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CONTENTS
THE PITCH
Publisher Stephanie Carey Editor in Chief Brock Wilbur Digital Editor Kelcie McKenney Music Editor Nick Spacek Film Editor Abby Olcese Contributing Writers Emily Cox, Traci Angel, Rachel Potucek, Riley Cowing, April Fleming, Roxie Hammill, Deborah Hirsch, Aaron Rhodes, Vivian Kane, Joe Carey, Brooke Tippin, Jenn Langdon, Reece Rodgers, Kari Williams, Archana Sundar, Jen Harris, Barb Shelly, Beth Lipoff, Meghan Severance, Celeste Torrence, Ameerah Sanders, Dan Lybarger, Liz Cook Little Village Creative Services Jordan Sellergren Contributing Photographers Zach Bauman, Chase Castor, Travis Young, Beth Lipoff, Jack Raybuck Graphic Designers Austin Crockett, Jake Edmisten, Lacey Hawkins, Angèle Lafond, Jennifer Larson, Katie McNeil, Danielle Moore, Gianfranco Ocampo, Kirsten Overby, Alex Peak, Fran Sherman Director of Marketing & Promotions Jason Dockery Senior Multimedia Specialist Steven Suarez Multimedia Specialist Becky Losey Director of Operations Andrew Miller Multimedia Intern Jonah Desneux Samantha Sprouse Design Intern Jack Raybuck
CAREY MEDIA
Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Carey Chief Operating Officer Adam Carey
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DISTRIBUTION
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COPYRIGHT
The contents of The Pitch are Copyright 2020 by Carey Media. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means without the express written permission of the publisher. The Pitch 3543 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64111 For information or to share a story tip, email tips@thepitchkc.com For advertising: stephanie@thepitchkc.com or 816-218-6702
4 LETTER
From the Editor A series of unfortunate events BY BROCK WILBUR
6 CANNABIS
KC’s Sprawling CBD Empire The science is still out, but the profits are rolling in BY BARB SHELLY
8 Parenting On Pot:
Does lighting up make you a better parent? BY AMEERAH SANDERS
9 Cannabis Culture
A sponsored guide to CBD, hemp, medical marijuana, and more.
14 POLITICS
24 FEATURE
18 CAFE
26 MUSIC
Can a Democrat Win the US Senate in Kansas? The Republican Party is Forcing Out Its Own Supporters BY RACHEL POTUCEK
Trago Seems Comfortable. Too Bad Its Off Limits Reviewing the process of reviews during peak bad news BY LIZ COOK
20 NEWS
ZACH BAUMAN
My Own Cold Blood How the Clutter murders still haunt Kansas BY DAN LYBARGER
Wax Poetic The secret life of KC vinyl BY CELESTE TORRENCE
APRIL 2020 I FREE THEPITCHKC.COM
Prejudice is Such a Drag Missouri Republicans fear glamourous queens reading to children BY JEN HARRIS
22 Vets for Homeless Pets
Doctors are helping displaced folks and their furry friends. BY BETH LIPOFF
“816 4/20”
By Nicholas “Church” Barrett @churblue nicholasvbarrett@gmail.com thepitchkc.com | APRIL 2020 | THE PITCH
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS BY BROCK WILBUR
My nurse backed away from me in abject horror. Seemingly out of viable options, we’d reached a point where there were no solutions to the long list of needs my doctor had demanded. There was blood everywhere, yet not the right kind and not collected in a viable manner. We shared a glance wherein two professional, reasonable adults were able to transmit a simple, shared truth: We had failed. Despite this mutual acknowledgment, my nurse swabbed my arm and went back in for a final attempt. What she attempted did not work, and I let out a gasp of pain. Not a shout and not a startled cry, but an expression considerably more defeated than a sigh. My nurse recoiled. She took a moment to compose herself. I’d never seen anyone in the medical profession exude such fear and frustration. I was already at the end of my rope, but to see such sentiment echoed on the face of a professional undeniably spooked me. “To touch you is to hurt you,” she said. It was both a damning evaluation of my condition but, undeniably, also an annoyingly scathing criticism of my masculinity. A 6’7” man who cannot stop crying isn’t an everyday sight, and even in the tersest moment, there remains a societal impulse to acknowledge that it’s pretty damned funny. “You earned this one,” she said. “Maybe we stop crying after this.” I nodded in agreement. “Maybe we do.” At the very end of February, I started feeling bad. I use “bad” because the general set of symptoms and issues ran the gamut from headache to blurry visions to vomiting. Like any idiot dude, I thought I was just gonna plow through. Toxic masculinity is a helluva drug. I took a rideshare car into work and showed up for some meetings at The Pitch that I don’t remember a moment from. I wasn’t mean to anyone, so that’s all that matters to me in retrospect. The night before, I fell out of the shower and pulled the shower curtain down atop me. I fell down a flight of stairs. I don’t remember these things either. Like any idiot dude, I thought I was just gonna plow through. Toxic masculinity is a helluva drug. My throat closed up and I lost the ability to breathe in the middle of the night. I went to an emergency room where I walked in and said: “Help please.” I immediately passed out and don’t remember anything for the next 48 hours. I apparently took an ambulance ride from one hospital to another. When later informed of this, I was furious because I know what that costs. In the ICU, I lacked the ability to speak.
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Everything about my situation seemed like a stroke, or perhaps brain damage. Via a series of grunts and gestures, I demanded my wife hand me a plastic surgical glove from a dispenser on the wall. I took it and began spitting into it. No, I have no explanation for that one. Later, I stood up and pulled out every IV attached to my body. When the staff physically blocked the door and asked where I was going, I responded by saying “I have a mission.” No, I have no explanation for that one, but I almost certainly thought I was The Terminator. Had I died that night, at least I would’ve gone out on a bad-ass line. The next period was the worst experience of my entire life. I didn’t sleep a wink. I began to hallucinate wildly. I had so much blood taken for testing that it became impossible to find more blood to extract. My entire body looked so bruised and beaten that lifetime medical professionals would take a look at me and just start apologizing. That’s never a great sign. I spent a week in hospital. By far the longest medical stay I’ve ever experienced. I know that I am lucky in that respect, compared to the lifetimes and the medical complications of almost everyone that I know. I am also lucky to have had such an attentive, caring group of doctors and nurses surrounding me at all times. My shit got figured out. I’m doing much better. However, there were two incredible low points that will always stick with me, which are perhaps the point of sharing this story. After the first couple days, I was no longer in danger of dying. But each morning, my primary doctor would walk in and her first declaration was “You are not going home today and do not fight me on it.” By day four, when she said this, my first reaction was to immediately look for a fire escape or window to escape through. A few years back, I had a brief stay in an LA hospital. It cost $30,000. I have pretty great health insurance, and it cost that amount. So imagining what a week plus was starting to total up towards, along with assorted tests and ambulances, sent me spiraling into wondering if my life was even worth saving if these costs would just be passed along to my wife. Again, I have better than average health insurance. I have no idea how anyone survives and/or lives to thrive in the only first-world country without universal healthcare. Maybe keep that in mind when November rolls around. The second low point was self-inflicted. I had nothing to do all day, so I left the news on my hospital room TV. I watched novel coronavirus begin to find footing and spread. I saw everything from measured, aware responses to sheer fear. At one of my
LETTER
lowest recovery points, when every part of my body was wires and tubes hooked into loud machines, I began laughing uncontrollably. “Why am I going through this Hell,” I thought, “if I’m only going to get out just in time to die from New Plague?” I am doing much better. At least from This One Problem. I’m happy to be back at home with my wife and cats. I fully intend not to die. I’m usually bad at following through with plans, but I meant it this time. I refuse to be defeated by something I cannot see. I’m trying to get back to normal. If not for myself, at least for everyone around me. My perspective aside, I did emerge into a world that seems to be escalating exponentially into a situation that few of us were prepared for, and which devolves to new lows with each passing day. All of us have that moment wherein we internally said “Oh shit, this is real.” For some it was the cancellation of SXSW. For some it was the delay of the entire NBA season. For me, it was our bulk toilet paper subscription service emailing to say that all the toilet paper was gone. Folks, I dunno. I guess I never thought that’s the form this would take. As someone who spent most of his life engaging with literature, films, and video games based around the end of the world, not once did anyone propose an apocalypse that involved us all slowly deleting every event off of our Google calendar, until all that remained was bank holidays and personal deadlines. Which brings us to where we are now. I don’t know what’s happening out there. I don’t know what happened between me writing this and you grabbing a magazine off the street corner. I’m not in the prediction game and dear God am I not a medical professional. But as Editor-in-Chief of this metro-wide publication, I know that the entire team here at The Pitch has a responsibility to serve you. Online, I’ve posted a manifesto called “Well Shit.” that sets forth our dedication to providing important coverage during this time and also providing the dumbest, funniest set of distractions and hilarious stories that we can. This issue of our magazine suffers due to these recent complications. We have interviews around events that are no longer happening. We have a calendar that lists a month’s worth of events that we hope are happening, but at press time we have absolutely no idea. We have, in general, some pockets of excitement that we spent weeks writing up for you, and we have no idea if they will have faded into nothingness by the time this reaches you. Follow us online. Visit ThePitchKC. com whenever you can. Print media is very pretty, but our site, as our social media, are where you’ll find us working day-in and day-out. Even if it is dispatches from our emergency bunkers. And if you’re getting something useful from us, please consider donating a few bucks online. Our magazine has always been free, but just as both you
Brock uses a double thumbs-up system to indicate when he is dying and in Hell. VIVIAN KANE
and I are feeling crushed right now, so are some of our advertisers, and we’d hate to see a 40-year-old publication be yet another casualty of this epidemic. Regarding further casualties: on the Pitch website, we have a list of canceled events and closed businesses that we update hourly. Please give that a bookmark to stay on top of everything that’s happening. This brings us to the issue in your hands today. Each April, we traditionally do an issue with a bit of a 4/20 slant to it. The writers here at The Pitch put together an incredibly chillax issue, and we truly hope you enjoy it. Here in Missouri, we’re trapped in an oddly stupid position. Legal pot cards and registration all have the green light, but dispensaries aren’t allowed to open until June? All these people have the green light to acquire the Devil’s Lettuce but have no ability to do so. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but my personal opinion is that sometimes the government is both bad and dumb. Sorry if that offends. When the 30+ dispensaries in the KC area open this summer, I promise we’ll give you the in-depth coverage that you deserve. No matter how many shops I need to visit. No matter how much product I have to sample. No matter how many records I have to listen to, just in case they sync up to the movie The Bling Ring. But also: Goddamn. If there was ever a time to let people have access to gummy bears to erase their anxiety, it should’ve been right now. Just a whole lot of things not lining up right now. I guess life’ll do that from time to time. At least there are vague paths towards healthcare and help, even if the paths might be circuitous. Things seem down. They are indeed down. As always, I believe Kansas City will do its best. We’ll be a shining beacon for others. The folks here absolutely rule, and we will always put a neighbor before ourselves. We just need time and trust. I don’t see us running out of either. We will make it through. I’m here for you. Be here for those around you. Nothing can beat us. If you have stories about life under quarantine, concerns, or the rare moment of levity, please reach out to brock@thepitchkc.com this month.
CANNABIS
KC’S SPRAWLING CBD EMPIRE THE SCIENCE IS STILL OUT, BUT THE PROFITS ARE ROLLING IN BY BARB SHELLY
Kansas City might be one of the most crowded CBD markets in America. Its leading retailer, CBD American Shaman, might be the world’s second largest seller. And all of this cannabidiol might make us calmer, better rested, and less achy. Or, maybe not. As with most of the claims circling around this burgeoning wellness industry, it’s kind of hard to know for sure. A couple of weeks ago, I waded into the local CBD market. It’s a murky pool, so I focused on two questions: Why is there so much CBD in Kansas City? And does the stuff work? For background, CBD, like the high-inducing THC, is found in the cannabis plant, of which one strain is hemp. In the 2018 Farm Bill, the U.S. Congress removed many of the restrictions on the sale, transport, and possession of hemp and its products, as long as the hemp doesn’t contain more than three-tenths of a percent of THC. That opened up a universe of possibilities, which Kansas City has embraced in a big way. My first stop is Green Grove, which I chose partly because it is the first CBD shop to crack the rarified environs of the Country Club Plaza. Like other CBD shops I’ve visited in Kansas City, Green Grove has a spa-like vibe, with candles, plants, and kombucha on tap. Two big dogs are playing in the store when I arrive. The owner, Mike O’Hara, introduces the golden retriever as Hurley and the golden doodle as Finley. At age 12, Hurley is an avid CBD user, he says. From perusing the Green Grove website, I know O’Hara describes himself as a lifelong entrepreneur. He started an insulation company in his 20’s, which he sold in 2017 and
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went looking for the next big thing. “I wanted to do something that would build culture, have a positive impact,” O’Hara says. “This really checked all the boxes. Plus it’s a lucrative business. It’s set to grow substantially over the next couple of years.” I am curious as to how someone gets into the CBD business. Do you need some sort of training or certification? You don’t, O’Hara says. You find your own way. “We toured several manufacturing facilities all over the country and chose the best one that we could find,” he says. “That was about a six-month process.” According to its website, Green Grove uses “proprietary technologies,” including “nanoemulsion,” which basically breaks down the size of the hemp particles to enable better absorption. Later, I will see other CBD companies in town use similar verbiage to promote their products. O’Hara says the bulk of his business is internet and wholesale. He opened his store “to give us a name and a face.” Squeamish about hemp, Plaza management turned him down seven times before agreeing to lease him a space at 340 W. 47th St. CBD can be consumed in a variety of ways, and Green Grove supplies most of them: tinctures, soft gels, vape, topicals, and gummies. O’Hara says he is partial to the gummies, and he pops a couple when he needs to feel “calm and focused.” The store offers samples, so I try a raspberry lemonade gummy. I’m not sure what it does, but it tastes delicious. Like so much about CBD, its healing properties are up for debate. Because of a scarcity of research on humans, the market is racing wildly in front of scientific evidence. That said, some studies do support
Left: Hempress 2 CBD hemp flower.
ZACH BAUMAN
Above: Vince Sanders, founder of CBD American Shaman, says he is one of the top CBD sellers in the U.S. JOE CAREY
claims that CBD, in high enough doses, can help with anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain for some people. And although the FDA warns of a host of side effects, especially when CBD is taken with other drugs, for most consumers the biggest downside is the price. Medium-strength tinctures run in the $60 range in Kansas City, and I spotted a higher-strength bottle for $300 in one of the shops I visited. Topicals are also in the $60 range, and a month’s supply of mid-strength softgels cost about $85. Products that purport to contain CBD are now available everywhere from boutique stores to gas stations. It supposedly can be found in coffee, cupcakes, cosmetics, even leggings. And there is no guiding authority for consumers to know what they’re getting. You have to study up on how to read labels, and be aware that the labels aren’t always accurate. The best tip is to only purchase CBD products that come with a COA (certificate of authenticity), which means the product has been tested by an outside lab. Consumers can get test results by scanning a QR code with a smartphone, or find them online. The tests should reveal whether the product is accurately labeled, its cannabinoid profile, and the presence, if any, of heavy metals and pesticides. “What the consumer needs to be aware of is not all of this stuff is created equal,” says Zach Allen. “There are a lot of bad actors out there.” Allen is a co-founder of Hemp Haus, which has a store at 1708 W. 39th St. He started using a synthetic THC product more than a decade ago to combat the side effects of cancer treatments, and is a true believer in the value of CBD. When I make a random stop at Hemp Haus, I find that Allen also brings his dog to work, an adorable 10-year-old poodle named Daisy. Daisy has separation anxiety and Allen carries her tucked under his arm the entire time I am in the store. If he needs to leave her,
he usually calms her down with CBD first. Hemp Haus doesn’t sell under its own label, but retails name brands like Ananda and Puffin Hemp. I look around expectantly for the gummy samples, but Allen says he doesn’t carry them. He’s marketing a health product and doesn’t want to spoil it with sugar and chemicals. OK, I respect that. Hemp Haus is a serious business with a devoted customer base. Perhaps his biggest challenge, Allen tells me, is standing out in the crowd. “It’s insane,” he says. “There’s more hemp per capita in Kansas City than any other place that I’m aware of.” Even Dillards has gotten into the hemp business, Allen notes. “The department store?” I ask. “Yes,” Allen says. “Freaking Dillards!” I check and see that Dillards is indeed selling a line of cosmetics with CBD. But by far the biggest reason for Kansas City’s saturated market is its location as the headquarters of CBD American Shaman. Everyone has seen these stores with the multi-colored feather-like emblems. They’re tucked into strip malls and along the streets of business districts, more than 300 around
Danielle Friedrich farms her own hemp and sells CBD through Hemp Haven stores. ZACH BAUMAN
CANNABIS
Mike O’Hara, founder of Green Grove, opened the first CBD store on the Country Club Plaza.
Friedrich says CBD saved her after a tsunami of life crises struck when she was 29. “I lost my sister, went through a divorce, and found out I couldn’t have kids in a very short time,” she says. She took CBD to control anxiety and panic attacks and swears by the results.
Zach Allen, with his poodle Daisy, is a co-owner of Hemp Haus on 39th Street. ZACH BAUMAN
the nation and at least 30 in the greater Kansas City area. The stores are franchises of the company that Kansas Citian Vince Sanders founded just four years ago. He purchases hemp from farms in Kansas, Kentucky, and Montana and manufactures CBD products in a facility on Southwest Boulevard. As the company grows, it is experimenting more with specialty products, including a new supplement, CBNights, that “supports a health sleep cycle,” as Sanders puts it. American Shaman is a privately held
company. But Sanders tells me he recently opened up his books to Brightfield Group, a market intelligence firm for cannabis industries, and he’s expecting rankings to be released very soon. “I believe we’re going to be number two in the world. Number one is going to be Charlotte’s Web,” Sanders says. “We should know in 30 days.” That would be news if it happens. Less surprising is Sanders’ affirmation that he, too, thinks the Kansas City CBD market is saturated. “It would be pretty difficult to find a decent spot here to make a living,” he said. “What’s kind of sad is because it’s a cannabis product you have this green rush mentality. People think, ‘All I’ve got to do is open a store and money’s just going to blow in here.’ I hate to see anybody lose their life savings or go out of business, but that’s really what you’re setting yourself up for.” Those remarks will likely induce guffaws in Kansas City’s CBD community, where many people view Sanders as a ruthless giant looking to snuff out independents, especially those who try to break away from his empire. As KCUR detailed in a story last year, Sanders has been known to exact revenge on sellers who try to go out on their own by beating them to the punch on trademarks and opening franchises in close proximity to their businesses. Sanders is unapologetic about the complaints. American Shaman invests a lot of money in recruiting, training, and promot-
ing its franchisees, he tells me. To then use that expertise against the company is regarded as an act of aggression. “We just say, ‘OK, now that you’re a competitor, we’ll beat you,’” Sanders says. The giants of the industry, like American Shaman, may eventually overtake the market. But for now, even in Kansas City, there seems to be a spot for entrepreneurs and true believers. The final CBD store I visit is the mothership franchise of Hemp Haven, at 20th and Main Street in downtown Kansas City. “It’s a great industry. I’m very blessed to know the people,” says Danielle Friedrich, a co-founder. Friedrich says CBD saved her after a tsunami of life crises struck when she was 29. “I lost my sister, went through a divorce, and found out I couldn’t have kids in a very short time,” she says. She took CBD to control anxiety and panic attacks and swears by the results. Friedrich and her partner, Jay Humfeld, decided to quit their day jobs and go all in on CBD. They grow their own hemp on two farms in Missouri. “We’re learning about the plant before it ever gets to oil,” Friedrich says. Hemp Haven has hired a nurse to educate customers and franchise owners. Besides the Kansas City store, it has six franchises operating at the moment. Friedrich says the market here is “the most saturated I’ve seen,” but she sees it becoming better, if not necessarily bigger. “I think the dynamics of our industry are changing,” she says. “At first, everybody jumped. Now people are getting more educated. I love this industry. I love helping people.” Does CBD help people? It’s difficult to spend time with someone like Friedrich and not come away thinking that it can. As for myself, I purchased a trial package of two hemp softgels at Hemp Haus, popped one before bedtime, and slept blissfully through the night. And I rubbed some topical solution from one of the American Shaman franchises on my left thumb joint, which has been giving me trouble. It felt good for about a day. Maybe those things would have happened anyway, but they did coincide with my CBD experimentation. After my visit to Green Grove, where I sampled a gummy and some oil, it struck me that I was feeling—as O’Hara had predicted—quite calm and focused. With an unexpected burst of energy, I drove to the self-serve and washed my car. Was this a CBD rush, or just the effects of a rare burst of sunshine back in those innocent days before life as we knew it got canceled over the COVID-19 virus? To repeat, it’s kind of hard to know for certain when it comes to CBD. But I’ll probably be back for more.
LIVE MUSIC
ZACH BAUMAN
WED 4/1 JEFF NORM JIMMY & DAVE THURS 4/2 CHRIS HUDSON & FRIENDS FRI 4/3 GROOVE PILOTS SAT 4/4 SARA MORGAN BLOODY MARY MORNING 10AM TRACER HEIGHTS 7PM MGD’S 9:30PM TUES 4/7 FOREST MCCURREN WED 4/8 JNJD THURS 4/9 BROTHERS BARCLAY FRI 4/10 THE RAMBLERS 7PM SAT 4/11 TOE JAM 8:30PM TUES 4/14 ALAN WHITE & FRIENDS WED 4/15 JNJD THURS 4/16 TBA FRI 4/17 THE VINE BROTHERS W FLATPENNY REVIEW SAT 4/18 WOMEN ON THE RISE LADIES MIC 3PM FOREST MCCURREN & THE DAILY SPECIAL 8PM WED 4/22 JNJD THURS 4/23 TBA FRI 4/24 AM MERKER BAND W GREG WICKHAM & THE REVANTS SAT 4/25 SATURDAY SONG CIRCLE 2PM HOLMES STREET 7PM WED 4/29 JNJD THURS 4/30 NACE BROTHERS ACOUSTIC TRIO 7PM FRI 5/1 ALLIED SAINTS SAT 5/2 KAYLA RAY 10AM THE ACCIDENTAL PROJECT 8PM
1515 WESTPORT RD. 816-931-9417 thepitchkc.com | APRIL 2020 | THE PITCH
7
CANNABIS
PARENTING ON POT DOES LIGHTING ONE UP MAKE YOU A BETTER PARENT? BY AMEERAH SANDERS
JACK RAYBUCK
Names have been changed in this story to protect the identity of parents and their children. A job you’d rather not have if given the choice, bills upon bills upon bills, cultivating and balancing relationships, children in constant need of care or they will literally die: all things many American parents can relate to. Life can be hard and stressful. But it can also be happy and laid back. It’s all about perspective. And perspective can change. Maybe exercise. Have a glass of wine with dinner. Meditate. Or light up a Doobie. According to a 2019 Pew Research Center survey, two-thirds of Americans are in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana. That’s a huge jump from the 63 percent of people who were against legalization in 2000. Oh, how times have changed. But what if you add parenting to the picture? Parents who use cannabis have varying reasons: stress relief, for chronic pain, others to quiet anxiety. Our country doesn’t make it easy to be an attentive parent. To many parents, missing a paycheck or having a small financial emergency is a threat that lingers over them every day. According to a 2018 Federal Reserve Board report, four-inten Americans can’t cover a $400 emergency expense. There are many stressors with making sure their children have a roof over their heads (46.8 percent of KCMO renters use 30 percent or more of their income on rent), food in their mouths (According to Harvesters, one-in-eight people are food insecure), and affordable healthcare to keep them alive (21 percent of people in KC don’t have health insurance at all). With all of that taken into account, many parents’ focus is on keeping up with logistics and not on engaging directly with their kid’s super important weird questions. There’s no time to tell little Timmy if God is real, the mortgage payment is due tomorrow!
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THE PITCH | APRIL 2020 | thepitchkc.com
Parents who smoke find it eases anxieties and allows them to be what their kids need them to be: a present and engaging parent. Kenny Kush, 49, has been puffin’ pot since he was 16. He now has two children, 14 and 18, and he finds smoking helps him chill out as a parent. “It definitely has made me more chill, less worried about the little things,” Kush says. In a 2014 poll, The Guardian asked parents about their marijuana use. An anonymous responder said, “Yes I smoke weed. Yes I have two awesome sons that are eight and four. I smoke around them occasionally, most of the time I go outside or in another room. I feel that smoking pot makes me a better person in general, not just a better parent.” Another anonymous parent compares smoking to having a beer at the end of the day: “My husband will usually crack open a couple beers, but I prefer marijuana to help me unwind. Marijuana, as I have used it, has helped me to deal with my anxiety, and it has also helped shape my overall outlook on life.” Some of the parents reported using the drug to help them be more in tune with their kids. They were more engaged in playtime and responded with more enthusiasm when their kids came to them with their myriad of questions. Dan, a father in the UK says, “Being high around my kids is wonderful. I have two kids, one is four-years-old, and another who is 9 months old. I can be a ‘tough’ parent with the eldest if he doesn’t listen to me. I get frustrated with him over small things. But when I’m stoned, I tend to let small things slide, and punish the important stuff, a more tactical parent.” Samantha Spliff, 25, is a child of pot-smoking parents. She found smoking
does make better parents in her upbringing. “I think it can help with times that are more stressful for a parent and allow them to be more present in the moment as opposed to being stressed or distracted,” Spliff says. But ultimately, weed is a drug, so keeping it away from kids is crucial. Inevitably, there will be questions. Patty PuffsALot, 25, has a two-year-old daughter. She smokes, but does smoking help her become a better parent? “Not really,” says PuffsALot. “I don’t keep it in the house, and I don’t do it around her. If she ever asks, I’ll be honest though.” Sasha Simon, a speaker with the Drug Policy Alliance, works to educate people on the facts of drug usage. When creating a curriculum for high school students, she came at it with a very familiar approach. “The idea is to model it after sex ed,” Simon says. “We know abstinence doesn’t stop sex, and [the same goes with drugs]. The majority try it before high school, and the goal is to make sure they have realistic information and skills.” Much like abstinence-only education, programs like D.A.R.E. in U.S. schools are harmful to students, according to Simon. “The current curriculum has not changed in 20 years. It’s bonkers,” Simon says. “And it’s dangerous what they teach now—that cannabis is the same as heroin.” PuffsALot plans on being honest, but for the time being, she’s gonna keep what she calls her “Mommy Time” separate from her daughter. “I don’t smoke around my kid because I always manage to get too high. And only one of us should be pissing our pants at a time,” PuffsALot says. It needs to be said that although more parents are embracing marijuana and there is a growing Marijuana Mommy culture (similar to Wine Mom culture), the same light-hearted “Mommy needs her medicine” attitude is not afforded to parents of color. According to the ACLU, Black people and white people use marijuana at the same rates, but Black people are nearly four times more likely to be arrested for possession. So while the shift in opinion on marijuana use is notable, America is still going strong in its inability to bring equality for non-white citizens. Toking isn’t just a balm for parents of young kids. Parents with adult children also use Giggle Grass to connect with their kids. Some adults report having a better quality relationship with their parents after passing a joint around the living room. “I think my relationship with my mother improved after we started smoking together. We were able to be more easy-going and laid back, and find humor in things and express ourselves and our feelings more easily, ” Spliff says. According to a Yahoo News/Marist
poll, 47 percent of marijuana-using Americans have smoked in front of their adult children, shared weed with them, or done both. Spliff ’s mother is part of this percentage, and as far as their relationship goes, she absolutely thinks taking fat rips with her mother has helped them find common ground. “I still argue with my mom and have differing opinions and an overall tense relationship with her, but it has allowed for more moments where we can connect and communicate easier,” Spliff says. There’s no time better than now to talk to children about Mary Jane becoming legal in the US. How will weed be included or excluded from family life? Kenny Kush already plans on taking his 16-year-old kid to a legal state when he turns 18 to “vape up.” The times are a-changing. Soon marijuana will become a part of mainstream American family life. According to a weed delivery startup in California, Eaze, one in five of their 10,000 survey participants are parents. Parents are embracing the role marijuana has in their lives. But there are just as many parents who will beat it back with a lead pipe until they can’t swing anymore. At the end of the day, we all use things to cope. Marijuana could be a huge help or a huge detriment. It’s all about how you look at it. Whether it’s through a wine glass, on top of a yoga mat, or in the belly of a bong, it’s all about perspective.
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CAN A DEMOCRAT WIN THE US SENATE IN KANSAS? THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS FORCING OUT ITS OWN SUPPORTERS BY RACHEL POTUCEK
When asked why she left the Republican Party to register as a Democrat, she lets out a sigh. “The Republican Party left me,” says Elaine S., a Wichita area resident who asked to withhold her last name to protect her anonymity. Elaine has a list of reasons why. She talks about America’s duty to lead the world as a global superpower, and its leaders’ responsibility to unite, not divide. “I grew up in the era of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. Dignity and honor are critical.” When asked if she would consider Kris Kobach, a candidate for an open Kansas U.S. Senate race, her answer is quick and firm. He’s “a no go.” Elaine’s lament is a familiar refrain these days. It’s especially apparent in the Sunflower State, a region known for “Kansas nice.” Over the past two years, three Kansas state legislators changed their party affiliation from Republican to Democrat. Voters placed Democrat Laura Kelly in the governor’s mansion and sent Democrat Sharice Davids, a lesbian Native American, to the U.S. House of Representatives. And Barbara Bollier, another Republican-turned-Democrat, is turning Kansas’s open U.S. Senate race into a national battleground for control of Congress. It’s the kind of opportunity that comes along once in a generation, and it’s awakened Democrats to get active. “Democrats are ex-
cited that we have a chance to win this seat,” says Vicki Hiatt, Chair of the Kansas Democratic Party. Kansas hasn’t elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932, when wealth inequality and big corporate power last dominated political debate. Only twice in the past few decades, in 1996 and 2014, did Kansans flirt with a non-Republican Senator. Both failed. To take the Senate, Democrats would need to gain three seats, or four seats if Donald Trump is re-elected. A scant handful of states have seats in play. Democratic leadership in the House and Senate could undo stifling partisan gridlock. The Democratic-majority House passed over 400 bills this session on widely popular issues like fair pay and election security. But the Republican Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader and self-described “grim reaper,” barred Senate lawmakers from voting on them. Despite Kansas’ recent changes, a blue surge is unlikely to touch Kansas’ U.S. Senate race, according to Patrick Miller, Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas. He notes that Republicans tend to cross over for statewide offices, but are far less likely to do so for federal races. While the governor’s office handles state issues, Senate races are dominated by federal issues seen on prime time news. Voters tend to stick to party lines for that. Enter stage right: Barbara Bollier
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At a January meeting of the Johnson County Democratic Party, it’s standing room only. People are lining the walls and spilling into an overflow room. Barbara Bollier is the featured guest. Bollier, a retired physician and Johnson County-area state lawmaker since 2010, switched to the Democratic Party in 2018 after Senate Republicans stripped her of a leadership position in the Senate health committee over her endorsement of Sharice Davids. She attributes her party switch to a slow, compounding breakdown with the Kansas GOP that spans Sam Brownback’s tax experimentation and the GOP’s current legislative obstruction. She boils it down to “basic values like public education, medicaid, equality. The majority of my district’s values.” She raised over $1.1 million in the last quarter of 2019, unprecedented for a Democratic Senate hopeful in Kansas. Her leading Democratic rivals, Barry Grissom and Nancy Boyda, bowed out and endorsed her. Endorsements from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Kathleen Sebelius followed soon after, big indicators that party leaders see her as a strong candidate. At its root, her campaign challenges the convention that Kansans can’t elect a Democrat to the Senate. “Kansans have so much in common. We all want affordable health care. It’s not about partisan politics, it’s about what’s best for people,” she says. Divided we fall: GOP infighting. Kansas Republicans are facing a battle royale between Wichita-area Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle, western Kansas Congressman Roger Marshall, and former Secretary of State Kris Kobach. “The Republican infrastructure in Kansas is really shattered right now,” says Chris Reeves, Kansas Democratic National Committeeman. Without an appointed successor to Pat Roberts, Republicans may face a bruising primary battle which will ultimately weaken the successful candidate. All leading Republican Senate candidates face unique challenges.
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Kobach has a big lead in polling, but faces tough opposition from his own party’s establishment. In private polling, Republicans show Kobach winning the primary and losing the general. The day he launched his 2020 Senate bid, the National Republican Senatorial Committee denounced his campaign. Critics point in part to Kobach’s track record of disorganized campaigning. Kobach embarrassingly misspelled his first name “Chris” on his FEC candidacy paperwork. Roger Marshall, a U.S. Congressman representing the 1st District in western Kansas, netted a strong fundraising haul of $2 million in the 3rd quarter and heavyweight endorsements from Bob Dole and Jeff Colyer. He’s voted lockstep with Trump 98 percent of the time, something he touts in campaign ads. But critics say his campaign presence is bland, and he’s an untested candidate—he won his first seat in 2016. Wagle has the lowest fundraising haul among the top three candidates. She reported less than $500,000 in the third quarter, with more than half coming from a personal loan. Mike Pompeo was widely considered a sure shot to defeat Barbara Bollier if he decided to step in, but he declined to run. He has until the filing deadline on June 1 to change his mind. For candidates and voters alike, Donald Trump is the axis upon which this race spins. Trump is widely popular among Republicans in Kansas, says Miller. All three Republicans are fighting to identify most closely with him. Asked how she hopes to win over Trump voters, Bollier says she speaks with all voters the same. She’s focused on “reasonable solutions.” She points to her fundraising success, noting that she’s receiving financial support from Republicans as well as Democrats. As for Elaine S., she’s not yet set on a Senate candidate. She is leaning toward Bollier, but has not yet made up her mind. The campaign season has a way to go. Democrats primary on May 2, and Republicans will vote in the primary in August.
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THE PITCH | APRIL 2020 | thepitchkc.com
One of the drawbacks to writing for a monthly magazine is the lead time. I’m writing this review on March 13, the day the mayor declared a State of Emergency to halt the spread of COVID-19, the day I went on the radio with a panel of food writers to talk about the risks of dining out. It’s also deadline day. I have a restaurant review to file for Trago, a cozy restaurant in Liberty that serves tapas—tapas! Food designed for sharing in big groups of intimate people. Food that practically demands we all reach from the same plates and trail the tines of our used forks through the same sauces. This review won’t be published until April. You’re reading this a month in my future. Tell me: Do we feel comfortable eating tapas now? Do we feel comfortable eating out at all? Do you still want to hear about a plate of puffy tacos ($10.50) with crackling, air-pocketed shells? Do you care that the flossy pork inside them was slow-roasted for eight hours in banana leaves until it was soft enough to gum? Have you ever noticed that salty cotija cheese can add resonance to a rich dish like the metallic clang of a heavy bell? Did you notice me shoehorning in a review paragraph just now? Are the limitations of this form beginning to grate? I find it hard to justify my job on a good day, let alone during a global pandemic. I can’t pay a restaurant worker’s bills with
words. The best I can do is pay attention and hope that means something. Because for now, at least, there’s still a tight-knit team of servers and line cooks and family members driving to one of Liberty’s endless strip malls every day, clocking in at a date-night restaurant sandwiched between a laser hair removal clinic and a Smoothie King. I hope someone’s there for the show. Owner Kandi Kerns opened Trago Bar & Tapas in 2016, citing her grandmother’s cooking as inspiration. Although “tapas” is in the name, the cuisine isn’t strictly Spanish. The menu has a few cursory nods to Spain— asparagus swaddled in Serrano ham, fruity housemade sangrias ($7 at happy hour for a king-sized goblet)—but most dishes skew Central American. Or, as our server put it on one visit, “Guatemalan-Cuban fusion.” Here are some other things I learned from our server: Trago is family-owned and operated. Trago has a scratch kitchen and relies on local purveyors as often as possible. Trago offers a three percent cash discount. Trago could really use our help. On my first visit, our server, Kari, rattled off these things in a speech that felt no less impassioned for having been rehearsed. She was welcoming, assertive, competent, confident. Servers here have got to be a little evangelical; word-of-mouth is how they survive. (“We can’t really afford to advertise much,” Kari told me).
I put our table’s tapas in her hands. She steered us toward the steak skewer ($12.60), which was not a skewer but instead seven bite-sized pieces of steak served on a plate with a chopped pepper garnish and a trio of sauces—mole, chimichurri, salsa roja. The salsa roja was a bit marinara-y, but the chimichurri was herby and bright and the pudding-y mole had a slow-build heat and garlicky finish. A dish of frijoles negros y tostones ($8.40) arrived around the same time—five plantain discs surrounding a creamy moat of black bean puree. The plantains needed a little salt, but the texture was spot on: crisp edges and soft middles. “I’m serving a lot of strawberry pineapple margs tonight,” Kari said. I invited her to serve one to me, too. It was giant and sweet and tasted like college. I liked it fine, but I liked the less syrup-y drinks more. Trago makes a fresh and fragrant mojito ($8) and a brightly fizzy roja chelada ($8) with tomato juice, Modelo, and lime. You should order them if you’re able. You should imagine them if you’re not. Look, I’m trying here. I’m hoping food writing is still useful as escapism. I’m hoping it might be enough for me to describe crisp and airy pork rinds ($7.35) piled high in a white-paper cone, dusted with sweet paprika and served so warm that they’re still popping audibly under your fingers. You can dunk them in one of the accompanying sauces—a tangy salsa verde, that flat salsa roja—but they’re best munched mindlessly on their own. I’m writing an essay: “Chicharrones as Meditative Practice.” They fill your head with nothing but the music of their own crunch. Maybe you’d prefer to hear about a plate of patatas fritas—thin slices of fried potatoes dredged again in sweet paprika and powdered in cotija cheese. The chips were salty, smoky, funky, alternatingly tender, and crisp. They were good alone or swiped through a white cup of white sauce that was billed as an aioli (well, actually…) but had the consistency and pungency of ranch.
CAFE
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TRAGO 9261 NE 83rd Terrace (816)-429-8950, tragokc.com
Hours: Tuesday–Thursday 4 PM–9 PM Saturday–Sunday 11 AM–11 PM
Prices: Tapas: $6–13 Tacos and tortas: $10–12 Cocktails: $8–9
Best bet: Sip a Dulce and snack on some chicharrones. Share: the bacon-wrapped dates and black beans with plantains. Hoard: the puffy tacos.
Puffy Tacos
ZACH BAUMAN
der 150 calories. I almost overlooked that section. “Skinny” ranks at the bottom of my list of Offputting Culinary Adjectives, next to “sinful” and “toothsome.” And sure, there’s nothing fashionable about the Dulce ($8)—white rum muddled with mint and mixed berries and topped off with lime juice and Sprite Zero— but the drink tasted tart and fresh and far less sweet than I expected. “Skinny” or no, it’s one of the best alcoholic options here. I don’t think Trago is trying to be fashionable or cutting-edge. It’s trying to be comforting. You feel at times that you’re at a retro dinner party at a good friend’s home. How else to account for a plate of chubby bacon-wrapped dates ($8.40), molten and sweet with a tangy balsamic drizzle? Or a cigar box of school-lunch churros ($5), served fresh from the fryer and filled with a vaguely boozy caramel cream? The churros come with two sauces (one chocolate, one caramel, both runny), but dipping them is gilding a lily that’s already been fried and doused in cinnamon sugar. They’re sweet in all of the word’s meanings, and they might be exactly what you need right now. I’m still trying to justify this review. The role of a critic isn’t to be a cheerleader for the industry. The role of a critic is to help diners make informed decisions about where to spend their limited dollars when they dine out. The role of a critic is to point out what’s working—and isn’t—in the food scene. And right now, the role of a critic might be to point out that that food scene still exists. Last month’s review of Trago would have been positive. I like this goofy place with its float-trip drinks and its weird décor and its everything-to-everyone menu. I like this rough-edged island in a big-box suburban stream. But this month’s review is less exhortation than self-conscious shrug: Come here if you can. Share if you’re able. You’re reading this in the future—you know better than me. Back here in March, I’m still hopeful. Someday soon, we’ll be able to sit around the table with each other again, fencing with our forks for the last plantain. I’ll let you have a sip of my michelada. I’ll laugh at something you said and touch my face.
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I still want to tell you that the Cuban sandwich ($14.70) needed a sharper mustard and a crunchier pickle, or that the risotto balls ($12.60) had bland interiors beneath the tantalizing drizzle of cilantro sauce. I want to snark about the dining room’s sunny walls and dizzying mix of pan-Hispanic art. Behold a Picasso print, a coffee bag, a bullfighter decal, a Mayan mask. Behold, also, the scads of any-place decorations from the back wall of a TJ Maxx: tiered votive holders, carafes filled with wine corks, a hammered metal bowl of plastic fruit. In early March, a large glittery snowman the height of a 10-year-old still loomed above my booth. It was creepy, and I loved it. Perhaps because of Trago’s neighbors— chain restaurants with massive menus—most dishes here are customizable. You can order your tacos in butter lettuce wraps instead of tortillas, if you like. An entire section of the menu is color-coded for gluten free, vegan, and vegetarian diners; another is reserved for those following the keto diet. There’s even a section of “skinny cocktails” that clock in un-
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19
NEWS
PREJUDICE IS SUCH A DRAG
MISSOURI REPUBLICANS FEAR GLAMOUROUS QUEENS READING TO CHILDREN. BY JEN HARRIS
As the perfect spring sun shone down on Jefferson City, MO, on March 7, upbeat dance remixes incited dozens of children to dance around the empty Fountain of the Centaurs north of the Capitol building. The Parasol Patrol from Denver lined the sidewalk and opened their rainbow umbrellas to block from children’s view the dozen or so white supremacists standing across the street wearing American Guard: Missouri hoodies and waving a Trump 2020 flag. Westboro Baptist Church members had already come and gone, having briefly made their presence known before packing up and heading off to spread their message of hate elsewhere, but not before being confronted by a man dressed as a clown, who loudly reminded them that wherever they found themselves, there too would he be, irritating them with a taste of their own medicine. Shielded by the Parasol Patrol, librarians, literacy advocates, concerned parents, and their brightly-costumed, wildly imaginative children united with allies and members of the LGBTQ+ community in Springfield, Missouri for #DRAGPROTEST, a peaceful grassroots rally aimed at drawing attention to and shutting down Missouri House Bill 2044, cited as the “Parental Oversight of Public Libraries Act,” sponsored by state Rep. Ben Baker, a Missouri Republican. According to Baker’s website, the proposal is co-sponsored by Missouri Republicans Sara
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THE PITCH | APRIL 2020 | thepitchkc.com
Walsh and Suzie Pollock. What, exactly, is it that’s got these Missouri Republicans’ boa in a ruffle? It seems they’re none too pleased about one of the hottest new trends in children’s literacy, Drag Queen Story Hour. The bill aims to censor access to materials and somehow (homophobia, transphobia, gender roles) Drag Queen Story Hour got dragged into the spotlight with Rep. Baker at the helm of misrepresentation. “This proposal is ridiculous,” says mother and advocate, Deanna Balestra. “Libraries are for everyone, and there’s no reason to create a parental advisory board to decide what libraries can and can’t have on the shelves. From a personal standpoint, my son is gay, and he is a child. He should be able to walk into the library and checkout books that help him understand himself and his world better, without any government interference. I’m his parent. I can help him decide what book. I don’t need their help.” “I read the bill and I couldn’t help but attend today,” says Christina King, Ms. Trans Illinois 2020. “There are already lots of procedures in place in the library for age-appropriate material by section. This bill is so subjective that it could allow a committee to decide what’s appropriate [for your child]. I mean, there could be a five-year-old reading at an accelerated level who wants to read Harry Potter, and a committee could deny
Scenes from the Drag Queen Protest in Jefferson City where drag queens and friends gathered to protest a bill that put in place parental review boards that could have librarians fined and jailed for holding drag queen story hours. CHASE CASTOR
them that option at the library [even if their parent was ok with it], and if they do get the book from the library [and someone complains], the librarian could be arrested for allowing that to happen. This bill is government-sanctioned censorship.” Baker’s proposal aspires “to repeal section 181.060, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof two new sections relating to parental oversight of public libraries, with penalty provisions.” In more layman’s terms, HB 2044 aims to prohibit access to “age-inappropriate sexual material” including “any description or representation, in any form, of nudity, sexuality, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sadomasochistic abuse.” HB 2044 goes on to further threaten that, “Any public library personnel who willfully neglects or refuses to perform any duty imposed on a public library under this section, or who willfully violates any provision of this section, is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed one year.” Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH), is an event in which a volunteer performance artist who spent one to three hours applying makeup and costuming themselves in elaborate attire arrives at a local, public venue to don a humorous, fictional persona and read a few preselected, age-appropriate books to elementary-aged children who are in attendance and under the supervision of their parent or trusted guardian. Sometimes the kids eat snacks, stretch, or dance. They most definitely sing songs and laugh. There’s always crafts and an underlying educational curriculum. “We use our library training to plan the events,” says Allison Saiko, librarian and co-founder of the Springfield, Missouri chapter of DQSH which occurs on the first Saturday of the month at various venues and includes stories, activities, songs, and crafts for children up to eight years old. In collaboration with librarian and advocate Paige Harp, and the national chapter of Drag Queen Story Hour, Saiko saw a need and filled it. “A lot of community members and coworkers had heard about [DQSH] happening around the country and we decided to launch our first event in September 2019 after a couple of years of researching best practices,” says Saiko. “There aren’t a lot of story times on the weekends, so this brings the whole family together on a day off. I see LGBT families in the library all the time; two moms, two dads, trans parents, and now also at story hour. I think when you specifically hold space for LGBT families, it’s so import-
ant. It’s an opportunity for them to be able to introduce their kids and family to people like them, who have the same type of family they do. It has built a sense of community among LGBT families and community members in the area. I’ve had a couple of queens reach out and express their love for children and the desire to participate in DQSH.” Free educational programming and weekend story times being rare in most communities nationwide, parents from all walks of life flock to these events with their young children, many who have dressed up for story time as well. After all, it’s not just story time, this is reading with a Queen! You remember reading as a kid, folks? Remember how your imagination let loose stegosauruses and talking lions, soaring through the cosmos, defeating evil villains, and breaking dreadful curses? Remember how the hero always looked a little like you? Yeah, THAT reading, the reading that grew your imagination and transported you anywhere in the universe with the turning of a page. Today’s Drag Queen Story Hour costume attire for children is what airline fashion was in the 50’s, intentional. So, everyone arrives and finds their seats, the late comers line the walls in these often full-house events, and parents watch in great amusement as their children eagerly learn colors and numbers from their costumed narrator. Everyone in attendance also learns things like sharing, compassion, empathy, how and when to be brave and kind, how to accept and celebrate each other’s differences,... and then they craft, creating art which scientifically helps cement the lessons they’ve learned into their conscious and subconscious memory. Drag Queen Story Hour also provides LGBTQ+ families the opportunity to be visible and interact with other families they might not socialize with otherwise, and the event allows queens to take on a different, more nurturing and playful role. DQSH promotes inclusivity and education. HB 2044 proposes, and plagiarizes, the redundant reinforcement of federal obscenity laws, in addition to forcing libraries to foot the bill for advertising the upcoming election of a Parental Oversight Committee and enforces penalties of $500 or up to one year in jail for librarians who violate the proposed legislation by making “age-inappropriate” resources available to children. In essence, even though most of these events aren’t held at public libraries, the passing of HB 2044 would prevent them from ever occurring because the liability and backlash could be costly for anyone organizing the event. HB 2044 specifically states that. “The board shall be composed of five adult residents of the public library’s geographical area. Each board member shall serve a term of two years… The board shall determine whether any sexual material provided to the public by the public library is age-inappro-
NEWS
priate sexual material. To make such determinations, the board shall convene public hearings at which members of the community may present concerns to the board. After receiving comments from the public, the board shall examine individual instances of the questioned sexual material to determine
Hour insinuates an underlying perversion in the event participants, which couldn’t be further from the truth. He was previously quoted as saying, “[The library is a] public space, our kids could be exposed to something that’s age-inappropriate. That’s what I’m trying to tackle,” and suggested that the
Members of Parasol Patrol support the protest by creating a barricade to protect children from potential hateful comments from counter-protesters. CHASE CASTOR
The bill proposes, and plagiarizes, redundant reinforcement of federal obscenity laws. It would also enforce penalties of $500 or up to one year in jail for librarians who violate the proposed legislation. whether it is age-inappropriate sexual material under this section.” To be clear, oversight committee members elected to enforce HB 2044 do not have to be: attorneys familiar with current obscenity laws, developmental psychologists, credentialed child educators, parents, or have any training, skill sets, or understanding of children or sexuality at all. Hypothetically, HB 2044 could allow for a community member who is a sexual predator or even a convicted sex offender to be elected to the Parental Oversight Committee. There’s no law preventing that from happening. Furthermore, public libraries in Missouri are organized under chapters 182, 137, and 70 of the Missouri Revised Statutes and are each already governed by individual Board of Trustees consisting of five to nine publicly elected members and background checks are run on all volunteers within the library system. In its current form, HB 2044 threatens extreme government overreach and is not only convoluting facts, but defying the First Amendment and forcing personal, religious, conservative opinions on the American public. Baker’s targeting of Drag Queen Story
event could draw child predators. He is referencing The Houston Public Library “which received national attention when a drag queen who read at two of its story time events was later revealed to be a registered child sex offender,” The Kansas City Star reported. “The library later apologized for not conducting a background check of the volunteer, as required by their
policies.” This coming from a man who is affiliated with the same Republican party which nominated accused child predator Roy Moore to serve as Senator of Alabama. Moore was accused of having multiple age-inappropriate sexual relationships with underage girls and during his political tenure served as the 27th and 31st chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama. He was removed from both positions for ethical violations. Or we could just point directly to the President of the United States, who has been accused of sexually assaulting numerous women. Or Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford of sexual assault decades prior. The pesky trial of public opinion was held in part to attempt to discredit the story of a woman who was, and is, credible in every possible way, and yet, Kavanaugh’s nomination became a confirmation to the Supreme Court and everyone in the Republican Party cheered. On March 6, Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who was previously an assistant coach at Ohio State University, was accused by six former wrestling athletes of ignoring sexual abuse reports they made to him regarding the team doctor, Richard Strauss. Even the Democrats are guilty. In November 2019, disbarred attorney and registered sex offender Joe Morrissey was elected to the Virginia Senate, because somehow, in this instance, the public overlooked Morrissey’s guilt because he is now married to the consenting adult woman who was 17 at the time their relationship began. Baker, in an elaborate entanglement of total bullshit and hypocrisy, will ultimately silence performing arts and queer communities in addition to shutting down a free, widely-attended, publicly accessible children’s literacy program, should HB 2044 gain any traction, and everyone attending #DRAGPROTEST sees it as their personal mission to prevent that from happening. “We’ve had record audiences,” says Sis-
ter Glamarama Ding Dong of The City of Fountains Sisters. KC’s Drag Queen Story Time was founded by Sister Goldie Grrr and is now maintained by Novice Sister Bach Lava, every third Saturday at Hamburger Mary’s in KC. “We started out with 20 and last month we had 74 attendees,” says Sister GlamaRama. “I’m not a child person, but it’s one of my favorite events ever, to see things through little eyes.” The City of Fountains Sisters host their monthly event for children (and their parents) and ticket sales benefit a local LGBTQ+ organization. DQSH in Springfield revolves around themes, including celebration diversity, love and friendship, unicorns, and penguins. “Each month I try to do the same opening and goodbye song because consistency is really important for children,” Saiko says. “They get excited about knowing the songs, and they sing along. We usually read one to two books, sing some more songs, get up and move around, then do an activity on the felt board that’s consistent with the theme and also educational. The children learn their colors and numbers, simple addition and subtraction, things like that. And then we read one more book and sing a goodbye song. Sometimes we have snacks. We always do crafts and then take photos—usually I just think about what kids would be interested in and then we pick books that are inclusive.” “To me, Drag Queen Story Hour is no different than going to see a Disney Princess,” says #DRAGPROTEST co-organizer Venus Victrola, who refers to themself as an AFAB hyper-qween drag performer. “I’m kind of awkward around kids, but I am in favor of giving kids role models outside of who they see as options in the mainstream. The messaging consists of things like, don’t bully. Be yourself. It’s OK to be different. There’s nothing harmful about the story hour, and drag queens are not indoctrinating people. We are performers, people, in costumes reading books to children, and once you start censoring people, when does it stop?”
Playmates and soul mates...
Kansas City: A counter-protest set up across the street from the drag queens and friends.
CHASE CASTOR
816-841-1521
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thepitchkc.com | APRIL 2020 | THE PITCH
21
NEWS
GOES VIRTUAL! WE NEED YOU MORE THAN EVER!
Please continue to register and raise funds for our local AIDS service organizations. For more info on this year’s Virtual Walk, visit
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THE PITCH | APRIL 2020 | thepitchkc.com
VETS FOR HOMELESS PETS DOCTORS ARE HELPING DISPLACED FOLKS AND THEIR FURRY FRIENDS. BY BETH LIPOFF
Losing your home or living on the streets bull, is a source of emotional stability for her comes with many stresses—where to sleep, 16-year-old son, Colt Kloiber, after family how to feed your family—but an often-for- circumstances forced them to live in a few gotten one is what happens to your pets. A different shelters, ending up at Rose Brooks new group is offering free veterinary care in Center. hopes of allowing vulnerably-housed people “He’s there for Colt—one consistent to keep their animals. thing in his life,” she says. Community Veterinary Outreach is Many shelters don’t allow animals, Canadian, but Dr. Lara Plass, president of though Rose Brooks does and has facilities Community Veterinary Outreach USA, had to provide some of the care the animals need. heard about their work and decided to start a Delguan Milligan had been finding ways sister organization to trek up to St. here. Their FebruJoseph to get to a ary clinic was the clinic that offered third the group has half-price vacconducted since it cinations for his started up in KanChihuahua mix, sas City last year. Precious. He was “You can see relieved to be able the effect when to bring her to the you meet the CVO clinic inpeople. They’re stead. so happy to get Although anything for their the animals did check the vitals on a patient. This patient is a very pets for free. These Doctors need a few treatgood boy. Yes he is. BETH LIPOFF people have nothments, overall, ing except for their pets, and they just want to the vets found them to be very happy and take care of them and they’re not always able healthy. to do that,” Plass says. “A lot of the clients I’ve seen here take People who came to the clinic at Hope better care of their pets than some of the cliFaith Ministries first had to answer some ents we see,” Rueb says. screening questions to make sure they were To help owners continue to take care of eligible. Plass and Dr. Daniel Rueb from their animals, CVO sent each one away with a Southside Pet Hospital in Olathe and Dr. bag containing food, flea collars, preventative John Teeter from Nall Hills Animal Hospi- heartworm medication, and treats. They even tal in Overland Park were all on hand to give had pet-appropriate toothbrushes for anyone check-ups, trim nails, treat minor problems, who needed one. and administer vaccinations—all for free. Those who are vulnerably housed can Kansas State University’s mobile surgical also have difficulty paying for their own unit was also there if anyone needed to spay health needs, and many are uninsured. When or neuter an animal. CVO holds a clinic for the animals, they also The people who come to the CVO clin- provide human health care services. This ics aren’t necessarily living on the street but clinic featured STI testing from Thrive Health may be in transitional housing or living in a Connection, dental screening from Dr. Matt homeless or domestic violence shelter. With Scott, and domestic violence counseling, budgets stretched tight, they often don’t have courtesy of Rose Brooks. the money to spare to pay for what their anAnyone needing additional services can imals need. visit Hope Faith Ministries’ onsite clinic for Giving up their pets, though, has a huge further treatment. emotional toll. Kristie Meinhardt still tears Four of the six pet owners who came to up when she recalls the dog she had to give the February clinic chose to use one or more up to her niece when she and her husband, of the human health services. Jeffrey, became homeless. It took them years Plass has been working with the Kansas to get back on their feet and into transitional City police to help spread the word about housing, and by that time, her niece wanted upcoming clinics. She hopes to start having to keep the dog. monthly clinics this summer and wants to of“We don’t have children,” she says, but fer clinics in a few different locations around dogs have filled that spot in their lives. the metro. Eventually, she’d like to have events Now, she and her husband have york- as far afield at Springfield, Mo. ie-poo named Maggie. “We’ll see how big of a scope we can For Christine Flores, Jordan, her pit eventually handle,” Plass says.
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23
FEATURE
MY OWN COLD BLOOD HOW THE CLUTTER MURDERS STILL HAUNT KANSAS BY DAN LYBARGER
If you live in Kansas, there are two books that you will never escape, even if you have never read them: L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences. Because the Sunflower State is small and sparsely populated, the only thing most outsiders know is that Dorothy and Toto came from here. The jokes about the girl and her little dog, too, ceased to be funny decades ago, and we have since given the world some notable real-life figures like Dwight Eisenhower, Gordon Parks, and Annette Bening. If they’re going to annoy us about a fictional Kansan, couldn’t they at least switch to Clark Kent once in a while? Because Baum created lovable characters and the 1939 MGM movie is so exquisitely crafted, people outside our state can be forgiven for pairing us with a story that even Indian-born writer Salman Rushdie has come to adore. With Truman Capote’s 1965 book, however, the engrossing prose comes from an event most of us wish had never happened. Kansas has a population just shy of three million, so there’s a chance that you or someone you know might have a connection to a senseless murder that occurred on November 14, 1959 outside of Holcomb, which had a population of less than 300. Two former inmates at the Kansas State Penitentiary in Lansing, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, killed farmer Herb Clutter, his wife Bonnie, and their teenage children Nancy and Kenyon. The killers tied up and shot all four victims in the head at close range with a shotgun and cut Herb Clutter’s throat. The Kansas State University-educated Clutter had used innovative techniques in growing wheat and other crops and earned coverage on Edward R. Murrow’s See It Now and in The New York Times. For example, Clutter managed to cut his irrigation costs by leasing drilling lights to gas companies. He charged them royalties, and they in turn helped him extract water under his land. The intruders who killed him expected a safe full of loot, not knowing Clutter paid all
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THE PITCH | APRIL 2020 | thepitchkc.com
of his bills by check and wouldn’t have much money in his house in the middle of the night. After the murders, Smith and Hickock left the house with a Zenith radio, a pair of binoculars, and less than $50 in cash. Even adjusted for inflation, it’s appalling to think that the Clutters died for such a paltry haul. In all the time that has passed and considering Kansas City’s disturbingly high murder rate, there’s something uniquely depraved about this crime. The fact that it took place in a small town where everyone knew the victims makes it even more disturbing. In a telephone interview, current Finney County Sheriff Kevin Bascue, who’s based in nearby Garden City says, “It was highly unusual, very horrific, and I would also say if that crime happened today in Finney County, it would still be highly unusual and very horrific to have four people murdered like that.” When I say the murder of the Clutter family still affects people here, I’m not exaggerating. My aunt Barbara Lewis was a classmate of Beverly Clutter at the University of Kansas Medical School in KCK. Both were studying to be nurses. The only reason Beverly and her sister Eveanna, who died last year, survived that night is because neither were living in the Clutter home at the time. Capote took an immediate interest in the case when he read an account of the crime in The New York Times two days afterward. Initially interested in how the murders affected the community, the New Orleans native spent part of his youth in the small community Monroeville, Al. When he arrived a few days later with To Kill a Mockingbird author Nelle Harper Lee, the case was still unsolved. Hickock and Smith had left few clues. Only a pair of footprints, one of which was only visible in an underexposed photograph, gave them away. As Capote and the authorities learned later, the killers weren’t from Finney County but had driven 400 miles away in Hickock’s hometown of Edgerton. When his “perfect
score” proved to be deeply flawed, Hickock and Smith roamed across Mexico, Florida, and Nevada for nearly six weeks. The two returned to Kansas City twice so that Hickock could write some bad checks. If it weren’t for his cell mate Floyd Wells revealing his obsession with Clutter’s money for a $1,000 reward and for Smith’s decision to mail himself the incriminating boots, they might not have been captured in Las Vegas. If the murder itself shocked people near the western edge of the state, the identity of the killers jolted people in the East. Edward Hayes III is a former Captain of the Johnson County Sheriff ’s Department who now writes for Johnson’s County Gazette. When Hayes was a teenager, he knew Hickock, who frequented the same Olathe hangouts he did. “He was ten years older than me,” he says in an interview at the Edgerton Community Museum. “We played snooker at the old pool hall. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe that a guy I knew did it. He was friendly, always smiling.” According to Charles Troutner, the curator of the Edgerton Community Museum, that charm enabled Hickock to write bad checks to people who should have been more suspicious. “He would give you the shirt off his back and then steal it back from you. He’d get the salesman wrapped around his finger in five seconds,” Troutner says. “He’d be in an Edgerton business, and he’d walk up to the owner and say, ‘Hi, buddy.’ Somebody would want to have their picture taken together, and while Hickock would have one arm around the store owner, the other arm was reaching into the cash register and taking the money out.” Troutner should know. He’s currently working on a biography of Hickock, and the museum has several thick folders on the case. Some document Hickock, and others include information about the Clutters, the book, and the 1967 Oscar-nominated movie Richard Brooks adapted and directed from it.
Richard Eugene “Dick” Hickock and Perry Edward Smith. RICHARD AVEDON, COURTESY OF RADICALMEDIA
An Obsessive Drive The power of In Cold Blood comes from the fact that neither Hickock and Smith fit the profile of a mass murderer. Capote portrays them as unsavory but far from unredeemable. Hickock was a skilled auto mechanic, and Smith could play guitar and paint. In describing their arrival outside the Finney County courthouse after their arrest, Capote observed, “But when the crowd caught sight of the murders, with their escort of blue-coated highway patrolmen, it fell silent, as though amazed to find them humanly-shaped.” Capote used fictional narrative devices to make the case more immediate and personal. He leaped inside people’s heads, which is something a reporter can’t do unless he or she is a graduate of Hogwarts instead of a journalism school. I first encountered the book 20 years ago when I listened to an audio edition on a drive from St. Louis to Olathe. I needed something to keep me awake through the long sunset journey down I-70. The trip was consistently eerie in surprising ways. Capote may have been using a fictional narrative, but he didn’t try to build suspense with a whodunnit setup. We know who the killers are in the second chapter. Instead, he gave a sense of how fleeting safety and security are. As I got farther into the book, I wondered what it would have been like if Hickock and Smith had chosen a furniture store owner from Osawatomie (my maternal grandfather) instead of a farmer from Holcomb. The Clutters felt more human because we could see into their thoughts before their lives ended. The once seemingly inconceivable crime had now become chillingly real. As Gerald Clarke, the author of Capote: A Biography, shared in an email, “In Cold Blood is a classic story of innocent people becoming
FEATURE
This issue features Capote between Scott Wilson, who played Hickock, and Robert Blake, who played his accomplice Perry Smith COURTESY OF THE EDGERTON COMMUNITY MUSEUM
it’s worth discussing the times when Capote’s imagination overwhelmed the facts or when he simply didn’t know what the truth was. It’s telling that the Barnes & Noble in Overland Park sells In Cold Blood as a novel, but the Half Price Books across town lists it as true crime. the victims of total strangers. Anybody reading it can identify with the Clutters and think if it could happen to them, it could happen to me too. Capote tells it with consummate skill. The reader knows the outcome from the beginning, yet is held in suspense.” Adding to the tension is that very little separates criminals like Hickock and Smith from the people they prey on. It’s easy to get sense the Clutters could have survived if the two hadn’t met when and where they did. Capote recounts several moments when the two could have avoided their eventual trip to the gallows in Lansing in April of 1965 but proceeded anyway. In 2014, Scott Wilson, the late actor who played Hickock in the 1967 movie later and who later portrayed Herschel in The Walking Dead, told me, “The Menninger Clinic said that these two characters, Hickcock and Smith’s personalities merged into a third personality. It was the third personality that killed those people. It kind of goes back to what your mom always said, ‘Don’t hang out with people who will lead you astray,’ because these two people came together in prison, so they had done some things they shouldn’t, and bad things happened as a result of it.” Similarly, Capote’s portrayal has inspired filmmaker Joe Berlinger, who co-directed the Paradise Lost Trilogy of documentaries about the West Memphis Three case and who has directed both a miniseries (Conversations
with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes) and a drama (Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile) for Netflix on serial killer Ted Bundy. He’s co-directed the 2017 Sundance Channel documentary series Cold Blooded: The Clutter Family Murders. “It’s shocking on its face, a home invasion of that sort, particularly coming at the end of an age of innocence. You can draw a straight line from that book to our obsession to all things true crime, and by personalizing it and novelizing it. (Capote) humanized, that doesn’t mean condoned or forgave, the perpetrators,” Berlinger says from Los Angeles. Much of that ability to make the killers seem like more than bogeymen came from the fact that Capote felt a kinship with Smith. Both men were short, sensitive, and had alcoholic mothers. Capote attended different boarding schools, and Smith spent much of his time in orphanages. “Perry Smith had a terrible childhood, and so had Truman though nowhere near as bad as Perry’s,” says Clarke. “So Truman identified with him and to some degree had sympathy for him. Dick, on the other hand, had not been treated badly. He was just a punk, a murderous punk, but a punk.” A Keen Eye One of the reasons In Cold Blood is still worth discussing is because Capote got so much about the case, and Kansas in general, right.
In 1987, several of my friends and I howled derisively when Vanity Fair published Gail Sheehy’s The Road to Bimini about Colorado Senator Gary Hart’s fall from grace. She visited the Senator’s hometown in Ottawa, Kan. but obviously didn’t spend much time there. Some groan-inducing passages detract from Sheehy’s legitimate character concerns about Hart. In saying the town looked the same way it did in the 1950s, she noted, “The girls still have doughy legs and the boys Fuller-brush cuts.” The second part is not true. When I lived there that same year, I, to my later shame, sported a mullet. When I reread In Cold Blood, I was impressed by how effortlessly Capote captured our landscape and our mindset. Clarke adds, “Capote was a keen observer. He picked up on the small things as well as the large. He did that wherever he went, not just in Kansas. I assume the person who wrote about Gary Hart was not so keen.” Maybe this is why Ande Parks and Chris Samnee depict Capote consulting with the ghost of Nancy Clutter in their “drawn novel” Capote in Kansas. At times, he does seem to reaching beyond human comprehension for his story. He and Harper Lee developed a unique process for recording what the people of Holcomb and Garden City had to tell them. They used no recordings and took no notes. He felt that people might clam up if they saw a pencil or a tape recorder. Capote boasted that he had 94 percent recall (or was it 96 percent?), and he and Harper Lee would compile transcripts of the interviews later in the evening to make sure they remembered what their subjects told them correctly. Even with Capote’s impressive recall, it’s still worth discussing the times when his imagination overwhelmed the facts or when he simply didn’t know what the truth was. It’s telling that the Barnes & Noble in Overland Park sells In Cold Blood as a novel, but the Half Price Books across town lists it as “true crime.” In a documentary that accompanies the Criterion Collection edition of Brooks’ film, Capote boasts, “And every word is true.” His literary rival Gore Vidal included a final chapter in his historical novels like Burr that explained where fact ended and fiction took over. Capote’s final chapter is a meeting between Kansas Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Alvin Dewey and Nancy Clutter’s friend Susan Kidwell at the graves of the Clutters. It never happened. During Cold Blooded, the surviving members of the Clutter family accuse Capote of sensationalizing the murders and for misrepresenting Bonnie Clutter. According to them, Charlie Troutner and Sheriff Bascue,
who know the family’s surviving friends, she did have depression and other medical issues, but was not the borderline invalid Capote portrays. Having lived with depression most of my adult life, I can vouch for how devastating it can be, but I can also say it’s not my sole defining trait, and it was almost certainly not hers. The family has usually kept mum on the book and the tragedy that inspired it. Therefore, it’s worth catching the documentary on streaming through Amazon. Producer Allison Berg, who is now working on the Showtime documentary series The Circus, says telling their story was a delicate process. “Momentarily, that feels like a coup, but after that it feels like a great responsibility. Their participation in something like that after so long was because they had gotten to a point where they could trust us,” she says from New York. “It took a long time of discussing the project and them moving slowly and them being able to ask a lot of questions to see what they were comfortable with. Part of it was the timing when we approached, and part of it was that we were taking an approach that aligned with what they most wanted people to know from their perspective.” The Never Ending Story It’s probably fitting Capote’s own life is up for examination in not one, but two movies. Bennett Miller’s 2005 film Capote earned Philip Seymour Hoffman an Oscar for playing the author. Sadly, both he and the writer died of substance abuse. Douglas McGrath’s Infamous, starring British actor Toby Jones, is also worth a watch and takes a slightly different angle on Capote’s trek to Kansas. Hoffman earned his statuette for changing his build and his voice to match the small man with the high nasal voice. Jones, on the other hand, completely transforms into him and bears an uncanny resemblance to archival footage of the author. The latter film does a better job of demonstrating how Capote could cajole people into giving him hard-to-obtain information, but the earlier movie, based on Clarke’s book, more vividly captures how the case took its toll on him. “In Cold Blood made Capote the most famous writer in American, perhaps the world. But the research, the writing, and the wait for the executions took a toll from which he never recovered. ‘It scraped me down to the marrow of my bones,’ he told me,” recalls Clarke. Both movies imply that Capote could have done more to save Hickock and Smith from hanging. Considering the fact that both had killed four innocent people in one evening, it’s hard to imagine an appeals board feeling mercy for them. About the only way Capote could have assisted them would have been to organize a jailbreak. “There was nothing Capote could have thepitchkc.com | APRIL 2020 | THE PITCH
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FEATURE
MUSIC
done to prevent the executions. The killers were guilty of gruesome murders. Kansas believed in the death sentence. Case closed,” says Clarke. In Black-and-White The 1967 movie made from Capote’s book has a power all its own if you live in Kansas. Scott Wilson and Robert Blake, who later stood trial for and was acquitted of killing his wife, are ideally cast as the killers. Hayes and Troutner both say that Wilson nailed Hickock’s glib charm. Brooks’ insistence on shooting primarily in Kansas makes In Cold Blood seem lived in. He even filmed in the house where the Clutters died. I was born shortly before the movie was shot, and a lot of road signs I grew up seeing when I traveled with my parents show up in the film. As a result, there’s an authenticity that’s missing from most true crime adaptations. This and Quincy Jones’ eerie score and Conrad Hall’s poetic monochrome photography give the film a potency that’s independent of the book. Edgerton was one of the locations, and the unit shot there for approximately four days. It didn’t take me long to find people who had worked on the movie or who had played extras. Hayes helped secure the locations by blocking unwanted traffic, and my friend Kay Ferguson Lockerby Huddleston appears in the scenes where Wilson hands out bad checks in KCK. The less said about the 1996 CBS miniseries the better. Anthony Edwards and Eric Roberts look about 10 or 15 years too old, and the Canadian locations, which weren’t an issue in Capote, are a poor match for the Sunflower State. The Finney County Sheriff ’s deputies look like moonlighting Mounties, and Bascue giggles when he recalls seeing mountains in the background. Unless, you really want to hear some of the songs Smith wrote or want to hear what Sam Neil sounds like with an American accent, you should stick with the original. Amazon Prime has this, too. Perhaps the reason the book, the movies, and the killings that inspired them have stayed with us is because there are still things to learn. It took Alvin Dewey and his team of up to 18 agents around six weeks to catch the killers, so it’s a good idea to approach this subject with care. “History isn’t always pretty,” Troutner tells me. “I’ve had about 300 people, that’s an exaggeration, tell me they were at the prison for the hanging or that their mother’s dog was there. I’ve looked at the log, and I think there were only 18 people there.”
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THE PITCH | APRIL 2020 | thepitchkc.com
Ann Stewart and Marion Merritt are partners in crime at KC’s very own Records With Merritt.
WAX POETIC THE SECRET LIFE OF KC VINYL BY CELESTE TORRENCE
The afternoon of February 6th, 2020 played out like a funeral. My phone was pinging with condolences at an alarming rate, and I was steeped in overwhelming disquietude. Usually, in times like this, I would put on a record and sink into cacophonous oblivion. Now, though, my usual comfort had turned to salt in my wounds. Earlier that day, a fire had broken out at Apollo Masters Corporation. To most, this was but a blip in the news cycle. To the world’s audiophiles and vinyl-lovers, it was devastation. Apollo was one of only two factories in the world that produced lacquer discs. Over 70 percent of them, in fact. Unless, like me, you have more records than friends, that doesn’t mean much to you, so allow me to analogize. Picture a chalkboard with writing on it. The surface is smooth and the writing is legible. Copying down said writing would be easy to do. Now imagine instead that the chalkboard was packed with nicks, dents, and rough patches. Writing on such a surface becomes nearly impossible, as does copying the illegible notes. What Apollo made was the vinyl version of the chalkboard—a blank, perfectly smooth disc into which grooves are cut. The grooves, like the writing on the board, serve as the template to be copied onto all other records in the pressing. The notes copied from the board equate to the sounds that the consumer hears on their specific copy of the record. So, on that February morning, the
world lost 70 percent of its chalkboard supply, jeopardizing the entire vinyl industry. No lacquer discs meant no masters. No masters meant no copies. No copies meant… well, what did it mean? Whatever the empirical results, the world of vinyl is about to be put to the test. The passing of which is made even more imperative by Record Store Day. The first Record Store Day took place on April 19th, 2008. Conceived by independent record store owners, the yearly event focuses on the promotion of vinyl culture through supporting local, independent record shops. Limited pressings, special releases, and event exclusives line local bins, an incentive to go offline and in-store. Like the years before it, Record Store Day 2020 was set to be held on the 3rd Saturday in April. Due to unfortunate timing, the event has been indefinitely delayed. Even after normality returns, questions will still remain about the vinyl industry’s ability to recover. Will the secondary supplier of lacquer discs (MDC of Japan) be able to keep up with increased demand? If not, what other methods can be used in vinyl production? Can the upwards trend in vinyl sales continue in spite of February’s catastrophe? I don’t know the answers to these questions. In fact, these questions arose after I had pitched this piece. The initial intent was to explore the beauty of KC’s local vinyl scene. I wanted to showcase the people within it, and the small differences that have added up to a unique ecosystem of musicality. But now, due to a fire all the way in California, that ecosystem may be in jeopardy. So, like your mom introducing you to her friend’s handsome doctor of a son, my goal is to make you fall in love with it. •
•
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I’d been in the small shop before. Enough
TRAVIS YOUNG
times, in fact, to have a nearly-full punch card bearing the store’s insignia. Who says loyal consumerism is dead? Whoever it is, they haven’t stepped foot in a record store in the last five years. Especially not one like Records with Merritt. The gentle whoosh of air created by the door opening causes an employee to look up, her face already bearing a welcoming smile. I recognize her immediately as Ann Stewart, the woman who gave my daughter her first record. It was a Thomas the Train sing-a-long that, after 50 consecutive plays in an afternoon, mysteriously “disappeared” from my record shelf. If Ann wasn’t so nice, my eardrums would still hold a grudge. To her left sits Marion Merritt, a well of calm in a chaotic sea of sound. Beneath Merritt’s serene demeanor lies a depth of musical knowledge beyond the comprehension of most; including myself. Slightly intimidated by this, and not quite knowing where to start, I clumsily ask how they came to love music. Vinyl, in particular. All intimidation factor melts away as Marion lights up at the prospect of musical conversation and dives into her origin story. “I’m older, so I’ve always had a transistor radio next to my ear. My goal was always to— if I heard it on the radio—to be able to sing it word-for-word as soon as possible. Songs have always been my inspiration for things, my motivator. I have a whole group of songs that get me going in the morning. So it’s a big part of my life. And I grew up with vinyl. We just didn’t treat it the way we do now. We just kind of—it was a disposable item we got for $2.99 and just played it on the little portable record player in your bedroom.” Ann follows, recalling her childhood exposure to music, both via her parents’ love of Broadway, and her older siblings’ guidance. “I was the youngest of four kids, and it was the vinyl era, in the 70’s. I remember my brothers playing their albums and laying on the carpet
MUSIC
Where to get your wax For the audiophile: Records with Merritt at 1614 Westport Rd, Kansas City, MO 64111. If you're already a music fan, let Marion Merritt take you to the next level. Start a listening project with her, let her handpicked selections blow your mind and broaden your horizons. Start with a genre you know, or have her take you in a completely different direction. For the explorer: Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven at 7621 Troost Ave, Kansas City, MO 64131. At this point, I don't even pick my own records here. I tell Sherman what I like and let him point me in the right direction. If you're down for an auditory adventure, I suggest you do the same. For the local activist: Revolution Records at 1830 Locust St, Kansas City, MO 64108. With their collection of zines, literature, and community events, Promise Clutter has made her shop a local pillar of support. Benefit shows are a staple of the shop, as are poetry readings and First Fridays with a focus on local artists. For the beginner: Mills Records at 4045 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64111. Judy Mills prioritizes accessibility above all else. So don't fret about getting lost among the bins. One of her knowledge employees will be your guide. For the budding musician: Brothers Music at 5921 Johnson Dr, Mission, KS 66202. Not only does the shop boast both used and new vinyl, they also sell guitars. Don't know how to play? No worries, they'll teach you. Their music lessons come recommended by a host of KC locals. For the Lawrencian: Orange Cat Records at 923 N 2nd St, Lawrence, KS 66044. If you like records and live in LFK, you've been to Love Garden. But the unsung hero of Lawrence's vinyl scene is North Larry. Owned and operated by Will O'Rourke, Orange Cat has a wealth of new and used vinyl for you to browse. If they don't have what you want, they'll get it for you. The Danzig-signed Misfits album hanging on my wall is proof positive of O'Rourke's ability to get his customers damn near anything.
listening to them, looking at the record covers. And I remember my oldest brother bought me my first record, which was uh...Heart...” Marion fills in the blank without hesitation, “Heart, Heart.” Ann nods in appreciation of her partner’s encyclopedic knowledge. “Yeah! Then Pink Floyd, The Wall. And it was just—what is this? And I’m sure my mother was like ‘Why are you buying your 9-year-old sister Pink Floyd’s The Wall?’ But I was just mesmerized.” The conversation drifts to Marion’s start in the music sales industry. For over 15 years, she worked in the basement of Barnes and Noble on the Plaza, managing the music department. It was here, she says, that her education really took off. Daily, inadvertent challenges from customers pushed her to explore and expand her musical world. She elaborates, “You think you know something until someone asks you to explain, ‘What’s the difference between that opera and this opera?’ Then you have to say, ‘Okay, I’m either going to stand here, or I’m going to learn.’” Barnes and Noble was not only the origin of Marion’s mental catalog but a catalyst for passionate customer service. Ann details a remarkable following built at the corporate store including celebrities, record collectors, and even a blind customer in Alabama. All of whom continue to trust Marion with their euphonic fates. Despite having a cult following, the switch from corporate to local wasn’t easy. “It was a big leap. It was a scary leap,” Marion says, looking over at her partner, “but I think Ann had more confidence in me than I did. And once I started working on it, it just became this way. I think the hardest part was finding a place we liked. We have a small space, and we don’t want to grow that much. We want to keep it tight, and our customers appreciate that. Some of our customers know the inventory better than we do. And here, you can shop for five minutes, or two hours.” Looking around the tiny shop, it’s easy to see how one could lose an entire afternoon to space. Sitting in front of me is a bowl of candy. (The good kind, none of the dum-dum and lifesaver bullshit banks try to pass off as a treat). To the left of me, water, soda, and beer bob in aluminum tins while boxed wines line a small table adjacent to the front counter. Before anyone asks to see their liquor license, they’re not selling it. It’s free. Records with Merritt doesn’t just want your money, it wants YOU. For Ann and Marion, the best part of this joint endeavor is the community that constantly evolves within the store. They’ve created a family that includes regular customers as well as other record shops. When I ask which record shop they suggest I visit next, I’m met with a list longer than this 3,000-word piece could possibly hope to cover. Overwhelmed, I decide to start with one I already know. Still chewing a mini Twix from Merritt’s candy bowl, I walk into Josey Records. I’m greeted by Britt Adair, a willowy woman with thick black eyeliner and an outfit that conveys thepitchkc.com | APRIL 2020 | THE PITCH
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MUSIC effortless, voguish grunge. Next to her stands Chris LeBeau, the store manager. Four and half years ago, they, along with a small crew, put the first records on Josey’s shelves. Which must have taken a while, because the building is approximately four times the size of Records with Merritt. This observation is accentuated by the soothing chillwave music echoing against the high ceilings. While Chris assists customers, Britt sits down with me for our interview. Despite its size, the store manages to feel intimate. This combined with a focus on local artists suggests a local owner very in touch with their city’s music scene. So I’m taken aback to find out that Josey is owned by a few House DJs based out of Dallas, Texas. Still a small company, there are only four locations; Dallas, Lubbock, Tulsa, and Kansas City. As it’s the only non-locally owned shop I’m interviewing, I asked why the owners chose to establish a brick and mortar store in Kansas City. According to Britt, the owners’ choice boils down to the local scene. “They’re huge lovers of soul music. And Kansas City is kind of a hub for that. So they came here, loved the culture, and wanted to open a shop. When Streetside Records closed, there was a lull and a need for it in KC. Chris actually used to work at Streetside Records. He’s been in the record game for 20 years. He was working for himself for a while, and then he got the offer to come here. And how could you resist working in a record shop? I mean, you don’t just stop loving working in record stores.” The last statement rings especially true, as Chris and Britt have both worked in other KC record stores. The visual art booker, Laura, used to work at Streetside Records and Vinyl Renaissance. Another employee, Ryan, worked at Mills Record Company. The entire staff of Josey records seems to be addicted to working with wax. The owners of Josey Records knew this and used it to their advantage. Essentially, they compiled a team of incredibly knowledgeable record enthusiasts and gave them complete control over a store. Chris does most of the ordering, and Britt books the bands for in-store events. Laura schedules a different local artist each month to provide a visual installation for the store. The profits from any piece sold go entirely to the artist, creating economic support for Kansas City’s art scene. They’ve even recently added a DVD section. All of this done at the employees’ discretion. To some, that may sound like a recipe for disaster (or just employees with very full shelves). Ultimately though, it has created a thriving store full of variety and dedication to local interests. While it’s in their own shop that they’ve found their niche, this doesn’t stop the Josey team from appreciating other stores. When I ask about what makes the KC scene special, Britt immediately answers, “If we don’t have a record someone wants, we call Revolution Records, because they’re right around the corner. It’s good to work as a team and to work together. Most of the shops do support each other. We all love music and want to be
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THE PITCH | APRIL 2020 | thepitchkc.com
Judy Mills radiates happiness in her natural habitat- among bins with new and used vinyl alike.
a part of it. All of them do have their specialties, though. Like, Records with Merritt is just brand-new vinyl. Revolution Records appeals to a younger community, and they have lots of live shows. We go shopping at Brothers, 7th Heaven, Records with Merritt...every shop has its own vibe. ” •
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A week later, I’m investigating said vibes at Mills Record Company. Because I’ve forgotten a jacket, the main vibe I’m getting is cold. I follow Judy Mills to her office, and she offers me a blanket while turning on a space heater. She’s an affable but focused woman, with a cascade of silver hair that she brushes back from her face as she sits down. She doesn’t hesitate to start a conversation. “What’s your angle? What’s your perspective? Are you a record fan?” I give a barely coherent answer, discomposed at having to answer questions instead of asking them. Is this what being interviewed feels like? She listens and smiles kindly as my inarticulations stop. Regaining my bearings, I start the interview by asking her what made her decide to open a record shop in Kansas City. She started from the beginning. “In 2012, there wasn’t anywhere you could go into on new release day and get a new release record. And I tried, but I was kind of scoffed at. And I thought, ‘I cannot be the only person.’ About four months before that, I realized I didn’t own anything. I had gotten seduced by the digital world. I didn’t own anything. So that’s when I started collecting records. And I discovered how hard it was to do that in Kansas City. I had a year off of what I was doing, and I had a decision, you know? Do I go back into the corporate world? And I thought, ‘You know what? I think there’s a niche for this.’ And so, I opened up, and it was all-new vinyl. So that’s how I wanted to contribute to the scene. But if you want to be
a community resource, you have to sell used, too. So about four months in, I caved and started selling used. But at that time, we were the only ones [selling new]. At the time, there also wasn’t a place where regular in-stores happened, and that was something like, ‘We’re gonna do this.’” When I find that Mills, like Merritt, started her career in corporate sales, I am unsurprised. Her attitude towards business belies an understanding of how to grow a local scene and maintain a wide customer base. She professes that her least favorite type of customer is a music snob, and emphasizes the importance of accessibility. While she’s okay with putting record nerds behind her counters, they also have to be approachable. According to Mills, no one should be too intimidated to walk into a record store. This philosophy has garnished her widespread support, as evidenced by Mills Record Company being voted Kansas City’s Best Record Store multiple times over. “If you give customers a good experience, they will decide to leave the house, walk into a store, and discover a record. If they don’t love the process, then they won’t do that. It’s a lot of extra work. Employees aren’t here to show off what they know, there’s here to provide an experience, help them discover music, and give them a reason to come back in. Most employees live within 10 minutes of here. All profits stay in Kansas City. Everything I get, I put it into the employees or back into the store. It’s kind of a circular process that I’ve really come to value since I’ve started this.” •
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At this point, dear reader, I have approximately 400 words left to sum up the vinyl zeitgeist of our town. A daunting task for any writer anywhere, but more so for those who, like myself, live in a city overflowing with musical promise. Within that summary, I would be re-
TRAVIS YOUNG
miss to ignore the female badassery of Promise Clutter, manager of Revolution Records. Her store boasts not only the most adorable shop dog in town, but also books, visual art, zines, and a calendar laden with a plethora of in-store events. If you’ve been to a musical event in Kansas City, you’ve likely been in the same room as Sherman Breneman, manager of 7th Heaven’s Vinyl Underground. By Ann Stewart’s own admission, he carries an encyclopedic knowledge of music to rival that of her partner, Marion Merritt. These commendations extend even beyond KC. Brothers Music in Mission, KS was recommended to me by nearly everyone I’ve interviewed, and Lawrence boasts Lovegarden and Orange Cat, two more local favorites. The best part about all of the aforementioned record stores is that they were each recommended to me by the owner of another shop. In my personal and professional investigations of Kansas City’s vinyl culture, the most defining trait of the scene is the support each shop lends to the community at large. Recognition of each other’s strengths and a store’s own weaknesses has allowed a staggering concentration of similar businesses to thrive across the city. However, these businesses cannot thrive on each other’s recommendations alone. They rely on local support and loyal customers to keep them afloat. This has never been so true as in the wake of the Apollo Masters fire. The future of the vinyl production industry has been called into question, and so too has that of record shops everywhere. But Kansas City can do something to help. Buy as many albums as you want. Buy as many albums as you can afford. Support your local record stores by taking inventory off their shelves and creating a demand for more. Then go home, and put the wax on the turntable, and drift off into bliss.
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