,” Greenhaw said. Expanding Medicaid is a provision in the Affordable Care Act. The federal government would cover 90 percent of the cost, leaving Oklahoma to only pay for 10 percent. House minority leader Emily Virgin, D-Norman, told Gazette that arguments against expanding coverage are based on party politics. “It’s all just political back-and-forth and arguments. It’s the same tired rhetoric that we hear time and time again on accepting federal money for this program. It’s that it’s too expensive, and we know that it’s not because 30-something other states have done this and have had success with it,” she said. “So they’re all just excuses not to do it because people, frankly, are afraid of not getting reelected if they do it. They’re afraid of the political consequences, but they’re not thinking about the human consequences of not doing this.” Along with Virgin, Rep. Marcus McEntire, R-Duncan, spoke at the rally. He also said Republicans have a hard time pursuing Medicaid expansion for fear of not being reelected. However, McEntire said the House and the Senate “have been working on a plan for about a year and a half now.” “This has been on my mind ever since I was elected, that we needed to do something, an Oklahoma plan — something tailored to Oklahoma — to access the 9-to-1 match of federal funds that we so desperately need infused to our economy, to our health care system,” he said. “Most of the details right now are embargoed until we get the support

we need. But we have been working, and we’ve been working hard. I’ve put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into the plan that hopefully we’ll be able to unveil.” In her speech at the rally, Virgin mentioned the rural hospitals that have closed or gone bankrupt, the rural communities that are losing health care providers and the positive economic impact Medicaid expansion had in other states. Her speech concluded by promising she will help make Medicaid expansion happen in any way she can to “build a better, healthier Oklahoma.” “It’s important because we need to take care of our friends and neighbors; that’s really what it comes down to,” Virgin told Gazette. “All of these other things that that make sense — with the economics, with creating jobs, with making costs lower for everyone else — those are great things as well, but it comes down to we have a lot of Oklahomans who simply can’t afford health care. And that should concern all of us.”

House Minority Leader Emily Virgin, D-Norman, promised to keep fighting for Medicaid expansion. | Photo Alexa Ace

Carly Putnam, Oklahoma Policy Institute’s health care policy analyst, said she is optimistic the Legislature will take action this session. | Photo Alexa Ace

Gov. Kevin Stitt announced days after the ballot initiative was filed that he would discourage Oklahomans voting for Medicaid expansion because it would be the wrong approach. He told The Oklahoman that he plans to present a plan to improve health care in Oklahoma but did not give specifics.

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M AY 1 , 2 0 1 9

NEWS

CIT Y

OETA and OETA Foundation’s lawsuit has ended with the dissolution of the foundation. | Photo Miguel Rios

Blocked signals

A lawsuit involving OETA ends with an agreement to dissolve OETA Foundation and transfer all assets to a new fundraising nonprofit. By Miguel Rios

The former charitable organization tasked with funding Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) since 1983, OETA Foundation, has dissolved. The foundation’s lawsuit against OETA culminated last month with a settlement agreement that essentially replaces the foundation with a new entity, Friends of OETA. OETA’s board of directors last week passed a resolution and agreement to seat the governing board of Friends of OETA and set parameters of the new relationship. “OETA is pleased that this matter was settled in an amicable way, and we appreciate the work of the foundation, which has raised more than $68 million over the last 30 years for the support of public television in Oklahoma,” wrote Garrett King, OETA board chair, in a public statement. “The settlement reflects the best interests of our donors, viewers and friends who place a high value on OETA’s programs and services.” Under the settlement agreement, OETA Foundation will transfer “all funds and assets held in trust for OETA” to Friends of OETA, the new charitable organization, by May 15; the foundation has already provided OETA access to its donor list. There is also a non-disparagement provision that will be released once all terms and conditions are executed. According to the initial complaint filed in December, the foundation asked the court to rule it had the authority to determine “the amount and timing of distributions to be made by the foundation to OETA” following multiple efforts to get OETA to show more transparency. Foundation representatives did not respond to requests for comment, but in a previous interview with Oklahoma Gazette, former president Daphne Dowdy said the hiring of OETA execu8

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tive director Polly Anderson led to less and less transparency. “Instead of saying, ‘We need money for x, y and z,’ the requests made to us became, ‘We need you to write us a check for x millions of dollars,’” she said in January. “That prevents us from being able to properly account and be accountable for our donors.”

Now I’m just going to feel like most Oklahomans – I’ll watch it and let somebody else pay for it. Rick Allen Lippert OETA’s board of directors voted Jan. 8 to cut ties with the foundation during ongoing litigation as they finalized “negotiating a relationship with the Friends of OETA,” according to their website. Records show the certificates of incorporation for Friends of OETA were initially filed Nov. 13, listing Anderson as the registering agent. The most recent filing, which is dated April 16, lists King as the president, according to the Oklahoma Secretary of State website. Friends of OETA’s board is made up of attorney and politician Glenn Coffee and former television news anchor Jennifer Eve, who will serve through April 2020; local banker Kenneth Fergeson and director of Non-Profit Leadership Program at Oklahoma City University Robert Spinks, who will serve through April 2021; and local consultant Sharon Neuwald, who will serve through April 2022. King will be the

board chairman. “The parties acknowledge and understand the Friends and OETA are separate independent legal entities,” according to the new agreement with Friends of OETA. “The parties are not agents, partners, joint venture participants or otherwise responsible for the acts, omissions or conduct of the other party.” The agreement also states both parties shall comply with all accounting and record-keeping standards and provide each other with such information “reasonably requested by the other party” in a timely manner. The agreement will last one year and “automatically renew each year thereafter, unless determined otherwise by either party with notice to the other party at least” 30 days before the end of the annual term. Either party has the ability to end the agreement for “a material breach or other good cause at any time” with 10 days notice to the other party. If the agreement is terminated, Friends of OETA must transfer funds and assets to another charity as determined by OETA. “Friends of OETA, Inc. is a transformative new chapter in OETA’s nearly four decades of partnership with private donors, and we are honored and grateful that this outstanding group of Oklahoma philanthropists and leaders is standing with us to support public television,” King said in a statement. “We recognize the importance of every private investment made to further OETA’s public media mission. We are confident this prestigious independent board will faithfully steward both past and future gifts to OETA.”

Donor contributions

King declined an interview with Oklahoma Gazette until the settlement agreement is fully executed. “Public support for OETA is critical to its future. Donors can be confident their contributions will be used exclusively in support of OETA,” King wrote in the statement. “We believe the future is brighter than ever for OETA as we move forward with high anticipation

and a renewed sense of purpose.” Despite the statement, some donors expressed concern about the way the lawsuit played out on OETA’s Facebook page. Rick Allen Lippert, who said he will no longer be a donor, first remembers giving $15 in a pledge drive as a college student in the ’70s. He went on to start appearing on-air, asking for donations to OETA. Lippert first read about the issues between OETA and the foundation through newspaper articles in December. “I was shocked to see that the OETA board was trying to basically take over the foundation. I wasn’t aware of anything prior to that,” he said. “I went so far as to read all of the court documents that the foundation had put on their website, and I was shocked again to see that the folks setting up the Friends of OETA foundation were folks directly involved with the OETA board and also the OETA executive director. That just reeked of conflict of interest to me.” The fact that Friends of OETA was being set up even before the lawsuit makes Lippert think King planned the takeover long before litigation began. “As I understand, even when Garrett King was on the foundation board, he was plotting to take over that foundation,” Lippert said. “This was a way of him to get his hands on millions of dollars. All this is a transfer of private donor money to basically a state agency, and there will be nothing really separating the Friends of OETA from OETA.” Under the settlement agreement, OETA guarantees job interviews for all foundation employees except Dowdy, whose employment has already been terminated and who must vacate her office by May 15. She will receive the “remaining compensation in her employment agreement” on her departure date, according to the agreement. “We all know that is the biggest pile of BS; that’s just damn laughable. There’s no way in hell the new foundation would hire anyone associated with the old foundation,” Lippert said. “It’s just PR spin. It’s an attempt to make the Friends of OETA seem like they’re nice, and they’re not.” Lippert, who is also a media coach and producer through his own company, Lippert Media, said he is sad for the future of public television. “I love public television,” he said. “I always enjoyed supporting and knowing that I was contributing every month to keep OETA on the air, and now I’m just going to feel like most Oklahomans – I’ll watch it and let somebody else pay for it. “I just know that I will never donate to any foundation supporting OETA as long as the people who are currently involved remain involved. … I think [the future of OETA] is going to be bleak. I like to think that a lot of the big foundations in the state are going to see that this is a sham; the whole thing is a sham, and they’re not going to play along with it.”

CO M M E N TA RY

Opinions expressed on the commentary page, in letters to the editor and elsewhere in this newspaper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ownership or management.

Clearing smoke

Oklahoma Gazette chooses cannabis over marijuana. By George Lang

Nearly a year ago, just before passage of State Question 788, I wrote an article in Oklahoma Gazette about the historic demonization of cannabis and how political and industrial forces conspired to destroy the market for the plant. Many industrialists and their political allies, including major timber, agricultural and chemical interests, aligned against cannabis to protect the timberbased paper industry and cotton’s dominance in the textile market. In particular, major industrialists like William Randolph Hearst and Andrew Mellon stoked anti-cannabis sentiment. In Hearst’s case, traditional paper production (he owned the trees, the means of production and the newspapers themselves) was at stake. For his own part, Mellon sought to protect the market for DuPont’s new synthetic fiber, nylon. By the 1920s, cannabis use in the United States had increased over the previous two decades, spurred by the adoption of Prohibition in 1920 and the immigration of Mexican workers following the 1910 revolution in their home country. Many of those recent immigrants preferred cannabis to alcohol, so forces in state legislatures and the U.S. Congress began using racial coding to create negative public attitudes toward cannabis and build political power against it.

| Photo Bigstock.com

States began passing anti-cannabis laws in 1915 and the fervor spread quickly, with a spate of similar state legislation passing over the next decade that often used racist language to get over with state representatives and white voters. The nastiness of the rhetoric was widespread, but I found a quote from an “expert witness” subpoenaed by the state legislature in Montana that seems typical of the racially coded strategy. “When some beet field peon takes a few rares of this stuff, he thinks he has just been elected president of Mexico, so he starts to execute all his political enemies,” said Dr. Fred Ulsher during a committee hearing. My best guess is that Ulsher never observed the use of cannabis, much less tried it. I have never seen anyone go ballistic while smoking pot. Alcohol can either magnify aggressive natures or diminish them based on individuals’ brain chemistry, but cannabis chills people out. Even sativa strains that typically foster more alert reactions do not usually elicit hyperaggressive behavior, much less the kind of hallucinatory delusions of grandeur Ulsher described. Also, Ulsher was clearly at least as interested in the care and feeding of racism as he was in the potential negative effects of cannabis. In

coining the term “marijuana,” white politicians and activists leveraged racism to satisfy their goals of eradicating cannabis as a competitive cash crop. Of course, this was a successful strategy. Together with the propagandists who created films such as Reefer Madness and Assassin of Youth, political leaders effectively demonized cannabis, hardwiring negative attitudes for the better part of a century. The coup de grace of this movement was the 1970 Controlled Substances Act that classified cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug, conferring upon it the same levels of danger and legal punishment as heroin. To this day, politicians will parrot talking points about cannabis being a “gateway drug” when no scientific data supports that notion. Much like the medicinal cannabis industry in Oklahoma, Oklahoma Gazette is still wrestling with the sea change in perception and use of cannabis. In our post SQ788 state, we must continually evaluate our coverage, much as we do with other social issues. Long-held beliefs and attitudes are falling by the wayside, and reflecting those changes rather than hanging onto dying tropes means progress for our publication, not to mention society as a whole. In this week’s issue, you will read about Gazette spring intern Nikita Lewchuk’s continuing exploration of gender identity, as well as Amo Amo singer Love Femme’s use of the gender-neutral pronouns zi and zir and Girlpool member Cleo Tucker’s hormone therapy as a trans man. As a progressive publication, we will always support our sources’ preferences for how they should be identified. In much the same way we will not refer to Jay-Z as “Mr. Carter,” we will not force people to conform to artificial rules when identifying them. Because the term “marijuana” has its

origins in a political and public relations campaign with racist overtones, Oklahoma Gazette and its new monthly publication Extract are adopting the term “cannabis” as an official style rule for references to the plant. This is not a “snowflaky” act on Oklahoma Gazette’s part, nor is it any kind of capitulation to political correctness. The decision is wholly journalistic in its nature. Marijuana is a derogatory slang term that was designed to denigrate an entire community while pushing a sociopolitical agenda. Because we do not trade in this kind of language or systematic subjugation of entire groups in any other area of our coverage, we should not do so in this case, either. Now, we are not going to change anyone’s quotes or mess with proper names — we have neither the power nor the inclination to change the name of Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA). If OMMA were to be inspired to become OMCA, that would be awesome, but we are not standing in judgment on a subject that could take years to resolve across the great expanse of culture. People who have called cannabis “marijuana” for several decades will likely continue to do so, and they will be quoted lovingly, accurately and without judgment. True progression often requires some kind of internal examination of how things are done, and if they are still valid. While Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still refers to the plant as “marijuana” on first reference, Oklahoma Gazette is pushing forward and not rewarding the behavior of bad actors in a largely discredited campaign. Henceforth, we are going with cannabis. George Lang is editor-in-chief of Oklahoma Gazette and began his career at Gazette in 1994. | Photo Gazette / file

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M AY 1 , 2 0 1 9

chicken

friedNEWS

Modern-day Oklahoma!

Good poo

After decades of being defined to outsiders by the whitewashed original Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, Oklahoma! is getting modern-day trappings on a new television series as a reimagined version takes its turn on Broadway. Skydance Media announced last week that it reached an agreement with Oklahoma! rights holders to produce a modern-day show with new music run by executive producer John Lee Hancock, writer and director of The Blind Side, but don’t expect Sandra Bullock in the role of Ado Annie. “This first-ever television series will expand on the life of this remarkably resilient show,” said a spokesman from the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization in a Variety story about the production. The announcement of the television series arrived days after Daniel Fish’s stripped-down version of the play earned a “smashing” review from The New York Times for its Broadway revival. In Fish’s production, an orchestra is replaced by a seven-member string band on-stage, and lavish costumes have been replaced with lots of denim. Fully stocked gun racks line the walls as front-row audience members sit at wooden tables with fresh bowls of chili, right in the middle of all of the action. The original Rodgers & Hammerstein production was groundbreaking during its 1943 debut for its use of the dream ballet, which didn’t just treat dance as filler; it advanced the plot of the story. The original’s chorus line has been replaced by a single barefoot dancer — a bald black woman — that is about “making a dance about outsiders that brings to mind issues of race, inequality and the treatment of women,” according to the Times. Finally, Oklahoma! is a set piece for modern dance that is an “expressionist explosion,” that better reflects the reality of the state, and we hope it’s only a matter of time before Fish’s version makes its way to the heartland.

Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is finally selling its poo. We are not sure who asked for this, but we are glad it is here. Two years ago, the zoo’s horticultural curator Lance Swearengin “looked up at the zoo’s ever-growing mountain of organic plant and animal waste” and saw gold. Brown gold, but gold nonetheless. Swearengin reached out to Minick Materials, a local landscaping company, and presented an idea that — not to be dramatic — changed the zoo forever. Minick agreed to use its resources and partner with the zoo, and OKC Zoo Poo was born. Not only did this alleviate the zoo’s “increasingly hard to manage 15-year-old compost heap,” but it spurred a premium, all-natural compost product that is great fertil-

izer for gardens. Because the zoo has such a huge “wealth of organic waste,” it initially took a month and 60 truckloads to transport 400,000 gallons of waste to Minick for processing. Zoo Poo was used for the zoo’s 160 acres of gardens at first, but now you can own the zoo’s brown gold yourself. The product dropped April 20, during the zoo’s Party for the Planet event. Small bags and large boxes were available for purchase through the early afternoon, and based on people’s reactions on social media, it was a hit. The zoo will only sell its poo in those quantities during special events, but anyone needing a big bulk of Zoo Poo can get it year-round from Minick at $50 per cubic yard. We hear it is good shit.

Bad actor

There was no indication of anything but a tragic accident, but as France’s Notre Dame cathedral burned last month, Videodrome sleazebag TV exec turned real-life right-wing Twitter tumor

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James Woods tweeted “Whether by design or accident, the great and glorious history of Christianity is being eradicated from the face of the new Europe. #Heartbreak.” To this obvious bit of faith-baiting, Oklahoma City standup comic and self-described “old-school internet troll” Zach Smith replied, “Shouldn’t you be on the set making a sequel to Vampires?” referencing the 1998 John Carpenter film in which Woods plays a vampire hunter employed by the Vatican. Smith’s tweet got four retweets and 49 likes. He went to bed. “I woke up the next morning, and I had, like, 98 notifications on Twitter,” Smith said. “And I was like, ‘Oh, boy. Something happened.’” What had happened was Woods replied. “Yeah, I’m late,” the actor known to many younger readers as the voice of Hades in Disney’s Hercules tweeted back. “Your mom’s lip got caught in my zipper. #INSTABLOCK.” The tweet pinned at the top of Smith’s page was about his mother’s ke-

toacidosis, a life-threatening condition that had put her in an intensive care unit. Woods, who really did block Smith to prevent any response, later tweeted that he’d read Smith’s feed and criticized him for having “no other recourse than insults” before the actor — who Amber Tamblyn alleged tried to pick her up when she was 16 and he was 53 — retweeted an image of Bernie Sanders next to Joseph Stalin and took a bigoted jab at Elizabeth Warren. Several of Woods’ followers meanwhile, tweeted at Smith to tell him to quit comedy or that his mom should have had an abortion. “I said, ‘It might be too late, but I’ll check with her,’” Smith said. “I just tried to counter it all by being positive and jokey. There’s more to life than arguing with strangers on the internet. … I do regret what I did, but I do wish there was a sequel to Vampires starring James Woods. … But I also don’t want him to get work because he seems like a real prick.” Smith reported gaining six followers.

News is no longer black & white & read all over. Oklahoma is not straight. Or white. Or conservative. Or Christian. Oklahoma contains a multitude of voices that need to be heard and stories that need to be told. OKG is here to tell them.

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M AY 1 , 2 0 1 9

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EAT & DRINK

Memorial Mediterranean

Hummus Mediterranean Cafe’s eponymous dish lives up to its top billing at its new second location. By Jacob Threadgill

Hummus Mediterranean Cafe 3000 W. Memorial Road, Suite 101 hummusmediterraneancafe.com | 405-216-5468 WHAT WORKS: The hummus is smooth and flavorful, and the rice is the star of the platter. WHAT NEEDS WORK: The steak is slightly overcooked. TIP: Try the muhammara.

Using a menu item in the name of a restaurant is either an act of extreme hubris or a good marketing decision, depending on whether or not it delivers a memorable quality product. Hummus Mediterranean Cafe opened its first location in Moore in 2012, and co-owner Ash Abuesheh heard from enough costumers that they were driving down from Edmond and north Oklahoma City to open a new location. In August 2018, the second Hummus Cafe, 3000 W. Memorial Road, Suite 101, opened in the shopping center at the corner of Memorial Road and May Avenue. “We tested the market on the north side, found huge potential and decided to go to a second location,” Abuesheh said. “The Memorial Road [location] is now famous for having so many restaurants. Our reputation in Moore has our [new] location. We have increased sales after opening the second location.” There’s a lot of competition for restaurants in the same shopping center: Poblano Grill, Chigama, Wagyu Japanese BBQ, The Metro Diner, Salata Salad Kitchen. There are also a few other Mediterranean restaurants in the vicin-

left Za’atar pie served on manakeesh flatbread right A falafel sandwich with a side of tabbouleh | Photo Jacob Threadgill

ity: Nunu’s Mediterranean Cafe & Market and Baba G. Mediterranean Grill are on the other side of Memorial Road, and Shawarma & Co. is at Pennsylvania Avenue near NW 145th Street. Hummus Cafe serves the recipes that Abuesheh learned from his mother and grandmother that hail from Jordan. It includes some different offerings not found at other Mediterranean restaurants in the metro, including muhammara, which is a dip made of roasted red bell pepper and walnuts. It also serves manakeesh flatbreads that are baked with spices like za’atar or covered in cheese, either mozzarella or salty akwal. “All of our recipes are authentic, and nothing comes premade,” Abuesheh said. “Everything is fresh, and we use high-quality meat. For instance, we use Angus beef for our ground beef (kofta) and filet.” The décor inside Hummus Cafe is relaxed; it’s the kind of place you would go on a night you have a craving or don’t feel like cooking. There is a patio for outdoor eating and big windows for natural light. I dined at noon on a Monday, and there were only two other occupied tables. The server was attentive, and I ordered one of the restaurant’s eponymous dishes, which is one of eight hummus varieties on the menu. A plain blend of chickpeas, tahini and lemon are offered, also including jalapeño, paprika, pine nuts, ground beef, gyro and chickentopped hummus varieties in addition to the garlic version that I ordered ($6). The portion arrives topped with a healthy amount of olive oil and a huge dollop of garlic in the center of the hummus and comes with plenty of fresh

pita bread based on-site. The texture of the hummus was smooth and had the right balance between the nutty flavor of tahini and bright acidity of lemon. The extra olive oil prevented the hummus from solidifying like a block when I put the leftovers in my refrigerator overnight. Hummus Mediterranean also does not skimp on the fresh garlic, which is full of bite in its raw form. The pita made in-house is a nice touch and a huge upgrade from the stuff you get in the store. I ordered a za’atar pie, which is listed on the menu as a pita pie, but the manakeesh on which it is served is much thicker than pita. The spice blend is baked into the flatbread, and the crunch from the sesame seeds provided a nice texture contrast, but the next time I order the dish, I think I’d opt for the akwal cheese. The za’atar blend is found throughout the menu at Hummus Cafe, and it’s one of my favorites because it’s an herbaceous blend of thyme, oregano, sesame and sumac. Abuesheh said that they add sumac at the end for a little additional kick. Hummus Cafe’s falafel is served in large patties that are fried crispy on the outside, and the chickpea mixture is tender on the interior with plenty of herbs. You can order it in a basket of five or as a sandwich with pickles, tomato and tahini. I went into the meal thinking of ordering falafel as a plate, with rice and vegetables, but it’s not on the menu. Perhaps I’m the only one who wants that combination. “We make the falafel from scratch, which is a long process just to make one piece,” Abuesheh said. “It’s hard to eat with rice because it’s going to be dry, to be honest. With my restaurant experience, no one orders falafel with rice.” Instead, I ordered the sandwich,

Garlic hummus at Hummus Meditterranean Cafe in Oklahoma City | Photo Jacob Threadgill

which is packed with four huge patties. I took one off the bread and dipped the remaining falafel in hummus because I really like chickpeas or maybe it’s my body’s way of telling me to eat more protein. My Americanized palate likes a mint and yoghurt sauce with the falafel; I like the tahini sauce, but it’s kind of bitter. “That’s how it’s served in Jordan and across the Middle East,” Abuesheh said of the tahini sauce and falafel combination. “You’re not the only one who feels that way [in the U.S.]” I continued the meal by trying its lunch portion of the beef kebab plate, which is served with grilled tomatoes and onion, vermicelli rice and a choice of hummus, muhummara, baba ghannouj or Greek salad. I forgot to specify how I wanted the beef cooked, so it arrived on the welldone side, but the marinade is very tasty, and the dressing on the Greek salad is good enough to be bottled and sold. The star of the plate is the vermicelli rice, in which Abuesheh takes great pride. “Our rice is the signature,” he said. “We add five spices, but we mix it in there so that you won’t see them, but you’ll taste them.” I’m interested to see how the sitdown Hummus Cafe will do in contrast to fast-casual, counter-service concepts like Baba G.’s and Shawarma & Co. nearby. The service at Hummus was fine, but it also wasn’t very busy. It offers some things you can’t find elsewhere, and I would eat there again just for its rice alone. The hummus certainly lives up to its billing. Go to hummusmediterraneancafe. com.

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M AY 1 , 2 0 1 9

EAT & DRINK

Green Water

EXPERIENCE

EXPERIMENTAL FILMMAKING

A Festival of Experimental Film Ticketed screenings | 7:30 p.m. May 9-11 Second Saturday | 1-4 p.m. May 11 | FREE See daily film schedule and purchase tickets at oklahomacontemporary.org. Second Saturday films are free and family-friendly. Evening films ages 13+. oklahomacontemporary.org | 405 951 0000 | @okcontemporary 3000 General Pershing Blvd. | Oklahoma City, OK 73107

M AY 1 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

F E AT U R E

SEEN/UNSEEN

Hops Scot Angry Scotsman offers 24 beers at its new downtown taproom. By Jacob Threadgill

Science is the reason Ross Harper made his way to Oklahoma by way of Scotland, and it is also one of the reasons his brewery is turning out inventive beer at its western downtown brewery and taproom. Angry Scotsman Brewing, 704 W. Reno Ave., opened its taproom last week that features 24 beer taps, plush couches, a 5,000 square-foot patio with a good view of the city’s skyline and a dedicated food truck space. Co-owners Ross and Stephanie Harper built from Ross’ extensive homebrewing background to open Angry Scotsman in the Brewer’s Union taproom in late 2017 and moved into the full-sized brewing space at its current location in September 2018. After months of hosting pop-up taprooms in the brewing facility, the repurposed building that once operated as an auto repair shop is coming back to life in western downtown, a few blocks south of the Film Row district. “It’s the last frontier of [downtown] Oklahoma City,” Ross Harper said. “The fact that it’s a cool-looking building but that there is still a connection to some of the neighborhood is really cool.” The 1930s-era building features its original walls and trusses, but the 1,800 square-foot taproom is outfitted with modern amenities like USB ports for phone charging at the bar. “We saw the development in Film Row and this side of town — we saw so much promise — it seemed like the perfect opportunity,” Stephanie Harper said. Ross Harper named the brewery after a nickname he picked up in grad school while in Miami, Florida, which is the result of a misunderstanding of British slang.

Angry Scotsman’s new taproom boasts an airy and inviting space and 24 beer taps. | Photo Alexa Ace

“I told my roommates that I was feeling a bit rough that morning because I had a few beers the previous night and got a little pissed,” Harper said. “In the British vernacular, that means tipsy, but in the U.S., it means pissed-off angry, so my roommates think I’m some angry drunk, but thankfully the Angry Scotsman nickname picked up and not the angry drunk.” He also recounted his time as a teaching assistant when he told the class to bring a rubber to the test. “I should’ve said eraser; there were a few faux pas, to say the least,” Ross Harper said with a laugh. He moved to Oklahoma to work in research and development for FLIR Systems, an Oregon-based technology company with offices in Oklahoma. “His Ph.D. research was on bombsniffing dogs and their olfactory system and abilities,” Stephanie said, bragging on her husband. “[FLIR Systems] was interested and used it to make FIDO, which is an explosives detector that was one of the things they used in Iraq to detect IEDs, based off of his research.”

Heaven and helles

Ross Harper started to brew beer at home shortly after moving to Oklahoma in 2005 due to the state’s lack of a craft beer scene at the time, but he soon began to get creative, building off his culinary and science background. “He was brewing all of the time and was fantastic about taking requests, and he viewed it as a personal challenge,” Stephanie Harper said. “We’d have a commercial beer out at a restaurant,

LUNCH & DINNER ON THE PATIO and he’d say that he could make it better, and he always would.” Ross burns the candle at both ends, retaining his day job with FLIR and working with Angry Scotsman, but he has turned over head-brewing duties to Cody Driscoll, formerly of Iron Monk Brewing Company, who recently completed a degree in microbiology and joins forces with Ross Harper, who is a Ph.D. chemist. “Cody is able to really take the microbiology approach to clean beer, good yeast process,” Ross Harper said. “He’s convinced me to consider new fermentation approaches or new techniques for sanitation that I might not have tried simply because he knows the science behind it. We’re absolutely science-ing the shit out of the beer back there.” Angry Scotsman’s portfolio is built around five core beers, but there are also seasonal choices, rotating IPAs and plenty of small-batch brews pouring from the brewery’s remaining taps. Its top-selling beer is the Rusty Kiltpin, a Scottish-style export ale that is similar to the boozy and malty Scottish Ale but different at the same time. “It is effectively its younger brother,” Ross Harper said. “It’s a 5 percent session drinker, and it’s got a bit of the caramels, vanilla and a little bit of biscotti up front, but it finishes drier and much crisper. It’s a dark beer for people that like light beers.” Its other year-round beers include the American rye pale ale Pale Ryder, black IPA Night Terror, porter Left Luggage and German-style helles lager Gateway to Helles, the later of which Ross Harper created after Stephanie went to the store to buy Modelo, even though they typically followed a “no commercial beer in the house” rule. “Not many people realize that Mexican lagers like Tecate and Modelo

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Angry Scotsman Brewing’s expansive patio offers beautiful views of downtown Oklahoma City. | Photo Alexa Ace

all have German heritage,” Ross Harper said. “They are German by style and definition. Those are German beers because they were German immigrants who moved to Mexico back in the day. You want a nice patio sipper. It’s an industry beer because it’s what we drink behind the scenes when we’re tired of barrel-aged and quaffing.” Specialty beers on tap include a witbier brewed with gunpowder green tea and lemongrass, a roasted pepperinfused German lager and a seasonal offering with hibiscus and saffron. “We’re super stoked to be at this point where we can open our doors and be part of west downtown,” Ross Harper said. “We just really wanted to make something that we love and that lots of other people would love too,” Stephanie Harper said. Visit angryscotbrew.com.

Ross Harper parlayed his science background into brewing beer at Angry Scotsman Brewing. | Photo Alexa Ace

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M AY 1 , 2 0 1 9

GAZEDIBLES

EAT & DRINK

Fresh concepts

Can you believe we are almost halfway through 2019? Plenty of new concepts opened in Oklahoma City this year. Here are seven of the best. By Jacob Threadgill with photos Gazette / file and provided

Birra Birra Craft Pizzeria

EL Huevo Mexi-Diner

This new Chisholm Creek offering is much more than just wood-fired pizza. It also offers robust salads, sandwiches and pasta items. A lot of pizza places might have a few non-pie items, but Birra Birra makes sure everyone is happy, even including deep-dish pizza. The casual concept also offers plenty of draft beer and wine.

Building off the success of Neighborhood JA.M., this new Hal Smith Restaurant Group concept is a bruncheria where breakfast foods get south-of-the-border influence. House specialties include the Carne Loco omelet with taco meat and chorizo, corn-flake crust Cuban French toast and the Rumbler featuring smoked ham on buttermilk biscuits with chorizo gravy.

1316 W. Memorial Road, Suite 102 birrabirrapizzeria.com | 405-607-0060

’S D R E H T

3522 24th Ave. NW, Norman. elhuevomexidiner.com | 405-310-3157

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Black Walnut

100 NE Fourth St. culinaryedge.events/blackwalnutmenu 405-445-6273

Chef Andrew Black’s casual concept in Deep Deuce is nestled between his two other restaurants, La Baquette Deep Deuce and upscale Grey Sweater. He takes guests around the world with inventive menu pairings like his take on surf and turf with grass-fed beef, prawns with chimichurri honey Peruvian potatoes and lobster broth.

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The Banquet Cinema Pub 800 NW Fourth St. banquetcinema.com

Not only is Banquet the place to check out first-run major releases and hardto-find independent films, it’s also a great neighborhood pub and restaurant. The menu is built around pizza and salads but will continue to expand and already offers dinner and a movie on Thursday that includes a three-course meal with alcohol pairings.

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Chalk Sports Bar

1324 W. Memorial Road chalkokc.com | 405-242-2112

More than just becoming Oklahoma City’s go-to place to watch the game — there are more screens 100 video screens of all sizes — Chalk has comfortable booths and a from-scratch kitchen. Even if you aren’t in the mood to watch a game, it is worth it to check out Chalk for its smoked chicken wings, lasagna bites, sliders and entrees like pork osso bucco.

Museum Cafe

415 Couch Drive okcmoa.com/cafe | 405-235-6262

Though certainly not a new restaurant, the cafe at Oklahoma City Museum of Art might as well be now that it is operated by A Good Egg Dining Group. The minds behind such places as Cheever’s Cafe and Kitchen No. 324 unveiled its new menu at Museum Cafe earlier this month. The lunch and dinner menu have plenty of Italian and worldly influence, as highlighted by the cacio e pepe naan appetizers.

Whiskey Biscuit Bar & Grill 322 NE Second St. whiskeybiscuitokc.com 405-673-7944

This new Deep Deuce bar and grill has plenty of items that fulfill each part of its name. The menu is built around from-scratch biscuits and features dishes like classic sausage gravy with fried crawfish or the Inferno Smash Burger with smoked ghost pepper cheese, grilled onions, fried wonton, avocado and sweet Thai sauce.

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ARTS & CULTURE

ART

left Michael Waugh’s 57-by-89-inch ink drawing “The Unraveling (The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report, part 8)” is included in the exhibit Seeing Now on display through December at 21c Museum Hotel. | Photo Michael Waugh / provided

Text messages

Michael Waugh’s mixed-media creations using dense government reports are part of the Seeing Now exhibit. By Jeremy Martin

Creating illustrations out of text copied from government reports and economic treatises gave visual artist Michael Waugh a way to simplify his drawing style. “It was actually just going to be one drawing and I’d go onto other things,” Waugh said, recalling his first use of the technique known as micrography. “It was an image of a submarine underwater based on a drawing of an airplane looking down at the sea, and like a shadow of a submarine, so it was just like waves with the outline of a submarine barely visible and a periscope sticking up in the middle of the waves. “On the most basic level, a drawing of waves is just a bunch of lines, so it looks very much like a page of writing. So there was this very direct connection between how writing looks and how waves look. That was the whole drawing; there’s nothing else going on. But after I did that piece, I realized that using this method solved a lot of problems for me, and my drawings, before using this method, were just way too complicated. There are too many ideas. There’s too much going on, and they just overwhelmed people. This method allows me to pack a lot of information in there, but it kind of reveals itself narratively or even theatrically. And in that way, it’s kinder to the viewers. It doesn’t demand they see everything at once.” While Waugh would later copy text from presidential speeches, economist Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations and congressional reports on the 2008 financial crisis and 9/11 to create elaborate ink illustrations that have only abstract connections to the text, this 18

M AY 1 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

first work revealed an explicit link between the illustration and the handwritten words used to create it. “That drawing had two texts in it,” Waugh said. “There was a historical text, which was a book about submarine warfare, so there is a kind of direct connection to the image, but then I took that text and I rewrote it as gay porn. So all of the language was flipped. Heavy, militaristic language is very easy to pervert.” Waugh’s 57-by-89-inch ink drawing “The Unraveling (The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report, part 8)” is included in the exhibit Seeing Now, on display through December at 21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St. The exhibit also includes paintings, sculptures, photographs and other artworks by Hank Willis Thomas, Ken Gonzales-Day, Nidaa Badwan, Rina Castelnuovo, Graciela Sacco, Terence Hammonds and more.

Financial times

Waugh — who has degrees in history, poetry and painting — adopted his method in order to allow viewers to process information at their own pace, but he said the real world is rarely so kind. Although he spent hours copying text (verbatim without erotic embellishments) from The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report into a series of drawings based on 19th-century etchings, he still did not have time to read and comprehend the document, which is more than 500 pages. “My understanding of economics was very thin before, and now I think I have a better understanding of economics,” Waugh said, “but I don’t pretend to be an expert. … My mind is doing so

above A detail from “The Unraveling” reveals Waugh’s method of micrography; the illustration is composed of hand-copied text from a government economic report. | Photo Michael Waugh / provided

many other things to create the image; there is this kind of melancholy. I think it’s sad that there’s so much information in the world that people can’t know as much as they need to, and then I don’t really have the time to become an expert on these things, either, because I’m making an image, which is one reason why I don’t claim to be an expert on economics. I’m more like everybody else. I’m overwhelmed by how much there is to know and how much you need to know. … The members of Congress who needed to read this, of course, have their interns and staff read it because they don’t have time to read it, either.” The tragic irony of information overload in the age of the internet is a recurring theme in the Seeing Now exhibition, which 21c museum director and chief curator Alice Gray Stites described in a written statement as an exploration of “what and how we see today, revealing the visible and hidden forces shaping both what the contemporary world looks like and how we consume and interpret that information.” Waugh said he wants his own art to remain open to interpretation, even if viewers do not initially comprehend its full intent. “I’m attracted to work that can function on many levels,” Waugh said. “I want to make work that looks good and is engaging, just on that immediate visual level, but that if people spend time with it, it’s going to give them more. If somebody only was interested in the image, it’s not like they would miss out. They would still get a full experience, just a different one. … It’s really interesting to watch people see the work for the first time and when they realize there’s something else going on. People have their gallery face on, and they’re looking pretty confident and scratching their chin. And then their eyes widen a little and they realize that what they thought is not what’s going on.” The text used to create “The Unraveling” is a report intended to clarify the eco-

nomic realities leading to a recession, but its relation to Waugh’s drawing of a horse mid-gallop is deliberately oblique. Waugh said he based the drawing on an existing etching but altered the image “either subtly or, you know, not so subtly.” “There’s a fence post behind the horse, which I think in the original was a cross,” Waugh said. “Instead, there is a cross under the horse’s hoof that’s been trampled on, and the horse in my drawing is a little more emaciated-looking.”

Observing reports

Creating artwork from The 9/11 Commission Report proved more difficult, Waugh said, because he had a harder time disassociating from the text. “I think I just did the first chapter, which is this devastating, blow-by-blow description of the day of the attacks and what happened on the planes, what the stewardesses were saying in the cabin,” Waugh said. “It’s so dramatic and devastating, it was hard not to read it. It took me a long time to copy it because I kept reading it instead of copying it. There’s only so many things your mind can do at once.” Waugh is still unsure how to process the U.S. government’s most recent lengthy and high-profile report. “When the report on Abu Ghraib torture came out, I did a piece the next month,” Waugh said, “but nothing has struck me with the Mueller report. I don’t know what I would do with the redacted sections.” An opening reception featuring a presentation by Waugh is 7-9 p.m. May 9 at 21c Museum Hotel. Admission is free. Visit 21cmuseumhotels.com.

Seeing Now through December 21c Museum Hotel 900 W. Main St. 21cmuseumhotels.com | 405-982-6900 Free

2019 14TH ART SHOW & BENEFIT

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ELLEN PRICE

May 3rd, Friday Reception, Everyone Welcome 4–8 pm May 4th & 5th, Saturday & Sunday, 11 am– 5:30 pm

FILM

The Shoppes At Northpark — Northpark Mall entrance across from Rococo

Indelible images

Seen/Unseen: A Festival of Experimental Film seeks to convert new viewers to the joys of experimental film. By Jeremy Martin

When Kim Voynar was growing up in Oklahoma City, the chance to see a foreign film felt, well, foreign. “I distinctly remember in high school when the Will Rogers Theatre was screening Das Boot,” Voynar said, “and it was a very big deal that there was this film in German screening in Oklahoma City. ‘It has subtitles, you guys.’” Now based in Seattle, Washington, Voynar — who said she was not exposed to experimental film until she moved away from the city and began working as a professional film critic — is returning to her hometown to curate Seen/ Unseen: A Festival of Experimental Film May 9-11 at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd. In selecting the programming for the festival’s inaugural year, Voynar said she drew inspiration from the Ann Arbor Film Festival she attended more than a decade ago, where she was introduced to a vast array of experimental film and “really got [her] mind blown.” By screening influential films by Sara Kathryn Arledge, Maya Deren and Stan Brakhage alongside contemporary works by cutting-edge filmmakers, Voynar hopes to offer the same for budding cinephiles. “If I was programming a festival like this in Seattle or L.A., my expectation would be that the people coming are already quite familiar with experimental film and are seeking out the festival because they’re already experimental film buffs,” Voynar said. “My expectation is that for the vast majority of people coming to any of these screenings, this may be the first time they’ve ever seen any experimental film at all, or even are grasping what that means. … I felt like it was important to have a couple of foundational pieces in the program, which is why we have some Brakhage and we have Maya Deren and

A still from Stephen Hillerbrand and Mary Magsamen’s Higher Ground | Photo provided

Sarah Katherine Arledge in the opening program on Thursday, but I didn’t want to have the whole program to just be built on foundational, textbook stuff. I think it’s important for the people coming to see that part of the purpose of having a festival like this is the modern, contemporary working artists who are still working on furthering this art form.” Oklahoma Contemporary artistic director Jeremiah Matthew Davis said the festival aligns with two of the art center’s objectives: to seek out ways “art can be leveraged to create something new or something creative” and “trying to break down boundaries and make new connections for people to celebrate human creativity in the 21st century.” “One of our primary roles as a contemporary art center is to expand people’s understanding of what art can be and what art can do,” Davis said. “While all of us spend a lot of time watching moving images through traditional Hollywood movies — two-hour, three-act structure; famous, beautiful people on the screen in front of us — I don’t know that there’s a lot of understanding or attention that’s been paid to different ways of incorporating moving images and viewing film less as an entertainment vehicle and more as a medium of visual arts. So we’re definitely interested in introducing the type of film work that’s maybe not available at other spots around town.”

Film discovery

Each day of programming has a specific theme: Thursday is Cinematic Disruption and features foundational continued on page 20

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A SEASONAL GUIDE TO CENTRAL OKLAHOMA

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ARTS & CULTURE continued from page 19

films such as Brakhage’s 1963 Mothlight, created without a camera by pressing leaves, insects and other found natural objects between two strips of 16mm splicing tape; Friday is Breathing Room and features a variety of films including abstract animation, found footage and Marnie Ellen Hertzler’s Hi I Need to Be Loved, featuring auditioning actors reading lines from spam emails; Saturday is Animation as Art and features a free family-friendly programming block in the afternoon.

FILM

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The Chickasaw Nation Arts & Humanities Division

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A still from Sabine Gruffaut’s Amarillo Ramp | Photo provided

“In my experience, children are much more open than adults to experimental cinema,” Voynar said. “You don’t really have to tell them, ‘Let go of your expectations of what 20 or 30 or 40 years of consuming mainstream media have indoctrinated you to think cinema is. Children tend to be very open to things that are different. I expect that they’ll be restless and maybe wanting to move around, and that’s fine. I’m a mom of five, so I don’t have a problem with kids moving around while they’re enjoying art. Hopefully we’ll have lots of room out front where the smaller kids will be able to stretch their legs out and wiggle around. It’s a short program. It’s 45 minutes. The pieces in it are short, and that’s by design. It will give them a good exposure from an early age of a broad sampling of experimental cinema.” While the children watch, Voynar said she will be standing in the back, observing their reactions. The films include Black Ice, which Brakhage made in 1994 after slipping on the titular substance and getting a concussion. Voynar described it as an “abstract representation of, basically, what it looks like after you hit your head really hard and the world is spinning and black and weird.” But she is most interested to see how young viewers react to Vanessa Renwick’s film Britton, South Dakota. “It’s an eight-minute piece of found footage that was shot in South Dakota during the Great Depression,” Voynar said. “There’s all these mothers who got their kids dressed up in their Sunday best and stood them inside of a cinema, and the guy shoots 30 seconds or what-

ever of film of each of them. It’s so interesting to me as an adult to watch that; I’ve probably watched that piece more than anything else of hers. … These children are just, like, staring seriously right into the camera’s lens, and this was 1936 when little kids didn’t even know what movies were or cinema was, right? So they’re staring into this camera’s lens just with this honest and genuineness of expression over and over and over again. I’m really curious to see how children respond to seeing that piece, if they will be interested in these young children dressed in old-timey clothes in this old-timey film, or will they be restless and bored? I don’t know. … It’s an experiment. My hypothesis is that they will like it, but I could be proven wrong.” With a wide variety of offerings, Voynar said she expects to get mixed reactions from the audience, but getting the right reaction from a single viewer would make the experiment worthwhile. “Part of the fun and beauty of cinema is every piece doesn’t have to be for everyone,” Voynar said, “but if even one of those kids, if we catch a spark in one of them that a decade or two decades from then makes them want to be an artist, then I feel like we’ve done more than enough with this program.” The festival will also include discussions between Voynar and featured filmmakers — Renwick on Thursday and Sabine Gruffat on Friday. Saturday will conclude with a screening of Brent Green’s A Brief Spark Bookended By Darkness with a live score played by Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty. Tickets are $15-$40. Visit oklahomacontemporary.org.

A still from Ana Nedeljković’s Untravel | Photo provided

Seen/Unseen: A Festival of Experimental Film May 9-11 Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center 3000 General Pershing Blvd. oklahomacontemporary.org | 405-951-0000 $15-$40

CO M M U N I T Y

from left John Traylor III, Korey Eakers and DeQuan Cooper of Grand Gentlemen help position high school students for success. | Photo Alexa Ace

Suited for leadership

Grand Gentlemen guides young men of color to combat institutional racism and toxic masculinity. By Charles Martin

A business suit cannot stop a bullet, it will not make you invisible to racial profiling and it will not grant you mystical superpowers to overcome institutional racism. Korey Eakers did not co-found the lifestyle brand and mentorship program Grand Gentlemen because he believed that fashion could extinguish centuries of institutional racism, but he hoped it might give young African American men more confidence to diffuse and disrupt prejudice. “If a police officer feels threatened by a black guy, there’s nothing we can do about that; that’s on the police,” Eakers said. “We can’t control if they are threatened or how they are trained. We can only control how we present ourselves. We look at our photo shoots as positive propaganda; it means a lot to young black men to see a young man in a suit, being articulate, professional and happy.” Grand Gentlemen began as a fashion blog in 2014, founded by Eakers and John (Jontrae) Traylor III that paired lifestyle coverage with positive messaging. A wave of high-profile shootings of African American men by police officers soon shifted their focus as they felt an urgency to help prepare young men for the dangerous world beyond high school. “I wanted to do something with youth to get our community moving in a better direction,” Eakers said. “Whatever we put out on our blog, whether fashion or aesthetic, we wanted to add a positive,

uplifting message towards our peers and those younger than us.” At the time the blog began, Eakers was a student athlete working full-time at a clothing store with Traylor, trying to fit Grand Gentlemen into their busy lives. As the blog’s following grew, so did the opportunities to engage in the African American community by teaching youth how to tie a proper tie, how to act and dress professionally and how to use their outward projection to open doors to better careers. Eakers described the mission as caring for a neighborhood in which every house is a different issue that the African American community faces. Though Grand Gentlemen wants to address all these issues, he believes its focus needs to be on male high school seniors because “you’ve got one house on fire and you are going to take care of that fire before you can take care of anything else on that block.” It is where Eakers feels the most connection because, despite all he has done to become a community leader, he still tenses up every time he sees a police car. “Just a couple weeks ago, I swerved to miss a pothole and got pulled over,” Eakers said. “The police officer came out, flashing his flashlight in my eyes, his hand on his gun. Look, I’m not a particularly threatening black guy. I was wearing a topcoat with some Chelsea boots. Statistically, this happens more to African Americans, and you can’t really change how someone else sees

you. If there is a cop that doesn’t like black guys, he just won’t like black guys. He might be more threatened by you, which might mean he’ll also be more aggressive with you.” A young man with confidence, Eakers said, is better equipped to diffuse the tension and keep the moment from spiraling into violence. This is why Grand Gentlemen focuses on introducing young men to culture, art, music and a wider world beyond what they grew up around. It will make it easier for them to not only handle themselves in potentially dangerous moments, but also advance in the professional world and empathize with whomever they might come across in the course of their lives.

There needs to be investment in these communities and investment in these young men. Korey Eakers “When you take men who’ve come from our environment, take them to see some art, teach them to start dressing better, respect themselves, then that hyper-aggression some black men have will start to go down,” Eakers said. “That hyper-aggression stems from, ‘You don’t like me, so I don’t like you.’” This contributes to another problem Eakers sees within the community: toxic masculinity. Eakers said that misogyny, homophobia and other symptoms of toxic masculinity cannot be changed overnight, but presenting positive role models for young men will help change the culture.

Raising awareness

Grand Gentlemen started the Man of the Year Awards in 2018 and presented the first awards to high school seniors Leon Fields and Day’Quann Ervin.

“They filled out the app, wrote an essay, had a certain GPA and extracurriculars,” Eakers said. “They showed a lot of initiative; it was like a job interview, and they were contacting us to see what they could do to stand out more. They each got $500 and a new suit because they are going to college; they’ll be going on job interviews and maybe have to give a speech. We want them looking nice when they do.” Eakers said that Fields is now at Langston University studying biology while Ervin studies psychology at University of Central Oklahoma. Both graduated from Frederick A. Douglass Mid-High School, where Grand Gentlemen had focused its energy to find candidates. “We wanted to work with Douglass because it is the pride of the east side,” Eakers said. “If you can make a big impact at Douglass, it’ll catch on everywhere else.” Grand Gentlemen now wants to extend its reach to more high schools. It supplemented a GoFundMe campaign with its own money for the first year and is now looking for partnerships to raise $10,000 for three scholarships. Donations can also be made at gofundme.com/grandgents. Grand Gentlemen has far surpassed what Eakers and Traylor envisioned almost five years ago thanks to a growing staff of mentors. They have begun making short films through Mad Dreams Cinema with cinematographer DeQuan Cooper and producing events like Valentine’s Day-themed Art of Romance in partnership with OkSessions. “People want to talk about what’s wrong with the east side and why aren’t there more black-owned businesses, but there needs to be investment in these communities and investment in these young men,” Eakers said. “With Man of the Year, we get to see these kids compete to see who can be the best young gentleman. It’s wild.” Eakers said there is a growing trend of young, black professionals sculpting the future of the community. Though Eakers wants Grand Gentlemen to remain focused on high school seniors, he also hopes to help other organizations to reach out to all aspects of the African American community while remaining clear-eyed about the problems faced by young black men and women. “A suit cannot protect you from racism,” Eakers said. “Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were wearing suits when they were shot. But if you can present yourself in a more thoughtful and respectful way, think more and trust that when you talk to a police officer, you can project yourself as a kind and thoughtful person; you mean him no harm. It might just save your life.” Visit grandgentlemen.com.

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M AY 1 , 2 0 1 9

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Curious goods

Craig’s Curious Emporium features metaphysical, spiritual and unique items you will have a hard time finding anywhere else. By Miguel Rios

Opened in 1995, Craig’s Curious Emporium slowly became a staple in The Paseo Arts District until it moved last August. Relocating to the corner of NW 23rd Street and Classen Boulevard not only provided much more space, but it also helped introduce the unique store to people unaware it even existed. Craig Travis first opened Craig’s Emporium in what is now The Other Room on his 25th birthday. Three years later, Craig’s moved across the street, where it stayed for more than 20 years. Travis had a front-row seat to watch the Paseo grow and evolve over time, but he remembers nearby stores and galleries being locked in his first few years. “Most of the galleries were too scared to be opened, so you had to be buzzed Mustache-themed tea towels at Craig’s Curious Emporium | Photo Alexa Ace

in,” he said. “The first year I was there, I would go for two or three days without somebody even coming in the door. I read a lot of books that summer.” Travis tried to buy the building in the Paseo, but he said an under-thetable deal between other parties ultimately prevented him from doing so. “Things happen like they’re supposed to. We teach karma; karma comes around and does what it does,” Travis said. “I think we come out smelling like a rose because, I mean, the new purchase is hundreds of thousands of dollars less for four times the space and 10 times the traffic. The traffic is incredible, and I would say we’ve just really come out ahead.” Travis bought the new building, restored the storefront display windows and painted the panels Pride colors. With the move, the store also grew from 1,500 square feet to 8,000. “It’s more comfortable, and there’s more magic. I probably should have moved sooner; I really should have. The customers that come in are just more at ease; they’re not on top of each other. The trade-off has been phenomenal,” he said. “The rainbow actually has a double meaning. My partner and I are getting married in the fall. And the front of the building is actually gay Pride, and then as it rounds the corner, it becomes chakra because chakra has seven colors; gay Pride is only six.” The new location, which is the former home of Macias Dance Center, has been good for business, Travis said. He speaks with people almost daily who had no idea Craig’s existed in Paseo because they never really explored that area. Its new community has also been very welcoming. “This area has been open-arms the entire way. We met the pastors of Trinity [Baptist Church] next to us, and you would think that a metaphysical store and a

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Baptist church would not get along,” Travis said. “They came over and they said, ‘We’re so happy with what you’re doing. This corner has been so terrible for so long that we got 10 parking spaces reserved in our parking lot for you.’”

Metaphysically unique

Travis describes the store’s inventory as “things you can’t find in the city anywhere else.” The store sells clothing, healing stones, tarot cards, suits of armor, crystal balls, rosaries, various Egyptian-themed items and much more. Travis often does not know where to refer people who are interested in larger selections of their items. “Our slogan is, ‘The most magical place in Oklahoma,’ and it’s all of the fantastical items that you can’t find other places,” Travis said. “It’s a treat for the senses — there’s great music, there’s smells, there’s a giant waterfall.” The store also features items made in-house like candles, incense, fragrance oils and jewelry; Travis even boasts its patchouli is “the best in the state.” He said customers can expect a good experience with positive energy and great customer service. “There’s a massive amount of good energy here, and when you step in, people immediately feel it,” he said. “We do free gift wrap. The employees are knowledgeable about all of these unusual items that you see in the store because things take explanation sometimes. And a lot of the things we make ourselves here. You can see people making jewelry in the store, which is really nice because if you want

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Craig’s Curious Emporium’s recent move to the corner of NW 23rd Street and Classen Boulevard more than quadrupled its space. | Photo Alexa Ace

something altered — say you want this necklace but in a longer chain or this earring as a pendant — it can be done right there in front of you.” Craig’s has sold these types of items throughout its 23 years in business, so Travis said they know their way around them. With metaphysical items regaining popularity, he said they seem to be leading the pack and providing truly unique products and experiences. “Many of our suppliers don’t sell to any other stores in Oklahoma City, or we’re their best customer in the region because we do so much business with them. That’s a lot to be said for a small, one-location store,” he said. “One of my favorite things is when people bring friends or out-oftown guests into the store; they’re never disappointed or overwhelmed. It’s a gift just to bring somebody in here.” Craig’s also hosts Third Eye Saturday on the third Saturday of each month. “We have tarot card readers, we have henna artists, we do lectures sometimes on magically enhancing your candles or conducting a séance,” Travis said. “That was so successful last fall that we’ve gone on to do tarot card readers every Friday, Saturday, Sunday — short of a holiday. … That’s generated a lot of interest; the readers are busy all day long, and we could probably add Wednesday and Thursday to the mix if we need to.” Find the store’s official Facebook page for more information.

Oklahoma City 501 NE 122nd Street, Suite C 405.752.0142 expressionshomegallery.com

KITCHEN & BATH SHOWROOM

CALENDAR are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

BOOKS Free Comic Book Day get free comic books, view sketches from local artists and shop for back issues at this annual event, May 4. New World Comics, 6219 N. Meridian Ave., 405-721-7634, newworldcomics. net. SAT Oklahoma Voices hear featured poets read from their works at this monthly event, 2 p.m. the first Sunday of every month. IAO Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-232-6060, iaogallery.org. SUN

FILM 2 Seconds (1998, Canada, Manon Briand) a retired downhill bicycle racer finds a new life in Montreal in this film presented by Herland Sister Resources as part of its Queer Film Continuum series, 7-9:30 p.m. May 4. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. SAT Ask Dr. Ruth (2019, USA, Ryan White) America’s most famous sex therapist Ruth Westheimer reflects on her life as her 90th birthday approaches, May 3. Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave., 405-235-3456. FRI VHS and Chill: Blockbusted Video riff along with comedians and film fans at this monthly movie screening where audience participation is encouraged, 7-9 p.m. first Wednesday of every month. The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-8873327, theparamountroom.com. WED Who Will Write Our History (2018, USA, Roberta Grossman) a documentary chronicling the efforts of a clandestine band of journalists, scholars and community leaders who resisted occupying Nazis in the Warsaw Ghetto, May 1-2. Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave., 405-235-3456. WED-THU

HAPPENINGS The Archaeology of the Night Sky University of Oklahoma associate professor Kerry Magruder and graduate research assistant Brent Purkaple lecture about the history of stargazing, 6:15-7:30 p.m. May 3. Pioneer Library System, 225 N Webster Ave., Norman, 405-701-2600, pioneerlibrarysystem. org/norman. FRI Board Game Day enjoy local craft beer while playing old-school board and arcade games with friends, 5-8 p.m. Sundays. FlashBack RetroPub, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-633-3604, flashbackretropub.com. SUN Chicago Steppin Class learn how to do the popular dance at this free weekly class, 7-9 p.m. Thursdays. L & G’s on the BLVD, 4801 N. Lincoln Blvd., 405-5242001, facebook.com/landgsontheblvd. THU Coffee with Real Estate Investors network over coffee and discuss topics such as real estate investing, building a successful business and chasing the American dream, 7 p.m. Wednesdays. Starbucks, 5800 W. Memorial Road, 405-722-6189, starbucks.com. WED Conversational Spanish Group Meetup an opportunity for all experience levels to practice speaking Spanish, 7 p.m. Tuesdays. Full Circle Book-

store, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. TUE COOP Ale Works Summer Seasonal Release celebrate the return of Fly Me Away IPA at this party benefitting the Uptown 23rd District, 3-6 p.m. May 4. The Pump Bar, 2425 N. Walker Ave., 405-702-8898, pumpbar.net. SAT Downtown Edmond Arts Festival enjoy facepainting, games, interactive crafts, live art demonstrations and more at this annual celebration, now in its 41st year, May 3-5. Downtown Edmond, 32 N. Broadway Ave., 405-249-9391, downtownedmondok.com. FRI-SUN May the Fourth Star Wars Trivia showoff your knowledge of the Star Wars series and compete in a costume competition, 2-5 p.m. May 4. COOP Ale Works Tap Room, 4745 Council Heights Road, 405842-2667, coopaleworks.com. SAT A Night to Remember: A Prom for Adults relive your prom night at this dance party hosted by Let’s Fix This, 7-10 p.m. May 4. 21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com. SAT Red Dirt Dinos: An Oklahoma Dinosaur Adventure learn about regional prehistoric reptiles at this hands-on exhibit featuring three interactive robotic dinosaurs, through Sept. 2. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. THU-WED Revealing Ramadan learn about the muslim holy month and enjoy a Ramadan-inspired meal at this event hosted by CAIR Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Conference of Churches, 6-8 p.m. May 7. Mercy Food Pantry, 3840 N. St Clair Ave., 405-982-7686. TUE Trivia Night at Matty McMillen’s answer questions for a chance to win prizes at this weekly trivia night, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Matty McMillen’s Irish Pub, 2201 NW 150th St., 405-607-8822, mattymcmillens.com. TUE VDubs on Auto Alley a family- and pet-friendly car show and street festival featuring live music, art exhibits, a photo booth and more, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. May 4. Automobile Alley, 1015 N. Broadway Ave., 405488-2555, automobilealley.org. SAT Yom HaShoah/Holocaust Remembrance Day Anti-Defamation League national director emeritus Abraham H. Foxman is scheduled to speak at this program presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City, 2 p.m. May 5. Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School, 801 NW 50th St., 405-842-6638, bmchs.org. SUN

FOOD Burger Day Festival enjoy live music, games, rides and, of course, an 8-and-a-half-foot, 850 pound onion burger at this annual festival, May 3-4. El Reno Main Street, 119 South Rock Island Ave., 405262-8888, elrenomainstreet.com. FRI-SAT Margarita Festival enjoy live music, food and the popular fruity alcoholic beverage at this outdoor event, 4-10 p.m. May 4. Bicentennial Park, 500 Couch drive, 405-297-3882, facebook.com/pages/Bicentennial. SAT Paseo Farmers Market shop for fresh food from local vendors at this weekly outdoor event, 9 a.m.noon Saturdays, through Oct. 19. SixTwelve, 612 NW 29th St., 405-208-8291, sixtwelve.org. SAT

YOUTH Early Explorers toddlers and preschoolers can participate in fun scientific activities they can repeat

Norman Pride Live bands, family-friendly fun, educational opportunities and, of course, a parade are all planned for this three-day celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. Things kick off Friday on Main Street with food trucks, face painting, karaoke, a drag show and a ribbon cutting ceremony. See more live performances, shop vendors, attend a story hour presented by drag queens and kings and more on Saturday at Campus Corner, and close it out Sunday at the parade downtown. The festivities take place Friday-Sunday at various locations in downtown Norman. Admission is free. Visit normanokpride.org. FRIDAY-SUNDAY Photo Nathaniel Smith / provided

later at home, 10-11 a.m. Thursdays. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. THU Reading Wednesdays a weekly story time with hands-on activities, goody bags and reading-themed photo ops, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Wednesdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. WED

Red Dirt Open Mic a weekly open mic for comedy and poetry, hosted by Red Dirt Poetry, 7:30-10:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Sauced on Paseo, 2912 Paseo St., 405-521-9800, saucedonpaseo.com. WED

Story Time with Britt’s Bookworms enjoy snacks, crafts and story time, 10:30-11:30 a.m. first and third Thursday of every month. Thrive Mama Collective, 1745 NW 16th St., 405-356-6262. THU

Sanctuary Karaoke Service don a choir robe and sing your favorite song, 9 p.m.-midnight Wednesdays and Thursdays. Sanctuary Barsilica, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., facebook.com/sanctuarybarokc. WED

Storytime Science the museum invites children age 6 and younger to hear a story and participate in a related scientific activity, 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. TUE

Selma Merbaum: Songs from a Life Cut Short a multimedia performance celebrating the work of a Jewish-Romanian poet who died in the Holocaust at the age of 18, 7 p.m. May 2. Catlett Music Center, 500 W. Boyd St., Norman, 405-325-0538, musicaltheatre.ou.edu. THU

PERFORMING ARTS

The Skirvin Jazz Club a monthly live jazz show presented by OK Sessions, 7:30 p.m. third Friday of every month. Park Avenue Grill, 1 Park Ave., 405-7028444, parkavegrill.com. FRI

5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche the members of the Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein respond to a breakfast-time communist threat in 1956 in this satirical play by Evan Linder and Andrew Hobgood, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays April 5-May 11. The Boom, 2218 NW 39th St., 405-6017200, theboomokc.com. FRI-SAT Beehive: The ’60s Musical a revue featuring live performances of classic hits including “My Boyfriend’s Back”, “Be My Baby”, “Son of a Preacher Man”, “Me and Bobby McGee” and more, through May 4. The Pollard Theatre, 120 W. Harrison Ave., Guthrie, 405-282-2800, thepollard.org. FRI-SAT Divine Comedy a weekly local showcase hosted by CJ Lance and Josh Lathe and featuring a variety of comedians from OKC and beyond, 9 p.m. Wednesdays. 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St., 405-463-0470, 51stspeakeasy.com. WED Joel Forlenza: The Piano Man the pianist performs variety of songs made famous by Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and of course Billy Joel, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., 405-701-4900, othellos.us. TUE-THU OKC Improv performers create original scenes in the moment based on suggestions from the audience, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Oklahoma City Improv, 1757 NW 16th St., 405-4569858, okcimprov.com. FRI Open Mic at The Deli hosted by Jarvix, this monthly show offers anyone the opportunity to sing or perform, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. first Wednesday of every month. The Deli, 309 White St., 405-329-3934, thedeli.us. WED Open Mic at The P share your musical talent or just come to listen at this weekly open mic, 7 p.m. Wednesdays. The Patriarch Craft Beer House & Lawn, 9 E. Edwards St., 405-285-6670, ThePatriarchEdmond.com. WED

OKC Cinco de Mayo Festival 2019 Commemorating the 1862 Battle of Puebla — in which an outnumbered and outgunned Mexican army claimed an impressive victory against invading French troops — Cinco de Mayo is not comparable to Mexican Fourth of July, and it is not celebrated in Mexico to the extent that it is in the United States. It is, however, a great opportunity to improve cultural literacy and community-building at a time in American history when both are dangerously undervalued. See ballet folklórico dancers, hear mariachis and other traditional musicians and more 1-10 p.m. Sunday at Wiley Post Park, 2021 S. Robinson Ave. Admission is free. Visit facebook.com/scissortailcdc. SUNDAY Photo provided

mer Mister USofA Damian Matrix-Gritte, this monthly show features local drag kings and special guests 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Fridays. Frankie’s, 2807 NW 36th St., 405-602-2030, facebook.com/frankiesokc. FRI

Othello’s Comedy Night see professionals and amateurs alike at this long-running weekly open mic for standup comics, 9 p.m. Tuesdays. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., Norman, 405-7014900, othellos.us. TUE Public Access Open Mic read poetry, do standup comedy, play music or just watch as an audience member, 7 p.m. Sundays. The Paseo Plunge, 3010 Paseo St., 405-315-6224, paseoplunge.org. SUN Rap and Jam Salon learn new musical skills in a variety of genres from local musicians at this monthly workshop, 4-6 p.m. first Sunday of every month. Your Mom’s Place, 919 N. Virginia Ave. SUN Rebels & Royals Drag King Show hosted by for-

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Teresa Walters the pianist, described by The New York Times as the “International First Lady of Piano” will perform, 7:30 p.m. May 2. OCCC Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater, 7777 S. May Ave., 405-682-7579, tickets.occc.edu. THU Twelfth Night drama students at University of Oklahoma present William Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy, April 26-May 4, Through May 4. Weitzenhoffer Theatre, 563 Elm Ave., Norman, 405325-7370, ou.edu/finearts. FRI-SAT Whose Live Is It Anyway? comedic performers Greg Proops, Jeff B. Davis, Dave Foley, and Joel Murray play improv games made famous by the long-running TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, 8 p.m. May 4. OCCC Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater, 7777 S. May Ave., 405-682-7579, tickets.occc.edu. SAT

ACTIVE Botanical Balance an all-levels yoga class in a natural environment; bring your own mat and water, 5:45 p.m. Tuesdays and 8 a.m. Saturdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT-TUE Co-ed Open Adult Volleyball enjoy a game of friendly yet competitive volleyball while making new friends, 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays. Jackie Cooper Gymnasium, 1024 E. Main St., Yukon, 405-350-8920, cityofyukon.gov. WED Monday Night Group Ride meet up for a weekly 25-30 minute bicycle ride at about 18 miles per hour through east Oklahoma City, 6 p.m. Mondays. The Bike Lab OKC, 2200 W. Hefner Rd., 405-603-7655. MON Stars and Stripes Spin Jam a weekly meetup for jugglers, hula hoopers and unicyclers, 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays. Stars & Stripes Park, 3701 S. Lake Hefner Drive, 405-297-2756, okc.gov/parks. WED Twisted Coyote Brew Crew a weekly 3-mile group run for all ability levels with a beer tasting to follow; bring your own safety lights, 6 p.m. Mondays. Twisted Spike Brewing Co., 1 NW 10th St., 405-3013467, twistedspike.com. MON Wheeler Criterium a weekly nighttime cycling event with criterium races, food trucks and family activities, 5-8 p.m. Tuesdays. Wheeler Park, 1120 S. Western Ave., 405-297-2211, okc.gov. TUE Yoga Tuesdays an all-levels class; bring your

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O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M AY 1 , 2 0 1 9

CALENDAR C A L E N DA R

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SUMMER 2019

RODNEY CROWELL May 5 THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS May 8

ST. PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES

05.07.19

OLD 97s + BOB SCHNEIDER

05.09.19

DWIGHT YOAKAM

05.16.19

ON THE VINEYARD FEAT. JACKOPIERCE + WAKELAND

05.23.19

SHOOTER JENNINGS May 10

JOHNNYSWIM

04.05.19

SON VOLT

06.18.19

O.A.R.

08.06.19

APOCALYPTICA May 16

FALL 2019

TICKETS & INFO AT TOWERTHEATREOKC.COM @TOWERTHEATREOKC

ANDREW BIRD

VISUAL ARTS

American Indian Artists: 20th Century Masters an exhibition of Native art from the Kiowa Six, Harrison Begay, Tonita Peña and more, through May 12. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. SAT-SUN

MISSIO May 9

JIM JAMES May 12

own water and yoga mat, 5:45 p.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens. com. TUE

10.28.19

Ancient. Massive. Wild – The Bison Exhibit view paintings, photographs, and sculptures celebrating the bison’s importance in the history of the American West, through May 12. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. SAT-SUN Ansel Adams and the Photographers of the West an exhibition of nature photographs by Adams and several of the photographers he inspired, through May 26. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI-SUN Beautiful Minds: Dyslexia and the Creative Advantage an exhibition of artworks created by people with dyslexia including students from Oklahoma City’s Trinity School, through July 14. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-6026664, sciencemuseumok.org. FRI-SUN Cowboys in Khaki: Westerners in the Great War learn about the ways Westerners contributed to the US effort in World War I at this exhibit featuring military, rodeo and other historical memorabilia from the time period, through May 12. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-4782250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. SAT-SUN Destination Back Roads an exhibition of Linda Guenther’s photographs of rural landscapes, through June 2. Contemporary Art Gallery, 2928 Paseo St., 405601-7474, contemporaryartgalleryokc.com. FRI-SUN

TICKETS & INFORMATION AT

405-70-TOWER | 425 NW 23rd Street OKC

THEJONESASSEMBLY.COM

From the Golden Age to the Moving Image: The Changing Face of the Permanent Collection view portraits painted by Kehinde Wiley, Anthony van Dyck, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and George Bellows, through Sept. 22. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI-WED Lauren Midgley an exhibition of the conceptual fine art photographer’s surrealist-influenced digital work, through May 19. Stash, 412 E. Main St., 405701-1016, stashok.com. THU-SUN Life Imagined: The Art and Science of Automata see examples of mechanical proto-robots from 1850 to the modern day, through Sept. 29. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. SUN-WED Odyssey an exhibition of works created by senior students in University of Oklahoma’s visual arts program, 2 p.m. May 5. The Lightwell Gallery, 520 Parrington Oval, Norman, 405-325-2691, art.ou.edu. SUN

Oklahoma Artists Invitational Art Show & Benefit view works by Bert Seabourn and Desmond Mason and other artists at this exhibition benefitting the Mercy Foundation Stroke-Treatment & Prevention, May 3-5. Northpark Mall, 12100 N. May Ave. FRI-SUN Paseo Arts District’s First Friday Gallery Walk peruse art from over 80 artists with 25 participating business for a night of special themed exhibits, refreshments and a variety of entertainment opportunities, 6-10 p.m. first Friday of every month. Paseo Arts District, 3022 Paseo St., 405-525-2688, thepaseo.org. FRI She Persisted an exhibition of works by six female artists presented by Red Earth Art Center, through May 28. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. WED-TUE Silk Sensations of Color an exhibition of handpainted silk art presented by the Silk Painters Guild of Oklahoma, through May 24. Paseo Art Space, 3022 Paseo St., 405-525-2688, thepaseo.com. FRI Tatyana Fazlalizadeh: Oklahoma Is Black an exhibition highlighting black history in Oklahoma City, through May 19. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. FRI-SUN Testimony: The Life and Work of David Friedman an exhibition of portraits, landscapes and more by the artist and Holocaust survivor, Through May 26. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma.

901 W. SHERIDAN, OKC

READ US AT

THU-SUN

University of Oklahoma School of Visual Arts Student Exhibition see student artwork on display at this annual exhibition now in its 105th year, April 26-May 12, Through May 12. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-3253272, ou.edu/fjjma. FRI-SUN Visceral Tendencies an exhibition of works by artist-in-residence Morgan Robinson, Through May 8. Oklahoma City University School of Visual Arts, 1601 NW 26th St., 405-208-5226, okcu.edu/artsci/ departments/visualart. WED Welcome Home: Oklahomans and the War in Vietnam explores the impact of the war on Oklahoma families as well as the stories of Vietnamese families relocated to Oklahoma, Through Nov. 6. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org. MON-WED

18th Anniversary Party

Tuesday, May 7 • 6:30pm - 9pm Toy Demonstrations from Nasstoy

Rope Tying Demonstrations from Ravenclaw

Dr. Joy (acclaimed sex doctor)

in person to answer questions giveaways • refreshments

Must sign up at store

615 E. Memorial

or call 405-755-8600. must be 18 to enter, with i.d.

LINGERIE • ADULT TOYS • BDSM & FETISH ITEMS • LOTIONS • NOVELTY GIFTS & CARDS 615 E. MEMORIAL, OKC • 405-755-8600 24

M AY 1 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

Don Giovanni Groundbreaking Germany-based baritone Lucia Lucas is used to be being cast in male roles. “Lucia Lucas spent so long trying to play a boy/man in real life,” reads a statement on her website. “She is adept at playing men and is always happy to play a man onstage (so long as she doesn’t have to play one in real life).” Playing the title role in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni, American-born Lucas is making her U.S. debut in Oklahoma, so while it always pains us to recommend anyone go to Tulsa for any reason, this is one time the trip up Interstate 44 is probably worth it. Tulsa Opera makes American history 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Chapman Music Hall in Tulsa Performing Arts Center, 110 E. Second St., in Tulsa. Tickets are $35-$130. Call 918-587-4811 or visit tulsaopera.com. FRIDAY and

Submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

For OKG live music

see page 28

SUNDAY Photo Andreas Lander / provided

8009 W. RENO, OKC • 405-792-2020

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EVENT

MUSIC

New process

Girlpool brings the expanded sound of its newest album to 89th Street — OKC May 9. By Jeremy Martin

W magazine called them “the saviors of rock music.” Fader and Grantland said they were its future. Girlpool’s Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad were not really paying much attention. “Those kinds of headlines are just kind of funny to us,” Tucker said, “but have nothing to do with and are so separate from the process we developed. That has nothing to do with our evolution. I feel like as human beings, it’s just kind of like watching scenery on this train we’re both on. We’re focusing on the train and it’s like some of the things you might see out the window, you know?” Girlpool plays May 9 at 89th Street — OKC, 8911 N. Western Ave. Debuting as a drummerless power duo in 2013, the teenagers released a self-titled EP three months after meeting at Los Angeles all-ages venue The Smell, and the Shaggs-reminiscent rule-breaking of lead single “Jane” and “can’t handle your shit anymore” attitude of “Blah Blah Blah” almost immediately captured critical acclaim. Tucker and Tividad’s uncanny harmonies and united-front feminism (“Cause I don’t wanna get fucked / By a fucked society,” both protest in unison on “Slutmouth” “Cause everywhere I look / Someone’s blaming me”) sounded even more formidable with a slightly expanded sonic palette on 2015 full-length debut Before the World Was Big, a 24-minute, 10-song album Pitchfork said “brims with a mysterious power, a charged and palpable sense of hope and awe.” The world expanded further with 2017’s follow-up Powerplant, which featured drums and came closer to a halfhour runtime, but according to AllMusic.com, “retained a wonderfully snotty, punk-informed approach.” Released in February, What Chaos Is Girlpool (from left, Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad) plays May 9 at 89th Street - OKC. | Photo Gina Canavan / provided

Imaginary is bigger still, with drum machines, synthesizers and even, for the stunning title track, a string section, but Tividad said some of the songs on Girlpool’s latest album predate the duo’s earliest recorded output. “All the songs on this record are songs that we worked on separately that we hadn’t really explored recording together,” Tividad said. “These were songs that we felt like needed a fresh look because we hadn’t really given them the chance to fully understand them emotionally in ourselves. … I feel like ongoing with anything is just a constant reevaluation of meaning.” “Where You Sink,” “Pretty,” “Stale Device,” “Lucky Joke” and “Josephs Dad” all originally appeared on Tividad’s 2018 solo album Oove Is Rare as lo-fi acoustic songs that sound a lot like they might have been demos for Girlpool’s first two releases. Elegantly fleshed out and sequenced among Tucker’s songs on What Chaos Is Imaginary (the two only occasionally sing together on the new album) Tividad’s songs do take on a different context as part of a larger statement, or possibly statements, crafted individually in separate cities. The hormones Tucker began taking as a trans man have changed the tone of his voice, but he said the initial challenges the change presented have since opened new creative opportunities. “Singing in a whole different register is different,” Tucker said. “It’s a different sound. It’s a different feeling. There’s a different history attached to that sound of a voice that transcends it just coming from my body, but, historically, where that timbre has come from in other people’s bodies. There are all different kinds of new parts to this voice that I think are really interesting to explore right now.” Singing older songs in his new voice might also give them a new context for

listeners, Tucker said, but he only knows how the songs feel from his perspective. “I don’t really know,” Tucker said. “It’s hard for me to separate just who I am and how I’m being received because I’ve been going through the process and seeing every moment, and I don’t really feel the contrast every moment that maybe somebody would feel if they hadn’t seen me in a long time. I don’t know. It’s just me behind it. I don’t even think that it sounds like a man’s voice. I mean, maybe, but to me, it’s just like Cleo’s voice, a little bit lower.” “Slutmouth” from Girlpool’s selftitled EP, opens with the line “Sometimes I want to be a boy / Never really wanted girl toys.” Tucker sings nothing so direct on What Chaos Is Imaginary. Album opener “Lucy’s,” for example, begins with “An unfamiliar stage where you’d rather stay / A meditation plan when you sway and sink / I want a fine downtown for the caroler who sounds / Like quiet when the sun goes down,” while “Hire” ponders “Will I make the matinee/ With my newest life and be that bright time? / Advertise what makes you crazy / So I can secondguess my focus” — poetic stream-ofconscious from which myriad meanings could be extracted. But, as ever, music critic’s musings have no effect on Girlpool’s creative evolution. “We don’t even really have to try to not incorporate that,” Tucker said when asked if he thought about the 1,000 thinkpieces Girlpool’s latest album might inspire. “That is not part of the process of writing. Writing the songs is just purely about writing the songs.” In fact, Tucker said, the idea that someone else will eventually even listen to the music Girlpool makes is barely a consideration in the studio. “How it is received is really just an afterthought that we’re both really, really grateful to even have,” Tucker said, “because it’s not even really what this

What Chaos Is Imaginary, Girlpool’s third fulllength album, was released in February. | Photo provided

album’s about at all. It’s so cool that that part of it exists because it provides more time for us to focus on writing music, because it can be our job, but it’s so separate from the intimate, actual process.” By writing songs separately, Tucker and Tividad have had the opportunity to develop their own styles and work at their own individual pace. While Tividad told Vanity Fair her method is more “diarrhetic” and “purging oriented,” Tucker denied that he is more deliberate about his writing. “I wouldn’t say that I’m more methodical because I think that that means that my process is, like, more mature or some shit,” Tucker said. “I would say that Harmony can just write a lot, and I think that I’m slower. I don’t know. I think it’s complicated. I think it’s kind of hard to describe.” Tividad, meanwhile, said she is never afraid of overwhelming Tucker with her output. Even when working with greater individuality, Girlpool somehow retains its uniquely magical two-person territory, even if Tucker and Tividad do not know exactly how their tricks work. “It just doesn’t operate like that, I feel like,” Tividad said. “Everything just lands in its right place, timewise. I don’t really know how to explain it.” Tickets are $12-$14, and Australian singer/songwriter Hatchie and OKC dream pop band Pigments are scheduled to open. Visit 89thstreetokc.com.

Girlpool 7 p.m. May 9 89th Street - OKC 8911 N. Western Ave. 89thstreetokc.com $12-$14

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M AY 1 , 2 0 1 9

MUSIC

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Studio music

Prolific musician Jim James brings his 2018 albums and the band whose album he produced to Tower Theatre. By Jeremy Martin

Following up the fan-favorite albums he released as a solo artist and as frontman for My Morning Jacket never really worries Jim James in the recording studio. “I try not to think about it too much,” James said. “I just usually let the song speak to me and follow with it. … I’m so in love with the project when I’m doing it that it kind of consumes me, and I don’t really think about the past or future. I just kind of get into the thing, and then, usually — knock on wood — I’ve got something else that I’m ready to work on once I’m done with it. It’s almost like — I don’t know if you’ve heard musicians say this before — but by the time a record finally comes out, you’re already working on the next record. By the time you finish a record, by the time it all gets into the label system and they decide when’s a good time to release it and then you finally do a tour for it, I’m already working on a couple of different records, but that’s the cool thing about music though, is hopefully, you create music that you love, that’s timeless, so you’re excited to play it.” James released two albums in 2018, electrified Uniform Distortion and its acoustic counterpart Uniform Clarity. He toured in November to support Clarity, but his OKC stop May 12 at

Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., will be mostly plugged-in. “This is more of an electric tour, more of a rock ’n’ roll thing, but I’ll still play a couple of acoustic songs at these shows, too,” James said. “This will be cool to play because we never really got to tour the Uniform Distortion songs, so we’re really excited to do this tour for this record that we were proud of. And the spirit of the record is just kind of, like, fun; you know, just loose rock ’n’ roll. There wasn’t any real heavyduty planning or heavy-duty overdubbing or anything like that. I just wanted it to be really spontaneous and really raw and just the spirit of rock ’n’ roll.” He is amped to play a set with a full band, but James said he continues to return to playing “acoustic or folk or whatever … just a voice and a guitar” because it’s a “timeless format” that’s “always kind of fun to do.” “Sometimes you find a different way to play it that’s more satisfying on acoustic,” James said. “You change the key or you can just do things in a different way because you’re freer. You don’t have anybody else waiting to play the song with you. I just enjoy it. I wouldn’t say I enjoy it more or less than playing with the band, but I do enjoy it.” An upcoming album James said is scheduled for release later this year will feature The Order of Nature: A Song Cycle, a collaboration with conductor Teddy Abrams recorded in Kentucky with Louisville Orchestra last year. “It’s ‘orchestral,’ for lack of a better word,” James said. “I like that the next thing coming out is an orchestral thing that’s completely different than Uniform Distortion or Uniform Clarity. James released Uniform Distortion in 2018. | Image provided

M AY 1 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

P R E S E N T E D BY Jim James plays May 12 at Tower Theatre. | Photo Andrew Lipovsky/provided

I just love music so much, and music is just an inexhaustible source. There are so many different things you can do with music, and there are so many different styles of music and people you can listen to. I don’t know; I guess it’s just half the song for me is trying to figure out a different style or combining styles that aren’t really combined, or whatever. It’s such a fun thing.”

Amo Amo

James also produced his tour mates Amo Amo’s self-titled debut, released in April. Vocalist Love Femme, who uses nonbinary pronouns zi and zir and fronts the band along with Omar Velasco, said James’ love and understanding of different types of music and willingness to improvise was irreplaceable in the studio.

There are so many different things you can do with music, and there are so many different styles of music and people you can listen to. Jim James “Jim was a magnificent producer,” zi said. “He really knows the band. He knows we’re eclectic, free-flowing, kind of intuitively driven. … He really was essential to forming the identity of each song because it was a bit of an experiment, throwing it all together, and when we finally were like, ‘OK, we’ve been working for a few weeks and these are all the songs that could potentially go on the album, we had about 80 minutes worth of music, and we were supposed to get it down to, like, 40. Jim just really kind of took the reins on helping us feel like, ‘This is a song. This is where it starts. This is where it ends.’” Opening act Amo Amo released its self-titled debut, produced by James, in April. | Photo Robbie Jeffers / provided

Thanks to James’ contribution, the end product, Femme said, was “a whole, living, breathing thing instead of this crazy, amazing experiment.” Amo Amo, which has also opened for legendarily difficult to define Os Mutantes, has been described as psychedelic dream pop and funk fusion, but neither label seems to completely encompass the band’s sound, which Femme said is as diverse as its five members, who have previously worked as studio session musicians in Los Angeles. “I think it’s really fascinating how eclectic all of our music tastes are as individuals,” zi said. “It’s really an exploration of the soul of each person in the band. … It’s kind of genre-bending. Trying to slap a label on anything nowadays is going to raise a couple of eyebrows. … People listen to our music, and each person says it reminds them of something else.” While each of Amo Amo’s members might have different musical tastes and backgrounds, Femme said their varying perspectives never complicated the recording process. “The core of this band is friendship and mutual respect for one another as artists,” zi said. “We’re really aware of how blessed and how lucky we are to be able to make music with our friends, so we really honor that. … I think that art is how we find our soul family, our star family, our soulmates here on earth. … Being session musicians, it’s like we play in so many other people’s bands that to be able to have the opportunity to play our own music that we want to play and that we create ourselves is spectacular. It’s really cool.” Tickets are $40-$50.50. Visit towertheatreokc.com.

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LIVE MUSIC TUESDAY, MAY 7

These are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

The Killers, The Zoo Amphitheatre. ROCK Lord Huron, The Criterion. ROCK Los Coast, The Jones Assembly. ROCK

WEDNESDAY, MAY 1

Matthew Logan Vasquez/Frances Cone, Tower Theatre. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Blue Water Highway, The Blue Door. ROCK

St. Paul & The Broken Bones, The Jones Assembly. ROCK

Parker Millsap, ACM @ UCO Performance Lab.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8

SINGER/SONGWRITER

THURSDAY, MAY 2

Gunna/Shy Glizzy/Lil Keed, Bricktown Events Center. HIP-HOP

Dayseeker/Understanding Eris, HARDCORE/METAL

The Psychedelic Furs, Tower Theatre. ROCK

Susan Herndon/Red Dennis/The YuYus, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER

FRIDAY, MAY 3 Chase Kerby/Matthew McNeal/Grant Adams, Trolley Stop Record Shop. SINGER/SONGWRITER The Contortionist/Via the Verge/Lucid Awakening, 89th Street-OKC. METAL Josh Roberts, Sanctuary Barsilica. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Magic Munchbox/All for More, 51st Street Speakeasy. ROCK

SATURDAY, MAY 4 Bea Troxel/Swim Fan/Audio Book Club, 51st Street Speakeasy. POP Kenny Chesney/Caroline Jones, Chesapeake Energy Arena. COUNTRY

Sawyer Fredericks, Opolis. FOLK

MGMT Do not be one of those “fans” only there for the hits. Sure, you want to hear “Time to Pretend,” “Electric Feel,” and “Pumped Up Kicks,” but MGMT’s Ben Goldwasser and Andrew Van Wyngarden have released three interesting if inconsistent albums of warped electro-pop since beloved 2007 debut Oracular Spectacular, and “Pumped Up Kicks” is not even one of their songs. Get acquainted with oddly upbeat “When You Die,” R. Stevie Moorereminiscent “James” and ’70s psych-prog reenactment “Siberian Breaks” instead of just standing around waiting for a Foster the People song. Los Angeles art-pop outfit Warpaint pumps up the crowd first. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. May 8 at The Criterion, 500 E. Sheridan Ave. Tickets are $39.50 $44.50. Visit criterionokc.com. MAY 8 Photo provided

SUNDAY, MAY 5

Jarvix/Chrim/Dr. Pants, Opolis. POP/ROCK

Rodney Crowell, Tower Theatre. SINGER/SONGWRITER

The Allman/Betts Band, Tower Theatre. ROCK TV Girl/Get a Life, 89th Street-OKC. POP

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Acid Mothers Temple/Yamantaka/Sonic Titan, Opolis. ROCK

Marbin, The Deli. JAZZ/ROCK

Whitechapel/Dying Fetus, Diamond Ballroom.

Live music submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

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CANNABIS

THE HIGH CULTURE

Fresh faith

A new kind of church, with a primary emphasis on cannabis, opened its doors in Oklahoma City on Easter Sunday. By Matt Dinger

Inside an event center in a strip mall in northwestern Oklahoma City, more than 50 people gathered on Easter Sunday to consecrate a new church. They have dubbed it Church 4 Twenty. The mission statement, as outlined on the church’s website, is thus: “A Cannabis Church is one where Religion does NOT rule, Judgement does NOT prevail, Legalistic attitudes are NOT allowed and where PEACE, LOVE and JOY are the Foundational Pillars. These three (3) pillars uphold the Celestial universe displaying the movements of a Higher Design by the Master Designer!” Mick Patterson headed up the first service at 4:20 p.m. for those gathered at 4604 NW 16th St., preaching not from a religious text but of the spiritual nature inherent in every human being that can be unlocked and catalyzed through various forms of ritual, including cannabis sacraments. Patterson originally hails from Tulsa and attended Oklahoma Baptist University and Pat Robertson’s Regent University in Virginia. He left the Baptist faith years ago, he said, after disagreements with the church but has returned to help parishioners carry out the sacraments. These sacraments include the use of a “meditation clip,” an ornamental roach clip crafted specifically for the church by a local artisan, the cannabis baptism (an anointing on the forehead with THC oil) and a communion meal, whereby hemp or cannabis are ingested in the form of infused food and drinks. All three sacraments were on display during the church’s first gathering. The joint passed around the crowd, however, was not THC-laden cannabis but rather a roll of CBD-rich hemp. Patterson hopes to change that in future services. “We’re looking into the legalities that are involved; you know, we want to be legal,” Patterson said. “And so whether Mick Patterson lights a “sacrament” at Church 4 Twenty. | Photo Alexa Ace

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M AY 1 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

it is by virtue of the medical marijuana card, whether it is by virtue of the [Religious Freedom Restoration Act] with Bill Clinton and allowing things like that to go on in a religious meeting with its members.” Shortly after the sacramental joint was extinguished, Patterson baptized the first two members of the church. Mike and Darcey Sutterfield received the blessing upon their foreheads in the shape of a cannabis leaf in front of the rest of the gathering. The rites end with an updated form of a traditional Hindu greeting: “Cannamaste.” “That will be another one of the sacraments of the church and one of the cannabis sacraments of the church. We find that many people — especially in Oklahoma, but many people across the United States — come from some kind of religious tradition or background or their family does. And so baptism in various forms, whether it’s a baptismal font, as an infant, whether it is a baptism by immersion underneath water, whether it is by sprinkling at some age as well and confirmation. Baptism is an understood concept by many, and it’s held to be important in people’s lives. And so, we also find that, again, from church origin, from centuries ago, that baptism was important in the church, that Jesus himself was baptized,” Patterson said. “We want to recognize what’s important. We’re not just going to take every trapping of the church and say we’re, you know, cannabis-izing it, not cannibalizing it, but cannabis-izing it — because, in our opinion, quite frankly, not every sacrament in other churches is what we’re about. But baptism as we understand it, and as we are presenting it, as I tried to indicate, but maybe in an inept way, is that is an outward expression of an inward spiritual experience. There, again, not religious, but a spiritual experience. And for us, that spiritual experience is an awakening a time in our life where there’s an epiphany of the light.”

Unlike other churches that require tithing or that pass a collection plate, Church 4 Twenty will not. But it will be accepting voluntary donations to keep the church running and help those in the congregation who wish to get their medical cannabis cards. One of the ways they hope to fundraise is to sell meditation clips for a slight markup. The price has not been set, but Patterson said they will be given for a donation that will not exceed $40.

People’s church

The church has no settled tenets or dogma, but those will be codified by participants in the church in the upcoming month and then published. Church 4 Twenty is not meant to be a denomination of any particular religion but open to all members who wish to form a community with bonds that are spiritual but not necessarily religious. “We want it to be the church of the people. And so we want to hear what people have to say, what they believe in. The biggest thing that we hear from people who have grown up in church, and many who have aren’t in churches now, some who were in church on Sunday morning and then came to us at 4 Twenty, is that they are tired of religion, they are tired of stained glass, resonant voices and cloistered elements that are separated from them. And as a result, they cannot do this, they cannot do that and there’s not very much they can do except go to church and tithe, or give money, and pray,” Patterson said. “We have a much larger emphasis on meditation than we do on prayer. That doesn’t mean that people can’t pray, however they choose to or not to. But we believe that the Bible as well as other religious writings, if you will, or faith writings, have a lot to say about meditation and that, again, even those outside of the religious constructs have much to say about meditation and how it can change your life. And so that’s what we want to be as all we can be, to

Mick Patterson officiates at Church 4 Twenty. | Photo Alexa Ace

borrow a military term or phrase, but it’s because we are spiritual individuals and we believe in our bodies; our minds are much greater than what we could have ever imagined them to be. And things like cannabis, things like meditation, which are natural, which are elemental from the basics of this earth and galaxies and our own physical being and spiritual being change us, transform us and can indeed change and transform others and the world around us.” Church 4 Twenty has also invited Roger Christie, who founded the THC Church in 2000 in Hawaii, to attend and give guidance to the newly formed church. He will attend the 4:20 p.m. service on May 19. The present location might not be the final location of the church, and many have approached Patterson about opening affiliate congregations, which he said they are open to. Those wishing to do so can reach them by phone at 405-422-0015. The church will also be available to perform religious rites on its own or alongside other religious figures in peoples’ lives for funeral rites and, hopefully, cannabis wedding ceremonies. “It’ll be significantly different because while that may be what they desire, their biggest desire, if they’re wanting to be involved in cannabis wedding is cannabis first and those are second,” Patterson said. “Not to necessarily minimize or say that they don’t believe in God or they don’t believe in Jesus or they don’t believe in whatever, but the recognition is what brings them together and what brings those people together that are supporting them in their ‘I doobies’ is the understanding that peace, love, acceptance can be found, in their opinion, in a very strong way, perhaps some would even say the best way, but at least at a strong way, through cannabis.” Visit church4twenty.com.

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GREEN GLOSSARY

VAPE PEN Chances are, if it looks like a cannabis cigarette, it is a cannabis cigarette, but all bets are off with vape pens. They can be loaded with pre-filled cannabis cartridges and used discretely at public events. However, it will still smell a lot like pot, so think carefully before breaking out your sativa-loaded Juul during church.

WHOLE PLANT While flower is used for smoking, the process for extracting oils for use in edibles, vape cartridges or tinctures involves using much more of the cannabis plant.

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Cannabis calling

Telemedicine provides a solution for medical cannabis patients unable to visit a clinic. By Matt Dinger

The two biggest impediments to getting a medical cannabis recommendation are money and time, but once you have gotten the funds under control, Chronic Docs will be able to save you a little time. Carri Lawrence got the service off the ground about two months ago. It operates under her Chronic Rx Solutions business umbrella, which includes staffing, transport, security and other business solutions for the cannabis industry. Doctor visits typically last about 10-20 minutes, Lawrence said, and can be arranged from anywhere — virtually. She has a team of six doctors, and she hopes to expand into pediatric recommendations soon. “The ultimate goal is for us to be able to be open seven days a week from 9 [a.m.] to 9 [p.m.],” Lawrence said. Adult recommendations are priced at $165 for the doctor’s appointment, and her staff will help patients submit their paperwork and photo to Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA). “Literally, the patient corresponds with us by text message, email and then video chat,” Lawrence said. “And then we’ll request from them what all we need. We send them electronic paperwork to fill out, so they don’t have to print out the papers, they don’t have to go to a computer unless they want to. They can do it straight from their smartphone. And then once they fill everything out, they sign it and send it right back to us so they don’t have to print out anything. And then we schedule the

Dr. Michael Winzenread participates in Chronic Docs’ telemedicine program. | Photo Alexa Ace

appointment with the doctor and then they would talk to them via video chat. “After they see the doctor, then we actually start their online application with the OMMA, and we load everything up there, load up all of their documents, we get them to take pictures,” she said. “They just text or email us the photos. … If their picture’s not right, if it’s something that will be rejected, we let them know, ‘Hey, you’ve got to take your glasses off,’ ‘Hey, don’t smile’ or ‘You’ve got a shadow in that picture.’ So we can help them from getting rejected doing that. And then we do all of it. So then basically we text them once we’re done with everything and we say, ‘Here’s your username and password. Login, review everything for accuracy.’ If everything looks good, they just pay the state fee directly to the OMMA and then they’ll get the email that says that they’ve been accepted. And then they wait the 14 days and then they get their letter in the mail. And then if there’s any rejections or if there is any problems, they just let us know and we’ll fix whatever it is really quickly.”

Chronic symptoms

Lawrence is also the organizer of Chronic Palooza, held at the fairgrounds April 20. That day, her doctors saw and continued on page 36

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recommended cannabis to more than 1,100 patients. They started the day doing all the paperwork by hand, but the line grew longer and longer. Eventually, they just sent the Chronic Docs widget to those in line and the line started flowing smoothly. “People were standing in line for a long time, and I was just like, I don’t like that,” she said. “I don’t like them having to stand there, looking at us, and be uncomfortable and hot and the kids are there and they are getting a little bit frustrated. And so finally, I was just like, ‘Let’s just do this Chronic Docs-style. We don’t need to sit here and make them stand here and look at us do their data entry because that’s just foolish.’ And then once we started doing that, the line started flipping fast.”

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They can do it straight from their smartphone. And then once they fill everything out, they sign it and send it right back to us so they don’t have to print out anything. Carri Lawrence Clearing a physical line is one thing, but telemedicine also helps those who cannot get out to a doctor’s office easily. “We get people who are in the hospital, hospice, people out in the panhandle that would have to drive an hour and a half, two hours to get anywhere where there is one,” Lawrence said. “We’ve got one area where they’re saying that the doctors only come once a month, and then they are there hours and hours and hours that they wait. And sometimes they can’t be seen because they run out

of time, and then they just have to wait. And so they don’t have to wait with us. It’s a little bit more than a lot of the traditional drives because they’re doing it at a really discounted rate, but there’s a lot more staff involved with the hours to get all this done. And just all the technology and we have to pay out stuff for credit card processing. There’s costs and stuff that are involved. That’s why ours is what it is, but it includes the actual processing fees of it.” Dr. Michael Winzenread is one of the doctors that participates with Chronic Docs. “Mostly what we’re doing on the telemedicine are the small towns and shutins,” he said. “You can tell where the needs are.” Winzenread said he is currently working with Chronic Docs two afternoons a week. “It’s been a really fun time and helping a lot of people get off benzodiazepines like Xanax and opiates and heroin,” Winzenread said. Winzenread also supports full legalization of cannabis, despite the fact that he acknowledges some people will abuse it. “It’s going to be recreational whether it’s legal or not,” he said. It is his first foray into telemedicine, but he has quite a bit of experience being around cannabis. He smelled it in cancer wards in the 1970s, his son has lived in Colorado for more than a decade and his daughter lives in California. “Personally, I’ve done about 250 of the telemedicine ones,” Winzenread said. “But here’s the deal. It’s like doing a free clinic almost and doing my other doctoring work. It’s so rewarding; patients are so appreciative that somebody will listen to them and take care of them.” Visit chronicrxsolutions.com.

Telemedicine can offer patients more flexibility when obtaining medicinal cannabis licenses. | Photo Bigstock.com

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ACROSS

1 Measure of a stone 6 Purchase of proof? 13 Takes up a lot of space 20 “Don’t cry for me” singer 21 Enchant 22 Mine transport 23 Scratch paper? 25 Hangs around 26 Most stylish 27 2013 film whose lead actress is never seen 28 Liquid paper? 29 Acted as 30 What Oberon orbits 32 Relay closer 36 Construction paper? 44 Bugs from the underworld 45 Jane Austen heroine 46 Grp. that usually meets in the evening 47 Veiled criticism, in slang 48 Fly paper? 52 Assn. 54 That stinks! 55 Mormon Church, for short 56 Spreads in the kitchen 57 Hyundai model 60 Horror director Roth 61 K-12 63 Broadway’s Cariou 64 Periods of note 65 Pop group whose name derives from the initials of its members’ first names 67 Wax paper? 70 Note paper? 75 Bygone auto whose name sounds like a command 76 “I want details!” 78 506, in old Rome 79 Trade jabs (with) 80 Ending with body or spy 82 Expresses exasperation toward 85 Some trumpeters 87 Size above med. 88 Bygone sitcom set around Houston 90 La-la lead-in 91 Position paper? 94 Competitor of Reach 96 Settings for some TV dramas, for short 98 First place? 99 Prophet who inveighed against the “sins of Israel” 100 Wall paper? 103 Segue to the next part of a story 104 Contribute 105 Warhol subject 106 Term paper? 110 Exclamation that’s usually doubled 113 Doggy treat 118 The least little bit 119 Crepe paper? 121 Terrapin catcher 122 Humanitarian operation 123 Trap at a ski lodge, perhaps 124 Wound 125 Chilean catch 126 Bridge positions

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1 Hanna-Barbera collectibles 2 Profess 3 Singer Ora with three solo #1 hits in Britain 4 Abbr. on an envelope 5 Class one might take for kicks? 6 Deep hole 7 Baltic dweller 8 It helped bring dinos to life in Jurassic Park 9 “That’s a good burn!” 10 Take a walk on the wild side? 11 John ____, three-time Gold Glove first baseman 12 Authorize to 13 Craft created on a board with nails 14 Rules of engagement? 15 The Ten Commandments villain 16 Human rights lawyer Clooney 17 Depression follower, for short 18 Office PC connections 19 Routine: Abbr. 24 Body part whose name contains another body part 28 Deliberate and unprovoked 31 Grave letters 32 Unhurried walker 33 Noggin 34 Drum kit component

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35 Half a laugh? 36 “Shoo!” 37 Ones making calls, informally 38 “____ Pepper …” (classic soda jingle) 39 Eye surgeon’s tool 40 π + 1? 41 Debuted to great acclaim 42 Talent show that jumped networks, familiarly 43 Actress Polo 49 Volunteer’s offer 50 Grant factor, sometimes 51 Symbol in many a URL 53 Harsh 58 Neutral color 59 SALT subject, for short 62 Marker, informally 64 Inventor Howe 66 Part of an after-school lineup 68 Some N.F.L. linemen: Abbr. 69 App annoyances 71 Actress Findley 72 Welsh “John” 73 “What she said” 74 El Greco, e.g. 77 Symbol of strength 80 Critter that likes to lie in the sun 81 Prefix with -naut 83 Immigrant’s desire 84 Really busy doing 85 Modern education acronym

86 Clothing symbol for a graduate of Oxford or Cambridge 89 Exclusively 92 Running around 93 Sexy 95 Portable place to sleep 97 Take a load off 101 Relative of a Vandyke 102 Family name on The Dick Van Dyke Show 103 Do the Right Thing pizzeria 105 Butcher’s stock 106 Portable places to sleep 107 “Movin’ ____” (The Jeffersons theme) 108 Old Roman autocrat 109 One of the Jacksons 111 Hospital fluids 112 Former Meet the Press host Marvin 113 People who are totes close 114 Often-pantomimed hit song of the 1970s 115 Cheers actor Roger 116 Soldier’s assignment 117 Tush 119 Some undergrad degs. 120 Soul from Seoul?

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P B A N V O L A T L E M T S E A D S R O S T W I P I N G R E N O S P O T T U R E P A I R N U P S B E A M E D W A S S N S L O C T O R P E G R P S

D J R E E T E S L I K E M I N E A A T N E T R O I N P D H I H A G E T I S R S I T S P M S W A A O R W E T

P H R A S I N G M I M O S A S A L T O

R A D O O N O R M A I D P D E N M A R C C A R S O I S E A T S H S A K E E C O R C T U R E O S I A T L A C R E A M I D N O T O P S A Y M A B P S T R L E T R A A S I D N E P E

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Homework: Homework: What are the five conditions you’d need in your world in order to feel you were living in utopia? Write FreeWillAstrology.com

one of those times for you. In the coming weeks, I hope you will set in motion plans to transcend at least 30 percent of your oppressive circumstances.

with a tender objectivity that could at least partially heal lingering wounds. See yourself truly!

“How prompt we are to satisfy the hunger and thirst of our bodies,” wrote Henry David Thoreau. “How slow to satisfy the hunger and thirst of our souls!” Your first assignment in the coming days, Aries, is to devote yourself to quenching the hunger and thirst of your soul with the same relentless passion that you normally spend on giving your body the food and drink it craves. This could be challenging. You may be less knowledgeable about what your soul thrives on than what your body loves. So your second assignment is to do extensive research to determine what your soul needs to thrive.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) You Cancerians can benefit from always having a fertility symbol somewhere in your environment: an icon or image that reminds you to continually refresh your relationship with your own abundant creativity; an inspiring talisman or toy that keeps you alert to the key role your fecund imagination can and should play in nourishing your quest to live a meaningful life; a provocative work of art that spurs you to always ask for more help and guidance from the primal source code that drives you to reinvent yourself. So if you don’t have such a fertility symbol, I invite you to get one. If you do, enhance it with a new accessory.

The country of Poland awards medals to couples that have stayed married for 50 years. It also gives out medals to members of the armed forces who have served for at least thirty years. But the marriage medal is of higher rank, and is more prestigious. In that spirit, I’d love for you to get a shiny badge or prize to acknowledge your devoted commitment to a sacred task—whether that commitment is to an intimate alliance, a noble quest, or a promise to yourself. It’s time to reward yourself for how hard you’ve worked and how much you’ve given.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

I invite you to explore the frontiers of what’s possible for you to experience and accomplish. One exercise that might help: visualize specific future adventures that excite you. Examples? Picture yourself parasailing over the Mediterranean Sea near Barcelona, or working to help endangered sea turtles in Costa Rica, or giving a speech to a crowded auditorium on a subject you will someday be an expert in. The more specific your fantasies, the better. Your homework is to generate at least five of these visions.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

“We must choose between the pain of having to transcend oppressive circumstances, or the pain of perpetual unfulfillment within those oppressive circumstances,” writes mental health strategist Paul John Moscatello. We must opt for “the pain of growth or the pain of decay,” he continues. We must either “embrace the tribulations of realizing our potential, or consent to the slow suicide in complacency.” That’s a bit melodramatic, in my opinion. Most of us do both; we may be successful for a while in transcending oppressive circumstances, but then temporarily lapse back into the pain of unfulfillment. However, there are times when it makes sense to think melodramatically. And I believe now is

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MUSIC

In my horoscopes, I often speak to you about your personal struggle for liberation and your efforts to express your soul’s code with ever-more ingenuity and completeness. It’s less common that I address your sacred obligation to give back to life for all that life has given to you. I only infrequently discuss how you might engage in activities to help your community or work for the benefit of those less fortunate than you. But now is one of those times when I feel moved to speak of these matters. You are in a phase of your astrological cycle when it’s crucial to perform specific work in behalf of a greater good. Why crucial? Because your personal wellbeing in the immediate future depends in part on your efforts to intensify your practical compassion.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

“We are whiplashed between an arrogant overestimation of ourselves and a servile underestimation of ourselves,” writes educator Parker Palmer. That’s the bad news, Virgo. The good news is that you are in prime position to escape from the whiplash. Cosmic forces are conspiring with your eternal soul to coalesce a wellbalanced vision of your true value that’s free of both vain misapprehensions and self-deprecating delusions. Congrats! You’re empowered to understand yourself

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JOBS

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Scorpio poet Sylvia Plath wrote, “I admit I desire, / Occasionally, some backtalk / From the mute sky.” You’ll be wise to borrow the spirit of that mischievous declaration. Now is a good time to solicit input from the sky, as well as from your allies and friends and favorite animals, and from every other source that might provide you with interesting feedback. I invite you to regard the whole world as your mirror, your counselor, your informant.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

In January 1493, the notorious pirate and kidnapper Christopher Columbus was sailing his ship near the land we now call the Dominican Republic. He spotted three creatures he assumed were mermaids. Later he wrote in his log that they were “not half as beautiful as they are painted [by artists].” We know now that the “mermaids” were actually manatees, aquatic mammals with flippers and paddle-shaped tails. They are in fact quite beautiful in their own way, and would only be judged as homely by a person comparing them to mythical enchantresses. I trust you won’t make a similar mistake, Sagittarius. Evaluate everything and everyone on their own merits, without comparing them to something they’re not.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

“I want what we all want,” writes novelist Jonathan Lethem. “To move certain parts of the interior of myself into the exterior world, to see if they can be embraced.”

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Even if you haven’t passionately wanted that lately, Capricorn, I’m guessing you will soon. That’s a good thing, because life will be conspiring with you to accomplish it. Your ability to express yourself in ways that are meaningful to you and interesting to other people will be at a peak.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Using algorithms to analyze 300 million facts, a British scientist concluded that April 11, 1954 was the most boring day in history. A Turkish man who would later become a noteworthy engineer was born that day, and Belgium staged a national election. But that’s all. With this non-eventful day as your inspiration, I encourage you to have fun reminiscing about the most boring times in your own past. I think you need a prolonged respite from the stimulating frenzy of your daily rhythm. It’s time to rest and relax in the sweet luxury of nothingness and emptiness.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

The Blue Room is a famous Picasso painting from 1901. Saturated with blue hues, it depicts a naked woman taking a bath. More than a century after its creation, scientists used X-rays to discover that there was an earlier painting beneath The Blue Room and obscured by it. It shows a man leaning his head against his right hand. Piscean poet Jane Hirshfield says that there are some people who are “like a painting hidden beneath another painting.” More of you Pisceans fit that description than any other sign of the zodiac. You may even be like a painting beneath a painting beneath a painting—to a depth of five or more paintings. Is that a problem? Not necessarily. But it is important to be fully aware of the existence of all the layers. Now is a good time to have a check-in.

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes /daily text message horoscopes. The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

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