VOLUME 3, ISSUE 4; JANUARY 13 - JANUARY 26, 2021; WWW.QCNERVE.COM
OSO SKATE PARK ENTERS NEW TERRITORY AFTER THREE YEARS OF SETTING THE SCENE
BY RYAN PITKIN
ART: BLACK LIVES STILL MATTER PG. 10 FOOD: THE REOPENING OF 5CHURCH PG. 16
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4 EDITOR’S NOTE BY RYAN PITKIN 6 A NEW BEGINNING BY RYAN PITKIN
Oso Skate Park enters new territory after three years of setting the scene A LESSON LEARNED BY RYAN PITKIN Carolina Pharmacy provokes response after influencer post promotes rapid testing
ARTS&CULTURE 10
MAKE IT LOUD BY BRIANNA MONROE In the Line of Sight features Joshua Galloway’s protest images
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OSO SKATE PARK ENTERS NEW TERRITORY AFTER THREE YEARS OF SETTING THE SCENE
LEA BEKELE, GRANT BALDWIN, BRIANNA MONROE,
BY RYAN PITKIN
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EDITOR’S NOTE
was “heartbroken” over the death of a Capitol Police officer, denouncing the violence that he acted as a catalyst for. This is not the time for unity with people like that, it’s a time to unify against them. I do not doubt for a second that, come Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, there will be many more of these extremists hitting the streets of D.C. and towns and cities around the country looking to make one last desperate attempt to refuse the results of the election in a hissy fit of violence. We can only hope that the movement has been slowed enough by the false start on Jan. 6 so there’s not enough momentum to even take their efforts seriously.
In all honesty, it’s that last group that scares me the most at this point. These are the people who swear up and down that Antifa was behind the Jan. 6 insurrection despite the fact that their brethren in D.C. left long, easy-to-follow trails tracing their own journeys of cognitive dissonance. Looking back now, we were always headed here. From the moment in June 2015 when Trump stepped on that goddamn escalator to the applause The Jan. 6 riots were the of actors he had paid $50 a piece to cheer him on inevitable result of a while he announced he would run for president, we purposeful break from were destined for this point. It was a genius strategy, really, to build a base by reality scapegoating the one group that would be willing to hold him accountable. BY RYAN PITKIN “Fake news” was an Like anyone with half a effective rallying cry as well heart, brain and/or soul, I as a strong protective shield watched the events of Jan. 6 against responsibility, and unfold with a certain level of as it became stronger, folks shock and disgust. Surprise, hunkered down in their echo though? Not so much. chambers and lost touch The next day, I saw with reality for possibly the people posting on social last time. media about their inability to And that’s how you end focus due to what they had up with folks streaming out seen on the previous day. I of the Capitol like kids on a wondered why I was going field trip, “Murder the Media” about my day like any other. etched into a door next to Should I feel guilty for these them, not seeing a single apathetic thoughts? thing wrong with what they Then it slowly came were doing. to me. What I was feeling Nevermind the fact that wasn’t apathy, it was relief. inside the Capitol, a woman Throughout the entirety of had been shot and killed by 2020, and for quite some police for trying to climb into time before that, I was the Speaker’s lobby where concerned with what violent members of Congress were response might follow sheltering. the presidential election, Forget that outside, especially if Joe Biden were officer Brian Sicknick was PHOTO BY J.M. GIORDANO clinging to life after being to win. THE CAPITOL WAS ENVELOPED IN TEAR GAS AND SMOKE AS A MOB DESCENDED ON IT ON JANUARY 6. What we saw on that hit over the head with a Wednesday was not the end of it by any means, in in office for more than 72 hours before taking part I know that may sound naive, but the cracks fire extinguisher then beaten further by Trump my opinion, but it wasn’t the worst-case scenario. in a coup. Between his election and his swearing- have already begun to show. supporters. He would later die, as well. Now, my point here is not to downplay the events; in ceremony, Cawthorn kept at it, telling a crowd What in December was a stupid but strong Despite this and other incidents of violence that that shit was downright scary and right-wing of young people at the Turning Point USA Student movement of serious people objecting to the occurred that day and into the night, the mood there extremists straight-up bludgeoned a cop to death Action Summit on Dec. 20 to “call your congressman election even when they knew they were wrong remained festive. When you purposefully make the only for their supporters to scoff and say it must and feel free, you can lightly threaten them, say … has now been splintered into three factions of truth your enemy, you can live in any fantasyland have been Antifa. That should never be forgotten. ‘If you don’t support election integrity I’m coming conservatives: those who remain vigilant and you like. And that’s my point. Don’t forget it. Unsuccessful after you, Madison Cawthorn’s coming after you, dangerous, those who have backtracked and will do I just hope we don’t let them drag us into the coups tend to be followed by successful ones, everybody’s coming after you.’” anything not to be lumped in with the first group, rabbit hole with them. especially when they’re not taken seriously enough. His supporters went after the people he wanted and those who are so far gone they’ve lost touch That’s not what unity looks like. Now is not the time to let bygones be bygones. them to go after, and afterwards he tweeted that he with reality.
WE WERE ALWAYS HEADED HERE
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I’ve seen all sorts of conservative folks trying to unity plea their way out of responsibility for what happened on Jan. 6, but it can’t be that easy. We’ve seen folks getting pulled from their homes and arrested because they were dumb enough to live-stream their participation in an insurrection from their Facebook account — like South End on a Saturday, not a mask in sight. How are you going to try to take down the government then think you can fly back home using your government name? But that’s the easy part. Next you need to go for the leaders who called for these actions. Here in North Carolina, that means Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina’s 11th district. This man was not
RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM
THE OUTBREAK OF CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19) MAY BE STRESSFUL FOR PEOPLE. FEAR AND ANXIETY ABOUT A DISEASE CAN BE OVERWHELMING AND CAUSE STRONG EMOTIONS IN ADULTS AND CHILDREN. COPING WITH STRESS WILL MAKE YOU, THE PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT, AND YOUR COMMUNITY STRONGER. EVERYONE REACTS DIFFERENTLY TO STRESSFUL SITUATIONS. HOW YOU RESPOND TO THE OUTBREAK CAN DEPEND ON YOUR BACKGROUND, THE THINGS THAT MAKE YOU DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PEOPLE, AND THE COMMUNITY YOU LIVE IN.
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NEWS & OPINION FEATURE
A NEW BEGINNING
Oso Skate Park enters new territory after three years of setting the scene
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BY RYAN PITKIN
other tenants. The campus will anchor what Flywheel developers are calling the Trailhead District, located just north of the Sugar Creek Road light-rail station. It’s a big expansion for Oso, which opened its original location in November 2017, as the park will expand its indoor space from 4,500 square feet to 6,000, then add another 12,000 square feet of outdoor space in Phase 2. The team will be a great fit in the campus, as the Oso space has never been solely about skating. The team has regularly hosted art shows and live music FREE SKATING BETWEEN ROUNDS AT A 2019 COMPETITION IN OSO SKATE PARK. performances in their physical activity. We also provide a space for art to 933 Hub space, and looks forward to continuing to do so once it becomes safe be displayed and sold and for live music to be played for all ages and audiences. And so, in the time again. “Our goal was to make a positive impact in the we’ve been open we’ve been able to connect with community using skating as our conduit to do so,” kids, we’ve been able to connect with families and Gripper says of the first three years at Oso. “So with adults alike, and just spread positivity as best we can Oso, we were able to have a space where people through the walls that we have.” We catch up with the Oso crew at their Belmont could come and have positive influence through
Traversing the empty north-Charlotte warehouse that will soon be home to a number of local arts venues, Oso Skate Park co-founders Brett Coppedge and Phillip Gripper come to a space that will soon house Charlotte Art League. The remnants of a long-abandoned church still sit in the space, with three bright blue, velvet-carpeted steps leading up to a stage that looks like a set piece from the HBO series The Righteous Gemstones. They’re trailed by three reps with Flywheel Group, which owns the large property at 4327 Raleigh St. and is spearheading the creation of this north-Charlotte arts and entertainment hub. One of the men tells Coppedge that the stage will be dismantled and discarded if nobody wants it, but Coppedge won’t hear of it. Once the carpet is stripped from the stage, he points out, it’s a perfect plazastyle stair set for a skate park, which he, Gripper and co-founder Chris Hostetler plan to build on 6,000 square feet of adjoining space in the warehouse. “This is hilarious; we’ll use it,” Coppedge says as he hops up the three steps, his mind swirling with ideas. “You’ve already got the stairs so I don’t have to build them. We’ll turn this trash into treasure!” On Jan. 15, the Oso trio will close their original location at Hub 933 in Charlotte’s Belmont neighborhood and begin their move four miles north to Raleigh Street, where they will join Charlotte Art League, Aerial CLT, and Charlotte Film Society’s new three-screen arthouse cinema, along with OSO CO-OWNERS (FROM LEFT) PHILLIP GRIPPER, BRENT COPPEDGE AND CHRIS HOSTETLER.
PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN
PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN
location on a Saturday morning as they prepare for the last Community Unity Day at the space. The team has partnered with outdoor adventure company Issa Vibes Adventures to host the monthly event since October 2018, gathering dozens of volunteers to make sandwiches for local homeless services organization Roof Above. I ask each of the ownership group their favorite memory from the location that they’ll be vacating between Jan. 15-31, and the range of responses gives a glimpse at how varied the activities within Oso have been. Coppedge looks back fondly on a specific show in 2018 that featured Venezuelan refugee rock group Zeta, during which the guys got to skate a portion of the park while the crowd danced around them. Hostetler reminisces on popular art events like the annual Fried Chicken Art Party, but also on a broader scale, the feeling of watching a kid finally pull off a trick or drop-in on a quarter pipe for the first time — “after busting ass all day, finally sticking it.” Gripper will remember competitions like Queen City Kings, bringing people in from all over the country and watching them push themselves to land tricks they had never done before. “My experience, it’s been greater than what I had dreamed it could be. Just seeing the look on someone’s face when they do something for the first time like dropping in or even playing their first show,” says Gripper, who plays drums with local
NEWS & OPINION FEATURE garage rockers Modern Primitives. “We’ve been able to facilitate people in all these ways, so to see the feeling of enjoyment and self-confidence that they gain in themselves from being able to do these things, it’s just amazing to be a helping part of that process.”
A new home wasn’t hard to find
As with most small businesses, the Oso team has struggled through the pandemic, closing for six months in 2020 and recently reopening to host a limited capacity of skaters. After the space was flooded in a November rain storm, the 12th such occurrence during their three-year stay according to the trio, they knew it was time to find a new spot.
The move will also bring new expenses, and the team has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help with the build-out, which can be accessed through their website at ososkatepark.com. On Jan. 24, Oso’s 933 Hub neighbors Catawba Brewing Company will partner with Sweet Lew’s BBQ to hold a barbecue fundraiser benefiting the skate park, while also donating $1 from each pour of its new High Sea Fruit Punch Imperial Smoothie Sour, to be released on Jan. 21. The Oso crew didn’t have to search long for their new space. In fact, they didn’t have to look at all. Fortuitously, they were contacted right about that same time by Jim Dukes, the new executive director at Charlotte Art League, the first tenant to sign on at Flywheel’s Trailhead campus. Dukes regularly brings his son in to Oso to ride his scooter, and he had built a relationship with
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COPPEDGE AND GRIPPER TALK TO TONY KUHN (CENTER) AND OTHER FLYWHEEL GROUP REPS IN THE NEW SPACE.
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PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN
The constant flooding mixed with the upcoming increase in rent made it unfeasible for them to stay. “We’re very thankful to be in this space,” Gripper says of 933 Hub, “because this is the first place that actually accepted us. Everywhere else did not want a skate park because of the riff raff ; they were afraid of the crowd that we would bring. We’re very thankful to the owners of 933 Hub, but at the same time, after three years, our roof still leaks … and after being closed for six months, hearing an increase in the lease rate is kind of a slap in the face, because they know that we don’t have savings, they know that even now we’re not seeing our full amount of business, so we’re literally barely hanging on.”
the team there. He suggested they should look into potentially moving into the Trailhead building, as there was still plenty of space for them. Dukes set up a meeting with Flywheel’s leadership, including president Tony Kuhn, and the synergy was instantaneous. According to Kuhn, one of his designers had already suggested a skate park would make a great addition to the campus, so when Oso came calling, it was serendipitous. Kuhn’s nephew had attended a week-long camp at Oso while in town for the holidays in 2019, and he had visited the spot a couple times over that week, so he was aware of the vibes and the mission there.
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NEWS & OPINION FEATURE
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Kuhn says, “but we’re really kind of asking them to solve a lot of those issues. Like, ‘Here’s the box that you have to deal with, design the best thing you “They’re just cool people, and they’re trying to can.’ Whatever we can do to help them build a cooler do the right things, and that’s what we’re trying to space, we’re going to say yes to.” do,” Kuhn says. “Our development company is really about making a place, and these guys fit right into Big plans on campus making places and community and that type of In the coming weeks, expect more announcements thing. We don’t want to do the next whatever just about additions to the Trailhead campus, including a to make money, we want to build communities and local brewery, deli, and a major arts institution that’s build places, and so their work and ambition and set to claim the 150-seat black-box theater. their ideas all helped to make this great place.” Kuhn says the original goal wasn’t to create a The learning curve is sharp for the Flywheel hub for arts and entertainment, but it happened team, which has never overseen the construction of that way thanks to the connections that Dukes and a skate park before. the Charlotte Film Society team had. Before coming across the old church stage, “Everything’s been just kind of one foot in front of Coppedge and Kuhn went back and forth about the other in building off each other, with Charlotte Art a number of different details ranging from air League and then just the arts community getting the conditioning and temperature control (a luxury Oso word around,” Kuhn explains. “We haven’t even really hasn’t enjoyed in its first three years) to where the marketed it for that, it just started when the Charlotte new door will be (Coppedge has created 12 layouts Film Society and Charlotte Art League were both for the new space so far and will have to create a doing it, then people they knew in the industry all 13th if the door is moved even a few feet from where kind of came together, and it filled up really quickly.” it currently sits). For the Oso team, the first six months of 2021 will “Flow and dimensions are all different, materials be spent building out Phase 1, the indoor portion of are all different, roof planes and heights are all the park and a pro shop. Phase 2, the outdoor portion, different and all that, so yes it’s a big learning curve,”
will come sometime in 2022 or 2023, and will consist of a mix of street-style skating and concrete bowls. With the Eastland DIY skate park at risk of being torn down, the team hopes their space can serve as a type of replacement, while continuing to cater to a spectrum of sports such as rollerblades, quads, bikes and scooters, as they always have. “Over the last three years we’ve really asked everybody what they want, what they thought about the park. You really have to take that into consideration when you’re working on the layout. You have to appeal to all the crowds,” says Coppedge. “We hope that Eastland doesn’t get ripped down; it’s a staple of the community. Although we’re a skate park, [Eastland] needs to survive too in order for the community to grow. We want to be able to incorporate a lot of plaza-style obstacles like Eastland does, but also incorporate bowls and bigger ramps.” Flywheel designers have greenlit an 18-foot“megamini ramp,”which is still on the drawing board for Phase 2. The new space also offers up more room for bigger concerts, bigger parties, and bigger competitions, not to mention endless collaborative opportunities with the arts organizations that will share the same roof. In terms of community service, there’s more opportunity for the Oso crew to increase their impact around Charlotte. Hostetler has already
been in talks with multiple local schools about launching an after-school program at Oso, as well as an incentive-based “learn-to-earn” program that awards participating students for reaching educational and behavioral goals. As with so much in the world, the new plans will all depend on how the world looks when they’re set to open Phase 1, which they hope to do in June or July. “It’s all COVID-pending, because we don’t want to be a part of the spread,” says Gripper. “We want to keep everyone as safe as possible, so as soon as we’re able to, we’ll be able to host much larger and much better events.” Until then, they’ll be raising funds for the transition while dwelling on new ways to help turn the Trailhead campus into a vital institution for north Charlotte and beyond. “We try to set ourselves apart as more than a skate park,” says Gripper. “We are an atmosphere. We are a place of learning and positivity … As we continue to be able to grow and more people find out about us, it’s going to be one of the things that really helps us to develop into a community staple for all of Charlotte, not just the neighborhood.” RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM
NEWS & OPINION FEATURE
A LESSON LEARNED
Carolina Pharmacy provokes response after influencer post promotes rapid testing BY RYAN PITKIN
As a local small-business owner who recently celebrated 10 years in business, Carolina Pharmacy co-owner Chi Patel has always struggled with how to spread the word about his company, and the pharmacy’s recent addition of rapid COVID-19 testing made that struggle all the more urgent. With six locations and a seventh set to open in South End in the second half of 2021, Patel has continuously contemplated how to make Charlotteans aware that his company exists. It’s a relatively small-scale operation, as each of his locations is staffed by a pharmacist and just three to four technicians. Going up against national corporations like CVS or his former employer Walgreens is a constant uphill battle. One recent attempt at promoting his pharmacy’s rapid COVID-19 testing program, however, showed Patel why all engagement isn’t always good engagement.
Medicaid or HSA/FSA accounts. The demand was high for rapid tests, which are harder to come by than the lab tests offered at free county sites that take 48 to 72 hours for a result. In fact, the demand was higher than Patel envisioned and soon overwhelmed his independent pharmacy. Doctors at Atrium and Novant facilities began referring their overflow of patients to him, as they were focused more on testing and treating patients who had already been confirmed positive. He eventually hired off-duty nurses from the two health-care providers and nursing students from Wingate University to help administer tests. “We started doing it with our patients pretty quickly,” he recalls, “and we were using our own staff to do it. Then quickly I started to realize there’s people coming from all over Charlotte, from Rock Hill, everywhere, that are not even our patients. So how do I help these people? There was no sort
offered friends free tests in the past for similar posts. “Anyone we’ve ever used for any of these things, they’re either our friends or people who know us in a certain way,” he says. “We say, ‘Hey, why don’t you come get a test from us? You can record it and show people your experience.’ I don’t think there’s a single thing wrong with that. None of these people have been paid.”
A promotional post provokes a response
Patel spoke with Mounts, offering a $400 payment to promote his pharmacy’s testing services, as he didn’t want to ask a stranger to work for free. She turned down the payment proposal, instead offering to donate it to Lucan’s Lions, a charity for Patel’s son. On the first weekend of the new year, Mounts posted a series of videos on an Instagram Story in which she gets the test from her car (and receives negative results). She also put up a post that plugged
Lessons learned
A PATIENT SUBMITS TO RAPID TESTING AT A CAROLINA PHARMACY SITE. PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN
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Carolina Pharmacy offers rapid testing
In late November, Patel and Carolina Pharmacy got into the COVID testing game, offering rapid tests that turned around results in 10 minutes, which could be hard to find elsewhere in Charlotte. Patel had left Walgreens to start his own pharmacy a decade ago after becoming frustrated with the corporation’s lack of attention to customer service. He saw rapid testing as a way to bring Carolina Pharmacy’s personal touch to a pandemic that required all hands on deck. Numerous patients had requested COVID-19 testing at the site, and Patel, whose son is severely immunocompromised after being diagnosed with leukemia in May 2020, thought the tests could also be helpful for him and his staff members to ensure the safety of everyone at his pharmacies. Before Thanksgiving, Carolina Pharmacy began offering rapid antigen tests for $120, accepting insurance reimbursements and payment by
have been part of the reason she did not respond to requests for comment for this story). The criticisms spread around local social media channels, with screenshots of Mounts’ picture from the post — which shows her standing in front of a Carolina Pharmacy door dressed in full PPE — being shared on Facebook and Twitter. That night, Patel returned home from a trip to the St. Jude clinic at Novant Health’s Hemby Children’s Hospital with his family to find an inbox full of vitriol. “All the sudden we got back from St. Jude, I’m getting all these messages,” he recalls. “I’m not really on any site except Instagram, I don’t really know about Twitter or anything, but people are texting me and saying, ‘These guys are dogging you about using an influencer for this.’” He tried replying to a few disparaging posts from his personal Instagram account to explain his side of the story, but the responses were overwhelming. Mounts took the post down before a winner could be announced. The idea for a social media campaign was scrapped.
of marketing, there was none of that, I don’t even know how to do that.” In the lead-up to Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve, Carolina Pharmacy saw a huge increase in rapid-test referrals. It spiked again after each holiday, but has begun to dwindle since, which Patel hoped was a good sign. Yet he saw that COVID-19 cases weren’t decreasing by any measure and wanted to continue to help. But how could he get the word out? “We developed our brand organically, through word of mouth, through relationships. I never had the budget to go market on TV or pay some big fee,” Patel says. “There’s nothing really out there to help small businesses that will actually help.” When a mutual friend suggested that Patel talk to Miranda Mounts, a food influencer who runs the @wheretoeatcharlotte Instagram account and has more than 26,000 followers, about a potential social media campaign promoting the pharmacy’s rapidtesting program, he thought, “Why not?” They had
their partnership and promotion: a giveaway for free rapid tests to eight @wheretoeatcharlotte followers who liked the post, followed her account as well as @carolinapharmacyarboretum, and tagged a friend in the comments. “Let’s prevent the spread in 2021!” the post began. It stated that winners would be announced on Monday, Jan. 5. The promotion wouldn’t make it that far, however. The post quickly provoked a backlash. The optics of an influencer dangling free testing in front of followers (and surely being paid to do so) didn’t sit right with many people. Some criticized Mounts and the pharmacy for charging for testing when there are many free sites available (none of those are rapidtesting sites), and others had a problem with Mounts seemingly profiting off of a public-health crisis. Then again, some people just have a problem with Mounts herself. In fact, Queen City Nerve named her Worst Influencer in our recent Best in the Nest issue due to insensitive comments she made about Mexican and Asian people in 2020 (which may
Looking back, Patel says he couldn’t have imagined the blowback that would come from his first try at influencer marketing. Days later, when asked what lessons he took from the experience, it’s clear he’s still confused by it all. “I learned that I’m very naïve to it,” he says. “I spend all my time on what I’m doing to help my patients. I don’t know, and that’s the hard part. What are my resources? What are my options as a small-business owner who is a peanut in a big world? We’re nobodies to most people, so how do I really find out who to use or who to get help from? My most transparent answer is I don’t know.” He’s considered what missteps he might have made, speculating that he should have found an influencer familiar with the health-care industry, or he could have linked to free testing sites for uninsured folks who can’t afford a rapid test, but for the most part, Patel is ready to leave the incident behind him. It’s unlikely we’ll see much more influencer marketing coming from Carolina Pharmacy, and for Patel, the sooner the whole rapid-testing program can be shut down the better. Until then, however, he’ll continue to offer the service to whomever books an appointment. “The revenue [from rapid testing] is minimal; it’s the same as what we make on the average prescription,” he says. “But the thing is to help people, and still be able to stop this. Our mission is for this to stop.” RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM
ARTS FEATURE
MAKE IT LOUD
In the Line of Sight features Joshua Galloway’s protest images
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BY BRIANNA MONROE
Charlotte photographer Joshua Galloway has been in the industry for around 12 years. His work has been featured in several nationally known publications including Essence and Ebony magazines. This month, however, he’ll check off one milestone that he calls his top accomplishment beside becoming his own boss as a full-time photographer. On Jan. 21, Galloway’s work will be featured in a new exhibit at The Light Factory titled In the Line of Sight, which highlights his coverage of the Black Lives Matter movement during the summer of 2020. With the exhibit, Galloway aims to provide a truth to the Black narrative while inspiring racial inclusivity in the local photography scene. Galloway, now 31, came to his photography journey through graphic design, a passion of his while studying computer science at Fayetteville State University before transferring to UNC Charlotte in 2009. As he began to get deeper into graphic design, he came to the realization that he needed quality pictures to accompany his work. That’s what led to Galloway purchasing his first camera, a Nikon D3000. Since then, he’s built a name for himself both as a portrait artist and photojournalist. (Full disclosure: Queen City Nerve hired Galloway to help cover protests in Uptown in June 2020.)
For his portraiture work, Galloway uses a prime lens, which doesn’t have the ability to zoom, so he’s known for bending himself into abstract positions to get the shot he wants, forming a “human tripod,” as he calls it, to get the best angles. He said he utilizes his past experience with dance as well as track and field to help him bust out moves while he works with clients. After all, the client isn’t the only person that should be moving during a shoot, Galloway said. “We should be dancing. I should be dancing too.” For the work featured in his new exhibit, however, Galloway put himself in precarious positions that had more to do with dodging tear gas and batons than getting the right angle.
is located in the back of the International House on Central Avenue. He said he never felt qualified to be featured at The Light Factory, as he hadn’t seen many Black artists centered in the space. The connection came from John Davis, a local photographer, owner of Jetpack Photos and a mentor to Galloway. Davis introduced Galloway to Kay Tuttle, executive director of The Light Factory, via group text, which led to an in-person meeting between Tuttle and Galloway at a local coffee shop. Galloway arrived at the meeting a bit shaken, as he had been followed by a police officer on his way there. This naturally led to a passionate conversation between Tuttle, a white woman, and Galloway, a A CHARLOTTE PROTESTER IN SUMMER 2020. PHOTO BY JOSHUA GALLOWAY younger Black man, about the Black Lives events and exhibits, a door was opened for In the Matter movement. Looking back at that first meeting, Line of Sight. “COVID opened the opportunity for change,” Tuttle said it felt like she had “known said Tuttle, though 2021 brought more change to [Josh] forever.” They’ve become close The Light Factory than how they book events. friends since, meeting regularly to discuss Inspired partly by her conversations with not only the exhibit but the goings on of Galloway and by other factors, including a broad the country. Tuttle made it her goal to help racial reckoning that occurred following Black Lives Galloway get exposure through a new Matters protests across the country, Tuttle went to exhibit, while Galloway made it his goal work on increasing inclusivity at The Light Factory. While the gallery was closed for COVID, Tuttle to educate Tuttle on issues in the Black rearranged her staff and the way they operate, community, while also pushing for more inclusion for people of color at The Light bringing on more people of color and holding regular meetings to educate staff on issues facing Factory. JOSHUA GALLOWAY minority communities. PHOTO BY ANTHONY MACKLIN In 2021, Tuttle hopes to launch a residency Change comes to The Light program devoted to providing photographers of Factory color with equipment and guidance needed to An unlikely friendship blooms from According to Tuttle, her meeting with Galloway elevate their creative endeavors. came at an opportune time. a chance meeting She told Queen City Nerve she would like for Exhibits are usually booked at least three years Galloway to facilitate and lead this program, she just Although he’s been familiar with The Light Factory for years, this is Joshua’s first time working in advance, Tuttle explained, but with the COVID-19 needs to find the funding first. with the Plaza Midwood photography studio, which pandemic forcing the cancellation of multiple
ARTS FEATURE The importance storytellers
of
Black
Joshua noted that in the African-American community, photography is often looked at as a means of survival, with many talented folks limiting themselves to graduation and wedding photos because those are the highest-paying gigs. There’s nothing wrong with that, Galloway said, as he cut his teeth on commercial photography, but he hopes to see more Black creatives empowered to “use your eye to create” and explore a different side of photography. He described In the Line of Sight as a “humanbeing-focused” look at present-day America. As Galloway described it, photojournalism has always been a “staple in history,” crucial to accurately depicting the Black narrative. It’s known that history books only tell a part of the story, but photojournalism offers a truth that has to be seen and can’t be distorted. In the Black community, specifically, photojournalism has an important, though emotional role to play. “A portion hurts and a portion gives us something to cheer for” Galloway said.
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Galloway gets loud
related to the protests. “Photography is my weapon,” Galloway said, a weapon that’s proven useful in fighting for social justice in the Black community, dispelling myths about what happened over the summer and shedding light on the Black narrative. Tuttle hopes that through Galloway’s exhibit, people will “explore common humanity” and develop a sense of empathy for hardships that take place in the Black community. “It provides the opportunity for everyone in the community to have conversations.”
IN THE LINE OF SIGHT WILL OPEN AT THE LIGHT FACTORY ON JAN. 21, BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. PHOTO BY JOSHUA GALLOWAY
the image makes a statement, setting the tone of the work. Many images throughout the gallery are also blown up to amplify the message. One of the most challenging aspects of preparing the new exhibit came in narrowing down the pieces to be included, said Tuttle, as In the Line of Sight features only a portion of what he captured. The exhibit is intended to educate members of the community who couldn’t make it to the protests, showing that what protesters dealt with in Uptown Charlotte throughout June “can happen in your own
In his own work, Galloway sees more creativity in his freelance photojournalism work as compared to the intention put into his commercial photography. A large portion of the work featured in the new exhibit feature images of signs that people held during the George Floyd protests. “The signs were so loud,” Galloway said. In fact, the exhibit features some of “the loudest statements ever,” according to Galloway, beginning with the first picture gallery-goers see as they enter the exhibit. Viewers are first faced with a full-wall image of a protester holding a sign. PROTESTERS MARCH PAST THE EPICENTRE IN UPTOWN IN JUNE. The sheer size of PHOTO BY JOSHUA GALLOWAY
backyard,” Galloway said. Some folks didn’t show up because of rumors connecting the spread of COVID-19 among the Black community to ongoing protests over the summer, rumors that have since been debunked. He took it upon himself to hit the streets for those who couldn’t come out for whatever reason. “This is what it looks like when someone who looks like you documents your truth,” he said. “It is not about me, it’s about everybody,” said Galloway.
In the Line of Sight will open on Jan. 21, with an event scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Registration will be required so as to limit capacity, and 25 people will be taken through a tour of the exhibit at a time. Following the opening, the exhibit will be available for view via appointment only. INFO@QCNERVE.COM
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The movement never dies
The protests may have taken place months ago but Galloway feels that his exhibit is still timely as ever. “This was six months ago, and it is still affecting us,” Galloway said, adding that he wants to continue to spread the message that “Black lives matter because they still do,” beyond the point when organizations and brands are tweeting their support for the movement because it’s trendy in the moment. His images have also been used by local defense lawyers in court to provide context for cases
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MUSIC FEATURE
The ball got rolling in November when Fedor reached out to Roof Above and asked if they had any fundraising plans involving Charlotte’s music community. On learning they had none, he said he’d get back to them and started organizing. Roof Above CEO Liz Clasen-Kelly says she first learned Justin Fedor marshals a that a benefit concert was brewing when a former musical line-up to help those staffer told her in passing that some musicians were experiencing homelessness staging the concert to help her organization. “I thought, ‘That’s nice’” Clasen-Kelly says laughing. BY PAT MORAN She assumed the concert would be a modest affair, but on a Christmas Eve phone call with Fedor, she learned Justin Fedor was driving past a homeless tent about the event’s scope, scale and $100,000 target. encampment in Charlotte when one of his stepchildren asked the question that sparked his latest musical and philanthropic venture. The exchange is the emotional center of a direct and somber video that announces the launch of Love Thy Neighbor, A Tribute to Benefit Roof Above, scheduled for Jan. 15. “We talk about the many reasons a person ends up sleeping at the side of the road in a tent,” Fedor narrates as the camera sweeps past images of people struggling to survive in the dead of winter. “And the 7-year-old wants to know who’s doing anything to help these people.” The star-studded virtual concert, which goes up on Jan. 15 at 8 p.m., will benefit Roof Above, a charitable organization that formed from the merger of Urban Ministry Center and Men’s Shelter of Charlotte in May 2019. Featuring local and national acts, the tribute will pay homage to iconic musical artists who passed away in 2020. Collaborating with musician and filmmaker JUSTIN FEDOR Chris Walldorf of Charlotte mood rockers Moa, “[They’re] taking bold action through music for Fedor produced the video that lays out his reasons our neighbors experiencing homelessness,” Clasenfor supporting Roof Above. Kelly says. Certainly, the money would be well spent “I can’t look [my children] in the eye, and say, on any of Roof Above’s ongoing efforts. ‘Well, nobody is helping so far. We’re waiting to hear “We are huge believers that housing is the what the city has to say about it,’” Fedor tells Queen solution for homelessness,” she says. City Nerve. “If we’re waiting to see what the city has In the midst of the pandemic, Roof Above is to say, we’re going to keep waiting.” currently operating four emergency shelters for men Charlotte’s homeless crisis, compounded by while partnering with Salvation Army to provide the COVID-19 pandemic and a severe shortage of shelter for women and families, bringing the total affordable housing, demands action now, Fedor number of operating shelters to five. insists. To that end, he’s also set up a GoFundMe The newest shelter is in a former hotel that page dedicated to raising $100,000 to aid Roof Roof Above purchased in 2020 that’s located on Above’s efforts to help the homeless. Clanton Road at I-77. It’s patterned on Moore Place, “I wish the GoFundMe would be enough,” a housing complex the organization opened in 2012 Fedor says. “I hope before we get to January 15 the that provides residents with onsite case managers, a fundraising will already be done.” Ideally the concert nurse, a part-time psychiatrist and a staff member would raise bonus funds, but beyond that, the who holds group activities. Funds are needed to show will offer something to the community. “I’m help renovate the former hotel so it can replicate not trying to tell people to give Roof Above money Moore Place, home to 129 people. without giving them something in return.”
THE GOOD NEIGHBOR
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The only solution is housing
“There’s nearly three acres to accompany that hotel, which creates some privacy,” Clasen-Kelly offers. “Even though it borders I-77, there’s a sense of peace on the property.” Roof Above aims to open permanent housing at the former hotel for 88 people by the end of 2021. In the meantime, the organization doesn’t want the structure to go unused. “Right after we got it, we [entered] into this partnership with Salvation Army so that they could utilize it to shelter women and families in the winter time,” Clasen-Kelly explains. “We’re able to cover some of [Salvation Army’s] operating expenses, and they provided the staffing to operate the shelters.
building in which people can take showers, do laundry, pick up mail and get connected to services such as emergency shelters, short-term housing and long-term supportive housing. The center also offers street outreach, a nurse and case management. According to Fedor, Roof Above served 4,371 different people through their programs last year. The number increases when the soup kitchen and other outreach efforts are included. “Between all the campuses, we serve about 1,200 people a day,” Clasen-Kelly says. Roof Above’s programs also helped move 403 people out of homelessness and into affordable housing in 2020, according to Fedor. The number of homeless people in all of Mecklenburg County was at 2,782 as of Huly 31, 2020, according to the county’s Housing and Homelessness Dashboard. “Sadly, there’s always hundreds of people unsheltered in our community for many years now,” Clasen-Kelly offers.
Concerts for the children
Fedor, 43, is no stranger to taking action to benefit his neighbors. The founder of Charlotte roots rock combo The New Familiars also plays with indie psychedelia foursome Ancient Cities and Americana act Fedor & the Denim Denim, and has organized tribute concerts to benefit Levine Children’s Hospital for the past seven years. “I’m in the business of putting on concerts,” Fedor says. By his reckoning he’s put on 17 PHOTO BY BAILEY DAVIDSON concerts to benefit Levine Children’s Hospital since 2013. He started doing the concerts after several of his friends started dealing with their Although the property will remain an children’s’ illnesses and hospitalizations. Other than emergency shelter through the winter, by late listening to his friends’ problems, he felt he couldn’t spring or early summer, that shelter will wind down, do anything to help. and Roof Above will start renovations. “One day I decided that I didn’t want to feel But most public attention is focused on another helpless anymore,” Fedor remembers. “I wanted to homeless settlement: Tent City, the encampment help those people.” He decided to organize a benefit along West 12th Street that has become emblematic show for Levine. As the concert came together, Fedor of the city’s and county’s failure to address the heard that Ray Manzarek, keyboardist for The Doors, affordable housing crisis. The encampment has had died. Fedor hit upon a theme for the gig: Various expanded since forming in March, and it’s impossible Charlotte musicians would play two to three cover to ignore, as it runs parallel to I-277. versions of Doors tunes to pay tribute to Manzarek “This encampment is in the consciousness of our and his musical legacy. That first benefit established community in a whole new way,” Clasen-Kelly says. a template that Fedor followed for subsequent “[Our] community is saying, ‘This isn’t who we want shows benefiting Levine, ranging from a 2013 Lou to be. This isn’t acceptable.’” Reed tribute after the Velvet Underground founder Tent City first formed outside of Roof Above’s died to a tribute to Tom Petty after the beloved Day Services Center. Formerly known as Urban singer-songwriter passed in 2017. Ministry Center, Roof Above’s Day Services Center Soon, Fedor began to diversify his shows’ consists of a renovated train station and a new themes.
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MUSIC FEATURE
Music’s Gregg McCraw and Chris Walldorf of Sioux Sioux Studios. Musicians will cover artists such as Van Halen, John Prine, Rush, Billy Joe Shaver, Little Richard, Fountains Of Wayne and more. Each artist’s contributions will be pre-recorded, some from studios spread across the country. One of the biggest booking coups was getting Adam Lazzara, lead singer of Taking Back Sunday, onboard. Though the band had its beginnings in Charlotte, they’ve outgrown the city since, and only one member (guitarist John Nolan) still lives in the Queen City. Fedor and Lazzara first hooked up years ago and had been talking about getting a “Tribute to
former Charlotte Hornets owner George Shinn, was previously the lead singer with Live. His band will cover a tune by Mazzy Star. Fedor will also reteam with his bandmates in Ancient Cities. In November, Brooklyn-based singersongwriter Nicole Atkins booked Ancient Cities to play at her Last Waltz Tribute, a recreation of The Band’s memorable farewell concert, originally held on Thanksgiving weekend in 1976. “That got us all itching to play together after taking a whole year off, so we’re working up a number,” Fedor offers. Charlotte artists will record their songs at Queen City concert venues that have opened their doors for Love Thy Neighbor, including Middle C Jazz,
“The concert is going to be pre-recorded so I’ll be happy to put someone’s logo up on the screen,” Fedor says with a chuckle. “I’ve got no problem with that.” As important as the fundraising is, Fedor stresses the importance of the energy generated by the event. It’s starting 2021 off with a feeling of possibility, he says, the energy of giving to others and helping each other out.
“Let’s be honest,” Fedor says. “[The new themes] started because it’s kind of grim to always do a concert when people die.” In September 2015, Fedor realized the 14th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks was coming up. The date became the basis of a tribute to the music of New York City, with local musicians covering music by Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, A person with solutions The Ramones and more. Growing up in the South with an adopted Black Soon the benefit shows branched out to tributes brother, Fedor learned early on about injustice. devoted to decades — the music of the ’80s and the Sticking up for what’s right became important to music of the ’90s. The concerts were all live at the him. He attributes those values to his parents’ Neighborhood Theatre, with anything from 12 to influence. 15 bands playing covers, whether it was Traveling “It [became] a personal passion … to be a Wilburys or the Everly Brothers. person with solutions,” Fedor says. “That’s why That all changed when the COVID-19 I want to do a benefit concert like this. It seems pandemic swept through the city and necessitated like the right thing to do ... Each of us has a the shutdown of Charlotte’s music venues. Fedor responsibility and a debt to pay back to our pivoted with online concerts. When John Prine society. If you want a better society you’ve got to passed in 2020, Fedor put together a virtual tribute, figure out a way to make it better.” posting a different John Prine cover from a different Raising funding for Roof Above seemed an artist every day for the month of June. Charlotte obvious way to better the community. artists were joined by regional and national players Clasen-Kelly thinks housing is critical to people’s like B.J. Barham of American Aquarium, Graham stability and their ability to have a meaningful life. Sharp of Steep Canyon Rangers and Travis T. Warren Charlotte — and the nation — needs to rethink of Blind Melon. how we handle housing, she says, and how we In August, Fedor organized a tribute to iconic support people we don’t have it. Black artists in support of Black Lives Matter. “The lives of people experiencing Every video that was posted linked directly to the homelessness are as valuable as the lives of people Levine Children’s Hospital website, where viewers PHOTO CREDIT with housing,” she offers, noting that a person TENT CITY AT THE CORNER OF WEST 12TH AND NORTH COLLEGE STREETS. could make donations. could work two full-time jobs at minimum wage The homeless situation is so severe, Fedor in Charlotte and still not afford housing. “If people believes, that he’s temporarily diverging from his Benefit” concert together for years. “Every time we Neighborhood Theatre, Petra’s and GrindHaus, Jason felt and understood the full humanity of someone longstanding relationship with Levine to marshal were going to do a tribute, his studio had something Jett’s new coworking music studio. experiencing homelessness, it would change a lot of Charlotte’s musical community to aid Roof Above. going on.” It never worked out for the two to With a growing concert bill and playlist, helping [their] actions.” But that doesn’t mean he’s had a break with the reconnect until now. local artists to record safely at Charlotte venues has “I’ve seen people coming out of those tents with hospital, he insists. “Jeremy Lynn Woodall, who is Billy Joe Shaver’s become a logistical challenge. babies,” Fedor says. “I’ve never seen this before in my “We’ll be back to serving Levine Children’s longtime guitar player [is] playing a song down in “We have to clear the room and sanitize lifetime.” Hospital in the future,” Fedor stresses. “[But] we’re Texas to pay tribute to Billy Joe Shaver,” Fedor says. everything and have enough time for the air to In addition to raising much-needed funds for in a crisis here. The best thing I can do is equip the “Tyler Ramsey from Band of Horses [is] recording a circulate,” he says. “Then we bring the artist in and Roof Above, he hopes to bring people together people on the front line every day.” song up in the foothills of North Carolina.” make sure that everybody stays safe.” through music. Graham Sharp of Steep Canyon Rangers is “It’s a beautiful thing to see everybody come “People love the healing factor of music,” he Love Thy Neighbor providing a tune, to be joined on the bill by Jim together,” Fedor offers. Donations are already coming says. But he also want to shine a spotlight on The Jan. 15 benefit for Roof Above will pay Lauderdale and Charlotte performers like Benji in to the GoFundMe page (tinyurl.com/LoveThyCLT), homelessness and the affordable-housing crisis so tribute to all the exceptional artists who passed Hughes, Petrov, Moa, Swim in the Wild, Time and concert information and the promotional video we as a community can bring some resolution to the away in 2020. Sawyer, Alright, Ian Pasquini, The Eyebrows, Elonzo are both being shared on social media. issue. “Being a virtual [concert], we were able to put Wesley, Wes Hamilton and more. Both Sharp and With private donations coming in, Fedor is “It’s tough to talk about this subject, but for our together a bill that we wouldn’t necessarily be able Lauderdale have won Grammys. hoping that in the course of the next two weeks neighbors, ourselves and our communities, we can to do if this were just a show at the Neighborhood Fedor will record with his current roots music businesses will come forward and pledge assistance. do better,” he says. “We have to do better.” Theatre,” Fedor says. Booking the electric and far- project Fedor & the Denim Denim. In addition, he Perhaps some larger corporations could pledge to reaching bill fell to Fedor with help from Maxx will play bass in Chris Shinn’s band. Shinn, the son of match what is raised by the concert, he suggests. PMORAN@QCNERVE.COM
ONGOING
CHARLOTTE FILM SOCIETY’S VIRTUAL SCREENING ROOM
What: Director Eliza Schroeder seems to be channeling the warmhearted, multicharacter comedies of Richard Curtis (Love, Actually) in Love Sarah. Sarah gets killed in a bike accident on the way to open a bakery that was her lifelong dream. Three generations of women – Sarah’s acerbic mother Mimi, her best friend Isabella and Sarah’s twentysomething ballet dancing daughter – must overcome their differences to save the titular bakery. In Climate of the Hunter, two sisters each have romantic feelings for their friend Wesley, but their rivalry for his affections are complicated by the fact that he might be a vampire. More: $10-12; ongoing; online; charlottefilmsociety.com
LISA DE NOVO & JIMMY SKI
ANTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: YOUR MIND & THE MACHING
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What: UNC Charlotte’s College of Arts + Architecture hosts a virtual benefit to support performing arts students. Normally ticket sales to the college’s performing arts events supply crucial scholarship funding, but the pandemic has resulted in the loss of that revenue. The College will present a virtual showcase of what its performing arts students’s work this academic year. Tune in via Zoom for this celebration of resilience and renewal as the College builds support for the students. More: Donations accepted, Jan. 14, 7 p.m.; online; coaa.uncc.edu/events
performance enhancement, and increased camaraderie among the poets and the community through slam competitions, SlamCharlotte hosts Blumenthal Performing Arts’ monthly Poetry Slam. SlamCharlotte’s current slammaster, artist, teacher, mentor and Emmy-winning poet and author Boris “Bluz” Rogers joined Blumenthal as director of creative engagement in September. He is also the 13th ranked poet in the world. This event will be livestreamed on Blumenthal’s Facebook page. More: Donations accepted, Jan. 15, 8 p.m.; online; blumenthalarts.org/events
Novo writes on her Facebook page, and it’s hard to disagree. Drawing on the tuneful, confessional indie pop of Florence and the Machine and Ed Sheeran, plus the pop-soul sass of Amy Winehouse, De Novo crafts deeply emotional music that belies its sunny pop-rock trappings. The Big Bang, her debut album, retains De Novo’s upbeat bounce and applies it to a crunchy indie-rock setting. For this virtual concert, she teams with multi-talented drummer Jimmy Ski, who is also a producer, composer and photographer. More: Donations accepted; Jan. 15, 8 p.m.; online; tinyurl.com/LisaDJimmyS
What: From sophisticated online marketing to facial recognition software, artificial intelligence is all around us, and yet there is no technology as intriguing and misunderstood as AI. Watch a robot paint and compose music, meet a lifelike robotic dog, get in the “driver’s seat” of a self-driving car and more with this exhibit, which features dozens of ways that our brains and computers interact with the world. It also explores the question, “How will our brains and Al work together in the future?” More: $15-19; starts Jan. 16; Discovery Place Science, 301 N. Tryon St.; science.discoveryplace.org
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CURTAINS RISING: A CAMPAIGN FOR POETRY SLAM LISA DE NOVO & JIMMY SKI ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: YOUR What: With a goal of promoting poetic growth, What: “Music is the best kind of therapy,” Lisa De MIND & THE MACHINE PERFORMANCE
CLIMATE OF HUNTER (CHARLOTTE FILM SOCIETY’S VIRTUAL SCREENING ROOM)
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POETRY SLAM
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What: The Gantt Center hosts a virtual MLK celebration spanning the full day. Highlights include From Slavery to Civil Rights, an Aural History Tour, which features a combination of spirituals, protest songs, and inspiring gospel; Our Friend Martin, an animated film about two teens who go back in time to visit Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; a live one-man show by Omar El-Amin that depicts the essences of MLK and Malcolm X; a live musical performance by Rudy Currence that covers songs of justice from the civil rights era; hands-on art activities and panel discussions. More: Free; Jan. 18, 10 a.m.; online; ganttcenter.org
What: Do not confuse this art jazz quintet with Latter Rain, a Christian classic rock combo from Kentucky or The Latter Rain, the debut album by Norwegian progressive death metal band In Vain – but wouldn’t it be great if Later Rain played a mash-up of the other two bands? What the music and movement experience comprised of Eric Mullis, Troy Conn, Micah Davidson, Daniel Flynn and Charlie Trexler will do promises to be just as cool. The combo describes their act as “A dance and jazz ensemble performance that will blow your mind.” More: $10; Jan. 20, 7 p.m.; online; neighborhoodtheatre.com
What: The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art presents the documentary Mario Botta | The Space Beyond. The film is a rare, in-depth journey into the work of internationally acclaimed Swiss architect Mario Botta. The filmmakers explore Botta’s ever growing curiosity and reflections on the contractions of society, through sacred spaces. With the addition of building a mosque, Botta has completed many churches, chapels and synagogues. He is one of the few architects who has built places of prayer for three main monotheistic religions. Registration is required. More: Free; Jan. 21, starting at 5 p.m.; online; bechtler.org
What: Ash and his friends hike to a cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway, but when they open an old book and read an infernal spell, all hell breaks loose... literally, as the cabin and surrounding woods start crawling with the Evil Dead! Sam Raimi’s breakthrough horror classic is a little rougher around the edges than you might remember it, and it’s dead serious, unlike its sequels, which play like three stooges slapstick slathered in gore. If you don’t believe us, watch it again – but this time with a live commentary from Ash himself, genre superstar Bruce Campbell. More: $25 and up; Jan. 23, 9 p.m.; online; blumenthalarts.org/events
MLK HOLIDAY WEEKEND
LATER RAIN
‘MARIO BOTTA: THE SPACE BEYOND’
MLK HOLIDAY WEEKEND
‘EVIL DEAD’
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CURTIS WINGFIELD’S JAZZ IS LED
What: Jazz ain’t dead – it’s Led! Imagine Charles Mingus’ “Misty Mountain Hop,” Lionel Hampton’s “Houses of the Holy,” or “Kashmir” by John Coltrane. You might not have to, because Charlotte-based jazz drummer Curtis Wingfield presents Jazz is Led, a celebration of, and tribute to, the music of Led Zeppelin in the spirit of Jazz-Fusion. The crack ensemble includes Ron Brendle on bass, Troy Conn on guitar and Emmanuel Wynter on violin, just the crew to make “Stairway to Heaven” swing. More: $34; Jan. 22, 6 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Jan. 23, 6 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Middle C Jazz, 300 S. Brevard St.; middlecjazz.com
MARIO BOTTA
1/21
CURTIS WINGFIELD
1/22-1/23
FOOD & DRINK FEATURE
Back in Charlotte, the team has been organizing the dispersal of staff from 5Church to get their hours in at Tempest and another sister restaurant, Sophia’s Lounge, located in The Ivey’s Hotel in Uptown. “We’ve shifted a lot of our operations to Sophia’s Lounge,” Lynch tells Queen City Nerve. “We started doing brunch just to help keep the business afloat 5Church reopens with new during the hard times.” executive chef after 10 5Church pastry chef Moehring, for example, has months closed held a residency at Sofia’s Lounge while 5Church has been closed. As for 5Church’s newly announced BY LEA BEKELE executive chef Sherief Shawky, who was recently promoted from chef de cuisine, he used his time When Phase 2 of Governor Cooper’s COVID-19 away to curate a new menu for the reopening, reopening plan was announced in May, Charlotte’s including a seafood tower that features oysters, restaurant industry scrambled to prepare jumbo shrimp, lobster and Alaskan King Crab. themselves. Instead of following that lead and potentially rushing their reopening, management Paving the way at 5Church in Uptown Charlotte chose to wait it out. After opening 5Church in 2015 with his friends The fine-dining concept pushed the opening Patrick Whalen and Alejandro Torio, Lynch’s career of its dining room back a month and watched how took off, eventually leading him to compete on everything played out before deciding in June to season 14 of Top Chef. His introduction to the close the doors indefinitely. industry wasn’t as glamorous. “It has become clear that there is no cogent plan Lynch started his food-service journey as a from any local, state or federal officials allowing dishwasher in Marblehead, Massachusetts, when for the safe and solvent operation of a restaurant in North Carolina,” the 5th Street Group wrote in a statement that was shared via social media. After a 10-month closure due to the pandemic, 5Church’s flagship location in Uptown has announced that it will reopen its doors on Feb. 4. When indoor dining returns to 5Church, as will renowned chef and co-owner Jamie Lynch, though this time he’ll be joined by a new executive chef, Sherief Shawky, as well as longtime pastry chef Michaela Moehring.
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TAKE ‘EM TO CHURCH
5CHURCH’S SIGNATURE S’MORES.
learn and looking back, he shares that he “didn’t know anything” about the business. “I didn’t know hospitality. I just knew that cooking was my vehicle to communicate with people and I knew that I wanted to have my own cooking voice. I wanted to have my own place to do that.” Like Lynch, Moehring started her career at 15 years old, working in a corporate kitchen as a prep cook, expeditor and eventually, a line cook. After moving to North Carolina, she pivoted to an upscale restaurant working as a pastry cook. Shawky started cooking PHOTO COURTESY OF 5TH STREET GROUP THE INTERIOR OF 5CHURCH CHARLOTTE. at his mother’s restaurant. Biding their time “After a year or two of working there, I decided to In the face of uncertainty, all that’s left to do he was 15. He spent his late teens and early 20s go to culinary school [at Middlesex County College] is stay busy. In Lynch’s case, that means opening a roaming from state to state until he eventually and fell in love with food and started my journey up new restaurant, the Tempest in Charleston, SC, and landed in San Francisco, where his career began to planning to open another in Tennessee in the coming flourish. He then moved to New York to work under north,” Shawky shares of his introduction into the culinary world. “I came down here, worked with chef months. He and his 5th Street Group partners will more seasoned chefs. open Church and Union in Nashville in February. Lynch was a young cook with so much left to Jamie and it’s been a blessing ever since then.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF 5TH STREET GROUP
He’s worked under Lynch for a little over a year and says he wants to eventually become his righthand man at 5th Street Group. “I am looking to develop with the company and grow as much as I can,” he tells Queen City Nerve.
A new perspective
Just like its staff, 5Church is a living, breathing entity that seems to grow bigger and bolder with every pivot. The 5Church Charlotte space is known for its large-scale artwork and hand-painted ceiling, which includes every word of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War written out in its entirety. In the name of reinvention, 5th Street Group commissioned local artists Matt Moore, Matt Hooker, Honey McCrary, Corey McGovern, Jon Norris and Nathaniel Lancaster to create an entirely new mural in place of the original one. 5Church’s revamped interior will feature artwork inspired by Aesop’s Fables, with each artist showcasing their interpretation of different fables in various styles. Along with the new artwork, the space is now equipped with a REME Halo LED air purifier in the HVAC system to help with sanitization and circulation. The need for reinvention is a tale as old as time. When the doors open on Feb. 4, customers can expect a new menu and new artwork adorning the walls, leaving guests with that same fantastical feeling. LBEKELE@QCNERVE.COM
FOOD & DRINK RECIPE
THE PARTIAL ENCHILADA
Chile for those chilly nights
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BY ARI LEVAUX
Winter is the season for red chile enchilada sauce. You can almost smell the pinon and juniper smoke drifting from the leaky wood stove, as your mouth explores the profound depths of a good red chile made from scratch. In addition to Mexicanstyle foods, a good enchilada sauce is good an many more foods that you may not think of offhand, like baked potatoes and squash, roast fatty meats, scrambled eggs, and anything savory. Enchilada, after all, being the past participle of enchilar, simply means “covered in chile.” Enchilar literally means “to put chile on something.” In the popular dish enchiladas, named after that verb, that “something” is corn tortillas. You can find the ingredients for a good red chile nearly everywhere, from the bulk section of Whole Foods to the “Ethnic foods” aisle of a small town supermarket with little more than salsa, soy sauce and ramen. We aren’t going to call it “chili,” by the way. The Mexican word for the plant from Mexico is “chile.” In Spanish language slang, enchilada can mean red-faced and triggered. And researchers have determined RED CHILE. capsaicin does indeed trigger endorphins, the rush of which have been compared to those of sex, drugs, rock and roll and runner’s high, depending on what you’re into. Endorphins can dull pain, too, including, fortuitously, the pain of hot chile. I once fed cayenne powder to my chickens to make their yolks extra-red, just to see if it could be done. Although they didn’t taste spicy —
the capsaicin doesn’t make it to the eggs, even though the beta-carotene does — those yolks, grammatically speaking, were enchilados. The world’s first enchiladas were little more than tortillas dipped in chile sauce. Generations of Mexican chefs took this initial breakthrough in countless directions. Chips and salsa is one derivative, although some might argue the chips are actually entomatadas, aka treated with tomato. (Not to be confused with enfrijoladas, covered with beans). I’ve got some red chile drying in my living room, strung up in ristras New Mexico-style. The peppers are Italian Long Hots, a thin, crinkled chile that’s like playing Russian Roulette, because you never know when one will be searing. It’s a great pepper for red chile sauce, but most any whole pod will work. If
you can’t get whole pods, substitute ground chile, the redder the better. If you eat as much chile as I do, you must pace yourself. I don’t go for the extra-hot chile. Sure, I can handle it, but I prefer a session chile that keeps me on the edge of my seat, but won’t slow me down. At some point folks like myself might as well
concede that we aren’t actually applying chile to this or that substrate, because chile IS the substrate. And all the other stuff like tortillas, chicken, cheese, et al, are all just different ways to season and decorate the chile. But until then, we’ll keep calling it red chile enchilada sauce, which if you think about it, is redundant.
Red Chile Treatment
While most New Mexican red chile recipes are thickened with a little flour, I prefer corn masa, the same stuff tortillas and tamales are made of. Masa is a flour made from corn treated with calcium hydroxide, an ancient process (it used to employ wood ash) called nixtamalization that gives the cornmeal a creamier texture.
I gently fry the masa in butter into a roux. It’s noticeably easier to manage than a flour-based roux, and has a fun, smooth foaming action that will develops a nutty brown color and flavor, and doesn’t seem eager to burn. Just a few spoonfuls of masa adds a distinct dissolved tortilla flavor that is so noticeable I often skip making the “whole enchilada,” if you will, and
simply apply this thick chile sauce to my choice of protein. I’ll garnish with onions, cilantro and avocado and call it good. 1 quart chicken stock (1+ tablespoons Better than Bouillon paste in a quart of water, or equivalent) 1 ounce dried red chile pod, clean and devoid of seeds and stems 3 cloves garlic 1 tablespoon oregano 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon oil 2 tablespoons masa 1 pound minced onion Optional: cooked chicken meat, corn tortillas, grated jack or similar cheese for the entire enchilada; fresh onions Heat the stock to a simmer. Add the cleaned chile and simmer 10 minutes. Then let sit for an hour. When it’s cool, add to a blender with the oregano and garlic, and blend until smooth. It will coalesce into a magical, near translucent state of chile gel that’s thick like a good pudding. Some cooks will call it good and stop here. Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the masa and stir it into the oil and butter. When it starts to brown, add the onions and a cup of water. Cook until the onions are translucent, stirring as necessary to prevent sticking; about ten minutes. Then add the chile blend and heat to a simmer. Keep it there 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Don’t PHOTO BY ARI LEVAUX overcook. You want to keep that bright red hue. I prefer to make stacked enchiladas, rather than rolled, as it’s so much easier. You just fill a tray like making a lasagna. Heat the chicken in the chile sauce for a few minutes before layering it all together with tortillas and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese melts, and serve garnished with raw onion. INFO@QCNERVE.COM
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LIFESTYLE PUZZLES
LIFESTYLE PUZZLES SUDOKU
BY LINDA THISTLE
PLACE A NUMBER IN THE EMPTY BOXES IN SUCH A WAY THAT EACH ROW ACROSS, EACH COLUMN DOWN AND EACH SMALL 9-BOX SQUARE CONTAINS ALL OF THE NUMBERS ONE TO NINE. ©2020 King Feautres Syndicate, Inc. All rights reserved.
TRIVIA TEST BY FIFI RODRIGUEZ
1. MOVIES: Who was the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Actor? 2. ASTRONOMY: How many phases does the Moon go through each month? 3. MEDICAL: What are leukocytes? 4. TELEVISION: What are the names of the three animated “Powerpuff Girls”? 5. INVENTIONS: Who is credited with inventing the first battery? 6. GEOGRAPHY: What is the largest country in Africa in land area? 7. MEASUREMENTS: What does a Geiger counter measure? 8. LITERATURE: What item did the crocodile swallow in “Peter Pan”? 9. FOOD & DRINK: What is grenadine made from? 10. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a baby goat called?
CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1 Little rascal 6 Mosque officiants 11 Go for a dip 15 Spill the secret 19 Shinbone 20 Local theaters, in slang 21 Had on 22 Go very fast 23 City in which quadrennial games take place 25 Gumbo vegetable 26 R&B singer James 27 Japanese soup paste 28 Fit -- queen 29 Sea cargo weight unit 31 Statistic associated with plane riders 35 Threatens to topple 36 Brouhaha 37 Ken is one 38 Viking 1 landing site 39 Fleecy boot brand 42 Guesses at LGA 45 Instructive example 47 “Siddhartha” author Hermann 52 Gotten larger 54 UNLV part 56 1977 Triple Crown horse 58 “-- & Stitch” 59 Stinging hits 61 TV’s Arnaz 62 Not iffy 63 Whitewater transport 67 Vassals 69 Tongue-lash 70 See 117-Across 71 Goldie of “Laugh-In” 72 Unit of pressure
75 It surrounds the South Orkney Islands 80 Twin of Jacob 81 Secy., e.g. 83 Oozes 84 Jazzy Fitzgerald 85 Pile of trash 89 Enervate 90 Sacred song 91 Muscle twitch 92 Arthurian wizard 94 “Encore!” 96 “Science Guy” of TV 97 Pupil setting 99 Arthurian wife 101 Add- -- (annexes) 103 Reviewer of tax returns 107 Disney World roller coaster 113 Moniker for a 1970s sitcom family 115 Go up 116 With 118-Across, bite-size Nabisco cookie 117 With 70-Across, Taj Mahal locale 118 See 116-Across 119 Statement about the end of each of nine answers in this puzzle 122 Meyers of “Late Night” 123 Ball field coverer 124 Candid 125 Cara of “Fame” fame 126 Canadian fuel brand 127 Gin flavorer 128 Burrito topper 129 Winona of “Beetlejuice”
DOWN 1 Walk heavily 2 Paramecium hairs 3 Huge gulf 4 Cocktail at brunch 5 Dad, in dialect 6 Disguised, in brief 7 Gold-medal skier Phil 8 On a plane or train 9 Month, in Spain 10 Retired jet since ‘03 11 Cutlass, e.g. 12 Rousted 13 Thorns in one’s side 14 Scant 15 Favre of football 16 Starbucks offering 17 Many a Tony winner 18 Hits on the noggin 24 Alternatively 29 Artificial 30 Two-gender pronoun 32 Utopian site 33 Email giggle 34 Bullring calls 38 Sacred song 39 Wrinkled citrus fruit 40 Smile widely 41 Club game 43 Assuage 44 Bygone Swedish car 46 Smileys’ opposites 48 Inherent natures 49 Slimy garden pest 50 Dried up, old-style 51 Rams’ partners 53 Some babes in the woods 55 Sharp, broken-off piece 57 Purple blooms
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PG.18 PUZZLE ANSWERS
MULTITUDINOUS ©2020 King Feautres Syndicate, Inc. All rights reserved.
59 Colonel Klink’s camp 60 Mail status 64 -- carte 65 Nutrition stat 66 Ventilates 68 “Sands of -- Jima” 71 Big African beast, briefly 72 Tinkertoy bits 73 PDQ cousin 74 Gilbert of “The Talk” 75 Fire remains 76 Join (with) 77 Zest 78 Join (with) 79 Identify 82 Between urban and country 86 Friendly relationship 87 Letter before beth 88 -- colada 90 “21 Grams” actor Sean 93 Cage, to his pals 95 City WNW of Paris 98 R2-D2 and others 100 Skin-related 102 “Our Lady” of churches 103 Humiliate 104 Beseeches 105 Pub missiles 106 Boise setting 107 Brand of mouthwash 108 Outward expressions 109 Port of Japan 110 Felt sickly 111 Words after two or hole 112 Stuff in gunpowder 114 Successor of Claudius I 119 Provisos 120 Refrain bit 121 Title for Ringo Starr as of 2018
LIFESTYLE COLUMN
AERIN IT OUT HOOKING UP IN A PANDEMIC Online dating means more than virtual meet-ups
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BY AERIN SPRUILL
On New Year’s Eve, I had the “pleasure” of meeting a friend of a friend whose first introduction was a declaration that he had full intentions of finding a lady on a dating app that he could kiss at midnight. (For those that were questioning my integrity, yes, I was 6 feet of safe from this young fella.) I sized him up and chuckled. “This should be fun,” I thought to myself as I took a sip of my then-warm beer. After all, I was thoroughly intrigued. He took a poll around the table with a “wink and a gun” kind of smile on his face. “Which two apps do you think will be the most promising: Hinge, Bumble, or Tinder?” I admired his sprightly confidence. The entire table spiraled into the conversation around the success of certain dating apps and the “psychos” they’ve attracted from others. He ended up, or so he said, creating two last-minute profiles on Tinder and Bumble with a single picture and a profile/selling point suggesting he was, “Looking for a New Year’s kiss,” plus his phone number. Quite the social experiment if you ask me, but with the 9 p.m. curfew closing in and no suspects chomping at the bit, the excitement was short-lived. Nevertheless, the chance encounter piqued my interest. I began to wonder, in these grim COVID-19 times, who’s taking a chance on finding love (short-lived or long-term) in the era of “quaranpeen?” The dating app world has continuously befuddled me. I’ve always met people organically and therefore never had an interest in joining the online-dating world. I know very little about the mechanics of “swiping” or which apps allow women to control the interaction or how many dating apps even exist. And yet, the conversation constantly circles around me. “A buddy of mine got banned from Hinge and he is DEVASTATED! [Not to mention] he was in Florida messaging 25 girls when it happened! He’s talking about filing a lawsuit.” That’s the most recent unsolicited statement that tumbled onto my table following the NYE debacle. Curiosities have filled the corners of my brain. “How does one get banned from a dating app? What happened that was SO APPALLING that the app AGREED a ban was warranted? TWENTY-FIVE girls?” But before any of those answers could come out, the conversation moved to the
more serious nature of the ban. Apparently, “Hinge is like St. Lucia, Bumble is like Myrtle Beach, and tinder is like Shelby, NC!” These comparisons were all shared between exasperated bellows of laughter and the sense that the “buddy” had royally screwed up his chance for finding true, resort-style love. Bewilderment. Sheer terror. Gratitude. All were felt in that single moment as I thought about my friends braving the wild, searching for companionship during cuffing season in the midst of a pandemic! As a woman who’s spoken for, the dating scene remains one of the most intriguing aspects of nightlife. As the months of quarantine life have dragged on, I’ve watched friends become lovers, strangers become serious, singles serial dating, and thots still thotting. But it wasn’t until these recent conversations that I began to question if the dating world was simply “business as usual.” After putting my ear to the ground, the answer seems to be an unequivocal yes. Yes, people are still dating. Yes, in spite of the pandemic. And yes, the shenanigans, complications, drama, and game-playing that preceded
COVID-19 have continued. Friend: “I’ve been on it and off [dating apps] for I don’t know how long and I swear the same dudes are still on it ... like I’m talking years. And apparently, the apps will only show you profiles that have actually been active within a certain time frame like a week I think ... so when people say ‘Oh it must be from years ago, I didn’t delete it properly…’ LIES! Also, the top bachelors on there have literally hooked up with every girl in Charlotte. I honestly have to ask ALL my friends before I talk to someone on it to confirm that they haven’t, one, been on a date with them or, two, slept with them ... chances are very slim they haven’t done either.” *Shrugs* some things never change. And yes, many app users are approaching with caution, citing anxiety over not only catching COVID-19 but catching a plethora of other “viruses,” because how safe can one be when there’s a chance the person you’re entertaining via text is also juggling 24 other potentials? Hinge. Bumble. Tinder. The League (allegedly home to the cream of the dating crop). Coffee Meets Bagel!? Whatever your preferred method of emotional or physical transaction, the dating world in the Queen City hasn’t shut down. A simple poll will reveal that even in the face of “extenuating circumstances,” the hunt for companionship is still on. Play on playa. But beware, you may just be falling right into the trap of the “Queen’s Gambit” and setting yourself up to fail right from the start. INFO@QCNERVE.COM
Connect with free virtual arts, science, and history experiences for all ages.
By Lucie Winborne • To train new operatives during the Cold War, the Soviets built fully functional replicas of American towns. Their residents consisted of retired deep-cover operatives who taught the trainees everything they needed to know about blending into American life. • In 1963, the Bronx Zoo had an exhibit called “The Most Dangerous Animal in the World.” It was a mirror. • The U.S. Navy has a tradition that no submarine is ever considered lost at sea. Subs that don’t return, including 52 lost during World War II, are considered “still on patrol.” Every year at Christmas, sailors manning communications hubs send holiday greetings to those listed as still on patrol. • An outbreak of the common cold occurred at an Antarctic base after 17 weeks of complete isolation. • In the category of Best Song Titles Ever, country music stars Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty recorded a duet titled “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are So Ugly.” (Despite which fact, the lyrics make clear that the couple is still in love.) • After high school senior Allison Closs dressed up a cardboard cutout of Danny DeVito to go with her to prom, the actor returned the favor by bringing a cardboard cutout of Allison to the set of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” • A $3 million lottery winner was sentenced to 21 years in prison after using his winnings to finance a meth trafficking ring. • Actual town names in the U.S. include Rabbit Hash (Kentucky), Two Egg (Florida), Ding Dong (Texas) and Bacon (Delaware). • Ever have trouble finishing your veggies? Try taking a tip from Leigh Knight, who in 2006 sold an unwanted brussels sprout left over from his Christmas dinner for £1,550 ($2,100.72 USD) to aid cancer research. *** Thought for the Day: “May your coffee kick in before reality does.” — Unknown © 2021 King Features Synd., Inc.
CULTURE
BLOCKS
Find upcoming events at ArtsAndScience.org/CultureBlocks
LIFESTYLE
HOROSCOPE JANUARY 13 - JANUARY 19
JANUARY 20 - JANUARY 26
ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Aspects call for care LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Don’t hide ARIES
(March 21 to April 19) Single Lambs LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Don’t ignore in preparing material for submission. Although you your talents. It’s a good time to show what you can looking for romance could find Cupid especially that uneasy feeling about making a commitment. might find it bothersome to go over what you’ve do to impress people who can do a lot for you. A accommodating this week. Paired partners also It could be a case of understandably cold feet, or a done, the fact is, rechecking could be worth your dispute with a family member might still need some find their relationships benefiting from the chubby warning that something isn’t as right as it should be. time and effort. smoothing over. cherub’s attention.
TAURUS
(April 20 to May 20) The week is favorable for Bovines who welcome change. New career opportunities wait to be checked out. You also might want to get started on that home makeover you’ve been considering.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Your early enthusiasm
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21)
Expect some good news about a relative you’ve been Trying to patch up an unraveling relationship is for a project might have been somewhat premature. worried about. But don’t expect the full story to be be extra careful to protect that surprise you have often easier said than done. But it helps to discuss Although you feel positive about it, you might need told -- at least not yet. A workplace matter might planned, thanks to a certain snoopy someone who and work out any problems that arise along the way. more information in order to make an informed face shifting priorities. wants to know more about your plans than you’re decision. willing to share. CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) While CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) your creative aspect remains high this week, you CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Taking on a new Despite some anxious moments, you could have CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Family ties are strong might want to call on your practical side to help responsibility might seem like the politically correct good reason to be pleased with how things are this week, although an old and still-unresolved work out the why and wherefore of an upcoming thing to do. But even with the promise of support, turning out. An end-of-the-week call might hold was it the wisest? Consider reassessing your some interesting information. problem might create some unpleasant moments. decision. If so, look to straighten the situation out once and upcoming decision. for all. AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Dealing AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) A longwith someone’s disappointment can be difficult for LEO (July 23 to August 22) Apply yourself to overdue expression of appreciation could be offered LEO (July 23 to August 22) Although the Lion might Aquarians, who always try to avoid giving pain. But completing your task despite all the distractions soon. But admit it: You never really expected see it as an act of loyalty and courage to hold on to a full explanation and a show of sympathy can work that might be interfering with your work. Then it would happen, right? Meanwhile, keep your an increasingly shaky position, it might be wiser to wonders. reward yourself with a weekend of fun shared with weekend options open. make changes now to prevent a possible meltdown people who are close to you. later. PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Getting a jobPISCES (February 19 to March 20) It’s a good related matter past some major obstacles should be VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A business time to dive right into a new challenge, whether VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Your gift for easier this week. A personal situation might take a agreement from the past might need to be looked it’s learning a computer app, or how to drive a stick adding new people to your circle of friends works surprising but not necessarily unwelcome turn by at again. Use this unexpected development to check shift, or making a new friend. Whatever it is, good overtime this week, thanks largely to contacts you the week’s end. out other matters related to it. A weekend venture luck. made during the holidays. A surprise awaits you at proves to be rewarding. the week’s end.
GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) You might have to
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SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) A colleague could be more supporting of one of your with your colleagues about your plan to bring a Bull’s eye focused on your target, and shake off efforts. But it’s up to you to make the case for it, and workplace matter out into the open. You’ll want any attempt to turn your attention elsewhere. You that could mean opening up a secret or two, which their support, and they’ll want to know how you’ll should get some news later in the week that might might be a problem for you. pull it off. answer some questions. SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Be open TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Keep your keen
BORN THIS WEEK: You can be both a dreamer and a doer. You consider helping others to be an important part of your life.
BORN THIS WEEK: You see the wisdom in honesty, and you help others appreciate your vision.
2020 KING FEATURES SYND., INC.
LIFESTYLE COLUMN
PG.19 PUZZLE ANSWERS
SAVAGE LOVE CUM AGAIN
Revisiting the spelling of sperm
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BY DAN SAVAGE
As you can see by my signature, Dan, I’m a linguist. On your podcast you frequently ask researchers “whatchyougot” on all kinds of sexand romance-related questions, I thought maybe you’d be interested in some expertise on linguistic matters too. And I have some on “cum,” “cumming,” and (shudder) “cummed.” The technical term here used among linguists for this kind of phenomenon is “peeve.” Let me clarify, it’s not the “cum,” “cumming,” and “cummed” that’s a peeve but the shuddering. You see, something that causes peevers to shudder causes linguists to get interested. The point is language always changes, and linguists are interested in these changes however much they horrify normal people. (That’s our technical term for non-linguists.) Grandparents are forever lamenting about how their grandchildren’s generation is ruining the language. Documentation of this phenomenon goes back to the Roman times. And indeed generations upon generations of grandchildren turned Latin into Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan and host of lesser known forms of ruination. In terms of the sticky substance at hand (or on hand), cum as a verb and cumming are just alternative spellings, which are common enough for slang. It’s slang! You really gonna insist slang follow uptight and buttoned-down spelling rules, Dan? That’s just stoopid. Cummed is more interesting — and also causes peevers to shudder — because it’s a real change in the language. But why shudder? Why not appreciate it instead? “Cummed” shows us how creative we are with our language, how we play with it, and in this case do something useful, differentiating the sublime “got off” (climaxed) from the banal “got there” (arrived). Don’t fall into useless peeving, Dan! You’ve famously instigated language change. Just ask Rick Santorum, your former college roommate, or the men who’ve cummed and cummed hard while a nice vagina-haver pegged their ass.
Thank you for taking the time to write, Professor Newman, and please forgive me for peeving you. But the sticky issue for me — if you’ll pardon the expression — remains the seemingly unnecessary and arbitrary use of an alternate spelling in this one instance. As I’ve said before, no one is confused when someone calls a person a “dick” in print and then goes on to wax poetic about the dick they sucked in the next sentence. If we don’t have to spell it “dik” when we’re referring to male genitalia — or the genitals of penis-havers — I don’t see why “come” needs to be spelled “cum” when referring to someone climaxing or when referring to ejaculate. Of all the words out there with more than one meaning — dick, dong, cock, pussy, beaver, box, crack, rack, sack — why does this one require special linguistic treatment?
TRIVIA ANSWERS: 1. Sidney Poitier, in 1964 2. Eight 3. White blood cells
4. Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles 5. Alessandro Volta 6. Algeria 7. Radiation
Interesting take on cum ... as your column Hm … I agree that an alternate spelling when ventured into linguistics. How do you feel about referring to ejaculate could be helpful. But context also “tonite” for “tonight” or “lite” for “light”? Inquiring provides clarity. If a man and/or penis-haver says, “My minds want to know. come was everywhere,” no one thinks his/hers/their COMMONLY USED MUTATED SPELLINGS orgasms are Jesus Christ or dark matter — literally I made inquiries of the world’s best dictionary everywhere throughout the universe — but rather that Merriam-Webster, CUMS, where I learned tonite is “a he’s/she’s/they’re exaggerating about the volume of blasting explosive consisting of a mixture of guncotton a recent orgasm to make a point about the intensity of with a nitrate” and lite means “made with a lower calorie pleasure he/she/they derived from it. content or with less of some such ingredient (salt, fat, or I’ve been a copy editor for 15 years and a alcohol) than usual.” So you can have dinner tonight and wash it down with something lite, CUMS, but don’t have Savage Love reader for much longer. I wanted to chime in on fellow Canadian COME’s letter about tonite for dinner unless you want to light yourself up. the “come” vs “cum” spelling. I fully agree that as I basically agree with your views about spelling a verb, it should be “come” and “came/coming” the verb as “come.” However, I think one could be instead of “cummed/cumming.” But there is a place a bit more nuanced about usage here. “Come” is for “cum”: as a noun when referring to the actual rather polite and could easily be used in a romantic gooey substance (aka semen, ejaculate, spunk, context (“Oh god honey I’m about to come”) whereas etc). Consider the sentence, “I have come in my “cum” has a definite “Let’s fuck” feel to it (something mouth.” Are you announcing an act of autofellatio not unheard of in your column). Different contexts (talk about a cumblebrag!) or are you describing call for different styles, perhaps. I would also like a substance someone else left behind? Or, “How to make an outright exception for the substance did come get on my jacket?” Doesn’t that just look “cum,” which I feel should always be spelled with a like a mistake? Millennials love turning nouns into “u.” For the noun, using the “u” hardly seems vulgar verbs (adulting!) but I think using “come” as a noun at all. One might wonder why cum seems more is incorrect. And what about describing something appropriate for denoting semen. I can think of two as “cummy”? How would you spell that? Comy? good reasons. First, “cum” evokes “scum,” which Comey? Perhaps we can all come together on this: matches the feelings of some (benighted) people “come” for the verb of achieving orgasm; “cum” for that cum is slimy and disgusting. And secondly, the the noun that describes the resulting emission. final letters “um” occur in some medical terms — COPYEDITOR USES MODIFICATION FOR A NOUN all nouns — which relate to sex, like pudendum, Your argument convinced me, CUMFAN. If everyone scrotum, rectum, flagellum, perineum. This is a very else agrees to use “come” for the verb, I can swallow “cum” different association than scum but also seems like as a noun. The copy editor carries the day! part of the story, at least to me.
MICHAEL NEWMAN PROFESSOR OF LINGUISTICS AND CHAIR DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS AND COMMUNICATION DISORDERS TK QUEENS COLLEGE/CUNY
8. A clock 9. Pomegranates 10. A kid
You were close with your advice to Cabin Fever, the man whose teenager was derailing his sex life, but it was still a miss. Instead of telling his kid to “take a fucking walk,” per your advice, he should use the moment to teach. As you said, Dan, even teenage boys realize that happy-and-still-in-love parents are a good thing. So instead of being confrontational, CF and his wife could laugh and pay their son the compliment of being honest: “We enjoy sex but we don’t enjoy it with you in the next room any more than you enjoy hearing it.” Then come up with someplace for him to go for a few hours that HE wants to go to and make it happen. By being upfront they’ll be modeling healthy adult behavior and a healthy and adult approach to problem solving. This is truly an opportunity for good parenting.
MOM AND DAD ARE FUCKING
While I did advise CF to tell his kid to “take a fucking walk” when mommy and daddy wanted to peg, I expected CF to approach that conversation in a tactful and constructive manner. That said, due to the pandemic, there aren’t many places for a kid to go when his parents are fucking. A walk, for now, may be their best option. If CF’s family doesn’t already have a dog, perhaps they should get one.
Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage; on the Lovecast, Dan and Michael Cee discuss “the wife sharing lifestyle,” find it at www.savagelovecast.com; mail@savagelove.net
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