City Weekly January 14, 2021

JANUARY 14, 2021 | VOL. 37

N0. 33

Lies... and Big Lies Tweets from Utah's delegation—and how some elected leaders helped enable Donald Trump’s ruse.

CONTENTS COVER STORY

THERE ARE LIES...

AND THERE ARE BIG LIES Tweets from Utah’s delegation—and how some elected officials helped enable Donald Trump’s ruse.

Compiled by Jerre Wroble

11

Cover art by Derek Carlisle

6 OPINION 14 A&E 23 DINE 30 MUSIC 36 CINEMA 37 COMMUNITY

2 | JANUARY 14, 2021

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OPINION

Check out weekly columns Smart Bomb and Taking a Gander at cityweekly.net. facebook.com/slcweekly

DINE

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STAY INFORMED! Want to know the latest on coronavirus? Get off Facebook and check out these three online resources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov World Health Organization: who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 Utah Coronavirus Task Force: coronavirus.utah.gov

STAFF Publisher PETE SALTAS Executive Editor JOHN SALTAS News Editor JERRE WROBLE Arts & Entertainment Editor SCOTT RENSHAW Music Editor ERIN MOORE Listings Desk KARA RHODES

Contributors KATHARINE BIELE, ROB BREZSNY, MIKE RIEDEL, ALEX SPRINGER Production Art Director DEREK CARLISLE Graphic Artists SOFIA CIFUENTES, CHELSEA NEIDER

Circulation Circulation Manager ERIC GRANATO Business/Office Technical Director BRYAN MANNOS Developer BRYAN BALE Display Advertising 801-716-1777 National Advertising VMG Advertising 888-278-9866

Salt Lake City Weekly is published every Thursday by Copperfield Publishing Inc. We are an independent publication dedicated to alternative news and news sources, that also serves as a comprehensive entertainment guide. 15,000 copies of Salt Lake City Weekly are available free of charge at more than 1,800 locations along the Wasatch Front. Limit one copy per reader. Additional copies of the paper can be purchased for $1 (Best of Utah and other special issues, $5) payable to Salt Lake City Weekly in advance. No person, without expressed permission of Copperfield Publishing Inc., may take more than one copy of any Salt Lake City Weekly issue. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the written permission of the publisher. Third-class postage paid at Midvale, UT. Delivery might take up to one full week. All rights reserved.

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SOAP BOX Soap Box Poetry Edition

Devious Donald loves to cheat and lie.

Most Republicans think he’s a good guy!

How can he claim not to be a racist?

When it’s clear he’s a white supremacist!

Because he encourages Russian hacks, He lost the vote of browns and blacks.

Trump did not make America great.

He filled it with hate!

STEPHEN CLARK Millcreek, Utah

Desperate Donald’s Downfall There once was a liar named Donald Trump Who was tossed out like old worthless junk.

@SLCWEEKLY

@CITYWEEKLY

“Get out—you’re fired!” We the People said, Having had enough of him in Putin’s bed.

Herd immunity was Trump’s murderous plan, To do nothing but laugh at dead Americans.

While Russian hackers steal our information, Traitor Trump went on a permanent vacation.

Playing golf at his country clubs non-stop, The laziness of this loser is overthe-top!

W WII ended with Hitler hiding in a bunker, And Trump is in a sand trap trying to hunker.

Fascist criminals deserve only one fate.

No mercy for those who spread racist hate.

The neo-Nazi GOP just loves Don

@SLCWEEKLY the con.

Liar, liar, pants on fire! Don’s no James Bond.

Trump is a traitor. That is perfectly clear.

January 20th: Biden-Harris are almost here.

Trump the chump will first flee to West Palm, Then off to Moscow he’ll run— get lost, Don! Beg for assistance from Vladimir once again.

The Orange Emperor is defeated.

JAKE PICKERING Arcata, California

The Web

Internet texting of the Rifle Klux Klan gun people and the Klan white.

Abetting them in a day of chaos, thinking that they’re right.

Congress was invaded on Janu-

ary 6th.

The Web helped gather the meanest to show war-like might.

JERRY CROUCH A rifle-shooting trophy winner Salt Lake City

‘Shot in the Arm’ Jan. 7 Private Eye column

Very well put, John Saltas, as always. I do look forward to reading your thoughts on just about any subject. Moms are the best.

Mine is gone and to this day, I miss her. I wish I could have been able to let her know that I finally did turn out just fine.

The anti-maskers are really quite selfish. Stupid, too.

I’m waiting for the COVID-19 vaccine but not very patiently.

Damn, has our gracious government botched the bejeepers out of the vaccine rollout.

I can still remember when the polio vaccine was given to all Americans. The entire neighborhood got in line at the junior high school, and we got our vaccination together as a community. Turned out to be a moment to last a lifetime. Those days seem to remember much nicer than 2020, the Year of the Rat—that Chinese astrology stuff.

DON NASH Salt Lake City Correction: “Poll Follies” in the Dec. 31, 2020, edition of Hits and Misses incorrectly stated that Eric Moutsos provided protesters with the home address of state epidemiologist Angela Dunn. “I didn’t give any address out ever,” he told the author in a Facebook post. “I’m against doxing people.” We apologize for the error.

THE BOX

Who is your greatest hero?

Carolyn Campbell My greatest hero is City Weekly’s founder, John Saltas. I admire him greatly because he began with a dream and created a publication that has continued to enlighten our city for decades.

Scott Renshaw I find it’s best to have specific inspirations, but not heroes—and I don’t think that’s just a semantic distinction. Calling someone a “hero” ignores how messy all humans are, and that someone who offers a road map to being better in one area might be a complete asshole in another. Idolization is a doomed endeavor Katharine Biele Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I have her earrings, a life-size cardboard cutout, a calendar—all with Ruth!

Eric Granato My hero? I have many: My father, Lemmy Kilmister; authors Edgar Allan Poe and Hunter S. Thompson; rapper Method Man; and auto icon Carroll Shelby.

Tom Metos Jeopardy’s Alex Trebek Terri Anderson My husband. He’s positive, strong, protective, crazy and loves his family fiercely.

Kelly Boyce I’m going to say Bill Nye. He inspired so many people to get involved with science, and science is like kinda important in our lives!

B Y J O H N S A LTA S

PRIVATE EY

Election Consequences

Goshen, Moroni and Fairview. Yeah, me and Gov. Spencer Cox were penciled into in the same congressional district, despite the fact that neither he nor I have ever bumped into the other at the post office. I have no friggin’ idea where the people of Fairview buy their gas, anymore that Cox knows the directions from my home to the Murray liquor store.

We are both saddled with Burgess Owens, though. In his first official vote as our congressman, Owens voted not to certify the presidential electoral college count. It’s been said a million times, but the voting that sent Owens to Congress by a thin margin— with votes being counted days well beyond Election Day—is the same process that he voted not to certify in the presidential race. What is unique, however, is that Owens is the guy that hundreds or thousands of Utah tech companies in his district are represented by in Washington D.C. Which is to say—just like me—they have no representation.

Owens is a pawn of right-wing political interests. That can’t be good for Utah tech. Our own president says, “Big tech is doing a horrible thing for our country and to our country.” There’s no reason to think Owens believes any differently. Yeah, yeah. We aren’t supposed to take Trump literally. Really? Tell that to the family of the U.S. Capitol Police officer who was bludgeoned to death by Trump supporters last Wednesday. Just hours later, Owens voted to dispute the election. If that doesn’t tell you the temperature of the blood in Owens’s veins, nothing will.

If I were sitting back at the helm of a big tech company looking for some raw land to locate on, I wouldn’t choose Utah. If I were a Utah kid in a garage tapping out lines of code, developing the new software that would change the world, I’d grab a map and find me a place outside of Utah to set up my new company. Or if they choose to remain here, move to Provo or Orem and have a saner man like Curtis represent them. A Democrat will never win in that district.

Neither will a resident of Monticello or Blanding which are

also in the 3rd Congressional, despite those residents having so very much in common with big tech interests.

You know, it’s as if the grand plan to gerrymander Democrats from having a voice in D.C. is backfiring. All it’s really done is allow for crazier and zanier Republicans to find high office—and in the process, disenfranchise their own centrist base along the way. Who coulda predicted that?

Farther north, my downtown Salt Lake City rep, the equally malleable bootlicker Chris Stewart also voted not to certify the presidential election. He supposedly flew Air Force bombers. To do so, he had to trust his instrument panel. If he didn’t, he’d crash or maybe nuke Mexico City instead of Pyongyang. He therefore knows science and facts. Yet, despite all evidence to the contrary, he tossed election facts and science, standing right there behind the lies of a stolen election. If more harm comes to our country, I rank persons such as Stewart as the most culpable.

Today, the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce released its updated Utah Economic Outlook and Policy Statement. I scanned what I could, but it seems far more optimistic than what I hear on the streets of Salt Lake City. So be it. Chris Stewart has done not a whit for downtown Salt Lake City.

Meanwhile, Marriott International, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Goldman Sachs have suspended contributions to congressmen who voted against certification. Oopsie, Chris? If I were downtown dynamo Goldman Sachs, I’d think twice about sticking around in Salt Lake City. Really, what’s the point? To be represented by a man who has a habit of crapping on anything not resembling one-person rule?

Remember the shouts of “elections have consequences?”

Well, yes, they do. So, Utah, in electing the likes of Owens and Stewart, really can’t complain if big tech and big enterprise take a pass on our fair state. Their bed is partisan, scare-the-base politics. Utah will pay the price. CW Send comments to john@cityweekly.net.

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City Weekly pays tons of money to Adobe software annually. Adobe runs most of our operation in nearly all departments. If we could use Adobe for distribution, we would. As much as we hate their prices, we also wouldn’t be around without their software. The Utah headquarters for Adobe sits to the east of Interstate 15 in Lehi. For that, Adobe should thank its lucky stars today.

In that area of Utah County, I-15 marks the boundary between the U.S. Congressional District 3 and District 4.

Adobe therefore is represented in the U.S. Congress by John Curtis. To date, Curtis has been a stable and sane voice among Republican representatives—“domestic terrorism was inspired by and encouraged by the president,” says he, regarding events at the U.S. Capitol last week. He voted to certify the Biden electoral victory. Curtis can be annoying to Democrats, but he’s not insane. For that alone, Adobe and all the other tech companies in the Curtis realm can be thankful.

The same can’t be said for those poor souls on the other side of the freeway. Those tech companies, barely a football field or two from Adobe’s HQ are in the same boat as me, being represented in Congress by newly elected Burgess Owens. Thanks to the evil pencil that drew up Utah’s current congressional districts—intended to overwhelmingly elect only Republicans—my Murray home wound up in the same district as those tech firms west of I-15—plus Copperton in the Oquirrh Mountains (and just below that community, the new massive Amazon distribution center),

@johnsaltas

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William J. Tatomer Obituary It is with a sad heart that we announce the sudden passing of William John Tatomer Sr. on Saturday, October 17th, 2020 at the young age of 82 years.

Bill is survived by his wife Janis (Peterson), Heber City Utah; his children Allen Tatomer (Pittsburg, CA); Bill Tatomer Jr. of SLC; Dawn Alys Capito of Tooele, Utah; and Stephanie Manson of West Jordan,Ut. Bill has seven grandchildren: Whitney and Sydney Tatomer, Briana and Christopher Capito and Christine, Jessee and Camden Manson. He also has four great grandchildren. Bill was the oldest of four siblings: Daniel Tatomer, of SLC, James “JT” Tatomer of Reno, NV. and Sheryl Tatomer of Elko, NV. He was preceded in death by his grandparents William “Tatu” and Magdalene (Bilik) who immigrated to the US from the Ukraine in 1917. His parents Daniel Tatomer Sr. and Evelyn (Sorensen) of Chicago/Elmwood Park, ILL. Bill was a unique, independent, creative man who born in 1938 in St.Louis, MO. He attended Elko High School, (graduated 1955?) participating in the schools Band, Chorus and theatrical plays. He enjoyed hunting with his father and brother Daniel Jr. and achieved his Boy Scout, “Eagle” designation w/Troop 52. He attended University of Oregon in Eugene and then enlisted in the US Army where he was a Communications specialists stationed in Pennsylvania and Alaska. During this time he married his high school sweetheart Carole Jean (Jones) the mother of his children. During their 20 years together, he pursued a career with the Western Pacific/Union Pacific Raildroad as a brakeman/Engineer until his retirement. Not defined by his full time job, Bill was also a well rounded man of widely divergent tastes, interests and talents. While living in Elko, he achieved two separate “Associate of Arts” degrees through the local Northern Nevada Community College (NNCC), was a gifted jeweler, photographer, illustrator (pointillist style) and audiophile. He loved art, classical and choral music. He was an accomplished auto technician and handy-man/ builder/developer who remodeled/repaired all the homes in which he and Carole lived including Lamoille, Elko and Summit Park, Utah. He was active in JayCees civic group for years and served as a precinct chair/organizer for various political candidates, Silver State Stampede Rodeo and 4-H “Float” construction teams. He and Carole owed and operated the “Town and Country Beauty Salon & Gift Boutique” in Elko for many years.

These same interests and talents live on through his children, who he loved and appreciated more and more as he matured. He started a concert production company with his son Allen in 1978 and promoted major musical acts at various third and secondary market college campuses in the Intermountain West. (Snowflake Productions). Acts included: Head East, Dr.Hook, Ozark Mt. Daredevils, Pablo Cruise and others. Bill penned a food critic column for “The Event Newspaper” (founded by his son Allen) which then developed into his own “Dining Out with Bill “TV Show on a local TV station. He became a licensed wine broker for a number of years and was responsible for the introduction of Silver Oak, Stags Leap, Sterling and Trois Noix wine to the Utah market. He then became professional actor and was an extra on various TV shows and movies including Illegally Blond II and most notably stared in a memorable/ award winning campaign for the “Lagoon” amusement park, (Holding his granddaughters hand as they prepare for a day at the park.). He was a repeat/early winning contestant on the game show “Tick Tac Dough”. At the age of 58, he enrolled in classes at Westminster College, ultimately receiving his Masters degree in Communication. He also founded the popular Westminster Story Telling Festival while attending classes there. He loved watching the Ute’s football team, fine dining, sharing a good joke, visiting his extended family and fulfilling his passion for golfing, snow skiing and traveling the world with his wife and activity partner Janis. He was a Mountain Ski Host at Brighton for many years, a certified scuba diver at the age of 74, sang with the noted “SaltAires” barbershop chorus for 10 years and performed at Carnegie Hall with the First Unitarian Church chorus.

A man of deep passions he was both emotional, sensitive and driven to live life to it’s fullest.

He was compassionate, communicative, stubborn, yet forgiving. Strong willed, frequently outspoken and always opinionated, he loved an intense discussion on a wide variety of subjects from music, human nature to politics.

He took his last breath with his children, family, wife Janis and ex-wife Carole at his bedside.

He was a force of nature.

He was one-of-a-kind.

He will be deeply missed.

In lieu of flowers please donate to: Alzheimer’s Association Local Food Bank St. Labret Indian School in Ashland, MT. (406)784-4500.

A video memorial is available online at HolbrookMortuary.com

HITS&MISSES

BY KATHARINE BIELE @kathybiele

MISS: Tracking

Conservative Thought

It’s time for readers to stop seeing the Deseret News as simply a Mormon publication. Following the Capitol insurrection that opened the new year, the D-News, whether you agree with them or not, is proving to hold nuggets of wisdom about what America faces now.

Let’s start with a Sunday story “The culture war will continue to rage in 2021.” While we read The Salt Lake Tribune’s well-researched if aspirational stories like Utah’s inability to track police shootings, we might be better off focusing on the D-News’ coverage of bills to eliminate permits for concealed weapons. In its “culture war” piece, the D-News wrote about conservatives mourning what they think is normative America: “values that middle-class whites recognized as their own.” The paper covers controversies on abortion and so-called religious liberties. If we’ve learned anything these past four years, it’s to beware of existing only in our own echo-chambers.

MISS: Choosing the School Board

Quick. Who’s your state school board representative? Our bet is that you don’t know, not just because they’re low on your political radar, but also because the way we choose them changes with the wind. Last year, amid much gnashing of teeth, members of the Board of Education ran in partisan elections.

Maybe because no one knew them, only three of the nine races were contested, according to the Deseret News. Before that, a cozy committee of “12 specially selected citizens in Utah” hazed “unaffiliated” candidates to send a slate of three to the governor, who chose two to face election. Now as Utah becomes even more Republican, Rep. Melissa Ballard, R-North Salt Lake, is proposing a constitutional amendment to have the board appointed—by someone. If this passes, you can guess who the Legislature will have making these appointments, and it won’t be you.

HIT: Parks A Little Too Popular

While Utah deals with over-tourism and graffiti in its national parks, state parks may be having a better day. If some lawmakers have their way, Bridal Veil Falls will be preserved as a state park, likely squashing plans to develop a tram and drug treatment center in the spot. Meanwhile, Utah students from Southern Utah University and Dixie State University helped develop a mobile app to allow visitors to purchase day-use passes electronically even before entering the park, ABC4 reported.

Yes, we’re talking about eliminating the messy paper trail of envelopes and cash. And even though the state’s national parks see that crush of tourism, they also are witnessing a positive economic impact. “Despite both coronavirus and dangerous harmful algae lurking in the Virgin River, more than 500,000 people visited Zion in October,” the Spectrum reported. Is there an app to limit visitation?

CITIZEN REV LT IN A WEEK, YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

Downwinders Then and Now

If you think it’s just a sad part of history, you need to look around you and at the attempts to rejuvenate nuclear testing. You have a chance to join an enlightening discussion with award-winning writer, cinematographer and producer John Howe in a PBS preview of his latest documentary at Downwinders and the Radioactive West Virtual Meet & Greet. “Panelists Mary Dickson and Dr. Heidi Hansen will discuss the unsettling stories of those affected by environmental contamination due to nuclear testing in Nevada in the 1950s and the federal government’s willful neglect. The film presents a compelling narrative about the fallout of nuclear testing that resulted in a decades-long debate over cancer rates, the steep cost of patriotism and the responsibility of a nation to protect its citizens,” organizers say. Virtual, Thursday, Jan. 21, 6 p.m., free. RSVP: JTouma@PBSUtah.org. http://bit.ly/35m3Iwj

MLK Car Rally

In this era of Black Lives Matter and violence, it’s the perfect time to remember civil rights crusader Martin Luther King Jr. Of course, there will be an entire week devoted to King’s legacy. Take to the streets on MLK Day and join modern-day activists for “Good Trouble”: the spirit of the 1960s and the struggle for equality—qualities that John Lewis wanted young people to experience. The University of Utah is kicking off the week with the MLK Week Car Rally, a re-imagined march from Mary W. Jackson Elementary School to Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Be part of the movement. Mary W. Jackson Elementary School parking lot, 750 W. 200 North, Monday, Jan. 18, 2:30 p.m., free. http://bit.ly/3owOP1S

Child Homelessness

Children can’t “pull themselves up by the bootstraps” or whatever the conservative mantra is. In Utah, 87,000 children are experiencing life in a homeless family, according to the 2020 Kids Count Profile. As the legislative session begins, you may join the Coalition of Religious Communities in a weekly Zoom call with legislators to find out what is happening with policy efforts to reduce child homelessness and how the public can get involved with the legislative process. This is the best chance to make your voices heard, as the Legislature meets for only 45 days each year. Lawmakers do listen to their constituents, and this—Child Homelessness update for Week 1 of the Utah Legislative Session—is your time to hear from your representatives. Virtual, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 1 p.m., free. http://bit.ly/35ghMaS

LGBTQ Survival Guide

These are difficult times as communities fend off the effects of the pandemic and deal with racism and bias in all aspects of life.

Thrive125: The LGBTQ+ Survival Guide to Pandemics features LGBTQ+ survivors of the AIDS pandemic and young leaders of the LGBTQ+ community share their stories of community and resilience during troubled times, organizers say. Hear them—historians, filmmakers, radio producers and community organizers—in their own words.

Virtual, Thursday, Jan. 21, 7 p.m., free. http://bit.ly/3rQnIkm

—KATHARINE BIELE

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JANUARY 14, 2021 | 7

TDK

you, and whether we need less exercise as we age. Join Lieberman for a virtual conversation through The King’s English Bookshop on Jan. 14, 6 p.m., free with registration at kingsenglish.com. (Scott Renshaw)

Kellen Erskine @ Wiseguys Kellen Erskine looks the Everyday guy part of the observational comic. But what makes a comedian better-thanaverage is the ability to find the demented twist in your observations on everyday life that seems crazily and hilariously obvious only after you’ve shared them.

Take, for example, Erskine’s thoughts on an activity as typical as grocery shopping.

“Every time I’m in a grocery store, I take someone else’s cart,” he says. “It’s so much faster. And you get to try new things. It’s not stealing, what could they possibly even say to you? ‘Excuse me, I … gathered that.’” And when people online responded to his joke about people being awful if they don’t return their shopping carts with “‘I put my kids in the car, I can’t abandon them,’” he responds, “How’d you get the cart in the first place? Just do that backwards. …

Put your food in the car, take your kids with you to return it, and teach them how not to be you.”

The talented Erskine also has a terrific sense for crowd work for someone who

TDK

As has been true for all of us, the pandemic has forced artists to think about the world differently. For Russia-born, now Utah resident artist Dimitri Kozyrev, it has inspired work that deals with the realities of being stuck in one place by looking outward towards possible distant destinations.

Kozyrev’s new solo show Lost Landscapes opens Jan. 15 at Modern West Fine Art, presenting works that examine how things linger in the memory after passing them at high speeds along a highway (“Lost Landscapes” No. 16 is pictured). According to the artist, “The environment along the freeway structures is essentially lost for the driver in the fast movement of the vehicle, because the driver’s attention is always directed forward; the landscape disappears on either side of the driver, and only fragmented elements of it imprint in the driver’s memory.” For his most recent work, he reclaimed the travel he lost due to the pandemic by drawing inspiration

from images available through the landscape of social media from friends, acquaintances and colleagues spread around the world. It’s an exploration of things we haven’t exactly seen, yet somehow still hope to see again soon.

Lost Landscapes is presented in conjunction with another solo exhibition, Matthew Sketch’s Affinity for Grace, showcasing the artists paintings of geometric landscapes inspired by the idea of road trips. Both exhibitions hang through March 2 at the gallery (412 S. 700 West, modernwestfineart.com) and also available to view online; visit the website for in-person operating hours. (SR)

Martin Luther King Day activities

writes such meticulously crafted jokes. As part of his online Dry Bar Comedy special recorded in Utah, the California resident asks audience members about unique high school mascots, inspiring folks to yell out high schools in Spanish Fork and American Fork—to much laughter. A confused Erskine responds, “I feel like everyone here knows something but me.”

Get in on the joke at Wiseguys Gateway (194 S. 400 West, wiseguys comedy.com) for four shows Jan. 15-16, $25. (SR)

In the wake of a year that once again saw issues of civil rights for people of color turn into nationwide protests, the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his colleagues feels not like some piece of distant history, but urgently of this moment. Despite the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still opportunities to recognize and celebrate that legacy during the three-day weekend (and beyond) honoring Dr. King’s birthday.

The University of Utah offers an entire week of MLK-themed programming under the heading of “Good Trouble,” recognizing the passing of Dr. King’s friend and ally, Rep. John Lewis.

On Monday, Jan. 18 at 3 p.m., a safety-conscious car rally begins downtown on course to the University. Virtual conversations cover topics including a review of Jon Meacham’s book profiling John Lewis, His Truth Is Marching On, and a webinar about the history of “redlining” in creating economic inequality.

The week concludes with a variety of

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

It’s the first of the year, that time when we all make resolutions about the way we want to change our lives—and one of the most common resolutions involves getting more exercise. So despite all of those gaood intentions, why is it that gym memberships start to go unused a few months down the road, or a bunch of home exercise equipment suddenly starts showing up on KSL.com? If we know exercise is good for us, and can prolong our lives, why is it so dang hard to actually do it?

In his new book Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding, Harvard University evolutionary biologist Dr. Daniel Lieberman explores this phenomenon by beginning with the realization that we’re hard-wired as a species to avoid unnecessary exertion. In an interview with Harvard Gazette, Lieberman notes, “It’s voluntary physical activity for the sake of health and fitness. Until recently, nobody did that … because if you’re a very active huntergatherer, or a subsistence farmer, it wouldn’t make sense to spend any extra energy going for a needless five-mile jog in the morning.”

Lieberman steers away from guilt-based motivations for getting active by offering a road map for exercise built on an evolutionary mindset of making it a necessary, social activity. And he busts common myths about exercise, like what kind is best for

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

Dimitri Kozyrev: Lost Landscapes @ Modern West Fine Art

Daniel Lieberman: Exercised

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ESSENTIALS

the

ENTERTAINMENT PICKS, JANUARY 21-27, 2021

“Saturday Service” opportunities on Jan. 23.

Visit diversity.utah.edu to learn more about these and other activities throughout the week, including those that require registration.

For those looking for a family-friendly way to explore Dr. King’s life and work, Discovery Gateway (444 W. 100 South) presents programming beginning at 1 p.m. on Jan. 18, in conjunction with Delta Sigma Theta sorority. Watch the entirety of the famed “I Have a Dream” speech, then enjoy art projects and hands-on activities continuing the theme. Visit discoverygateway. or for additional information, including COVID-19 health and safety protocols. (SR)

A&E

Close Company

RDT’s Emerge emerges with the challenges of the pandemic reality

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

R

creative challenges—we can’t do too much partnering, or if we do, we need masks.”

Even though this production arrives COVID-delayed and in a different format than anyone involved would prefer, Cendese believes that the artists are dealing with their circumstances as well as could be expected. When asked if the pandemic has created or heightened any tensions within the company, he responds, “I’m sure it’s been there, but I think when it matters, everyone has come to the table with the most open heart, and a willingness to be flexible. Everyone, from Linda on down, has put the stress aside for the greater good of the company. I’m sure it’s there, but when it’s counted, it’s been set aside. And that’s been really inspiring.” CW

REPERTORY DANCE THEATRE: EMERGE

Streaming performance available beginning Jan. 16 Tickets $10 for personal link with limited views for one week rdtutah.org

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“Nowadays, especially, we really draw on kind of an informal lineage of oral tradition, so to speak, for choreography that’s already up,” Cendese says. “It’s vital for our senior dancers to impart their knowledge about the pieces to those coming in. To get our existing repertory up, our dancers become that much more important in helping newer dancers get into the feel of the piece, the mindset of the piece. Then hopefully the younger dancers get to work at some point with choreographers digitally.”

As months have gone by, and artists continue to work in formats previously unfamiliar to them, it’s easy to wonder if the process has gotten any easier—to which Cendese responds, “Yes, and no. I think there’s always that voice in the back of our head saying, ‘Gosh wouldn’t it be great if we could have an audience for a live show.’ But [Artistic Director Linda Smith] has been so prudent and properly cautious, we have a clear path forward for the rest of this season and beyond. There’s no reason for us to panic, even though we’d want things to be different than they are. But as a choreographer, I actually do kind of enjoy some of the

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epertory Dance Theatre had originally planned to premiere its streaming recorded version of the annual Emerge production on Jan. 8. But the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact arts organizations in ways even beyond forcing them to present their work to audiences in different formats.

According to Nicholas Cendese—Artistic Associate and Development Director for RDT, who also choreographed one of the Emerge pieces—work on the production was delayed when dancers had to isolate due to possible COVID exposure. “No one got sick, and everyone came back negative,” Cendese says. “Even with a careful approach, there were still issues and concerns. But one of the benefits of digital performance was that we aren’t tied to dates.

We’re constantly moving puzzle pieces around.”

The Emerge program annually provides the company’s dancers to showcase not just their abilities as performers, but as creators of new dance as well. Six of the production’s featured works offer original choreography by RDT dancers including Cendese, Jaclyn Brown, Lauren Curley, Trung “Daniel” Do, Dan Higgins and Jonathan Kim. While at times in the past

the new Emerge pieces might have included more outside dancers, according to Cendese, “We had to keep it within our RDT bubble this year.”

That closeness, however, can be part of what makes working in such unusual circumstances easier. The process for rehearsing and staging the Emerge pieces is necessarily different due to safety guidelines, but Cendese believes that dancer/ choreographers working with RDT colleagues facilitates operating within this new normal. “On my part, I certainly think so,” he says. “I was able to create a 10-minute piece very easily. I get to work with [the dancers] as an administrator and manager very often, but not as often as another artist. I’m always blown away by their ability to take material and transmute it into something wonderful. And I trust them implicitly. It’s so easy because of the relationships we have.”

The only piece on the program that wasn’t created within the RDT family is “Ode to You” by Rebecca Aneloski, the winner of the 2019 New Century Dance Project commission. Inspired by “Auld Lang Syne” and featuring an original score by Michael Wall, the piece was originally scheduled to be part of RDT’s spring program, which had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Launched by RDT alum Francisco Gella, New Century Dance Project is a planned long-term collaboration with RDT to work with local dancers for professional and artistic development, including a summer festival (which could not take place in 2020).

Working with new dancers on new choreography isn’t the only part of a company with “repertory” in its name, and Cendese acknowledges that there’s a different kind of challenge when it comes to working on pieces that are already part of the repertoire. In those cases, the institutional knowledge of company dancers becomes a crucial part of the creative process.

SHARON KAIN

DANCE

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New Year, New Books!

Find Your Zen at Marissa’s Books 3302 S 900 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84106 www.marissasbooks.com

... and There Are Big Lies

There Are Lies

JANUARY 14, 2021 | 11

Prior to the Senate’s certifcation, Senate President Mitch McConnell split from the president, urging objectors to steer clear of their stated intentions: “We’re debating a step that has never been taken in American history, whether Congress should overrule the voters and overturn a presidential election. I’ve served 36 years in the Senate. This will be the most important vote I’ve ever cast. President Trump claims the election was stolen. ... Dozens of lawsuits received hearings in courtrooms all across our coun-

resentatives? By not nipping in the bud Trump’s “great lie”—that the voting process was flawed and that Trump won the election by a landslide—are any of Utah’s delegation complicit? Where did they stand on the matter?

Here’s a glimpse at how the Utah’s D.C. officials voted on the Electoral College certification, which ultimately showed Biden the winner.

We’ve also included the congressmen’s Twitter feeds leading up to and after the vote.

Finally, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes played a special role in perpetuating the Big Lie, especially when he took it upon himself in early November to travel to Nevada looking for voting irregularities. In addition, without consulting other Utah officials, he joined Utah to a Supreme Court case, calling into question election results in a number of battleground states.

You can decide who our real patriorts are. That is, if we can keep our republic.

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On Jan. 6, when both houses of Congress met to certify the results of the Electoral College and formally recognize the election of the Joseph Biden—it was considered by many to be a perfunctory ceremony.

However, not all congressional representatives saw it as such.

Some viewed it as Donald Trump’s last chance to overturn the presidential election of 2020, and as such, they planned to announce objections, hoping to throw out voting results from key contested states.

try, but over and over, the courts rejected these claims, including all-star judges whom the president himself has nominated. ... The voters, the courts, and the states have all spoken. They’ve all spoken. If we overrule them, it would damage our republic forever.”

Yet, before and even following the attack by so-called “patriots” at the Capitol, eight senators and 139 representatives would vote to sustain objections to the Electoral College results. Of those, two representatives—District 4’s Burgess Owens and District 2’s Chris Stewart— were from Utah.

In the end, in the early morning hours of Jan. 7, after a day of insurrection and mayhem at the Capitol, Owens and Stewart split in the actual votes, supporting an objection to votes in Pennsylvania but opposing an objection to Arizona’s count.

It’s easy enough to tie Trump’s fiery rhetoric to the “patriot” riot. But what of Utah’s congressional rep-

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ven prior to losing his bid for re-election in early November, President Donald Trump and his minions began floating conspiracies at his rallies and on social media about widespread voter fraud. And despite the Electoral College affirming Joe Biden’s win over Trump with a vote of 306-232, Trump continued to complain of voter fraud, even after more than 80 judges found his claims without merit. As the world witnessed, his lies eventually drew a massive crowd to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, followed by a destructive insurrection on Capitol Hill that led to five deaths, including a Capitol Police officer. And tragically, after that day of infamy, another longtime Capitol Police officer, off duty, committed suicide.

DEREK CARLISLE

Compiled by Jerre Wroble

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Tweets from Utah’s delegation—and how some elected officials helped enable Donald Trump’s ruse.

Jan. 7 The assault on the U.S. Capitol yesterday was deeply upsetting. Violence & intimidation against the Legislative Branch are unacceptable and unAmerican, & I urge Americans to unite & welcome a peaceful transfer of power.

I urge states across the USA to follow Utah’s secure & efficient election process to address serious concerns

2nd District Rep. Chris Stewart Voted to OBJECT “President Trump deserves answers”

Twitter feed: Jan. 4 After serious thought and consideration, I will not vote to certify the election.

I believe there are critical questions that need to be answered concerning our Presidential election.

Voting is the most important duty we exercise in a republic. By my objection to certify the election, I am safeguarding the sanctity of each vote.

President-elect Joe Biden deserves to enter his Presidency without this cloud hanging over him, President Trump deserves answers, and most importantly, the American people deserve to have their confidence in our elections restored.

Until we have resolved the issues surrounding voting irregularities, ballot integrity and security, and the implementation of state election laws, I can not, in good conscience, uphold the oath I took to protect and defend our constitution by voting to certify the election.

Jan. 6 Protesters who are breaking windows, threatening violence, and accosting police are behaving inexcusably. It

Excerpt: “As I stated in August, I have been concerned that many states rushed to implement mail-in balloting systems during the pandemic. It took Utah several years to ensure we had a secure and efficient election process to address the integrity of mail-in ballots.”

twitter.com/RepBlakeMoore

Rep. Blake Moore

I could not in principle object or vote to agree to the objection, but I promise that I will fight for every American’s voice to be heard and every voter to have trust in our system.”

is un-American. This must stop now!

Watching & hearing what’s going on here continues to make me sick & angry. I’ve spent my life in the military & serving my country in Congress. I understand people’s fears & frustrations over the election. But nothing excuses this behavior. Its selfish & destructive. Stop it now!

Huge appreciation for our @ CapitolPolice. I was locked in a small room with them for a couple of hours surrounded by violence and anger. They were calm and professional every moment. They represent the best our nation has to offer.

Today should have been the time for thoughtful & respectful debate, instead, it was overcome by a disgusting demonstration of lawlessness. As a result, effective debate has been eclipsed by fear for the future of our country. We must take a moment to reflect & unite as a nation.

I have continued concerns over the security and integrity of our elections. I am committed to restoring Americans’ faith in our election process & democracy and I support the efforts of Sen. Tim Scott’s 2020 Bipartisan Advisory Committee.

I have dedicated

Rep. John Curtis

3rd District Rep. John Curtis Voted to CERTIFY

Has faith in America’s election system.

Twitter feed Jan. 5 I plan to respect each state’s decision, certify the election, and continue to work with my colleagues on solutions for Utah.

On January 6, Congress will fulfill its Constitutional mandate to certify the Electoral College results and finalize the presidential election.

In recognition of my responsibility in this process, I have studied my role and it is clear to me that I have a duty to speak on behalf of the election process in Utah and listen to any objection raised by my fellow lawmakers concerning their state. I have seen no evidence of wrongdoing within Utah and have no plans to object to Utah’s Electoral College certificates. In fact, as I have watched the election process in Utah, I see within it a model for other states across the country.

Federalism is a core principle of our country and an important piece of that is respecting each state’s election procedures and outcomes. The Constitution grants Congress the specific authority to count electoral votes, not debate the merits of each state’s election laws or the validity of the electors they choose to send—to do so would be to federalize the election process, taking fundamental rights away from states. I have consistently opposed when Democrats have made such attempts and I will not use one standard for my party and a different one for the other. Therefore, I plan to respect each state’s decision, certify the election, and continue to work with my colleagues on solutions for Utahns.

As I have said many times before: I have faith in America’s election system and those who work tirelessly to ensure our elections are secure. That’s not to say there isn’t work to do. Americans deserve an election process that leaves no question of integrity and I am committed to supporting our state leaders and working with my colleagues to ensure election security, without further federalizing our elections.”

Taking constituent calls here in DC—happy to chat about my decision not to object to the electoral college count tomorrow or any other issues that are important to you.

I’ve spent most of today talking with constituents and colleagues about the process tomorrow to certify the #ElectoralCollege results. Here’s why I won’t be objecting.

WIKI COMMONS

Twitter feed: Jan. 6 Thank you for your outreach & support. I was evacuated from the House Floor. My team & I are safe. Appreciative of Capitol Police and their service. This saddens & troubles me greatly.

Jan. 8 I want to personally thank @ CapitolPolice fallen officer Brian Sicknick’s family for his sacrifice to me, my colleagues, and our country. I pray the families of all 5 lives lost and those injured are comforted.

WIKI COMMONS

Welcomes a peaceful transfer of power

about the integrity of their systems.

Read my full statement on the vote here: https://blakemoore.house.gov/media/ press-releases

much of my life to serving my country in the Air Force & now as a Member of Congress. I have known brave patriots & know what true patriotism is. The behavior we saw today is not patriotism & I condemn the violent behavior exhibited by the mob at the Capitol.

Any encouragement of violent and illegal behavior is inappropriate, especially from our Commander in Chief.

America can do better than today. America must do better than today. We are a resilient nation who, time and time again, comes together after opposition to uphold the pillars of our republic. I have faith in our nation and I have faith in our democracy. twitter.com/RepChrisStewart

Rep. Chris Stewart

WIKI COMMONS

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1st District Rep. Blake Moore Voted to CERTIFY

Jan. 6 Today’s proceedings are extremely important. I’m watching the #ElectoralCollege Joint Session from my office and will go to the floor to vote after each objection.

My staff and I are safe— thank you to @CapitolPolice for working tirelessly.

It’s totally inappropriate what’s happening here at the Capitol. This is not who we are, we’re better than this. My plea is that we use all our influence to tone this down & return to reasonable debate.

The United States Capitol is the Temple of Liberty and should be treated with respect & honor. The riots both in and outside the building are unacceptable and un-American. The President owes it to the American people to publicly call for an end to these riots. If this were in any other country, we would be condemning these actions and calling for their leaders to stop the violence. Those protesting say they are doing so in the best interest of America—but if that were true, they would end their assault on this sacred institution.

My anger continues to grow over today’s desecration of the United States Capitol, our nation’s home. What happened was an act of domestic terrorism inspired and encouraged by our President.

Frustrations with elections I can understand, but the justification for the actions of the president and the mob I cannot. No American, no elected leader, and certainly no president who participates, inspires, or condones actions such as these has my sympathy or support. twitter.com/RepJohnCurtis

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Twitter feed: Jan. 3 Today, I took an oath to defend the constitution; an oath I do not take lightly. I’m honored #UT04 has chosen me to represent them in Washington. I promise to serve you to the best of my ability. From Juab & Sanpete to Utah & Salt Lake counties, thank you. I will make you proud.

Jan. 6 Proud to sign this statement alongside so many of my colleagues. We owe it to the American people to protect the integrity of our electoral system. Period.

37 REPUBLICAN MEMBERS RELEASE STATEMENT AHEAD OF ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE WASHINGTON, D.C. – 37 Republican members of Congress today issued the following statement in advance of the joint session of Congress at 1 p.m. today: *** In the joint session of Congress today, we... mikejohnson.house.gov I am heartsick over what happened at the Capitol today. This is a sad day for our nation.

I was looking forward to giving my first

Sen. Mike Lee

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Sen. Mike Lee Voted to CERTIFY

WIKI COMMONS

“Our job is to open and then count.”

Twitter feed: Jan. 6 Our job is to open and then count. Open and then count. That’s it. That is all there is The violence at the United States Capitol is completely unacceptable. It is time for the protesters to disperse. My staff and I are safe. We are working to finish our constitutional duty to finish counting votes today. God bless the Capitol Police keeping us all safe.

Jan. 8 The brave men and women of the Capitol Police put their lives on the line defending us from a violent mob Wednesday. Fourteen of them were hospitalized from injuries they suffered while protecting us and now one of them, Officer Brian Sicknick, has died. My family and I offer our deepest condolences and prayers to the Sicknick family. My colleagues and I will do everything we can to make sure those responsible for Officer Sicknick’s death are brought to justice. twitter.com/SenMikeLee

Sen. Mitt Romney Voted to CERTIFY

“The best way we can show respect for the voters who are upset is by telling them the truth.”

Twitter feed: Jan. 2 The egregious ploy to reject electors may enhance the political ambition of some, but dangerously threatens our Democratic Republic.

WIKI COMMONS

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twitter.com/ RepBurgessOwens

Jan. 6 Those who choose to continue to support his dangerous gambit by objecting to the results of a legitimate, democratic election will forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy.

We must not be intimidated or prevented from fulfilling our constitutional duty. I urge my colleagues to move forward with completing the electoral count, to refrain from further objections, and to unanimously affirm the legitimacy of the presidential election.

The best way we can show respect for the voters who are upset is by telling them the truth.

That is the burden, and the duty, of leadership.

Sen. Mitt Romney

twitter.com/MittRomney

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes “Biden & his allies know @POTUS will win if only verified, #legal votes are counted.”

While not a U.S. congressman, Sean Reyes believed he had a role to play in this national election. He had just been reelected Utah’s attorney general in the November 2020 election when he departed Utah for Nevada to look for signs of voter fraud. Trump would go on to claim (in error) that “many thousands of noncitizens voted” in Nevada. “They are totally ineligible to vote!” he added.

To the surprise of many state leaders, Reyes then teamed up with 16 attorneys general to join Utah to a lawsuit intended to undo Biden’s win in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and Wisconsin. The suit, originally filed by Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, was ultimately rejected by the Supreme Court, with Donald Trump tweeting: “I am very disappointed in the United States Supreme Court, and so is our great country!”

Since the riots, Reyes has come under fire for his involvement with the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), which views itself as the last line of defense against Democratic government overreach. In a story first reported on Jan. 7 by watchdog group Documented, a fundraising arm of RAGA—the Rule of Law Defense Fund—was listed as a participating organization on the now-deleted March to Save America website. The rally immediately preceded the Capitol uprising and featured Donald J. Trump and Rudy Giuliani as speakers.

The RAGA executive director has since disavowed “authorized” involvement at the rally, claiming it was a staff decision “to amplify a colleague speaking at the event” that included Texas AG Paxton telling the crowd: “We will not quit fighting.”

The Rule of Law Defense Fund was also behind robocalls encouraging people to march on the U.S. Capitol, with a recording saying, “At 1 p.m., we will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal,” according to NBC News.

The Utah AG’s Office addressed Reyes’ involvement with RLDF, stating he ran the fund “until this past fall,” presumedly up until Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall took over. Marshall told NBC News he was new to the job, did not know about the robocalls and planned to investigate how they came to be.

When Utah State Senate-elect Mike McKell asked Reyes about his involvement in the rally, the Utah Office of the Attorney General tweeted: “Attorney General Reyes is the former chairman of RLDF as of fall 2020. RLDF focuses on research and policy development. Under his tenure, RLDF was not involved in any political rallies. AG Reyes was not involved in organizing the rally in Washington, D.C. He supports everyone’s right to peacefully protest and as stated

previously condemns in the strongest possible terms all acts of violence and lawlessness at the Capitol Building last week.”

The following tweets illustrate Reyes’ post-election efforts in furtherance of the “big lie”: Twitter feed: Nov 6, 2020 Despite months of predictions about a “blue wave,” @GOP kept the Senate & expanded seats in the House. Biden & his allies know @POTUS will win if only verified, #legal votes are counted. We are making sure that happens but looks like courts may have to decide that. #RuleOfLaw On personal leave time to help prepare and support litigation in several states dealing with compromised election process.

To clarify a prior tweet, I am not taking a leave of absence from the AG’s Office.

I am taking a personal weekend to help review and advise on potential lawsuits related to ensuring all legal votes are counted.

Some mistakes were likely made innocently. Others appear very intentional.

But, in either case, we should carefully review and remedy any such irregularities.

For the sake of our nation and whomever wins this election, let’s make sure it is done fairly everywhere. #RuleOfLaw But, if even some actions in battleground states resulted in improper votes being counted or proper votes being rejected, that compromises the overall fairness of the electoral process and can disenfranchise the votes of millions of Americans.

I certainly do not believe all votes in the 2020 election are fraudulent — many dedicated volunteers and officials across the nation, including in Utah, worked hard to ensure a fair process.

Jan. 6, 2021 I condemn, in the strongest terms, the acts of violence at our nation’s Capitol Building today. I pray for the safety of law enforcement working to keep order, for legislators of all parties as well as other civilians who are protesting peacefully.

There is no place for violence in our political discourse, even over the most serious issues and disagreements. We are a nation of laws. This is not how Conservatives and Republicans behave. We are the party of law and order. We uphold the rule of law.

This is unacceptable. https://twitter.com/SeanReyesUT

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes

WIKI COMMONS

“Proud to sign this statement alongside so many of my colleagues.”

floor speech. Telling the story of my greatgreat grandfather, my grandfather, and my father—who, regardless of their incredible success, were denied the right to vote.

I hoped—on behalf of those who felt or who were disenfranchised—to ask that we take a serious look at the transparency of our electoral process. Because of the unacceptable mob violence demonstrated today, I did not get that chance.

It is time for us to unite and focus on healing our country. I look forward to working with my colleagues to identify solutions that will restore faith in our democracy, and to getting back to the people’s work.

Jan. 9 I continue to mourn the loss of @CapitolPolice Officer Brian Sicknick and pray for his family. His selfless service will Rep. always be reBurgess membered, and Owens the individuals responsible must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

WIKI COMMONS

4th District Rep. Burgess Owens Voted to OBJECT

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AT A GLANCE

BURGERS AS BIG AS YOUR HEAD!

hile Utah’s pizza scene is built on a strong foundation of classics, the pizza renaissance that we’re currently experiencing has me all kinds of excited. Over the past few years, we’ve seen pizza variations that range from foldable, thin-crusted New York-style to dense, marinara-infused Sicilian. I thought I was well on my way to becoming a local pizza scholar, until I learned about the arrival of Bricks Corner (1465 S. 700 East, 801-9530636, brickscornerslc.com). This recent addition to the Liberty-Wells neighborhood specializes in Detroit-style pan pizza, a style of pie that I knew nothing about.

With pizza being so near and dear to my heart, I set out to fix my life.

According to Bricks Corner’s owner Josh Poticha—an industry vet who has worked with chefs like Wolfgang Puck and Emeril Legasse—Detroit-style pan pizza is a variation on the Sicilian. The difference? It was first baked in an automotive parts pan by a visionary employee of Ford Manufacturing. The steel parts pan retained enough heat to make the edges and bottom of the crust extra crispy, while the dough inside stays nice and fluffy. Nowadays, of course, Detroit-style pizza is baked up in specially made steel pans that caramelize the cheese that is liberally spread all the way to the edge. Though it’s been a Motor City

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BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer

ideal for those after something on the light and fresh side. The flavors here are more subtle and dispersed, letting you appreciate every bite for different reasons—except when you get a mouthful of that baked truffle ricotta, which is a creamy, savory testament to the magic that cheese can create on the tongue.

Of course, these two pies only scratch the surface of what’s going on at Bricks Corner. The Sweet Salty Pig ($17) combines pork shoulder burnt ends with applewood bacon, bread-and-butter jalapeño chips and a spicy firecracker ranch which is perfect for barbecue fans. Those equally fond of meats and not snobby about a bit of fruit on their pizza will enjoy the Polynesian Pie ($18) topped with grilled Spam, Canadian bacon and grilled pineapple.

Pizza should definitely be on the agenda for any visit to Bricks Corner, but those eager to traverse the full menu will like the Sasso Tots ($12), a glorious pile of braised beef shoulder, caramelized onions and melted mozzarella cheese, or the Corner Burger ($12) with two quarter-pound sirloin patties, American cheese and onion jam on a buttery brioche bun. Bricks Corner also features a fully-stocked wine, cocktail and spirits menu packed with local favorites from High West Distillery and Dented Brick Distillery.

Regardless of what you’re craving, Bricks Corner is a love letter to the neighborhood pizza parlors and watering holes that Poticha grew to love while living in Chicago.

There’s a unique presence within those walls, and it has a way of zapping you out of our current nightmare reality into a place filled with good music, perfect lighting and bubbling slabs of homemade pizza. CW

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Motor City Mangia

staple since the 1950s, it’s only been on the national radar for the past five years or so, which is a damn shame.

Poticha’s decision to bring Detroit-style pizza to Salt Lake City is a mixture of experiential instinct and an admiration of the Greatest Snow on Earth. “I came to Utah on a snowboarding trip to Snowbird about six years ago, and fell in love with the place,” Poticha says. While looking for a place to expand—he also owns a bar and grill in South Carolina called Bricks on Boundary—he saw the space near Liberty Park open up, and decided to bring his expertise to the Beehive State.

Since pizza is the name of the game at Bricks Corner, I placed a takeout order online and popped in to pick up my stack.

Though I was only inside the restaurant for a few minutes, the space struck me as simultaneously hip and accessible—I cannot wait to become a regular fixture here on weekends once the world is no longer on fire. From the backlit bar to the neon accents to the locally sourced pizza monster mural behind the cashier, it’s a perfect space for lengthy conversation over melty, cheesy pies. Oh, and what pies they are.

I went for the Randazzo ($15), named for late Detroit-style pizza pioneer Shawn Randazzo, and the Creamy Mushroom Afgoo ($17). Those new to the Detroit-style concept should definitely start with the Randazzo. Like a Sicilian pizza, it gets a thick shingle of pepperoni on top of the crust before getting hit with cheese, more pepperoni and red sauce. As promised, the edges of this pie are joyously crispy, while the interior dough puffs up for a more yielding chew. It’s a pepperoni pizzalover’s dream come true; there’s close to a metric ton of pepperoni hiding beneath all that bubbly cheese.

The Afgoo is topped with a spread of olive oil and smashed garlic topped with sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onion and little gems of baked truffle ricotta. While it doesn’t skimp on the toppings, this pizza is

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onTAP BEER TO-GO AVAILABLE! SUN - THU: 11AM – 9PM FRI - SAT: 11AM – 10PM

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A list of what local craft breweries and cider houses have on tap this week

2 Row Brewing 6856 S. 300 West, Midvale 2RowBrewing.com On Tap: Feelin’ Hazy

Moab Brewing 686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com On Tap: Bougie Johnny’s

Silver Reef 4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George StGeorgeBev.com

Bewilder Brewing 445 S. 400 West, SLC BewilderBrewing.com On Tap: Raspberry Sour

Mountain West Cider 425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com On Tap: GULB 2020

Squatters 147 W. Broadway, SLC Squatters.com

Bohemian Brewery 94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com

Ogden River Brewing 358 Park Blvd, Ogden OgdenRiverBrewing.com

Bonneville Brewery 1641 N. Main, Tooele BonnevilleBrewery.com On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale

Policy Kings Brewery 223 N. 100 West, Cedar City PolicyKingsBrewery.com

Desert Edge Brewery 273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com On Tap: Fresh Brewed UPA

Proper Brewing 857 S. Main, SLC ProperBrewingCo.com On Tap: Jacob’s Classic: West Coast IPA

Epic Brewing Co. 825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com On Tap: Big Bad Baptist

Red Rock Brewing Multiple Locations RedRockBrewing.com On Tap: Secale

Fisher Brewing Co. 320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com On Tap: Red Ale

RoHa Brewing Project 30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com On Tap: Major Wit

Grid City Beer Works 333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com On Tap: Extra Pale Ale

Roosters Brewing Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com On Tap: Cosmic Autumn Rebellion

Hopkins Brewing Co. 1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com On Tap: Rye Pilsner Hoppers Grill and Brewing 890 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale HoppersBrewPub.com

SaltFire Brewing 2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com On Tap: Apollo 18 NEIPA

Kiitos Brewing 608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com

Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com On Tap: Barrel-Aged Lowrider

Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake LevelCrossingBrewing.com On Tap: Holiday Amber Ale

Shades Brewing 154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer On Tap: Peach Cobbler

Strap Tank Brewery Multiple Locations StrapTankBrewery.com Springville On Tap: PB Rider, Peanut Butter Stout Lehi On Tap: 2-Stroke, Vanilla Mocha Porter TF Brewing 936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com On Tap: Dunkel Lager Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com On Tap: Udder Chaos Chocolate Milk Stout Toasted Barrel Brewery 412 W. 600 North, SLC ToastedBarrelBrewery.com Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer UTOG 2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com On Tap: Mandarina Kolsch Vernal Brewing 55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com Wasatch 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC WasatchBeers.com Zion Brewery 95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com Zolupez 205 W. 29th Street #2, Ogden Zolupez.com

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color with two-and-a-half fingers of almost-white head, which has decent retention. There is a noble hop presence in the nose that lets you know the beer is not a macro. This is followed up by sweet malts, not of the caramel or toffee type or anything that sometimes comes out of most malts. Here, the malts just smell like sweet malts (albeit with the trademark TF Brewing aroma), no more, no less. The yeast is there and is a bit bready, but, like the rest of the beer, is quite reserved.

Up front, there is just a passing taste of noble hop presence, but it is swallowed up almost instantly by the sweetness of the malt, which here comes across as biscuity, buttery and bready, melding well with the mild fruitiness of the yeast. This bready presence continues even as most of the flavor drops out halfway through the taste, leaving the drinker with a heav y grain presence in the mouth. The herbal hop flavor is here as well, though more pronounced than on the nose. Medium hop bitterness is welcome in brightening up the aftertaste, and makes this a bit crisper—and, thus, more refreshing, which is largely what all pilsners should shoot for.

It is a good tasting beer, nonetheless, just a bit off the style.

Overall: This beer is on point. The 5.0 percent body is medium-light, in the sweet spot for pilsners. The carbonation is not as active as it appears in the glass, and so is just below ideally desirable per the style.

There is no lingering stickiness and no astringency. This drinks like the well-crafted beer that it is.

You can find nitro beers and pilsners by the mile at every grocery and convenience store, but when the truly special stuff comes around, you definitely have to make the trip to the brewery and get a fresh pour.

The Nitro Raspberry Cocoa Brown Ale is poured like a proper Guinness pint, and it can take a while—a good five minutes for mine—for an eye-catching presentation.

The same goes for the Heidelberg Edel Pils; slow pours with a pillowy head makes for a much more desirable drinking experience.

Hey, it’s craft beer. If you can’t wait an extra couple seconds, then you’re probably looking for a cinnamon whiskey shot anyway.

As always, cheers. CW

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thought I was in a hurry on this current assignment—too much to do with not a lot of time. However, the barmen at Grid City and TF Brewing during my last visits encouraged me to chill the fuck out and just let the beer happen. Thankfully, I was in the good frame of mind to listen, as the anticipation made for a much better drinking experience.

Grid City - Nitro Raspberry Cocoa Brown Ale: Pours a beautiful, deep mahogany color with a dense and frothy nitrogen foam cap. It’s nearly too pretty to drink … nearly. The scent is very aromatic and inviting: complex, fruity and sweet, redolent of raspberries and dark chocolate.

There are also some bready, toasted malts imparting notes of sweet cake.

Damn, that’s delicious! Subtle flavors of mouth-watering raspberries emerge with earthy, rich, semi-sweet, dark chocolate up front, followed by some bready, toasted malt. But unlike the aroma, the balance of malt cocoa and raspberry is in perfect harmony—not quite dessert-like, but bready like a cupcake. Mouthfeel is light/medium-bodied and nicely cream,y as the nitro head adds a thick dollop of mouth-clogging goodness. With an ABV of 5.0 percent, there is no alcohol on the palate.

Overall: What an unbelievably delicious beer, thanks to tons of bright, fruity raspberries and earthy, rich, semi-sweet, dark chocolate wrapped up in a pillowy quaff!

This one is special, a fantastic beer by Grid City. Highly, highly recommended.

TF Brewing - Heidelberg Edel Pils: This one pours a semi-clear golden/brass

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Space Tea Opens

A new boba tea shop called Space Tea (1085 S. State Street, 385-528-0141, spaceteaslc.com) opened its doors in the near the Central Ninth neighborhood, and it looks positively adorable. From its otter-centric merch to a drink menu that includes more boba, tea, smoothies, slushies, milk blasts and signature drinks than I have seen in a long time. They will also be serving the popular taiyaki style of soft serve, which is served up in a waffle cone made to look like a fish. Also, their menu features a sugar level gradient that lets visitors select how sugary they want their drinks to be; I like this idea because some days you need 125% sugar in your drink.

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AVAILABLE THROUGH

The Salt Lake (152 E. 200 South) and Midvale (1076 E. Fort Union Boulevard) locations of Curry Up Now have partnered with the Utah Food Bank (utahfoodbank.org) for a food drive on Jan. 14. Diners who bring in any canned or dry goods that can be donated to the Food Bank will get half off Curry Up Now’s entire menu.

Born amid the food trucks of Silicon Valley, Curry Up Now made a name for itself with its fusion of Indian and Mexican comfort food, and expanded outside the state of California. Utah was one of the restaurant’s first locations outside of the Golden State, and they’ve been a driving force for local charities since they opened their doors.

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Curry Up Now Food Drive

TEXAS ORIGINAL RECIPES 100% Wood Smoked Bar-B-Que Tue-Wed 7-3pm | Thu-Sat 7-7pm 962 S. 300 West, Salt Lake City

The Orem taqueria known as Lola recently closed shop down south and reopened a new location in the 9th and 9th neighborhood (856 E. 900 South, 385-8883005, visitlola.com). The move was complete with some new menu items, such as the tinga tostada and the chilaquiles, but their signature tacos and burritos remain popular favorites. The Orem location opened in 2019, but owner Samuel Oteo decided to close its doors and move north due to the ongoing pandemic. A taco shop in the 9th and 9th area is a welcome sight, and here’s hoping that neighbors craving some traditional tacos, burritos and tostadas will show the place a warm welcome.

Quote of the Week: “I wish I was full of tacos instead of emotions.” –Anonymous

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Addressing the Void

Blaq Void looks to create a label—and an identity— focused on supporting the local music community

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or the owners of the event group Blaq Void—Brandon Gebo, Randy Jimenez and Drue Olsen, plus their Artist Relations partner Malynn Nelson—this past pandemic year was more of a pivotal year than a pitfall. Though it’s been a barren year events-wise, the dance- and party-focused cadre still put on events like one “Enter the Void” party at Soundwell in October, that besides COVID regulations featured rules like “rage responsibly,” “consent consent consent,” “plan a safe ride home” and other very heartening advice. Nelson also had a hand in Blaq Void’s presence at this summer’s Juneteenth march and block party, for which the group helped with sound set ups.

But those were pretty much it in pandemic 2020. “We haven’t been doing much since COVID hit, and honestl,y we didn’t want to do a lot of live streams, because it’s just not the same,” Gebo explains.

That’s a fair call, considering that Blaq Void specializes in curating live experiences in unique venue spaces, the kinds where bodies crush together and the night creeps toward morning before one ever considers leaving the music. Before such events became impossible, though, Blaq Void was pulling in some money from those events, and the owners’ minds turned towards a Blaq Void that could go beyond sporadic concerts and parties.

“We wanted to dive into artist management and relations, becoming a record label and releasing music,” Gebo says. “We really want to focus on building the music side of it, the community.”

Part of what makes their interest in creating a communityminded label unique comes from their unorthodox approach to putting on events. Blaq Void resists the woeful modern tradition of hyping up a big touring act, only for the local or small-time opener to get snubbed by showgoers arriving purposefully late for the headliner; instead, they use mystery to build hype and a sense of trust between Blaq Void and their followers. “We don’t ever release who’s playing on a lineup—just to like, spice up the events,” says Olsen.

“A lot of people said it would never work,” Gebo adds, “but we’ve doubled down on it and we’ve pretty much never announced any artists. We’re selling out events and people don’t even know who’s playing. We were starting to really build lines, so it [was] incentivizing our crowd to get there early to see the local artists we put on, who are amazing.”

Gebo also notes that sometimes those artists were playing for bigger crowds at Blaq Void events than at shows organized by bigger companies—and, that those crowds were diverse, full of “rave kids, hipsters, rap music kids, metal heads, all conglomerating at our events like they never have before because they don’t know what’s going to be there.” From that soup of strangers, the Blaq Voiders contend, comes creativity, idea exchange, people meeting people they wouldn’t otherwise—and that that is the spirit of what

A Past Blaq Void Event

Randy Jimenez

F

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CONCERT PREVIEW

they want to do as they expand Blaq Void into a collaborative label.

“We’ve got friends that are in bands that have really good music, indie rock bands. So we’re trying to expand our horizons in releasing music as well as incorporating them into live performances as well. We want to keep the people guessing, we don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves,” explains Olsen.

Jimenez adds, “On the record label side of things … we really are here to help produce more content for the artist and help them do it in a more independent path that’s very different from how labels are traditionally set up right now.” That means shirking the exploitative royalty model that most labels use to make their money, and placing an emphasis on helping artists build personal relationships with their fan bases, evolving their identity in accessible ways through online media and content creation.

“The goal of it would have been the same, pandemic or not,” says Gebo. The way he tells it, the fact that Blaq Void-qua-label was already a potential project was not only the perfect thing to focus in on with the loss of live events, but—now that it’s in motion— will perhaps help bring back some hype around local artists for when stages open. Gebo points out that even though people will obviously already feel very compelled to go to shows after the pandemic, “the hope is that a lot of people start to recognize who these [local artists] are by the time things do open up—through us and the content we’re releasing.”

One of the first artists they’ve collaborated with are the SLC-based duo Eternal in the dropping of their single “No Expectations,”and they’ve also helped put out a single by Olsen himself, “Same City,” which dropped Jan. 6. It’s all one step closer to Blaq Void’s goal to be a local-focused “powerhouse.”

“We think Salt Lake City needs that,” Gebo says, “We think it’s always needed that and it’s been kind of a void here, which is why we created what we did. We really want to try to build a community, a music hub in Salt Lake City. People are moving here from out of state, they’re looking for that and where is it?”

Here’s to hoping that in 2021, Blaq Void answers that question.

Keep up with their label developments on Instagram @blaqvoid or at facebook.com/blaqvoid. CW

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The young have a way of re-interpreting genres of old that keeps things fresh, no matter how bygone things seem to get.

Two acts coming through Kilby Court on Thursday, Jan 14 have some novel stuff to play to the COVID-capped audience, stuff that will shake off any preconceptions that these genres are dead or uninteresting. First, there’s the super-youthful band Southernmost Gravy, who are first notable for their goofy name, but secondly and more importantly for their adoption of EDM (the soundtrack of the early aughts, alt and pop alike) as their own experimental playground. Despite the band being made up of teenagers who were probably in elementary school when the genre was at its peak, the three-piece has released two full albums as of 2020, dissecting EDM into pared down, minimal compositions that verge into dream pop territory despite the fact that EDM is only historically dreamy for ravers. These kids are too young to rave, but apparently not too young to creatively reimagine a genre that’s felt like a very “done” sound for years now. And, they’ve got yet another album on the way, working with older and more established local names like Brother. and Suit Up Soldier. They’re joined by very different company on stage, by way of Lehi-based Aurhe.

The working name of Ava Stone, Aurhe is a powerhouse synthesis of ’80s hair metal and aughts emo—and not the melodic kind, but the Vans Warped Tour kind. Aurhe appropriates glam rock shredding, then pairs it with vocals that could contend with those of Paramore’s Hayley Williams, especially on “Summer Song,” where Stone belts over electrifying riffs. Other 2020 singles include “Wildflower” and “Take a Breath,” the former heavy on the ’80s rock riffs found on “Summer Song,” and the latter heavy on the neon aughts-emo styling. The two genres, though decades apart, always had some things in common—over-the-top glamor, a showy edginess, the starkly similar reliance on power chords—but it’s pretty unusual to

see a young artist like Stone calling back to either, let alone both. If there were ever an all-ages show appreciate an all-ages cast of talent, this is the one. Visit sartainandsaunders.com for tickets and more info.

The Beehive Has a Patreon Now

When The Beehive was first introduced to the world, it was rickety as hell. The small space at 666 S. State (yes, that’s the real address) was a shell of a venue, with a bathroom door that didn’t really close that well, a crisp draft in the air and the general feel of a haunted, abandoned building—which is pretty much what it was. Since those early days a few years back, though, The Beehive has been transformed into a glowing communal space for music and local arts in general, complete with a little vegan restaurant nestled in the front of the space called, fittingly, Mark of the Beastro. Over the course of the pandemic, locals sought to support the venue, which was closed like so many others for the bulk of last year save for a few random, socially-distanced shows. Supporters like Petr Chubak ran virtual shows such as the Beehive Instafest with the help of other local musicians, seeking donations during the course of the live-streams. Now, though, the folks at The Beehive have made it much easier to support the venue’s survival, as we enter a new year riddled with just as much risk for such a small, young venue. Like so many others, they’ve turned to Patreon as a way to get some consistent income going. Running with the Instafest model, the Beehive Patreon offers tiers that include access to live-stream sets, behindthe-scenes business at The Beehive and a specially-produced music video courtesy of Short Round Films. And there is, of course, a tier just for those who can only afford to chip in, with no added perks besides the knowledge that one is helping keep The Beehive alive. If you’re a fan of the arts fostered by this venue, or would like to one day visit it when it reopens, visit them and sign up for a tier on Patreon by searching for The Beehive.

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Gifted Music School Streams 2020 Showcase

Though we are now well into the new year, there’s still plenty of time for reflection on the year now behind us, and that includes looking back at the progress made by students like those at the Gifted Music School. The local non-profit specializes in offering expertise and training to young musicians from all backgrounds, through classes structured for students of all ages and through public school outreach programs like GRIT. Though just marking their 12-year anniversary here in 2021, the school has already made leaps and bounds in the music education world, leading young students to places in prestigious music programs all around the country—and that progress hasn’t stopped during the pandemic. Throughout 2020, the school has still conducted or been featured in live-stream events, such as an August appearance made by their young violinists on an Excellence in the Community stream, or last May’s Resilience Celebration.

Now they want to give the community a chance to appreciate the talents and growth of their 2020 Conservatory Starling and Dummer scholarship recipients at a Winter Concert that’s unlike any before it, since it’s online.

Members of the Conservatory program are the Gifted Music School’s highest tier of students, ones who are prepared to move on to programs and conservatories of merit all over the country. Featuring the talents of the Gifted Music School’s young violinists—Makenzie Hart, Ezekiel Sokoloff, Aryanna Holmes, Ellen Hayashi—the Winter Concert will also feature pianists Dr. Whitney Pizza, faculty at the school, and co-founder Dr. Vera Oussetskaia. The stream will be available at 7 p.m. on Gifted Music School’s Facebook (facebook.com/giftedmusicschool), their YouTube (@giftedmusicschool) or on their website (giftedmusicschool.org/winter-concert).

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A one-man band isn’t something you see every day, but Jacob T. Skeen is Utah’s very own, and he’s playing this Thursday, Jan. 14 at the Urban Lounge. With his tight little kit of oddly fitted drums (the hi-hat is sideways by his knee), snarling rockabilly guitar and a vintage twanging voice, Skeen manages to sound like much more than the single man that he is—and all with with perfectly slicked back hair and a tidy, old-fashioned suit. His debut album, Death, Thou Shalt Die, came out on the heels of the beginning of the pandemic in April 2020, which led to show and tour cancelations for the artist. It’s a shame, because the album is foot-stomping blues for any lover of real rock ‘n’ roll, or the soulful, tortured origins of what would become in the ’90s the rather campy genre of psychobilly. And though Skeen’s whole deal could come off as gimmicky, what he really puts out there is a novel character who thrashes away at his kit, with songs both classy and spooky, looking like a 1950s church pastor cursed to fight off the devil with gothic riffs alone. He’s brought his act to a few different venues over the course of the last year, though not many, for obvious reasons.

He’ll find support in a band that’s been doing much the same—Lord Vox, the atmospheric psych rock outfit that played shows constantly since their conception, until the pandemic hit. Though psych rock has been, in recent years, somewhat done to death around SLC, Lord Vox revived it thanks in part to soulful vocals from frontman Nahum Reyes—who, like Jacob T. Skeen, favors the drama of a memorable outfit, via the sweeping black cloak that swings around his shoulders at each show. Lord Vox has been understandably less busy this past year, since it’s harder for bands to practice together during a pandemic, but they still managed to put out their early 2020 single “Even in the Night.” Both acts will find an opener in The Fervors, who seem to have been busier than any other opening band in the past year. As with all shows during the pandemic, Urban Lounge is requiring masks, tickets bought in groups of up to six people and social distancing when away from one’s group at the show. Visit sartainandsaunders. com for tickets and more info.

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It’s no mystery as to why a large venue like The Depot hosted very, very few shows in 2020—not only is it dependent on large crowds to fill its space, but is mainly home to touring acts, which were all-but-non-existent over the past year.

That, and it’s operated by LiveNation, the mega-venue conglomerate that’s taken over big venues all over the country.

LiveNation was pretty quiet during the pandemic, but now its Depot holding has a new lease on life with its first upcoming show of the new year, after a few scant sets like the Royal Bliss Thanksgiving bash back in November. The upcoming show, which features solo artist Carver Louis, will feature new rules at the 21+ venue—including, obviously, the required wearing of face masks while inside the venue, assigned entry times per ticket and all groups entering at the same time with their grouped tickets. Ahead of this first show in so long, The Depot is also including a very explicit warning in their description of the event, more so than any other venue in town—perhaps owing to The Depot’s place in a national venue conglomerate that’s beholden to more seriousness around COVID than is found in our own conservative state. Their warning includes a reminder that COVID is a deadly, “extremely contagious” disease (perhaps even more so if that British strain spreads, eh?), and that any attendees of shows at The Depot are voluntarily assuming all risks related to going into an indoor space with other people during a pandemic. LiveNation is certainly covering their bases. As for the entertainment for this first show at the venue in ages, Carver Louis is a local—to be specific, an up-and-coming country singer from Park City.

If you’ve missed nights at The Depot especially this past year, then don’t miss this chance to visit this Friday, Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $45. Visit depotslc. com for more details.

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CINEMA

FILM REVIEW

RoboCop-out

Outside the Wire can’t carry its critique of dehumanized militarism across the finish line.

I

t can be a disorienting experience watching an action movie try to make a political statement, sort of like watching Spinal Tap try to perform an opera about healthy gender dynamics. On the one hand, you want to encourage the effort. And on the other hand, you desperately want to tell them to stay in their lane, because the result could only be a mess.

Of course, there are examples of genre films that successfully melded allegory and/or satire into shoot-’em-ups, like Paul Verhoeven’s RoboCop and Starship Troopers.

But it takes a deft touch to pull off that kind of a trick without simultaneously glorifying violence, while making the message clear and convincing. Outside the Wire takes what feels like a smart starting point for a critique of dehumanized militarism, then fumbles it so badly that it’s hard to justify the effort.

That starting point, in a story set in the year 2036, involves Lt. Thomas Harp (Damson Idris), an Air Force drone pilot who takes his job firing missiles into an Eastern European war zone from the safety of a Nevada military base casually enough that he snacks on Gummi Bears through his missions. After one of his decisions results in the death of two Marines, Harp is sent into

NETFLIX

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

a combat zone to learn a lesson about war on the ground. There he’s assigned to Capt.

Leo (Anthony Mackie) for a mission to gather intelligence about a warlord trying to acquire nuclear launch codes. And oh by the way, Capt. Leo is actually an android.

There’s certainly not a lot of subtlety in the script, credited to Rowan Athale and video-game writing veteran Rob Yescombe.

As we watch a scenario in which the U.S. military has already deployed additional robotic troops on top of their drone activity, it’s clear that we’re getting a cautionary tale about what happens when it becomes too easy to make life-and-death decisions when you yourself don’t face any life-anddeath consequences. The creation of Capt.

Leo even involves some cynical awareness of how America is perceived around the world, with the notion that he was made to look like a Black man in order to appear less threatening to people in other countries. Harp’s character journey—begun as Idris effectively conveys a scarily placid demeanor during the incident that inspires his punishment—finds him learning hard lessons in the value of individual human

lives, rather than cold tactical calculations about the greater good.

That, however, proves to be a more complex philosophical notion than Outside the Wire ultimately knows what to do with.

Without offering spoilers, the narrative takes a turn that feels somewhat predictable thanks to a long history of science-fiction tales about artificial intelligence—and that means there’s going to have to be a lot of expository chatter in which we contemplate the essence of what it is to be human.

None of that exposition is handled particularly gracefully, although Mackie’s easy onscreen charm gives things a much-needed boost. If you end up with a bunch of scenes that flash back to earlier moments in an “oh, so that was what that meant,” as director Mikael Håfström employs here, you’ve made it clear you don’t really trust your audience to put the pieces together.

More problematic is the reality that Outside the Wire is too timid to embrace a full-on skewering of American foreign policy-by-force. This always feels like a movie made more for the audience that’s going to dig the mayhem that ensues when the inhu-

Damson Idris and Anthony Mackie in Outside the Wire man Capt. Leo makes short work of a bunch of militants, rather than the audience that honestly wants to contemplate the consequences of our perpetual war. As an action picture, it’s sturdy enough, but the use of a “countdown to possible Armageddon” digital clock should have clued me in that it wasn’t going to end on the only anti-heroic note that would have matched up with its pretenses at deep thoughts. Instead of offering a journey into moral grey areas that goes for the throat, this one can only manage a shoot-’em-up that goes to 11.CW

OUTSIDE THE WIRE

tt Anthony Mackie Damson Idris Emily Beecham R Available Jan. 15 via Netflix

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY B Y R O B

B R E Z S N Y

Go to realastrology.com for Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text-message horoscopes.

Audio horoscopes also available by phone at 877-873-4888 or 900-950-7700.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) As you ripen into a more fully embodied version of yourself, you will summon ever-greater discrimination about where to seek your inspiration. I trust that you will increasingly divest yourself of any tendency you might have to play around with just any old mediocre fire. More and more, you will be drawn to high-quality blazes that provide just the right amount of heat and light— neither too much nor too little. And you will steadfastly refrain from jumping into the flames, as glamorously dramatic as that might seem—and instead be a master of deft maneuvers that enable you to get the exact energy you need.

Buddhist monk to a performance of Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5.” The monk wasn’t impressed. “Not enough silence!” he complained. I’m puzzled by that response. If the monk were referring to a busy intersection in a major city, I might agree with him, or the cacophony of a political argument among fanatics on Facebook. But to want more silence in one of history’s greatest pieces of music? That’s perverse. With this in mind, Libra, and in accordance with astrological omens, I encourage you to seek extra protection from useless noise and commotion during the coming weeks—even as you hungrily seek out rich sources of beautiful information, sound and art.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Denstu is a major Japanese advertising agency headquartered in Tokyo. Annually since 1925, its new employees and freshly promoted executives have carried out a company ritual: climbing 12,388-foot-high Mount Fuji, Japan’s tallest peak. The theme of the strenuous workout is this: “We are going to conquer the symbol that represents Japan more than anything else.

And, once we do that, it will signify that we can do anything.” In anticipation of what I suspect will be a year of career gains for you, Taurus, I invite you to do the following: Sometime in the next six weeks, go out in nature and perform an equivalent feat.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) “Some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal,” wrote Scorpio author Albert Camus. If you’re one of those folks, I’m happy to inform you that you have cosmic permission to relax. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to explore the pleasures of not being conventional, standard, ordinary, average, routine, prosaic or common. As you expansively practice non-normalcy, you will enhance your health, sharpen your wits, and clarify your decisions.

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JANUARY 14, 2021 | 29

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Our lives tend to be shaped by the stories about ourselves that we create and harbor in our imaginations. The adventures we GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Today, I received a new email from a Gemini friend who lives in actually experience, the problems we actually face, are often London. It was date-stamped Jan. 15, 2015. Weird! In it, she (not always) in alignment with the tales we tell ourselves about talked about applying for a new job at a publishing company. That our epic fates. And here’s the crux of the matter: We can change was double weird, because February 2015 was in fact the time she the stories we tell ourselves. We can discard tales that reinforce had gotten the editing job that she still has. Her email also con- our pain and dream up more meaningful and pleasurable tales. I veyed other details about her life that I knew to be old history. So believe 2021 will be an excellent time for you to attend to this why did it arrive now, six years late? I called her on the phone to see fun work. Your assignment: Be a self-nurturing storyteller. if we could unravel the mystery. In the end, we concluded that her email had time-traveled in some inexplicable way. I predict that CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) a comparable event or two will soon happen in your life, Gemini. Capricorn author Edgar Allen Poe named “four conditions for happiness: life in the open air; love of another human being; Blasts from the past will pop in as if yesterday were today. freedom from all ambition; creation.” I’m accomplished in three of those categories, but a failure in being free of all ambitions. In CANCER (June 21-July 22) Eugene Sue (1804–1857) was a popular French author whose fact, I’m eternally delighted by all the exciting creative projects stories often offered sympathetic portrayals of the harsh liv- I’m working on. I’m very ambitious. What about you, Capricorn? ing conditions endured by people of the lower economic class. I’m going to contradict Poe and speculate that your happiness Writing generously about those downtrodden folks made him in the coming months will require you to be at least somewhat quite wealthy. I’d love to see you employ a comparable strategy ambitious. That’s what the planetary omens tell me. So, what in the coming year. What services might you perform that would are the best goals and dreams for you to be ambitious about? increase your access to money and resources? How could you AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) benefit yourself by helping and uplifting others?

It’s time to launch Operation Supple Watchdog. That means you should be tenderly vigilant as you take extra good care of LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) The beautiful and luxurious fabric known as silk comes from everyone and everything that provide you with meaning and cocoons spun by insect larvae. Sadly for the creatures that pro- sustenance. It means you should exercise rigorous but goodvide the raw material, they’re usually killed by humans harvest- humored discernment about any oppressive or demeaning ideas ing their handiwork—either by being stabbed or boiled alive. that are flying around. You should protect and preserve the However, there is a special kind of silk in which manufacturers vulnerable parts of your life, but do so with tough-minded spare the lives of their benefactors. The insects are allowed to compassion, not ornery overreactions. Be skeptical, but warm; mature into moths and escape. I propose that we make them breezily resilient but always ready to stand up for what’s right. your spirit creatures in the coming weeks. It’s an excellent time (P.S. The better you shield yourself against weird surprises, the for you to take an inventory of everything you do and evaluate more likely it is you’ll attract interesting surprises.) how well it upholds the noble principle of “Do no harm.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) The atoms that compose your body have existed for billions of VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) “Any time that is not spent on love is wasted,” declared the years. Originally created by a star, they have been part of many Italian poet Torquato Tasso. Although I am sympathetic with his forms before you. But they are exactly the same in structure as sentiment, I can’t agree that acts of love are the only things ever they have ever been. In a very real sense, you are billions of years worth doing. Sometimes, it’s healthy to be motivated by anger old. Now that you know that, how do you feel? Any different? or sadness or skepticism, for example. But I do suspect the com- Stronger? More expansive? More eternal? I bring these thoughts ing weeks will be a favorable time for you to be in intense devo- to your attention, Pisces, because 2021 will be an excellent year tion to Tasso’s counsel. All the important successes you achieve for you to come to a more profound and detailed understanding of your true nature. I hope you will regularly meditate on the will be rooted in an intention to express love and compassion. possibility that your soul is immortal, that your identity is not confined to this historical era, that you have been alive and will be LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) I heard a story about how a music aficionado took a Zen alive for far longer than you’ve been taught to believe.

NEE D MOR SPAC E E?

© 2021

LIE

BY DAVID LEVINSON WILK

ACROSS

URBAN L I V I N

G

WITH BABS DELAY Broker, Urban Utah Homes & Estates, urbanutah.com

The Impacts of COVID

1. Skirt’s edge 2. Fever that reached America in the mid-’60s 3. Put money on the underdog, say 4. Knowledgeable viewpoint 5. First word of Dante’s “Inferno” 6. In a way that produces the opposite effect 7. What “Pay Toll 1 Mile” implies 8. “The Good Place” network 9. Mover’s form for the USPS 10. There are 2.54 in an in.

14. HBO series represented by some of the black (and two white) squares in this puzzle’s grid 18. Miscellany 20. National Radio Hall of Fame inductee who was born Art Ferguson 22. 2009 Grammy winner for her “Still Unforgettable” album 24. History is written in it 27. Lyft drivers consult it 28. Hematite, for one

40. “Have you no shame!”

41. “That’s ____ quit!”

51. Do some voice work 52. _ ___ Today 54. Weep 56. Daft Punk, for one 57. Chapel Hill sch.

58. The “75” of $1.75: Abbr.

Last week’s answers

No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.

DOWN

Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to 9.

1. Beanball, on many diamond scoresheets 4. “Monsters, ____” 7. Civil rights org. whose leaders included John Lewis and Stokely Carmichael 11. Slippery sea creature 12. “The Matrix” hero 13. What you may “drop” on Valentine’s Day, with “the” 15. Goat’s cry 16. Reason for seasonal shots 17. The “O” of AOC 19. Tickle Me Elmo toymaker 21. Opposite of SSE 23. National econ. stat 25. Glassmaker’s oven 26. Smidge 27. Israel’s Meir 29. Mild Dutch cheese 30. DDE’s WWII command 31. Goody-two-shoes 32. Foal’s mother 33. Like some sugar 34. Programmed to, as a thermostat 35. On the same side 36. 1979 Sigourney Weaver film 37. Demolition material 38. Say ____ (refuse) 39. Hosp. heart ward 40. Squiggly mark in “piñata” 42. _ ___ to one’s ears 43. Highest-rated 4 4. 17th-century Dutch painter Jan 45. Hindu god of fire 46. Dockworkers’ org.

47. Ceramists’ needs 48. _ ___ Francisco 49. Part of DMV: Abbr.

50. Ending with fluor 51. “Thank you, Captain Obvious!”

53. Curling surface 55. Draws out 59. Support gp. founded under FDR 60. The NBA’s Magic, on scoreboards 61. Patty and Selma, to Bart, Lisa and Maggie 62. Cave dweller 63. Rival of BAL and BOS 64. R x writers

SUDOKU

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30 | JANUARY 14, 2021

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

The National Association of Realtors puts out an annual profile of homebuyers and sellers that helps me and my fellow members understand clients and trends that became apparent in the past year. Many of you are probably addicted to “house porn” and love to look at properties for sale online because the annual report keeps data about this topic. Here are some nuggets of information from the most recent report that might surprise you: n Of the 15.9 million Americans who moved in 2020, 22% moved due to the COVID-19 pandemic. n Nearly a third of aspiring homebuyers will look for a home with a dedicated office, along with more square footage and rooms. n Millennial buyers are leaving more expensive, densely populated areas in favor of more affordable regions. Thus, suburban cities across the U.S. experienced an increase of new residents looking for space and affordability in a time of remote work opportunities.

What the survey proved to me is what I’ve gleaned from phone calls received from potential buyers: that 49% of millennials have pushed up their homebuying plans as a result of the pandemic, that 31% are first-time buyers, of which 57% are 18 to 34 years old.

This means that the demand by first-time homebuyers is high, and indeed, the demand is insane. In my previous column, I noted that as of Dec. 31, there were 634 total homes, condos and townhomes for sale in all price ranges in Salt Lake County. There are no doubt more than 634 millennials looking for their first place to buy, to say nothing of the Boomers who are retiring and trying to downsize, often to smaller properties from where they’ve been living.

On the seller side, the report found that the top three reasons owners put their homes for sale were 1. The desire to move closer to friends and family; 2. Their current home was too small and 3. They experienced a change in their family situation (new baby, parents moving in, people moving in with parents, etc.). I found this to be true locally. The sellers I worked with this past year were moving to be closer to family, had lost jobs due to COVID-19 and/or needed to move in with family or wanted to move so they could have room for a home gym, home offices/Zoom rooms and/or wanted a larger yard for kids and pets.

As we continue living in this pandemic, I think we all will know how comforting it is having a home, given the alternatives. Sadly, thousands of people in Utah were laid off in 2020 or had to close their businesses. This will continue until we get control over this damned disease. Real estate reports around the country are predicting that people will lose their homes the longer this disease has us by the proverbial balls. Will foreclosures flooding the real estate market mean a drop in home prices? Possibly, but not likely in Utah because we are so desperately behind in affordable-housing options. n Content is prepared expressly for Community and is not endorsed by City Weekly staff.

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BY T HE EDITO R S AT A ND RE WS M cMEEL

WEIRD

Bright Idea Acting on an anonymous tip, authorities in DeKalb County, Alabama, raided the Rainsville Wastewater Treatment Plant on Dec. 17 and discovered a large illegal winemaking operation that appeared to have been in operation for a long time, reported WHNT. The next day, plant supervisor Allen Maurice Stiefel, 62, of Fyffe, was charged with unlawful possession of illegally manufactured alcohol and suspended without pay, according to Rainsville Mayor Rodger Lingerfelt. The operation was found in a little-used building at the plant, where, Lingerfelt said, “Things happen like that.” The sale of alcohol had been illegal in Rainsville until the city council passed an ordinance approving it in September.

Surprise!

Andrea Ellis of East Moline, Illinois, was wrapping presents on Dec. 19 when she opened a package of garden flags she intended to give her grandmother and noticed something extra in the bottom of the padded envelope. It turned out to be a biohazard bag containing a Virginia woman’s COVID-19 test. Ellis told the Quad City Times that when she failed to reach the woman, she called police, who sent an officer to retrieve it, but 15 minutes later, he returned with the bag, saying, “I was told to bring it back to you.” A representative of the Rock Island County Health Department picked up the sample the next day and will try to return it to the Virginia patient. Ellis has also heard from a vice president at Kohl’s, where she bought the flags, who said the company is working hard to find out what happened and prevent it from happening again.

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n Police in Perth, Western Australia, are asking for the public’s help in locating a thin, well-dressed man with olive skin and short black hair who was captured on surveillance cameras using an electric bicycle to draw lewd pictures of a penis on a city sidewalk on Nov. 30. “The man has appeared to spin the wheels ... in order to draw explicit images with the rubber from the tires,” Crimestoppers WA announced. A police Facebook post about the incident drew scorn, news.com.au reported: “Whatever his punishment,” one user wrote, “I’m sure he will have to write it out on the board 100 times at recess.”

Oops!

The 69 passengers who boarded Buddha Air Flight U4505 in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Dec. 18, expecting to fly to Janakpur, about 140 miles southeast, were surprised when they arrived instead in Pokhara, about 125 miles in the opposite direction.

Weather and flight delays may have been factors, an airline spokesperson told The Kathmandu Post, resulting in “a miscommunication between the ground staff and the pilots.” The passengers were promptly flown to their preferred destination a few hours behind schedule, and Buddha Air managing director Birendra Bahadur Basnet announced that a committee has been formed to investigate the incident.

The Passing Parade Police were called to a home in Tijuana, Mexico, to break up the fight that broke out after a man identified only as Jorge discovered a tunnel leading from his home to that of a neighbor, Alberto, who had been having an affair with Jorge’s wife. Trouble began, reported the Daily Mail, when Jorge arrived home early from work and surprised his wife and Alberto, a bricklayer who was also married. Alberto hid behind a couch before disappearing down the tunnel, which appeared in photos to be professionally constructed. Jorge followed Alberto down the tunnel, eventually confronting him in Alberto’s house.

News That Sounds Like a Joke Micheline Frederick of Queens, New York, is still recovering from the wounds she suffered in what she described as a brawl with a squirrel on the front stoop of her home just before Christmas. “This was an MMA cage match!” she told WLNY. “And I lost!” Several neighborhood residents have reported run-ins with aggressive squirrels, including Vinati Singh, whose husband has been attacked twice, and Licia Wang, who was bitten on the arm while walking home. A trapper has been hired to capture the rodents, and while squirrels are rarely found to have rabies, according to the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Health is advising victims to contact their doctor if they’ve been bitten.

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

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Perspective Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, is asking luxury goods company Louis Vuitton to stop selling a yoga mat made partially of leather, calling the product “hugely insensitive” because Hindus regard cows as sacred. In a Dec. 22 statement, Zed said the idea “of yoga ... being performed on a mat made from a killed cow is painful,” The Associated Press

Great Art French artist Gaetan Marron presented a new performance piece in December titled “Non-Essential,” in which he locked himself for 10 days inside a clear Plexiglas cube at a shopping mall in Marseille. Euronews reported the artist described his work as an attempt to “bring culture, which clearly saved us during this lockdown, back to the center of the subject.” The cube, large enough for Marron to stand up in, also contained a few nonessential items, including a TV and coffee machine; Marron left the cube to use the restroom. “I have the feeling that ... we miss what is really the real human contact ... we have really lost social links in this period,” Marron said.

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Awesome!

Didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas? The North Carolina Department of Transportation put nine vintage train cars up for auction on Dec. 15 that it purchased from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus after it ceased operation in 2017, the Raleigh News & Observer reported. NCDOT bought the cars for $383,000 to refurbish for use between Raleigh and Charlotte, but federal grants have enabled the department to buy new cars instead. “These cars have a great and amazing history,” said Jason Orthner, director of the NCDOT rail division. Bidding continues until Jan. 4, but at press time, there were no bids on the cars.

reported. The mat retails for $2,390 online; Paris-based Louis Vuitton has not responded.

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High Anxiety As Delta Flight 462, en route to Atlanta, began to taxi away from the gate at La Guardia Airport on Dec. 21, passenger Brian Plummer noticed a man and woman with a service dog changing seats several times on the less-than-full plane, he told The New York Times, and heard the man say, “If I sit down, I’ll freak out.” Plummer soon felt the plane come to a stop, and flight attendants revealed why: The man, Antonio Murdock, 31, of Florida, had forced open an emergency exit door, causing a slide to activate, and picking up the dog, slid down to the ground with the woman, Brianna Greco, 23, according to a complaint filed in Queens Criminal Court, where the two were arraigned on a number of mischief and endangerment charges. “This doesn’t happen every day at the airport,” said Lenis Valens, a spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. No one was injured in the incident, but the flight was delayed for hours.

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