DigBoston 10.12.17

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DEMOCRACY IN CRISIS

TRUMP’S UMBRELLA MEN PLUS: THE EXPLOITATION OF PUERTO RICO A+E

‘FUN HOME’ RUN AND A NEW COMEDY SECTION

NEWS+OPINION

GAY BOWL DISPATCH THIS FLAG IS WORTH SALUTING COVER: AMAZON IN MASS

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Dear Reader, I spent the night before deadline speaking to attendees at the International Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) conference, which was held this past weekend in Boston. Since the engagement put a crunch on my time, and because I always feel that readers should be let in on the operations that take place behind the scenes during the news-making process, I’m sharing some of the thoughts that I compiled for the event as my letter this week. Because while some of my colleagues have questioned my willingness to spend valuable time with publicists—our contingents are like cats and dogs, with much love lost between the sides for many reasons—I nonetheless find it important to address those with whom we must work but don’t always see eye to eye (yes, I do plan on running for Congress with that line someday, in which case having friends in media relations will come in handy).

Prior to the event, the publicist for the publicist’s conference sent me and the other panelists a list of topic cues to help us prepare.

They were typical of such summits in my experience, with questions like “What are some of the best story ideas/pitches you’ve gotten?

What are some of the worst?” All of which I was happy to riff on, but for the purpose of this column I thought it was most appropriate to address certain inquiries further down the list, namely:

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• What stories or topics have been played out or are over and done with?

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On that first one, it’s about freaking time.

Now, I don’t expect magazines that cover arts and crafts, for example, to suddenly start writing about how dingbat Donald’s debauchery is wrecking textile markets. That would be amazing, but what I think the question meant, and what I find hopeful, is that because of the collective trauma we have all experienced this past year, even milquetoast society rags and typically apolitical sites have been forced to consider the greater good. And that’s a good, even a great thing.

As for what’s played out… I suppose I’m speaking more on what I want to happen than I am reflecting real-life observations, but I sure hope that, to coincide with all of the above, rank-and-file publications will finally slow down on glorifying sleaze. Basically, I’m wishing that everyday mainstream media orgs—Newsweek, CBS News, that ilk—will increasingly realize that fellating scoundrels like Jared Kushner is reprehensible.

And then I take a look at my inbox and the hundred-plus vapid celebrity-worshipping press releases that we receive daily, and I realize that I must be dreaming.

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• It’s been said that in 2017, every media vertical has been forced to “get political.” Has this been your experience?

• What do you expect the biggest trends or hotbutton topics will be in 2018? Why?

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HANCOCKS, KNOCKERS, AND SHAMROCKS NEWS+OPINION

Friendship, inclusion, and flag football at Gay Bowl XVII

BY BRITNI DE LA CRETAZ @BRITNIDLC Danny Tyrell was a high school athlete who quit sports in his junior year of high school because, he says, “It was too hard to be an athlete and an out gay man in a locker room.”

Tyrell is wearing a backwards baseball cap, eye black with the Gay Bowl XVII logo in it, and the jersey of his team, the Division A Boston Hancocks. He’s the Boston commissioner for the National Gay Flag Football League and one of the co-chairs of the Gay Bowl tournament, and today he gets to be the athlete he felt he could not be in high school. The NGFFL lets Tyrell marry two things he loves—“being out and proud, and competitively athletic.”

At the 17th Gay Bowl, being hosted in Boston for the first time since 2003, an announcement comes over the loudspeaker: “If you have any aches or pains, or you just need a rubdown, stop by the Momentum Healthcare Tent!” Teams with names like Toronto Mounties, Boston Longfellows, and New York Shade huddle up, discussing strategy and formations. People are scattered around with ice on various parts of their bodies.

Most everyone looks sore. Most everyone looks happy.

Technically, the tournament is taking place in Lancaster, an hour west of the Hub, at Progin Park, a sprawling soccer complex. The fields—a mix of artificial and actual grass—are surrounded by trees that are mostly green but dotted with the New England fall colors of reds and oranges. It would be downright picturesque if not for the punctuation of cheers, whistles, and the occasional 4

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curse word.

Over 900 athletes comprising 48 teams from across the United States and Canada have come to Massachusetts to play football this Columbus Day weekend. Boston put forth six teams total, some of which have come together strictly for this event. Three days of tournament games plus three nights of social events makes this a packed weekend.

At its core, the Gay Bowl is about football, but the heart of the tournament is the community that has sprung up around this common interest. *** To describe the structure of the NGFFL would be challenging, but the gist of it is this—21 cities have local leagues, most of which are registered 501c3 nonprofits.

These leagues play their own games, and each city sends teams to the Gay Bowl to represent their local league.

The Boston arm is the FLAG Flag Football League, which is one of the largest in the country. The league is open to all levels, and experience ranges from people coming in with no prior football experience to athletes who played at high school, collegiate, or even professional levels.

“My dad was a referee, but I had never played football myself before joining the league,” says Jill Prisco, a lineman who plays block and release for the Division B Boston Shamrocks. This is Prisco’s third Gay Bowl, but the

Shamrocks are a brand-new team.

“We pulled the team together a week ago from the FLAG Flag Football League after another city left a hole in the bracket,” she explains. “As the host city, we were responsible for putting together another team to cover it.”

After two days of play, the Shamrocks are 0-3, but “we’re playing pretty well for a team that’s never played together before,” says Prisco. She is one of the few allies in the league, and one of the few women who play in the open division. The open division is open to any gender, though there is a required 80/20 ratio of gay members to straight members on the teams.

There is a separate women’s division, with nine teams, where the superbly named Boston Knockers are playing.

They’re also a new team that came together expressly for this Gay Bowl. Comprised of mostly members who play in the Boston Women’s Flag Football League or the Women’s Football Alliance tackle football league, the athletes are adjusting to the rules of this tournament, which are different from those most of the players are used to. They played together as a team for the first time during their first game of the tournament, which they described as “humbling.” But, some said, the rest of the Boston teams have taken them under their wing, making for a stellar first Gay Bowl experience.

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HANCOCKS, KNOCKERS... continued from pg. 4 Applying to host the Gay Bowl is a major process, says Tyrell. Boston had to put together a bid—not unlike the way cities bid to host the Olympics—which consisted of securing a host hotel, the playing facilities, and social event locations. Boston beat out New York and Fort Lauderdale to host Gay Bowl XVII. “The hope with hosting the Gay Bowl is that it will elevate the local league on the sponsorship level,” says Tyrell, who is a middle linebacker and is playing in his eighth Gay Bowl.

What’s been a big deal for this Gay Bowl is that the New England Patriots are a presenting partner, which means they donated $25,000 to the event and their name is all on the signage, swag, website, and social media advertising. They are the first professional sports team to acknowledge the Gay Bowl. “It gives the league credibility,” says Thurman Williams, the NGFFL’s national commissioner. “Given the times we’re in, it speaks volumes about the Patriots’ willingness to stand with and support the LGBT community.”

Though the league’s profile was raised this summer when they were featured in a documentary called F(l)ag Football, that’s not what brought them to the attention of the Patriots. The Boston FLAG Football League does a ton of work in the community, particularly around making sports safer and more inclusive for youth. It was this work that impressed Josh Kraft, president of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation.

“A lot of times, connections are about who you know, but we didn’t know anyone at the Patriots,” says Tyrell.

“This was about who we were, that an organization like the Patriots recognized us.”

In addition to the Pats being the first professional football team to sponsor the Gay Bowl, Robert Kraft became the first owner of an NFL team to make an appearance at the event, joining Tyrell on stage with his son Josh at the closing party at Royale nightclub.

Kraft’s appearance came directly after two drag queens participated in a lip sync battle.

“We collectively share something special because of our love of football, unity, and inclusion,” Kraft told the cheering crowd of athletes decked out in Gay Bowl T-shirts, Daisy Dukes, and, in some cases, boas. “We need more of this in the world.”

“The Patriots see themselves as supportive of the LGBTQ community, and that’s great,” says Wade Davis II, a member of the Division A New York Warriors Black and a former NFL player who has served as a diversity and inclusion consultant to the NFL since 2014. However, he acknowledges that there’s a disconnect between Robert Kraft’s stance as an ally and his $1 million-dollar donation

TO APPLY TO HOST THE GAY BOWL, BOSTON HAD TO PUT TOGETHER A BID WHICH CONSISTED OF SECURING A HOST HOTEL, THE PLAYING FACILITIES, AND SOCIAL EVENT LOCATIONS. PHOTO BY PATRICK LENTZ PHOTOGRAPHY. to and support for President Donald Trump, whose administration is rolling back rights and protections for the LGBTQ community (the Patriots did not return multiple requests for comment for this story). “One thing I’ve learned is that people sometimes have conflicting interests,” says Davis.

Regan McKendry is a rusher for the Division B New York Rebels who is originally from Haverhill. “Bob Kraft’s personal relationship with Donald Trump is casting a cloud over the many charitable and generous ovations that he and the Patriots organization have made,” McKendry, who is the assistant commissioner of the New York Gay Football League, says. “Whatever one’s political leanings are, let us not overlook what is a transcendent moment in establishing a precedent to continue the advancement of equality and, in particular, the cause for LGBTQ athletes.”

Tyrell says the Patriots sponsorship allowed them to go to the other major professional sports teams in Boston— the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, and Revolution—about supporting the event. Each of the four teams agreed to be bronze level partners, which means they gave $2,500 each. They’re hoping that after the example set by the Patriots, other cities will follow suit. The Gay Bowl is set

IN ADDITION TO BEING THE FIRST PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM TO SPONSOR THE GAY BOWL, ROBERT KRAFT BECAME THE FIRST OWNER OF AN NFL TEAM TO MAKE AN APPEARANCE AT THE EVENT. PHOTO BY PATRICK LENTZ PHOTOGRAPHY.

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to be hosted in Denver next year, and organizers will put pressure on the Broncos to support the event. *** Kevin Lalli is playing in his eighth Gay Bowl as a cornerback for the Boston Bulldogs, the city’s lead B-division team. He says the league appeals to people because it offers a chance to play a team sport in a positive environment. “They get to feel included in a way they weren’t growing up,” he says. “It’s a novel and rewarding experience.”

It’s also a chance for people in the gay community to network and make friends. Williams says that every one of his close friends has come from the league. “I can’t imagine my life without it,” he says. He co-founded the Atlanta league in 2004, and when he moved to DC several years later, he says the first thing he did was check out the league there.

“It’s like a built-in friend network. I knew just where to go,” Williams adds.

Lalli says he loves the sense of camaraderie that comes with meeting other people in the gay community, “but it’s a better and more positive experience than meeting people at a bar.”

“We may not be who you think we are,” Williams says.

“Our goal is to break some of the stereotypes that exist about LGBT athletes, but also to make it a really open and inclusive environment for all and a place for people to feel safe … I think given the high rate of suicide among LGBT youth, it’s important that we provide an avenue, a safe place, for folks who can come out and see folks that are similar to them so they’ll know they’re not alone. If through this organization, we touch one life, influence one child to be themselves, then we’ve done our job.”

As for the competition at this year’s Gay Bowl, the Warriors Black come out victorious in Division A, winning their first championship since 2009 and shutting out four opponents—something that’s virtually unheard of in flag football—which Davis, the former NFL player, credits to the team’s versatility and ability to make adjustments in real time.

“I’ve had a nice time winning, but I’ve had a better time meeting other gay athletes and learning a lot about myself and learning how much shit I had to unlearn about what it meant to be a man and to be an athlete,” Davis says. “The league has helped me attempt to let my ego die, and I hold gratitude for the league as a whole and the athletes who play in it who helped me see the game through different eyes.”

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WAR AND PEACE TIMES 80 DEMOCRACY IN CRISIS

What umbrellas, Tolstoy, and anti-fascists tell us about how we understand the world

BY BAYNARD WOODS @BAYNARDWOODS seconds when Kennedy was killed “seems to demonstrate how perilously empiricism verges on magic.”

It seems like everyone is lost in some form of magical thinking at the moment, digging deep into their favored minutiae and ignoring everything else.

When Thompson found the man with the umbrella, he came to testify before the House Select Committee on Assassinations. “He explained then why he had opened the umbrella and was standing there that day,” Thompson said. “The open umbrella was a kind of protest. A visual protest. It wasn’t a protest of any of John Kennedy’s policies of president. It was a protest of the appeasement policies of Joseph P. Kennedy, John Kennedy’s father.”

The Umbrella Man was an anti-fascist activist.

And that’s another of these strange coincidences, because the 200 protesters—many of whom are also antifascist activists—being charged with conspiracy to riot on Inauguration Day use an umbrella as the emblem of their Defend J20 campaign. Like the Umbrella Man, many of them wore black. Like the Umbrella Man, they carried umbrellas. But unlike the Umbrella Man, they are being criminally charged for their umbrellas. According to the government’s recently filed notice that prosecutors intend to call in an expert for the trials of those defendants (which begin Nov 20):

A few moments before Sens. Richard Burr and Mark Warner, chair and co-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee respectively, came out to present an update on their investigation into Russian attempts to interfere with the 2016 election, a man walked out carrying a large cardboard sign—not a protest sign, but one of the clip-arty press-conference explainers that are always terrible but expensive looking.

The board laid out the extent of the committee’s investigation—they interviewed more than 100 people for more than 250 hours in 11 open hearings.

Then, with a clip-art picture of a book, it said “100K PAGES of Documents Read” and below that, with no real explanation of the link: “80+ COPIES of War and Peace.”

As it turns out, that was the most interesting part of the presentation, which was, essentially, like a news report that brags about how much reporting was done, without actually telling the story. There was no new information.

I kept wondering if there was some hidden meaning in the poster. It was, after all, an example they were using in their hearing on Russian hacking. Given the paranoia surrounding Russian meddling, the War and Peace reference makes it seem as if even Tolstoy was in on the scheme, or the committee spent a lot of time looking into the Napoleonic War of 1812. Maybe some staffer made an inside joke, or, more likely, it was just because War and Peace is a big book. Warner’s office thought it was a good question, but had no answers, saying that the chair’s office created it. I wrote and called Burr’s office numerous times

It seems like everyone is lost in some form of magical thinking at the moment, digging deep into their favored minutiae and ignoring everything else.

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and got no response.

But as I stood in the back of the crowded briefing room listening to the senators take credit for the work their staffers are doing, I couldn’t help but stare at the clip-art book beside War and Peace and ponder how, when you look at something too long, it splinters into millions of microrealities. I found myself thinking of “The Umbrella Man,” Errol Morris’ minidocumentary about a man who was seen in the footage of the crowds along the motorcade route in Dallas on the day that Kennedy was assassinated.

The film starts with a man in a black suit, holding an umbrella, walking. Then it cuts to Josiah Thompson— who made Six Seconds in Dallas, a film examining the assassination in great detail—explaining the Umbrella Man. “And then I noticed in all of Dallas there appears to be exactly one person standing under an open black umbrella, and that person is standing where the shots begin to rain into the limousine,” he says. “Can anyone come up with a nonsinister explanation for this?”

Every sort of conspiracy sprung up. In a Talk of the Town piece in 1967, John Updike offered a philosophical rumination on the Umbrella Man and Thompson’s microexamination of the photographs and films of Dallas that day. “It’s as if there’s the macro level of historical research where things sort of obey natural laws and usual things happen and unusual things don’t happen, and then there’s this other level where everything is really weird,” Thompson says in the film, paraphrasing Updike.

In Updike’s piece, he ends the passage Thompson cites by declaring that the search for the truth about the few

Participants in the ‘black bloc’ often bring items that can serve a dual purpose (i.e., a sign that can double as a shield, a large banner that can be used to project a message and block the passage of police trying to carry out an arrest, or an umbrella that can also be used to deflect pepper spray).

On Nov 22, 1963, in Dallas, it was not raining. In Washington, DC, on Inauguration Day, it was. If someone is spraying you with pepper spray and you have an umbrella and you don’t use it, you are insane.

The world saw the same kind of storm-trooper police violence that was used against the inauguration protesters during the Catalan referendum a couple weeks ago. People there are deeply anti-fascist. I was there reporting on the cannabis clubs just before the inauguration, and many people I talked to linked the clubs, which they consider associations, to the anarchist collectives before the long fascist regime of Franco.

For them, a government that tells you that you can’t associate or do what you will with your own body is fascist.

Anna Obredors, a consultant I talked to, was convicted this week for drug trafficking for working in one of the clubs. It was, she says, devastating. But the larger political situation is just as frightening.

“It’s scary,” she wrote me. “Spanish state is about to send the army here if the independence is declared on the coming days … and it doesn’t seem Europe will be helping … after a century we feel somehow like our grandpas did on 1936 … weird and scary.”.

Baynard Woods is a reporter for the nonprofit Real News Network. Contact baynard@democracyincrisis.com

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THE NIÑA, THE PINTA, AND HURRICANE MARIA GUEST COLUMN

Over 500 years of exploitation has left Puerto Rico reeling

BY RICARDO ARROYO-MONTANO + EROC ARROYO-MONTANO “What am I driving at? At this idea: that no one colonizes innocently, that no one colonizes with impunity either; that a nation which colonizes, that a civilization which justifies colonization—and therefore force—is already a sick civilization.” –​ Aime Cesaire ​ As news of the complete devastation across the island of Puerto Rico is released, I find myself incessantly hitting refresh on my Internet browser. With each click, my emotions and tears overwhelm me. A deep feeling of desperation follows. This has become an unintentional daily ritual since “natural disaster” Hurricane Maria struck the island.

I know I am not alone.

As 3.4 million Boricuas on the island work to survive in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, more than 5 million Boricuas across the Diaspora wait to hear from family and friends, while trying to simultaneously figure out how we can be the most helpful. Many have identified three specific ways to help the island progress: • Donating towards humanitarian efforts. We trust and highly recommend giving to these grassroots organizations on the island: AgitArte, Defend Puerto Rico and CEPA. • Calling for the elimination of the exploitive debt that strangles the Island.

• Organizing and fighting for a full repeal of the Jones Act. Meanwhile, we are willingly or unwillingly participating in a collective mourning, a grieving of what has been lost. Deep down, we know that Puerto Rico and its people will never be the same again.

The entire island has lost electricity and won’t have it back for at least six months. A curfew is being enforced by the National Guard. People have lost their lives as the government failed to supply hospitals with diesel fuel for their generators.

An estimated 44 percent of the Island is without clean drinking water. Over 80 percent of the island’s crops have been wiped out. Most schools remain closed, leaving 700,000 students without access to formal education. Flooded towns across the island will have to deal with diseases that are common in contaminated drinking water and from mosquito breeding grounds in still water. We are still learning more about the devastation by the hour.

In the midst of all this hardship, the Twitter-happy, white supremacist, misogynist, colonizer-in-chief managed to attack San Juan’s Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz from his golf course. Eventually making it to the island two weeks after the hurricane first hit, where he continued to insult the Puerto Rican people by insisting that they were not experiencing a “real catastrophe.”

If US residents do not know how these problems created the economic crisis the island faced prior to Hurricane Maria, they also do not understand how the response to the current humanitarian crisis serves to solidify US power over the island.

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Many Boricuas are engaged. They are asking questions, the whys and hows, and many are immersed in the work.

The multitude of challenges Puerto Rico faces today are symptomatic of the ongoing theft of the island’s resources, a neglected infrastructure, and widespread poverty. What is happening today is a direct result of 500 plus years of colonization. What is happening is a direct result of the Jones Act of 1917, and of the exploitative economic policies forced upon the island.

The people creating these economic disparities and deep debt are exploiting poverty and hoarding our resources.

These vulture capitalists bank on our oppression. They have been squeezing the juice out of the island and its people, and then have the audacity to charge the people for a sip.

In the following essay, my brother, a Public Defender and community activist, Ricardo Arroyo-Montano, makes the clear connection between the policies and actions of the past and the continued colonization of Puerto Rico. Mass corporate media coverage would have us believe this is all happening in a vacuum, that this disaster and its effects are only about this hurricane. We hope that this piece can serve as a resource for those who are interested in learning more about Puerto Rico and its deep history of resistance. -EAM Ed. note: The following has been excerpted from a longer history of Puerto Rico. The entire work can be viewed at sonofatabey.com.

The humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico resulting from Hurricane Maria is the peak in a long colonial relationship with the US and an opening for a shift towards self determination. Given that Puerto Ricans living on the island have no voting power in Congress, it is important for stateside Puerto Ricans and allies to understand key moments in this relationship, so that we may clearly and powerfully advocate on behalf of the island and its residents.

Colonialism everywhere is justified by racial supremacist ideology cultivated by colonizers for the purpose of economic exploitation. Puerto Rico is no different. The United States of America’s history of involvement with the island is full of examples of both, the effects of which led to the current crises.

One of the tools of oppression is to whitewash and erase the history of the oppressed. History textbooks in the United States are dominated by Eurocentric historical narratives, minimizing and even excluding the contributions and struggles of marginalized people. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, polls showed that nearly half surveyed were not aware that Puerto Ricans are American citizens.

It is fair then to conclude that they know even less about why Puerto Ricans have citizenship, the long struggle for sovereignty on the island, the military abuse of the island and its people, forced sterilization of Puerto Rican women, or the long-term economic exploitation that has impeded the island’s self-sufficiency. If US residents do not know how these problems created the economic crisis the island faced prior to Hurricane Maria, they also do not understand how the response to the current humanitarian crisis serves to solidify US power over the island.

LOST AUTONOMY In November of 1897, Spain had granted Puerto Rico a Charter of Autonomy. The charter granted Puerto Rico a new electoral government and voting representation in the Spanish Parliament. The new government was empowered to suspend the publication and enforcement of any resolution of the Spanish government identified as harmful to the general interest of the island, which allowed Puerto Rico to trade with other nations and enter into its

own trade agreements. For the security of Puerto Rico’s autonomy, it was specifically mandated that no changes in island government could occur without the consent of the Puerto Rican legislature.

The Spanish-American war ended with the Treaty of Paris, which ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States. By ceding Puerto Rico to the United States, Spain broke the provision previously granted to Puerto Rico. Essentially, Spain gave away a nation which it had no legal right to cede.

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES ACT Recognizing that Puerto Rico was actively attempting to sever its colonial relationship with the US, Congress passed the Jones Act in 1917, which legislated that all imports and exports to the island are required to be transported on American ships, built in American shipyards, with American crews. This protectionist policy has the effect of adding a 15-20 percent cost increase on goods shipped into Puerto Rico, a cost passed on to Puerto Ricans. Several studies have shown that this one law causes billions of dollars in losses per year for Puerto Rico, while every political party in Puerto Rico has advocated against the Jones Act. However, with no political representation visà-vis the US, it remains the law of the land. This is just one event in a pattern of Puerto Ricans advocating for the best interests of the island and being overruled by the United States Congress, particularly in regards to economic self sufficiency.

OPERATION BOOTSTRAP From the mid-1950s until 2006, Operation Bootstrap, ostensibly designed to spur an industrial revolution on the island, gave US corporations 10 and 20 year tax exemptions on all gross revenues, dividends, interest, and capital gains income. The tax exemptions ensured American businesses a competitive advantage over Puerto Rico-owned and operated businesses. Rather than spur economic activity on the island, US corporations moved the money generated in Puerto Rico back to the mainland.

In 1995, President Bill Clinton signed legislation that phased out the tax incentives created by Section 936 over the following 10 years and US corporations, mostly pharmaceuticals, began to relocate to other countries. By 2006, when the incentives came to a close, the economy was already in recession. This economic condition was further exacerbated by the US market crash of 2008, an economic crisis from which the island has not yet recovered.

MARIA Puerto Rico’s infrastructure was crumbling before the storm. Forced austerity measures took away from needed upgrades to the electrical grid. This follows the tried and true playbook of defunding public services. Then, when they are unable to meet public need because of the cuts, argue for privatization by calling them ineffective and inefficient. Privatization, however, would allow the already high rates to be raised even higher, hurting Puerto Ricans already struggling to survive, all while profits are repatriated back to the United States. Even now while PREPA has operated at a loss for Puerto Rico it actually generates a profit for Wall Street. After Maria, Puerto Rico is without power, a situation that estimates say could take up to half a year to correct and will only serve to strengthen the PROMESA boards push to privatize Puerto Rico’s public utilities.

Whether intentional or not, there is no disputing that the federal government’s slow response in delivering aid to Puerto Rico has accelerated an extant economic exodus from Puerto Rico and will continue to do so. -RAM

NEWS TO US

FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

11

JUST ASK DIAPERS.COM GUEST COLUMN

More reasons Boston should take a hard pass on Amazon

BY MO LOTMAN

There are myriad practical reasons why Boston should walk away from the Amazon headquarters sweepstakes: an out-of-control real estate and rental market, chronic transit and traffic problems, and an overheated tech sector, which is exacerbating inequality. But the most compelling reason is that Amazon is a deeply immoral and unfathomably powerful monopoly that threatens small business, labor, publishing, retail, and even the architecture of the internet. It has no place in our great city, nor, quite frankly, anywhere else.

Amazon’s reach is so enormous— retail, cloud computing, supply chain, film, books, television, music, artificial intelligence, delivery, and even food— that it is honestly difficult to grasp it all. But a good place to start is a well-researched and damning 79-page report on Amazon by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), a nonprofit promoting community-based economies. It should be required reading for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, and every other person in a position to promote any city as an applicant—or supplicant— for Amazon’s second headquarters.

From Amazon’s inception, CEO Jeff Bezos’ explicit aim has been the absolute destruction of all competition, until Amazon—and only Amazon—would sell everything to everybody. How he’s done that thus far is less about innovation and more about old-fashioned anticompetitive behavior and extortion.

Using tremendous amounts of capital investment, Amazon subsidized below-cost sales, losing money for nearly two decades in order to eliminate competitors—often small businesses—who could not match its prices. As market share has grown, Bezos has leveraged that power to intimidate new rivals into selling their businesses to him or participating in the Amazon Marketplace, where those businesses essentially hand over all of their proprietary knowledge to algorithms, join a race to the bottom in prices, and pay for the privilege. If they don’t, Amazon drastically undercuts them until they fold. Just ask Zappos and Diapers.com.

Because Amazon now controls an unimaginable share of online commerce—over 40 percent of the US market according to Business Insider—it has enormous influence in who sees what. In The Everything Store, Randy Miller, an executive in vendor relations, happily described to author Brad Stone the way he pressured publishers to give Amazon a better deal—raising prices, pulling titles from their recommendation engine, and promoting their competition—saying, “I did everything I could to screw with their performance.” Since an increasing number of searches are done on Amazon directly, the company can effectively ruin a book’s chances of success. That isn’t merely a question of economics, but of virtual censorship. That such clear monopolistic behavior was played out in a brazen public price dispute between Amazon and Hachette in 2014 is evidence that Amazon—correctly—feared no trust-busting reprisals.

But what about jobs? One of the misperceptions Amazon is happy to promote is that it creates jobs. In fact, Amazon is responsible for a massive net job loss in this country, estimated at 149,000 by ILSR. The migration to e-commerce has been devastating to retail, which employs 10 percent of the American workforce. The New York Times reported earlier this year that 89,000 general merchandise workers had been laid off in six months, more than are employed in the entire coal industry. The loss of brick-and-mortar shops affects not only employment but the very fabric of local communities, who have seen their main streets hollowed out. Like a lot of recent shifts, this trend hurts smaller, rural communities the most.

But Amazon never cared about labor. Bezos’ attitude is encapsulated perfectly by Mechanical Turk, Amazon’s online task outsourcing platform that turns people into meaningless, replaceable parts. Its warehouse workers are forced to work a relentless pace, kept from unionizing, forced to go through metal detectors, and paid lower than industry average wages. In 2011, Allentown’s the Morning Call famously reported that Amazon preferred to have ambulances standing by when employees collapsed from heat stroke rather than pay to air-condition its 100-degree warehouse.

Of course, in the future, all of those warehouse jobs will be done by robots. My guess is the robots will get air conditioning.

In places hit by job loss, local governments are all too happy to welcome Amazon’s fulfillment centers, showering the company with incentives and tax breaks—such as the nearly $15 million offered for Fall River’s new warehouse—never once considering the fact that Amazon and companies like it are partly responsible for the economic decline of our main streets in the first place. And these governments continue to fawn over Amazon even, apparently, while suing them. The Boston Globe just reported that Massachusetts recently went to court over records regarding taxes owed by Amazon’s third-party vendors, which the company has thus far refused to provide. But that’s not surprising, since it built much of its unfair advantage over physical stores by not charging sales tax for most of its existence.

The headquarters search itself illustrates Amazon’s self-centered venality and corrupting power. The company could easily narrow down its headquarters search to a few locations and quietly engage them. Instead, Bezos launched a sweepstakes so he can watch the spectacle of over 100 municipalities, most of which have no chance, fumble all over themselves to woo the internet giant, all while wasting millions of taxpayer dollars and tens of thousands of work hours. A caller to WBUR’s On Point on Sept 20 distilled this process to its essence, calling it “a public auction to see which city in North America can give the most money to the world’s richest man.” To be fair, Bezos is only the fourth-richest man, according to Forbes. For now.

Even if Amazon were a paragon of virtue, giving taxpayer money to the world’s fourth- or fifth-most valuable company is civil malpractice. Offering it to a monopoly which manipulates markets, degrades labor, destroys small business, and controls what media America sees is utterly disgusting. Boston should redirect the prodigious handouts they are prepared to offer Amazon toward the communities who actually need and deserve it.

The headquarters search itself illustrates Amazon’s self-centered venality and corrupting power.

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DIGBOSTON.COM

Mo Lotman is a writer, public speaker, and publisher of The Technoskeptic, a magazine taking a critical look at the impact of technology on society.

AMAZON OCTAGON APPARENT HORIZON

Mass pols stand ready to fight each other for the right to bribe a multinational

BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS At least 17 Massachusetts cities and towns are now preparing to do battle with each other—and hundreds more municipalities nationwide—for the dubious “honor” of “winning” the right to throw enough public money and tax breaks at Amazon to become the site of its new Headquarters 2 (HQ2). Despite the fact that such a “victory” will result in a worse regional housing crisis, provide mainly low-paying unstable jobs with subcontractors to working class natives without college degrees while tossing thousands of good jobs to software engineers from out of state, and give the vast corporation far too much power in state politics.

To prevent those unfortunate outcomes, here’s a nonexhaustive list of local, state, and federal public officials that should be contacted by constituents and reminded of their responsibilities to defend the public interest. Like, immediately. The deadline to submit HQ2 bids to Amazon is Oct 19. Careful readers will note that many of these bids are being pushed hardest by private developers and by “economic development” nonprofits and government offices that are basically run on behalf of private developers. Fancy that.

Local Government BOSTON Mayor Marty Walsh is all over this one. Fresh off of colluding with Gov. Charlie Baker to cut a secret deal to lavish tens of millions on General Electric to bring its once-and-future headquarters to the Hub, he’s back to his old tricks with Amazon. Four possible HQ2 sites are being considered, according to the Boston Globe: putative frontrunner Suffolk Downs (partially in Revere), Widett Circle in South Boston, Beacon Yards in Allston, and an area adjacent to South Station.

REVERE At a Sept 29 meeting, the Revere City Council Economic Development Sub-Committee reacted positively to the Suffolk Downs proposal presented by developer Thomas O’Brien, managing director of the Boston-based Hym Investment Group that owns the property. According to the Boston Herald, committee chair and council vice president Councilor Patrick M. Keefe Jr. then called Amazon the “1A plan” for the land.

SOMERVILLE CommonWealth reports that Mayor Joe Curtatone is working on a proposal that would include buildings along the Orange Line from Assembly Row in Somerville to North Station in Boston. Which is, according to a DigBoston investigative series, perfectly in keeping with his track record of making a big stink when developers come to town, then ultimately giving them exactly what they want.

ABINGTON, ROCKLAND, and WEYMOUTH Kyle Corkum, CEO and managing partner of LStar Communities, the company developing Union Point— the former US Naval Air Station—is pushing a bid for the property. According to Wicked Local, Weymouth Mayor Robert Hedlund is supportive of the bid. Rockland Selectmen Chairman Ed Kimball said, “Rockland will extend open arms to them and Abington will receive indirect benefits as well.”

HAVERHILL, LAWRENCE, METHUEN, AND NORTH ANDOVER Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini, Lawrence Mayor

Daniel Rivera, Methuen Mayor Stephen Zanni, and North Andover Town Manager Andrew Maylor are all preparing a joint proposal featuring the former North Andover Lucent site—which I addressed in detail in my Sept 26 column— likely in tandem with other nearby sites.

BILLERICA, LOWELL, AND TEWKSBURY According to the Lowell Sun, Lowell Mayor Edward Kennedy has said “we should at least take serious look” at the possibility of bringing Amazon to the area. Also, “City Manager Kevin Murphy said he has already directed his staff to begin working with the Middlesex 3 Coalition, an organization of nearby communities, to explore the possibilities.” Wicked Local reports that Billerica selectmen unanimously support the effort. Billerica Community Development Director Rob Anderson also supports the bid. One possible site is Riverview Technology Park at 495 Woburn St in Tewksbury.

NEW BEDFORD The entire city council sent a letter to Mayor Jon Mitchell enjoining him to support an Amazon bid, according to the New Bedford Standard-Times, and he’s been in touch with Mass Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash about pursuing a bid. The city has a 100 acres of a municipal golf course that has been slated for business development.

FALL RIVER According to the Herald News, Fall River Office of Economic Development (FROED) Executive Vice President Ken Fiola—a key figure behind bringing a huge Amazon warehouse to the city—is pushing hard for the Amazon HQ2 contract but apparently doesn’t get along with Mayor Jasiel Correia II. WJAR-TV reports that his challenger in the upcoming election, Councilor Linda Pereira, is attacking Correia for resigning from the FROED board. So it’s not clear if Fall River will manage to field a proposal.

WORCESTER The city council is unanimously in support of an Amazon deal but was not initially in agreement about whether HQ2 should be sited in Worcester or Boston.

Councilor-at-Large Konnie Lukes has been the most vocal supporter of a Worcester site, pushed for council discussion about the deal, and requested that City Manager Ed Augustus Jr. prepare the application. According to MassLive. com, Augustus and some of the council were initially leaning toward supporting a Boston bid, but the city is now planning an independent bid for the contract. According to Worcester Magazine, “Councilor At-Large Kate Toomey said the south side of Worcester, by the intersection of routes 20 and 146, would be an ideal location” for HQ2.

WESTERN MASS The Republican reports that Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno and the entire city council are supporting a bid with other Connecticut River valley communities (the so-called “Knowledge Corridor”) in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Enfield, Connecticut,, is a possible site. The main Bay State booster of the plan is Rick Sullivan, president and CEO of the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts.

State Government GOV. CHARLIE BAKER The governor said that the state won’t back a specific

NEWS TO US

site and has urged local governments to “go for it.” Strongly in support of spending public money to bring the Amazon HQ2 to Massachusetts. According to the Boston Herald, Baker has recently stated that the Commonwealth’s request to Suffolk Superior Court to order Amazon to provide records for any third-party vendor who “stores or has stored” products in Massachusetts since 2012 was “routine” and shouldn’t affect an HQ2 deal. The order could result in a flood of similar legal actions around the US to collect back state sales taxes—which will probably tick off the tax-shy multinational.

SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT JAY ASH (D) An important public servant, though not an elected one. Totally in support of an Amazon HQ2 deal for Massachusetts. In his role as chairman of the quasi-public agency MassDevelopment, he has already overseen a vote “to increase its contract with consulting firm VHB Inc. by up to $200,000 for a technical analysis” in support of the state’s Amazon bids. His bio brags that he “has played a leadership role in the recruitment and expansion of major employers, including Amazon, General Electric, IBM Watson Health, Kronos, and Siemens.”

SPEAKER ROBERT DELEO (D-WINTHROP) Flacking for the Suffolk Downs site. Completely on board with dumping public money on Amazon and has “said he’s open to legislation that would include financial incentives to draw Amazon to the state regardless of the location,” according to the Boston Globe.

SEN. JOSEPH BONCORE (D-WINTHROP) AND REP. ADRIAN MADARO (D-EAST BOSTON) Support the Suffolk Downs bid, according to the East Boston Times-Free Press.

SEN. CINDY FRIEDMAN (D-ARLINGTON) AND REP. MARC LOMBARDO (R-BILLERICA) Support the Billerica, Lowell, Tewksbury bid, according to Wicked Local.

Federal Government US REP. STEPHEN LYNCH (D-SOUTH BOSTON) Supports the Weymouth proposal, according to the Boston Herald.

And a Few Cool Kids REP. MIKE CONNOLLY (D-CAMBRIDGE), SEN. PAT JEHLEN (D-SOMERVILLE), REP. MARJORIE DECKER (D-CAMBRIDGE), AND SEN. JAMIE ELDRIDGE (D-ACTON) Among the only politicians in the state to speak against spending public funds to “win” the Amazon HQ2 “contest.”

Rep. Connolly of Cambridge put his opinion succinctly on the matter in a Facebook chat to me Monday: “I was asked about it by some Cambridge residents last week and here’s what I told them: ‘I think it’s reasonable for cities and the state to want to be in the discussion, but at the end of the day, when/if I have to vote on something or support a proposal, I am not going to support a neoliberal approach to economic development, so if a deal is on the table I would be looking to scrutinize it in terms of whether it helps the folks who we represent in our communities and in the neighborhoods I represent right now.’”

Massachusetts needs more pols like these. Fast.

FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

13

opening this month

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14

10.12.17 - 10.19.17 |

DIGBOSTON.COM

Boston is a city of neighborhoods, and some of the neighborhoods actually have their own miniature neighborhoods just to make the city even more confusing to outsiders. One example is the Forest Hills section of Jamaica Plain, a smallish area that includes a strip of restaurants and bars on Washington Street that, while not coming close to the endless dining and drinking options found on Centre Street in the heart of JP, does seem to have some potential, especially with the rickety old Casey Overpass finally being torn down a couple of years ago. With the newly added daylight, road construction that will (hopefully) reduce the demolition -derby vibe to the area, and new businesses coming in (including such dining spots as Brassica Kitchen and Simpli Bar & Bites), Forest Hills could indeed emerge from its relative obscurity and become a mini-restaurant row at some point. But for now, this neighborhood within a neighborhood remains much less of a draw than that of Jamaica Plain’s main drag, which helps make one restaurant and bar here— the Dogwood Cafe—a real hidden gem, one that’s a classic neighborhood spot with a lot going for it.

Residing in the middle of the strip of businesses found on Washington Street just south of the Arborway intersection, the Dogwood Cafe is one of those places that seems to be hidden in plain sight, and what doesn’t help is the fact that there are actually two Washington Streets that briefly parallel each other on either side of the commuter rail tracks—and what is really confusing is if you head south from Boston, the “main” Washington Street takes a right at the Arborway, then a left, while another little piece of Washington Street where the Dogwood is located goes for a block or so before becoming Hyde Park Avenue. In short, a map or GPS may or may not help you find this restaurant, but if you’re taking the T and getting off at Forest Hills, all you need to do is look east and you’ll see the place. The Dogwood looks a bit like an Irish pub from the outside, but once inside, it has more of the feel of a classic American family-friendly spot (which is sort of what it is), with a large bar area to the left that has some tables, a dining area to the right that’s somewhat partitioned off from the bar, and a second dining area further to the right, which has a fireplace and is just a tad quieter than the middle dining section. A relatively new addition is a small outdoor patio hidden away in the back, and you’d probably never know it was even here unless you needed to use the restroom and saw the entrance to the space.

The Dogwood isn’t exactly upscale, but its menu includes a good number of new American options to go along with its classic American meals and pub grub. The everyday menu includes great takes on macaroni and cheese, chicken pot pie, steak tips, chicken, broccoli and ziti, and fish and chips, and its terrific half-pound angus burgers include an ever-changing Juicy Lucy, which is stuffed with whatever the chef decides upon that day. A few regular menu items that are a bit less common include a savory short rib poutine dish, oven-roasted cauliflower in buffalo sauce, a root beer BBQ pulled pork sandwich with onion strings, a coulotte steak (a small, boneless steak cut from the sirloin) with a burgundy mushroom demi-glace, freshly made cannelloni filled with roasted butternut squash and creamy ricotta, and chicken under a brick, with the outside of the chicken encrusted with fresh herbs. One of the signature options at the Dogwood is the wood-fired pizza, which tends to be somewhere between gourmet and Neapolitan thin-crust, and the specialty pizzas are named after trees—which makes sense because the restaurant is just down the hill from the beautiful Arnold Arboretum. (And if you haven’t noticed yet, the place itself is named after a tree as well.) Some top craft beers are available here along with a few very good reds and whites, and the cocktail list has a mix of modern and classic cocktails including some twists on the latter (such as a watermelon gin fizz and a coconut margarita).

Never heard of the Dogwood Cafe? You’re not alone, as Jamaica Plain can be tougher to get to than some of Boston’s other neighborhoods, and Forest Hills—while on the Orange Line—remains a little-known section of JP. But the Dogwood is a spot that has been a neighborhood favorite for a number of years, remaining one of those places that gives newcomers a sense of discovery as so many local spots off the beaten path tend to do.

>> DOGWOOD CAFE. 3712 WASHINGTON ST., JAMAICA PLAIN. THEDOGWOODJP.COM

PHOTOS BY MARC HURWITZ

leftoversalmon david crosby

BOOKS

1ST ANNUAL BOSTON ART BOOK FAIR Celebrating DIY Culture in the Hub

BY HEATHER KAPPLOW Buckle up, zine, art book, graphics, art, print, and analog sound nerds of Boston: There’s about to be a new art fair in town that caters to your obscure intellectual needs and quirky sensorial desires!

If you’re reading this on paper and feeling sad feelings about the paper stock it’s printed on, this fair is for you. If you’ve got a coffee table or turntable that doesn’t offer up as much fascination to those who visit your home as it could, this fair is for you. And especially, if you want to meet others in Boston who are capable of holding conversations that aren’t tweets and referencing imagery that isn’t memes, this fair is for you.

Co-founded by Oliver Mak of Bodega and the Fourth Wall Project, and the Boston Center for the Arts’ Randi Hopkins, with support from Camilo Alvarez of Samson Projects, Sam Potrykus of Brain Arts Organization, and representatives from two national art book presses with strong local ties—Richard Gregg (Aperture) and Mark Pearson (Artbook/D.A.P.)—the festival will likely have its nose to the ground about what’s good locally at both the indy and fine art levels, as well as an eye toward the national/international art book/zine scene.

Like LA, New York City, and San Francisco’s artists, Boston’s artists finally have their own place to show and discuss their handmade and small-press-produced wares— and they’re clearly ready for it; several artists on the ever-growing participant list have been schlepping their work to other cities’ book fairs for years now. And it’s heartening to note that at least a handful of artists and presses are returning the favor.

By phone, Mak estimates that about 80 percent of the 60 +exhibitors are from the East Coast, mentioning a few of the farther-flung projects off the top of his head. “There’s Aint—Bad Magazine [Atlanta, Georgia] and Amadeus [Los Angeles, California].” The smallest press might be Books for All, which only publishes (very cool-looking!) zines by artists with mental illness and developmental disabilities.

The biggest national/international press in attendance is Phaidon. And the most established local institutions bold enough to jump aboard in the first year include MIT Press and Harvard’s Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. All of this was pulled together in under six months.

Though heavy-hitting presses and local galleries and institutions will be present, the fair is most especially about showcasing artists and DIY projects. “This will be a landmark event for DIY culture in Boston,” Mak assures.

In addition to printed matter—and at least one record label, Get on Down, that will be sharing its unique offerings—the fair will feature DJ sets (those confirmed so far include Pat Falco, Johnny Cupcakes, and Johnny Stevens of Soulelujah), panel discussions, film screenings, and some (even family-friendly) workshops all programmed by 8-Ball Community.

Tickets ($20) to the Friday night preview events and a limited edition print by Kristin Texeria help with the travel expenses of long-distance DIY presenters. A limited edition T-shirt designed by local artist Pat Falco and produced in conjunction with Carhartt will also help underwrite the event, so that the weekend-long fair itself can remain completely free to the public.

>> BOSTON ART BOOK FAIR. 10.21, 12-8PM; 10.22, 12-6PM; FREE. 10.20 PREVIEW, 5:30-7PM AND 7:30-9PM, $20. BOSTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 539 TREMONT ST., BOSTON. BOSTONARTBOOKFAIR.COM NEWS TO US

FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

15

WHEEL OF TUNES: WEAVES MUSIC

Art rock poppers talk baby pandas, backfired edibles, and what makes them cry

Even the most unpredictable people can be predictable in their decisions. Toronto art rock group Weaves, however, are so out there both as musicians and as people that it’s hard to guess what their songs will sound like. Case and point: Their sophomore LP Wide Open sounds miles apart from their debut LP Weaves.

On the last record, Weaves deconstructed songs so as to make them finicky, wild, and sparking at the seams. On this year’s record, they chase after straightforward pop. It’s an unexpected change from a quartet that prides itself on being inventive. Yet despite the streamlined sound, vocalist Jasmyn Burke, guitarist Morgan Waters, bassist Zach Bines, and drummer Spencer Cole still let their individualistic flair shine through. Now, it’s about the songs and storytelling behind a pop song. That cohesive pocket of music shows Burke she’s capable not just of churning out songs but pushing her boundaries too, as are the others (Bines now sings backup vocals, among other new live change-ups).

“With the last album, everyone talked about how weird we are. So we asked ourselves what the weirdest thing to do would be, and that’s to make a straightforward pop album,” says Burke. “I felt more comfortable after the first album because we toured so long, singing every day, and playing every day makes the chemistry grow. We captured that on our second album.”

To dig deeper into the band’s hyperlayered personality, we interviewed Burke for a round of Wheel of Tunes, a series where we ask bands questions inspired by their song titles. As expected, her answers are just as spunky and fun as the band’s songs.

1. “#53” Have you seen a movie or listened to an album over 53 times before?

Probably, I would say the movie I saw the most as a kid was either Grease—the first one, which I used to watch every weekend because it’s amazing—or Now and Then. Those two combined, I for sure watched at least 53 times. They’re amazing movies and classics in my childhood.

Now and Then in particular. I was obsessed with it. I owned it on VHS, and when I first moved into my apartment I didn’t have cable or internet. So I watched VHS movies. Now and Then was one I owned, so I watched it at least another 10 times while living in that apartment.

Rosie O’Donnell, Demi Moore, Thora Birch? Such a good cast!

The story of four young girls, even though it’s based in the ’60s, in a classic growing-up tale was fun and feisty and had more sass than previous movies that depicted young girls had. They were worried about their boobs growing and had crushes on guys. Brendan Fraser was in it as a Vietnam War vet they met when driving to meet a psychic, who was Janeane Garofalo. It was very different from my life growing up in the ’90s, but it had the same sentiment and, I don’t know, I just loved it [laughs].

2. “Slicked” When you were a preteen, what did you think the coolest thing you’d ever done was?

Oh man, I was not very cool [laughs]. I was very into clothing as a preteen. I would wear baggy clothes and used to try to bleach my hair and put marker colors in it to try to make it multicolored. At the time, I thought I was the coolest person, but I didn’t really have many friends at school. I was a weirdo, but I sure felt badass [laughs].

it?

3. “Law and Panda” If you were given a baby panda, what would you do with

I’d probably put it in a little stroller and take it on a walk, like, “Look at my baby panda!” I’d basically sit in the backyard with the baby panda and tell my friends to hang out. The panda’s name would be very normal, like Jamie, so that way when people come to hang out they aren’t expecting it to be a panda.

4. “Walkaway” What’s the hardest thing you’ve had to walk away from?

I’ve been fortunate in that I haven’t had to walk away from anything horrific. Growing up, the older you get you realize certain situations should be left, whether it’s a person or friendship or the wrong group of people.

Everyone goes through little stages where you have to make a decision for better or worse, and hopefully you pick the right direction. The older I get, the more I try to make positive decisions and surround myself with positive people. It’s a journey in that sense.

5. “La La” Name two songs that always get stuck in your head, even if you haven’t heard them recently.

Oooh. I based this song on the Strokes, so I would say “Last Nite” because it’s such a good song. I’m trying to think of another modern song. Oh you know what I love?

“Younger Now,” by Miley Cyrus, always gets stuck in my head. Whenever I hear it, I’m walking around in a posi mood like… [sings].

6. “Wide Open” Are there any deserts, plains, or rocky national parks that you’d love to visit?

For some reason, I’d love to go to Mongolia. I saw a documentary on it and it looked like a beautiful place.

Otherwise, I’d say the west coast of Canada. British Columbia is really beautiful. It’s nice to visit places in your own country, because sometimes you live there for so long that you forget to experience it. I did one road trip around Canada in a Greyhound bus, so maybe I should drive across it finally, especially the west coast.

7. “Motherfucker” Did you swear at your parents growing up?

Oh no no, not at all. I would have gotten in trouble. I was very much a brownnoser, into school, didn’t swear. I was a perfectionist as a kid and needed to get the perfect marks. I just didn’t like swearing. I think I still don’t, because it’s not the best way to describe how you feel, but when we get into the van with the boys, then we turn into truckers.

8. “Scream (ft. Tanya Tagaq)” When was the last time you screamed as loudly as possible?

Probably screaming that song. We performed it last week, and it was really fun. We did a full-on rock out of that song. It went on for a little bit. In my day to day, I don’t scream much. I’m too sensitive to scream. If I try to get mad, I just cry like a loser, so I can’t scream [laughs].

CHECK OUT NINA’S FULL ARTICLE @ DIGBOSTON.COM

>> WEAVES, TANCRED, LOST DOG. FRI 10.13. MIDDLE EAST UPSTAIRS, 472 MASS. AVE., CAMBRIDGE. 8PM/18+/$12. MIDEASTOFFERS.COM

MUSIC EVENTS THU 10.12

THE METAL BAND AND THE PROG ELDER + KING BUFFALO + SUMMONER + BIRNAM WOOD [ONCE Somerville, 156 Highland Ave., Somerville. 8pm/18+/$15. oncesomerville.com]

16

10.12.17 - 10.19.17 |

FRI 10.13

SAT 10.14

SUN 10.15

MON 10.16

WED 10.18

[The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Cambridge. 8pm/18+/$15. sinclaircambridge.com]

[The Democracy Center, 45 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge. 1pm/ all ages/sliding scale. democracycenter.org]

[Middle East Upstairs, 472 Mass. Ave., Cambridge.

6:30pm/all ages/$14. mideastoffers.com]

[Great Scott, 1222 Comm.

Ave., Allston. 9pm/18+/$10. greatscottboston.com]

[Brighton Music Hall, 158 Brighton Ave., Allston. 7pm/18+/$21. crossroadspresents.com]

DELTA BLUES PARTY LIKE NEW ORLEANS THE CALIFORNIA HONEYDROPS + THE STEADY 45S

DIGBOSTON.COM

RECLAIMING SPACE IN THE HARDCORE SCENE SHEER QUEER FEST

A ROCKIN’ HALALOWEEN THE KOMINAS + HOT MOLASSES

ALT-ROCK QUEENS THE COURTNEYS + VERSING + WEAKENED FRIENDS

CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET [SONG]?

CULTS + CULLEN OMORI + HIDEOUT + DJ CARBO

PHOTO BY BRENDAN GEORGE KOKOMO

BY NINA CORCORAN @NINA_CORCORAN

MUSIC

ROZ AND THE RICE CAKES

Providence trio gets sci-fi sounds to snap, crackle, and pop

BY NINA CORCORAN @NINA_CORCORAN

>> ROZ AND THE RICE CAKES, AUDREY HARRER, ANJIMILE. SAT 10.14. LILYPAD INMAN, 1353 CAMBRIDGE ST., CAMBRIDGE. 8PM/18+/$12. LILYPADINMAN.COM

this ad has been deleted per the terms of the advertiser contract

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROZ AND THE RICE CAKES

Ever since its inception, Roz and the Rice Cakes has been a quintessential Providence college band that breathes fire into DIY indie rock. Singer and keyboardist Roz Raskin, drummer Casey Belisle, and guitarist Justin Foster formed the band shortly after meeting at Rhode Island College back in 2009. They’ve been at it for enough years to have a routine. So the trio wrote a few songs to prep for their newest studio album sessions as they usually would. When it came time to record, however, things shifted dramatically for the better—though at the time they didn’t know what was about to happen.

Engineer, co-producer, and friend Bradford Krieger invited them to record their album in Big Nice Studio, a new recording studio opening in Rhode Island. Roz and the Rice Cakes were one of the first sessions the studio had. Thanks to Krieger’s openness, the band began goofing around on synthesizers—a sound that became the vital crux of Devotion, their newest record, out this Friday on Team Love Records.

“It started out where we were just playing around on them, but then the songs came to fruition in the space while using those, circling the arranging around the synths, and we began experimenting about what would work with the songs,” says Raskin. “It wound up being an electronic palette for the album. I’m personally so excited about it, and now it’s hard to imagine it sounding any other way.”

Devotion is filled with subtle, tiny changes like that. From the use of synths to a soft, cozier production tone, the album feels like the result of attention to detail and a willingness to let curiosity guide them. Originally, the band went into the studio for four days, then returned a month later to record another session. Headspace was ample. Over the course of a seven-month period, that room gave the band time to contextualize their work and give each song its place.

Raskin refers to the album as being their “sci-fi record.” It’s easy to pick up on that theme in the instrumentation, what with the ’80s synths and spacious warbling, but according to her, it goes deeper than that.

“A big part of the process of writing this was, for me, a human cosmos connection, how our energy is connected to the larger world around us,” she says. “That sounds ridiculous, I know. But there’s so much we don’t know, so much we have yet to understand about our own world, and so much of the universe we don’t know either.

We live microversions of that in our personal lives. So while a lot of the album speaks to otherworldly inventions, it speaks to personal moments as well.”

Devotion has its fair share of celestial lyrics. Perhaps the most far-out lines on the album, however, come from Belisle, who wrote the lyrics to “Houdan the Mystic” and “Prototype,” both of which boast an early-Menomena vibe. “It was awesome to hear his inner workings,” Raskin says of Belisle, who’s done solo music in the past. “We’ve done a few songs together in the past, but not where he took the lead role. Hearing his lyrics is exciting, and, honestly, probably the most exciting part of this whole process.”

That’s what makes Devotion such a standout for Roz and the Rice Cakes, and for the New England music community as well. It’s a significant push forward that shows how a band can evolve, challenge themselves, and loosen up their songwriting approach.

Other bands should take note. Roz and the Rice Cakes used to create songs by planning parts before entering the studio, often to make the most of their money. Because of how Devotion was recorded in the studio, there was creative control allowed within the space, which allowed the band to let creativity and inspiration take hold.

NEWS TO US Boston Dig 10-12-17.indd 1

FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

17

10/5/17 1:13 PM

MAC 10 MUSIC

Boston’s Macrotones toast to a decade of dance parties

BY DIG STAFF @DIGBOSTON We’ve played pretty much every room in Boston—still open or closed. The biggest was probably the Wilbur. As long as you can make that connection with the crowd, and you can see faces and expressions, you don’t lose anything. And that energy obviously transfers right back to the stage. A big room or field full of people dancing is obviously a powerful experience, and at festivals you sometimes get to play in front of kids, and our music is exciting for them too. Our music isn’t exclusive in any way, as long as you want to have a fun time, you can enjoy a Macrotones show.

The Macrotones, a nine-piece well known for bringing some of the Hub’s tightest afrobeat jams since the Aughts, turn 10 this year. Which means that we’ve been bumping their beats in the DigBoston office for half the time we’ve been publishing. Wow. With their big anniversary bash coming up at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge this weekend, as well as two new EPs on the way, we hit the band with a barrage of questions which, being the solid outfit they are, the Macrotones chose to answer as a single unit.

Our attitude has always been, as long as you’re a beast on your instrument, and you’re free on Monday night, you can be a Macrotone.

You describe your shows as “dance parties.”

Was that the primary aim when you started? Or just what it quickly became soon after you moved from rehearsal spaces to live venues?

When we started we were somewhat focused on afrobeat, which includes the Fela Kuti tradition of all-night dance parties in Lagos, Nigeria.

The music is relentless and hypnotic and relies on a groove that is difficult not to dance to. When we began playing out, the same vibe came with us.

What have been some of the biggest venues you have played? And is something lost at those places? In spite of a lot of you having roots in the festival scene, are you a dedicated club band?

What’s been the secret to keeping the group together for so long? What kind of changes have there been in the ranks through the years?

You don’t start an afrofunk band because you want to get rich and famous. Anyone who is in our band is here purely for the music, and we got lucky that 10 years ago we found a core group that had the same musical interests and the same level of commitment. All of us play in other projects, but I think we all know that there’s a level of musical satisfaction we’ll only ever get from this group, and the reason we’ve stuck with it for so long is because we still love that unique feeling we get when we play music together. Early on we picked Monday nights for rehearsal and we’ve stuck with that, playing almost every Monday night since. Our attitude has always been, as long as you’re a beast on your instrument, and you’re free on Monday night, you can be a Macrotone.

For a while, a lot of you lived together in Charlestown.

Do any members of the band still live with one another?

And how much easier or harder is it for you all to stick together is you don’t get to spend as much time together as you used to?

We all got a bit older and live on our own now—also they tore down the old band house in Charlestown! We still see each other often though, we see shows together and hang out together when we can, and some of us play in other projects together, so living separately hasn’t had any impact. The strict Monday night rehearsal schedule keeps everything on track.

It’s not often that you get a local band that’s been together for so long to ask this kind of question, but what has been your band’s experience in the changing venue climate? As some favorites have gone and new ones have come, is it easier or harder for a group like yours with a

Boston area fan base to play regular shows.

It’s been sad to see so much go over the years. Our homebase was always Johnny D’s. It’s where we developed and had our most fun and some of our biggest crowds.

We’ve felt a bit homeless since it closed. We played our first show out at All Asia. It’s particularly tough for our band’s size, as we can’t fit into small places. So when you lose stages like Johnny D’s and Church, it’s limiting.

One big difference between the Macrotones and a lot of comparable groups that are in the afrobeat or even jam band ecosystem is the precision and execution of your recordings. From having dedicated retreats at rehearsal barns to tapping ace producers like Dan Cardinal of Dimension Sound Studio, can you just explain the importance of that process a little?

We’re in no rush. In the past it’s taken us up to two years to record and release a record. With so many members in our band, and with everyone getting their input, it can be a painstaking process. But a process that has delivered us four solid full-lengths that are intricate, and tunes that fit parts and instruments together precise like a puzzle. Having someone like Dan to look over all of it has been clutch. We’re equally blessed to work with Grammy-nominated Benny Grotto of Mad Oak Studios, and in the past have worked with Craig “Dubfader” Welsch and the legendary Sean Slade. Part of this has to do with our finances. Our band has never paid out any of the members, and every cent we make goes into an account to save money for recording. Once we’ve saved up enough we buy premium studio time and hire outstanding engineers and producers. When we say we’re really about the music, we mean it, we never do anything for any other reason.

For your 10th anniversary, you are releasing two EPs— The Prisoner Flees, and The Shark Eats. What’s the difference between them? Why celebrate this way?

We had a couple sessions in the can. Aside from the single with Phil DeSisto singing, the tunes are the last of the instrumentals we had written and never recorded.

It made sense to get them out in celebration of our 10 years, at a time when we’re transitioning to having more vocals—which started with the vocal and hip-hop tracks on our last record. Splitting them up made sense because we had two different producers and recorded them in two different studios. But we liked the concept of linking them together thematically, and also they have musical similarities. These two EPs really mark the height of our instrumental songwriting prowess, they sound like a band that’s been working on making interesting music you can dance to for 10 years. They also mark the transition we’re going to be making—our next release is set to be a more vocal-centered record, for which we already have a number of tunes written, and a few Mondays from now hopefully we’ll have a few more.

>> MACROTONES 10TH ANNIVERSARY BASH. SAT 10.14. LIZARD LOUNGE, 1667 MASS AVE., CAMBRIDGE. 8:30PM/21+/$10. LIZARDLOUNGECLUB.COM

FILM EVENTS THU 10.12

DIANE LANE, MARIN KANTER, AND LAURA DERN IN LOU ADLER’S LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE FABULOUS STAINS [1982]

[Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline.

7pm/R/$12.25. 35mm. coolidge.org] 18

10.12.17 - 10.19.17 |

FRI 10.13

THREE FILMS BY STAN BRAKHAGE, ANTICIPATION OF THE NIGHT [1958], VISIONS IN MEDITATION #2&#3

[Harvard Film Archive, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Sq., Cambridge. 7pm/NR/$7-9.

16mm. hcl.harvard.edu/ hfa]

DIGBOSTON.COM

FRI 10.13

TOBE HOOPER’S POLTERGEIST [1982]

[Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Sq., Somerville.

8pm/PG/$10. 35mm. somervilletheatre.com]

SUN 10.15

WORLD PREMIERE OF FOUR FILMS BY NATHANIEL DORSKY ELOHIM [2017], ABATON [2017], CODA [2017], AND ODE [2017] [Harvard Film Archive, 24 Quincy St., Harv Sq., Camb.

7pm/NR/$12. 16mm. hcl. harvard.edu/hfa]

SUN 10.15

ANNA BILLER’S THE LOVE WITCH [2016]

[Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Sq., Somerville. 2 and 7pm/R/$7-10. 35mm. somervilletheatre.com]

SUN 10.15

LAST SHOWINGS (FOR NOW) OF FREDERICK WISEMAN’S LATEST FILM EX LIBRIS — THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY [2017]

[Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston.

1:30pm/NR/$11. Also shows on 10.18 @ 4pm. mfa.org]

NEWS TO US

FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

19

COME TO THE FUN HOME ARTS

Fun Home’s incredible journey & a change of major for actress Abby Corrigan

By the time that Fun Home opened on Broadway in 2015, the Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron musical had been—in some form or another—in gestation and steadily picking up steam for over six years. Longer, of course, if you take into consideration the fact that Alison Bechdel’s gamechanging, best-selling graphic novel, upon which the musical is based, was published in 2006.

Fun Home is Bechdel’s autobiographical story about her coming of age, realizing that she was gay, and dealing with the suicide of her father, who was also gay and lived his life in the closet. It is a life-affirming, ingeniously moving musical, the kind which comes along only a few times a generation.

The musical had spent four years in development with various workshops and readings before it finally opened at Off-Broadway’s Public Theater in 2013. Critics raved. The entire run sold out. Commercial producers started circling.

But the move to Broadway didn’t happen immediately, and instead—for the next year—the team that had amassed around the show patiently waited and took their time getting everything just right (including the right theater) before making the big move. OffBroadway success does not guarantee a Broadway hit, where theaters are larger, costs are through the roof, and tourists can make or break a show. (They are not known for flocking to small musicals with serious, thoughtprovoking subject matter.)

Composer and lyricist Tesori had already experienced this both ways, firsthand: Violet sat in waiting for 17 years before the time—and the star—was right for a Broadway transfer. With Caroline, or Change, her brilliant masterwork written with Tony Kushner, only two months fell between the show’s Off-Broadway closure and Broadway opening. It closed at a complete financial loss after only four months on the boards.

Needless to say, Fun Home triumphed when it finally opened on Broadway in the spring of 2015, just before that year’s Tony cutoff date. It opened only seven days after that year’s other critical juggernaut, the sumptuous, tourist-friendly An American in Paris. No one was quite sure how that year’s Tony Awards would play out. History had told us that the splashier, happier musical would usually beat out the smaller, artier choice, as was the case with the showdowns between Billy Elliot and Next to Normal; The Lion King and Ragtime; The Phantom of the Opera and Into the Woods; La Cage aux Folles and Sunday in the Park with George.

But Fun Home pulled it off; it was Moonlight to An American in Paris’ La La Land. It won five of its 12 nominations, including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book, and Best Direction. There is no doubt that those awards went a long way toward guaranteeing Fun Home’s place on the road. And finally, after a year winding its way around the country, Fun Home will open at the Boston Opera House on Oct 17, where it will run through Oct 29.

Making her professional acting debut on stage is Abby Corrigan, a 19-year-old actress from Charlotte, North Carolina, who has been with the tour since day one. The role of Alison is shared by three actresses, each playing her at a different time in her life; Corrigan plays Medium Alison.

“It’s honestly the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” said Corrigan. “I’ve wanted my whole life to work on a project [like this]. It’s all about collaboration and exploration, and that’s everything that I could ever wish for. I’m lucky to be a part of a project where I’m surrounded by everyone that just loves this piece. That’s such a gift.”

Corrigan majored in musical theater at an arts high school back home in Charlotte, and she had been spending her summers in Los Angeles training at an acting studio. Her mother and father—both in the business and intimately acquainted with its pitfalls and difficulties—weren’t initially crazy about the idea of her becoming an actress. “But that’s just what I am, and they realized that,” she said.

Having graduated from high school last spring, Corrigan was well into the college application and audition process by the time that Fun Home came up. In fact, she was in New York auditioning for colleges when she booked the job. She turned down her admissions offers from all five schools that had accepted her, and she cancelled her audition for Juilliard.

“I was excited to go to college, but this is exactly what I wanted to happen,” said Corrigan. But with Fun Home winding down (the tour ends in December), Corrigan finds herself looking into the future again, trying to find the balance between being a 19-year-old woman and an actress decades away from her peak.

So while college remains a goal for Corrigan (though she no longer sees the need to study musical theater), she’s decided to move to New York when the tour wraps to create what she calls her own sort of classroom. “I’m the kind of person that likes to learn, but I don’t have time for the extra bullshit that’s not going to help me in the long run,” she said. “I’ve always been that way.”

Corrigan says that her time on the road with Fun Home helped her make this decision, with fellow cast members and crewmates urging her to continue her education but in a field other than theater. “I want to be able to build a classroom for myself,” she said. “I feel like that’s more accepted nowadays, especially in this industry. People aren’t going to say, ‘Oh, you didn’t get a degree, we can’t take you for this role.’ Nobody says that.”

But Fun Home is, in many ways, a major part of Corrigan’s education, and she intends to ride that momentum straight into New York next year. She plans on moving in with fellow cast member, best friend, and understudy Caroline Murrah. “Me and Caroline, we’re just planning all the time on Pinterest, all the time picking out what our rooms are going to look like,” said Corrigan.

“We’re such girls. It’s where I’ve dreamed to be since I was young. I’ve got to get in that city.”

>> FUN HOME. 10.17–10.29 AT THE BOSTON OPERA HOUSE, 539 WASHINGTON ST., BOSTON. BOSTON.BROADWAY.COM

ARTS EVENTS OPEN UNTIL 2AM! MFA LATE NITES

[Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston. 10.13. mfa.org]

20

10.12.17 - 10.19.17 |

DIGBOSTON.COM

FINAL WEEKEND! WARHOLCAPOTE

[American Repertory Theater, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge. Through 10.13. americanrepertorytheater. org]

FINAL WEEKEND! MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG

[Huntington Theatre Company, 264 Huntington Ave., Boston. Through 10.15. huntingtontheatre.org]

RIVETING NEW DRAMA A GUIDE FOR THE HOMESICK

[Huntington Theatre Company, 527 Tremont St., Boston. Through 11.4. huntingtontheatre.org]

CLASSIC MAMET OLEANNA

[New Repertory Theatre, 321 Arsenal St., Watertown. Through 11.5. newrep.org]

PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUAS

BY CHRISTOPHER EHLERS @_CHRISEHLERS

SAMANTHA RUDDY COMEDY

Beyond ‘Broad Appeal’

BY DENNIS MALER @DEADAIRDENNIS

GOT AN EVENT? LIST IT.

Use our self-serve listings page to get your event online TODAY!

CENTRAL SQUARE CAMBRIDGE

MIDEASTCLUB.COM | ZUZUBAR.COM

(617)864-EAST

digboston.com/listings We offer a free basic listing as well as enhanced and premium listings to really get you noticed.

THU 10/5 - 8PM DAVID CHOI WITH SARAH HWANG SAT 10/7 - 6PM ¡MAYDAY! SAT 10/7 - 9PM JESS &GABRIEL CONTE (SOLD OUT) SAT 10/7 - 6PM SAUCE BOSTON FT.

DJ CRAZE SAT 10/7 - 6PM

Comedy comes in many forms, spoken, physical, visual, and written. Each form is different in what it takes to evoke laughter. I’ve always been fascinated by those who can craft a funny, concise joke that works in written form, and Samantha Ruddy is one of those comics. She’s a standup and a comedy writer, with jokes that are both clever and witty—whether they come in text form, from her mouth, or from the mouth of one of her fellow award-winning sketch group members.

On Friday, October 13 (spooooookeyyyyy), Ruddy’s headlining the female-focused comedy show Broad Appeal, hosted by Christa Weiss, as they celebrate a three-year anniversary. BUST magazine said she’s a comic “you should be obsessed with,” and before you check her in person, here’s a quick intro to your new obsession.

HALALOWEEN FEATURING

THE KOMINAS, HOT MOLASSES /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

DOWNSTAIRS

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Nickname you hated the most growing up?

Never cool enough to get a nickname.

You’ve been to Boston a few times, what’s the one thing you would tell people, besides your mother, to check out when they come to visit?

I would tell everybody to go to the aquarium because it’s great. My mom would like it too, but I will not tell her about it because that is the rules.

You’ve written articles for Collegehumor, Reductress, The Higgs Weldon, Huffington Post, and more. What was it like seeing your writings published the first time?

It's very cool to see your work get posted. The first time I ever got published was actually in a poetry book as a 9-year-old because I was a tortured soul as a child. Felt great.

You wrote an article for Reductress (a feminist satire site) called Please Stop Calling The Rabid Coyote In Your Backyard Your Child. If you had to, with only things found in your bedroom, how would you coyote-proof your home?

I would just accept my fate. I am not handy, crafty, or capable of building anything. If I get eaten by coyotes in my New York City apartment, I deserve it.

In 2013 you wrote a sketch for your award-winning college group Humor Whore called RENT A FRAT BOY! What things would you rent a Frat Boy for now versus 2013?

I would love to rent a frat boy to coyote-proof my home.

In 2012, writing about marriage equality for Huffington Post, you noted that [as a gay woman] you felt “… closer to being an ordinary U.S. citizen.” How about now?

I feel closer to being “an ordinary citizen” for sure. There are peaks and valleys, but I would say things are better now than in 2013 pre-marriage equality. It's awful that you can still be fired just for being gay in a lot of states, but hopefully things will continue to get better.

What’s the most embarrassing song in your current music player of choice?

The entire Moana soundtrack, but if we’re being really really honest, it’s a track I made when I tried to be a DJ in 11th grade. >> FOR MORE ABOUT SAMANTHA, HER COMEDY, AND HER WRITING FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @SAMLYMATTERS. SEE HER WITH ELLEN SUGARMAN, ERIN JUDGE, RYAN CHANI, JERE PILAPIL, SRILATHA RAJAMANI, AND NICOLE SISK, AT ARTS AT THE ARMORY IN SOMERVILLE AT BROAD APPEAL FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13.

LIVE MUSIC • LOCAVORE MENU PRIVATE EVENTS

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10/05

UPSTAIRS

Elder, King Buffalo, Summoner, Birnam Wood

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Stoner Rock 10/06

Doctor Gasp, The Z Boys Ghoulish melodies 10/08

Atlas Genius, Magic Hat, Half the Animal Indietronica 10/09

Evie Sands, Corin Ashley

MON 10/9 - 7PM RACQUET CLUB

10/10

Taco Monday Messaround

TUE 10/10 - 7PM

TV GIRL, BROTHERTIGER, BEDBUG

With Jay Allen, Justine Covault, Tom Baker & Friends

WED 10/11 - 8PM

156 Highland Ave Somerville, MA •

617-285-0167 oncesomerville.com   @oncesomerville /ONCEsomerville FEATURE

THU 10/5 - 7PM SHOFFY, LUHX. FRI 10/6 - 6:30PM WEAVES, TANCRED, LOST DOG FRI 10/6 - 10:30PM DAVID RAMIREZ SAT 10/7 - 6:30PM SOULELUJAH SAT 10/7 - 11PM CLIMABLE LAUNCH BENEFIT SUN 10/8 - 7PM HURRICANE HARVEY BENEFIT CONCERT

Legendary singer-songwriter

NEWS TO US

THU 10/5 - 8PM FIGURE & MIDNIGHT TYRANNOSAURUS FRI 10/6 - 8PM XMORTIS MONSTER A GO GO SAT 10/7 - 8PM GIANT PANDA GUERILLA DUB SQUAD SUN 10/8 - 8PM CURREN$Y

REEVES GABRELS (OF THE CURE)

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DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

21

COMEDY EVENTS

SAVAGE LOVE

POLY WANTS

BY DAN SAVAGE @FAKEDANSAVAGE | MAIL@SAVAGELOVE.NET

My wife said she didn’t care who I slept with soon after we met. At the time, I didn’t want to sleep with anyone else. But we eventually became monogamish—it started as me texting her a fantasy while I was at work, and that fantasy was waiting for me when I got home—it was fun, but it wasn’t something I needed. After a couple years of playing together with others in private and in clubs, she said she wanted to open our relationship. I got a girlfriend, had fun until the new relationship energy (NRE) wore off, and ended things. Then my wife got a great job on the other side of the state and I stayed behind to get our house into a sellable state. Right now, we see each other only on weekends. I also got a new girlfriend.

The NRE wore off, but we still really like each other, and we’ve discussed being long-distance secondaries once the move is complete. Here’s the problem: Last night, my wife confessed to me that being in an open relationship was making her miserable. I told my wife that I would break up with my girlfriend immediately.

My wife is the most important person in my life, and I don’t want to do anything to hurt her. But my wife told me not to break up with my girlfriend. I don’t want to string my girlfriend along and tell her everything is fine—but my wife, who doesn’t want to be poly anymore, is telling me not to break up with my girlfriend. What do I do?

Dude Isn’t Content Knowing Priority Is Crushingly Sad Your wife may want you to dump your girlfriend without having to feel responsible for your girlfriend’s broken heart, DICKPICS, so she tells you she’s miserable and doesn’t want to be poly anymore, and then tells you not to end things. Or maybe this is a test: Dumping a girlfriend you didn’t have to dump would signal to your wife that she is, indeed, the most important person in your life and that you will prioritize her happiness even when she won’t.

Or maybe she’s watched you acquire two girlfriends without landing a boyfriend of her own.

But there’s a middle ground between dumped and not dumped, DICKPICS: Tell your girlfriend what’s going on—she has a right to know—and put the relationship on hold. Get the house sold, get your ass to your wife, and keep talking until you figure out what is going to work for your wife going forward: completely closed, open but only to sexual adventures you two go on together, i.e., “playing together with others in private and in clubs,” or open with GFs (and BFs) allowed. Good luck.

On the Lovecast, polyamory, Dom/sub relationships, and Wonder Woman: savagelovecast.com

THU 10.12

ALCOHOL-LOWEEN @ GRANDTEN BAR

Featuring: Lamont Price, Rick Canavan, & Sean Sullivan Hosted by Brian Higginbottom

383 DORCHESTER AVE., BOSTON | 7PM | $20 THU 10.12

HEADLINERS IN THE SQUARE @ JOHN HARVARD’S

Featuring: E.J. Edmonds, Joe Buckley, Tim King, Tom Kelly, Shyam Subramanian, Josh Filipowski, & more

33 DUNSTER ST., CAMBRIDGE | 9PM | FREE FRI 10.13

THE GAS! @ GREAT SCOTT

Featuring: Sean Sullivan’s album debut w/ Lamont Price, Tim McIntire, Terence Pennington, Kindra Lansburg, & Bill McMorrow Hosted by Rob Crean

1222 COMMONWEALTH AVE., ALLSTON | 7PM | $5 FRI 10.13

BROAD APPEAL @ ARTS AT THE ARMORY

Featuring: Samantha Ruddy, Ellen Sugarman, Erin Judge, Ryan Chani, Jere Pilapil, & Srilatha Rajamani Hosted by Christa Weiss

191 HIGHLAND AVE., SOMERVILLE | 8PM | $5 SUGG DON. SAT 10.14

FRANK CALIENDO @ THE WILBUR

Frank Caliendo is well-known for his impressions of Morgan Freeman, Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Robert De Niro, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, John Madden, Dr. Phil, Jay Leno, and David Letterman. Frank’s live shows are clean and family friendly.

246 TREMONT ST., BOSTON | 7 & 9:45PM | $29 - $39 SAT 10.14

BOSTON COMEDY CHICKS @ DOYLE’S

Featuring: Chanel Ali, Annie Russell, Kendall Farrell, Kate Procyshyn, & Nonye Brown-West Hosted by Kathe Farris

3484 WASHINGTON ST., JP | 8PM | $12 SUN 10.15

ANDY GROSS @ LAUGH BOSTON

Andy Gross is one of the hottest stand-up comics, magicians, and ventriloquists! His videos have over 150 million views and counting. You may recognize him from his numerous TV appearances, including most recently The Ellen Show and an NBC television special featuring his talents.

425 SUMMER ST., BOSTON | 4PM | $25 MON 10.16

FREE COMEDY @ CITYSIDE

Featuring: Nore Davis (AXS TV), Ben Wasserman, Hannah Boone, & more Hosted by Sam Ike and Anjan Biswas

1960 BEACON ST., BRIGHTON | 8PM | FREE MON 10.16

COMEDY NIGHT @ CAPO SUPPER CLUB Hosted by Will Noonan

443 W. BROADWAY, SOUTH BOSTON | 7PM | FREE WED 10.18-10.21

JIM GAFFIGAN @ THE WILBUR

Noble Ape Comedy special taping on Saturday, Oct 21.

911 BOYLSTON ST., BOSTON | VARIOUS | $59-79

savagelovecast.com

22

10.12.17 - 10.19.17 |

DIGBOSTON.COM

CHECK BOSTONCOMEDYSHOWS.COM FOR MORE LISTINGS

WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST

BY PATT KELLEY PATTKELLEY.COM

HEADLINING THIS WEEK!

John Heffron

Winner of Last Comic Standing Thursday - Saturday

COMING SOON Shit-Faced Shakespeare Sun, Oct 15

Dan Soder

Sirius XM’s The Bonfire, Showtime’s Billions Oct 19-21

THE WAY WE WEREN’T

BY PAT FALCO ILLFALCO.COM

Carnevale di Oscurita Special Engagement: Sun, Oct 22

Comic vs Comic

Boston’s best roasting competition Thurs, Oct 26 OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS

BY TIM CHAMBERLAIN OURVC.NET

Drew Lynch America’s Got Talent runner-up Oct 27-29 617.72.LAUGH | laughboston.com 425 Summer Street at the Westin Hotel in Boston’s Seaport District NEWS TO US

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24

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AND DON’T MISS: 11/11 Zach Deputy | 11/19 Fit for a King | 12/2 Hyperglow | 12/15 Vanna | 12/27 Snails | 12/29 Thursday | 12/30 Four Year Strong | 2/2 Black Veil Brides & Asking Alexandria | 2/3 Neck Deep Tickets available at the Palladium Box Office (12-4:30 Tuesday-Friday), FYE Music and Video Stores, online at Ticketfly.com or by calling 877-987-6487. massconcerts.com • thepalladium.net