CURRENTS: MORE BIG LIES ABOUT THE 2020 ELECTION
MAY, 26 - JUNE 1, 2022 • TUCSONWEEKLY.COM • FREE
Summer Survival 2022
MUSIC: The Debut of the Tucson Opry
CHOW: Jerk Shrimp with a Sonoran Twist
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MAY 26, 2022
MAY 26, 2022
MAY 26, 2022 | VOL. 37, NO. 21
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STAFF
CONTENTS SONORAN EXPLORIN’
Red Herring Puppet perform some oldschool fables
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CURRENTS
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The Yuma County sheriff isn’t investigating election fraud because of 2000 Mules CURRENTS: MORE BIG LIES ABOUT THE 2020 ELECTION
FEATURE
MAY, 26 - JUNE 1, 2022 • TUCSONWEEKLY.COM • FREE
Summer Survival
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2 0 2 2 the summer of Tips on making it through sizzle MUSIC: The Debut of the Tucson Opry
CHOW: Jerk Shrimp with a Sonoran Twist
CHOW
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ADMINISTRATION Steve T. Strickbine, Publisher Michael Hiatt, Vice President
EDITOR’S NOTE
Goodbye to All That
WE HAVE SOME CHANGES AFOOT here at Tucson Weekly. For starters, this is the last issue for managing editor Jeff Gardner, who has been working alongside me for four years. Jeff has been an extraordinary journalist in the trenches with me. He can write about anything from food to science to rock ’n’ roll and deliver a great story every time. Plus, he kept our production line running smoothly. I don’t think we ever missed a deadline under his tenure. Besides all that, he’s just a great guy and I’m gonna miss working with him. And speaking of goodbyes: After 33 years here at Tucson Weekly, it’s time to move on to new adventures. I’m stepping down as executive editor of Tucson Local Media at the end of June. It’s been an honor and privilege to be part of Tucson Weekly for more than three decades. I’ve pretty much done everything except sell an ad. I started by delivering ad proofs to clients in the days before fax machines and email. I drove a truck full of papers from the Mesa printing press and handed bundles to drivers in our gathering space in the El Con Mall parking. I pasted up pages with an X-Acto knife and wax in days before computer pagination. I read over proofs and caught 99% of typos. I even cleaned the bathrooms for a few weeks, although I wasn’t very good at it. And eventually I got the chance to write,
Tyler Vondrak, Associate Publisher, tyler@tucsonlocalmedia.com Claudine Sowards, Accounting, claudine@tucsonlocalmedia.com
which has been a dream come true. I have loved telling stories about this town, the good and the bad. I’ve loved working with writers and artists to pull together the Tucson Weekly. I am proud of so much of what we’ve done together, from exposing scoundrels to shining a light those who work hard to make our community a better place. I’ve worked alongside writers I’d admired growing up in this town. I’ve forged friendships that will last the rest of my life. And to my surprise, I’ve loved being an editor of a half-dozen newspapers over the last five years, pulling together a whole new team of talented young journalists and seeing them take flight. Now, as much as I’ll miss it, it’s my turn to spread my wings and leave the nest. I have many, many thanks to give to so many, many people but this isn’t the space for it. I’ll miss this gig a lot but it’s time for me to launch into the unknown and see what else life has in store for me. Thanks for reading all these years! Jim Nintzel Executive Editor Hear Nintz talk about all the cool stuff happening in Tucson at 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays during the World-Famous Frank Show on KLPX, 96.1 FM.
EDITORIAL Jim Nintzel, Executive Editor, jimn@tucsonlocalmedia.com Jeff Gardner, Managing Editor, jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com Alexandra Pere, Staff Reporter, apere@timespublications.com Nicole Feltman, Staff Reporter, nfeltman@timespublications.com Contributors: David Abbott, Rob Brezsny, Max Cannon, Rand Carlson, Tom Danehy, Emily Dieckman, Bob Grimm, Andy Mosier, Linda Ray, Margaret Regan, Will Shortz, Jen Sorensen, Clay Jones, Dan Savage PRODUCTION Courtney Oldham, Production Manager, tucsonproduction@timespublications.com Ryan Dyson, Graphic Designer, ryand@tucsonlocalmedia.com CIRCULATION Aaron Kolodny, Circulation, aaron@timeslocalmedia.com ADVERTISING TLMSales@TucsonLocalMedia.com Gary Tackett, Account Executive, gtackett@tucsonlocalmedia.com Kristin Chester, Account Executive, kristin@tucsonlocalmedia.com Candace Murray, Account Executive, candace@tucsonlocalmedia.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING Zac Reynolds Director of National Advertising Zac@TimesPublications.com Tucson Weekly® is published every Thursday by Times Media Group at 7225 N. Mona Lisa Rd., Ste. 125, Tucson, Arizona. Address all editorial, business and production correspondence to: Tucson Weekly, 7225 N. Mona Lisa Rd., Ste. 125, Tucson, Arizona 85741. Phone: (520) 797-4384, FAX (520) 575-8891. Member of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN). The Tucson Weekly® and Best of Tucson® are registered trademarks of Times Media Group. Publisher has the right to refuse any advertisement at his or her discretion.
RANDOM SHOTS By Rand Carlson
Get a taste of jerk shrimp at D’s Island Grill
MUSIC
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Hotel Congress hosting Opry-themed variety show
Cover images courtesy of Bigstock
Copyright: The entire contents of Tucson Weekly are Copyright Times Media Group No portion may be reproduced in whole or part by any means without the express written permission of the Publisher, Tucson Weekly, 7225 N. Mona Lisa Rd., Ste. 125, Tucson, AZ 85741.
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SONORAN EXPLORIN’
PUPPETS IN THE OLD PUEBLO In which I have my socks charmed off by an internationally recognized children’s production. By Emily Dieckman, tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com A MOUSE DEFIES A LION’S expectations when the tiny creature helps free the lion from a trap. A fox decides the grapes he can’t reach were probably sour anyway. A determined tortoise beats a cocky hare in a race. Most of us have Aesop’s Fables so burned into our brains that just hearing their titles immediately recalls the plots and morals of the story as well. I am delighted to have seen a puppet production of Aesop’s Fables last weekend that let me see these classic stories in a new light. I haven’t seen a puppet show since I was a child, but when I heard about Red Herring Puppets, I was intrigued. Owner and artistic director Lisa Sturz has an MFA in puppetry, for Pete’s sake. I didn’t even know that was a thing. And she’s got more than four decades of experience building, performing and directing puppetry for film, TV, theater, museums
and more. Red Herring’s clients include the likes of Walt Disney Imagineering, Jim Henson Productions, Lucas Films and the Ice Capades. I can’t think of a bigger client for a puppetry company than the company behind the Muppet Movies. And they’ve been here in Tucson for about 2.5 years now. “It’s magical,” Sturz told me. “There’s a reason why young children like it. I’m not sure I completely understand, but I feel like puppets kind of operate in that in-between world. I guess you could call it the world of imagination.” Red Herring’s Production of Aesop’s Fables won the Union international de la Marionnette, or UNIMA Citation of Excellence, the highest honor in American puppetry, and I can see why. The rhymed production, which features original music by Cathy Riley and debuted in 2005, is just as impressive as it
PHOTO BY EMILY DIECKMA
Puppets of legend: The cast of Red Herring Puppets’ Aesop’s Fables
is adorable. This show is special to Sturz not just because her friend Riley wrote the original score, but also because of the unique design inspiration. When her son was young, one of his 5-year-old friends couldn’t wait to show her a puppet he’d made, out of paper plates and paper towel tubes. Sturz thought it was great, actually, and she used that as the basis of design for the show. I can see what she means, especially in the stork’s long legs and the faces of the lion and the fox characters. The story’s plot weaves together six fables, with the characters from different stories interacting throughout, rather than presenting each story one at a time. They’re tabletop puppets, operated with hand controls or marionettes, and you can see the two puppeteers (Sturz and troupe member Katie Popiel) wearing all black and operating them. It made me feel more in touch with my imagination when I realized how easy it was to forget the puppeteers were there and become immersed in the story. I think that’s in large part thanks not just to the visual beauty of the puppets, but to the fantastic voice acting. Sturz switches seamlessly between a squeaky little mouse, a pompous-sounding stork and a grasshopper from New York. Popiel is also excellent as characters including the cunning fox and lethargic tortoise. Red Herring is a small, unassuming place in the Tucson Mall. There are wooden panels set up with posters from some of the company’s past projects,
from “Robo Cop 2” to “Muppets From Space.” There are also photos of some of the custom production work the company has done, like a 40-foot dragon for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, operated by more than a dozen puppeteers. Sturz still does custom fabrication, ranging from mascots to theater pieces. Behind the panels, Sturz tells me on the phone, are lots and lots of puppets. She’s got thousands, and storing them is no small feat. Sturz is a master at pleasing the kid crowd. When one kid calls out an unsolicited suggestion for how a character can solve a conundrum, the puppet answers her, and then answers other kids as they pipe up as well. But Sturz makes it a point in every show to slip in jokes the adults might appreciate too, like when she looks out at the crowd of 4-year-olds and says, “Who here remembers Archimedes’ Law of Replacement?” And there are some nuggets of wisdom that can be appreciated by all ages, like this gem from the Lion and the Mouse fable “Sharing friendship and cheese is the only way to live.” Artistry, charm and words of wisdom. What more could you ask for on a weekend afternoon? ■ Red Herring Puppets Is located on the second floor of the Tucson Mall near Macy’s, 4500 N. Oracle Road. You can catch the final weekend of Aesop’s Fables at Red Herring Puppets this weekend. Visit redherringpuppets.com for tickets and more information on shows, summer camps, custom fabrication and more.
MAY 26, 2022
across four miles of private land, dumping waste rock on property it claims is not subject to federal jurisdiction. Hudbay began aggressively clearing earth and building roads and pads across the Copper World area last month, principally to prepare for three waste dumps and other infrastructure. Its bulldozers have constructed berms across several ephemeral streams and the company has cleared an area that would potentially be an immense storage area for waste rock. Hudbay is taking this action without approval from federal regulators, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. We believe Hudbay must obtain a federal Clean Water Act perPHOTO BY RUSS MCSPADDEN mit before it destroys this major system Greg Shinsky, vice-president; Gayle Hartmann, president; Stu Williams, executive director of tributaries that connect to the Santa (front) of Save the Scenic Santa Ritas. Cruz River. A coalition of conservation groups, including Save The Scenic Santa Ritas, and three of Arizona’s Native American tribes have filed motions in As Hudbay Loses Appellate Court Ruling, Conservation Groups Stay Vigilant and Celebrate District Court to obtain a court order that stops Hudbay from further decompany is going to dump waste on By Gayle Hartmann and Stu Williams struction of air, water and natural corritucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com land where it believes valuable mineral dors for wildlife and human recreation. ore exists. The court decision reverses THE MAY 12 RULING BY THE U.S. a long-standing practice of the Forest 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that Service to allow mining companies blocks Toronto-based Hudbay Minerals to use public land as free dumping from dumping waste rock and tailings grounds. from its proposed Rosemont Mine on The 9th Circuit ruling upheld a 2019 Coronado National Forest land is a District Court decision in Tucson, major victory for conservation groups asserting that Hudbay did not have and for preservation of sacred Native valid mining claims on the Coronado American sites. National Forest land where it intendHudbay’s plans to construct a mileed to dump nearly two billion tons wide, half-mile deep open-pit copper of waste rock and tailings that would mine in the Rosemont Valley in the stand at least 700 feet high and cover eastern side of the Santa Rita Mounan estimated 2,447 acres. tains, 35 miles southeast of Tucson, will As a result of that 2019 decision, not move forward, for the time being. Hudbay shifted its focus from the east The landmark appellate court ruling to the west side of the Santa, which is has far-reaching implications for prodrier, warmer, and has a larger share of tecting our public landscapes, sacred private lands. Hudbay has purchased sites, and a vital source of water that remany of those private landholdings, charges aquifers in the eastern Tucson some of which were established from basin. The ruling also deeply impacts mining activity in the late 19th and mining on public lands throughout the early 20th centuries. This west side, or American West. what Hudbay calls “Copper World,” sits The 9th Circuit Court ruling prevents within easy view of living rooms and the Forest Service from allowing new front yards in Sahuarita, Green Valley, mines to place waste rock on public and the Quail Creek community. In a lands unless the mining company has a late-March press release, Hudbay said valid mining claim for where that waste it plans to mine seven deposits spread will be dumped. Of course, no mining
GUEST COMMENTARY
SANTA RITA SAVIORS
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As testimonial to its reckless abandon, Hudbay is moving forward with this wanton destruction of Copper World habitat before it releases preliminary economic assessment and a pre-feasibility study required under Canadian securities law. According to Hudbay’s public filings and investor briefings, Hudbay must still complete these costly studies before undertaking the project. Canadian securities law requires these reports to be publicly disclosed, under national standards for disclosure of mineral projects. The company says it will publish a preliminary economic assessment next month, followed with a pre-feasibility study to be completed by the end of 2022. A final feasibility study is expected by the end of 2023, with investors deciding to “sanction” the mine’s construction after that scheduled report is evaluated. Save The Scenic Santa Ritas and like-minded citizens and organizations want to know why Hudbay has commenced to bulldoze and clear habitat in CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
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SANTA RITA SAVIORS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
Copper World without knowing what its investors think of the mine’s economics and feasibility. While we may lack direct access to Hudbay’s boardroom conversations of the project’s viability, we can only conclude that corporate greed is driving the present cycle of destruction. Save The Scenic Santa Ritas has consistently opposed Hudbay Minerals’ mine proposal since it purchased the mining claims in from Augusta Resource, another Canadian mining company, in 2014. We will continue to monitor developments and to fight with every tool in the toolbox to stop the wanton destruction of the Santa Rita Mountains. We will be living here in 20 years, when the proposed mine project would cease. Residents and taxpayers will be saddled with toxic tailings, adverse air quality impacts, depleted groundwater, contaminated runoff, and disconnected corridors for wildlife and recreation through
a mountain range that is sacred to Native peoples and hosts four major passages of the Arizona Trail, an 810mile national scenic trail. A short drive from Winkelman to Superior, or from Safford to Clifton-Morenci reveals what Arizonans know too well to be true: mine waste will be ours and the mining company will be long gone. The Rosemont/ Copper World projects that Hudbay is seeking to develop are a terrible deal ecologically, spiritually and economically. Public lands rightfully belong in the hands of future generations of all Americans, for their enjoyment and contemplation. These natural values, and a nature-based economy, provide far more economic benefit than do the short-term gains that are projected to benefit shareholders and finished-copper consumers outside of the U.S. ■ Gayle Hartmann is president and Stu Williams is executive director of Save the Scenic Santa Ritas
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Critics said the policy had little to do with health – while travelers were turned away at the borders, they were subsequently admitted at airports, for example – but was merely a Trump adminisTitle 42 remains in place at border for now— tration effort to turn back migrants. “Acknowledgment across the board as does the fight over it is that this is no longer about public health,” said Yael Schacher of Refugees International. The program was targeted by PresiBy Elsa Hortareas dent Joe Biden shortly after he took ofCronkite News fice. But the policy has continued to be renewed, with the Biden administration responsible for more than 1.4 million of SUPPORTERS OF TITLE 42, the pandemic-era health regulation used the 1.9 million migrants who had been turned away between March 2020 and to turn away migrants at the border, welcomed the court ruling that blocked April 2022, the latest month for which figures are available. a Biden administration plan to pull the The CDC announced on April 1 that plug on the program Monday. there was no longer a health need for But migration advocates said the Title 42, and it set May 23 as the date to Friday ruling by a federal district judge lift the rule, in order to give the Departin Louisiana will only prolong a “counment of Homeland Security time to preterproductive” rule that has been an pare for the expected surge in asylum “outright failure” as a border policy. seekers. “It is quite terrible as an immigration That was challenged in federal court policy,” said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council. He by Arizona, Louisiana and Missouri, added that Title 42 has had little impact which were eventually joined by 21 other states which charged that the adminon Arizona, despite the claims of state officials who led the lawsuit that result- istration had failed to follow the proper ed in the order to keep the regulation in procedures before lifting the regulation. The states said DHS was not prepared place. to handle a surge in migrants that, Arizona lawmakers, including sevby the department’s own estimation, eral Democrats, had also pushed back would surge from 7,000 to 18,000 a day. against the White House to end the That would burden state and local law Trump-era policy that has been used to enforcement, and lead to increases in turn away more than 1.9 million mihealth care costs for states, they said. grants, saying the government is not U.S. District Judge Robert Summerprepared to handle the expected surge hays agreed, finding that the states had in immigrants that would follow. “For too long, Arizonans have paid the “substantial likelihood of success” on their claims and that they would suffer price for Washington’s failure to plan ahead and secure the border,” said Sen. irreparable harm if Title 42 was lifted. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., in a statement after He issued a nationwide injunction Friday ordering that the rule remain in Friday’s ruling. He said the “decision place while the case plays out. does not change the fact that there is a The Justice Department filed notice crisis at the border and there must be a within hours of that ruling that it plans detailed plan that can be implemented an appeal. The White House said it before Title 42 is lifted.” would continue to enforce Title 42, in Title 42 is a health regulation that compliance with the injunction, even as allows border officials to turn away it appeals the ruling and DHS plans for people in an effort to stem the spread of infectious diseases. It was invoked by “the eventual lifting of Title 42 in light the Centers for Disease Control and Pre- of the CDC’s public health judgment” that it is no longer needed. vention in March 2020, at the outset of Jessica Vaughan of the Center for Imthe COVID-19 pandemic, and has been migration Studies called Summerhays’ renewed repeatedly since.
CURRENTS
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ruling “a welcome one for communities across the country, it makes the court recognize the explosion of immigrants crossing illegally at the border.” Vaughan conceded that Title 42 is a “public health measure, and not for the long-term,” and she called on lawmakers to pass strict immigration reform. “We need consequences on people who cross illegally,” Vaughan said. Schacher challenged claims that lifting Title 42 would lead to a significant increase in migrants at the border. That was echoed by Reichlin-Melnick, who said ending Title 42 “would have little effect on Arizona.” Both said that recent spikes in border apprehensions are misleading, since many of the people being stopped now are recidivists, migrants who have been turned away once or more under Title 42 and are trying again. Schacher said that people sent home under Title 42 are not deported, but expelled, an important distinction since returning after an expulsion does not have the same repercussions as returning after deportation. Schacher said that is creating a backlog of migrants seeking asylum at
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the border, since “ports of entry remain closed to them.” Few experts were optimistic that the administration’s appeal will bear fruit any time soon, considering that the appeal would go to the relatively conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. “Given the makeup of the 5th Circuit … it usually does not rule liberally on immigration issues,” Schacher said. That was echoed by Jessica Bolter of the Migration Policy Institute, who said she would be “surprised” if the 5th Circuit let Title 42 expire. In the meantime, Title 42 remains the status-quo, Reichlin-Melnick said. “It is a continuation of confusion policies and practices that allows some to enter and others to be turned away,” he said. ■ For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.
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good enough reason.” Republicans have questioned the purpose of ballot drop boxes when U.S. Postal Service mailboxes already exist for people to drop off their early ballots. The drop boxes exist because the ones that belong to the respective county election department “doesn’t have the intermediary of a postal employee and the post office; it is picked up directly by bi-partisan team of election workers,” Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer on Twitter. The drop boxes also save taxpayers money, since every ballot that is dropped off doesn’t cost postage fees. (The cost to return ballots via the mail is paid by county elections officials.) Additionally, voters can drop ballots into drop boxes as late COURTESY PHOTO 123RF.COM as Election Day, while the deadline for putting ballots in a mailbox is a week earlier to ensure they arrive at the elections department by Election Day. GOP bill to restrict ballot drop boxes fails after 2 Republicans vote no Ugenti-Rita said those reasons didn’t move her: She claimed that the 80-90% of Arizona voters who vote with early ballots can return them in the mail, vote early in-person or currently mentioned in the Elections instead vote at a polling place on By Dillon Rosenblatt Procedure Manual. Arizona Mirror Election Day. “If the goal is to restore confidence Boyer said his opposition to the in the outcome of an election, then bill was procedural: He said the bill TWO REPUBLICAN SENATORS you ban what you think facilitates the would cost money, and it was his joined Democrats to kill a GOP pro- manipulation. You don’t capture it on posal that would have banned the use video,” she said while explaining her understanding that bills with an apof “unmonitored” ballot drop boxes. amendment. “Once you codify this, Sens. Paul Boyer and MiCLAYTOONZ By Clay Jones you’re going to make it the status chelle Ugenti-Rita both voted quo that we now use ballot boxes. against House Bill 2238, but for vastly Do you understand the whole point different reasons. is we think it facilitates fraud? And Boyer has killed a number of now we’re going to codify it? I wish Republican-backed bills to dramatiwe would just pause and stop being cally change election law, including so reactionary and think about real, proposals making it more difficult to authentic solutions.” vote, that are being pushed under the Ugenti-Rita is running for Arizona guise of election integrity but stem secretary of state, though her camdirectly from false claims of widepaign appears to be floundering. spread election fraud in 2020. Gilbert Republican Sen. Warren But Ugenti-Rita’s opposition to Petersen was one of several senators HB2238 was because she would rath- who claimed Hoffman’s original er ban ballot drop boxes outright. She intent was to ban drop boxes like tried to amend the bill to ban the use Ugenti-Rita was suggesting, but that of all drop boxes in Arizona, but the doing so could not receive the 31 amendment was rejected: The change votes needed to pass the House of wasn’t cleared with the bill’s sponsor, Representatives. Rep. Jake Hoffman, and only eight Ugenti-Rita did not buy that explaRepublicans voted for it. nation and said the public deserves Ugenti-Rita said she would not sup- “a real solution.” port the bill without her amendment “Not fake solutions pretending to because the bill “codifies” ballot drop be one,” she said. “The fact that it boxes into statute when they are only may not get out of the House is not a
CURRENTS
BALLOT BOX BATTLE
propriation would not move through the process until budget talks gained more steam. “I don’t know if we are moving money bills these days. I have a few bills on the money bill list that are still stuck in (the House of Representatives) that aren’t getting an up or down vote,” he said. Boyer also opposed another election bill Monday. That one, sponsored by GOP Rep. Shawnna Bolick, sought to ban emergency voting centers except in cases of war, civil unrest or natural disasters. The measure, House Bill 2602, comes in response to emergency voting centers that were used in 2020 due to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Bolick is also running for secretary of state. The two failed election bills, and at least one other that failed on the floor Monday, highlight an ongoing pattern in the Senate of Republican leaders allowing votes on bills that don’t have enough support to pass. So far, the Senate alone watched 39 bills die on the floor – some may have been reconsidered – which is the most in that chamber since 41 bills died under Senate President Ken Bennett in 2006. The current record is 66 under Senate President Brenda Burns in 1998. ■
MAY 26, 2022
CURRENTS
FLICKERING FALSEHOODS
The Yuma sheriff isn’t investigating election fraud because of ‘2000 Mules’
By Jerod MacDonald-Evoy
Arizona Mirror
CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST AND filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza told a conservative podcast that 2000 Mules, his film making flawed and faulty claims about election fraud in 2020, directly led the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office to open up an investigation — but the sheriff says that’s simply not true. “The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office has been working jointly with the Yuma County Recorder’s Office and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office extensively regarding allegations of voter misconduct for over a year,” Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot said in an emailed statement to the Arizona Mirror. “These ongoing investigations are not related to or inspired by any movie or celebrity figure, but rather facts and evidence regarding violation of Arizona statute,” Wilmot added. “I am not familiar with, nor have I ever communicated with, any individuals who may now be claiming I am investigating on their behalf or because of any supposed inspiration from a documentary film.” Wilmot was responding to the Mirror’s questions about comments D’Souza made on Jason Whitlock’s “Fearless” podcast. The far-right provocateur said that Wilmot saw a screening of the movie 2000 Mules and “went berserk” afterward. “The Sheriff of Yuma saw our movie, went berserk and has opened up an investigation in Yuma, Arizona and I believe there will be arrests very soon,” D’Souza said on the podcast, which is produced and distributed by conservative media company Blaze Media. D’Souza did not respond to a request for comment. The film alleges that by using geolocation data purchased by the filmmakers they were able to track “ballot mules” to drop boxes where
they falsely allege the “mules” were paid to stuff the boxes with completed ballots. The practice, pejoratively referred to as ballot harvesting, is illegal in Arizona and many other states. Wilmot announced last week that his office and the county recorder’s office are investigating voting fraud cases from 2020, but there is no indication that any of the cases involve the movie’s claims. Instead, YCSO said the cases include impersonation fraud, false registrations, duplicate voting and fraudulent use of absentee ballots. Since D’Souza made his comments, others have latched on, including The America Project Founder and former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne. In a video posted to Rumble, a video streaming service favored by the far-right, Byrne said the Yuma investigation was in direct response to the film. Byrne’s organization was the largest funder of the Arizona Senate’s “audit” of the presidential election. Byrne has also been a leading voice in 2020 election fraud claims and has railed against the so-called deep state. Byrne attended an hour-long meeting at the White House during the final days of Donald Trump’s presidency in which he, attorney Sidney Powell and disgraced retired Gen. Michael Flynn urged the president to overturn the election and impose martial law. D’Souza’s film has been criticized for many of its false claims, including that the geolocation data used is so accurate that it helped solve a murder. The film is based on one whistleblower from San Luis, Ariz., who claimed to have seen people getting paid for ballot collection. The film contains no evidence of these payments. An analysis of the film’s claims by the Associated Press found numerous problems with the data analysis that D’Souza and True the Vote, a conservative advocacy group, performed to reach their conclusions.
For instance, there is no accounting for people with multiple mobile devices that could create pings in the geolocation data or people who are elections or campaign workers who would drive by areas where drop boxes are located on a regular basis. Other fact-checkers have also done independent analysis of the claims and found them to be flawed. D’Souza has a history of making controversial films. His first film, 2016: Obama’s America, made more money at the box office than any political documentary since Fahrenheit 9/11, garnering him the nickname the “conservative Michael Moore.” Multiple films by D’Souza have focused on his political enemies, as well as mentioning his conviction for campaign finance fraud. Trump pardoned D’Souza for that crime. 2000 Mules has gained an ardent following among Arizona Republicans and within the broader rightwing ecosystem. “Have you seen #2000Mules yet?” Secretary of State candidate and Oro Valley Republican Mark
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Finchem posted on Twitter. Gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake hosted a screening of the film earlier this month with election fraud promoter and pillow salesman Mike Lindell, charging up to $2,000 to attend. Prescott Republican Congressman Paul Gosar, state Sen. Sonny Borrelli, Rep. Leo Biasucci, Finchem and former State Sen. David Farnsworth was also in attendance. Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich in 2020 announced two Yuma County women were charged under the ballot harvesting statute. D’Souza has hyped those prosecutions on social media in an attempt to buttress his movie’s claims, but has spread false information about those cases in doing so. He claimed the case was “busted by the FBI,” but it was investigated by local law enforcement and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. ■ This story originally appeared in the Arizona Mirror, an online nonprofit newsroom. Find more coverage at azmirror.com.
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Summer Safari Night. There’s nothing like a summertime trip to the zoo. But there is also nothing like staying cool during a Tucson summer. And the Reid Park Zoo is giving you a chance to do both, by inviting you to come hang out with the animals in the cool of the evening. Grab a cold drink and dinner at the Zoofari Market, ride the Cox Jungle Carousel and play games with Tucson Parks and Rec. This week’s theme is “Walk on the Wild Side” and features wonderfully unique animals and fossils, as well as music by the After 7 Band. 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 28. Reid Park Zoo, 3400 E. Zoo Court. $10.50 adults, $8.50 seniors $6.50 kids 2 to 14. Free for Zoo members and kids under 2. The Elements – Air. Tohono Chul is running a series of exhibits about the elements, and how they reflect some of Arizona’s social, economic, political and environmental issues. AIR is the second exhibition in the series, and features the work of dozens of artists reflecting on the responsibilities of humankind and the intersection of art and science. The beautiful pieces, in a huge array of mediums, are on display through Aug. 10. A free reception with the artists is 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 26. Curator talks are Tuesday, May 31, and Thursday, June 2, at 10 a.m. Tohono Chul, 7366 Paseo del Norte. John Philip Sousa in the Park. Come celebrate Memorial Day with the Tucson Pops Orchestra’s outdoor concert series. This week’s special guest is the Davis-Monthan Honor Guard. The musical selection is all in honor of the United States, from Sousa’s “The Thunderer March” and “Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company” to tunes like “Colonial Scenes” and “America, The Beautiful.” It’s a beautiful way to spend an evening, and it’s free! 7 p.m. Sunday, May 29. DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center at Reid Park, 900 S. Randolph Way.
Laser Stranger Things. If you’re a Stranger Things fan, you know how good the soundtrack is, and you also know that season four of the hit Netflix series is coming out this week! Come gear up for the new season with a laser light show at Flandrau Planetarium, which will transport you back to Stranger Things’ dark and delightfully retro vibe. The spectacle features the ’80s music and sounds from the show, reinterPHOTO BY ED FLORES preted in a fantastic light display. The 8 p.m. show on Thursday, May 26, will likely be sold out by the time this goes to print, but you can also catch it at 8 and 9 p.m. on Saturday, May 28, and at 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 25. Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium, 1601 E. University Blvd. $9 adults, $7 kids 4 to 17 and college students, $8 senior and military.
by Emily Dieckman Lucid Bloom. I love immersive art experiences. Especially after a couple of years where the only things we were immersed in was our houses, I want to, like, walk through beady curtains like it’s the ’70s and be surrounded by multicolored lights and touch objects (then immediately sanitize my hands). Local multimedia artist Christina Thompson, who received a grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, has just the ticket for a more meditative alternative. Art-centric meditation, live mural painting and live music come together in an experience Thomas hopes will take viewers on a deep journey. 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 28. Subspace Art Collective, 101 W. Sixth St. Chris Perondi’s Stunt Dog Experience. Sometimes I like to think my dog is good at stunts: She can open latched doors and reach surprisingly high shelves if she smells something interesting enough. But this show has some of the most talented and highly trained dogs in the world, racing through obstacle courses, dancing with humans, leaping, flipping and being all-around adorable. They’re trained using positive training methods by the folks at Stunt Dog Productions, a family business that has produced more than 8,000 live shows. 2 p.m. Sunday, May 29. Fox Theatre, 17 W. Congress St. $24.50 to $44.50.
Huge Public Open Flea Market. Feel like you’ve exhausted your usual flea market/thrift store/farmers market circuit? Never fear! The Mission Garden Flea Market is a group of individual sellers who get together to sell during weekends and holidays. You might just see some artisans you’re totally unfamiliar with and come home with a new treat. We recommend stopping by early to treat yourself to a new piece of home décor, then spending the heat of the afternoon holed up at home, drinking lemonade and finding the perfect place to display your new piece. 6 a.m. to noon. Friday, May 27. S. Grande Ave. at the base of A Mountain. Free admission. Annihilate Anxiety Yoga Class. I appreciate the title of this event because, you know what, anxiety isn’t afraid to attack us! Why should we have to be gentle with it in return? The Spark Project Collective is hosting this multi-flow yoga classes followed by a deep relaxation. Like, very deep. Some former participants called this “Night Night Yoga.” All levels are welcome, and modifications will be provided. Bring a yoga mat, two blocks, a strap and a blanket or beach towel. 10 to 11:30 a.m. Every Thursday, plus first and third Saturdays. 493 E. Broadway Blvd. First class is free, and then $15 per class or $50 for a pack of five. The Seduction of Mimi. In honor of its 50th Anniversary, The Loft is playing a special selection of films from 1972 throughout the year. This film, a satire of 1970s Italy, brought director Lina Wertmüller international fame. It’s the story of Mimi, who loses everything when he refuses to vote for the mafia candidate, but then starts a new life with the beautiful Fiorella. When his past comes back to haunt him, this turns into a raucous comedy taking aim about sexual politics, corrupt government and an ever-growing pile of quagmires for Mimi. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 26. Loft Cinema, 33 E. Speedway Blvd. $10 GA, $8 teachers/ students/military. $7 children/seniors, $6 Loft members.
MAY 26, 2022
CHOW
PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA PERE
A D’s Island Grill favorite.
ISLAND TIME
Creating tequila-glazed shrimp with D’s Island Grill chef Duwayne Hall Nicole Feltman and Alexandra Pere tucsonweekly@tucsonlocalmedia.com
THIS WEEK, PRICKLY PAIR PODCAST HOSTS Alexandra Pere and Nicole Feltman got to take a look into D’s Island Grill, 3156 E. Fort Lowell Road, and left with a stellar summertime recipe. D’s Island Grill is a family-owned business in Tucson led by head chef Duwayne Hall. He fuses traditional Jamaican foods with Southwestern flavors. Hall told the Prickly Pair Podcast that these crosscultural menu items give new customers a more approachable option on the menu if they have never tried Jamaican food before. “They could always start with a jerk chicken taco or a jerk beef taco or chicken quesadilla,” Hall said. “It’s small but it’s got a bunch of flavor in it. They can break that barrier, like ‘If this taco tastes like this, I wonder what the jerk chicken tastes like or the oxtail.’ And then they get more brave.” Hosts Pere and Feltman were lucky enough to sample Hall’s jerk tequila glazed shrimp. Although Hall’s family recipes are a trade secret, Hall was willing to share his quick and easy Jerk shrimp recipe. A traditional Jamaican style of cooking meat or seafood, jerk is paste or marinade that combines seasonings including scallion, onion, salt, thyme, black pepper, paprika and all-purpose seasoning along with many other spices. When the meat is cooked, it is typically smoked or cooked for long hours over a griddle or pimento wood to give it a deliciously unique flavor.
Hall uses this way of cooking with the shrimp recipe and adds a splash of tequila to incorporate the Southwestern flavor Tucson has to offer. The heat of the Jerk Tequila Shrimp pairs perfectly with Hall’s refreshing Watermelon Splash, a mixture of watermelon juice and ginger beer. Get to D’s Island Grill this summer for an unforgettable meal. They are open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Make sure to check out Hall’s interview on the Prickly Pair Podcast, linked online at the top of this article and available on all streaming platforms. Listeners, be sure to tag hosts Pere and Feltman on Instagram @pricklypairpodcast when trying the finished recipe! Jerk Tequila Glaze Shrimp by Duwayne Hall from D’s Island Grill (10 to 15 minutes) 1 lb shrimp, cleaned and deveined, seasoned with paprika, black pepper and all purpose seasoning. 1 teaspoon of salt and salt to taste. Jerk sauce (Jerk can be purchased at D’s Island Grill) Butter Bring a saucepan to medium-high heat. Sautee shrimp until they are cooked halfway. Shrimp cooks very fast so keep an eye on the pan. Glaze the saucepan with tequila, followed by a little water. Expect flames to rise from the saucepan, be careful! After the tequila burns off or flames dissipate, add jerk sauce and add butter (personal preference). Turn heat to low and simmer for a few minutes. Serve with your choice of vegetables, fried plantains, coconut rice, or by itself. ■
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A bundle of ways to get through the oncoming season of sizzle Summertime—and living is easy…
the
Well, maybe not as easy as we’d like, what with Tucson hitting triple digits way back in April and everything costing more and COVID making a comeback and monkeypox on the horizon. Let’s face it, we could all use a little help to get to October. So the Tucson Local Media crew has assembled a summer guide to get you through the Baked Apple’s season of sizzle. Have fun—and don’t forget your sunscreen! SEE A MOVIE LOFT CINEMA 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. There’s so much happening at the Loft
Cinema as it celebrates its 50th anniversary this summer. The plucky nonprofit moviehouse is celebrating the films of 1972 with movies such as The Seduction of Mimi, What’s Up Doc and Aguirre, the Wrath of God. The Loft Kids Fest is back on weekend mornings with selections such as The Croods and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. You can catch a bunch of Studio Ghibli films—such as Ponyo, Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away—on Wednesdays and Saturdays. And there’s features like Mondo Monday, Essential Cinema, late-night Cult Classics and so much more. The Loft Cinema delivers a very cool treat in June. Charismatic, gorgeous and hilarious Michelle Yeoh features in literally everything all at once in a monthlong tribute: The Films of Michelle
Yeoh. Fans packed the Loft in May to watch Yeoh save the world in the brandnew science-fiction adventure comedy, Everything Everywhere All At Once. Most often heard rave: “I’ve never seen anything like it!” But Yeoh and her producers have exploded expectations before, as with Crazy Rich Asians and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Both will be screened in the June event, along with, among others, Memoirs of a Geisha; Star Trek: Discovery; last year’s Marvel hit, ShangChi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and martial arts classics Supercop with Jackie Chan and The Heroic Trio with Johnnie To. Find all the featured titles, times and tickets at loftcinema.org.
FREEZE YOURSELF Cryogenics have come a long way from science fiction. Through the wonders of modern enterprise, it’s available to give us a break from summer heat. Cryotherapy is serious medicine. It provides measurable benefits for cancer patients and people who live with lupus, MS, arthritis and inflammation of any kind. A regular regimen can expedite the healing of many injuries and even help with weight maintenance. But cryogenic treatments can also be fun, and even friendly. The cryo chamber at US Cryotherapy, for instance, holds four. You’ll all get two minutes at a temperature
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Together, we are building an equitable and vibrant community for all Southern Arizonans.
Learn how you can make a difference now and forever.
cfsaz.org 520-770-0800
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they won’t tell you until you get out. Of the three public cryogenic therapy facilities we found, US Cryotherapy had the best deal for a tryout. Fifty dollars gets you a choice of three of their six services. uscryotherapy.com/location/ tucson-az/ TOO HOT? IMPROVISE! Can you beat the heat with your imagination? Surprise yourself in the supportive (and air-conditioned) environment of Tucson’s two improv companies, Unscrewed Theater and Tucson Improv Movement (TIM). Unscrewed’s next Basics class starts on June 4. Finish that and you can start cherry picking from the ImprovBlox series of courses, each of which homes in on a specific skill or technique. TIM teaches four levels of improv courses, with an Improv 101 class starting every month. They also teach two levels of standup and they promise the imminent return of Beginning Sketch Writing.
Summer Survival
You can also Zoom your funny bone to prominent improv companies throughout the US and UK, but it will cost about twice as much. Faculties include improvisers like Will Hines, Billy Merritt and David Razowsky of Vintage Improv in Boston, who specializes in classes for folks over 50. Second City and UCB offer courses in improv, standup, storytelling and sketch. Pants are of course optional. unscrewedtheater.org/training-center tucsonimprov.com/school WATCH THE MOON COME OVER THE MOUNTAIN West Anklam Road at Tumamoc Hill Road, South of St. Mary’s Hospital, 1601 W. St. Marys Road Full moons are happening on June 14, July 13, Aug. 11. Consider taking in a knockout view of the moon, Tucson city lights and an awe-inspiring spread of stars all from the Tumamoc Hill trail. It can be a tough climb, though. The trail is easy asphalt, but switchbacks
take you up 700 feet in just a mile and a half. The second half has a slope angled about 50% greater than the first half. Even so, because it’s been a tradition for many generations of Tucsonans, you’ll find grandmas in high heels, moms pushing baby carriages, and little kids, running, like they do everywhere. All along the way, interpretive signage and an audio tour available at the website describe the hill’s plant and wildlife species and its history as a native village. Feeling a little out of shape for all that? Maybe go, anyway. You deserve to feel the Hill’s eternal spirit, and the magic of the full moon light, and you can do that even from your parking spot. https://tumamoc.arizona.edu/tumamoc-hill/overview WHAT’S ZOO WITH YOU Reid Park Zoo 3400 E. Zoo Court The Reid Park Zoo is back with Summer Safari Nights. Every Saturday night through Aug. 13 (except for June 18), you and the kids can explore the zoo in the cooler evenings. Each night has a special theme focusing on the skills of different animals in the zoo (such as “Walk on the Wild Side” on May 28, along with the usual fun with giraffe feedings, live music from local bands and, of course, carousel rides. 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. And if you’re wondering why there’s no safari on June 18, it’s because the zoo is doing it annual
Brew at the Zoo party from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., with food and a wide selection of craft beer and hard ciders from the likes of 1912 Brewing Company, 8-Bit Aleworks, Barrio Brewing Company, Bawker Bawker Cider House, BlackRock Brewers, Borderlands Brewing Company, Buqui Bichi Brewing, Button Brew House, Catalina Brewing Company, Crooked Tooth Brewing Company, Dragoon Brewing Company, Grand Canyon Brewing Company, Iron John’s Brewing Company, Ten55 Brewing Company. Here’s to that! reidparkzoo.com HEAR THE MUSIC Fox Tucson Theatre 17 W. Congress St. There’s something magical about summer concerts. And there’s something magical about downtown’s gorgeous Fox Theatre. Put them together and you have memories that will last a lifetime. This summer, you’ve got the likes of Amos Lee (June 4), Lyle Lovett and his Large Band (June 15), Ani Di
Come Join Us At The Tucson Metaphysics Fair The Oracles are back on Oracle!
See SUMMER SURVIVAL, P16
$5 OFF Reading or Save 10% on Merchandise
Sunday, June 19th, 2022 10-5
Large Fair inst Town
1800 N Oracle Rd (In the Elks Lodge) South of Grant Mediums, Psychics, Astrologer, Tarot & Angelic Readings, Reiki & Spiritual Healings and Vendors
FREE ADMISSION • FREE PARKING
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Franco (June 18), Gov’t Mule (June 22) and Three Dog Night (July 16). Besides the concerts, the Fox will be doing movies, including a Sound of Music Sing-Along (Aug. 27) and other fun events. foxtucson.com MUSIC UNDER THE STARS THE TUCSON POPS ORCHESTRA DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center at Reid Park, 900 S. Randolph Way It’s the end of an era as Tucson Pops maestro Laszlo Veres retires this year after leading the Tucson Pops Orchestra since 1997. You won’t want to miss these fabulous free Sunday night concerts at the Reid Park. Concerts continue through June 12. Bring your own lawn chair or relax on a blanket. Concerts start at 7 p.m.
Summer Survival
STAY IN YOUR COOL HOUSE AND BINGE EVEN MORE MOVIES
One word: Kanopy. You may think you’re sick of The Neverending COVID Binge, but Kanopy has an irresistible collection of classics that will keep you inside and air-conditioned. They’re all free to watch on any of your devices courtesy of your Pima County Public Library. Sign up with your library card number at Kanopy.com. Adults get five free films a month and three days to watch each one. They can pay for additional selections. The site offers revolving selections from award winners to deep cuts in every genre, including action adventure, true crime (see, especially The Dalmer Files). historical dramas, comedies, thrill-
“Night Snake,” archival pigment print, hand colored with pencil and pastel, is on display in “Kate Breakey: Transience,” through June 18 at Etherton Gallery, 340 S. Convent Ave.
ers, horror movies, action adventure, sci-fi and more. Of note, a new, curated set of films gives context to the conflict in Ukraine. Understanding Russia: A Cultural History should be a particular hit with fans. Baby-sitting bonus: All kids movies are free, 24-7. kanopy.com/en/pimalibrary/ FIND SOMBRA FRIA IN AGUA CALIENTE Roy P. Drachman Agua Caliente Regional Park 12325 E. Roger Road The long wait is over for the restoration of the big pond and the completion of the new bridge to turtle island. Agua Caliente Park is beautiful again and open for birdwatching, bat sightings and idle ramblings among restored buildings that recall the property’s long history as a farm and guest ranch. Admission is free, parking is ample and hours are 7 a.m. to sunset. Three ponds and acres of cool shade
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are reason enough to visit, and dogs are welcome. But to understand what you’re looking at we suggest you visit the website of the Friends of Agua Caliente Park before you go. You’ll find a video tour, information about the bats and birds and a top-line history of the property, which is estimated to have been inhabited for thousands of years. The site also relates a cautionary tale of the human interventions that, in just the last two centuries, all but destroyed the flowing springs that first attracted our ancestors. friendsofaguacaliente. org
Summer
Agua Cliente Park
Survival 2022
See SUMMER SURVIVAL, P19
Wine Tasting Tours - Special Events - Corporate Retreats
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Mention promo code SUMMER when booking and receive $10 off For questions related to reservations or about the tour, please feel free to contact Arizona Winery Tours by email or phone at 520-201-6905 for Sonoita/Willcox.
Open Daily 10am-4pm (Closed Tuesdays) (520) 455 - 5893 • SonoitaVineyards.com 290 Elgin Canelo Rd.
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Summer Survival
Summer Survival
ber climb with Global Warming. From June through August, Madera Canyon’s average summer high in the low ’90s may still seem warmish, but a typical light breeze and the shade from its dozen or so unique Oak species make it nice enough to bust out the cooler and camp chairs and head down I-19. The coolest low-key adventure there is the Madera Canyon Nature Trail. It’s 5.8 miles out and back with a 921 ft. elevation gain, easy for hikers. But don’t be daunted even if you’re allergic to exercise. Anyone can have a memorable and satisfying experience going only as far as they like. Native plant species are labeled along the trail, so it’s fun to count the kinds of oaks. Take your binoculars, too, because Madera Canyon is rated the third best birding destination in the United States. fs.usda.gov/recarea/ coronado/recarea/?recid=25760
postcard of someone’s hometown and be asked to send a home-town postcard to five friends to keep it going. It turned out that the hard part was finding postcards! Even though it’s now mostly just the heat keeping us indoors, there’s no reason to stop. If you can’t find Tucson postcards, you can other kinds. Plunkett’s Office Supplies and Hallmark, offers sets of 1,000 reprints of antique postcards for $19.99. For 40 years, Plunkett’s has been a great, locally owned, resource for a wind range of gifts and office supplies. Consider treating yourself to a new pen, too. FEEL THE BREEZE/THROUGH A DOZEN SPECIES. Madera Canyon With an average high of 102, June 29 has historically been Tucson’s most-often hottest day of the year. So says Weatherspark.com. Watch that num-
MAY 26, 2022
GET SOME HISTORY UA State Museum 1013 E. University Blvd.
Located right on campus, the UA State Museum is the oldest and largest anthropological research facility in the Southwestern United States. More than three million archaeological, ethnographic and modern objects that belong to the Indigenous people of the region are held inside this museum. There is the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of Native North American basketry with objects dating back more than 7,000 years ago, along with southwest indigenous pottery that goes back roughly 2,000 years. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets start at $8. VISIT A GARDEN Tucson Botanical Gardens 2150 N Alvernon Way
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Tucson Botanical Gardens mission is to connect people with plants and nature through art, science, history, and culture. Originally founded in 1964 by horticulturist and collector Harrison G. Yocum, the gardens are now a lovely spread of pathways through gardens on the historic Porter Family property. This nonprofit organization hosts events, classes, programs, including a seasonal butterfly exhibit. If you have an appetite, enjoy a bite at Edna’s Eatery. This community favorite is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Ticket prices range from $3 to $15 and are available online. tucsonbotanical.org. GET SOME RELIGION San Xavier del Bac Mission 1950 W. San Xavier Road Nine miles South of Downtown Tucson, you can find Arizona’s oldest intact European structure. It is a National Historic Landmark founded
See SUMMER SURVIVAL, P21
Summer Deals to
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Animal Encounters • Concerts • Activities
Select Saturday Nights May 28 – August 13 5:30-8:30 p.m. Presented by
Tickets Tick ets and Information at
ReidParkZoo.org ReidParkZo ReidPark Zo or Zoo.org
as a Cathloic Mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692. Inside the church’s walls are original statuary and mural paintings that remember Spanish Colonial times. Roughly 200,000 visitors a year come from all over the world to see the preserved Spanish Colonial architecture, which has been undergoing a wonderful restoration in recent years. SEE SOME PHOTOS Center for Creative Photography
Summer Survival
1030 N. Olive Road The UA Center for Creative Photography is home to a collection of stunning photography, including the archives of major photographers from the renowned Ansel Adams to Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer David Hume Kennedy, who has made images of every president since Gerald Ford. You’ve still got time to see Trees Stir in Their Leaves, an arboreal exhibit continuing through July 23.
GET STONED Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum Pima County Historic Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave. Going to court isn’t something you normally want to do, but in this case, you can have a good time. Located in downtown’s recently renovated Historic Pima County Courthouse, the Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum features a collection of preserved minerals and meteorites from mostly Ari-
Guitar hero: Amos Lee is among the acts performing this summer at downtown’s luxurious Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St.
BLOOM Season at the Lavender Farm in June! Open Memorial Weekend on the 27th, 28th, 29th, & 30th from 8am-Noon.
We will also be open Thurs-Sun of every weekend in June from 8am-Noon.
Offering Lavender Dinners, Charcuterie Board Dinner Nights, Yoga, etc in the evenings.
Sign-up for Open Farm, Basket Lunches & Wreath Workshop, and all other events at www.lifeundertheoakslavenderfarm.com 1221 N Rancho Robles Rd, Oracle, AZ 85623 • lifeunderoaks@gmail.com • (520)820-3454
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zona and Mexico. The 12,000-squarefeet of space is split into three galleries, including a Gem Gallery, an Arizona Gallery, and a Mineral Evolution space with many interactives, touchables, and digital content. Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Tuesday through Saturday.
See Summer Survival, P23
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Summer Survival
Homemade Taste of Italy on Historic 4th Avenue
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3923 E. Pima St.
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7823 E. Broadway Blvd.
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SEE SOME ART Tucson Museum of Art 140 N. Main Ave. The Tucson Museum of Art, fresh from a number of recent expansions, is bigger and better than ever. This summer, alongside various permanent collections, the air-conditioned refuge features shows such as Brad Kahlhamer: 11:59 to Tucson; Francisco Toledo: Paper Fables; and Digital Camera: Photographic Perspectives from Mid-Century Mexico. While you’re there, grab a bite at Cafe a la C’arte, which serves us delicious omelets, sandwiches and salads. Or at least get something sumptuous from their dessert case. SEE SOME MORE ART DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun 6300 N. Swan Road
Summer Survival
The late artist Ted DeGrazia started building his Gallery in the Sun at the north end of Swan Road back in the 1950s. Plenty has been built around it in the seven decades since, but back then, it was in the middle of nowhere. You can tour the wonderful gallery filled with his works (and designed by DeGrazia himself) and then wander the grounds to see DeGrazia’s original house, his “Little Gallery” where he first showed his work and the lovely chapel he built in honor of the Virgin de Guadalupe. degrazia.org
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Experience the Best Golf Green Valley Has to Offer!
WHAT, EVEN MORE ART? Etherton Gallery 340 South Convent Ave. Have you checked Etherton Gallery’s new digs in Barrio Viejo? Well, you still have a chance to check out Kate See SUMMER SURVIVAL, P25
Come for the golf, stay for our award winning dining!
4201 S Camino Del Sol, Green Valley, AZ 85622 (520) 822-8313
sanignaciogolf.com • coyote-grill.com
“You’ve tried the rest, now try the best”
Locally owned and operated since 2015
Serving high end, quality gelato, sorbetto and no-dairy options.
Catering Available!
2648 E. Speedway Blvd. | 520-954-2843 HRS: Tues-Thurs 1-9 | Fri-Sat 1-10 | Sunday 1-9 | Closed Monday
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Breakfast, brunch or lunch... as long as it’s Baja! Hom Snickeerdof the oodle Pancak e
www.BajaCafeTucson.com *Our menu changes frequently *Pet Friendly, Outside Dining Available 7002 E Broadway | 2970 N Campbell (520) 495-4772 6am-2pm 7 Days
(520) 344-7369 7am-2pm 7 Days
Your one stop shop for all pool related needs Family owned and operated business since 2010 1
Marana Store Grand Opening! Open 9am to 5pm on Saturday, Sunday and Monday 5/28, 5/29 and 5/30
We will be giving away an automatic pool cleaner, a tile clean, a Reverse Osmosis treatment, a 50lb bucket of chlorine tabs and more! Come check out the new store, meet your Sparkle and Splash Team and win one of these great give aways!
3630 W Tangerine Rd Ste 112 (behind the McDonalds)
Breakey: Transience, a wonderful show of nature photographs, which, as Tucson Weekly arts correspondent Margaret Regan notes, “hint at the cycle of life and death.” The show continues through June 18. Ethertongallery.com YEAH, BUT IS IT ART? Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson 265 S. Church Ave. It’s not every day that you get to see cutting-edge contemporary art for free. Every first Thursday of the month, there is free admission to MOCA Tucson, which features rotating shows of paintings, photographs, prints, sculptures, installations, videos, and crafts. Many of the artists are a part of the BIPOC community and are women-identifying, giving a broader perspective to the current exhibits. Be sure to bring your ID to the museum for admission discounts at other times. Moca-tucson. org
Summer Survival
STOP AND SMELL THE LAVEN DER Life Under the Oaks Lavender Farm 1221 N. Rancho Robles Road, Oracle
Take a short day trip up to the town of Oracle to experience a lavender farm amidst 100-year-old Oak Trees. It’s a wee bit cooler in Oracle and the aroma of lavender, we’re pretty sure, has some kind of calming effect on our fried brains. You can tour the farm, attend a wreath workshop or enjoy a farm-totable dinner. lifeundertheoakslavenderfarm.com REFRESH AND RELAX Patagonia Lake State Park 400 Patagonia Lake Road, Nogales When we think of summer, we reminisce about the sweet relief of a cold dunk into a big body of water. Wheth er it’s an ocean, river, or lake, water is the break everyone needs from the hot
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Arizona sun. Luckily, the Tucson desert has a shady lake a few hours away. The Patagonia Lake State Park is a local escape offering shade, water, boating activities, picnic tables, and grills for summer barbecuing. The park has fully equipped cabin reservations available but these sell out fast! If you’re late to the reservation game, check out their boat-in campsites or pick from 105 of their developed campsites. If you miss the chance to crack a cold one at a campsite, leave early in the morning to take a day trip. The park gates are open from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. Visit azstateparks.com/patagonia-lake to reserve camping spots and discover special events at the lake. FIND SOLACE UNDER THE DOME Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium 1601 E. University Blvd.
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From Tuesday to Sunday, the University of Arizona Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium offers a mind-blowing visual experience in an air conditioned room. Check flandrau. org for showtimes. Adults and kids alike will be delighted by the high definition images projected on the dome, accompanied by a high quality speaker system. Kids 12 and under are recommended to see the We Are Stars or Perfect Little Planet. Everyone 10 years old and should check out the classic Tucson Sky & Beyond show, Touring the Solar System, and Black Holes. The astronomy shows are a classic must-see during the summer! Great White Shark and BUGS! A Rainforest Adventure are fun installments if you are looking to stay on earth for the evening. Featured shows this summer include the Laser Beatles and Laser Stranger Things show. Yes, you can take a safe trip to the upside-down while listening to ’80s music! All tickets are under $10. See SUMMER SURVIVAL, P26
Home of the Happy Minute! Everyday at 6pm and 11pm
Come Grab a Drink at Tucson’s Oldest Bar! 6am-2am Tues-Sun • 12pm-2am Monday
538 E 9th St, Tucson, AZ 85705 • 520-623-6811
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LIVE SUMMER LUXURY ON A BUDGET
CLIMB A MOUNTAIN Mount Lemmon/Rose Canyon Lake Catalina Highway/Sky Island Scenic Byway Mount Lemmon is an oasis in the middle of the desert. Driving up the mountain, the plants slowly change from cactus and shrubs to oak and ponderosa pines. It is a biodiverse environment that also offers hiking, camping, and fishing. Swimming is not allowed but you won’t need to take a dip as the area is shaded all over and Mount Lemmon is 20 degrees cooler than Tucson on average! Campgrounds are available for rent on recreation.gov. While you are up there, consider stopping by the Mount Lemmon Cookie Cabin for cookies, pizza, chili, and sandwiches. Sawmill Run and Irondoor restaurants are also open for business. While you’re at 9,000 feet, check out the Arizona stars at the Mount Lemmon Skycenter by making a reservation ahead of time through skycenter.arizona.edu/content/visit-skycenter.
Summer Survival
Resort Pool day passes resortpass.com/hotel-day-passes/Tucson-27 Having a pool in Tucson during the summer is a precious resource that everyone wants but only a few people have access to it. Luckily, some of Tucson’s nicest resorts and hotels sell day passes to provide access to their cold pool waters. Visit resortpass.com/hotel-day-passes/Tucson-27 to reserve a day pass for yourself or call the hotels directly! Our favorite spots on this list include JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort, The Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain Resort, and the retro Hotel McCoy. Day passes are available in a range of prices and can include special services. We recommend a pool with a bar and restaurant on site! Its the staycation you deserve.
Thank you, teachers! You are strong, resilient, and dedicated. You touch the lives of children every day.
COOL summer graduate-level credits offered: EDUX 9922 - ELEVATE YOUR INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE
Earn 2-6 credits May-August as you plan and prep for 2022-23
EDUO 9076 - A NEW ERA FOR EDUCATION
Earn 6 credits in 2 or 4 weeks June or July synchronous/asynchronous workshop format
Contact Kathleen Smith, PDC - ksmith@DominicanCAonline.com
www.dominicancaonline.com WASC accredited
Trunk show: Take a summer safari at Reid Park Zoo. TAKE A STROLL DOWN FOURTH AVENUE Tucson’s funky little strip of small shops, restaurants, cafes and bars remains fiercely independent and a fun area to explore. Do some shopping at Pop Cycle, grab some authentic Italians at Caruso’s, discover Latin-inspired vegetarian fare at Tumerico or grab a
drink at Tucson’s oldest dive bar, the Buffet. Wander through the Fourth Avenue underpass to downtown for a whole new adventure.
See SUMMER SURVIVAL, P28
Summer Survival
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Summer Survival VISIT AN AMUSEMENT PARK OF ICE CREAM TREATS 7 Degrees Ice Cream Rolls & Boba Tea 4386 N Oracle Road, suite 160 Got a hot afternoon to kill? Go read the graffiti on the walls and tables of the utterly whack 7 Degrees Ice Cream Rolls & Boba Tea. It will only take about half an hour to figure out your order. The menus are a festival of dozens of mix-ins and toppings. They encourage consideration of combinations that may never before have occurred to you-- like our recent choise Chai Tea ice cream with Ferro Rocher and lychee mixed in and toppings of whipped cream, pistachios, almonds and Reese’s pieces. For boba tea, we had a macha latte with rainbow bubbles. Their soft skin burst with tiny shots of different flavors. For any overwhelmed by the DIY custom approach, 7 Degrees offers photos and descriptions of a variety of pre-planned ice-cream art concoctions.
The fun-to-watch star of it all is a steel plate, cooled to 7 degrees Fahrenheit so the ice cream and mix-ins can be spread, cut and curled into rolls like Ding Dongs. BE A HERO Santa Rita Park 401 E. 22nd St. Next time you visit your favorite discount warehouse, consider picking up a couple of cases of water and a bulk package of flavored electrolyte powder packets. Then round up some friends to help take it all to Santa Rita Park. You don’t have to talk to anyone you see hanging out there. If you don’t want the company, just leave your gifts on a picnic table. Folks will find and share them among your house-less fellow Tucsonans. You’ll never feel more grateful for your air-conditioned ride home.
See Summer Survival, P30
Summer Survival
PLANT BASED KITCHEN
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LATIN KITCHEN&BAR
Voted Best Vegetarian/Vegan & Best Gluten Free “It’s all about food, serving the community by healing through food. Food is home. Food is family.”
Tumerico on 4th Ave. 4th Ave Location 402 E 4th St. - Corner of 4th Avenue & 4th Street 520-392-0224
Three locations Tumerico Cafe 6th St location 2526 E. 6th Street 520-240-6947
La Chaiteria 1002 W Congress St Open Daily for Takeout or Delivery 520-400-7127
www.tumerico.com www.lachaiteria.com
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START A POSTCARD CHAIN Plunkett’s Office Supplies and Hallmark 420 N. Wilmot Road Remember the postcard-chains that came around early in COVID lockdown? It was a time when connection felt like a priority survival technique. You’d get a postcard of someone’s hometown and be asked to send a hometown postcard to five friends to keep it going. It turned out that the hard part was finding postcards! Even though it’s now mostly just the heat keeping us indoors, there’s no reason to stop. If you can’t find Tucson postcards, you can other kinds. Plunkett’s Office Supplies and Hallmark, offers sets of 1,000 reprints of antique postcards for $19.99. For 40 years, Plunkett’s has been a great, locally owned, resource for a wind range of gifts and office supplies. Consider treating yourself to a new pen, too.
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Summer Survival 2022
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LAUGHING STOCK
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Daryll Graves
WHAT’S NEW AND FUNNY AND COMES IN BOLD PACKAGES? Darryl Graves and Anthony Jenkins dream no small dreams. With a boost from other comedians who’ve logged more miles on Tucson’s comedy track, they’ve reached for the brass ring, producing their first major comedy shows.
you’re like ‘Oh my God! If I’m able to get you to hear me, I love that feeling!’ Then there’s the other end where it’s like, ‘Okay, I’ve been up here for five minutes and it feels like 20 JUST A DAB Graves’ production debut features Southern and they’re just not feelin’ it tonight.’” Graves says being a comedian was someArizona’s top comic Kristine Levine, cohost thing of a hindrance to his previous efforts of The Frank Show on KLPX. Dubbed “A to produce a show. “You have to change Dab of Comedy”, the show starts at 7 p.m. your perspective from the comedian’s point May 28 at 420-friendly Harambe Café and Social Club. Tickets are $20 which includes of view, worrying about your jokes, to (focusing) on the overall quality of the show.” a choice of medicated drinks and dabs, or But his talent is also undeniable. Early on $50 for all that plus sofa seating and a goodhe attracted the attention and friendship of ie bag of products from the venue’s vendors. Levine when he turned up at The Mint for a Asked who most inspired him to grow series she hosted there. She called it Critical as a comic and a producer, Graves recalls Comedy and gave notes to every comedian Tucson OG comic Pauly Casillas and an who performed. open mic Casillas ran for a few years at Mr. Levine travels in circles to which few local Heads. Graves says he gained experience comics can aspire. Originally from Portland, there, both bad and good. “Overall, it was and a cast member of the popular TV show so good because nobody was there to hear Portlandia, she now lives in Bisbee, where comedy. They were there to hang out with she has reconnected with longtime friend their friends and catch drink specials. and colleague, comedian Doug Stanhope. “But it would really let you see if you had For the past several years she’s been something. You could feel it because you’d best-known as Frank Brinsley‘s sidekick on hear the blah blah until you said one thing and they’d get quiet, then a little more quiet The World Famous Frank Show (96.1 KLPX), where Graves has been her guest. “Kristine’s and then you would just hear yourself, and a very good friend of mine. She’s busy, but By Linda Day tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com
every time we speak I always learn something and it’s always fun.” The feeling is mutual. “He’s fantastic!,” Levine says of him. “I really love his company and I love his spirit and being around him. And you wanna know something? He’s super, super funny. When we would give him stage time, he would just do all of it. He would take it all. Like he would close the show out. No problem. And, and even if he was just improvising riffing or doing crowd work, he was just so good at it.” Levine’s praise is gold. Her own comedy is so novel, arresting and visually compelling that superfan and friend Doug Stanhope cast her in The Unbookables, a movie he produced about the lives of touring comedians. Levine trades in the comedy of her life. Her reputation, and some of her most hilarious jokes, arise from her long career as a porn store clerk. She was also mothering two children at the time. All the fun resides in her point of view. She knows how we see things and shows us something different and unexpected in it, with a twist that confounds our intellect. Levine’s a miracle of razor-sharp wit and whisper-tight delivery. Her polish is a dance with the audience in a relationship she refers to as “a call and response.” It’s that relationship that’s excited her about the Harambe show, her first since COVID lockdown. Although she did some shows on Zoom, like the rest of us she found them lacking. “It didn’t feel natural,” she says. “I’m a purist! It’s the interaction that I love and I need.” She ultimately found a much better way to try out fresh material and get her audience fix. “My friend Doug Stanhope lives right up the street, so we were doing shows at his house—socially distant shows. Then when everybody got vaccinated, we (did) shows at his house that were only people we knew were vaccinated and were being safe staying home. So we didn’t want to get anyone sick with co-morbidities or whatever.” Then she laughs, “Most of my friends, we’re not the healthiest group of people. “So, I think that (A Dab of Comedy) probably is my first time doing standup back on stage at all after almost two years.” The rest of the lineup includes local veteran Dominic DiTolla, Jesus Otamendi, and host Stephanie Lyonga-Farrington. DiTolla is conservative, sports obsessed and bitingly, surprisingly funny about both. He spent the COVID-inning stretch logging 153 episodes of The Sports Experience Podcast with fellow comedian Chris Quinn. All episodes, past and future, are available
on YouTube. (Attention skaters: The latest is about Tony Hawk.) Graves says DiTolla “brings it every time. He knows exactly what to do up there.” Otamendi will balance the others’ energy with his big-hearted, softspoken and subtle comedy of life. Graves says that Otamendi “(I)s a pleasure on and off stage. He is so kind. And I’ve watched him sharpen his material. It’s great to see the growth.”
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Award-Winning San Francisco nerd comic Ryan Goodcase
Host Lyonga-Farrington is a force of nature, set to parry the entire variety of comedy styles the rest of the evening brings. She seizes a crowd’s attention and peals out of the parking lot for the ride. An Afghanistan veteran and mother of two, she bars no holds in her own riveting set. As Graves says, “She knows how to steer a ship.”
IS HE RIGHT? Anthony Jenkins’ amiable, low-key demeanor belies some bedrock determination. For his production debut, he booked downtown’s biggest comedy theater venue, the 100-plus-capacity Screening Room. His show, Am I Right?, is at 8 p.m. Friday, June 3. Tickets are $5. A Baltimore native, Jenkins first performed standup for the first time on a dare the last week of July 2021. He credits Chris Quinn, who runs an open mic and produces other shows at the Screening Room, with
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encouraging him and coaching him to improve his comedy along the way. But it was Otamendi who kept prodding him to try his own show. Jenkins wanted to try something a little different. Now he thinks he’s got it figured out. “What I’ve been learning on my comedy journey is that (women) comics don’t get the respect that they deserve. (So) I have exactly three men and three women. All of them are very strong comics, all different levels of talent and expertise, all different styles.” Tucson man about the comedy scene Matt Ziemak headlines. The lineup includes Autumn Horvat, Robin Hartnett, Jr., Bianca Marie and Ly Johnson. Did he get it right? Jenkins wants an audience to let him know. He has a good reason to believe the answer is yes, even if it may be provisionally. He is, after all, just stepping out. But he says, “The Tucson comedy scene is so much love. No matter where you go, everybody welcomes you with open, open arms. I think we are spoiled, because we can do (at least) an open mic a day and everybody doesn’t have that.” Jenkins says he draws inspiration from his fellow Tucson comics. “I look at my peers around me and there are so many different people here that
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The ever-scandalous Doug Stanhope and Kristine Levine
are influential on what I do,” Jenkins says. “Jesus, watching him work and the support he gives and gets in return. He’s super quiet and super humble. He gave me the encouragement to try it. It’s not necessarily about making money. I’m doing this because I love it. I want to keep working hard, and I think I can get better.”
VISITING PRO: RYAN GOODCASE Jenkins, Ziemak and Horvat all turn up again in a June 4 Screening Room show headlined by San Francisco’s Ryan Goodcase. Horvat hosts and the rest of the bill includes Drake Belt, Carl Modina and Chris
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Quinn, who produces other shows and an open mic at The Screening Room. Titled Something to Do in … Tucson, the show is at 9 p.m. Saturday, June 4. Tickets are $10, or $7 via Eventbrite.com. Goodcase is an unapologetic egghead, awkward and quiet. It’s an affect that signals smart comedy writing and wry delivery, but understates how much laughing will ensue. In 2019, Goodcase became the youngest person ever to win the World Series of Comedy. He went on to score the 45th San Francisco International Comedy competition in 2021 and is now a paid regular at The Punchline in San Francisco. He’s played dozens of clubs and festivals throughout the US. He thinks you might recognize him as the apathetic employee in a series of online commercials for Bed, Bath & Beyond. ■
NEXT WEEK! Watch this space for a complete rundown of every open mic you can dare your friends to standup at. There is at least one for every Tucsonan.
Let our hungry readers know you are there! Out door dining, Take-out, or Delivery!
Call Today: 520-797-4284
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MUSIC
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Tucson Opry 7 p.m. Monday, May 30 Memorial Day Hotel Congress Plaza 311 E. Congress Street $25 advance / $30 day of hotelcongress.com
CYNTHIA ELLIOTT
Folk duo Chris Brashear and Peter McLaughlin will be hosting Hotel Congress’ first Tucson Opry show on Memorial Day, May 30.
FOOLIN’ AROUND
Hotel Congress hosting ‘Opry’ themed variety show By Jeff Gardner tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com
TUCSON IS NOTHING IF NOT eclectic. As if the city doesn’t have a strong enough music culture, there is also a world-famous literary scene, a thriving food industry and more. A new show coming to the Hotel Congress Plaza aims to combine many of these facets of Tucson on a single stage — with some touring acts on the bill for good measure. The Tucson Opry show, coming this Memorial Day, May 30, includes representatives from Tucson folk and Americana scene, as well as a local poet, and a representative from a local nonprofit. This is all for the show’s goal of celebrating “what makes Tucson such a unique place.” “Tucson is such a good music town, and Hotel Congress’ plaza is such a nice venue for this kind of show. We want to host a series of musicians, but we also want to tap into the community at large,” said Chris Brashear, who
is spearheading the project. “On top of that, we also want to bring in a touring headliner artist as a way of making it a bigger show. It’s just important to make it community-centered and highlight what’s going on around the desert.” Brashear has hosted previous musical variety shows influenced by Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. Brashear, who plays fiddle and mandolin, will host the upcoming Tucson Opry show with longtime collaborator Peter McLaughlin. The duo have recorded multiple albums under the Americana umbrella, often influenced by the sights and cultures of the surrounding landscape. In addition, Brashear is no stranger to the Hotel Congress stage. He says Tucson’s music scene and diverse culture make it a perfect city for this kind of multifaceted show. “It really spawned from a radio show feel. I want it to have a flow and a kind of camaraderie that you establish with the audience,” Brashear said. “It’s a great way to highlight both local and
national artists on the same stage and the same night, and there’s nothing else quite like it in Tucson right now.” The Opry Show will also feature Canadian duo The Small Glories. Also in the folk sphere, Cara Luft and JD Edwards of The Small Glories perform a much larger sound than listeners might expect from two acoustic performers, with rich vocal harmonies and poetic lyrics. Austin, Texas country singer Whitney Rose is also on the list. Fitting for a Southern musician, Rose’s soulful voice soars through a groovy foundation on songs like “Can’t Stop Shakin’.” Though she is originally from Canada, Rose says she is inspired by Nashville greats like Dolly Parton. Balancing local and touring musicians, the Opry show also includes Salvador Duran. This “Tucson troubadour” is known for capturing the desert style via acoustic guitar, harmonica and lyrics in true singer/songwriter fashion. If you’ve been in the area long enough, you no doubt recognize the name. On the non-musical side of the show, local poet Richard Tavenner will be performing spoken word pieces. Known as a “cowboy poet,” Tavenner’s works draw on the spirit of the southwest, both its history and its geography. Finally, the show’s community spotlight segment will be hosted by Matt Nelson of the Arizona Trail Association, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and promoting the famous Arizona Trail. Depending on how this first show goes, Hotel Congress hopes to make it a recurring event, possibly on a quarterly basis. “This first interaction is a pretty
good representation of what we’re looking to do,” said David Slutes, entertainment director for Hotel Congress. “We always plan on having nationally touring acts when we can. We didn’t just want to rely on locals, we also wanted to include some nationally touring artists, and the Small Glories were perfect for this. We actually gathered everything around the date they’d be in town as a key element. We do a lot of shows and festivals at Hotel Congress, but this is unique in that it’s a variety show that is hosted, people get to talk, there are quasi-interviews, and it all should be pretty engaging.” The show is part of the Rhythm & Roots concert series that has brought folk music to the Hotel Congress plaza for years. Rhythm & Roots director Susan Holden says that this type of variety show has been successful in many cities, but Tucson doesn’t have anything quite like it. “There have been times through the years where we’ve had more than one act, and they’ve always been well-received. I think people realize they’re getting a good deal when they’re getting four acts on one stage for one ticket price,” Holden said. “And here they’re getting music, plus a poet, plus a community spotlight.” Depending on how this first show goes, each future installation in the series may be based around a different theme. The plans remain to be seen, but in the meantime, the organizers and performers are ready to hit the stage running. “Tucson’s a big city, but it doesn’t always feel that way. There are a lot of things in our community that don’t get much of a spotlight, so as this continues we’d like to give them a forum to bring information. Our community is so diverse and there’s so much happening, so we want to help get the word out and keep it entertaining,” Holden said. “That’s why this show has all the elements: The national, the local, the diversity, a community spotlight, and then you throw some cowboy in there for good measure.” ■
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MUSIC
Grow Up by Chateau Chateau from Kill Rock Stars chateauchateaumusic.com
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GROWING UP
Chateau Chateau makes strife sparkle on new album “Grow Up” By Jeff Gardner tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com
TUCSON DUO CHATEAU CHATEAU are no strangers to spectacle. Even when singing about self-doubt or lost love, their songs are often packed with colorful synthesizer layers and soaring melodies. On stage, this can result in up to eight musicians, plus dancers, adorned in flamboyant costumes and wild lighting. Their “cathartic indie pop for weirdos” is on full display on Grow Up, their second album, which dropped on Friday, May 6. As the name implies, the album follows a theme of maturing and looking back at one’s life. But listeners might not pick up on the references to trauma or isolation right away, as they’re surrounded by shimmering guitar and soulful vocals. Even songs with titles like “I Don’t Love You Anymore” are danceable and humorous. This colorful ethos is also reflected in the musicians’ other work: singer Bleu Fitz works as a tattoo artist, and guitarist Alex Hamby performs as a drag queen. “The title ‘Grow Up’ was more to myself,” Fitz said. “The songs kind of tell my coming-of-age story. Most of the songs start with a theme of ‘this person hurt me’ but at
the end of them, I’m my own person and can stand back up and be myself. They all talk about my formative years and trauma… And even being able to laugh at all the horrible things you went through.” Fitz says Chateau Chateau’s style of darker lyrics over upbeat music evolved over time. She previously performed in metal bands, and darker lyrics were natural. When Chateau Chateau formed, Hamby took a lead on the music. But with this latest album, the instrumentals are written equally by Fitz and Hamby. The album drops as Chateau Chateau are fresh off their performance at South by Southwest in Austin, a music and culture festival famous for highlighting up-andcoming performers from around the world. Grow Up is also their first album on independent record label Kill Rock Stars, which has previously represented the likes of Elliott Smith, The Decemberists and Sleater-Kinney. Fitz and Hamby recorded the album from March to October 2021 in their home studio here in Tucson. Fitz says that on this album they had access to better equipment and more professional connections, but they were still happy to record at home.
“Both of us love Tucson so much. We really try to be a part of it, like I’m always trying to go to as many local shows and events as I can,” Fitz said. “I think that lifestyle has to affect our sound in a way. Being around it so much has become a part of our lives and our style. There’s definitely Tucson in our sound.” Many of their songs are dense with instrumental layers of guitar, percussion and synthesizer. The opener “Bunny” (which happens to be one of the best songs on the album) has a strutting rhythm and playful guitar, combined with Fitz’s deep vocals that manage to sound both apathetic and animated a la Amy Winehouse. The track “Ugly” goes in more of an electronic pop style, with stuttering synthesizers throughout the entire playtime. But this is not to take away from the lyrics’ humanity, when Fitz sings things like “I see you’ve really declined now that I’m in my prime, I
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know that you’ll get what’s coming in time.” Not every song is so fully packed. Fitz says the goal for “I Don’t Love You Anymore” was to strip the sound down and just have guitar, bass, drums and vocals in more of a traditional rock sound. “But then there are other songs like ‘Bunny’ that have like 80 layers. There’s no end in sight when we’re doing it,” Fitz said. “Usually we just have to step back and listen to it a week or a month later and edit from there. We almost always delete tracks.” The songs follow the difficulties of growing up with a decidedly upbeat sound palette, but the entire album seems to have a narrative as well. There are pointed titles like “Push Your Luck” and “Keep It Together.” And even the sole cover song on the album is of the ’80s hit “Voices Carry,” which is subtly about a toxic relationship. The album’s closer is a calm instrumental that Fitz describes as a “the calm after the storm,” but the title “Regression” may imply the cyclical nature of the themes discussed. “It’s about finding how to be happy with yourself and by yourself. I think for a lot of people, particularly adults, it’s a hard thing to do,” Fitz said. “So I talk about that a lot, and I think that’s one of the important things I convey.” ■
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By Xavier Omar Otero tucsonweekly@tucsonlocalmedia.com
MARK YOUR CALENDARS… THURSDAY, MAY 26 Handful of hell. Weaned on a steady diet of gospel music in the small country churches that strew the hills of West Virginia, George Shingleton was a young boy when choir directors encouraged to find his voice and let it bridge the earthly space between people and pews. In advance of a still-untitled EP (coming this summer), the country singer with a voice as powerful as Samson brings his latest single “Talkin’ Whiskey”—a twangy ode to the Devil’s elixir—to The Maverick, King of Clubs… Performing a rendition of Duke Ellington’s Money Jungle—originally intended as a collaboration of styles and generations with Max Roach and Charles Mingus—Grammy nominated pianist Rachel Eckroth and her trio are at The Century Room… While Latin troubadour Salvador Duran holds court outdoors on the Hotel Congress Plaza… “You better lose yourself in the music, the moment. You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow.” Newcomers Rolling Dusk (Sonoran psych-rock) and Tide Pool Steady (electronic-rock) cut their teeth. At Club Congress… Moments before. In an interview with Tucson Weekly, Parisian guitarist Naïm Amor reflects on relocating to Tucson. “My music did change, but it’s not like I’m suddenly playing country music.” Amor adds, “It’s just like food. You move to new places and start trying new flavors.” At Tap & Bottle Downtown…
FRIDAY, MAY 27 Twenty-six years after Bradley Nowell’s death, co-founding member Eric Wilson carries forth the iconic sun-splashed California reggae rock/ska punk sound that initially catapulted Sublime to the top of the charts. Now with singer/guitarist Rome Ramirez, Sublime with Rome are at AVA Amphitheater. Scion of reggae royalty Julian Marley opens… Dancing on the edge of a knife. Disco Oscura, a monthly curated foray into the dark side, celebrates its first anniversary. Los Angeles darkwave artist Blood Handsome joins resident DJ
Mijito. At The Royal Room… Brace for impact. Three and a half decades since the release of Flotsam and Jetsam’s landmark debut Doomsday for the Deceiver (1986)— still the only thrash metal album to ever register off the charts, receiving a 6K rating (on a 5K scale) from Kerrang!—“the most under-rated metal band on the planet” can carve another notch on their respective bullet belts with Blood in the Water (2021), their 14th studio album. At The Rock… As part of the Friday Night Concert Series, world-renowned saxophonist Brice Winston & Outward Bound present Child’s Play (2014), a collection of original compositions. At The Century Room… After the show, longtime DJ Carl Hanni debuts the Late Night Record Lounge. Spinning classic vinyl—funky jazz and fusion from the 1960s and ’70s—Hanni sets the tone well past midnight… From the creative outpost of Bisbee, songwriters Kate Becker and Stuart Oliver present Cosmic Ride: A Psy-fi Folk-rock Opera. Worldbeat ensemble Baba Marimba cross-pollinate joyous sounds. Followed by Tucson’s legendary Latinx dance party sin fronteras. El Tambó. DJ Humblelianess keeps things lit. At Hotel Congress Plaza… Omens from the dead realm. Gnosis offer knowledge of spiritual mysteries via a high dose of black death metal. Dark electronic artist Lana del Rabies shares the stage. At Club Congress… Bearers of light, the Hump House crew bring the CC dancefloor to life post show… After a long run hosting regional Mexican artists, this historic Fourth Avenue venue is closing its doors. From Cuidad Obregon, renowned banda Mexicana La Brissa are the pallbearers that will commemorate the end of an era. La Despedida (The Farewell). At Club 4th Avenue…
SATURDAY, MAY 28 Don’t trust anyone. “I didn’t grow up listening to punk,” says Jaden Hossler, who credits witnessing a performance by the late emo-rapper Juice WRLD as the impetus for his musical career. Just days before the release of Tell Me About Tomorrow (2021), his hook-laden pop-punk debut, the Travis Barker protégé and TikTok star forthrightly admits in an interview with Spin that he only began listening to punk bands (like Taking Back Sunday, Finch and Silverstein) the previous year. And only discovered The Descendents by chance after wearing the band’s T-shirt in a music video. Giving human form to loneliness, heartache and vulnerability, packaged with plenty of tatted-up swagger, jxdn. At Encore… As a child
Marisela Hernandez starred in Villa Alegre, the first nationally televised bilingual program in the U.S. At 18, she released her first album Sin El (1984). From there Hernandez’ career took flight and never landed, selling more than 25 million records to date. “La Dama de Hierro,” Marisela. At Fox Tucson Theatre… Garage punk. Emerging from the underground Memphis rap scene that originated trap-metal, Xavier Wulf flies low to the ground. He keeps it simple: No backup dancers, iced-out chains or designer threads. Just booming bass, high energy and weed smoke in the air, is how he rolls.
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Billy Sedlmayr
In an interview with the Memphis Flyer, Wulf expressed dissatisfaction with dominant trends. “That mainstream stuff just gets on my nerves. They don’t rap about nothing but Louis [Vuitton] belts, Gucci this, Gucci that, poppin’ a choppa [AK-47] and strippers. I don’t want to hear none of that stuff. I don’t do none of that.” At 191 Toole… Having been tapped by CMJ and The Guardian as a band to watch, Phoenix indie-electronic duo MRCH’s glassy synths and propulsive beats have appeared in episodes of The Vampire Diaries, 13 Reasons Why, The Twilight Zone and many more. Arizona Arts Live presents MRCH and M. Crane, two of Arizona’s most exciting indie/alternative bands. At Hotel Congress Plaza… Tucson kills. Singer, storyteller, rock ‘n’ roll survivor, Billy Sedlmayr imparts tales of a life hard lived. With Gabe Sullivan. At Saint Charles Tavern… A night of music, dance and drag awaits. Crystal Stark and Fulta Burstyn host Kiki Deluxe, a queer cabaret. Classically trained vocalist Darnell Roulhac (long-time affiliate of the world-renowned Duke Ellington School of the Arts Show Choir and D.C. Boys Choir)
performs. At Club Congress… After the extravaganza, Posi & Walters the Don man the decks, pumping out dancefloor hits… Her Name Echoes and Brace Yourself headline Sprinkle a little Love benefit concert. At The Rock. All proceeds to benefit Allison Sprinkle, an emergency department nurse battling brain cancer… Drawing inspiration from all music that rocks, no hold is off limits for this Nogales quintet. Santo Diablo provides the musical soundtrack for Dia de las Luchas. At Rialto Theater… This musical shapeshifter’s repertoire ranges from the bucolic to the blue-collared. Hear the sounds of the expansive desert with Jacob Acosta Trio. At MotoSonora Brewing Company… “‘Cause the walls start shaking, the Earth was quaking, my mind was aching…” The Jack: The Ultimate Tribute to AC-DC join forces with Animal Magnetism (Scorpions tribute band) to pay homage to their musical heroes. At House of Bards… From “Jolene” to “Nine to Five,” Backwoods Barbie: A Tribute to Dolly Parton is at The Gaslight Music Hall - Oro Valley… Performing a blend of tiki and exotica mixed with a couple brimming jiggers of jazz lounge, Naïm Amor & the Cocktail Hours reel into the Late Night. At The Century Room…
SUNDAY, MAY 29 On “Freedom”—the lead single from She Ought To Be King (2021)—singer-songwriter Lisa Morales rails against injustice. “Women and children can no longer be abused. We can no longer turn the other way. African Americans can no longer be treated as if they don’t belong. Mexican-Americans, Asian-Americans are Americans. LGBTQ are to be respected.” Morales concludes. “It’s a very simple message. Love one another, be kind, do the right thing, be honorable, and help one another.” At 191 Toole… One of the best blues harpists around, Paul Green & Midnight Blue stoke a fire. Congress Cookout. At Hotel Congress Plaza… Arizona Blues Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony features performances by Heather Hardy and The Porch Rockers. At Chicago Bar… Following a tumultuous period, realizing her most trusted friendships were facades, singer/ composer Kate Ramsey transformed an emotional glass prison into a beautiful kaleidoscope, in the process finding her worth as an artist. The result, Maximum Security Prism (2022). Rose Haze (SF) performs at Thunder Canyon Brewery… Drawing from a deep well of Delta and country blues, guitarist Christopher T. Stevens leads
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storyteller Kevin Pakulis and his Band create an intimate front porch vibe. With special Tucson Opry guests. At Hotel Congress Plaza…
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1
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László Veres leads the Tucson Pops Orchestra
the Last Sunday Revival. At Tap & Bottle Downtown… A testament to the Ronstadt legacy, P.D. Ronstadt & the Company perform original post-modern Americana, while placing their own unique watermark upon traditional compositions. With Indigo Social. At Monterey Court… Sursum corda. Lifting hearts upwards, the ever-expanding alt-folk country ensemble Loveland hold sway. At Che’s Lounge… “Just like the real thing, only younger.” The sibling harmonies of this musical family band capture the sound of summer. Surf’s Up: A Beach Boys Tribute. At The Gaslight Music Hall - Oro Valley… Maestro László Veres leads the Tucson Pops Orchestra in a special Memorial Day concert showcasing works inspired by the American Revolution. Music Under the Stars. At Demeester Outdoor Performance Center - Reid Park…
MONDAY, MAY 30 Taking cues from Nashville’s longest-running weekly radio/television variety show, Arizona Arts Live, Rhythm and Roots and Tucson Weekly present The Tucson Opry. The debut installment features The Small Glories (Canadian folk-pop), Whitney Rose (sultry countrypolitan), Hot Club of Tucson (Gypsy jazz), Salvador Duran (corridos from the borderlands) and cowboy poet Richard Tavenner. Chris Brashear and Peter McLaughlin host. At Hotel Congress Plaza… Dance with abandon. The Club Whutever crew place a cool spin on a hot Tucson night. At Tap Room Patio…
TUESDAY, MAY 31 Spinning yarns that hook a listener’s ear, acclaimed Americana singer-songwriter/
Too young to be free of insecurities but old enough to be fed up by them, on I Want to Grow Up (2015), DIY indie-pop songstress Colleen Green was experiencing an existential crisis. Five years and a new album later, reaching for higher ground while keeping her lo-fi vibe unsullied, on “I Wanna Be A Dog”—from Cool (2021)—Green rejoices in the simplicity of a canine life while questioning why she’s still overcomplicating her own. Grown-up life isn’t that bad; it’s actually pretty cool. At Club Congress…
On the horizon: Spoon. June 3. At Rialto Theater… Amos Lee. June 4. At Fox Tucson Theatre… Lyle Lovett and his Large Band. June 15. At Fox Tucson Theatre… ZZ Top. June 17. At AVA Amphitheater… Ani DiFranco. June 18. At Fox Tucson Theatre… In Memoriam: Fred Cross (April 12, 1963 – May 12, 2022) A noted figure on the Arizona music scene, Fred Cross passed away on Thursday May 12, 2022, after years of declining health. A talented bassist and dynamic performer Cross lent his formidable skills to numerous bands and recording projects over the course of his life. Notably, Cross was a member of The Pills, Gentlemen Afterdark and Caterwaul. He seemingly lived only for the stage. A pair a black leather pants, a couple of shirts and a bass was all that he ever needed. Former band member Barry Smith reflects, “Every Gentlemen Afterdark show I ever played was within six feet of a shared universe with Mr. Cross. If I was nervous about playing a new song, I’d glance his way, he’d flash this look and I’d be okay.” Smith concludes, “Somehow, his presence grounded me on that stage.” His talent, humility and spirit will always be remembered. Fred Cross was 59 years old. Until next week, XOXO…
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New congressional report outlines widening gap between state, federal cannabis laws By David Abbott tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com THE GAP BETWEEN FEDERAL and state regulations over the legal use of cannabis is widening as more and more states loosen restrictions while national policy remains stagnant. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) recently released a 101-page report that outlines the way things stand and possible solutions the U.S. government can take to address the growing divide between state and federal marijuana regulations. While much of the information in the
report, titled “The Evolution of Marijuana as a Controlled Substance and the Federal-State Gap,” is familiar to cannabis policy watchers, the existence of the study itself can be viewed as a positive, even though the political divide hampering legalization efforts continues to grow unabated. According to Sam Richard, executive director of the Arizona Dispensaries Association (ADA), the CRS report shows that the national conversation is trending toward more prohibitionist laws falling by the wayside, as industry leaders and agencies begin to normalize discussions
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around cannabis. “I think this kind of thing is incredibly helpful,” Richard said. “For me, that is a very important signal: It’s the difference between the signal and the noise. That report is the signal and everything else is noise.” The growing divide matters. It stigmatizes legitimate businesses in states where marijuana is legal by creating unfair taxation and limiting access to banking services. It also blocks potential streams of federal tax revenue. In addition, conflicting laws create confusion over what exactly is “legal” both for citizens and law enforcement. But the mere existence of the report marks another example of the momentum behind legalizing cannabis. PIECEMEAL LEGALIZATION Support for legalizing and taxing cannabis is at an all-time high. Attitudes have been shifting for decades. Since 1969, public opinion has flipped. A 2021 Gallup poll cited in the CRS report shows that 68 percent of U.S. residents over the age of 18 favor legalization, with 32 percent opposed. In 1969, only 12 percent supported it, while more than 75 percent wanted the drug to remain illegal. The congressional report noted that the public’s concerns about legalization ran the gamut. Respondents expressed fear of increased usage among youth, increased traffic accidents caused by impaired drivers, and increased black-market activity between states with legal marijuana and those where it is still criminalized. Proponents point to benefits such as increased tax revenues and decreases in low-level marijuana arrests that would “free up resources for other law enforcement needs.” “The marijuana policy gap creates unique consequences for individuals who act in compliance with state law but violate federal law,” the report states. “Two of the more publicized consequences for individuals are termination of employment due to marijuana use in states that have legalized medical or recreational marijuana, and a range of implications for researchers and postsecondary students on college campuses.” Other consequences can include problems getting certain jobs, dismissal from
current employment, obtaining federal housing, and ineligibility for some visas. In the quarter-century since California first legalized medicinal marijuana in 1996, 37 states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, have regulated cannabis as medicine. Since November 2012, when voter approval in Colorado and Washington made them the first states to “legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana for recreational use,” 18 states, D.C., Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands have legalized adult-use, recreational pot. But as the federal prohibition is still the overarching law of the land, interstate commerce is banned, so each cannabis business must create its own self-contained supply chain and distribution network. This causes limited access to traditional banking services and leads to additional taxes and expenses that in many ways stigmatize the legal cannabis industry. Still, cannabis tax revenues have become a juggernaut that continues to expand as more states legalize and tax the product. According to the CRS report, citing information from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, excise tax revenues on recreational sales nationwide surpassed $1 billion in 2018, and that does not include other localized taxes at various points along the supply chain. Since then, a number of states, including Arizona, have legalized recreational adult use. Several states that have legalized, such as Vermont, do not yet have a regulatory system for production or retail in place. When that happens, it will increase the amount of taxes collected. Other states, such as South Dakota, have voter-approved legalization bills hung up in the courts as prohibitionists attempt to halt the progress of legalization. Then there are the “hidden taxes” cannabis business owners have to deal with. ADA’s Richard pointed out a January report from Whitney Economics, a data analysis firm that specializes in the cannabis industry. Whitney highlighted policies, both explicit and implicit, that hamper business. Whitney found that only 42 percent of 396 respondents in 20 states are turning a profit. Women and people of color CONTINUED ON PAGE 40
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are bearing the brunt of that, with 62.5 percent of female-run businesses and 67.8 percent of businesses owned by people of color not turning a profit. The report cited limited access to banking and other financial services as the top reason for financial losses, but taxation and competition with “illicit” markets have contributed as well. “The reality is that a lot happens between the top line of a cannabis operation and the bottom line of a cannabis operation,” Richard said. “Just because you have revenues of $1 million or $2 million a month, it does not mean that you are cashing checks for $750,000 a month. This is really, really hard work and part of the reason why it’s hard is that there is what we call the ‘cannabis tax’ for everything.” Richard pointed out that, due to the perception of cannabis as a “high risk” business, commercial real estate owners can easily double the amount charged for leasing space to marijuana businesses. Additionally, cannabis businesses have a special tax code, which does not allow
them to deduct expenses that more traditional business owners take for granted. “Despite the fact that we are a legal and regulated program in 37 states, the federal government still treats us like criminals,” he said. “There are publicly traded corporations with billion-dollar market caps that have effective tax rates of 60 percent to 70 percent, while companies like GE, or [others], paid $0 in federal taxes last year.” CANNABIS USE AND ENFORCEMENT According to CRS, marijuana is the most used illicit drug in the U.S. In 2020, an estimated 32.8 million individuals over the age of 12 used marijuana in the past month. Since 2012, as more states legalized recreational use, adult use has increased from 6.3 percent in 2008 to 12.4 percent in 2020. But use among youths aged 12-17 has fluctuated between a high of 7.4 percent in 2019 and a low of 5.9 percent in 2020. “A 2019 review of existing research on the impact of marijuana legalization that revealed medical marijuana laws increase
adult but not adolescent use is consistent with this view,” the report states. CRS further states that several studies found that more liberalized cannabis laws have not led to an increase in youth use, but rather may be contributing to a reduction. Legalization is also expected to lower marijuana-related arrests and expungement of records. That could lead to reduced spending for law enforcement as well as fewer low-level drug offenses in prison populations across the nation. Focusing on trends in Washington and Colorado, the states that have the most data, CRS noted that the state of Washington has seen a 65 percent drop in possession and consumption arrests since 2012, although there was a slight uptick in 2016 and 2017 before decreasing again in 2018. In Colorado, marijuana arrests decreased by 68 percent from 2012 to 2019, with the most common charge being possession under the age of 21. While most federal enforcement has become focused on large-scale criminal enterprises and reining in the black market, the federal ban can also have an effect on citizens trying to clear cannabis-related arrests from their records. According to Randal McDonald, supervising attorney at the Post-Conviction Clinic at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, having a cannabis conviction can exacerbate punishment for other non-related charges and cause legal headaches for people in the criminal justice system. “Folks can use marijuana now, but they have to know that it’s still federally illegal,” he said. “Using it, you’re still risking certain federal rights you might have, like the right to certain jobs, the right to federal benefits, housing and student loans. Just because it’s legal does not mean that if you test positive in some situation, you won’t be forfeiting some right.” As an example, McDonald referred to a case he is familiar with in which a certified medical marijuana patient was arrested for unrelated charges. Because of cannabis use, though, the patient has suffered consequences from THC showing up in his system. Those consequences could lead to additional penalties, such as increased fines or incarceration time and trouble finding housing and employment in the future. “You can still be punished for it in
certain contexts,” McDonald said. POSSIBLE FEDERAL ACTIONS In order to address the disparity between federal and state laws, the CRS presented four recommendations for the federal government to consider: • Take no action and allow the gap to widen as more states legalize in some form; • Strictly enforce the Controlled Substances Act, thereby rendering moot efforts on a state level; • Reschedule or de-schedule marijuana in the CSA; • Take “smaller steps to address the policy gap, such as continuing to include appropriations provisions that restrict the U.S. Justice Department’s ability to expend funds to enforce federal law.” Since 2014, Congress has included an appropriations rider that prohibits the DOJ from enforcing federal marijuana bans in some circumstances. The rider must be renewed each year though, leaving DOJ enforcement to the political whims of Congress. According to Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), the ban is not a fix and the only solution is to de-schedule marijuana from the CSA. “Keep in mind that spending appropriation has to be renewed every year,” he said. “So while that is the law now, it’s not something that necessarily will be the law going forward. It is up to Congress to continue to approve it.” As to the question of de-scheduling or rescheduling — changing classification from Schedule I controlled substances to say, Schedule V, which is deemed “least potential for abuse” — removing cannabis from the CSA is the only clear way to legitimize cannabis in the U.S. “It’s a non-starter,” Armentano said. “The whole point is to eliminate this existing chasm between state laws and federal law, and rescheduling only exacerbates it.” HISTORICAL CONTEXT From the late-1930s until the mid1990s, cannabis regulation was placed almost entirely in the hands of the federal government, but the dynamics changed CONTINUED ON PAGE 42
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in 1996 when California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana. Cannabis was becoming a popular recreational drug in the early part of the 20th century, but that changed in 1937, when Henry Anslinger became the first commissioner of the newly formed Federal Bureau of Narcotics. In testimony to Congress, Anslinger put forth arguments that pot prohibitionists continue to use to this day, referring to the “immorality and harms” of marijuana use that would “incite violent and insane behavior.” Anslinger further stated that “the major criminal in the United States is the drug addict; that of all the offenses committed against the laws of this country, the narcotic addict is the most frequent offender.” From the implementation of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 that “imposed a high-cost transfer tax stamp on marijuana sales,” throughout the 1950s, cannabis was further criminalized. And in 1970, the “War on Drugs” began in earnest with the passing of the Controlled Substances Act
under President Richard Nixon. “The CSA placed the control of marijuana and other plant and chemical substances under federal jurisdiction regardless of state regulations and laws,” the CRS report states. “In designating marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance, this legislation officially prohibited the manufacture, distribution, dispensation, and possession of marijuana except for purposes of sanctioned research.” Under the CSA, marijuana was considered on par with heroin, LSD, methaqualone, and peyote, with a “high potential for abuse,” and “no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.” The CSA established the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse, and its name was soon changed to the Shafer Commission. It recommended the development of “social policy seeking to discourage marihuana use, while concentrating primarily on the prevention of heavy and very heavy use.” Yet it also questioned the constitutionality of criminalizing the drug, stating, “total prohibition is functionally inappropriate.”
The Shafer Commission recommended a subsequent commission to re-examine the issue, but that never happened. ADA’s Richard sees positive progress in the movement to legalize cannabis, particularly since “somebody somewhere in a damp dark room with a green visor and a desk lamp is crunching numbers about how many people are buying cannabis.” “In 2021, cannabis sales in the U.S. eclipsed Starbucks,” he said. “These are the moments that define the future of an industry: which agencies, which think
tanks, and which regulatory bodies are reporting on the boring underbelly of the industry.” Armentano has seen the dynamics play out over and over and has learned to temper his expectations. “I’m not a prognosticator, so you’d have to ask Chuck Schumer or Corey Booker,” he concluded. ■ This article originally appeared in Phoenix New Times. Reprinted with permission.
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SEEING GREEN
Arizona recreational cannabis sales hit record $72 million in March By David Abbott tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com MEDICAL MARIJUANA SALES IN ARIZONA continued to slide in March, dropping for the fifth consecutive month as recreational adult-use cannabis sales soared to new heights. The Arizona Department of Revenue also revised February sales upwards by several million dollars. In March, medical marijuana dipped to below $50 million for the first time since recreational sales began in January 2021, registering just $49.4 million. Medical sales peaked at nearly $73 million in March 2021, then fluctuated from the mid-$60 millions for the next six months. Since October, medical marijuana sales have
dropped by at least $1.5 million every month. Recreational sales have rebounded after a small lull in January 2022, going up at least $2 million per month in February and March, which totaled $72.3 million alone. Total sales for both programs in March were $121.8 million. State tax analysts also revised February sales: Estimated medical sales were adjusted upward by $1.2 million to $53.7 million, while adult-use cannabis sales clocked in at $2.3 million more than previously believed, landing at almost $71 million. The revised total for all cannabis sales in February was $123.8 million. Recreational sales have been rising consistently since March 2021, when sales hovered around $60 million. Tax collections in March rose to $21.3 million, with $4.1 million from medical sales, $5.6 million in sales taxes for all cannabis sales and $11.9 from the 16% excise tax on recreational sales. The state collects a 16% excise tax on recreational sales in addition to the 5.5% state sales tax. Medical marijuana patients pay just the sales tax. Cannabis users also pay city and county sales taxes. Tax collections for cannabis sales in Arizona have steadily increased throughout the first year of legal recreational sales, and legislative budget analysts released a report in March showing that cannabis taxes have surpassed alcohol and tobacco taxes for the first time. “The legalization of cannabis in Arizona has been a boon for our economy and the state tax coffers,” Arizona Dispensary Association Executive Director Sam Richard said. “The financial benefits are important but the social impact cannot be understated, as citizens no longer have to live in fear of having their lives disrupted by low-level marijuana arrests and convictions.” According to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, marijuana taxes in March totaled more than the state’s tobacco and liquor taxes combined: Tobacco taxes yielded $1.7 million and the liquor tax added $3.7 million to the state’s general fund. But marijuana sales taxes were $6.3 million, with $4.7 million going to the general fund, $1 million distributed to counties and $631,124 to cities. The JLBC report does not include education, city and county taxes—local jurisdictions charge an additional 2% or so for all marijuana sales—nor the excise tax on recreational sales, as the excise tax is distributed to specific programs outlined in Proposition 207. Prop. 207, approved by voters in 2020, legalized adult use of cannabis and specified public use for the excise tax. One-third is dedicated to community and provisional community college districts; 31% to public safety (police, fire departments, fire districts, first responders); 25% to the Arizona Highway User Revenue Fund, and 10% to the justice reinvestment fund, dedicated to providing public health services, counseling, job training and other social services for communities that have been adversely affected and disproportionately impacted by marijuana arrests and criminalization. ■ This article originally appeared in the Arizona Mirror, an online nonprofit news agency. Find more independent reporting at azmirror.com.
NEWS NUGGETS TESTING POSITIVE Arizona’s poison centers warned cannabidiol (CBD) consumers that they may be in danger of testing positive for THC after a spate of failed drug tests have been reported nationwide. “CBD itself will not cause a false positive drug test but people can still test positive for marijuana because there could actually be small amounts of THC in these products, especially if they’re made from hemp,” Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center Director Steve Dudley wrote in a March press release. It’s getting bad enough that the FDA issued written warnings to companies that are “illegally selling unapproved CBD products due to the increase in exposures.” There are also issues with the product quality. “We’ve seen multiple reports from the FDA and independent labs that show CBD products containing way more THC than would be explained from legal hemp sources,”. Dudley added. “It can really be the wild west depending on where you purchase your products.” The consequences of a failed drug test can be severe, including job or housing loss or exclusion from certain types of jobs. Hemp is defined as any part of a cannabis plant that contains no more than 0.3% THC. CBD products made from hemp may contain small amounts of THC in them even if the label doesn’t say so. Regular CBD users could build up high enough THC levels in their bodies to test positive. ■
PHOTO COURTESY BIGSTOCK.
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1,000 feet rather than 500, although in an industrial/warehouse zone, there is no limit to the size of an indoor, offsite location and setbacks are in line with dispensaries. “If this is approved as is, you can say with a straight face it’d be much easier to open a dispensary or cultivation location or manufacturing site in any of the Pima County unincorporated, commercial or industrial zones,” Poirier said. “Right now, it’s almost like finding a needle in the haystack to be eligible to try to open a dispensary: There’s only a handful of properties where anyone could even go for it in Pima County. By reducing the setback significantly and opening up more zones, we expect this to be a much easier situation to open up.” He added that part of the impetus for updating the rules was the recent release of 26 social equity licenses, but given the paucity COURTESY PHOTO of licenses overall, and the likelihood that it Why can’t we buy stuff in the county? may be years before there is an expansion in the number of licenses, there may not be any new dispensaries set up in the county anyway. Pima County addresses zoning for recreational cannabis businesses As Pima County moves forward with its zoning updates, the City of Tucson is in the process of updating its UDC again to areas, the zoning regulations were very By David Abbott accommodate social equity licenses that are restrictive at the time. tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com recreational only, although critics believe “When we first wrote our rules, we PIMA COUNTY BEGAN THE the city has already missed out on getting thought there could be high rates of process of updating its zoning codes this any social equity businesses at all. muggings and robberies and break-ins, all week in order to open up more possible The licenses were distributed on April these things,” Poirier said. “Is it much worse locations for marijuana-related businesses than a bar? It doesn’t seem to be. What I’m 8, but new licensees only have 18 months and incorporate adult-use recreational uses saying is anecdotal, but we are correspond- from that time to get their businesses up into its decade old regulation. and running. ing with other jurisdictions and we’re not The issue was scheduled to go before the seeing the spike in crimes that we thought Mayor Regina Romero and Tucson City Planning and Zoning Commission on May we might see. We’re seeing it becoming sort Council held off on creating recreation25 (after press time) and, barring any major of a normal fabric of everyday life.” al zoning through a Special Exception issues from the public or the commission, Process, and put a moratorium on recreThe proposed regulations are modeled should go to the Board of Supervisors in six after the changes the City of Tucson made ational licenses. The reason given was to to eight weeks and take about six months to to its Unified Development Code (UDC) in give feedback to the Arizona Department complete. of Health Services as it created the rules for 2021, opening up many more locations for “This timeline is pretty aggressive, social equity. cultivation facilities and dispensaries. presuming we’re not thrown any significant When the rules were released last year, it The codes would include recreational curveballs or we overlooked something or cannabis and allow the maximum size of a was not clear if the City gave any input or if get a denial from the commission,” Coundispensary, or recreational “establishment,” it had any impact on the rules at all. ty Planner Chris Poirier said. “There is a Cannabis activists have been harsh in to be 10,000 square feet; it must be in a chance maybe someone points out sometheir criticism of that move and think Tucpermanent building, with permitted hours thing we really messed up with our propos- of operation from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; waiting son made a mistake by waiting so long to al, or there’s a stakeholder group that really areas must occupy 25% of the sales floor facilitate the process. wants us to spend time with them on it.” Arizona NORML Political Director Jon area; deliveries would be allowed as perThe changes were announced on 4/20 mitted by state law; dispensaries cannot be Udell, who is involved in the conversation via Instagram, but as of May 11, no public within 2,000 feet of each other and setbacks as a stakeholder, expressed his concern comments were received in response. early in May. (the distance between the establishment According to Poirier, the County wrote its and K-12 schools, parks, libraries, treatment As a consumer advocacy organization, original zoning ordinances in 2010 prior to facilities and churches) would be 500 feet. NORML’s focus is on consumer advocacy. the passage of Prop 203, the Arizona MedAdditionally, odor mitigation plans must Part of that work is to support policies that ical Marijuana Act, that legalized medical lower consumer prices and increase compebe in place and approved before the doors pot in Arizona. tition, particularly for medical patients. can open. Given the novelty of legal pot at the time, “Currently, Tucson has too few dispenOffsite cultivation facilities have similar and “the concern regarding secondary saries to service its citizens’ needs,” Udell requirements, although setback would be impacts” of cannabis businesses on affected
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wrote in an email to the Mayor and Council. “This is likely Tucson’s last chance to promote competition, expand patient access, and lower prices. We encourage the City of Tucson to adopt a simple, straightforward, and quick process that reduces barriers to entry and incentivizes more dispensaries to locate in Tucson, rather than having them all go to Pima County islands, Phoenix, Flagstaff, and other jurisdictions with a friendlier attitude towards cannabis.” In the face of criticism from cannabis advocate Demitri Downing last month, Romero defended Council’s decision to attempt to influence the rules in a program she feels is skewed toward established players in the cannabis industry. “Are there some applicants who received one of the 26 licenses that actually meet the idea of ‘social equity’ envisioned in Prop 207? Yes,” she wrote in a statement to Weedly. “The issue is that the applicant pool was heavily infiltrated by strawmen applicants for existing industry players, which was ultimately reflected in the 26 applicants that were chosen. It is also important to note that there is nothing preventing the transfer of these licenses now that they have been awarded, meaning that a cash-heavy dispensary can snag a license that they would not previously have been eligible for. The whole ‘social equity’ program was setup to allow current industry players to maintain an oligopoly over the marijuana market.” Arizona NORML Director Mike Robinette thinks that approach will lead to social equity licensees setting up shop in municipalities that are ready to accept them and that the only people happy about the situation are established dispensary owners in Tucson. He also thinks consumers are far more interested in the cost of medicine and access than of the success of the social equity program. “I think the city of Tucson needs to consider the unintended consequences of their actions because the bottom line is they could thwart competition in Tucson,” Robinette said. “Everyone who is a patient in Tucson will continue to suffer paying higher prices for medicine. When we’re at $60 for an eighth of an ounce of good medicine, something needs to change and that’s not going to change, given this dogmatic approach by the City of Tucson.” ■
MAY 26, 2022
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art. NFT’s, or non-fungible tokens, are digital artworks that can be bought or sold using cryptocurrency to show evidence of ownership for the piece of digital art. “We are going to create a new dynamic in which visual art and music come together,” Trask said. Trask said that visual art and digital music should work together to create authenticity in the new age of digital art. “What’s my beef with pop culture, right? I think that it’s a detour,” Trask said. “It’s a detour from delving in and taking the time to find out what it is you genuinely like. It takes time, it takes decision making, and it takes autonomy.” Trask wants to remind people in the
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Vai Trask
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
Cannabis lounge Harambe Cafe hosts art exhibit, stand-up show By Alexandra Pere tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com
that brought us here.” “It’s an ode to the vices that we’ve cultivated and learning how to cope through the trauma that eventually brought us here “VAIBIONIC,” AKA VAI TRASK, is taking on the NFT trend with her new gal- to this beautiful moment or to beautiful people,” Trask said. lery opening at Harambe cafe, including a Trask’s creative partner, Tommy Will, a closing reception from 6 to 10 pm on Friday, local Tucson rap artist, released the album June 3rd. This is Trask’s second show in Tucson af- “V(A)ICE” on opening night, performing at ter debuting with “(UN)DEAD” at &Gallery, the party. Since (UN)DEAD, Will and Trask have combined forces to create their collabwhich explored her recovery after she was pushed out a window by a domestic partner orative project “BionicWill”. Each painting at Haramabe also has a in Los Angeles. QR code attached to its description that Following her &Gallery show, “I just met some incredible people,” Trask said. “People connects audience members directly to a have been coming to me asking for projects song from the “V(A)ICE” album. Trask said it’s the combination of visual and digital, a and stuff, and that’s how I got the offer for commentary on the latest explosion of NFT the show at Harambe … which I’m really excited about.” Harambe Cafe is a marijuana-friendly social club that requires customers to be 21 years old and older or have a medical marijuana card. The Cafe has coffee and drinks available for purchase. Medical marijuana cardholders can get marijuana products delivered to them from Green Med Wellness Center, 6464 E Tanque Verde Road, next door. The club is also hosting events, including a stand-up show this weekend. (See this week’s Laughing Stock column, page 32, for details.) Trask’s work will be on display through the end of May under the title, “QUE LINDO ES EL V(A)ICE: A love letter to the ones
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digital age what holds value in art. She finds value in connecting her hand to a canvas and giving that canvas to a buyer. “That’s why I love painting so much for me,” Trask said. “It is so incredibly authentic.” Trask said she had a lot of freedom in working with the Harambe space. Adriana Kittrell, a co-owner of Harambe Cafe, said she likes to invite artists in for a month. “Harambe is a safe space for people to medicate and it’s a safe environment,” Kittrell said. “We’re responsible and we just want to create more spaces for artists, people, creative minds to come and smoke, but also to be able to exhibit their different art from actual paintings on the wall to
TUCSON AREA DISPENSARIES Bloom Tucson. 4695 N. Oracle Road, Ste. 117 293-3315; bloomdispensary.com Open: Daily 9a.m. - 10p.m. Botanica. 6205 N. Travel Center Drive 395-0230; botanica.us Open: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., daily Desert Bloom Re-Leaf Center. 8060 E. 22nd St., Ste. 108 886-1760; dbloomtucson.com Open: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., daily Offering delivery Downtown Dispensary. 221 E. 6th St., Ste. 105 838-0492; thedowntowndispensary.com Open: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday D2 Dispensary. 7105 E 22nd St. 214-3232; d2dispensary.com/ Open:9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday Earth’s Healing. Two locations: North: 78 W. River Road 253-7198 South: 2075 E. Benson Highway 373-5779 earthshealing.org Open: Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Offering delivery The Green Halo. 7710 S. Wilmot Road 664-2251; thegreenhalo.org Open: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., daily
Hana Green Valley. 1732 W. Duval Commerce Point Place 289-8030 Open: Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Harvest of Tucson . 2734 East Grant Road 314-9420; askme@harvestinc.com; Harvestofaz.com Open: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., daily Nature Med. 5390 W. Ina Road 620-9123; naturemedaz.com Open: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., daily The Prime Leaf Two locations: 4220 E. Speedway Blvd. 1525 N. Park Ave. 44-PRIME; theprimeleaf.com Open: Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Southern Arizona Integrated Therapies. 112 S. Kolb Road 886-1003; medicalmarijuanaoftucson.com Open: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., daily Green Med Wellness Center. 6464 E. Tanque Verde Road, 85712. (520) 886-2484 Open: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Satuday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. greenmedwellness.com
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Harambe Cafe & Social Club Monday through Saturday we provide a safe place to consume flower, edibles, and concentrates if you are 21+ or are an Active AZ MMJ Card Holder. Upcoming Events!
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MAY 26, 2022
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SAVAGE LOVE QUICKIES
By Dan Savage, mail@savagelove.net
My laptop died last week. My laptop couldn’t die when I was in the office, with capable tech support people close by. Oh, no. My laptop lost its will to live when I was thousands of miles away, in a country where I don’t speak the language. So, I wasn’t able to access my Savage Love email—which is a problem, since no questions means no column. So, I put out an SOS on Instagram, asking my followers there to send me their quick-and-dirty questions. I wrote my responses on my phone… which I dropped at one point, shattering the screen, BECAUSE OF COURSE I DID. So, my laptop is dead, my phone is broken, and my thumbs are bloodied. But I got this week’s column done with the help of my followers on Instagram. Thanks, gang. —Dan In the mountain climbing community there is a backlash against a route at a particular climbing site that’s named Gangbang. Critics say it refers to a non-consensual sex act. Your thoughts? Missionary position in the absence of consent is not sex, it’s rape; a gangbang with consent is not rape, it’s sex. That said, most representations of gangbangs in film, porn, literature, etc., portray non-consensual scenarios with women as the victims, and it’s understandable why some would want the name of that route changed. So, change it. What do you do when you’ve told someone who is supposed to be a friend to stop making sexual comments but they keep saying sexually charged things? You realize this person isn’t a friend and hang out with your actual friends instead. British fag here. (I mean, cis gay guy in his mid-30s in the U.K.) I am living in Germany. My question: You had a British caller living in the USA on the Savage Lovecast a few episodes back and he said his accent alone unbuckled belts there. Is it true? German guys do not find my accent sexy. But if I moved to the States would I be drowning in cock? Cock is a solid (ideally), not a liquid (although with a powerful enough blender, anything is possible), so you would be choking on cock over here, not drowning in it. And, yes, a British accent is a plus in the USA—because unlike Europeans, Americans don’t have to put up with mobs of English tourists hopping on cheap flights,
terrorizing our city centers with their drunken bachelor/bachelorette parties, and puking on our doorsteps. How do I tell my friends and family that I’m poly now? Use your words. Best way to tell your hubby his armpits have started to smell? (He’s never needed deodorant before!) Use your words! How do I tell my boyfriend nicely that he needs to brush his teeth more often? He’s very sensitive to this kind of feedback, but I don’t want him to have stinky breath in a work meeting! USE YOUR WORDS! When my breath stinks or I need to take a shower or use some deodorant, I’m grateful when my partner says something to me—because I’m a grownup. If your partner can’t handle this kind of feedback, you need to ask yourself why you’re wasting your time on someone who isn’t a grownup. I’m a 40-year-old woman. I was sexting with a guy (29) who started sending me nude/sex pics (including face shots) of another woman he had been with, without her consent. He thought it was sexy, but I was repulsed. Teachable moment or trash him? If you ghost him, he’s likely to assume the photos he shared (and the massive consent violation they represent) weren’t the issue or even an issue. He needs to know. So, teach then trash. Can you please explain the difference between transgender and transsexual? A lot of arguments happen online about the semantics of these foundational definitions, so some clarity would be appreciated. Thank you! Definitions and redefinitions come at us so fast these days—to say nothing of redefining old definitions as hate speech—that there’s no point in attempting to answer this question. Because by the time this column is published, odds are good that whatever I write today will be out of date and/or a cancelable offense. But so far as I know right now… all transsexual people are transgender but not all transgender people are transsexual. I hope that clears things up.
Do you think we will keep seeing significant changes in sexual-orientation-self-labeling in the future? In the future everyone will have their own niche sexual orientation for 15 minutes— and their own neo-pronoun and their own pride flag. And it’s going to be even more confusing than it is now, and everybody is going to get everybody else’s orientations, pronouns, and flags wrong all the time, and absolutely everybody is going to be upset with absolutely everyone else, all the time. The oceans will rise and the planet will bake and we will be arguing about whether “cake” can be a pronoun as the meteor hurtles toward earth. How much time do bottoms really douche? “You can douche all of the bottoms some of the time, and some of the bottoms all of the time, but you can’t douche all of the bottoms all of the time.” – Abraham Lincoln Will you marry me? I will not – while I am sure you’re lovely, I already have a husband, and a boyfriend in the on-dick circle. (That is a baseball pun just for my older brother. Hey there, Billy!) My S.O. is good friends with a number of their exes. I know it’s probably a good sign that they are mature, but it makes me jealous and paranoid. How to get over that? Keep telling yourself that being friends with exes is a good sign about your S.O., and then carry that thought to its logical conclusion: being jealous and paranoid
about your current being friends with his exes is a bad sign about you – not a fatal sign for this relationship, but definitely something you should work through with a shrink. I’m that rare thing: the one-minute woman. How do I delay orgasms? Every time this subject comes up, someone recommends low-dose SSRIs. Ask your doctor if they’re right for you. I’m on anti-depressants and my libido has been ZAPPED! How to brainstorm sexy time when you don’t feel sexy? Talk with your doctor about adjusting your meds – that’s the first step. While you work on finding the right dosage, e.g., the dosage that alleviates your depression without killing your libido, a little going-throughthe-motions with your partner will keep you in the groove and may even help you catch a groove. At what age would you recommend I point my teenager to your column and your podcast? I think 15-16 is a good age to start reading and listening – but if you really want your teenager to read my column and listen to my podcast, don’t point them toward Savage Love and the Savage Lovecast. Forbid them from listening and reading! We are moving to a new house next month, and looking forward to making new sex CONTINUED ON PAGE 55
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
By Rob Brezsny. Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s EXPANDED WEEKLY HOROSCOPE 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700 $1.99 per minute. 18 and over. Touchtone phone required.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In defining the essential elements at play in a typical Aries person’s agenda, I’m not inclined to invoke the words “sometimes” or “maybe.” Nor do I make frequent use of the words “periodically,” “if,” or “ordinarily.” Instead, my primary identifying term for many Aries characters is “NOW!!!” with three exclamation points. In referring to your sign’s experiences, I also rely heavily on the following descriptors: pronto, presto, push, directly, why not?, engage, declare, activate, venture into, enterprising, seize, deliver, and wield. You are authorized to fully activate and deploy these qualities in the next three weeks. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I like Joan Didion’s definitions of self-respect. As you enter a favorable phase for deepening and enhancing your self-respect, they may be helpful. Didion said self-respect is a “sense of one’s intrinsic worth,” and added, “People who respect themselves are willing to accept the risk that the venture will go bankrupt, that the liaison may not turn out to be one in which every day is a holiday. They are willing to invest something of themselves.” And maybe the most essential thing about self-respect, according to Didion, is that it is “a discipline, a habit of mind that can never be faked but can be developed, trained, coaxed forth.” GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “Reality is not simply there; it does not simply exist,” claimed author Paul Celan. “It must be sought out and won.” I think that is excellent advice for you right now. But what does it mean in practical terms? How can you seek out and win reality? My first suggestion is to put your personal stamp on every situation you encounter. Do something subtle or strong to make each event serve your specific interests and goals. My second suggestion is to discern the illusions that other people are projecting and avoid buying into those misunderstandings. My third suggestion is to act as if it’s always possible to make life richer, more vivid, and more meaningful. And then figure out how to do that. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Wilma Mankiller was the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. She said, “The cow runs away from the storm, while the buffalo charges directly toward it—and gets through it quicker.” Political analyst Donna Brazile expounded on Mankiller’s strategy: “Whenever I’m confronted with a tough challenge, I do not prolong the torment. I become the buffalo.” I recommend Mankiller’s and Brazile’s approach for you and me in the coming days, my fellow Cancerian. Now please excuse me as I race
in the direction of the squall I see brewing in the distance. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The New Yorker is an influential Pulitzer Prize-winning magazine that features witty writing and impeccable fact-checking. In 2017, its stories exposed the extensive sexual misconduct committed by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein—and helped lead to his prosecution. How did the magazine get its start? It was co-founded in 1925 by Harold Ross, who had dropped out of school at age 13. He edited every issue for the next 26 years. I’m sensing the possibility of a comparable development in your life, Leo. In the coming months, you may get involved in a project that seems to be beyond the reach of your official capacities or formal credentials. I urge you to proceed as if you can and will succeed. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo-born Jocko Willink is a retired naval officer and author. In his book Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual, he lays down his manifesto: “Become the discipline—embrace its cold and relentless power. And it will make you better and stronger and smarter and faster and healthier than anything else. And most important: It will make you free.” While I don’t expect you to embrace Willink’s rigorous ethic with the same fanatical grip, I think you will benefit from doing the best you can. The cosmic rhythms will support you if you make a fun and earnest effort to cultivate liberation through discipline. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Some nights you are the lighthouse, some nights the sea,” writes Libran author Ocean Vuong. According to my astrological analysis, you are better suited to be the lighthouse than the sea in the coming days. Lately, you have thoroughly embodied the sea, and that has prepared you well to provide illumination. You have learned new secrets about the tides and the waves. You are attuned to the rhythms of the undercurrents. So I hope you will now embrace your role as a beacon, Libra. I expect that people will look to your radiance to guide and inspire them. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Movie people are possessed by demons, but a very low form of demons,” observes author Edna O’Brien. She should know. She has hung out with many big film stars. Since you’re probably not in the movie business yourself, your demons may be much higher quality than those of celebrity actors and directors. And I’m guessing that in the coming weeks, your demons will become even finer and more interesting than ever before—even to the point that they could
become helpers and advisors. For the best results, treat them with respect and be willing to listen to their ideas. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I’m all in favor of you getting what you yearn for. I have no inhibitions or caveats as I urge you to unleash all your ingenuity and hard work in quest of your beautiful goals. And in the hope of inspiring you to upgrade your ability to fulfill these sacred prospects, I offer you a tip from Sagittarian author Martha Beck. She wrote, “To attract something that you want, become as joyful as you think that thing would make you.” CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): According to author Caroline Myss, “You should see everything about your life as a lesson.” Whoa! Really? Each trip to the grocery store should be a learning opportunity? Myss says yes! For example, let’s say you’re in the snack foods aisle and you’re tempted to put Doritos Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips and Lay’s Barbecue Potato Chips in your cart. But your gut is screaming at you, “That stuff isn’t healthy for you!” And yet you decide to ignore your gut’s advice. You buy and eat both bags. Myss would say you have squandered a learning opportunity: “You’ve harmed yourself by blocking your intuitive voice,” she writes. Now, in accordance with astrological omens, Capricorn, here’s your homework assignment: Regard every upcoming event as a chance to learn how to trust your intuition better.
Comics
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): An Aquarian poet was disturbed when a suitor told her, “I’m really very fond of you.” She responded, “I don’t like fond. It sounds like something you would tell a dog. Give me love, or nothing. Throw your fond in a pond.” I don’t advise you to adopt a similar attitude anytime soon, Aquarius. In my oracular opinion, you should wholeheartedly welcome fondness. You should honor it and celebrate it. In itself, it is a rich, complex attitude. And it may also lead, if you welcome it, to even more complex and profound interweavings. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “I need a playlist of all the songs I used to love but forgot about,” wrote Tumblr blogger Yuyuuyuyuu. I think you could use such a playlist, too, Pisces. In fact, I would love to see you receive a host of memos that remind you of all the things you love and need and are interested in—but have forgotten about or neglected. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to recover what has been lost. I hope you will re-establish connections and restore past glories that deserve to accompany you into the future. Homework: Is there a postponed dream that you might be able to resume working to fulfill? What is it? Newsletter. FreeWillAstrology.com
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Rounds out, as an event 5 Sound of a cake hitting the floor, frosting first 10 Gush (over), as to gain favor 14 Plant watcher, for short 15 Reluctant 16 Designer Saab 17 Wins the Hunger Games, e.g. 19 Young newts 20 Annual pageant winner 21 – 22 Maker of Z-cars, once 23 Hoover rival 25 Online handle 28 Like the “5” of “5 & 10” 33 Maine university town 34 Repellent spray 37 Coleridge’s “The ___ Harp” 39 One requested by disgruntled customers: Abbr. 40 Bard’s “before” 41 See 30-Down 42 Common street name in suburbia 43 Fish with a long snout 44 Mexico has 31 of these 45 “The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters” artist 46 Go haywire 48 Have as a tenant 50 One of the Eternals, in Marvel comics 52 Insurance giant acquired by CVS in 2018 1
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memories. If you were moving to a new place, what would your first sex act be to break in the new place and what room? We can’t decide where to start. For me it would be a toss-up between the conservatory with the candlestick and the library with the lead pipe. Parenting young children during the pandemic has not resulted in much sexy time in my marriage. How do we get the sexy back? So far exercise and time apart seems to be helping. Any other ideas? Exercise and time apart will definitely help. One additional suggestion: time together in a place (a bar, a club, a party) where people routinely flirt with strangers. The point isn’t to go home with someone else or to take someone home together, but to see your spouse through other people’s eyes. Seeing someone who wants to fuck your spouse will remind you of all the reasons why you wanted to fuck your spouse… Fun things to do with balls? Sucking ‘em, caressing ‘em… what else is there? I worry my testicular game is getting stale. Pressure – gentle to start – can feel great, so add squeezing and tugging to your game. (Tugging does not mean yanking! Yanking is not recommended!) Husband recently discovered he likes to be punched in the balls. How to do it safely? Punching and kicking – more fun things to do with balls. But when it comes to balls and impact play, a little impact goes a long way. Balls can and do rupture, and the risk of doing real harm can’t be eliminated. So, you’ll wanna pull those punches, and make those kicks more symbolic than they are forceful. The most important thing to remember when you’re starting a new relationship? New relationships rarely “work out,” in the together-for-therest-of-your-lives sense of “working out.” And while LTRs are great, and while LTRs are what most people are looking for (but not all people), STRs – short-term relationships – are what we usually get. We’re likelier to feel good about them, we’re likelier to look back at them and regard them as great, if we don’t think of them as failed LTRs but as successful STRs. questions@savagelove.net Listen to Dan on the Savage Lovecast. Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage. Columns, podcasts, books, merch, and more at savage.love.
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