San Diego CityBeat • July 20, 2016

#SDCityBeat

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

Comic-Con: Contiguous expansion, please

I

’M GOING ON THE RECORD with what might 130,000 of them—arrive this week. Although attendbe a surprising opinion: A downtown NFL sta- ees range from frugal spenders to fuggetaboutit cordium would be super cool, and so would an ex- porate expense account holders, as a group they’ll panded convention center. If you’re a progres- unload upwards of $80 million in direct spending. sive who just spit up a mouthful of coffee, or a BoltComic-Con organizers have maintained for years tramp-stamped Chargers devotee looking for a high that they’ve outgrown the convention center and five, read further to see why this is not high heresy need more adjacent space. And this doesn’t just boil from CityBeat. down to jokes about Twinkie-stuffed geeks not feelA non-mixed-use stadium in East Village could be ing motivated to walk from the halls of the convensynergistic next to Petco Park. It might even boost or tion center to a proposed site in a “convadium” that’s instill some civic pride. My vision of the deal that gets several blocks away. it done, though, includes hefty provisions for home“We view an expansion to mean any addition lessness services and affordable housing in the near- to the current facility,” said Comic-Con Director by neighborhoods, including Barrio Logan and Sher- of Marketing and Public Relations David Glanzer. man Heights. By the way, the ideal deal is fully funded “Anything else really is a new separate facility. A by the Chargers and the NFL (the movement starts separate convention facility built across the street or here). You want a place for your employees to work? blocks away would pose any number of challenges.

CHRIS LEE / FLICKR You pay for the facility.

First we would need to deThe deal that gets my termine who of our retail vote on a downtown staexhibitors would remain dium does not include raisin the current facility and ing the city’s hotel tax—by who would be relegated 20 to 25 percent in one fell to the distant facility. Adswoop—to pay for it. Any ditionally, in order to pretax paid by a tourist for vent ambush marketing or a hotel stay is not found a rival event to take place money. It belongs to city we would need to secure taxpayers via the general rental of that new facility, fund and would be betwhich could be expensive.” ter spent on an economic Convention center exSan Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H line pansion in San Diego is an pump primer like a bigger convention center. endeavor that has mistakenly become entangled Two city initiatives helping weigh down the ballot with building a new football stadium. Contiguous in November call for bumping up the hotel tax. I don’t expansion got bogged down in its own legal entanbelieve in the Chargers Initiative (which calls for cre- glement involving financing. That part needs to be ation of a mixed-use, mash-up of a stadium and a non- worked out on its own, sooner than later. contiguous convention center expansion) or the multiHaving dual initiatives on the ballot that address pronged Citizens’ Plan (which excludes the construc- expansion is beyond confusing. Especially since it’s tion of a contiguous convention center expansion). not conclusive now—and still may not be clear in Much of the Citizens’ Plan does make sense—in- November—whether passage of the Citizens’ Plan cluding no public subsidy for a stadium—it just over- requires a two-thirds or a majority vote. reaches with calling for a contiguous expansion ban.

When we start this process all over again after Whether or not you believe wealthy hotel own- both initiatives are defeated in the general election, ers have formed a cabal and are walking lockstep in let’s drop the smokescreen of the benefit of combina secret deal to get an expansion on the bayside of ing a stadium and a convention center annex. Unthe convention center, know this: contiguous is the less…the billionaires who own the Chargers and run preferred industry standard. The major convention the NFL want to finance a new East Village stadium groups who can take their business to any city with and pay for a contiguous convention center expanlarge enough exhibition halls—including the Ameri- sion—where annexed stadium seating could be set can Public Transportation Association and the Water up and sold for TV viewing on football Sundays.

Environment Federation—have indicated as much.

—Ron Donoho And then there’s Comic-Con. This colorful collection of superheroes, nerds and fanboys—all Write to rond@sdcitybeat.com This issue of CityBeat thinks Donald Trump should skip the GOP convention and come to Comic-Con as The Joker. Or tiny-handed MODAAK.

Volume 14 • Issue 50 EDITOR Ron Donoho MUSIC EDITOR Jeff Terich ARTS EDITOR Seth Combs WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos STAFF WRITER Torrey Bailey COLUMNISTS Aaryn Belfer, Edwin Decker, Minda Honey, John R. Lamb, Alex Zaragoza

CONTRIBUTORS Matthew Baldwin, David L. Coddon, Beth Demmon, Andrew Dyer, Tiffany Fox, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Peter Holslin, Jessica Johnson, Scott McDonald, Sebastian Montes, Jenny Montgomery, Susan Myrland, Michelle Poveda, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Tom Siebert, Jen Van Tieghem, Amy Wallen EDITORIAL INTERNS Duncan Moore, Chloe Salsameda

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jason Noble ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Beau Odom Mark Schreiber Jenny Tormey ACCOUNTING Kacie Cobian, Sharon Huie Linda Lam HUMAN RESOURCES Andrea Baker VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE Kacie Sturek

PRODUCTION MANAGER Tristan Whitehouse

VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS David Comden

MULTIMEDIA ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Paulina Porter-Tapia

PUBLISHER Kevin Hellman

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Interested in advertising?

Call 619-281-7526 or e-mail advertising@sdcitybeat.com. The advertising deadline is 5 p.m. every Friday for the following week’s issue.

EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING OFFICE 3047 University Ave., Suite 202 San Diego, CA 92104 Phone: 619-281-7526 Fax: 619-281-5273 www.sdcitybeat.com

San Diego CityBeat is published and distributed every Wednesday by Southland Publishing Inc., free of charge but limited to one per reader. Reproduction of any material in this or any other issue is prohibited without written permission from the publisher and the author. Contents copyright 2016.

4 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

UP FRONT | LETTERS

WITNESS REVEALS SELF

I deeply regret that I have procrastinated so long in sending this letter. I have been thinking of sending this story on to you as I can see by your Editor’s Letters that you have real empathy for the homeless and I don’t know how to go about looking into the plight of a man who I witnessed having an encounter with a police officer.

It must be close to three or four weeks now. I think it was a Friday afternoon. I was walking across Fourth Avenue at University and saw a few people gathered around a man who was being brought down by a police officer. I have been a physical therapist for many years and my experience with cerebral palsy led me to think that this individual had this condition. I only glanced quickly as I was crossing the intersection but I noted definite spasticity in his legs trying to coordinate and it wasn’t just that he was being “taken down.”

I was in a hurry to get on with my errand and kept going but on my way back about 10 or 15 minutes later I went by same intersection and saw this man on the ground with his arms/hands handcuffed behind his back. The man was extremely distraught and pretty hysterical so he wasn’t able to express himself clearly. He kept yelling, breathlessly “please don’t arrest me, I’m coming up for…housing, and I won’t be able to get it if I have a record of arrest...”

I stopped for a moment and the officer spoke in my direction...asking or stating, “You saw him resisting arrest, didn’t you?” He went on to further say the man was riding his bike recklessly and drove into the back of their police car .

I said I had only seen him grab the man as I walked by and that I thought the man had some type of spastic condition and wasn’t able to walk well. The officer said something about the man only starting to demonstrate that condition later...I’m not sure what he meant as he must have thrown him to the ground and handcuffed him pretty quickly.

I so regret my lack of advocacy for this man. It has been a lesson for me on how not to act in the future.

I am afraid that: 1.) This man was so distraught he could have gone into cardiac arrest or respiratory distress. 2.) He could have been arrested and lost his opportunity at housing to get off the street.

Even if neither of these things happened, here was an individual who was thrown to the sidewalk for a substantial period of time with his arms secured behind his back, strangers all standing, gaping at him like some animal caught in a noose and none of us knowing how to in-

6 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

tercede or how to de-escalate the situation with the police presence.

I thought of going to the police station the following week but had second thoughts regarding the feasibility/efficacy of that.

So I’m putting this out to the public. To see if anyone can track this unfortunate person down and see if, after the fact, he may need someone to vouch for him.

I came to believe that he just accidentally ran his bike into the police car, possibly because of his CP condition and that it was a possible case of road rage on the part of the police officer.

My email is: marges290@yahoo. com.

Thank you.

Margaret Sohar, San Diego

RED CROSSING

Homeless people were camped in an Escondido building that was mysteriously/deliberately burned (by the campers?) [“Does Red Cross exclude homeless from aid?,” July 6]. People accused the Red Cross of not treating homeless people like disaster victims.

Editors nationwide demanded an end to homelessness. They cited the human right of everyone to live anywhere they want, i.e. San Francisco, Beverly Hills, Rancho Santa Fe, La Costa, Gaslamp, La Jolla.

I don’t feel the Red Cross should be bankrupted in a unattainable failed attempt to end homelessness. They are going to screen people just like rescue missions and shelters do. Alcoholics, addicts, pet owners and violent people will be directed to other charities and emergency rooms.

I don’t feel everyone can demand to live anywhere they want and have someone else pay for it.

None of the proposed solutions will cure alcoholism, drug addiction and mental illness. Homelessness will not be ended without mandatory and involuntary treatment and confinement. To wring your hands and claim otherwise is delusion and fantasy.

Sebastian Caspary, San Diego

WE WANT FEEDBACK Email letters to editor Ron Donoho at rond@sdcitybeat. com, or mail to 3047 University Ave., Suite 202, San Diego, CA 92104. For letters to be considered for publication you must include your first and last name and the part of town where you reside.

TABLE OF CONTENTS UP FRONT From the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Letters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Spin Cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Backwards & In High Heels. . . .

4 6 7 8 9

FOOD & DRINK The World Fare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Dishing It Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Final Draught. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

THINGS TO DO Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . 15-19

ARTS & CULTURE Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 FEATURE: Sketch Classes. . 20-21 Well, That Was Awkward . . . . 24 Seen Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Films . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-27

MUSIC FEATURE: Inter Arma. . . . . . . . 28 Notes from the Smoking Patio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Concerts & Clubs . . . . . . . . . 33-35

LAST WORDS Advice Goddess . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

ON THE

COVER Doing a cover illustration for Comic-Con is “a fanboy dream that finally came true,” says Erik Manluctao, also known as RBST. “I want you to feel the crowds, the visual overload, the fantastic claustrophobia that you get when you take a photo down there where everyone strikes a pose and tries to squeeze in,” he says.

Oh, we feel it. Our spider sense is tingling.

“Fans of entertainment come in all ages, shapes, sizes, ethnicities, so I tried to be as inclusive as possible,” he adds.

“No one gets left out if I can help it.”

You can see more of RBST’s work at robeast.com, and on Instagram and Twitter at @RBSTweet.

#SDCityBeat

UP FRONT | NEWS COURTESY OF MIA LI

Making an eXXXample of California’s porn industry Prop 60 either advocates safety or strips performers’ rights

by Torrey Bailey

C

ALIFORNIA’S NOVEMBER ballot will leave no stone unturned.

Classrooms. Cigarettes. Prisons.

Pot. Also among the topics to be debated: the porn industry.

Supporters of Proposition 60, also known as The California Safer Sex in the Adult Film Industry Act, say it aims to tighten safety standards within the industry and minimize the risk of spreading HIV and sexually transmitted infections. Pornographers argue the proposition tries to fix a system that isn’t broken.

Prop 60 would require adult performers to use condoms and other protection while filming and subject the actors to state-regulated HIV and STI testing. The initiative reached the ballot after more than 557,000 signatures were collected statewide, surpassing the required amount of 365,880.

Rick Taylor, campaign manager for Yes on Prop 60, said it would enforce the California Department of Industrial Relations’ pre-existing requirement for condom use in adult filmmaking, which is in compliance with the 1993 U.S. Department of Labor’s Bloodborne Pathogen Standard, and regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

“For years now, the industry has ignored the federal law,” Taylor said. “All we are trying to do is put added protections in this law, give the performers even more protections than they have now so that they don’t get, not just AIDS, but so many other diseases that these performers are at risk of getting.”

Communications Director Mike Stabile of the Free Speech Coalition, which considers itself the trade association of the adult entertainment industry, said the industry successfully self-regulates and performers already refuse to work with producers who don’t test regularly.

“Even when you’re talking about something like chlamydia or gonorrhea, this is something that would put you out of work for a number of weeks,” Stabile said. “For any of us, if there’s something certain that would keep us from working for two weeks, we would be really cautious about it and take it really seriously. Aside from just wanting your sexual health to be on the up and up, this is something that really would affect incomes.”

The Free Speech Coalition took on the responsibility of widespread testing of HIV and STIs in the adult film industry under its Performer Available Screening Services, after the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation went out of business in 2011.

Stabile said that performers are tested every 14 days, and their results are confidentially recorded, accessed only by registered actors and producers. Under this system,

#SDCityBeat

“there has not been an on-set transmission of HIV on a regulated adult set since 2004,” according to the FSC website.

And in the event of a false-positive test, San Diego-based adult film star and producer Mia Li said the industry is put under a moratorium, in which all filming is suspended until every potentially affected performer has been tested and cleared.

Taylor strongly disagrees that the status quo is safe. “They’re giving you bullshit,” he said. “They’re pornographers that prey on young men and women and throw them to the curb when they get a disease, which unfortunately is life-threatening and with them for the rest of their life.”

The animosity traces back further and deeper than Prop 60. There has been a longstanding rivalry between the porn industry and the president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the largest global HIV and AIDS service organization. AHF President Michael Weinstein has been scrutinized for fraud, anti-unionization and a counterattack on PrEP, an FDA-approved drug proven to prevent HIV.

San Diego-based adult film producer and star Mia Li

opine that “government is ill-equipped to mandate and enforce the use of condoms on adult film sets.”

Prop 60 “is very dangerous and very misleading because Michael Weinstein has said it’s coming from a place of the best ELVERT BARNES / FLICKR interest of the performers,” said Li. But Weinstein has been absent at every opportunity for discussion, she said.

Taylor said the AHF would not get involved in the industry’s games. “We’re not playing politics,” he said. “It’s about people’s lives here. This is real. This ain’t about who’s smarter politically. If they want to play cutesy political moves, great. Let them play by themselves.”

Industry insiders like Li are most concerned about details that extend beyond the basics of condom use and tests. If passed, Prop 60 would allow any Californian to report an adult film that appears to be in violation of the condom requirement.

“It’s taking the enforcement aspect of it away from government and putting it in the hands of any California resident that wants to pursue a lawsuit,” Li said. “And through that, even if it never comes to fruition, now they have access to my private information, my address, things that can be demanded of me through the process of the law. And that’s not okay.”

Li also says the protection requirement AHF President Michael Weinstein is not exclusive to condoms, and would fill the future of porn with dental dams, gloves Weinstein is the driving force behind and goggles, which performers say strips Prop 60. As of April, the AHF had funded their attempt to be intimate and realistic.

100 percent of its costs, totaling $2 million.

“When it boils down to it, people don’t He also spearheaded Measure B, which was buy condom porn,” Li said. “They want a passed in Los Angeles and called for the representation of what sex can look like in adult film condom requirement. its optimal form because this is entertainThe Los Angeles Times’ editorial board ment.” initially supported the intent behind MeaWhile the GOP has called pornography sure B, but poor oversight led them to later

a menace to public health, the California Republican Party opposes Proposition 60.

The California Democratic Party is also against the proposition. Taylor attributes this to political grudges.

“It’s politics,” Taylor said about the bipartisan opposition. “I don’t know how to answer it any other way...the leadership of these parties are controlled by a handful of special interests and the [Democratic Party Vice Chair Eric C. Bauman]...does not care for the director of the AHF. He has had a personal feud with him for many years, and this is his way of getting back at this one individual rather than looking at it in a way to protect working men and women, which is what this whole campaign is all about.”

Bauman could not be reached for comment.

San Diego isn’t a hotspot for porn production, but it does have its share of consumers. Local residents account for nearly one percent of all of Pornhub’s traffic within the United States, according to the porn site’s data, which also shows the city has an above average affinity for lesbian, stepsister, stepmom and MILF content when compared to the rest of California.

Overall, the porn industry is centralized in Los Angeles, and only a small cluster of companies maintain a very low profile in San Diego—the most notable being Naughty America, which has most recently made headlines for its groundbreaking virtual reality pornography content. In the event that Proposition 60 passes, though, some fear the $9 billion industry could be driven out of California altogether.

(One in a series of stories delving into the multitudinous number of propositions that will appear on the Nov. 8 California ballot.)

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

UP FRONT | OPINION

SPIN

CYCLE

JOHN R. LAMB

A spirited, silent protest in Barrio Logan Silence is the most perfect expression of scorn.

—George Bernard Shaw

T

he San Diego Chargers brain trust took its pitch for an East Village stadium into the heart of Barrio Logan last week, and Brent Beltrán did something unusual for him—he stayed silent.

With a dozen community allies by his side, Beltrán—usually not one to keep quiet when his beloved neighborhood is under assault—stood across Newton Avenue in the midday sun Friday as the Family Health Centers of San Diego held its “Spirit of the Barrio” fundraising luncheon.

Holding signs that spoke for them, the group—calling itself Barrios Against Stadiums, or B.A.Sta (the Spanish word for “enough”)—gathered to protest the pro-downtown-stadium

speakers featured at the luncheon, most notably team president A.G. Spanos and his hired stadium shepherd, former downtown redevelopment honcho Fred Maas.

“You know, normally we’re a loud, boisterous and occasionally obnoxious community when we protest,” Beltrán said. “But because we have such great respect for the Family Health Center, we’re out here silently protesting as a way of showing our displeasure not with Family Health but with the Chargers wanting to bring a stadium basically one block from the Barrio Logan limits.”

Having grown up a Chargers fan, Beltrán made clear the distinction: “You can like the football team, but you don’t have to like the owners.” At one point, a car passed by as the driver yelled out, “We want a stadium!”

The protesters spoke up at that point, with one responding, “No we

8 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

don’t! Not downtown. Chula Vista, Oceanside, Spring Valley, choose the neighborhood. Not this one.”

Representatives from several area state officials left the luncheon early as discussion got under way on the Chargers’ November ballot initiative that would raise the city’s hotel tax to 16.5 percent from the current 12.5 percent to help pay for a combo downtown stadium/convention facility.

One shared disdain when the Chargers offered to include an art gallery in the project for Barrio Logan artists “where they can display their wares.” “Typical lip service,” the rep said. “We want to be part of the community. We want to make it a gateway to Barrio. We want to include a gallery for their art!”

“Tokenism, right?” Beltrán chided.

“There’s no discussion of the impact specifically on the renting residents and small businesses and the galleries,” he added.

“We’re mostly a renting community. Put that stadium three blocks away from where we’re standing, and the effects will be devastating.

It’s great if you own property, but if you don’t, that’s the impact.”

As vice chairman of the Barrio Logan Community Planning Group, Beltrán is all too familiar with the Rodney Dangerfield plight

JOHN R. LAMB

NASSCO spokesman Dennis DuBard (left) discusses downtown stadium protest with Barrio Logan activist Brent Beltrán. of his neighborhood. Its community plan update was put before citywide voters in 2014 by Mayor Kevin Faulconer and soundly rejected for attempting to create a buffer between residents and the polluting shipyard-related businesses that dot the community.

Needs that other neighborhoods take for granted—even handicapped curb ramps and parking limits to curb shipyardworker abuses—go unfulfilled.

But despite the setbacks and government stalls, Barrio Logan has blossomed into a promising oasis for artists and youthful entrepreneurs forced out of more expensive enclaves. Mom-andpop shops thrive—for now.

Not everyone in Barrio Logan understands the impact Beltrán talks about. A gentleman walking past the Family Health Center thought the Chargers plan meant that Petco Park would be expanded. “So they’ll make it bigger?” he asked. When told it was an entirely different proposal, he responded, “So they’ll demolish that one?”

He did know that some residents in East Village also oppose a downtown stadium, but added, “Could be good, could be bad. I don’t know.”

A Union-Tribune story about the luncheon noted the protest without quoting from the participants. But it extensively featured comments from Maas, who reportedly acknowledged that “there’s eight or 10 folks standing outside who are very concerned about the impact this facility is going to have on your community, and I can tell you on behalf of this organization we all share that concern.”

Rather than walling off the community from downtown, Maas argued that the proposal would create “a window to Barrio Logan.”

As the luncheon ended, some attendees took pictures of the protesters before heading for their cars. One gentleman walked across the street to greet Beltrán.

“Hi Brent, how are you?” said Dennis DuBard, head of government and media relations for

General Dynamics NASSCO, a major tenant along the Barrio Logan waterfront that teamed with the mayor and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce to defeat the community plan update two years ago.

After some niceties, Beltrán half-jokingly asked if NASSCO would join the stadium opposition.

While hedging, DuBard recalled the “stupid idea” to build a stadium atop the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal before adding about the current Chargers proposal, “We would probably not be in, uh, I don’t know where we’re going to come out, but I know personally on this topic of discussion we’re just concerned about encroachment.”

Beltrán said he has no illusions that NASSCO will join B.A.Sta, “but I want him to give his money to the other campaign, even though I’m not part of this.”

What he was referring to was the campaign initiated by the mayor’s supporters who believe Mission Valley is the only logical location for a new stadium. Going by the name “No Downtown Stadium – Jobs and Streets First!,” the coalition just added to its ranks Councilmember David Alvarez, whose district includes Barrio Logan, his office confirmed.

He joins colleague Chris Cate, local Republican Party treasurer April Boling, architect Rob Quigley and Chicano Park muralist Mario Torero among others in opposition to the stadium plan.

Beltrán said he could not “in good faith” associate with the Republican Party while representing “a community that’s predominantly Mexican.”

As for silent protests, he said those are now over: “If NASSCO invited the Chargers, we’d be loud as fuck in front of their building.

But this entertainment district will bring condos and sports bars right here. And that’s a direct threat against the maritime industry. We’re not going to be silent.”

Spin Cycle appears every week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

UP FRONT | OPINION

AARYN BELFER

BACKWARDS & IN

HIGH HEELS

Driving while Philando Castile “He would get a low-paying job, make some child support payments, fall behind on them, get fined, miss a payment, get jailed for a few weeks, lose that job due to absence, and then start over at a lowerpaying job. From all apparent evidence, he was a decent schlub trying to make things work in a system engineered to make his life miserable and recast his best efforts as criminal behavior.”

—Reporter Jack Hitt, on Walter Scott (an unarmed black South Carolina man fatally shot by a North Charleston police officer)

F

ifty-two times in 14 years.

That is how many times Philando Castile was pulled over for supposed traffic violations during his driving life. I mean, what are the odds a black person can outlive that kind of regular police interaction? Walter Scott couldn’t do it and he was regularly stopped for small infractions like a busted tail light, the same supposed beginning that led to Castile’s end on July 6 in Minnesota.

This is what I was thinking about as I drove 10 miles above the speed limit toward an organizing meeting last week. That right there is privilege.

One guy. Fifty-two times. Do you know what that is? That is filling quotas. That is profiling. That is harassment. Fifty-two times is a tax.

Think about it for a minute: When a person is pulled over, he is made late for work, or late to pick up his kid, or late for something important like, oh…I don’t know, the life that he’s trying to live with dignity.

Then he gets a ticket. That ticket requires traffic school, which requires time away from work.

That ticket may require a possible court appearance which also requires time away from work. Then, if that ticket isn’t dismissed, there is a fine to be paid which is not cheap.

After 52 stops, if he hasn’t lost his job, he now has to work overtime to come up with money to pay the fine. If he doesn’t have the money to pay the fine, there are penalty fines on the overdue fine creating a whole new and larger fine. We can all totally relate to this vicious cycle, amirite?

Or no, we cannot. Because we white folks do not experience 52 times. Most of us don’t even contemplate 52 times or the financial, social and psychological implications of 52 times. Me? I’ve experienced 52 minus 50 times.

The first time I was pulled over was when I was younger and cuter and I used these facts to talk my way out of a ticket. I was quite proud of myself at the time, and it made for a good dinner party story.

Today, I’m just straight up embarrassed.

The second time I was stopped was more recent.

I’d pulled into a gas station to fill up when I noticed the flashers behind me. According to the officer, I’d rolled through a stop sign three blocks back. This was debatable and I said as much. The officer took my license and walked away. He came back a few moments later and asked if I’d pulled into the station to get gas.

Did you know you only have to have a GED to be a police officer? Nothing against GEDs; they’re totally respectable. But perhaps we should require a bit…more of those with so much unchecked and overprotected power.

Anyway. It took all the strength of a wanna-be Olympic Crossfitter whose bodybuilding, Paleoeating girlfriend is trapped under six tractor tires​ for me not to say something completely sarcastic.

I bit my tongue and nodded.

Then he said to me: “Why don’t you go ahead and fill up while I run your plates so you’re not inconvenienced.”

Go ahead and fill up…so you’re not inconvenienced. This is a super sad true story.

In the end, the cop gave me a warning and I knew—like, really knew—the way I know I hate Crossfit and that Paleo is the new socially acceptable eating disorder, that the same gesture of convenience would never be offered to a Philando Castile or a Walter Scott.

On the same day Castile’s dreadful death was live streamed by his girlfriend on Facebook, a friend of mine, a university professor who is black, was pulled over. He was leaving a class he’d just taught, but that didn’t matter because you can’t degree your way out of racial profiling.

According to the officer who stopped him, my friend had failed to come to a complete stop at a stop sign. This was debatable but my friend didn’t say as much. What isn’t debatable is that this was his sixth stop. This year.

And here is where my white lady naiveté reminded me that my friend’s experiences and my own are totally, utterly, painfully, stupidly, ridiculously, outrageously, unjustly different.

“Did you get a ticket?” I asked, settling in one breath the age-old question as to whether there are stupid questions.

If my friend has been pulled over six times this year and we’re barely halfway through it, it doesn’t take GED math to calculate how many times he’s experienced this during his driving life.

That number may be in the vicinity of 52. That scares the fuck out of me, and it is not okay.

“

Then he said to me: ‘Why don’t you go ahead and fill up while I run your plates so you’re not inconvenienced.’

“

#SDCityBeat

Backwards & In High Heels appears every other week. Write to aaryn@sdcitybeat.com.

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

UP FRONT | FOOD

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE

A Tortas El Turco telenovela EXT. Avenida Revolución, Tijuana —Night WIDE SHOT of the East side of Avenida Revolución looking South. A WOMAN is walking toward the intersection at 5th carrying a large handbag.

MEDIUM SHOT of the Tortas El Turco stand from the POV of the WOMAN. CLOSE UP of DANIEL PEREZ-PEREZ through the counter window, his back to the WOMAN as he scrapes the flattop. He is cleaning up for the night. So is she.

the legendary chain collapsed. A decade later, though, Perez’s first wife revealed she, too, had the recipe and gave it to former neighbor Louis Fitch. Thus was Tortas El Turco (Blvd. Fundadores #8490, Tijuana) reborn under the original name and with that original recipe.

The thing to have at Tortas El Turco is the torta de lomo de res, the steamed beef tenderloin sandwich that’s where the place began. Actually, it began at the corner of Avenida Revolución and 5th, with TJ-style hot dogs. Perez was using the hot dog water to steam a beef sandwich his (first) wife had made him when a customer asked for the same. The cart’s dog-torta ratio blew up.

The torta de lomo is a simple affair with a direct statement: a delicious, sloppy, tasty, tender beef sandwich. The especial version adds ham and cheese, a nod toward a torta cubana. The result, MICHAEL A. GARDINER

WOMAN (off screen) Daniel. Look at me!

TWO SHOT of DANIEL and the WOMAN on either side of the counter. The WOMAN reaches into her massive purse and removes a high caliber HANDGUN. She points it at DANIEL, whose eyes widen noticeably.

DANIEL What are you doing? What the…

E/C/U of the WOMAN, a wry smile curls her lips.

WOMAN I’ve come to take what’s mine, Daniel.

CLOSE UP of DANIEL, fear arcing across his face.

DANIEL No. The stand…the shops…

WOMAN They’re mine, Daniel. Mine. You gave them to me and you gave me the recipe.

TWO SHOT of DANIEL and the WOMAN, who fires the HANDGUN. DANIEL staggers backward grabbing his chest where the bullet entered, blood oozing around his hand. He falls, dead. * * * That’s probably not an accurate depiction of how Tortas El Turco founder Daniel Perez-Perez was murdered in 1983 by his second wife. It is, however, roughly how a Mexican telenovela might portray it; overacting, overwriting and all.

Perez’s wife soon landed in jail and before long

10 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

Torta de Lomo al Vapor though, doesn’t read as the sequence of distinct flavors as does a cubana. The steam brings those flavors wonderfully together.

El Turco also offers a ham-and-cheese torta as well as flautitas de lomo—think beef tenderloin taquitos—and fries. But why? If any food is going to pass your lips at El Turco other than the tortas de lomo, let it be the classic Mexican pickled carrots and chiles (serranos here). The acidity and the heat are perfect accompaniments to the tortas de lomo.

As much as I love the camp and drama of a good Mexican telenovela, El Turco’s tortas stand on their own. They’re almost as legendary as they are good. Still, do you think I could get a telenovela development deal?

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

UP FRONT | FOOD

BY JAMES VERNETTE

DISHING IT

OUT

The whole beast and nothing but the beast

S

an Diego’s food culture is a lot like a beautiful teenager: You can see the future and it looks bright, but it still needs seasoning and maturity.

But events like the ones planned by Joe Magnanelli, executive chef of CUCINA urbana (505 Laurel St.) in Banker’s Hill, go a long way toward helping this city’s food scene graduate to the next level.

Magnanelli is planning four “Beast Feasts” over the next year in which he will create a family-style meal where the focus is on one animal and uses as much of that animal as is possible.

The first event was on July 19, at which Magnanelli created a two-course meal using a large fish for $70.

The press release claims the first will be a redfish, but Magnanelli said the exact style of fish won’t be determined until the day of the event. After that, the events will be held quarterly.

“I’m planning to see what’s available at the dockside market or I might go fish for it myself,” Magnanelli said before the July 19 event.

The next meals include ones centered around a lacquered duck (Oct. 25), a cow (Jan. 31) and a suckling pig (April 17).

#SDCityBeat

As diners demand restaurants pay attention to things such as the environment and sustainability, some foodies in other cities are choosing to eat in places that use as much of an animal as possible.

What’s cool in Portland or New York still isn’t the norm in San Diego, but Magnanelli is happy he is able to do it at all.

“We couldn’t have done this 10 years ago, but in other cities, you go to a ‘chef ’s table’ event two or three times a week,” he said. “I want people to appreciate the whole animal.”

Although this sort of sustainability could be the wave of the food future, it’s actually looking back toward the past to a time when people had to use everything from an animal without wasting it.

But for it to work in modern times, diners need to be willing to recognize how the food they are eating came to be on their plate.

“People get squeamish about seeing a whole animal,” he said. “For instance, in April, we will be serving a whole suckling pig. Some people want their food, but don’t want to see what it is.”

If the “Beast Feasts” are successful, Magnanelli hopes to continue them, but he also hopes to provide a path forward for the local dining scene in general.

“I hope this is the way of the future,” he said. “If we want to be responsible, it’s not just about a pork chop, it’s the whole animal. And then maybe people won’t be so frivolous and send back the chop if it’s a third overcooked.”

For more information on the “Beast Feasts,” check out cucinaurbana.com.

Dishing It Out appears every other week.

URBAN KITCHEN GROUP

Joe Magnanelli

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

12 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

#SDCityBeat

UP FRONT | DRINK

FINAL

BY BETH DEMMON

DRAUGHT Three B Zine is a self-supported, three-yearold podcast run by Cody Thompson, Thomas Pritchard and Dustin Lothspeich that’s hosted henever I’m chatting with someguests ranging from Shawn Dewitt of Coronado one and they find out that I’m a beer Brewing to Cosimo Sorrentino of Monkey Paw/ writer for CityBeat, the next question South Park Brewing Company. Its tagline “Live is often, “How can I get a beer writing gig like Local” embodies their fierce loyalty to the that, too?” Well, you probably can’t, unless you independent craft beer scene, and perhaps the start yet another craft beer blog riddled with tymost refreshing part of their approach is their pos and asinine observations about the mouthwillingness to include new beer drinkers in feel of a random triple IPA. There are a finite the conversation rather than only focusing on number of San Diego-based craft beer publicaappealing to seasoned insiders. tions, so you can have my slot when you pry it “We want to educate everyone in beer and from my cold, dead fingers. (Please note: that’s make it easy and comfortable for everyone to be not a challenge.)

COURTESY OF TAPHUNTER a part of this awesome However, there are community.”

—Cody an industrious few who Thompson have expanded from the Two years ago as standard written beer part of TapHunter’s column and established marketing initiative, it alternative media outlets launched the Business covering the local scene. of Beer podcast to use When you can bear to existing relationships tear yourself away from with influencers in my excruciatingly witty the industry and share beer commentary, here insights with the are some local podcasts San Diego audience filling the airwaves with thirsty for more beer bacchanalian banter. education.

If you San Diego Beertalk Andy “The Beerman” Coppock, haven’t checked them Radio has been one of my host of Business of Beer out yet, start with personal favorites even Episode #58 with Josh Hembree and Keldon before I got smashed on the air two weeks in a Premuda from the forthcoming Setting Sun Sake row with Andrew “The Beerdist” Dyer. (Tune Brewing Company for plenty of fermentinginto Episodes #66 and #67 for my barleywineforward revelations. fueled rampages.) Hosts Greg Homyak and Brian “There are a lot of people out there that are new Beagle—of Sore Eye Suds fame, a blog that I to well-crafted beer. Don’t judge them or they may remarkably have nothing snotty to say about—are never come back.” —Andy “The Beerman” Copsome of the most well-connected, authentic and pock, host of Business of Beer knowledgeable beer nerds in San Diego. Coming This is just a taste of what’s available beyond up on a two-year anniversary on Aug. 5, you can the written word, so stay tuned for Part 2 in the expect their boots-on-the-ground interview Aug. 3 issue on where to satiate your need for formula to expand to new cities (and potentially more local beer discourse. new outlets, like radio) as they grow.

“As opinionated as we can be on the show Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com, check her out on about beer, remember that it is just beer. Drink it, Instagram at @thedelightedbite, or via Twitter at have fun, mingle with friends, family and strangers @iheartcontent. alike.” —Greg Homyak

Boozy broadcasts

W

#SDCityBeat

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

14 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

#SDCityBeat

SHORTlist

EVENTS

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

SAN DIEGO

ART OF THE CON

free giveaways, an open breakdancing competition and live art from Nick McPherson and Dave WeiLook here, if you don’t have a badge or detz (aka MR.DVICE). bluefootsd.com On Friday, July 22, the downtown location of just have an “I can’t even” attitude toward Comic-Con, don’t fret. There are actually the Museum of Contemporary Art (1100 and 1001 some great Con-inspired art shows happening this Kettner Blvd.) has four new exhibitions opening. week that don’t involve a Kev- COURTESY OF THE CHEECH MARIN COLLECTION We’d recommend them all, but Papel Chicano Dos seems parin Smith appearance or waitticularly topical since it showing-in-line experience that recases works-on-paper from sembles Disneyland.

Chicano artists that were culled First, it’s worth it to check from the impressive collection out the already-opened Suof Cheech Marin. Names inper Freaks at the downtown clude the likes of Carlos AlmaSparks Gallery (530 Sixth Ave.) raz, Wenceslao Quiroz and Carand, if you have the means to los Donjuan. MCASD is open get there, the My Hero: Confrom 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. all weektemporary Art & Superhero end. mcasd.org Action exhibition at the CaliFinally, on Saturday, July fornia Center for the Arts (340 23, head to Barrio Logan for the N. Escondido Blvd.) in Esconannual Chicano Con and Hedido. Both offer fresh, humorroes vs. Villains art show. Held ous, and in the case of Super from 2 to 11 p.m., Chicano Con Freaks, demented takes on the at Border X Brewing (2181 Losuperhero narrative. Check gan Ave.) includes an art show, sparksgallery.com and artcencostume contests, kid-friendly ter.org for business hours.

On Thursday, July 21, “Night Shift #3” by Carlos DonJuán activities and, naturally, specials on beer. Starting at 5 p.m.

Bluefoot Bar & Lounge (3404 30th St.) in North Park is hosting a Pabst Blue Rib- next door, the massive Heroes vs. Villains exhibition bon-sponsored art show called Cool Blue Comic- at La Bodega Gallery (2196 Logan Ave.) will showCon from 7 p.m. to midnight. The show will feature case comic book and fantasy-inspired works from more than a dozen local artists’ takes on PBR’s icon- nearly 100 local artists. Check out each venue’s reic “Cool Blue” character. The night will also include spective Facebook page for more info.

1

OCEANSIDE

2

TIJUANA

SUPER STOKERS

Would you be more stoked to hit the beach instead of a convention center? Would you rather wear a wetsuit than a Chewbacca costume? Then you may want to head to the Oceanside Pier (The Strand, near Pier View Way and N. Pacific St.) for Supergirl Pro, the world’s largest female surfing competition. This free event will feature the biggest names in women’s surfing, with more than 100 surfers competing for a spot on the world championship tour. There will be a festival village with a variety of activities, including autograph booths, a celebrity surf invitational, a half-pipe competition and more.

There will also be live music from nine different artists, including Daya and Cody Simpson. The competition starts daily at 8 a.m., from Friday, July 22, to Sunday, July 24. supergirlpro.com STEINMETZ / ASA ENT.

Supergirl Pro

#SDCityBeat

3

CROSS-ZINE THE BORDER

Given that we’re primarily a print publication, our opinion may be a little biased, but here it is: print is and always will be the forefront of subversive, innovative and worldchanging thought. There’s no better example of this than zines—handcrafted literature wherein musings and manifestos on music, culture, politics and social movements can be passed from person to person. The Tijuana Zine Fest, which goes down Saturday, July COURTESY OF THE ARTIST 23, at 2 p.m., will celebrate the enduring art form on a grand scale by featuring more than 60 zinesters.

Comic artists, photographers, self-care promoters, writers Zine Fest Logo by Luisa Luisa and DIY aficionados will all be in attendance. Admission is free, and the location is Estación Federal (Larroque 273, Empleados Federales, 22010), a newly renovated space where the old McDonald’s used to be—basically a five-minute walk across the border. tijuanazinefest.com

HComicArt 2 at Hess Brewing North Park, 3812 Grim Ave., North Park. Over 40 local artists will display new comic-bookinspired art in the fields of animation, anime, cartoons, comic strips, editorial cartoons, graphic novels and more. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, July 20.

Free. artbykami.com HCool Blue Comic-Con at Bluefoot Bar and Lounge, 3404 30th St. (North Park), North Park. More than a dozen local artists take on Pabst Blue Ribbon’s iconic “Cool Blue” character. Also includes free giveaways, an open breakdancing competition and live art from Nick McPherson and MR.DVICE. Opening from 7 p.m. to midnight. Thursday, July 21. Free. 619756-7891, pbrart.com Art After Hours at San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. Enjoy evening access to SDMA galleries every Friday through Sept. 2. From 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 22. $5. 619-232-7931, sdmart.org Black Lights and Beer at Kilowatt Brewing, 7576 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Kearny Mesa. Enjoy Kilowatt Brewing’s 3D Black Light Art Museum by Iain Gunn and Nigel Brookes for the last time before their next round of local art work is installed.

From 5 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, July 22.

Free.

858-715-3998, facebook.com/ events/1717049285212098 HDeLIMITations: A Survey of the 1821 United States-Mexico Border at MCASD - Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. In 2014, artists Marcos Ramírez ERRE and David Taylor set out to trace the historical 1821 border between Mexico and the western territories of the U.S. This exhibition features photos and videos from their trip. Opening from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, July 22. Free-$10.

858-454-3541, mcasd.org HMoris: Beautiful Landscape 7: beatings, hard bread and cold-water baths at MCASD - Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. A series from Mexican artist Moris, who creates makeshift shelters and furniture using found materials such as garbage, tarps, and cardboard. Opening from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, July 22. Free-$10. 858-4543541, mcasd.org HPapel Chicano Dos: Works on Paper From the Collection of Cheech Marin at MCASD - Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. A presentation of artwork from established and emerging Chicano artists, including the works of Carlos Alvarez, John Valadez, Margaret Garcia, Wenceslas Quiroz and Carlos Donjuan. Opening from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday, July 22. Free-$10. 858-4543541, mcasd.org HRuben Ochoa: Watching, waiting, commiserating at MCASD - Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. An exhibition of the work of Mexican-American sculptor Ruben Ochoa, who is known for his use of common construction materials and large scale installations. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, July 22. Free-$10. 858454-3541, mcasd.org HHeroes vs. Villains at La Bodega Studios and Gallery, 2196 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. More than 80 pieces of art that interpret heroes and villains from dozens of artists including Amber Gomes, Carlos Mendez, Carrie Anne Hudso, and many more. Opening from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 23. Free. facebook.com/ events/1749205555313971 HKings & Queens at Downtown Vista.

An interactive art show featuring over 50 different artists that takes place in vacant buildings around Vista. The buildings will be transformed into a creative work of art and will feature art on exhibit. See web-

H = CityBeat picks

site for locations. From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 23. $5 suggested donation.

760-414-9391, backfencesociety.com Super Video Game Land 3 at Mission Brewery, 1441 L St., East Village. Paintings of retro video games by artist Anthony Bulcao will be on display, including a special collection that honors The Legend of Zelda’s 30th anniversary. Opening from 6 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, July 23.

Saturday, July 23. Free. 619-544-0018, facebook.com/events/531617520378321

BOOKS Scott McEwen at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The bestselling author and co-author of American Sniper will discuss and sign the newest edition in his Sniper Elite series, Ghost Sniper.

At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 20. Free.

858-454-0347, warwicks.com Deamer Dunn at Upstart Crow Bookstore and Coffeehouse, 835 West Harbor Drive, Suite C, Seaport Village. A meet and greet with the author of the mystery novel, Omar T in San Diego and Tijuana. At 7 p.m. Thursday, July 21. Free. 619-232-4855, artbz.bz Marlene Wagman-Geller at National City Public Library, 1401 National City Blvd., National City. The author will sign and discuss her books, including Behind Every Great Man: The Forgotten Women Behind the World’s Famous and Infamous.

From 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 21.

Free. 619-470-5800, nationalcitylibrary.org Rod Laver at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The iconic tennis player and two-time Grand Slam champion will discuss and sign his autobiography, Rod Laver: An Autobiography. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 21. Free. 858-4540347, warwicks.com Meet & Greet Science Fiction Authors at Upstart Crow Bookstore and Coffeehouse, 835 West Harbor Drive, Suite C, Seaport Village. A special meet and greet with Chuck Wendig (Star Wars: Aftermath Life Debt), Kevin Hearne (Staked), Richard Kadrey (The Perdition Score), Chloe Neill (The Veil), and more. At 9 a.m. Saturday, July 23. Free. 619-232-4855, upstartcrowtrading.com HBob Proehl at La Jolla Library, 7555 Draper Ave., La Jolla. The music critic will discuss and sign his debut novel for fans of Comic-Con, A Hundred Thousand Worlds. At 4 p.m. Saturday, July 23.

Free. 858-552-1657, warwicks.com Writers 2 Watch: Kenneth Zak at Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village.

The author discusses his debut novel, The Poet’s Secret, which tells of a woman in search of a reclusive poet, hoping he can unlock the mysteries of enduring love.

From 1 to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, July 24.

Free. 619-236-5800, sdfocl.org Alex Segura at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The mystery novelist and comic book writer will be promoting Down the Darkest Street, the hard-boiled sequel to his debut thriller, Silent City. At 6 p.m. Monday, July 25. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com HJulie Barton at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The writer will be promoting her comedic memoir, Dog Medicine, about her battle with depression and how her dog saved her life. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 25. Free. 858454-0347, warwicks.com Sherrilyn Kenyon at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The bestselling fantasy author will be signing her new title, Dragonmark, the latest in the Dark-Hunter series.

At 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 25. Free. 858268-4747, mystgalaxy.com

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

THEATER LIZ LAUREN

Megan McGinnis (left) and Sharon Rietkerk in Sense and Sensibility

Venturing into Austenland

N

othing against romance.

Play The Alarm’s “Presence of Love” and I go all to pieces. There’s just something about Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility that while indefatigably clever is also excessively sentimental. That being said, the Old Globe Theatre’s presentation of Paul Gordon’s musical Sense and Sensibility is sumptuously staged and performed with tremendous spirit, unabashed though it may be in its love of love. Newcomer (to San Diego)

Barbara Gaines directs a superior cast that features Megan McGinnis and Sharon Rietkerk as the Regency-era Dashwood sisters Marianne and Elinor, who if you know Austen, represent sense or sensibility when it comes to the two L words: life and love. McGinnis and Rietkirk are top drawer, each one at ease with this adaptation’s comingling of melodrama and welltimed comedy.

Gordon’s musical score is decidedly expository, though the recurring “Rain” swells with dramatic effect, and “Wrong Side of Five and Thirty,” sung

16 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

by the awkward suitor of Marianne’s, Col. Brandon (Sean Allan Krill), manages to be both funny and touching in its self-deprecation. Kevin Depinet’s inspired set relies on an architectural swirl and the illusion of windows, allowing the focus to be on the persevering Dashwood sisters, as it should be.

Sense and Sensibility runs through Aug. 14 at the Old Globe Theatre. $39 and up. oldglobe.org *** om Jacobson’s The Twentieth Century Way, running through July 24 at ion theatre, is about as different from Sense and Sensibility as you can get. Rather than looking for love, its two principal characters (in fact the one-act play’s only two characters) are actors auditioning for a coveted part. Or are they? In short order, Brown (Colton Iverson) and Warren (Richard Johnson) are engaging in fast-and-furious role play, immersing themselves in a scenario in which actors posing as vice cops compete to nab gay men practicing “social vagrancy” in 1914-era Long Beach. This is a breathless, explicit show that shows off Iverson and Johnson’s

T

EVENTS stamina and way with accents, but even at 85 minutes it feels too long and its history lesson is rather obscured by the characters’ quick-change theatrics.

The Twentieth Century Way runs through July 24 at ion theatre’s BLKBOX @ 6th & Penn in Hillcrest. $14-$32; iontheatre. com

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Junk: The Golden Age of Debt: This world-premiere dramedy from Pulitzer Prize winning author Ayad Akhtar centers on a brash genius who sets out to change the world of finance in ‘80s America. It opens July 26 at the La Jolla Playhouse. lajollaplayhouse.org 80 Days: A Musical: Student performers present the musical version of the adventures of Phileas Fogg and his attempt to go Around the World in 80 Days.

Presented by the Grossmont College Summer Theatre Arts Conservatory, it opens July 28 at the Stagehouse Theatre at Grossmont College in El Cajon.

For full theater listings, visit “T heater ”at sdcitybeat.com.

EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 Therese Huston at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The cognitive psychologist will sign and discuss How Women Decide, which offers engaging stories of real women and their experiences, as well as accessible analysis of what the science has to say. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 26. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com

COMEDY Chris Hardwick at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. The stand-up comedian, creator of The Nerdist, and host of @Midnight stops by on his “ID10T Tour.”

At 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 22. $39.50. 619570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org Red Guerilla Comic-Comedy Con at Comedy Palace, 8878 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont. Top comedians from L.A., O.C. and San Diego will come together to bring laughs and fun during the SDCC weekend. Comedians Laurie Kilmartin and Chris Gore will headline.

From 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, July 23. $20-$25. 858-573-9067, thecomedypalace.com HThe Nerdist Podcast Live at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown.

Chris Hardwick hosts a live taping of the popular Nerdist podcast and interviews the likes of Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), Danny McBride and Walton Goggins (Vice Principals) and Bruce Campbell (Ash Vs Evil Dead). At 7 and 10 p.m.

Saturday, July 23. $39.50. 619-5701100, sandiegotheatres.org Todd Glass at American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. From Last Comic Standing and The Todd Glass Show, the

#SDCityBeat

EVENTS COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

and registration. From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Thursday, July 21 through Sunday, July 24. Free-$22. thenerdmachine.com

tiles. From noon to 7 p.m. Friday, July 22.

Free. 619-239-0003, mingei.org

for pairing. Free entry with racetrack admission. From noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 23. $6. 858-755-1141, dmtc.com

HChicano Con at Border X Brewing Tasting Room, 2196 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan.

An art show and festival featuring Chicano takes on beloved super heroes. Also includes costume contests, kid-friendly activities and beer specials. From 2 to 11 p.m. Saturday, July 23. Free. 619-7876176, facebook.com/borderxbrewinglogan

FOOD & DRINK

Heroes Brew Fest at Waterfront Park, 1600 Pacific Highway, Little Italy. Compete in a Caped Crusader Costume Contest, sample more than 100 beers from 40 breweries and enter the Warrior Foundation raffle at this superhero-themed beer fest. From 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 23. $44-$49.

858-694-3030, heroesbrewfest.com

FASHION

HDel Mar Craft Beer Festival at Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. Sample dozens of toprated San Diego beers, ask brewery reps about their expertise, check out gourmet food trucks and buy beer merchandise.

Free entry with racetrack admission. From 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 23. $6. 858755-1141, dmtc.com

The Collectors’ Gallery Trunk Show at Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. An exclusive trunk show with featured artist Sarah Myriam Winston, who specializes in natural handwoven tex-

HGourmet Food Truck Festival at Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. The fourth annual festival for food on wheels will have 50 food trucks on site with a beer garden available

HSan Diego Beer Fest at Liberty Station, Roosevelt & Cushing, Point Loma. The Brew Fest returns for an evening of local and international craft beers and the area’s most popular food trucks. Proceeds benefit Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue. From 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 23. $40-$50. sandiegobeerfest.com

HFeast Oceanside Food Festival at The Old Mission San Luis Rey, 4050 Mission Ave., Oceanside. A food festival and fundraiser highlighting over a dozen restaurants, breweries and distilleries located exclusively in Oceanside and benefitting local non-profit organizations. From 6 to 9 p.m.

Wednesday, July 27. $45. mslrfeast.com

MUSIC HFinal Symphony: Music From Final Fantasy VI, VII and X at Jacobs Music Center, 750 B St., The San Diego Symphony Orchestra performs the musical scores from the popular video game series. Includes a pre-concert presentation with Fi-

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

“Skull 9” by Jannis Markopoulos is on view through Aug. 14 at My Hero: Contemporary Art & Superhero Action, a group exhibition at the California Center for the Arts (340 N. Escondido Blvd.) in Escondido. funnyman will be performing for one night only. From 8 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 23. $16. 619-795-3858, https://americancomedyco.com/products/todd-glass-2

COMIC-CON HComics Conference for Educators and Librarians at Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. This inaugural educational conference will explore the role comics play in promoting education and literacy for all ages and includes panels with publishers and industry professionals. See website for details and schedule.

At 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 20, 11 a.m.

Thursday, July 21 and Friday, July 22, and 10 a.m. Saturday, July 23. Free.

619-236-5800, comics4schoolsandlibraries.bpt.me HCamp Conival at Petco Park, Park & Imperial, Downtown. A four-day, summer camp-themed convention that includes panels, contests, activities and much more. No Comic-Con badge required.

See website for full details and schedule.

From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, July 21 and Friday, July 22, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday, July 23 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday, July 24. Free. nerdist.com Comic-Con Bellydance Showcase at Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey St., Mission Bay. Belly dance showcase featuring costumed performers, music by Cairo Beats, fire performers, a snake charmer and more.

From 8 to 10:30 p.m. Thursday, July 21. $5-$10. 858-689-2422, tangodelrey.com Fleet Night of Science: Comic-Con After Party at Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, 1875 El Prado, Balboa Park. A night of science-themed fun that includes panels, costume contests and special guests Chris Mowry (Godzilla Comics) and Fred Bronson (writer, Star Trek: The Next Generation). At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 21. $20-$25. 619-238-1233, rhfleet.org Munky King Comic Con Party at BASIC, 410 10th Ave., East Village. Join LAbased toy store Munky King as the Comic Con veterans deck the walls in speciality toys, unique graphics and live art. From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday, July 21. Free.

619.531.8869, HNerd HQ at New Children’s Museum, 200 W. Island Ave., Downtown. The annual hang-out for Comic-Con attendees includes gaming activities and “conversation panels with Felicia Day, Nathan Fillion and dozens more. See website for tix

#SDCityBeat

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

18 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

#SDCityBeat

EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 nal Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. At 8 p.m. Thursday, July 21. $35-$90. 619235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses - Master Quest at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown.

The San Diego Symphony Orchestra will perform music from the beloved game franchise. Includes music from the new “Tri Force Heroes” game with never before seen gameplay imagery. At 8 p.m. Friday, July 22. $35-$90. 619-235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org Sounds of Summer at Downtown San Diego, North Harbor Dr., Downtown. This week, the pop-up concert series will feature Ezekiel Jay, David Maldonado and The Heart playing at different outside venues around downtown. See website for locations. From noon to 2 p.m. Friday, July 22. Free. downtownsandiego.org

A Comic Con after party that includes cocktails and sushi, live performances

by Mochi Maid Cafe, singer Stephanie Yanez and dancer Ally Vega. From 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, July 22. $25-$30. 619232-2721, niwa.org Park After Dark at Balboa Park. On Fridays from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend enjoy extended evening hours at ten museums inside Balboa Park, as well as food trucks and entertainment throughout the Park on select dates.

Various times. Friday, July 22. Prices vary. balboapark.org/afterdark HPAW-micon at Hazard Center, 7610 Hazard Center Dr., Mission Valley. This annual event designed to raise awareness for orphan pets features costume contests for people and pets. There will also be animals from the Helen Wood-

ward Animal Center available to adopt.

From 10 a.m. to noon. Saturday, July 23. Free. 619-543-8111, animalcenter.org HTijuana Zine Fest at Estación Federal, Estación Federal Larroque 271, Empleados Federales, 22010, Tijuana. A celebration of the enduring art form of zines that includes over 60 zinesters, as well as comic artists, photographers, self-care promoters, writers and DIY aficionados.

At 2 p.m. Saturday, July 23. Free. www. facebook.com/events/994709523916716/ HNorth PB Sip ‘n’ Stroll at Taylor Branch Library, 4275 Cass St., Pacific Beach. The fourth annual fair promoting the residents, businesses and community organizations of Pacific Beach. Benefits local charities.

See website for details and list of participants. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 24. Free. 858-581-9934, sipnstrollpb.com

SPORTS HSupergirl Pro Surf Competition at Oceanside Pier, 300 N. The Strand, Oceanside, Oceanside. The world’s top professional female surfers come to Oceanside for a weekend full of competitions. Includes a festival village loaded with surf and skate vendors, art, fashion, music, fitness, dance, food and a beer garden. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, July 22, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 23, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 24.

Friday, July 22. Free. 760-632-6843, supergirlpro.com

WORKSHOPS HThe Science of Beer at SILO in Makers Quarter, 753 15th St., East Village.

UC San Diego Extension’s Brewing Certificate Program experts and local brewmasters offer demonstrations and tastings from nine breweries including Stone, Lightening, and Rip Current, with live music and food trucks. From 3 to 6 p.m.

Saturday, July 23. $25. 619-702-5655, eventbrite.com/e/the-science-of-beertickets-26430029931 Behind the Craft with Fermenters Club: Barrel-Aged Pickles at Green Flash Cellar 3, 12260 Crosthwaite Circle, Poway. Learn how to make your own pickles. Includes a presentation, facility tour and a guided tasting of slow-fermented pickles paired with barrel-aged beers. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sunday, July 24. $30-$60. 858-6220085, greenflashbrew.com

Liberty Concert Series: Temple of the Dad at White Box Live Arts, 2590 Truxtun Road, Studio 205, Point Loma. Enjoy a night of live music and help raise funds for Music4Change Community Outreach, an organization committed to supporting at risk communities. From 6 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, July 23. $10 suggest donation. 619-225-1803, eventbrite.com/e/ liberty-concert-series-temple-of-the-dadtickets-26213046929 Twilight in the Park: SDYS International Youth Symphony at Spreckels Organ Pavilion, Pan American Rd., Balboa Park. Celebrate the 12th annual International Youth Symphony Orchestra as SDYS’s most advanced students and musicians from across the world will perform as part of Balboa Park’s Twilight in the Park series. From 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 26. Free. sdys.org

PERFORMANCE Hw00tstock 8.0: A Night of Geeks + Music at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Adam Savage (MythBusters), Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and music-comedy duo Paul and Storm celebrate geekdom with music acts, readings, comedy, short films and more. At 7 p.m. Thursday, July 21. $42.50. 619570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org HCaptured Aural Phantasy Theater at San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park. The performance troupe is staged like a classic radio show and brings comic book stories to life with live music, sound effects and projections of the original comic art. From 5 to 8 p.m.

Friday, July 22. Free-$19. 619-232-3821, sdnhm.org SuicideGirls: Blackheart Burlesque at Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Pop-culture themed burlesque from the edgy burlesque troupe, with tributes to Star Wars, The Legend of Zelda, A Clockwork Orange and more. From 9 to 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 22. $25-$85. 619-2755483, www.brickbybrick.com

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD Jazz Heaven CD and Book Release Party at Rebecca’s Coffee House, 3015 Juniper St, South Park. A release party for Tomas Gayton’s latest poetry book, Jazz Heaven. Local musician Richard James will be releasing a CD, and all jazz musicians are encouraged to come and play.

From 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, July 22. Free.

619-284-3663, sambajia.com

SPECIAL EVENTS Cute, Cute Kawaii After PArty at Japanese Friendship Garden Society, 2215 Pan American Road, Balboa Park.

#SDCityBeat

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

CULTURE

PACKED HOUSE on a Tuesday night is rare for any bar, much less a dive in relatively sleepy South Park. On a recent Tuesday night, though, the Whistle Stop is a bustle of creative energy. Pints sit comfortably on top of butcher paper while patrons diligently sketch everything from silly, Pokemon-inspired monsters to elaborate, surrealistic scenes that look straight out of a Geof Darrow comic book. Some keep their head down, but most chat with neighbors and friends in between swipes and swigs.

It’s possible that Sketch Party is the most happening Tuesday night scene in town. The bi-monthly art event—where right-brained patrons come to draw, color and sometimes simply doodle on papercovered tables—has seen a steady uptick

20 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

DUNCAN MOORE

in attendance and popularity since starting in October of last year. There are certainly plenty of bars in town that offer similar, artbased nights and workshops. Some have been doing it for much longer. However, Sketch Party co-founder Randall Christopher says the event has two things going for it: First, the price is right (it’s free and all materials are provided). Second, the atmosphere is relaxed and unpretentious and it’s a convenient gathering place for creative types to meet like-minded folks.

“To me, when we first started doing it, I was like, ‘this should be a community thing that can start building an art community.’

Just trying to get people to meet each other, that’s what I see as the real power,” Christopher says. “This isn’t the solution for the art and culture scene of San Diego, but I really think this is going to change something. I’m jazzed that people are meeting

Regan Russell each other and becoming friends, and two people might meet and be like ‘Hey, we should start a gallery.’”

While there hasn’t been a gallery started as a result of Sketch Party, Christopher points to artist Laurie Nasica (who goes by the name Los Freedom Fries), as an example of a Sketch Party success story.

“Me and my friend started coming at the end of last year and we met a ton of people,” says Nasica, who is originally from France and recently had some of her works dis-

played in Pikku Salon and Gallery in Golden Hill after the owners saw her efforts on the Sketch Party Instagram page. “I’ve just met a lot of friendly people here. It’s cool to have a night like this where it’s not just another night at a bar.”

Nasica recently started painting after receiving encouragement from longtime local artist and Sketch Party staple Mike Maxwell. Active in the scene since the

SKETCH PARTY CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 21

CULTURE

PHOTOS BY DUNCAN MOORE

SKETCH PARTY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20 ’90s, Maxwell has seen art-themed nights come and go over the years and says he’s impressed with how this event has evolved.

“I like that it brings a very diverse group of artists together in a city where it’s sometimes hard for artists to get all together in the same room,” says Maxwell, who’s quick to add that he’s seen a lot of talent blossom at Sketch Party. “It’s not like we’re all trying to look cool like people do at art shows. Everyone here, because they’re drawing and making their art, they just seem to settle into the artists that they really are.”

Laurie Nasica

22 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

Christopher began Sketch Party after he met fellow San Diegan Tom Haubrick and L.A.-based artist Ken Garduno. The two were Christopher’s booth neighbors at Comic-Con and had been doing a Sketch Party in Los Angeles. Christopher and Haubrick began talking to some of their favorite neighborhood bars and debuted the San Diego version of Sketch Party at Bankers Hill bar The Balboa in October of last year.

“To be honest, I didn’t know if anyone was going to come,” admits Christopher.

“But it was packed that first night. So I talked to [Whistle Stop bar manager Craig Oliver], and he said we could do it here. The first one we did here was a mad house.”

Sketch Party has had a steady pull since then, so much so that it went from a monthly night to being held on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month (the next one is July 26 from 8 p.m. to midnight). Christopher can’t exactly pinpoint the appeal, but has developed some theories after watching the event become increasingly more popular.

“The fact that people are sketching on butcher paper is really critical because it keeps it informal and it doesn’t seem serious,” says Christopher, who just wrapped a very successful ComicCon edition of Sketch Party and is curating a

Tom Haubrick and Randall Christopher “Best-Of”-style art show of Sketch Party work, scheduled for Aug. 16 at La Bodega Gallery in Barrio Logan. “People aren’t showing up with easels and a box of stuff.

They just show up and doodle. I feel like people who don’t think they can draw or are intimidated will come and they realize it’s still fun. No one’s felt intimidated from what I can tell.”

However, the scene has already developed naysayers. One artist, who preferred we didn’t use her name, told us that she used to go all the time, but stopped because it got “too crowded.” She also complained that because so many professional artists now stop by, that it could be intimidating to someone who just dabbles in art in their spare time.

Christopher admits that they may have to tweak the formula a bit in order to consistently present a welcoming environment, but maintains that the pros decidedly outweigh the cons.

“I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how positive the vibe is, but I know it’s not always going to be like that and that there are going to be people that bicker,” Christopher says. “Some guy stole one of the raddest pieces of art last week. I know there’s going to be some drama here and there, but I’ve been really surprised with how so many different kinds of people are meting each other, and talking, and hanging out, and really having fun. That’s what I’ve been really happy about.”

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

CULTURE | VOICES

RYAN BRADFORD

WELL THAT WAS

AWKWARD

10 of the worst garbage characters in X-Men

I

used to love X-Men. In the first grade, I got a beginners guide to X-Men from a Scholastic book order and carried it with me in my backpack until the cover fell off. In the second grade, my family travelled to Montana to attend my grandpa’s funeral.

The morning after, I woke up early to catch the premier of the animated series in my grandma’s basement, strategically lowering the volume with face nearly pressed against the screen (probably a radioactive safety hazard, given the age of my grandma’s TV) so I didn’t wake any of my cousins, sleeping on the floor around me.

And who knows, if I had saved any of the money that I spent on X-Men toys and comics between the years ‘92 and ‘96 and invested it wisely, maybe I wouldn’t be the scrub that I am today.

But somewhere the magic died. Maybe it was when Marvel released the Generation X series in the mid ‘90s. Or maybe it was when Brett Ratner directed X-Men: The Last Stand. Or maybe it was the emergence of toxic online nerd/man-baby communities. Or maybe it was when Marvel Studios took away everything that made superhero comics seem special, inspiring and niche, and fed it to Mickey Mouse, who then shat out formulaic turds meant to resemble movies.

Or maybe it was when Marvel Studios gave the keys to the franchise to Bryan Singer, a man who’s faced allegations of child rape, but whose ability to produce massive blockbusters in a business that’s systematically designed to protect him has saved him from any real legal strife.

I could go on, but fuck it. The magic’s dead. And to commemorate the death, here’s a list of the worst characters that helped usher it into the grave.

1. Wolverine: Oh yeah, you like Wolverine?

Are the Lakers or Yankees also your favorite sports teams? Is Green Day your favorite punk band? Perhaps the only thing more basic than being a Wolverine fan is being a Superman fan. Shame on Marvel for loading a character with so many badass attributes that all future heroes will pale in comparison.

The only time he was interesting was when Magneto pulled all the adamantium off his bones in the “Fatal Attraction” series (his bone claws were figuratively way more metal than his adamantium claws).

2. Deadpool: The only thing worse than Wolverine is a Wolverine rip-off. The character’s creator, Rob Liefeld, openly admits to creating Deadpool because Spider-Man and Wolverine already existed.

Fans like this character because he has Wolvie’s healing factor, but he’s also, like, sassy. I’m guessing that the only reason the movie was such a hit was because it actually had a sense of humor instead of the self-important skid-marks that foul up our multiplexes every summer. Also, fuck everything that Rob Liefeld creates. For instance…

3. Shatterstar: I bought this action figure when

I was nine years old—the first X-Men toy I ever had.

I didn’t really know anything about the character, but his double-bladed swords and majestic ponytail exuded “coolness.” And that pretty much sums up the career of Rob Liefeld: stylish and appealing to nine-year-olds. He (alongside Todd MacFarlane and the rest of the Image Comics crew) is largely credited with turning ‘90s comics into the violent, babyman fantasy that endures today. His other offensive trademarks include unrealistically proportioned female characters that were probably penciled with his boner, and illogically designing all his costumes with an insane amount of utility pouches. Shatterstar is a garbage character whose actual power is the ability to learn things really fast, or something like that.

4. Juggernaut: Everybody had a friend that got a little into the “I’m the Juggernaut, bitch!” Internet clip when it came out 10 years ago. My Juggernautloving friend ended up stabbing a guy in a cokefueled rage, but didn’t do any jail time because he comes from money. Anyway, fuck Juggernaut. He’s not even a mutant, just a guy who found a mystical ruby that gave him powers.

5. Psylocke: As my comicexpert friend Keith says: “[Psylocke’s] awesome, but also, like, five shitty stereotypes. It’s like: ‘here’s a half-naked Japanese ninja but inside she’s a white person.’” There are so many problematic issues with Psylocke that there’s an entire Tumblr dedicated to them: psylockeissues.tumblr.com.

6. Angel: I can’t imagine there’s a character that has caused as much regret and remorse in all X-Men writers and illustrators—including creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby—as Angel. His power is, well, having huge-ass, cumbersome, feathery wings. It’s like Lee and Kirby said, “Okay, so this guy can fly, but how do we make that explicitly, painfully obvious?” He’s always sucked, but his status as one of the original team means that no artist or writer can really get rid of him. I guess if X-Men ever get into a tickle war, at least they have Angel.

7. X-Treme: This super heBRO is exactly what San Diego would create if it were tasked to invent an X-Man. 8/9. Dazzler, Jubilee: Two characters whose powers are, uh, fireworks, just updated for different eras. Dazzler satisfied those who apparently felt there wasn’t enough disco in comics, and Jubilee is basically the walking equivalent to a Hot Topic store.

10+: The entire Generation X team: I credit this team as the reason I stopped reading X titles.

So many ridiculous characters (including Jubilee) on this team, including Skin—whose power is extra skin—and Chamber, who was perpetually destroying his face by shooting energy blasts from it. GTFO, Skin. GTFO, Chamber. GTFO, everyone.

Well That Was Awkward appears every other week.

Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com.

“

The only thing worse than Wolverine is a Wolverine rip-off.

“

24 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

#SDCityBeat

CULTURE | ART JARROD J PHOTO

SEEN LOCAL OUTSIDE THE LINES

F

or an artist, Rachel LaBarre is proving to be a savvy businesswoman. The creator and publisher of the Very Adult Coloring Books line of, well, adult coloring books is more than aware that the bubble may burst any day. An activity once reserved just for kids, the popularity of adult coloring has spiked over the last year with some titles landing on bestseller lists and adult coloring nights popping up at bars. LaBarre, along with local companies such as Oceanside’s Color Ink Book (colorinkbook.com) and the Escondido-based ColorIt (colorit.com), have seen the trend become especially popular locally. In fact, according to Amazon, San Diego is one of four U.S. markets where adult coloring books consistently rank among the website’s bestselling print titles.

Still, LaBarre says she isn’t taking anything for granted.

“I think that now that it’s a thing, more people will be open to trying it and the holidays will be great, but from the business side of it, I anticipate there will be a day where the demand is not as high,” says LaBarre, who started Very Adult (veryadultcoloringbooks. com) earlier this year after seeing other books “surge” in popularity among her friends. “The shock value is wearing off and the market is becoming so saturated.”

For now, LaBarre says sales and popularity has “been climbing ever since” she released the first Very Adult book in January. She has her own theories as to how the trend started in the first place. LaBarre says companies like Etsy have made DIY and craft culture more mainstream and that crafters and artists are more inclined to turn what was previously a hobby into a business. She also cites the recent culinary trend toward accessible “comfort food” as a parallel theory. That because of the recession, con-

Rachel LaBarre sumers began to gravitate toward food, and in the case of adult coloring, activities that were not only affordable, but would also create a sense of nostalgia for simpler times.

Adam Washburn—who along with his brother Jason started Color Ink Book in 2008 at the height of the recession—has also seen online sales of their “DIY Art Periodical” do a lot better lately. Color Ink may have the distinction of being the first local coloring book marketed toward adults. The book takes the work of established lowbrow and pop-surrealist artists and renders them in black-and-white so that purchasers can color them in. However, Washburn says the trend still has some ways to go before it’s fully accepted by some of the larger arts and crafts stores.

“We’ll still try to get the book into places like Michael’s and they’ll say something like, ‘Well, our customers wouldn’t go for something like this,’” Washburn says. “I’ll tell them that they’re just missing out on what’s turned into a huge market.”

It remains to be seen whether the market for adult coloring books will go the way of artsy trends like those Magic Eye 3-D posters, but folks like Washburn and LaBarre seem to be doing it for the right reasons.

“It engages a different part of our brains,” LaBarre says. “Being able to tangibly and physically contribute in that way without the pressure of worrying about the result will always be gratifying to people.”

—Seth Combs

TO SEE OR NOT TO SEE: THE WONDER SOUND

Made up of 30 rooms and utilizing everything from wood and rope to conveyor belts and spinning wheels, The Wonder Sound is a permanent exhibition that has been two years in the making, and I’m hapIn this semi-regular department, arts editor Seth py to report, was well worth the wait. While I was Combs reviews a notable new art show or exhibition. there, children as well as adults weaved in and out of the castle-like structure. Murals lovingly mixed very child deserves a clubhouse. If I’m to believe with painted letters from Sam-Bruce’s own madesome of the stuff I’ve read online, having a club- up language which guests could learn in one room if house or treehouse teaches a kid valuable devel- they wanted to. I felt comforted that, because of this opmental skills like organization, socialization and creinstallation, an entire generation COURTESY OF THE NEW CHILDREN’S MUSEUM of local children might think of ativity. I didn’t have one when I was a kid. I’m also a slovenly, The Wonder Sound as their own antisocial snob who can somepersonal clubhouse. times write a pretty sentence.

My only gripe is with the So, yeah, touché Internet.

NCM itself, which opted to rent I’d like to think Coloradoout the museum for private based installation artist Wes events throughout the entirety Sam-Bruce also didn’t have a of Comic-Con rather than letclubhouse growing up. That’s ting what is arguably the largest not to imply that the once loinflux of tourists to the downcal artist’s installation at downtown area enjoy the best exhibitown’s The New Children’s tion the museum has ever had.

The Wonder Sound I’ll give NCM the benefit of the Museum (200 W. Island Ave.) The Wonder Sound, isn’t a doubt, but to deprive the inner monument of precision and creativity (it most certain- children of the Comic-Con crowds the opportuly is), but rather it’s so precise and creative that I can’t nity to freely explore such an amazing exhibition help but imagine that it’s been stewing in his brain is almost as bad as not getting a treehouse in the since he was a kid. That his father or some authorita- first place. Almost. thinkplaycreate.org tive figure once told him “no” and he’s been concocting plans for his own elaborate playhouse ever since.

—Seth Combs

E

#SDCityBeat

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

CULTURE | FILM

La La Land

Café Society

Woody Allen’s sun-kissed comedy is a subtle and breezy gut punch

by Glenn Heath Jr.

E

arly in Woody Allen’s sublime Café Society, a the subtle gut punches thrown at each character’s nebbish Hollywood newbie fantasizes about prideful egos. Vittorio Storaro’s sun-kissed cinemastardom with a dashing young actress-turned- tography makes that transition entirely seamless. secretary. “I can’t imagine what it would feel like being Much tension emanates from the battle between larger than life,” he giggles, hypnotized by the pomp of public and private personas. Allen calls attention to 1930s Los Angeles. Her contact high faded long ago: this dynamic through his own voice-over narration, “I’d be happy being life-sized,” she calmly responds. waxing eloquently about missed opportunities, forNothing tempers robust dreams like a little expe- lorn dalliances and the cautionary advice we don’t rience, and Allen’s latest comedy effortlessly surveys heed. “She had warned him from the start,” he says the long arc of disillusionment for these two potential about Vonnie, whose decision to marry an elder lovebirds. Initially, there’s a glowing possibility that, statesman derails Bobby’s waking life in Los Angedespite the cynicism of the adult world, natural-born les. But the young man finds even more confusion chemistry might win the day. But the fates giveth, in the Big Apple, suggesting that each region plays and the fates taketh away; counthost to their own unique brand less little emotional compromises of self-deception. help foster an environment suspiSettling down becomes an CAFÉ SOCIETY cious of hope, a place where coninevitable reality of growing up. formity comes naturally.

In Café Society, Allen sees it as Directed by Woody Allen The film opens with one of the great monotonous tragedy Starring Kristin Stewart, its few brave acts. Bobby Dorfof his characters’ lives, someJessie Eisenberg, Steve Carell man (Jesse Eisenberg) decides thing they cannot avoid. A great and Blake Lively to escape his humdrum life in exchange between Bobby’s OrNew York City and move west to thodox Jewish parents (Jeannie Rated PG-13 work in the film business. After Berlin and Ken Stott) about the weeks of waiting and expecting, disappointing one-sidedness of he finally lands a menial job in prayer feels like a culmination the office of his movie mogul uncle Phil Stern (Steve in this regard. “No answer is also an answer!”

Carell). There he meets Vonnie (Stewart), a charmDelivered with sincere anxiety by stalwart actors ing girl Friday whose subtle cynicism toward the in- young and old, this kind of veiled cynicism contains dustry limelight is transfixing. an undercurrent of real pain. “Pondering the relentTiming is everything, as one character says, and lessness of time” makes us expend a lot of energy, Bobby’s isn’t great. Vonnie’s long-gestating affair with and sometimes it’s easier to take the easier way out. another man complicates their momentary tryst. How else could one explain Allen’s predilection for Eventually heartbreak sends Bobby back to New York showing multiple gunshots to the head?

City where his gangster brother (Corey Stoll) offers Café Society, which opens Friday, July 22, ends him the job of manager at a posh nightclub. Here, the with a dual New Year’s Eve celebration with everyfilm takes on an altogether new identity; amid a dif- thing seemingly in balance. Nothing could be further ferent hodgepodge of professional fakers, delusion from the truth. “It’s been an awful year,” one charreplaces desire as the driving force for change. acter says as the champagne bottles pop and conAt first glance, Café Society might seem like Allen fetti falls down. For a brief moment, the truth shines treading water. Witty conversations revolve around through to reveal a stinging alternate viewpoint. Our fate, religion and morality expressing a collective many bad decisions do add up over time, and labeling nervousness about love and happiness. “The poi- the aftermath “guilt” would just be a copout. gnancy of life” reveals a push-pull between academic reason and brute violence. But much like Magic Film reviews run weekly. in the Moonlight, its power builds over time through Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com.

26 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

#SDCityBeat

CULTURE | FILM

Sisterhood

T

he cinema of Hirokazu Kore-eda has a uniquely measured pace. Conflict takes a long time to be uncovered, even when it has been boiling under the surface for years. Characters rarely talk over each other. Images littered with potent details quietly express a sense of time and place. It’s somewhat jarring being met with such an intimate style of drama that never hurries and/or appears to judge.

Our Little Sister, a lovely example of vintage Kore-eda, explores tensions great and small that exist between different generations of a fractured family. In the opening sequence, three grown sisters are informed that their estranged father has passed away, leaving behind a 15-year-old daughter named Suzu (Suzu Hirose). Instead of alienat-

#SDCityBeat

Our Little Sister ing the teenager, eldest Sachi (Haruka Ayase), with the approval of her siblings Yoshino (Masami Nagasawa) and Chika (Kaho), impulsively invites her to live with them in their large old house.

Small details of everyday life contain historical importance and emotional resonance. Recipes and pictures recall memories of an undefined past, blurred by the hazy recollection of childhood.

These objects act as entry points for Kore-eda to uncover a shared familial experience, albeit one that harbors very different individual perspectives.

Each sister has her own quaint melodramas going on in life, from Sachi’s affair with a married doctor to Suzu’s guilt over her mother’s infidelity. It stings when the lovely young woman breaks down

and finally confesses, “someone is always hurt because I exist.”

Kore-eda allows these painful exchanges to gain complexity over time, like the sister’s traditional batches of plum wine fermenting under the floorboards. Our Little Sister, which opens Friday, July 22, presents a litany of lyrical moments and potent exchanges that create a mosaic of collective empathy. It teaches us that the kindness we express matters a great deal to others, right now and for the generations to come.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie: The famous British television comes to the big screen with Edina and Patsy causing further booze-infused trouble and retreating for a getaway in the South of France.

Café Society: In Woody Allen’s latest comedy, a nebbish New Yorker (Jessie Eisenberg) travels to Hollywood in the 1930s and finds unrequited love in the form of a charming girl Friday (Kristen Stewart).

are still fending off extinction in this indestructible kiddy franchise.

Life, Animated: A documentary that follows one struggling family who turns Disney animated movies into tool for expression language of love, loss, kinship and brotherhood.

Lights Out: Horror film that follows two siblings being possessed by the same evil spirit connected with their mother.

Men Go to Battle: Two brothers try to keep their estate from crumbling in 1861 Kentucky at the dawn of the Civil War. Screens through Thursday, July 28, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Microbe and Gasoline: In Michel Gondry’s latest whimsical comedy, two young friends embark on a road trip across France in a car they’ve built themselves.

Our Little Sister: Three sisters living in an old house in Japan learn that their estranged father has been raising a 15-year-old daughter. Upon his death, the women invite the teenager to live with them, bringing up wells of emotions and past traumas in the process. Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda.

Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made: This documentary takes you behind the scenes of 1989’s fan film Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation. Screens through Thursday, July 28, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Equals: Nicholas Hoult and Kristen Stewart star in this Sci-fi drama about two people who fall in love while living in an emotionless dystopia. Screens through Thursday, July 28, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Star Trek Beyond: Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and his crew encounter a new ruthless enemy while exploring the outer reaches of the galaxy in the USS Enterprise.

Ice Age: Collision Course: Somehow, some way, Manny, Diego and company

at sdcitybeat.com.

Full film listings

July 20, 2016 • San Diego CityBeat · 27

MUSIC

From left: Joe Kerkes, Steven Russell, TJ Childers, Trey Dalton and Mike Paparo BOUT HALFWAY THROUGH Inter Arma’s new album Paradise Gallows sits a seven-minute slab of gloriously buzzy post-metal as high-minded and horizon-wide as anything the band has ever done.

The song is called “The Summer Drones,” and it’s a significant zigzag, even for this Richmond, Virginia, quintet, which has built one of the most impressive catalogs in underground metal by zigging and zagging more than most.

Just in case it’s unclear that Inter Arma is reaching deeper into its bag of tricks, vocalist Mike Paparo lets the cat out of the bag 50 seconds into “The Summer Drones” with something he has never, ever tried before: clean vocals. (For the non-metalheads, that means vocals that are sung instead of growled, howled, screamed or grunted.)

Paparo—who is also the vocalist in Richmond black metal nasties Bastard Sapling—is known for his intense performances, both recorded and live. He was not, up to this point, known for hitting actual notes. But as Inter Arma stretched and shaped into the band it became on Paradise Gallows, Paparo felt both the need and the desire to grow alongside drummer T.J. Childers, bassist Joe Kerkes and guitarists Steven Russell and Trey Dalton.

“Most people learn how to sing first. I didn’t. I never sung in my life. I got into heavy metal when I was super young, and I didn’t ever think I could sing, so I just started screaming all the time,” Paparo says. “I actually had to unlearn (when) I decided that I needed to do something different on these songs.”

To be clear, no one else in the band pushed Paparo to change his own approach. He did so himself, for a handful of reasons. For starters, the more expansive scope of the music called for it, and as a result he had to work up the confidence to do so. But for that matter, Paparo—an

28 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

avowed fan of underground death metal, black metal and noise, has heard more than his share of barking beasts and howling goblins.

“When I’d listen to these songs, ‘Summer Drones’ in particular, I thought, ‘Man, I can’t just do typical heavy metal vocals over this,’” he says. “I wanted to color them a little differently, so I just realized I needed to start trying it out, and if it sucks, it sucks. The guys in the band will let me know.

“If I have to hear another sludge band with the same kind of (vocals) going on, I’m gonna lose my mind,” he adds. “Also, our songs are long, and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but I realized I need to vary things up, because if I do the same thing over all these songs, it’s gonna be bad.”

The result? Paradise Gallows is a masterful monstrosity of earth-moving riffs, skyscraping psych, pretty passages and just about any other kind of heavy sound you can imagine. Opening track “Nomini” blossoms from a quiet acoustic guitar piece into a tangle of twin electric guitars that seem to tower beyond the clouds. “An Archer in the Emptiness” stomps and rumbles like a giant tumbling down a mountainside as Paparo engages in some ferocious death growls that’ll have listeners hanging on for dear life.

Later, three songs stretch past the 10-minute mark: “Primordial Wound” is the relentless sludgehammer of the bunch, riding one(ish) note into oblivion before devolving into goblin-speak. “Violent Constellations” finds Inter Arma straddling the line between black metal blast beats and High on Fire’s stoner-chug, conjuring a level of intensity few other bands can even dream. The title track

is the real stunner—a slow-burning build of beauty and brawn that features more of Paparo’s clean vocals and showcases the band’s commanding grip on dynamics.

The ambitious nature of the album and, indeed, the band itself presented a challenge to Paparo to keep up with his ever-evolving bandmates. Childers was the first to notice that Paparo recognized pitches and keys when something was out of tune. That encouraged him to further step outside of his comfort zone and push himself to try new approaches.

“I felt…like I needed to push myself or there isn’t going to be much of a future here for me. They’re so talented, if I stay stuck in my comfort zone, I’d be doing them a disservice,” he says. “I needed to push myself, otherwise I’m just gonna be a merch guy.”

Paradise Gallows closes with the resonant “When the Earth Meets the Sky,” a low-soaring psychfolk dirge that compares favorably to “Marrow,” the final track on Oregon doom trio Yob’s massive 2014 album Clearing the Path to Ascend.

Like that Yob song, “Earth” seems to point to an even brighter future for Inter Arma, and Paradise Gallows is taking the band to new heights.

“We sincerely hope that some cool things happen for us, but if they don’t we’re not gonna be disappointed,” Paparo says. “We’re gonna keep trudging on and keep writing music. We’ve been a band for 10 years now. We’re all still happy playing this music and challenging ourselves, and we’re gonna continue doing that regardless.”

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

MUSIC

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO A GUIDE TO MUSIC DURING COMIC-CON 2016

E

very time the annual pop culture extravaganza of Comic-Con happens in San Diego, the festivities inevitably spill out well beyond the convention center and into the various nooks and crannies of the city. And that, of course, includes live music.

Much like fellow thrash metal legends Metallica did a few years back, Slayer will have a major presence at Comic-Con this year. On Thursday, July 21, the band will be playing an intimate show at the House of Blues, which is already sold out. (For reference, they played the 10-times-bigger Sleep Train Amphitheatre last year.) That said, it’s Slayer, so if you need to call in some favors or shell out a little extra for tickets on the secondary market, there’s no judgment here. On Friday afternoon, the band will be doing signings at the Nuclear Blast booth at 1 p.m. Make sure to have your limited-edition colored vinyl copy of Reign in Blood ready. *** The House of Blues, in an ongoing tradition that’s been taking place as long as I can remember, will also host a headlining show on Saturday, July 23, from ska superheroes The Aquabats.

The band will be joined by Nerf Herder, whose nerd-rock cred includes a name that references Star Wars, a song-length tribute to Van Halen and, most importantly, the distinction of being the band behind the theme for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And while you’re downtown, on Thursday, July 21, beatmaking mystic and onetime San Diegan Gonjasufi will be hosting a listening party at Chee Chee for his new album Callus, which is out in August. Gonjasufi will be DJing at the event as well.

Pabst Blue Ribbon is doing a takeover of a variety of different venues in San Diego throughout ComicCon as part of “Cool Blue Comic-Con,” named after the beer brand’s mustachioed retro mascot. These include events at Bluefoot in North Park, Thruster’s Lounge in Pacific Beach and Chee Chee Downtown, in addition to a metal showcase at Brick by Brick on Sunday, July 24. The show will feature performances

by Ashen Earth, Voices of Ruin, Ratt Black and Christ Killer, as well as an art show, games and prizes. Brick

by Brick will also feature two nights of SuicideGirls Black Heart Burlesque, on July 22 and 23, featuring striptease performances from the famed alt-girl troupe with even more pop-culture nods than usual.

Slayer

*** If you prefer your rock shows to feature bands in costume (and you’re not immediately thinking of The Aquabats), then your best bet is to head to The Casbah for Ziggy Shuffledust and The Spiders from Mars. They’ll perform a tribute to the late, great David Bowie on Saturday, July 23. One night before that, on Friday, July 22, Japanese metal trio Boris will play their album Pink in its entirety, which will feature no costumes I’m aware of, but it’ll rip. The Casbah is also putting on a live taping of the Comedy Bang Bang podcast featuring Scott Aukerman at The Irenic on July 22, in case you want to get some laughter in before the headbanging. *** There is, however, one major concert coming to town that might surpass all of the above for sheer nerdy goodness: “Weird Al” Yankovic. Weird Al performs at the Open Air Theatre on July 21, and fans can expect essentially all of the following: Costume changes, mul“Weird Al” Yankovic timedia interaction, prosthetic makeup and parody songs—lots of parody songs.

Here’s hoping that he ends up breaking out some of *** While we’re on the subject of nerds, The Mer- his famed pop song medleys, performed entirely on row, in keeping with past tradition, is hosting a accordion, of course.

I’m already exhausted just thinking about the night of nerdcore hip-hop on July 23. Mega Ran and Bitforce, who combine 8-bit production with geek possibility of making it to all of these shows (or even culture-referencing rhymes, will headline the show, a handful) but whether you’re trying to catch ‘em all which also includes live video-game soundtrack or simply choosing your own adventure, there are purveyors Kirby’s Dream Band, along with Vic Viper Comic-Con week music events for fans of all stripes and The Koopas.

—Jeff Terich ***

30 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 31

MUSIC

JEFF TERICH

IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda WEDNESDAY, JULY 20

PLAN A: Tacocat, The Regrettes, Soft Lions @ Soda Bar. It’s hard to find an indie pop band as fun as Tacocat. They once had their own branded ice cream, and they have a song about X-Files heroine Dana Scully. I think I’ve said all you need to know. PLAN B: Nails, Terrorizer LA, Freedom, Nomads @ Brick by Brick. If you prefer something more punishing and misanthropic, Los Angeles grindcore outfit Nails play some pretty gosh-darn brutal sounds. Most of their songs are about a minute long, but trust me, any longer and there’d be injuries. BACKUP PLAN: The Joy Formidable, The New Regime @ The Irenic.

THURSDAY, JULY 21

PLAN A: Autolux, Eureka the Butcher @ The Irenic. Autolux features Failure guitarist Greg Edwards, which is an immediate plus in my book. But personnel is one thing and songs are another, and Autolux’s densely layered shoegaze and noise rock gems are top notch. PLAN B: Yidhra, Attalla, Great Electric Quest, Supersonic Dragon Wagon @ The Merrow. For something a little bit heavier, hit up this showcase of doom metal and heavy psych bands. Thursday night isn’t too early to start getting weird. BACKUP PLAN: Culture Shock, World/Inferno Friendship Society, Downs Family, La Cantina Beat @ The Casbah.

FRIDAY, JULY 22

PLAN A: Boris, Earth @ The Casbah.

Ten years ago, Tokyo’s Boris released an album called Pink that combined the best of punk, psych, metal, shoegaze and drone. It’s a modern metal masterpiece and they’re playing the whole thing. I’ve said before I don’t care for artists playing full albums, but considering they rarely play these songs, I’m making an exception.

BACKUP PLAN: Vista Kicks, Hawai, The Gloomies @ Soda Bar.

SUNDAY, JULY 24

PLAN A: Inter Arma, Withered, Strange Planet @ Soda Bar. Read Ben Salmon’s feature this week on Richmond, Virginia, sludge metal titans Inter Arma, whose new album Paradise Gallows is one of the best to be released this year. It’s psychedelic, melodic and utterly crushing. A must hear. PLAN B: The Jayhawks, Fernando Viciconte @ Belly Up Tavern.

One of the best bands of the alt-country era, The Jayhawks have more than two decades of twangy tunefulness on their resume, and countless classics to sing along to. BACKUP PLAN: Beira, Xantam, Empty Gods @ Tower Bar.

MONDAY, JULY 25

PLAN A: Black Milk with Nat Turner, Parker Edison @ Soda Bar. Detroit emcee Black Milk has gone from Dilla-style crate-digger hip-hop to a sleeker synthladen sound. With live band Nat Turner, however, he’s bringing a richer funk experience to the stage, so those grooves will go just a little bit deeper. PLAN B: Big Business, Andy the Doorbum, Death Eyes @ The Casbah. Metal curious but not quite ready to go full Carcass? Big Business is a good place to start. The Seattle group play heavy, burly music that’ll kick your ass, but not without some catchy hooks for good measure.

TUESDAY, JULY 26

PLAN A: Happy Diving, Gem, Quali @ Soda Bar. Sometimes you just want to go out and hear some good old-fashioned guitar-driven rock music. Oakland’s Happy Diving are just the kind of band to provide said service, their upcoming album Electric Soul Unity balancing melody with grit in an easy-to-love package. PLAN B: Bebel Gilberto @ Belly Up Tavern. Bebel Gilberto’s debut Tanto Tempo caught my ear in 2000 and I’ve been a fan ever since. Head here for an evening of subtle yet stunning samba pop and bossa nova.

SATURDAY, JULY 23

PLAN A: TTNG, Strawberry Girls @ Che Cafe. TTNG’s new album is called Disappointment Island, but there’s nothing disappointing about it. They blend tuneful indie rock songwriting with complex rhythms and intricate guitar work that add up to something gorgeously appealing. BACKUP PLAN: Hiroshima Mockingbirds, Mittens, Pleasure Fix @ Bar Pink.

32 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

Boris

#SDCityBeat

MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Joey Purp (HOB, 8/11), Anthony Green (Quartyard, 9/18), Goatwhore (Soda Bar, 9/23), Wynton Marsalis (Balboa Theatre, 10/6), Buena Vista Social Club (Balboa Theatre, 10/7), Legendary Pink Dots (Soda Bar, 10/13), Ryley Walker (Soda Bar, 10/14), Danny Brown (Observatory, 10/14), Schoolboy Q (Observatory, 10/15), Flock of Dimes (Soda Bar, 10/16), The Dear Hunter (Irenic, 10/21), Kero Kero Bonito (HOB, 10/21), D.R.I. (Soda Bar, 10/23), Maceo Parker (BUT, 10/26), BoomBox (Observatory, 10/31), Jim Brickman (Balboa Theatre, 12/30).

CANCELED Iron Butterfly (Music Box, 9/23).

GET YER TICKETS Savages (Observatory, 7/29), Sublime with Rome (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 7/30), Foghat (BUT, 8/11), The White Buffalo (BUT, 8/13), Dillinger Escape Plan (Casbah, 8/14), Guided by Voices (BUT, 8/17), Riff Raff (Observatory, 8/18), Parquet Courts (The Irenic, 8/19), Digable Planets, Camp Lo (BUT, 8/20), Guns ‘n’ Roses (Qualcomm Stadium, 8/22), Todd Terje and the Olsens (Observatory, 8/25), Hot Chip (Observatory, 8/26), Dave Matthews Band (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/26),

#SDCityBeat

Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/27), Deftones (Open Air Theatre, 8/29), Baroness, Pallbearer (Observatory, 8/30), Squirrel Nut Zippers (BUT, 8/31), Flamin’ Groovies (Casbah, 9/2), Yes (Humphreys, 9/4), Los Lonely Boys (BUT, 9/4), The Kills (Observatory, 9/4), Tr/st, Cold Cave (Music Box, 9/8), Zombies (BUT, 9/8), !!! (Soda Bar, 9/8), Floating Points (BUT, 9/12), Ray Lamontagne (Open Air Theatre, 9/13), Counting Crows, Rob Thomas (Open Air Theatre, 9/14), Local Natives (Observatory, 9/15), Porches (Irenic, 9/15), Carla Morrison (Observatory, 9/16), Luke Bryan (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 9/17), Crystal Castles (Observatory, 9/17), Xenia Rubinos (Soda Bar, 9/20), The Naked and Famous (Observatory, 9/22), Atmosphere (Observatory, 9/23), Tegan and Sara (Observatory, 9/25), Ash (Soda Bar, 9/23), Molotov (Observatory, 9/26), DJ Shadow (HOB, 9/27), Glen Hansard (Observatory, 9/28), Cymbals Eat Guitars (Soda Bar, 9/28), Steve Gunn (Soda Bar, 10/1), Okkervil River (BUT, 10/1), Phantogram (Irenic, 10/1), Alice in Chains (Copley Symphony Hall, 10/2), KT Tunstall (HOB, 10/2), Ani DiFranco (BUT, 10/2), Between the Buried and Me (Observatory, 10/4), Sia, Miguel (Viejas Arena, 10/5), Failure (Music Box, 10/6), Bad Boy Family Reunion (Viejas Arena, 10/6), Kamasi Washington (Humphreys, 10/7), Florida Georgia Line (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 10/9), Colbie Caillat (Humphreys, 10/12), Halestorm (HOB, 10/12), RJD2 (Observatory, 10/13), The Selecter (Casbah, 10/13), Prophets of Rage (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 10/16), Yellowcard (HOB, 10/16), Jethro Tull (Balboa Theatre, 10/17), The Faint, Gang of Four (Observatory, 10/18),

Alessia Cara (Copley Symphony Hall, 10/18), Young the Giant (HOB, 10/1819), Willie Nelson (Humphreys, 10/19), Tricky (BUT, 10/21), Saint Vitus (Brick

by Brick, 10/22), Preoccupations (Irenic, 10/26), Alice Cooper (Harrah’s, 10/28), Ingrid Michaelson (Humphreys, 10/28), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Death from Above 1979 (HOB, 10/28), M83 (SOMA, 10/29), Andra Day (Humphreys, 11/2), Diamond Head (Brick by Brick, 11/5), Neko Case (Poway OnStage, 11/19), John Mayall (BUT, 11/20), Henry Rollins (Observatory, 12/27), The Devil Makes Three (Observatory, 1/4-5), Blind Boys of Alabama (BUT, 1/29).

JULY WEDNESDAY, JULY 20 The Joy Formidable at The Irenic. Nails at Brick by Brick. Tacocat at Soda Bar. Kiiara at The Casbah. Barenaked Ladies at Open Air Theatre. Belanova at House of Blues.

THURSDAY, JULY 21 Slayer at House of Blues (sold out).

Straight No Chaser at Humphrey’s by the Bay. Autolux at The Irenic. Vinnie Caruana at Soda Bar. Culture Shock, World/Inferno Friendship Society at The Casbah.

FRIDAY, JULY 22 Boris at The Casbah. Blink 182 at Viejas Arena. Cold War Kids at Del Mar Racetrack.

SATURDAY, JULY 23 TTNG at The Irenic. Robert Cray Band

at Belly Up Tavern. Phish at Sleep Train Amphitheatre. The Aquabats at House of Blues.

AUGUST MONDAY, AUG. 1 Boz Scaggs at Humphreys by the Bay (sold out). Sound Lupus at The Casbah.

SUNDAY, JULY 24 Inter Arma at Soda Bar. Twentyonepilots at Viejas Arena (sold out). Brantley Gilbert at Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

MONDAY, JULY 25 Big Business at The Casbah. Black Milk at Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, JULY 26 Brand New, Modest Mouse at Sleep Train Amphitheatre. Happy Diving at Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, AUG. 2 Marissa Nadler at The Casbah. Gary Clark Jr. at Humphreys by the Bay.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 3 Gary Clark Jr. at Humphreys by the Bay. Anderson .Paak at House of Blues (sold out). Weezer, Panic! At the Disco at Sleep Train Amphitheatre. The Claypool Lennon Delirium at Observatory North Park.

THURSDAY, AUG. 4

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27 Escort at The Casbah. Dead & Co. at Sleep Train Amphitheatre. Bonnie Raitt at Civic Theatre (Sold out).

Allen Stone at Music Box. Kansas at Humphreys by the Bay. People Under the Stairs at Belly Up Tavern.

FRIDAY, AUG. 5

THURSDAY, JULY 28 Dirty Dozen Brass Band at Music Box. Mozzy at Observatory North Park. Nite Jewel at Soda Bar.

FRIDAY, JULY 29 Savages at Observatory North Park. Fitz and the Tantrums at Del Mar Racetrack.

Zella Day at Quartyard. The Wailers at Belly Up Tavern.

SATURDAY, JULY 30 The Wailers at Belly Up Tavern. ‘Reggae Fest’ w/ Ziggy Marley at Del Mar Racetrack. Julieta Venegas at House of Blues. Sublime with Rome at Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

Girl Talk at Del Mar Racetrack. Last Shadow Puppets at Observatory North Park. Metalachi at Music Box. ‘Warped Tour’ w/ Sleeping With Sirens, Sum 41, New Found Glory at Qualcomm Stadium.

SATURDAY, AUG. 6 Earthless at Belly Up Tavern. Brian Setzer’s Rockabilly Riot at Del Mar Racetrack. Redlight at Music Box.

SUNDAY, AUG. 7 America at Humphreys by the Bay. Shabazz Palaces (DJ set) at The Casbah.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 33

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33 MONDAY, AUG.8 Touche Amore at Che Café (sold out).

Jason Hanna and the Bullfighters at The Casbah.

TUESDAY, AUG. 9 Kurt Vile and the Violators at House of Blues. Skyterra at The Casbah.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 10 Ducktails at The Hideout. Monsieur Perine at The Casbah.

THURSDAY, AUG. 11 Foghat at Belly Up Tavern. Joey Purp at House of Blues.

FRIDAY, AUG.12 Indigo Girls at Humphreys by the Bay. Dead Feather Moon at Belly Up Tavern.

Chris Young atDel Mar Racetrack. Jeremih at Observatory North Park. Ozzmania at Music Box.

SATURDAY, AUG. 13 311, Matisyahu at Del Mar Racetrack.

Steve Martin and Martin Short at Harrahs Resort (sold out). Lucy Dacus at The Casbah. The White Buffalo at Belly Up Tavern.

FRIDAY, AUG. 14 Galactic at Belly Up Tavern. Rhett Miller at Soda Bar. Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas at Sleep Train Amphitheatre. Dillinger Escape Plan at The Casbah.

MONDAY, AUG. 15 Grace Potter at Humphreys by the Bay. Ala Fringe at The Casbah.

TUESDAY, AUG. 16 Lincoln Durham at The Casbah.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 17 Guided by Voices at Belly Up Tevern.

James Supercave at The Hideout.

Chastity Belt at The Casbah.

THURSDAY, AUG. 18 The Weight: Members of the Band/ Levon Helm Band at Belly Up Tavern.

Riff Raff at Observatory North Park. Globelamp at House of Blues.

FRIDAY, AUG. 19 Parquet Courts at The Irenic. Thievery Corporation at Del Mar Racetrack. Audacity at Che Café. Castle at The Merrow. Diane Coffee at The Hideout. Pato Banton at Music Box.

SATURDAY, AUG. 20 David Bazan at The Casbah. Digable Planets, Camp Lo at Belly Up Tavern.

Bully at Harrahs Resort. Russell Peters at Humphreys by the Bay.

SUNDAY, AUG. 21 Burt Bacharach at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Gipsy Kings at Humphreys by the Bay (sold out).

MONDAY, AUG. 22 Guns ‘n’ Roses at Qualcomm Stadium.

34 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

TUESDAY, AUG. 23 Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Melissa Etheridge at Open Air Theatre. Ben Harper at Humphreys by the Bay (sold out). Midnight Clergy at The Casbah.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., San Diego. Pacific Beach. Wed: The Dirty Revival. Fri: Hard Fall Hearts, The Upshots.

Sat: Weezerton, Spiral Out. Tue: Jesse Dean, Geneva, Ilya Shatov, Becky Foster.

98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, San Diego. Little Italy. Fri: Space Time.

Sat: Gilbert Castellanos. Sun: The Matt Smith Neu Jazz Trio.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., San Diego. Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Wild & Free’ w/ DJ Memo + Rex. Thu: ‘Libertine’ w/ DJs Jon Wesley, 1979. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJ Karma.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Wed: Doug Loves Movies. Thu: Fatman On Batman, Jay and Silent Bob Get Old. Fri: The Meltdown with Jonah & Kumail. Sat: Todd Glass, Hollywood Babble-On. The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Rd., Spring Valley. Thu: Darkwave Garden. Fri: Tombstalker. Sat: Fastplants, Selfish Giant. Sun: Third Place, Survive The Era, Failed to Study.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., San Diego.

North Park. Wed: DJ Artistic. Thu: DJ Ikah Love. Fri: ‘80s v 90s’. Sat: Hiroshima Mockingbirds, Mittens, Pleasure Fix. Sun: Rat Sabbath. Mon: Tori Roze and the Hot Mess. Tue: ‘Tiki Tuesday’ w/ DJ Marshall Islands.

Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: The Cougar Canyon Band. Fri: John Stanley King Band. Sat: Slower.

Sun: Kayla Hope.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Cee Lo, Nikki’s Wives. Thu: Reckless Kelly. Fri: Arise Roots, Iya Terra, Ital Vibes. Sat: Robert Cray Band, Hamish Anderson. Sun: The Jayhawks, Fernando Viciconte. Mon: David Shaw. Tue: Bebel Gilberto.

Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., San Diego. City Heights. Sat: Mezzanine, Of Ennui, Year of the Dead Bird.

Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad. Fri: ‘Club Musae’.

Brass Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Hillcrest. Fri: ‘Hip Hop Fridayz’. Sat: ‘Sabado en Fuego’ w/ DJs XP, KA, K-Swift.

Mon: ‘Manic Monday’ w/ DJ Junior the Disco Punk.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., San Diego. Bay Park. Wed: Nails, Terrorizer LA, Freedom, Nomads. Thu: Solstice, Warsenal, Faethom, Seraphic Disgust, Infernal Conjuration. Fri: Suicidegirls Blackheart Burlesque. Sat: Suicidegirls Blackheart Burlesque. Sun: Ashen Earth, Voices of Ruin, Ratt Black, Christ Killer.

Cafe Sevilla, 353 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Downtown. Sat: Flamenco Dinner Show.

Sun: Buena Vista Sundays.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Wed: Kiiara, Lil Aaron. Thu: Culture Shock, World/Inferno Friendship Society. Fri: Boris, Earth. Sat: Ziggy Shuffledust and the Spiders From Mars, Electric Warrior. Mon: Big Business, Andy the Doorbum.

Cat Eye Club, 370 7th Ave, San Diego.

Downtown. Thu: Cool Cat Karaoke.

Chico Club, 7366 El Cajon Blvd, La Mesa. La Mesa. Wed: DJ Harvest Karaoke. Thu: DJ Harvest Karaoke. Fri: International Pop Overthrow. Sat: International Pop Overthrow. Sun: DJ Harvest Karaoke.

Comedy Palace, 8878 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego. Clairemont. Sat: 2nd Annual Red Guerilla Comic-Comedy Con. Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. Fri: The Hips. Sat: DJ Alex.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, San Diego. Mission Bay. Fri: The Bi-National Mambo Orchestra. Sat: Trio de Janeiro.

F6ix, 526 F St., San Diego. Downtown.

Fri: DJ Wellman.

The Field, 544 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Downtown. Mon: The Brian Jones Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival.

Hard Rock Hotel, 207 Fifth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Fri: Night Swim at Hard Rock Hotel.

Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Downtown. Wed: Ride the Mule. Thu: Night Skool. Fri: Good Times. Sat: Rock Star Saturday. Tue: ‘50s/60s Dance Party.

The Hideout, 3519 El Cajon Blvd. (City Heights), San Diego. City Heights. Fri: The Jack Moves. Sat: Devonwho, M. Constant, Philip Grass, DJ Pound. Tue: Altocamet, Cellars, TorresSelector.

The Holding Company, 5040 Newport Ave., San Diego. Ocean Beach. Wed: Lady Dottie and the Diamonds.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Wed: Lemolo, Industry Night. Sun: Hopped Up: Tap Takeover with Pizza Port Brewery.

Humphrey’s Backstage Live, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego. Point

#SDCityBeat

MUSIC Thu: Autolux, Eureka the Butcher. Fri: Comedy Bang! Bang! Live.

San Diego. City Heights. Sat: Robin Henkel.

Java Joe’s Normal Heights, 3536 Adams Ave., San Diego. Normal Heights.

Thu: Lisa Sanders. Sat: Zero To Billy.

Sun: Gaby’s Showcase. Tue: Open mic.

The Office, 3936 30th St., San Diego.

North Park. Wed: Moonwalks, Amerikan Bear. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King.

Fri: ‘After Hours’ w/ DJs Adam Salter, Kid Wonder. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’ w/ Tribe of Kings. Tue: ‘Trapped’ w/ DJ Ramsey.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Wed: ‘Fungi Fest’. Thu: ‘Acid Varsity’ w/ Lee Reynolds, Machino.

Fri: ‘Purps and Turqs’. Sat: Dance for Ecuador. Sun: Club Works 003. Tue: High Tech Tuesday.

The Kraken, 2531 S. Coast Highway 101, Cardiff. Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Wed: Jeff Moore. Thu: Country Rockin’ Rebels. Fri: JX3. Sat: Misty and the Mobys, Outtasync. Sun: Cougar Canyon Band, Rezonators. Tue: Country Fried.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Steve Brewer. Thu: Sophisticats. Fri: Ron’s Garage. Sat: Street Heart. Sun: JG Duo. Mon: Gene Warren.

Tue: 3 Guys Will Move U. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., San Diego. Hillcrest. Thu: YIDHRA, ATTALLA, The Great Electric Quest, Supersonic Dragon Wagon. Fri: Disciples of the Canyon, Heart Official Intelligence, KD The Beast, Manuel Rock. Sat: Mega Ran with Bitforce, Kirby’s Dream Band, Vic Viper, The Koopas. Mon: The Lowland Drifters, Bighorn Run, Corina Rose.

Mr. Peabody’s Encinitas, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Encinitas. Thu: Special Blend, Special Blend. Fri: Koda, Kodasounds. Sat: Open Mic All Stars (Jay Cain and Tommy Meher), Celeste Barbier.

Sun: Anthony Ortega.

Music Box, 1337 India St., San Diego.

Little Italy. Sun: House of Shem.

Nate’s Garden Grill, 3120 Euclid Ave.,

#SDCityBeat

Parq, 615 Broadway, San Diego. Fri: Justin Credible. Sat: Ross One. Patricks Gaslamp, 428 F St., San Diego.

Downtown. Wed: The Upshots. Thu: Len Rainey’s Midnight Players. Fri: R-Kive.

Sat: Mystique Element of Soul. Sun: The Fuzzy Rankins Band. Mon: The Groove Squad. Tue: Paddy’s Chicken Jam. Rebecca’s Coffee House, 3015 Juniper St, San Diego. South Park. Fri: Jazz Heaven.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Swing Thing.

Fri: Modern Day Moonshine. Sat: Julia May and the Penguin.

Side Bar, 536 Market St., San Diego.

Downtown. Thu: DJ XP. Sat: Dela Chappelle. Sun: DJ Dynamiq.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego.

City Heights. Wed: Tacocat, The Regrettes, Soft Lions. Thu: Vinnie Caruana, Brian Warren, Alive & Well, Monk Tamony. Fri: Vista Kicks, Hawai, The Gloomies. Sat: The Verigolds, Pearl Charles, Garden Echo. Sun: Inter Arma, Withered, Strange Planet. Mon: Black Milk with Nat Turner, Parker Edison.

Tue: Happy Diving, Gem, Quali.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., San Diego. Normal Heights. Thu: Matt Bruno Birthday Extravaganza. Sun: Heidi and the Almightys.

Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey St., San Diego. Mission Bay. Thu: Comic-Con Bellydance Showcase.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Fri: Prima Donna, Telephone Lovers, Modern Kicks, Dead on The Wire.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., San Diego.

Bay Park. Thu: Billy Watson. Fri: La Jolla High Class of 76. Sat: Joey Harris. Sun: Tardeadas With Colour.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., San Diego. City Heights. Fri: Archons, Bonehawk, Beira, Loom. Sat: Gloomsday, JJCNV, French Girls, Badabing. Sun: Beira, Xantam, Empty Gods.

Turquoise, 873 Turquoise St., San Diego.

Pacific Beach. Wed: Tomcat Courtney.

Thu: Fred Hardy Trio. Fri: Gabby and Friends. Sat: Chris McKenna, Doug Trip, Tomcat Courtney. Tue: Gypsy Caravan.

Ux31, 3112 University Ave., San Diego.

North Park. Thu: Throwback Thursday.

Fri: DJ Bodyrawk. Sat: DJ Junior. Sun: Layne Tadesse & 7 Seal Dub, Kindle To Ember, DJ Elevation.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, San Diego.

South Park. Wed: Open Oscillator. Thu: ‘Girls Girls Girls’ w/ DJ Lizeth. Fri: Miss Destiny, Bosswitch, Fictitious Dishes.

Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’ w/ DJs Dimitri, Rob. Sun: ‘2000-2006 Indie Night’ w/ DJ Rees Withrow.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., San Diego.

Ocean Beach. Wed: Lielani Wolfgramm, DJ Carlos Culture . Thu: Alowe, Atlantis Rizing, LeftinCompany, Fluid. Fri: Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, Bomb Squad, DJ OpenOptics. Sat: Broken Stems, Alexa, Bang Pow, Casey Turner, Grim Slippers.

Sun: Mango Habanero. Mon: Electric Waste Band.

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 35

36 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

#SDCityBeat

LAST WORDS | ADVICE

AMY ALKON

ADVICE

GODDESS Stray It Forward I’m a single guy who started a “friends with benefits” thing two months ago with an unhappily married female co-worker. We’ve since developed feelings for each other and started talking about a future. I’m worried because people always say, “If she cheated with you, she’ll cheat on you.” And because she’s unhappy with her husband, does that mean she’ll eventually be unhappy with me and see it as reason to cheat?

—Hesitant There are many people who cross ethical lines at work, but most of them just do it by taking home Post-its or a stapler.

Okay, sure, have a FWB thing, but with a married co-worker? What happened—too overworked to swipe right on Tinder? And as for why your co-worker started outsourcing her sex life, there’s an assumption that people cheat because they’re in crappy marriages or relationships. And maybe her marriage is unhappy. But infidelity researcher Shirley Glass found that even people in happy, loving marriages can end up cheating. They do this for a variety of reasons: more sex, better sex, different sex (men especially go for variety), or sometimes just because “she isn’t bad-looking and there’s an empty office with a big couch two doors down.”

As for whether this woman would cheat on you, that depends on whether she’s the sort of person who cheats. And no, that isn’t as idiotic as it sounds. Evolutionary psychologists David Buss and Todd Shackelford found that there are personality traits common to people susceptible to cheating. One of the strongest predictors is “narcissism”—a personality trait marked by selfimportance, self-absorption, a profound sense of entitlement and a lack of empathy.

Another big predictor is “low conscientiousness,” reflected in unreliability, disorganization, laziness and a lack of self-control. And finally, there’s the unfortunately Norman Batesy-sounding “high psychoticism”—researcher-ese for a mix of aggressiveness, impulsivity and an inability to delay gratification. Sound like anybody you’ve met in the janitor’s closet recently?

Even if this woman checks out personality-wise, you’ll have a much clearer picture of what’s possible after she gets divorced. That is, if she gets divorced—if this thing with you doesn’t turn out to be “affair-apy” (a little sexual tide-me-over until she can patch things up with her husband). Regardless, you should take the time—a year or more—to parse who she really is and whether she and her husband are simply two (irreconcilably) different people or whether he just watches a wee bit too much ESPN when he comes home. If you’re lucky, you’ll find

these things out from her, and not in some awkward moment at the end of the workday when you finally get a chance to, uh, chat with her husband— through the windshield as you’re clinging to the hood of his moving car.

Tender Bender I’m a woman, married for a year to a great guy.

The problem is that he’s too gentle when he touches or kisses me, and I’m starting to get really frustrated in bed. I know I should have let him know what I really like a long time ago. How can I do this now without hurting his feelings?

—Embarrassed It’s hot to have a husband who’s kind of an animal in bed—except if that animal is Hello Kitty.

Words, who needs ’em? Maybe you figured he’d get the hint from your body language—maybe because you’re pretty sure you would have if the tables were turned. Well, research by social psychologist Judith A. Hall finds that women are far better at spotting and decoding nonverbal messages (in facial expressions and body language). This makes evolutionary sense, considering a mother’s need to suss out what’s wrong with her 6-month-old (who is unable both to speak and to get on the Internet at 3 a.m. to selfdiagnose his diaper rash as a brain tumor).

Still, you don’t have to give him a poor performance evaluation (ouch!) or go into sex ed lecturer-like detail. Instead, take the Gene Hackman approach. Hackman reportedly informs movie directors that the only directions he’ll take are “louder, softer, faster, slower.” (You might want to supplement those with “harder” and “rougher.”)

To encourage greater openness, ask him what his sexual fantasies are (which should lead to the question, “Well, what are yours?”)—and do your best to deliver on any that don’t involve illegal acts with livestock.

You might also watch movies together with sex scenes that are more G.I. Jane than Jane Austen—like the 2005 movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Then, when you’re in bed, suggest Mr. & Mrs. Smith-style, and he should get what you mean. Before long, when you tell your friends that sex with your husband is “dreamy,” it won’t be because you usually doze off during it.

“

What happened?

Too overworked to swipe right on Tinder?

“

#SDCityBeat

(c)2016, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved.

Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or e-mail AdviceAmy@aol.com (advicegoddess.com). Weekly radio show: blogtalkradio.com/amyalkon Order Amy Alkon’s book, “Good Manners For Nice People Who Sometimes Say The F-Word” (St. Martin’s Press, June 3, 2014).

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 37

38 · San Diego CityBeat · July 20, 2016

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

July 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 39