San Antonio Current – December 12, 2018

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Ministry’s Al Jourgensen

talks politics, ZZ Top and his love for San Antonio

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CURRENT | December 12-18, 2018 | sacurrent.com

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in this issue San Antonio Current

Issue 18_50 /// December 12-18, 2018

Publisher: Michael Wagner Editor-in-Chief: Sanford Nowlin

Editorial

Senior Editor: Bryan Rindfuss Art Director: Carlos Aguilar Staff Writer: Chris Conde Digital Content Editor: Sarah Martinez Contributors: Alexis Alvarez , Ron Bechtol, Erik Casarez, Daniel Conrad, James Courtney, Callie Enlow, Jose Garza, Dan R. Goddard, Alejandra Lopez Gonzalez, Lance Higdon, Steven G. Kellman, Hannah Lorence, Michelle C. Lorentzen, Abby Mangel, Kiko Martínez, Jeremy Martin, Kelly Merka Nelson, M. Solis, Gary Sweeney, J.D. Swerzenski, Kelsey Valadez, Erin Winch Editorial Interns: Clarence Beal, Lori Salazar

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Circulation Manager: Justin Giles

Business

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35 Feature

Sonic Assault

Ministry’s Al Jourgensen talks politics, ZZ Top and his love for San Antonio

BY C H R I S CO N D E

07 News

Lifting the Veil

Verified Audit Member

A councilwoman and the mayor are calling for more transparency at city hall. Is city hall ready?

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Jaime Monzon

Council should have followed Saldaña’s lead on using hotel fee for the homeless

10 Calendar

Our top picks for the week

19 Arts

TESTING LIMITS

San Antonio artists navigate the fine line between artistic expression and censorship

26 Screens

Taking Control

Four new film releases this week feature prominent female roles

31 Food

Ain’t No Sunshine

Sublime tamales Oaxaqueños brighten up Chela’s Tacos’ newest location

35 Music

Music Top Picks

44 Etc

Savage Love, Crossword Puzzle, Astrology, This Modern World

On The Cover: Al Jourgensen is bringing Ministry, his long-running industrial group, back to San Antonio. In a converstion with the Current, he revealed why politcs remain a focal point of his music.

Photo by: Jaime Monzon Art Direction by: Carlos Aguilar sacurrent.com | December 12-18, 2018 | CURRENT

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CURRENT | December 12-18, 2018 | sacurrent.com

news

Lifting the Veil

A council member and the mayor are calling for more transparency at city hall.

But is city hall ready?

BY SANFORD NOWLIN

D

istrict 7 Councilwoman Ana Sandoval and Mayor Ron Nirenberg are pushing for a more open and accountable city government, which would include livestreaming more meetings and clearing obstacles for citizen feedback.

Critics say it’s about time.

In the midst of unprecedented growth, San Antonio is taking on major decisions about housing, transportation and economic development — all with huge implications for ordinary residents. At the same time, neighborhood activists point out, citizens don’t have easy access to the meetings where those important decisions are hashed out.

“There are two key factors driving this,” Sandoval said of her proposal, first floated in February, then updated via a recent memo.

“First, the expectation for openness has increased dramatically because of the digital tools that are available. And, second, the city is growing faster than ever before, and [residents] are feeling the impact of that development more than they ever have before.”

Sandoval’s plan recommends livestreaming meetings of all planning and zoning, board of adjustment and council committee meetings, just as the city already does for council meetings. The first steps along that path could occur in coming weeks, when council will hear Sandoval’s list of minimum civic-engagement standards.

City of San Antonio

High-Stakes Meetings While most of Texas’ other big cities already provide video feeds of planning meetings, San Antonio has been slow to embrace the technology for much beyond council meetings. That lack of a video record, neighborhood groups argue, makes it hard to hold staff and developers accountable.

What’s more, the information packets provided before planning meetings are light on information, frequently offering little insight about the impact of proposed developments and zoning changes.

“The most important debates about San Antonio’s future are not happening in front of city council,” said Charles Cotrell, director of St. Mary’s University’s Institute of Public Administration, Politics and Public Policy.

“They’re largely decided in other meetings before council gets its chance to weigh in.”

More video accessibility is vital since those important meetings often occur on weekdays, when residents are unable to break away from work or other responsibilities, said neighborhood activist Cynthia Spielman. Meanwhile, developers and other deep-pocketed interests have no problem carving out the time.

Spielman also worries that, no matter how pure Sandoval’s intentions, city staff could be prepared to undermine. Many entrenched bureaucrats, she points out, are just fine with the lack of transparency and accountability.

“I think a lot of city planners have a preconceived notion about what should be happening in our city,” she said. “And they’ll see more transparency and engagement as dangerous.”

“Return on Investment” Councilwoman Ana Sandoval (above); City of San Antonio’s Jeff Coyle demonstrates the new SASpeakUp portal (above right).

But San Antonio Government and Public Affairs Director Jeff Coyle argues the City is already making strides on civic engagement.

As evidence, he points to its shortened times for dealing with Freedom of Information Act requests, increasing use of online polls and

success in gathering more citizen input on budget issues.

He also highlights SASpeakUp.com, a newly launched web portal aimed at giving citizens a chance to weigh in on issues and more easily find meetings that affect them.

Notably absent from the portal’s immediate plans, though, is streaming of more meetings. Coyle said the city is evaluating the “return on investment” of installing new AV equipment and hiring more staff to operate the unused equipment it already has in some meeting rooms.

“At this point, I don’t think there’s necessarily a huge demand out there in the public,” Coyle said, adding that council meetings currently command an average of just 500 viewers — half of them city employees.

Erosion of Trust However, the idea of attaching a corporate-style cost-benefit analysis to providing more video accessibility worries St. Mary’s Cotrell. Streaming technology isn’t new, and many residents — especially younger, tech-savvy ones — expect it as a bare minimum of public accessibility.

“There’s a serious problem with lack of trust in government, because people feel like they don’t know what’s going on,” he added.

To be sure, plenty of observers read voters’ November approval of a charter amendment limiting the pay and tenure of future city managers as a sign of their distrust of municipal government. Controversial City Manager Sheryl Sculley announced her retirement shortly after the vote.

Sandoval recently released a media statement praising the SASpeakUp portal. However, she said she sees its launch as a “first step,” not the ultimate solution to bringing San Antonio a more open and accessible city government.

“The takeaway is that the expectations are higher, and we’ve got to rise to meet them,” she said. “We want the public to know we’re doing good stuff with the input they give us.

That it’s not going into a black hole.”

Find more newsmore coverage Find news every day at sacurrent.com

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CURRENT | December 12-18, 2018 | sacurrent.com

Basse & Broadway

news

CITY CURRENT

Council Should Have Followed Saldaña’s Lead on Using Hotel Fee For the Homeless

to have further discussions on homelessness. Mayor Ron Nirenberg asked the city manager’s office to present council with new funding recommendations for homelessness-aid groups before spring’s budget review.

We’d like to believe all that sentiment was sincere and that, ultimately, it will yield a breakthrough in dealing with this persistent and preventable problem.

But Saldaña’s solution wasn’t some nebulous, way-down-the-road solution. By piggybacking onto the TPID, it could have meant a substantial funding difference starting with the first hotel cash registers to ka-ching after its passage.

A memo from outbound City Manager Sheryl Sculley warning council against reworking the TPID likely contributed to the cold feet. In it, she asserted that carving out funds for homelessness-aid groups so close to the measure’s passage would require a delay and possibly derail the whole thing.

However, such a pause wouldn’t have been a disaster. A few weeks wouldn’t have allowed New Orleans or Napa to poach all of San Antonio’s conventions for the next five years. And the notion that the hospitality industry would walk away from the deal if forced to give up a share? Well, that’s simply laughable.

During his mic time at Thursday’s council meeting, Saldaña predicted that if council sat out this chance to secure additional funding for homelessness-aid groups, it would eventually find itself back in the situation of scratching up new dollars to help address the problem.

Saldaña is council’s longest-serving member, and term limits will make his current term his last. That means he may not be around to be part of that deliberation. But when that time comes — possibly with much tougher choices to make — no one can say he didn’t give fair warning.

BY SANFORD NOWLIN

C

ity council’s vote last week to approve a new hotel fee dedicated to funding tourism marketing and advertising was a lost opportunity.

Not because the funds won’t help fill hotel beds, sell sugary margaritas and fatten the wallets of River Walk servers. They will.

Not because they won’t aid the city in staying competitive with other tourist destinations like Denver, New Orleans and Napa, which use similar funding mechanisms. They will.

The problem is that a portion of the money also could have aided a vulnerable local population for whom convention expense tabs, leisurely barge rides and scenic hotel views simply aren’t a reality.

Councilman Rey Saldaña pushed to make the newly approved “tourism public improvement district,” or TPID, more than just another corporate handout by dedicating some of the collected fees

to groups helping people who are homeless.

In the end, Saldaña was unable to convince his colleagues to delay the vote so the city could carve out a stake for those groups. He cast the sole vote against TPID. That’s unfortunate, because despite innovative local efforts to help people struggling with homelessness, numbers suggest the problem’s only getting worse here.

This May, volunteers and police counted a total of 3,066 homeless people in Bexar County, up 12 percent from 2017. Most of that hike was in the unsheltered homeless population, which increased 23 percent year-over-year.

What’s more, San Antonio’s rising housing prices and a steady influx of new residents both hint that those numbers will continue their upward creep.

If there was any positive to Saldaña digging in his heels, it was that other council members pledged

Rey Saldaña, shown at a recent district event, is the longest-serving member of San Antonio’s city council. sacurrent.com | December 12-18, 2018 | CURRENT

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The Public Theater of San Antonio

THU | 12/13 SUN | 12/16 TH EATER

ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914

WED | 12/12 ART

‘CELEBRACIÓN A LA VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE’

Centro Cultural Aztlán

As legend has it, la Virgen de Guadalupe made her first miraculous appearance to the indigenous peasant Cuauhtlatohuac (better known as Juan Diego, who was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002) on a hillside outside present-day Mexico City on December 9, 1531. She wanted a shrine erected in her honor, but Juan Diego needed proof of her existence to sell the idea to archbishop Juan de Zumárraga. That proof arrived in form of her image on Juan Diego’s cloak — allegedly imprinted by roses he collected at her request — which still hangs over the altar of the Basilica of Guadalupe, an iconic church and pilgrimage site that draws millions of visitors each year. Dubbed the Empress of the Americas, the Patron Saint of Mexico and Our Lady of Guadalupe, this dark-skinned, Nahuatl-speaking interpretation of the Virgin Mary goes far beyond the confines of Catholicism, as she also inspires patriotism, champions the underdog and represents the complicated blending of Aztec and Spanish heritage. A tradition for 23 years and counting, the grassroots arts organization Centro Cultural Aztlán’s annual group show “Celebración a la Virgen de Guadalupe” proudly showcases “a myriad of artistic representations” of the Latin American icon created by a broad cross section of local artists working between acrylic, watercolor, pastels, sculpture, jewelry and folk art. Besides tributes by more than 40 local artists (Henry De Leon, Gricelda Nill, Bernice B. Appelin-Williams, David Blancas, Esther Guajardo, Guadalupe “Spike” Muñoz and Israel Rico to name but a few), the exhibition comes to light with an opening reception featuring an artisanal market stocked with giftable wares and live music by El Tallercito de Son, not to mention “traditional treats like tamales, buñuelos, champurrado y mas!” Free, 6-9pm, Centro Cultural Aztlán, 1800 Fredericksburg Rd., Suite 103, (210) 432-1896, centroaztlan.org. — Bryan Rindfuss

10 CURRENT | December 12-18, 2018 | sacurrent.com

Christmas Eve, 1914: Hunkered down in the trenches, British soldiers heard something unusual – instead of exploding shells, strains of the carol “Stille Nacht” began to cross No Man’s Land as German soldiers sang to mark the holiday. Soon after, soldiers began to lay down their weapons and cross into No Man’s Land. They exchanged gifts of food and tobacco, sang together, and even buried each other’s dead. Styled as a radio musical drama, All Is Calm tells the story of the Christmas Truce through the words of those who were there, using text from “letters, journals, official war documents, poetry, [and] grave stone inscriptions” among its sources. The Public Theater’s production features San Antonio’s all-male a capella group The Marcsmen, and for anyone looking for an extra dose of holiday cheer, a special double feature of All Is Calm and All is Bright: Christmas with the Marcsmen will run on December 14 and 15. $20-$30, 7:30 Thu-Sat, 2pm Sun (through December 23), The Public Theater of San Antonio, 800 W. Ashby Pl., (210) 733-7258, thepublicsa.org.

— Kelly Merka Nelson

fudged-up A Christmas Story truly is. If not for the gently sardonic nostalgia of screenwriter-narrator Jean Shepherd’s voiceover, much of this episodic reminiscence of childhood humiliation and disappointment would play like Truffaut’s 400 Blows with the occasional respite of a Fellini fantasy sequence.

And, like Chekhov’s The Seagull, the viewer spends most of the runtime dreading the moment the protagonist inevitably shoots himself. Ho ho ho.

Watch this truly deranged and subversive piece of American cinema the way so few of us have: on the big screen, sans-commercial interruption. In addition to more than 250,000 holiday lights illuminating Travis Park, this Slab Cinema screening promises free hot chocolate, face-painting for the kiddos, food trucks and photo ops with Santa (just don’t ask him for a BB gun). Free, 6pm, Travis Park, 301 E. Travis St., (210) 212-9373, slabcinema.com.

— Jeremy Martin

FRI | 12/14 FILM

A CHRISTMAS STORY

Much like that other perennial cable-force-fed fave It’s a Wonderful Life, absolute inundation at holiday time has left many of us numb to just how

MGM/UA Entertainment Co.

ART

‘VOLVER’

In “Volver,” artist Edicta Pineda circles back to matters of the heart. Drawing from her upbringing in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Pineda fuses the archetypical imagery of the heart with the colors and textures of her early memories, Wayuu heritage and religious faith. Comprised of myriad materials, including plastic, yarn and bits of jewelry, Pineda’s work celebrates the domestic by bringing to the forefront objects that usually recede into the banality of the everyday. The exhibition’s opening at Clamp Light will feature the artist in a performance that positions love as the lifeblood that connects her to her past, centered amongst the veins of vibrant objects stretched out around her. Free, 7-10pm, on view by appointment through Jan. 6, Clamp Light Artist Studios & Gallery, 1704 Blanco Rd., (832) 259-3530, clamplightsa.com. — KMN

Courtesy of Artpace/Bridge Projects

raging against trade school commercials or admitting that people still call him Day-Day (his character in Next Friday), Epps is at his best when he’s telling his profane version of the truth. If he goes to hell for that, he’ll be dragging delighted audiences along with him, riffing on how sweaty his balls are the whole way down. $35-$50, 7:30pm & 10pm Fri, 7pm, 9:15pm & 11:30pm Sat, 7pm Sun, Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 618 NW Loop 410, (210) 541-8805, lolsanantonio.com. — JM MUSIC

HOLIDAY POPS

FRI | 12/14 SUN | 12/16 COMEDY

MIKE EPPS

“Y’all think I’m going to hell for that one?”

Mike Epps asks the audience after a particularly over-the-top bit in his special Underrated … Never Faded & X-Rated. The response sounds like a unanimous “Yes.” Whether he’s

Courtesy of Mike Epps

calendar

FRI | 12/14

Edicta Pineda

The San Antonio Symphony decks the Tobin’s halls for its annual Holiday Pops performance, joined by the 120-voice all-volunteer Mastersingers choral ensemble. Highlights from the program include Gustav Holst’s Christmas Day, Ave Maria from Sergei Rachmaninoff ’s All-Night Vigil and Hallelujah from Ludwig van Beethoven’s Christ on the Mount of Olives, alongside crowd favorites “Let It Snow,” “Sleigh Ride,” and more. Be on the lookout for a special guest appearance by the Moipei Triplets, and hum a few warm-ups so you can be at your best during the audience sing-along. $35-$190, 8pm Fri-Sat, 2pm Sun, Tobin Center

for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, sasymphony.org.— KMN

SAT | 12/15 SPECIAL EVEN T

PAPER CLOUD DIY WITH BRIDGE PROJECTS

The brainchild of artists Stuart Allen and Cade Bradshaw, Bridge Projects hosts workshops for people of all ages to crack their knuckles and put those creative muscles to work. At its latest event, attendees will sculpt a working lamp from paper. Each ticket holder will leave with a hanging light that resembles a fluffy cumulus cloud lit from behind by the sun, which will make for a perfect gift just in time for the holiday season (that is, if you’re willing to part with your beautiful handiwork). Allen and Bradshaw will provide guidance throughout, and light refreshments will be on hand if the creative process leaves you a bit peckish. Nota bene: The workshop is suitable for all ages, but children will require an adult’s guiding hand. $45, noon-3:30pm, Artpace, 445 N. Main Ave., (210) 212-4900, artpace. org. — KMN

Courtesy of San Antonio Symphony

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: 2019 Distinction in the Arts Awards

Nominate an outstanding San Antonian for Achievements in Arts & Culture

DEADLINE:

FEBRUARY 1, 2019 The City of San Antonio is seeking nominations for the 2019 Distinction in the Arts Awards honorees in the fields of: Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Music, Literary Arts, Culinary Arts, Arts Patronage, and Arts Administration

Nomination Form and Information are Available at GetCreativeSanAntonio.com

12

CURRENT | December 12-18, 2018 | sacurrent.com

calendar SPECIAL EVEN T

‘A VERY NAKED HOLIDAY’

The concept for the naughty literary series Naked Girls Reading came about when Chicago-based Frankie Vivid returned home to find his wife, burlesque performer Michelle L’Amour, reading a book in the buff.

Delivering precisely what its title suggests — “a small cast of beautiful ladies removes their clothing (yes, all of it) and reads personal selections to an adoring audience” — the playful series has spread to more than 20 cities (from Warsaw to Washington D.C.), with the Chicago flagship ofCourtesy of Naked Girls Reading ten stripping down for readings themed around topics ranging from banned books to bad romance. Active since the summer of 2017, the San Antonio chapter upholds the groups’ mantra (“You can’t spell literature without T and A”) this month with “A Very Naked Holiday.” Hosted by Pastie Pops burlesque ringleader Jasper St. James, the irreverent holiday offering puts a revealing spin on How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and other yuletide fare via readings by Vixy Van Hellen (“the bare bottom of Bexar County”), “contemporary tease” Elle Du Jour, “living doll” Mary Annette and “Transoceanic tropical tease” Black Orchid. “It’s a cool date night experience,” explained St. James, who provides comedic interludes by reading “Missed Connections” culled from Craigslist. Amusingly, the BYOB affair culminates in a nude group reading of A Christmas Carol. $15 per person, $25 per couple, 8-9:30pm, Sexology Institute, 707 S. St. Mary’s St., (210) 487-0371, sexologyinstitute.com. — BR

SAT | 12/15

MON | 12/17

Warner Bros

the 76ers, knocking down a pair of game-winning buckets on the road.

The four-time All-Star goes head to head with Spurs stalwart DeMar DeRozan on Monday night, in a matchup featuring two of the league’s most talented wings. With a shrinking margin for error, San Antonio’s fortunes largely rest on elite performances from Aldridge and DeRozan in what is quickly becoming another lost season for the Spurs. $10-$1,685, 7:30pm, AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Pkwy., (210) 444-5000, attcenter.com. — M. Solis

TUE | 12/18 FILM

GREMLINS L

Among the sort of people who have time for that kind of thing, there’s an ongoing debate about whether Joe Dante’s gory creature-feature masterpiece Gremlins is really a Christmas movie or just a movie set at Christmastime. Meaning, Phoebe Cates’ tragic monologue about Christmas Day

disappointment aside, is there enough of the true spirit of the reason for the season and blah blah blah gratuitously stuffed in between the scenes of Rube Goldberg-inspired anarchy and Tex Avery demon splatter-punk to fill the viewer with holiday cheer? But go to your neighborhood big box on December 24 and compare the Norman Rockwell-painted greeting card and Thomas Kincade snow village scenes to the overworked single mom pepper spraying a would-be eBay impresario over the last Snuggles the Dream Puppy or whatever the hell, and you remember that there’s nothing red-andgreener than a Gremlin in a blender.

Centro San Antonio and Slab Cinema revisit the unlikely yuletide classic with an outdoor screening in Milam Park, complete with complimentary hot chocolate provided by La Familia Cortez, coloring stations for kiddos, food trucks and a bilingual Santa awaiting photo ops and wish lists. Free (picnics, blankets and lawn chairs welcome), 6pm, Milam Park, 500 W. Commerce St., (210) 212-9373, slabcinema.com. — JM

SPORTS

SPURS VS. 76ERS 5

Earlier this season, Seagoville High School standout LaMarcus Aldridge recorded the 17,190th point of his professional career, overtaking fellow Dallasite Chris Bosh to become the highest-scoring native Texan in NBA history. Through 10 seasons, Houston native Jimmy Butler is approaching 8,000 career points, putting Aldridge’s gaudy scoring numbers in perspective.

After forcing a trade from Minnesota to Philadelphia, Butler has soared with

Spurs Sports & Entertainment

sacurrent.com | December 12-18, 2018 | CURRENT

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Pop América 1965–1975 THROUGH JANUARY 13, 2019 The first exhibition of its kind, Pop América offers a hemispheric vision of Pop art. Featuring nearly 100 artworks that connect Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and the U.S., this exhibition sparks a fundamental reconsideration and expansion of Pop. Funding for Pop América, 1965–1975 is most generously provided by The Brown Foundation, Inc., Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation, the Elizabeth Huth Coates Charitable Foundation of 1992, the Marcia and Otto Koehler Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Sotheby’s Prize, The USAA Foundation, Inc., the Andy Warhol Foundation, Lori and Joel Dunlap, and Humanities Texas. Additional support is provided by the Director’s Circle and the Exhibition Host Committee, chaired by Lori and Joel Dunlap. Pop América, 1965–1975 is co-organized by the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, and the McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas. The exhibition is guest curated by Esther Gabara, E. Blake Byrne Associate Professor of Romance Studies and Art, Art History & Visual Studies at Duke University. Hugo Rivera-Scott, Pop América (detail), 1968. Collage on cardboard. Courtesy of the artist. © Hugo Rivera-Scott. Photo by Jorge Brantmayer.

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O TESTING LIMITS

San Antonio artists navigate the fine line between artistic expression and censorship

Ruben C. Cordova

n the morning of November 16, San Antonio-based curator and art historian Ruben C. Cordova learned that his Facebook account had been permanently deactivated.

Cordova, who had visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s recent exhibition “Like Life: Sculpture, Color, and the Body (1300–Now)” earlier in the year, had just uploaded to the social media site an album of photos dedicated to his trip. Among the shots were images of a sculpture depicting a nude female figure, John De Andrea’s Self Portrait with Sculpture.

The image triggered Facebook’s censors — and later, a human moderator who apparently confused the image for a photograph of a real human.

Facebook’s official policy states that the company does in fact “allow photographs of paintings, sculptures, and other art that depicts nude figures.” While Cordova’s images didn’t violate Facebook’s policy, he found that appealing the decision is nearly impossible. In the blink of an eye, he realized that nearly nine years’ worth of his research, including thousands of photos, links, reviews and professional contacts, had been lost. He often used his Facebook photo albums during university lectures and public talks and is still trying to regain access to his account.

It’s hard to believe that a photograph of an artwork created in 1980 would get anyone banned on social media in 2018.

“Ironically, of all of the nudes in sculptures that I have uploaded to Facebook, the De Andrea was the only one that the Facebook algorithm blocked,” Cordova told the Current. “I believe the algorithm read it as a picture of a real person, which is not allowed on Facebook. I suspect they view photography of real people as a Pandora’s Box for pornography.”

While Cordova’s case is no doubt an error on Facebook’s behalf (or perhaps an overworked employee hastily reviewing 25,000 images per day — we don’t know), it nonetheless raises the question of how the public interacts with sensitive subject matter and the manner in which galleries, museums and even public platforms like Facebook should display such work (and whether they should display it at all). As hate speech, online bullying, sexual harassment and fake news become more prevalent in the digital age, we should expect our institutions to keep us safe from predatory behavior while respecting everyone’s right to free speech 20 6

sacurrent.com | December 12-18, 2018 | CURRENT 19

arts 6 19 and artistic expression.

The issue of when, where and how to present the nude figure has been a constant throughout Western history.

From Édouard Manet’s 19th-century icon Olympia to Robert Mapplethorpe’s nude figures of the 1980s and even Janet Jackson’s 2004 “wardrobe malfunction,” nothing riles up a crowd faster than an unclothed figure. But there are other issues as well, from depictions of sex and violence, to images explicitly referencing race, class and gender, that galleries and museums must grapple with when presenting artwork to the public.

Although De Andrea’s Self Portrait with Sculpture has faced little controversy since it was created over three decades ago, the same cannot be said about the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Just last year, the museum was embroiled in controversy when it presented an exhibition of photography by an artist who was recently accused of sexual misconduct. However, the institution was commended for the manner in which it handled protestors — inviting them to an open discussion at the museum — and for creating a precedent for other museums on how to handle difficult subject matter.

The following are examples of San Antonio-connected artists whose work tested the limits of what art institutions and public officials are willing to display on their walls. While censoring artwork almost always results in unwanted attention for galleries, encouraging open discussion among the community is perhaps a better practice. The artists

Ruben C. Cordova

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CURRENT | December 12-18, 2018 | sacurrent.com

presented here are not aiming simply to provoke, but to create a dialogue between artist and viewer.

ESPERANZA PEACE AND JUSTICE CENTER V. CITY OF SAN ANTONIO

The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center has served as a voice for the LGBT community, women and minorities for more than 30 years. In 1988, the Esperanza presented “The AIDS Series,” one of the first exhibitions in the city to address the epidemic during a time when the subject was considered taboo. The following year, the Esperanza mounted its inaugural lesbian and gay art exhibition. In 1993, one day after the opening of its fifth annual show, the organization was evicted from its original location on Flores Street, no doubt due to its pro-LGBT stance. In an effort to avoid further evictions and controversy, the center purchased its current building at 922 San Pedro Ave. Although it was paid off within six years, largely through community fundraising efforts, the struggles for the Esperanza were not over.

In 1997, city council voted to cut funding from the organization on the grounds that its social justice work was political rather than artistic. Speaking to The New York Times, then-mayor Howard Peak said he did not believe the Esperanza was working for the greater good of the community.

“They seem to go way beyond what people want their money spent on,” he said. “It’s an in-your-face organization.”

Four years later, a federal judge ruled that the city’s actions were unconstitutional, resulting in a $500,000 award to the Esperanza. The ruling echoed the famous 1998 National Endowment for the Arts v. Karen Finley case in which the Supreme Court stated that the government is free to decide whether or not to fund the arts but must do so in a “viewpoint-neutral manner” that does not discriminate on the basis of recipients’ ideology.

Interestingly, the City of San Antonio would mount its first-ever exhibition of LGBT artists in the summer of 2018, more than two decades later. Titled “We Are,” the exhibition featured several emerging artists alongside well-established community figures such as David Zamora Cases and Antonia Padilla. In a press release, Mayor Ron Nirenberg proudly proclaimed, “This exhibit is a reminder of the experiences, the struggles and the realities of our LGBTQI+ community.”

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Ángel Rodríguez-Díaz

One of Ruben C. Cordova's photographs of John De Andrea's Self Portrait with Sculpture (left) and Ángel Rodríguez Díaz’s painting Adam.

You do not become a serious painter until you are nearly 40 years old. You are lauded for your luminous watercolors. In 1936, you are accorded the honor of a one-man exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. You are chosen as the greatest painter in the United States in a Look Magazine survey of art professionals in 1948. You are on the cutting edge of modern art.

You are John Marin.

Becoming John Marin: Modernist at Work on view through January 20, 2019 200 West Jones Avenue | samuseum.org John Marin, American (Rutherford, New Jersey, 1870–1953, Cape Split, Maine), Palisades, Hudson River, New Jersey, 1923, watercolor and charcoal on textured watercolor paper, 19 3/4 x 16 1/2 in., Arkansas Arts Center Foundation Collection: Gift of Norma B. Marin. 2013.018.234

sacurrent.com | December 12-18, 2018 | CURRENT

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arts

Alejandro Augustine Padilla

6 20 ÁNGEL RODRÍGUEZ-DÍAZ, ADAM In 1992, Ángel Rodríguez-Díaz’s painting Adam became a cause célèbre when it was censored in a New York City exhibition. Intended as a critique of racial oppression in the Caribbean, the large-scale portrait depicts a nude black man who appears to be leaping out of a tropical fire. (Rodríguez-Díaz was born in Puerto Rico).

Friends of the artist, from writer Sandra Cisneros to NPR’s Maria Hinojosa, publicly came to the painting’s defense. Eventually, the artist would quit painting male nudes because most galleries would not display them.

In 2017, FL!GHT Gallery presented “El Mero Chile/The Full Monty,” the first exhibition to focus on Rodríguez-Díaz’s male figures. In a 2004 oral history interview for the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art, Rodríguez-Díaz revealed that he believes Americans have become “so prudish” that they are afraid to challenge public opinion.

“I find that that’s part of the role of the artist,” Rodríguez-Díaz said. “To challenge all kinds of values and all kinds of ideas, because that’s how we grow as people, we develop in our culture.”

“The Full Monty,” which Cordova curated, was one of several exhibitions presented across the city honoring Rodríguez-Díaz. “There are few public venues in San Antonio that will show male genitalia, so I am grateful that FL!GHT was willing to do that exhibition,” Cordova told the Current.

He says there are several things that a gallery can do when presenting sensitive subject matter.

“If nudity per se is an issue, you can place a sign at the entrance to the gallery,” Cordova said. “This was a practice in San Antonio for many years, and it has been used in other cities as well. I think it is also crucial to interpret a work and give it a context within an exhibition or an installation. A label can justify and rationalize the inclusion of a work, and — at least potentially — diffuse opposition. In my ‘The Other Side of the Alamo’ exhibition that closed recently at the Guadalupe, I wrote a lengthy label for every artwork.”

ALEJANDRO AUGUSTINE PADILLA, STRIP COPPER, THEN DIE \

Alejandro Augustine Padilla

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CURRENT | December 12-18, 2018 | sacurrent.com

San Antonio artist Alejandro Augustine Padilla’s sculptures and paintings often draw from dark subject matter. A largely selftaught artist, Padilla’s work is influenced by artists as far-ranging as the neo-expressionist Jean-Michel Basquiat to the surrealists Yves Tanguy and Luis Buñuel.

In early 2017, Artpace commissioned a group of artists from the 1906 arts complex on South Flores (which included Padilla), to create a series of artworks that would be used as centerpieces during the nonprofit’s annual fundraising gala, The Happening. At the time, Padilla was doing a large series of drawings (about 80) dealing with his experiences as a child who grew up poor.

“That’s when they came to us at 1906 and asked if we would do the centerpieces,” Padilla said. “I didn’t want to shift gears and concentrate on a commercial piece, so I just continued that on to the centerpieces. The only specifics that they gave us were that it had to be a centerpiece and that they were going to put flowers in it or around it … They said we could do whatever we want, and we did.”

But while everyone else created decorative centerpieces, Padilla’s work, a ready-made wooden box, depicted graphic images and text referencing socioeconomic status. Written within two compartments inside the box were the terms “Dad” and “Son.” The phrase “Strip Copper, Then Die” appears inside the middle of the box with a red arrow pointing toward “Dad.” Images of beer cans, beer bottles and cigarettes appear throughout. Scribbled on the outside of the box was the word “Clonazepam,” a medication used to prevent seizures and anxiety disorders.

“Stripping copper is one tough, illegal way to make extra cash,” Padilla said. “I knew a lot of adults around me who did it.”

Just days before Artpace’s annual gala, the organization returned all of the artists’ work and decided not to use it. While Padilla says he “wasn’t privy” as to why the artwork was returned and that he “didn’t really look into it much,” he also says others have suggested it was a case of censorship. It’s hard to fault the nonprofit for not using Padilla’s work during its gala, but it’s also a reminder of how arts organizations may have to answer to their biggest donors.

“My art is always reflective on myself, so I’m really just reporting what is real,” Padilla said.

“I’m not making up stuff just to be controversial. … You kind of just put yourself out there. … You can’t worry about whether people are going to be offended or not. There are people who come into my studio who will make an ugly face and walk out. ... I’m not looking to please everybody.”

MARK ANTHONY MARTINEZ, OFFWHITE POWER

Austin-based Mexic-Arte Museum’s annual Young Latino Artists (YLA) exhibition is known for introducing emerging artists to the public and turning out some of the of the most exciting artwork in the state. For the 22nd installment, however, the museum decided one of the works by a featured artist was too much for the public to handle and removed it from the show.

San Antonio-based artist Mark Anthony Martinez created a series of neon signs, each with a phrase that referenced race and identity. Some of My Best Friends Are White read one sign. No More White Friends read another. But it was Off-White Power (with the word “Off” unlit) that the museum refused to hang for fear that it would be misconstrued as a work supporting white supremacy.

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arts

Mark Anthony Martinez

Kristel A. Orta-Puente

Convinced that Off-White Power should be viewed by the public, Martinez and YLA curator Alana Coates presented a new exhibition at San Antonio’s Freight Gallery in early 2018 that would boldly feature the type of work the museum was unwilling to show. Titled “Images of Power,” the exhibition centered on Martinez’s Off-White Power and featured 26 artists from across the country. In the exhibition catalog, Coates wrote, “‘Images of Power’ was organized to honor the artworks rejected from the previous exhibition, as well as to create a platform for discussion both verbally and visually of such histories and issues.”

VINCENT VALDEZ, THE CITY 1 Vincent Valdez

Vincent Valdez

Clockwise from top left: Mark Anthony Martinez's Off-White Power, Kristel A. Orta-Puente's Fuck Trump and Vincent Valdez's The City 1.

L

6 22 According to Martinez, “Off-White” references his own complexion and identity as a Mexican American. Speaking to the Austin Chronicle, Martinez explained that when “brown people don’t know their history,” a part of the sign is off and we are left with white supremacy or white power. In other words, ignorance allows racism to thrive. Even after Martinez offered to write a lengthy label providing more context to the work, the museum still declined to include it in the show.

“It’s unfortunate because this is a show that’s dedicated to uplifting young Latino artists, and emerging artists, and they’re in a position where they would rather silence,” he said.

In the summer of 2018, Houston-based San Antonio artist Vincent Valdez’s 30-foot panoramic painting The City 1 made national headlines when it was presented at Austin’s Blanton Museum of Art. The black-and-white painting depicts a Ku Klux Klan gathering on the outskirts of an unidentified city. A Chevy Silverado truck and an iPhone held by one of figures places the scene within contemporary times. Much like his 2013 series The Strangest Fruit, which depicts the lynching of Mexican-American males dressed in modern attire, The City seems blurs lines between past and present.

As reported in The New York Times, the Blanton spent nearly two years preparing for the The City’s unveiling, including building a special gallery with a sign warning that the painting “may elicit strong emotions.” Various programs and lectures were also planned by the museum to better engage with viewers about the painting’s content.

While the museum consulted with more than 100 individuals and organizations, it failed to contact the Austin chapter of the NAACP until late in the process.

Nelson Linder, the local NAACP chapter president, publicly shunned the museum for waiting to reach out and expressed his reservations about the work.

“I would have shown the victims,” he told the Times. “Not just pictures of the Klan, but the end result of their behavior, the black folks being lynched.”

Other grievances against the painting were that it glamorized the history of racialized violence in America and that Valdez, who is Mexican-American, was only cashing in.

Speaking with the Times, Valdez said, “All I wanted to do in my painting, the story I wanted to tell was: Look around you; they’re still here.” sacurrent.com | December 12-18, 2018 | CURRENT

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Taking Control Four new film releases this week feature prominent female roles

BY: KIKO MARTINEZ

T

here hasn’t been a shortage of strong female characters portrayed on the big screen this year. From empowered ensembles battling hybrid beasts in Annihilation and running heists in Ocean’s 8 and Widows to smaller, individual offerings like the coming-of-age narratives in Wildlife and Puzzle, Hollywood seems to have finally started to embrace the notion that women, too, have fascinating stories to tell.

This week in San Antonio, four new films — three theatrical releases and one on Netflix — will help continue to push the momentum forward for female-centric cinema as we move into 2019. The Current has seen and reviewed all four.

THE FAVOURITE 5

The Favourite is unlike any costume drama you’ve ever seen. That includes filmmaker Sofia Coppola’s imaginative and underappreciated 2006 hipster biopic Marie Antoinette, where she uses the song “I Want Candy” in the soundtrack and sneaks a pair of blue Converse into one scene.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise if you know the eccentric and invigorating work of Greek writer/ director Yorgos Lanthimos in films like Dogtooth and The Lobster, the latter of which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay in 2016.

Although Lanthimos hands off script duties for The Favourite to Australian TV writer Tony McNamara and first-time writer Deborah Davis, who penned the initial screenplay over two decades ago, his fingerprints are all over it. The Favourite is an acerbic and abrasively funny period piece featuring three of the best female performances of the year. The film is like a formal curtsy but with a sharp knee strike to the groin.

Set in the early 18th Century, The Favourite is loosely based on the reign of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman), the sickly crowned head who ruled Great Britain and Ireland until her death in 1714 at the age of 49. Don’t expect a history lesson here, however. Lanthimos isn’t as interested in the Restoration of the English Monar26 CURRENT | December 12-18, 2018 | sacurrent.com

Neon

chy as he is the darker and comically absurd relationships Anne develops with her close advisor Sarah Churchill (Oscar winner Rachel Weisz), and Sarah’s cousin, Abigail Hill (Oscar winner Emma Stone), who is hired to work in the scullery.

When Abigail proves herself to be more than a servant, her and Sarah’s political posturing comes to a head as they find themselves vying for Anne’s attention. With a kingdom’s power at their fingertips, Sarah and Abigail become the year’s most

intriguing adversaries as they cut each other down at every turn in an attempt to keep their high-end status from waning.

At times voyeuristic in nature, Lanthimos uses a camera lens that allows moviegoers to witness the debauchery unfold as if we are peeking through a palace peephole. In The Favourite, hostility and deceitfulness have never been this wickedly entertaining.

MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS L

Like The Favourite, Mary, Queen of Scots features its own interesting archrivalry between two women scheming for a monarchical power grab. As a historical biography, MQOS is much more conventional than Yorgos Lanthimos’ aforementioned film, but its sprawling storytelling about women in authoritative positions gives the picture its own sense of 16th-century political wokeness, which is notable in any era.

Fox Searchlight Pictures

screens Netflix

Focus Features

Helmed by first-time feature film director Josie Rourke, whose background is largely in theater, MQOS tells the story of Mary Stuart (three-time Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan) who arrives in Scotland to reclaim her throne after the death of her husband, the King of France. She is met with masked contempt by her cousin Queen Elizabeth I (Oscar nominee Margot Robbie), who rules over both England and Scotland and isn’t about to relinquish authority to anyone.

Political maneuvering involving Mary and Elizabeth begins as they attempt to decipher what angle the other is playing to get what she wants. With her sovereignty in jeopardy, Elizabeth pushes back when she sees her cousin gain standing, especially since Mary is able to give birth to an heir and Elizabeth is not. The dynamic is a fiery one, even though Ronan and Robbie don’t share the screen until the film’s final act.

There is a lot of history to unpack in MQOS and these details are being questioned by historians. Some argue the queens were never on friendly terms, as depicted in the film. Others point out that Mary didn’t have an Irish accent like Ronan’s natural one. And the meeting the rulers have at the climax of the film? It never happened, although it does make for compelling theater.

It’s easier for a period piece like The Favourite to call itself a farce and get away with taking more creative license. For MQOS, there seems to be less leeway for purists who had problems in the past with films like 1971’s Mary, Queen of Scots or 2007’s Elizabeth: The Golden Age. If you can overlook some of the historical inaccuracies and the occasionally sluggish narrative, MQOS has a lot to say about the rise of women in a male-dominated world.

ROMA L

There’s no denying the beauty and timelessness at the heart of Academy Award-winning director Alfonso Cuarón’s deeply personal drama Roma. It’s as close to cinematic poetry as you can get, and Cuarón, with an expert-level attention to detail, places us at the center of his story — watching, listening, waiting, and cherishing every delicate moment.

As with all his past films — whether taking audiences on a road trip through rural Mexico in his 2001 masterpiece Y tu Mamá También or floating through the vastness of space in 2013’s Gravity — there is an intimacy in Cuarón’s work that is unlike any director making films today. It’s never been more apparent just how meditative his voice has become than with Roma, an autobiographical film based on his childhood in Mexico City during the 1970s and told from the perspective of the woman who helped raise him — his nanny Libo. (Yalitza Aparicio plays a fictionalized version named Cleo.)

In Cleo, Cuarón has created a character of pure devotion and human spirit, and Aparicio delivers a restrained, albeit passionate, performance. In Roma, Cuarón examines Cleo’s relationship with the middle-class family who employs her and the complex social dynamics that keep them separated. In comparison, Brazilian filmmaker Anna Muylaert’s 2015 film Que Horas Ela Volta? (The Second Mother) does a better job presenting this theme, but Cuarón’s emphasis on a single character’s experiences is admirable as we observe Cleo not only performing tedious tasks but also comforting the children who are witnessing the dissolution of their parents’ marriage.

From a technical standpoint, Roma is second to none — from Cuarón’s brilliant direction and first foray into the role of cinematographer (usual collaborator Emman- 29 6

Find more news Find more every day at film stories sacurrent.com

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CURRENT | December 12-18, 2018 | sacurrent.com

screens

Neon

6 27 uel Lubezki was not available) to the meticulous production design

by Academy Award winner Eugenio Caballero (Pan’s Labyrinth). The blackand-white 65mm film Cuarón utilizes gives an epic feel to the picture, and his tracking shots reveal a landscape full of life that is oftentimes overshadowed in other films by the shiniest object in the room. Instead, Cuarón makes the ordinary seem remarkable — soapy water gliding over a stone floor, laundry hanging from a clothesline, a lizard scurrying across the dry earth.

Appreciate what Cuarón has constructed with Roma. Like other recent image-heavy films such as Tree of Life, Dunkirk and The Revenant, what Roma lacks in standard narrative substance, it makes up for in Cuarón’s skill as a visual storyteller.

Roma is available on Netflix December 14.

VOX LUX L

Pop star Celeste Montgomery (Oscar winner Natalie Portman plays her as an adult) is doing everything possible to control her own destiny. She’s been doing so ever since tragedy struck when she was a teenager and despite the fact that her life may already be primed for a “predetermined destination.”

The setup to the satirical drama Vox Lux by actor-turned-director Brady Corbet (The Childhood of a Leader) is strange and hypnotic. As a devout teen, Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) survives a school shooting and later uses the experience to launch a successful career as a musician.

If the idea sounds a bit preposterous,

it’s probably because Corbet means to say something contentious about the culture of celebrity in the 21st century. These days, all it takes to become famous is to create a YouTube channel or star in a sex tape or play a villain on a reality TV show, so why wouldn’t the same thing happen to a young girl who is shot in the head and decides to write a song to help ease her pain? Let’s be honest. Is it any more unbelievable than cast members from The Real Housewives or Teen Moms trending on Twitter?

In Vox Lux, Corbet introduces audiences to Celeste as a young girl — a girl “not all that special or conspicuously talented” — coming to terms with her newfound fame alongside her supportive sister Ellie (Stacy Martin) and unnamed manager (two-time Oscar nominee Jude Law). Her character arc during these formidable years is captivating — evolving from an innocent performer into a mainstream sellout.

Divided into two acts, we meet Portman in “Act 2: Regenesis” as a seasoned and cynical 31-year-old superstar raising her daughter Albertine (also played

by Cassidy) in an industry she loves and despises for different reasons. When another tragic event takes place halfway across the globe that is connected to one of Celeste’s music videos, she is forced to reevaluate the circumstances that brought her to a place where fantasy and catastrophe go hand in hand.

Ambitious to a fault, Vox Lux feels otherworldly. Corbet still has a long way to go as a filmmaker, but it’s inspiring to see someone take risks so early in their career.

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Sublime tamales Oaxaqueños brighten up Chela’s Tacos’ newest location

BY RON BECHTOL

I

t was a dark and stormy day. Well, grey at least. And threatening. Whatever, I wandered into the new Chela’s on North St. Mary’s in search of some soupy solace. There at the order counter was a sign suggesting Crazy Fideo. Disregarding the fact that this should not be translated, “fideo loco” being a much better name, I ordered a large. I got a small.

Chela’s Dos is a kinda cheerless place, suggesting opening before all the chairs were aligned on deck. Yes, the table tops with copper pennies embalmed under epoxy are there in homage to the ’09 location, and there’s a bar area (the bartop also gets its share of Mr. Lincoln’s profiles) — though I find it hard to imagine actually drinking there, despite $3 happy hour drafts and a special that includes street tacos. But the impression is one of sparseness. Still, a good soup soothes many ills, and the fideo was good.

Thick with plump noodles and generous with its ground beef, carrot and potato, it banished at least some of the drab-day doldrums.

It was also grey and windy on my second visit, but I was over the brooding poet bit. Got right down to work with a “Chela’s Favorite,” Taco Reyna. This is a kitchen-sink-like affair — well-lubricated carnitas mixing it up with rice, black beans and not quite enough serrano and pico de gallo on a tender, homemade corn tortilla. I don’t have to have it again, but it must be admitted that at $4, it almost makes a comforting meal on a blustery day.

The enchiladas de mole merit a little more pondering. Made from scratch, as Chela claims of hers, mole is an arduous process demanding multiple chiles, myriad spices, toasting of tortillas, nuts and seeds, and much stirring and simmering. In most large Mexican cities, supermarkets offer mole pastes in tubs. Green, red, black, yellow, brown, they’re all there to make life easier, and to intrigue with their subtle differences. There’s little subtle about Chela’s dark

food

Ain’t No Sunshine

Ron Bechtol

and stormy mole; the impression is of mordant and almost bitter-black coffee. There’s a burnt edge, tempered by a little molasses-like sweetness that almost makes it work for me — but in the end, not quite, despite tender chicken and the needed relief of queso fresco and toasted sesame seeds. Unusually pale beans are strikingly so in contrast to the mole.

As an add-on to that order, I took home two of Chela’s tamales Oaxaqueños, a package that wouldn’t be harmed by reheating. If you order nothing else here, make sure you have these.

Banana leaf wrapped and the size of a small torta, these are not your tía’s tamales. A goodly amount of well-seasoned masa encases chicken, pork en salsa verde, veggies, or rajas, your choice. The puerco version is particularly fine, the tender meat playing nicely against a piquant green sauce and the faint perfume of the steamed banana leaf. Coming in a respectable second, the rajas de chile poblano rendition

might have benefitted from a little robust, melty cheese hidden within. It was also fine without.

I’m not sure what’s going on between me and Chela, but the third visit was also grey — and a little rainy. I found myself wondering if the space would seem at least a tad cheerier on a sunny day, but I may never know. I’ll also never know why Chela didn’t rename the classic breakfast scramble “Chelaquiles.” It seems so obvious, especially as the plate is personalized by strips of crisply fried bacon. As a version of standard chilaquiles, though, it’s good, not great. I prefer the tortilla chips more integrated into the egg, but that’s just a quibble. Reasonable, wrapped flour tortillas accompany the eggs topped with a scrim of melted cheese and chips and flanked by more of those pale (“whole”) beans and cubed, fried potato. Cubed potato exists primarily as a base for salsa, so slather on the color of your choice. In fact, drizzle it everywhere. There, now that’s cheery.

Find more news every day at sacurrent.com

Chela’s Tacos 3420 N. St. Mary’s Ave., (210) 267-1511, Accessible

Hours: 7am-3pm Tue–Wed, 7am-8pm Thu–Sat, 8am-3pm Sun Cost: Entrees: $4-$12 Best bets: tamales Oaxaqueños, “crazy” fideo, chilaquiles

The Skinny: Chela’s on St. Mary’s is an expanded version (there’s also a bar) of the often-crowded Alamo Heights original but lacks its tightly packed charm. The classic tamales Oaxaqueños remain the same, however; they’re to be ordered even if you don’t know this banana-leaf-wrapped rendition. Try the pork in green sauce. Everything else has been tolerably good but not exceptional. Perhaps consider the raft-size Costra de Chela with its grilled cheese topping a slab of tortilla and, say, carnitas and pico de gallo. The sheer audacity of it should get your attention.

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music

W

hen we found out Ministry was celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Land of Rape and Honey by playing a chunk of the record live on its current tour, we were more than a bit stoked.

With the release of that 1988 album, Ministry emerged as leaders of a then-new fusion of industrial music and heavy metal that united fans of both in a celebration of chunky guitar riffs and machine-gun programmed drums.

And with band frontman Al Jourgensen calling the Lone Star State home in the early ’90s, dare we say Ministry is Texas music?

Of course, San Antonio’s long been notorious for championing all things loud and heavy, it welcomed Jourgensen and family with open arms. Audiences devoured the band’s unique sound, rooted in everything from post-punk, thrash metal, punk rock and dance music.

“It was pushing the envelope in every direction. That is Ministry in a nutshell,” said longtime friend and Jourgensen-collaborator Phil Owen.

Owen fronts the Austin-based Skatenigs — whose first album Jourgensen produced — and he also co-wrote the title track for Beers, Steers, and Queers, the second record by the Revolting Cocks, another of Jourgensen’s musical imprints.

Jaime Monzon

While some of Owen’s recollections of working with Jourgensen reflected standard rock ’n’ roll shenanigans (like someone vomiting on a $50,000 keyboard computer), the Skatenigs singer also shed some light on the now-60-year-old industrial/metal icon’s creative genius. “[Ministry] would spend a ton of money banging garbage and making snare sounds out of crazy stuff — a distortion chain made out of $10,000-worth of compressors,” said Owen. “This whole idea of ‘let’s make some noise and turn it into instruments’ — I don’t know what the intention was, or if they were trying to put a label on it. It was just what was going on at the time. They got really good at it, and then people would start to adopt those techniques.”

Those folks included Trent Reznor of the mammoth electronic/industrial act Nine Inch Nails, whose music, like Ministry’s, has stood the test of several decades. While some industrial contemporaries toned down their sound and drug-fueled excesses over time, Jourgensen kept hammering away, full volume, at both. (He’s said he stopped using heroin and other hard drugs a few years ago.)

With Ministry slated for another of its seemingly annual performances in San Antonio, we got a chance to talk with Uncle Al about what drew him to the harsh sounds

of industrial music, his relationship with San Antonio and his perspective as a longtime icon in his genre.

San Antonio has been a huge supporter of industrial and metal through ’80s and even up to today. Do you have any fond memories of playing here back then, or even more recently?

Well, I love the city, man. To me, that’s the metal capital of Texas. You know, I lived in El Paso for 10 years and in Austin for four, so I’m pretty well aware of Texas, and San Antonio is my favorite metal city. Austin’s more alternative, goth rock, emo rock, but San Antonio is full on metal. Houston and Dallas are pretty metal, and El Paso — I don’t know what the fuck they have besides Beto O’Rourke. (Laughs.)

At the Drive In came out of there, so they’ve got something going on.

Yeah, At the Drive in, Mars Volta — the bass player from the Clash lived there for a few years too, ’cause he just wanted to drive his Harley around mountain passes. That’s about their big claim to fame. Now, Beto O’Rourke.

But I love San Antonio. I love coming back to Texas in general. I spent 30-35 years in Chicago, now close to 10 in California and the rest of my time has pretty much been spent in Texas. It’s like coming home for sure, and 37 6

Find more music coverage Find more news every day at sacurrent.com

36

CURRENT | December 12-18, 2018 | sacurrent.com

music

Phil Parmet

6 35 I also truly believe that San Antonio has the best Mexican food on the planet, so it’s always good to come back.

I saw that you turned 60 on October 9, which is crazy because that’s my birthday too.

Get out! You know that we share that birthday with John and Sean Lennon, Jackson Browne oddly enough and Ornette Coleman? So, we’ve got pop, rock and jazz and industrial covered all on our birthdays. It’s a good day!

Did you happen to celebrate or do anything fun that day?

Dude, when you get to my fucking age the last thing you do is celebrate. You’re just like, “Aw, shit, here I am again.” (Laughs.)

I felt the same way about my birthday. I mean, I turned 32, but I didn’t really feel like doing anything.

Oh! Then party down, man! Party down! You’ll see what I’m talking about, you little rookie, when you get into your late 40s. Ugh! You’ll dread those fucking days. (Laughs.) But it’s OK, man, I’m still here. I’m happy, we’re still making good music and doing good shows, and it all works out.

Speaking of anniversaries, birthdays and what not, Land of Rape and Honey came out 30 years ago, and it’s crazy to see the impact of industrial music and watching it re-emerge again in the past five or ten years. What has it been like for you as a major player in that genre to be around long enough for it come back?

You know, it’s odd from my perspective, because I don’t think of myself as an industrial band, and it’s like I was always just was doing music. And then you folks, you journalists, called it “industrial” and whatever, you know. I didn’t understand what the differ-

ence was between ZZ Top and Ministry, to be honest.

We both like guitars, you know what I’m saying?

Did you just compare ZZ Top to Ministry?

But you know what? You think about it, we both are based in a blues kind of motif, in a sense, and I’m good friends with [ZZ Top Guitarist] Billy Gibbons.

So, you know he was always one of my heroes, and we got along great. He’s been on a couple of Revolting Cocks records with me, and so I really didn’t see what all the fuss was about. We used a little bit more clangier samples and were a little bit more political, but I never really understood if industrial was in or out, or what it was, or who was in it, or who started it, or who ended it. We just write music, man, and that music seemed to come natural to me. I’m not trying to force anything, so that’s just the way we sound.

In a recent interview, you told a story about how your dad was a race car mechanic and took you to the Indianapolis 500 when you were a kid, and you heard the sounds of the cars and said, “Oh, this is a cool noise.” That’s kind of interesting, because some of the music you create and that you’re around sounds, well, like engines.

Actually, there’s a great quote from Billy Gibbons about Ministry, saying that we’re the only music he listens to in his car that actually gets him in trouble. (Laughs.) He gets pulled over by Texas State Troopers all the time because he likes to floor it when he hears our stuff!

But, yeah, I think there’s definitely a NASCAR aspect to our thing, because when I was 6, literally, I was in the pit at Indy and my dad was working with the Dan Gurney crew in 1966, and he came in third that year.

But it was my first exposure to that kind of volume. I had never heard anything that loud in my life. I was just blown away by it to the point that I have to say that — God rest his soul — Lemmy from Motorhead

Jaime Monzon

actually came up to me when we played together at a festival in Europe and said that we were the loudest band he had ever heard. Coming from Motorhead, that’s pretty good.

And, so, I pretty much have my dad to thank for that, for taking me to the pits of Indy when I was six.

I think that that was a major influence on what the hell’s going on with my music today.

My older sisters introduced me to Skinny Puppy, Ministry, early Nine Inch Nails and all that stuff when I was younger, and I pay attention to all the bands that are still doing it. Of all them, you seem to cover a lot more political themes. Do you feel that because of your platform, as somebody whose music is widely distributed, you have an obligation to talk about politics? Or is that just naturally what you want to address in your music?

Quite the opposite. I feel like people should sing what they feel comfortable singing about. I went to college as a history major with a political science minor, so all this shit’s right up my alley: I do my research, I pay attention and I’m an informed citizen. That’s what I know, so that’s what I feel comfortable singing about.

I think it’s fucking bullshit when someone tries to make political statements when they don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about or they don’t feel comfortable doing it. You know what I’m saying? I mean, basically I think people like Taylor Swift or Kanye West should stick to singing about what they’re informed about, and to each his own, but it’s always come natural to me.

I didn’t actually want to be in the music business.

I wasn’t one of these people that played air guitar in front of the mirror at 8 years old and dreamt of being a rock star. I wanted to be a fucking history professor in college, and that was more my gig, so that comes natural to me and that’s the real deal. That’s not me trying force anything.

39 6 sacurrent.com | December 12-18, 2018 | CURRENT

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music 3 3 0 e g r ay s o n s t AZTEX FEAT. SARAH FOX & JOEL GUZMAN WED, DEC 12 | DOORS: 7 PM | SHOW: 8 PM

DEC 14 • FLATLAND CAVALRY

Jaime Monzon

6 37 I get that, definitely. I mean, I’m queer, I’m Mexican and my great-grandparents were immigrants. The more people rally for our freedom and our rights, I’m grateful for it, and I know plenty of other marginalized people are stoked for that too.

You know, you mentioned your great-grandparents are immigrants.

Well, I’m an immigrant to this country [from Cuba]. I didn’t speak English until I was 6 years old. I spoke Spanish, and I know I have an affinity for [people caught up in] the immigration crisis that we have right now. It breaks my heart what’s going in Tornillo right now — with the tent cities — because, basically, that could’ve been me. I’ve personally visited Tornillo and got to the gates of the camp three months ago, saw it for myself during one of the rallies there, and obviously I’m a big Beto supporter and visited his offices while I was in El Paso. But people have to realize that that could’ve been me, and it’s so funny because I have some absolutely — in spite of my politics — what’s odd is I actually have right-wing fans, and they really don’t want to hear about my politics. They just like the sonic assault. But you know what? It kind of seeps in. Like, if

they go to one of our shows, they see that. “Listen, we’re on the right side of history here, so pay attention or be left behind.” It’s just so funny we’ve been doing — since it’s the 30th anniversary of Rape and Honey — we’re doing half of Rape and Honey at our show.

Oh, wow.

Yeah, we haven’t done that in 20-25 years, close to that, and playing some of the old stuff is kind of bittersweet.

A lot of the things we were singing about 30 years ago are still happening and need to be sung about, so it’s kind of cool that we’re still relevant, but it’s kind of uncool that we’re still relevant. (Laughs.)

Yeah, it’s a double-edged sword.

It’s good that it’s still talked about though, and if the evil still exists, you’ve got to keep exposing it.

And that’s the sad part: You gotta keep exposing it.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m at the bottom of a well shouting up for help and nobody’s listening, ‘cause I’ve been railing about the same shit for 30 years, and it’s the same shit, ya know? But, at the same token, somebody’s gotta be the town crier or the Chicken Little, I guess.

I guess I’m the Chicken Little of industrial. I’m always yelling that the sky is falling.

ADAM AND CHRIS CARROLL THU, DEC 13 | DOORS: 7 PM | SHOW: 8 PM DEC 21 • LOS TEXMANIACS W/ FLACO JIMENEZ, AUGIE MEYERS & RICK TREVINO

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CURRENT | December 12-18, 2018 | sacurrent.com

music | music Picks MUSICA EN LA CALLE 5 Friday, December 14

Courtesy of Elton John

ELTON JOHN L

Wednesday, December 12

Elton John doesn’t need much introduction. The “Tiny Dancer” singer who also, lest we forget, pumped out the jams on Disney’s The Lion King with “The Circle of Life,” “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” and “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King,” announced earlier this year that he’ll be embarking on a farewell tour slated to hit an epic 300 cities. The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour kicked off early September and will span five continents, hitting North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Australia before wrapping up in 2021. “Performing live fuels me, and I’m ecstatic and humbled to continue to play to audiences across the globe,” John said in a press release.

“I plan to bring the passion and creativity that has entertained my fans for decades to my final tour. After the tour finishes, I’m very much looking forward to closing off that chapter of my life by saying farewell to life on the road. I need to dedicate more time to raising my children.” $49.50-$224.50, 8pm, AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Parkway. – Chris Conde

For the sixth-annual Musica en la Calle, Hotel Havana will once again turn its parking lot into a mini-music festival, creating an ideal winter’s evening under the stars. Along with artisan vendors and an impressive food and drink menu (provided by Ocho at Hotel Havana), Musica en la Calle, hosted this time by DJ Steven Lee Moya and Puro Pinche, will as the name implies feature performances from a rather eclectic collection of local bands. Los Nahuatlatos, for starters, will offer up its signature and high-energy blend of hip-hop, soul, jazz, rock and various Latin music styles. Henry + The Invisibles, a longtime one-man funk wrecking crew, will also be on hand to spread his open-hearted brand of joy via music to make peace to.

Rounding out the lineup are King Pelican and Las Coronelas, who play wild and jazzy surf music and classic mariachi tunes respectively.

Free, 6pm-11pm, Hotel Havana, 1015 Navarro St., havanasanantonio.com. — James Courtney Kat Carey

SLEEP 5

Friday, December 14

The heavyweights of heavy are lumbering through the Alamo City as part of a nine-date mini-tour. Since reuniting in 2009 and periodically taking its punishing live show on the road, Sleep has maintained the rep it seized in the ’90s as the ultimate stoner rock band. And the trio’s new LP, The Sciences, aptly dropped on 4/20, continues to mine the low-and-slow, Sabbath-inspired aesthetic that guided its earlier work. No, The Sciences isn’t a groundbreaker on the level of the 63-minute single-song epic Dopesmoker, but the band’s writing is more focused and nuanced than ever before. Guitarist Matt Pike and bassist George Cisneros seem to have gained both fury and insight from their respective years helming the blazing High on Fire and the spacy, droning Om. Whether the dudes focus on the new record or take a deep pull from their early catalog for their S.A. date, the effect will be the same. A live Sleep show is a physical affair — the riffs hypnotize while sheer volume shakes your meat. $25-$30, Fri Dec 14, 7pm, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — Sanford Nowlin

Ground Control Touring

sacurrent.com | December 12-18, 2018 | CURRENT

41

music | music Picks

Rogue Agency

MARC REBILLET

Tuesday, December 18 Chances are if you go down a rabbit hole of Facebook videos for hours at a time before falling asleep, you’ve come across one or two of this musician’s videos. Marc Rebillet has become a viral Internet sensation with his quirky personality that translates into well-written and executed looping patterns that hit a variety of genres. Equally hilarious and impressive, Rebillet uses a loop station combined with synthesizers, percussion instruments and his own voice to create songs live in his room or in bars, and it’s pretty fucking awesome. Lucky for us, the folks as Margin Walker just announced Rebillet is headed to Paper Tiger, and we’re just gonna call this one a Christmas miracle. $10-$12, Tue Dec. 18, 7pm, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. –– CC

FEAR

Sunday, December 16

Get ready to be schooled in hardcore history, San Antonio. Fear — whose mix of offensive humor and jackhammer musicianship helped define West Coast hardcore punk — will roll through San Antonio in December as part of a Texas tour celebrating the band’s 40th anniversary. Although not the only punk outfit cranking up both tempos and anger in the early ‘80s, Fear did it like no other. Singer Lee Ving spat politically incorrect lyrics with a blues shouter’s throaty delivery while the band pummeled with instrumental prowess unmatched by its peers. Somehow, hyperactive drummer Spit Stix (more on him in a sec) found a way to crack heads in odd time signatures usually reserved for prog rock. While some may debate how well Fear’s political incorrectness has aged, there’s little doubt the music and attitude stand up. As testament, Ving was one of the performers Dave Grohl drafted into the musical supergroup that arose from his 2013 Sound City documentary. When Fear played last year’s Remember the Punks festival, Ving was the only member from the early ’80s lineup. This time, though, he’s got Stix in tow — a key ingredient to 42

CURRENT | December 12-18, 2018 | sacurrent.com

the band’s best recorded work. CH3, another veteran outfit from the West Coast punk scene, will open. $25$110, Sun Dec. 16, 7pm, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. –– SN

thing live is not to be missed. $54.50-$509, 7:30pm, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, tobincenter.org. — JC

BRIAN WILSON PRESENTS THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM 5

Brian Wilson, beloved Beach Boys mastermind (especially when The Beach Boys actually got good) and solo artist, will come to town with a talented crew of musicians and singers to offer up a special dose of holiday cheer. For this rare show, Wilson and company, including longtime bandmates Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin, will present the 1964 Beach Boys holiday classic The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album in full — along with fan favorites and assorted seasonal staples. With his natural knack for inventively plumbing the warm depths of harmony, and the silly side that was on clear display in those cringe-worthy early Beach Boys records, Wilson is the ideal American icon for stirring, even in the most Grinch-like among us, those joyful yuletide feels. Whether you have treasured the Beach Boys’ Christmas music for decades or are a total newcomer, this chance to catch the whole

Courtesy of Brian Wilson

music | calendar

BY SHANNON SWEET THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13

THE SPINS: MAVIS STAPLES EDITION

Brought to S.A. by nationwide vinyl enthusiast/fan club Vinyl Me, Please, legendary soul singer Mavis Staples will serve as the guest of honor by spinning her self-titled debut album, along with sounds inspired by her decades-spanning career, solo and with the Staple Singers. Also worth noting: Staples sang the theme song to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. So, with the holidays upon us, here’s hoping she’ll spin that tune and send visions of Chevy Chase dancing through our heads. Free, La Botánica, 9pm

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14

12TH ANNUAL ROCK FOR TOTS TOY DRIVE AND CONCERT

This year’s Rock for Tots will take the holidays to the tropics with an Island Edition of the long-running charity event. Expect more reggae and chilled out vibes than a Trans-Siberian Orchestra-esque onslaught of face-melting guitar. So, take a break from the hectic and depression-inducing season to mellow out to some of San Antonio’s favorite reggae bands, including Eyes On Zion and more to be announced, all while knowing proceeds from the event will benefit underprivileged children. $5 or toy donation, Zombies Bar and Live Music, 9pm

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15

EL DUSTY

Repping Corpus Christi, DJ El Dusty, a project of producer Dusty Oliveira, combines the transitional and cultural sounds of Cumbia with modern trap and electronica beats. It’s a marriage that seems too perfect to go under the radar. Cumbia has already played

soundtrack to block parties and BBQs for generations, so a technological-age makeover is more than overdue for future dance parties, despite purist opinions. $5, Paper Tiger, 8pm

NOCHE AZUL DE ESPERANZA: CHRISTMAS AROUND LATINOAMERICA

This intimate concert series featuring San Antonio performer and Esperanza Center resident artist Azul Barrientos happens monthly, with every performance featuring a different theme, from women in the Mexican Revolution to modern Latinx social justice issues. For this concert, fingers crossed that Azul, a native of Mexico City, will share her home country’s holiday stories and traditions among the promised Latin American songs. $7, Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, 8pm

LAUREN DAIGLE

Even though her recent tone-deaf comments on homosexuality inspired a viral backlash, contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Lauren Daigle’s praises are still reaching both the heavens and the top of the Billboard Christian charts. The gospel songbird has also accomplished the impossible: mainstream success. She was featured on the Blade Runner 2049 soundtrack. $24.50-$74.50, Aztec Theatre, 6:30pm

12/31/18 10/1/18

YOUR CITY THROUGH OUR LENS S A C U R R E N T. C O M / S L I D E S H O W S

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16

WINTER FEST 2018

In the spirit of giving back rather than cashing in during the holiday season, the 2018 edition of Winter Fest lets you indulge both your naughty and nice side — you can both give and receive.

Jam out to the lineup of bands curated by Bluejay Records and Imagine Books and Records while knowing all proceeds benefit the SA Food Bank.

Honestly, isn’t that what Christmas is all about? $10, Fitzgerald’s Bar and Live Music, 5pm

critic’s choice

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17

SPENDTIME PALACE \

Courtesy of Spendtime Palace

Just by one look at the honey-haired, mustachioed members of Spendtime Palace, you know that they stepped out of a bong water-stained tour bus from the Golden State, and their sound reflects that mental picture exactly.

Their laidback, sepia-toned tracks inspire visions of traveling down the Cali coastline in the ’70s, capturing a world seeped in optimism and idealistic dreams through the lens of your Polaroid camera. $10, Paper Tiger, 7pm sacurrent.com | December 12-18, 2018 | CURRENT

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music

W

hen we found out Ministry was celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Land of Rape and Honey by playing a chunk of the record live on its current tour, we were more than a bit stoked.

With the release of that 1988 album, Ministry emerged as leaders of a then-new fusion of industrial music and heavy metal that united fans of both in a celebration of chunky guitar riffs and machine-gun programmed drums.

And with band frontman Al Jourgensen calling the Lone Star State home in the early ’90s, dare we say Ministry is Texas music?

Of course, San Antonio’s long been notorious for championing all things loud and heavy, it welcomed Jourgensen and family with open arms. Audiences devoured the band’s unique sound, rooted in everything from post-punk, thrash metal, punk rock and dance music.

“It was pushing the envelope in every direction. That is Ministry in a nutshell,” said longtime friend and Jourgensen-collaborator Phil Owen.

Owen fronts the Austin-based Skatenigs — whose first album Jourgensen produced — and he also co-wrote the title track for Beers, Steers, and Queers, the second record by the Revolting Cocks, another of Jourgensen’s musical imprints.

Jaime Monzon

While some of Owen’s recollections of working with Jourgensen reflected standard rock ’n’ roll shenanigans (like someone vomiting on a $50,000 keyboard computer), the Skatenigs singer also shed some light on the now-60-year-old industrial/metal icon’s creative genius. “[Ministry] would spend a ton of money banging garbage and making snare sounds out of crazy stuff — a distortion chain made out of $10,000-worth of compressors,” said Owen. “This whole idea of ‘let’s make some noise and turn it into instruments’ — I don’t know what the intention was, or if they were trying to put a label on it. It was just what was going on at the time. They got really good at it, and then people would start to adopt those techniques.”

Those folks included Trent Reznor of the mammoth electronic/industrial act Nine Inch Nails, whose music, like Ministry’s, has stood the test of several decades. While some industrial contemporaries toned down their sound and drug-fueled excesses over time, Jourgensen kept hammering away, full volume, at both. (He’s said he stopped using heroin and other hard drugs a few years ago.)

With Ministry slated for another of its seemingly annual performances in San Antonio, we got a chance to talk with Uncle Al about what drew him to the harsh sounds

of industrial music, his relationship with San Antonio and his perspective as a longtime icon in his genre.

San Antonio has been a huge supporter of industrial and metal through ’80s and even up to today. Do you have any fond memories of playing here back then, or even more recently?

Well, I love the city, man. To me, that’s the metal capital of Texas. You know, I lived in El Paso for 10 years and in Austin for four, so I’m pretty well aware of Texas, and San Antonio is my favorite metal city. Austin’s more alternative, goth rock, emo rock, but San Antonio is full on metal. Houston and Dallas are pretty metal, and El Paso — I don’t know what the fuck they have besides Beto O’Rourke. (Laughs.)

At the Drive In came out of there, so they’ve got something going on.

Yeah, At the Drive in, Mars Volta — the bass player from the Clash lived there for a few years too, ’cause he just wanted to drive his Harley around mountain passes. That’s about their big claim to fame. Now, Beto O’Rourke.

But I love San Antonio. I love coming back to Texas in general. I spent 30-35 years in Chicago, now close to 10 in California and the rest of my time has pretty much been spent in Texas. It’s like coming home for sure, and 37 6

Find more music coverage Find more news every day at sacurrent.com

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CURRENT | December 12-18, 2018 | sacurrent.com

music

Phil Parmet

6 35 I also truly believe that San Antonio has the best Mexican food on the planet, so it’s always good to come back.

I saw that you turned 60 on October 9, which is crazy because that’s my birthday too.

Get out! You know that we share that birthday with John and Sean Lennon, Jackson Browne oddly enough and Ornette Coleman? So, we’ve got pop, rock and jazz and industrial covered all on our birthdays. It’s a good day!

Did you happen to celebrate or do anything fun that day?

Dude, when you get to my fucking age the last thing you do is celebrate. You’re just like, “Aw, shit, here I am again.” (Laughs.)

I felt the same way about my birthday. I mean, I turned 32, but I didn’t really feel like doing anything.

Oh! Then party down, man! Party down! You’ll see what I’m talking about, you little rookie, when you get into your late 40s. Ugh! You’ll dread those fucking days. (Laughs.) But it’s OK, man, I’m still here. I’m happy, we’re still making good music and doing good shows, and it all works out.

Speaking of anniversaries, birthdays and what not, Land of Rape and Honey came out 30 years ago, and it’s crazy to see the impact of industrial music and watching it re-emerge again in the past five or ten years. What has it been like for you as a major player in that genre to be around long enough for it come back?

You know, it’s odd from my perspective, because I don’t think of myself as an industrial band, and it’s like I was always just was doing music. And then you folks, you journalists, called it “industrial” and whatever, you know. I didn’t understand what the differ-

ence was between ZZ Top and Ministry, to be honest.

We both like guitars, you know what I’m saying?

Did you just compare ZZ Top to Ministry?

But you know what? You think about it, we both are based in a blues kind of motif, in a sense, and I’m good friends with [ZZ Top Guitarist] Billy Gibbons.

So, you know he was always one of my heroes, and we got along great. He’s been on a couple of Revolting Cocks records with me, and so I really didn’t see what all the fuss was about. We used a little bit more clangier samples and were a little bit more political, but I never really understood if industrial was in or out, or what it was, or who was in it, or who started it, or who ended it. We just write music, man, and that music seemed to come natural to me. I’m not trying to force anything, so that’s just the way we sound.

In a recent interview, you told a story about how your dad was a race car mechanic and took you to the Indianapolis 500 when you were a kid, and you heard the sounds of the cars and said, “Oh, this is a cool noise.” That’s kind of interesting, because some of the music you create and that you’re around sounds, well, like engines.

Actually, there’s a great quote from Billy Gibbons about Ministry, saying that we’re the only music he listens to in his car that actually gets him in trouble. (Laughs.) He gets pulled over by Texas State Troopers all the time because he likes to floor it when he hears our stuff!

But, yeah, I think there’s definitely a NASCAR aspect to our thing, because when I was 6, literally, I was in the pit at Indy and my dad was working with the Dan Gurney crew in 1966, and he came in third that year.

But it was my first exposure to that kind of volume. I had never heard anything that loud in my life. I was just blown away by it to the point that I have to say that — God rest his soul — Lemmy from Motorhead

Jaime Monzon

actually came up to me when we played together at a festival in Europe and said that we were the loudest band he had ever heard. Coming from Motorhead, that’s pretty good.

And, so, I pretty much have my dad to thank for that, for taking me to the pits of Indy when I was six.

I think that that was a major influence on what the hell’s going on with my music today.

My older sisters introduced me to Skinny Puppy, Ministry, early Nine Inch Nails and all that stuff when I was younger, and I pay attention to all the bands that are still doing it. Of all them, you seem to cover a lot more political themes. Do you feel that because of your platform, as somebody whose music is widely distributed, you have an obligation to talk about politics? Or is that just naturally what you want to address in your music?

Quite the opposite. I feel like people should sing what they feel comfortable singing about. I went to college as a history major with a political science minor, so all this shit’s right up my alley: I do my research, I pay attention and I’m an informed citizen. That’s what I know, so that’s what I feel comfortable singing about.

I think it’s fucking bullshit when someone tries to make political statements when they don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about or they don’t feel comfortable doing it. You know what I’m saying? I mean, basically I think people like Taylor Swift or Kanye West should stick to singing about what they’re informed about, and to each his own, but it’s always come natural to me.

I didn’t actually want to be in the music business.

I wasn’t one of these people that played air guitar in front of the mirror at 8 years old and dreamt of being a rock star. I wanted to be a fucking history professor in college, and that was more my gig, so that comes natural to me and that’s the real deal. That’s not me trying force anything.

39 6 sacurrent.com | December 12-18, 2018 | CURRENT

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CURRENT | December 12-18, 2018 | sacurrent.com

music 3 3 0 e g r ay s o n s t AZTEX FEAT. SARAH FOX & JOEL GUZMAN WED, DEC 12 | DOORS: 7 PM | SHOW: 8 PM

DEC 14 • FLATLAND CAVALRY

Jaime Monzon

6 37 I get that, definitely. I mean, I’m queer, I’m Mexican and my great-grandparents were immigrants. The more people rally for our freedom and our rights, I’m grateful for it, and I know plenty of other marginalized people are stoked for that too.

You know, you mentioned your great-grandparents are immigrants.

Well, I’m an immigrant to this country [from Cuba]. I didn’t speak English until I was 6 years old. I spoke Spanish, and I know I have an affinity for [people caught up in] the immigration crisis that we have right now. It breaks my heart what’s going in Tornillo right now — with the tent cities — because, basically, that could’ve been me. I’ve personally visited Tornillo and got to the gates of the camp three months ago, saw it for myself during one of the rallies there, and obviously I’m a big Beto supporter and visited his offices while I was in El Paso. But people have to realize that that could’ve been me, and it’s so funny because I have some absolutely — in spite of my politics — what’s odd is I actually have right-wing fans, and they really don’t want to hear about my politics. They just like the sonic assault. But you know what? It kind of seeps in. Like, if

they go to one of our shows, they see that. “Listen, we’re on the right side of history here, so pay attention or be left behind.” It’s just so funny we’ve been doing — since it’s the 30th anniversary of Rape and Honey — we’re doing half of Rape and Honey at our show.

Oh, wow.

Yeah, we haven’t done that in 20-25 years, close to that, and playing some of the old stuff is kind of bittersweet.

A lot of the things we were singing about 30 years ago are still happening and need to be sung about, so it’s kind of cool that we’re still relevant, but it’s kind of uncool that we’re still relevant. (Laughs.)

Yeah, it’s a double-edged sword.

It’s good that it’s still talked about though, and if the evil still exists, you’ve got to keep exposing it.

And that’s the sad part: You gotta keep exposing it.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m at the bottom of a well shouting up for help and nobody’s listening, ‘cause I’ve been railing about the same shit for 30 years, and it’s the same shit, ya know? But, at the same token, somebody’s gotta be the town crier or the Chicken Little, I guess.

I guess I’m the Chicken Little of industrial. I’m always yelling that the sky is falling.

ADAM AND CHRIS CARROLL THU, DEC 13 | DOORS: 7 PM | SHOW: 8 PM DEC 21 • LOS TEXMANIACS W/ FLACO JIMENEZ, AUGIE MEYERS & RICK TREVINO

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MON, DEC 17 | DOORS: 7 PM | SHOW: 8:30 PM Ministry with Carpenter Brut and Alien Weaponry $30-$59.50 Fri Dec. 14, 6 pm Aztec Theatre 104 N. St. Mary’s St. theaztectheatre.com Phil Parmet

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CURRENT | December 12-18, 2018 | sacurrent.com

music | music Picks MUSICA EN LA CALLE 5 Friday, December 14

Courtesy of Elton John

ELTON JOHN L

Wednesday, December 12

Elton John doesn’t need much introduction. The “Tiny Dancer” singer who also, lest we forget, pumped out the jams on Disney’s The Lion King with “The Circle of Life,” “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” and “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King,” announced earlier this year that he’ll be embarking on a farewell tour slated to hit an epic 300 cities. The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour kicked off early September and will span five continents, hitting North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Australia before wrapping up in 2021. “Performing live fuels me, and I’m ecstatic and humbled to continue to play to audiences across the globe,” John said in a press release.

“I plan to bring the passion and creativity that has entertained my fans for decades to my final tour. After the tour finishes, I’m very much looking forward to closing off that chapter of my life by saying farewell to life on the road. I need to dedicate more time to raising my children.” $49.50-$224.50, 8pm, AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Parkway. – Chris Conde

For the sixth-annual Musica en la Calle, Hotel Havana will once again turn its parking lot into a mini-music festival, creating an ideal winter’s evening under the stars. Along with artisan vendors and an impressive food and drink menu (provided by Ocho at Hotel Havana), Musica en la Calle, hosted this time by DJ Steven Lee Moya and Puro Pinche, will as the name implies feature performances from a rather eclectic collection of local bands. Los Nahuatlatos, for starters, will offer up its signature and high-energy blend of hip-hop, soul, jazz, rock and various Latin music styles. Henry + The Invisibles, a longtime one-man funk wrecking crew, will also be on hand to spread his open-hearted brand of joy via music to make peace to.

Rounding out the lineup are King Pelican and Las Coronelas, who play wild and jazzy surf music and classic mariachi tunes respectively.

Free, 6pm-11pm, Hotel Havana, 1015 Navarro St., havanasanantonio.com. — James Courtney Kat Carey

SLEEP 5

Friday, December 14

The heavyweights of heavy are lumbering through the Alamo City as part of a nine-date mini-tour. Since reuniting in 2009 and periodically taking its punishing live show on the road, Sleep has maintained the rep it seized in the ’90s as the ultimate stoner rock band. And the trio’s new LP, The Sciences, aptly dropped on 4/20, continues to mine the low-and-slow, Sabbath-inspired aesthetic that guided its earlier work. No, The Sciences isn’t a groundbreaker on the level of the 63-minute single-song epic Dopesmoker, but the band’s writing is more focused and nuanced than ever before. Guitarist Matt Pike and bassist George Cisneros seem to have gained both fury and insight from their respective years helming the blazing High on Fire and the spacy, droning Om. Whether the dudes focus on the new record or take a deep pull from their early catalog for their S.A. date, the effect will be the same. A live Sleep show is a physical affair — the riffs hypnotize while sheer volume shakes your meat. $25-$30, Fri Dec 14, 7pm, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — Sanford Nowlin

Ground Control Touring

sacurrent.com | December 12-18, 2018 | CURRENT

41

music | music Picks

Rogue Agency

MARC REBILLET

Tuesday, December 18 Chances are if you go down a rabbit hole of Facebook videos for hours at a time before falling asleep, you’ve come across one or two of this musician’s videos. Marc Rebillet has become a viral Internet sensation with his quirky personality that translates into well-written and executed looping patterns that hit a variety of genres. Equally hilarious and impressive, Rebillet uses a loop station combined with synthesizers, percussion instruments and his own voice to create songs live in his room or in bars, and it’s pretty fucking awesome. Lucky for us, the folks as Margin Walker just announced Rebillet is headed to Paper Tiger, and we’re just gonna call this one a Christmas miracle. $10-$12, Tue Dec. 18, 7pm, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. –– CC

FEAR

Sunday, December 16

Get ready to be schooled in hardcore history, San Antonio. Fear — whose mix of offensive humor and jackhammer musicianship helped define West Coast hardcore punk — will roll through San Antonio in December as part of a Texas tour celebrating the band’s 40th anniversary. Although not the only punk outfit cranking up both tempos and anger in the early ‘80s, Fear did it like no other. Singer Lee Ving spat politically incorrect lyrics with a blues shouter’s throaty delivery while the band pummeled with instrumental prowess unmatched by its peers. Somehow, hyperactive drummer Spit Stix (more on him in a sec) found a way to crack heads in odd time signatures usually reserved for prog rock. While some may debate how well Fear’s political incorrectness has aged, there’s little doubt the music and attitude stand up. As testament, Ving was one of the performers Dave Grohl drafted into the musical supergroup that arose from his 2013 Sound City documentary. When Fear played last year’s Remember the Punks festival, Ving was the only member from the early ’80s lineup. This time, though, he’s got Stix in tow — a key ingredient to 42

CURRENT | December 12-18, 2018 | sacurrent.com

the band’s best recorded work. CH3, another veteran outfit from the West Coast punk scene, will open. $25$110, Sun Dec. 16, 7pm, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. –– SN

thing live is not to be missed. $54.50-$509, 7:30pm, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, tobincenter.org. — JC

BRIAN WILSON PRESENTS THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM 5

Brian Wilson, beloved Beach Boys mastermind (especially when The Beach Boys actually got good) and solo artist, will come to town with a talented crew of musicians and singers to offer up a special dose of holiday cheer. For this rare show, Wilson and company, including longtime bandmates Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin, will present the 1964 Beach Boys holiday classic The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album in full — along with fan favorites and assorted seasonal staples. With his natural knack for inventively plumbing the warm depths of harmony, and the silly side that was on clear display in those cringe-worthy early Beach Boys records, Wilson is the ideal American icon for stirring, even in the most Grinch-like among us, those joyful yuletide feels. Whether you have treasured the Beach Boys’ Christmas music for decades or are a total newcomer, this chance to catch the whole

Courtesy of Brian Wilson

music | calendar

BY SHANNON SWEET THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13

THE SPINS: MAVIS STAPLES EDITION

Brought to S.A. by nationwide vinyl enthusiast/fan club Vinyl Me, Please, legendary soul singer Mavis Staples will serve as the guest of honor by spinning her self-titled debut album, along with sounds inspired by her decades-spanning career, solo and with the Staple Singers. Also worth noting: Staples sang the theme song to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. So, with the holidays upon us, here’s hoping she’ll spin that tune and send visions of Chevy Chase dancing through our heads. Free, La Botánica, 9pm

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14

12TH ANNUAL ROCK FOR TOTS TOY DRIVE AND CONCERT

This year’s Rock for Tots will take the holidays to the tropics with an Island Edition of the long-running charity event. Expect more reggae and chilled out vibes than a Trans-Siberian Orchestra-esque onslaught of face-melting guitar. So, take a break from the hectic and depression-inducing season to mellow out to some of San Antonio’s favorite reggae bands, including Eyes On Zion and more to be announced, all while knowing proceeds from the event will benefit underprivileged children. $5 or toy donation, Zombies Bar and Live Music, 9pm

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15

EL DUSTY

Repping Corpus Christi, DJ El Dusty, a project of producer Dusty Oliveira, combines the transitional and cultural sounds of Cumbia with modern trap and electronica beats. It’s a marriage that seems too perfect to go under the radar. Cumbia has already played

soundtrack to block parties and BBQs for generations, so a technological-age makeover is more than overdue for future dance parties, despite purist opinions. $5, Paper Tiger, 8pm

NOCHE AZUL DE ESPERANZA: CHRISTMAS AROUND LATINOAMERICA

This intimate concert series featuring San Antonio performer and Esperanza Center resident artist Azul Barrientos happens monthly, with every performance featuring a different theme, from women in the Mexican Revolution to modern Latinx social justice issues. For this concert, fingers crossed that Azul, a native of Mexico City, will share her home country’s holiday stories and traditions among the promised Latin American songs. $7, Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, 8pm

LAUREN DAIGLE

Even though her recent tone-deaf comments on homosexuality inspired a viral backlash, contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Lauren Daigle’s praises are still reaching both the heavens and the top of the Billboard Christian charts. The gospel songbird has also accomplished the impossible: mainstream success. She was featured on the Blade Runner 2049 soundtrack. $24.50-$74.50, Aztec Theatre, 6:30pm

12/31/18 10/1/18

YOUR CITY THROUGH OUR LENS S A C U R R E N T. C O M / S L I D E S H O W S

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16

WINTER FEST 2018

In the spirit of giving back rather than cashing in during the holiday season, the 2018 edition of Winter Fest lets you indulge both your naughty and nice side — you can both give and receive.

Jam out to the lineup of bands curated by Bluejay Records and Imagine Books and Records while knowing all proceeds benefit the SA Food Bank.

Honestly, isn’t that what Christmas is all about? $10, Fitzgerald’s Bar and Live Music, 5pm

critic’s choice

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17

SPENDTIME PALACE \

Courtesy of Spendtime Palace

Just by one look at the honey-haired, mustachioed members of Spendtime Palace, you know that they stepped out of a bong water-stained tour bus from the Golden State, and their sound reflects that mental picture exactly.

Their laidback, sepia-toned tracks inspire visions of traveling down the Cali coastline in the ’70s, capturing a world seeped in optimism and idealistic dreams through the lens of your Polaroid camera. $10, Paper Tiger, 7pm sacurrent.com | December 12-18, 2018 | CURRENT

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etc

S AVA G E L O V E B Y D A N S AVA G E

Slight Christmas Straight and married but not boring, and heading to my parents’ house for our first family Christmas since my asshole MAGA brother “stumbled over” the Tumblr blog where the wife and I posted about our sexual adventures. (Pics of MMF threesomes and cross-dressing/pegging sessions, plus some dirty “true enough” stories.)

My brother has always been an angry screwup, so he leapt on the chance to make me look bad by sending the link to my parents, siblings, and even some close family friends. Our Tumblr blog is still up because we aren’t ashamed. Any advice?

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Your Tumblr blog isn’t going to be up for much longer, TUMBLR, as the company that owns Tumblr — Verizon — is ashamed of your blog and the millions of others like it. Tumblr announced last week that all “adult” content is banned as of December 17. And the definition of “adult content” is pretty broad: “photos, videos, and GIFs of human genitalia, female-presenting nipples, and any media involving sex acts, including illustrations,” although they will allow genitals and those wicked “female-presenting nipples” in images of classical art. (No contemporary junk or lady nips allowed.)

This is not just a blow to people who use Tumblr for porn — and that’s most people who use Tumblr — but also to the sex work community. Sex workers had already been driven off most other online platforms by anti-sex-work crusaders, and now sex workers are being driven off Tumblr as well. Forcing sex workers off the internet won’t end sex work, the stated goal of anti-sex-work crusaders, but it will make sex work more dangerous — which tells us everything we need to know about the motives of anti-sex-work crusaders. While they claim to oppose sex work because it’s dangerous, they push policies that make sex work more dangerous. Sex workers weren’t just advertising online, they were organizing — in addition to honing and making the political argument for decriminalizing sex work, they were screening potential clients and sharing information with each other about dangerous clients. Just like anti-choice/anti-abortion crusaders, anti-sex-work crusaders don’t want to “protect” women; they want to punish women for making choices they disapprove of. (As a general rule: If what you’re doing makes people less safe, you don’t get to claim you’re trying to protect anyone — it’s like claiming you only set houses on fire to drive home the importance of smoke alarms.)

Anyway, fuck your sex-shaming/smut-shaming brother, TUMBLR. As for the rest of your family, you and the wife should slap smiles on your faces and act like you’ve done nothing wrong — because you haven’t done anything wrong. Your asshole brother is the bad guy, and

any family members who wish to discuss how offended they were by your Tumblr blog should be directed to speak with your brother, as he’s the one who showed it to them.

How can I explain to my sisters that although I am a free sexual woman, I still prefer men as sexual partners? My sisters are both involved with women and they cannot understand how, with all the awful sexual inequality in the world, I can still be primarily attracted to men.

Sometimes I even imagine my sexuality as a gay man’s sexuality in a woman’s body, and I try to explain it to them in this way. I’m not a secret right-winger or someone kidding around by asking this question. This is a real issue.

Give It To Me Straight P.S. I have a straight male friend who says he’s a lesbian trapped in a man’s body. What do you think of this?

People don’t choose to be straight — some poor motherfuckers are born that way — any more than hetero-romantic bisexuals choose to be hetero-romantic bisexuals. You can’t help who you’re attracted to, GITMS, primarily or otherwise, and the contempt of family members can’t change a person’s sexual or romantic orientation. Your sisters should understand that, since they most likely wouldn’t be with women if the contempt of family members had that kind of power.

As for describing yourself as a gay man trapped in a woman’s body and your straight male friend describing himself as a lesbian trapped in a man’s body… Unless the two of you are trans — in which case, you could be homos trapped in the wrong bodies — your friend is just another straight guy mortified by the mess straight people (mostly white, mostly men) have made of the world. You’re also mortified by straightness, GITMS, or at least the sexual inequality that often comes bundled with it. But instead of your straight male friend opting out of heterosexuality (which he can’t do) or you framing your attraction to men as a gay thing to get your sisters off your back (which you shouldn’t have to do), your friend should identify as straight (because he is) and you should identify as someone who doesn’t give a shit what her sisters think (because you shouldn’t).

If good straight guys and “free sexual women” in opposite-sex relationships don’t identify with heterosexuality and/or hetero-romantic orientations, GITMS, all the shitty straight people will conclude that they get to define heterosexuality (which they don’t).

mail@savagelove.net @FakeDanSavage on Twitter www.ITMFA.org

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33 Hunk of dirt 34 Cheese with a red rind 38 Preferred pronoun, perhaps 39 Bullwinkle, for one 40 Hoppy drink 41 “99 and 44/100% ___” (old slogan) 43 1980 Dukes of Hazzard spin-off 44 Big name in kitchen wrap 46 Newton’s first, alternately 49 Pine tree substance

52 Listed thing 53 Historical peak 58 Have debts to pay 61 Shipmate of Picard, Riker, Worf, et al.

62 Notre Dame’s Fighting ___ 63 Diamonds, for one 64 “It slipped!”

65 Animal whose droppings are used for kopi luwak coffee 66 “___ Wonderful Life” 67 Russian refusal 68 Reflex test sites 69 The Giving Tree author Silverstein DOWN 1 Tony candidate 2 Island dance 3 Texas hold ‘em, e.g.

4 JFK, once 5 Once-in-a-blue-moon event 6 Egg, to biologists 7 ___ d’Italia (cycling event) 8 Brio 9 Absorbent powder 10 Delivery assistant 11 First sign of the zodiac 12 Fries size 13 Berry scheduled to be in John Wick 3 21 Headliner 22 Bumbler

24 “Aloha Oe” instrument, for short 26 Shortening used in recipes?

27 Island of Hawaii 28 ___ Lodge (motel chain) 29 Cool and distant 30 Arrested Development actress Portia de ___ 31 It takes dedication to write 35 Only Ivy League school called a college (not a university) 36 Jai ___ (fast-paced game) 37 American Pie actress Suvari 39 Kitten’s sound 42 Supporter of the 1%, say 44 Family Guy creator MacFarlane 45 “Scooby-Doo, Where ___ You?” 47 “32 Flavors” singer DiFranco 48 Work shift for some 49 Sell out, in a way 50 George Jetson’s son 51 Ski area 54 Head Stone?

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etc FREE WILL ASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZNY ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 1930, some British mystery writers formed a club to provide each other with artistic support and conviviality. They swore an oath to write their stories so that solving crimes happened solely through the wits of their fictional detectives, and not through “Divine Revelation, Feminine Intuition, Mumbo Jumbo, Jiggery-Pokery, or Act of God.” I understand that principle, but don’t endorse it for your use in the coming weeks. On the contrary. I hope you’ll be on the alert and receptive to Divine Revelations, Feminine Intuition, Mumbo Jumbo, Jiggery-Pokery, and Acts of God.

sugar-sweetened dough deep-fried in pig fat. It was the forerunner of the modern doughnut.

One problem with the otherwise delectable snack was that the center wasn’t always fully cooked. In 1847, a man named Hanson Gregory finally found a solution. Using a pepper shaker, he punched a hole in the middle of the dough, thus launching the shape that has endured until today. I bring this to your attention because I suspect you’re at a comparable turning point. If all goes according to cosmic plan, you will discover a key innovation that makes a pretty good thing even better.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): When you’re prescribed antibiotic pills to fight off infection, you should finish the entire round. If you stop taking the meds partway through because you’re feeling better, you might enable a stronger version of the original infector to get a foothold in your system. This lesson provides an apt metaphor for a process you’re now undergoing. As you seek to purge a certain unhelpful presence in your life, you must follow through to the end. Don’t get lax halfway through. Keep on cleansing yourself and shedding the unwanted influence beyond the time you’re sure you’re free of it.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I can’t believe I’m going to quote pop star Selena Gomez.

But according to my analysis of the current astrological omens, her simple, homespun advice could be especially helpful to you in the coming weeks. “Never look back,” she says.

“If Cinderella had looked back and picked up the shoe, she would have never found her prince.” Just to be clear, Virgo, I’m not saying you’ll experience an adventure that has a plot akin to the Cinderella fairy tale. But I do expect you will benefit from a “loss” as long as you’re focused on what’s ahead of you rather than what’s behind you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Danish scientist and poet Piet Hein wrote this melancholy meditation: “Losing one glove is painful, but nothing compared to the pain of losing one, throwing away the other, and finding the first one again.”

Let his words serve as a helpful warning to you, Gemini. If you lose one of your gloves, don’t immediately get rid of the second. Rather, be patient and await the eventual reappearance of the first. The same principle applies to other things that might temporarily go missing.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Among the pieces of jewelry worn by superstar Elvis Presley were a Christian cross and a Star of David. “I don’t want to miss out on heaven due to a technicality,” he testified. In that spirit, and in accordance with astrological omens, I urge you, too, to cover all your bases in the coming weeks.

Honor your important influences. Be extra nice to everyone who might have something to offer you in the future. Show your appreciation for those who have helped make you who you are. And be as open-minded and welcoming and multicultural as you can genuinely be.

Your motto is “Embrace the rainbow.”

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian author Elizabeth Gilbert is a soulful observer whose prose entertains and illuminates me. She’s well aware of her own limitations, however.

For example, she writes, “Every few years, I think, ‘Maybe now I’m finally smart enough or sophisticated enough to understand Ulysses.

So I pick it up and try it again. And by page 10, as always, I’m like, ‘What the hell?’” Gilbert is referring to the renowned 20th-century novel, James Joyce’s masterwork. She just can’t appreciate it. I propose that you make her your inspirational role model in the coming weeks.

Now is a favorable time to acknowledge and accept that there are certain good influences and interesting things that you will simply never be able to benefit from. And that’s OK! LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): More than three centuries ago, Dutch immigrants in New York ate a dessert known as the olykoek, or oily cake: 46

CURRENT | December 12-18, 2018 | sacurrent.com

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Are you a gambling addict seeking power over your addiction? If you live in Michigan or Illinois, you can formally blacklist yourself from all casinos.

Anytime your resolve wanes and you wander into a casino, you can be arrested and fined for trespassing. I invite you to consider a comparable approach as you work to free yourself from a bad habit or debilitating obsession. Enlist some help in enforcing your desire to refrain.

Create an obstruction that will interfere with your ability to act on negative impulses.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “What is the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable?” Author John Green asked that question. I confess that I’m not entirely comfortable with it. It’s a bit pushy. I find I’m

more likely to do remarkable things if I’m not trying too hard to do remarkable things. Nevertheless, I offer it as one of your key themes for 2019. I suspect you will be so naturally inclined to do remarkable things that you won’t feel pressure to do so. Here’s my only advice: up the ante on your desire to be fully yourself; dream up new ways to give your most important gifts; explore all the possibilities of how you can express your soul’s code with vigor and rigor.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the fairy tale “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” the heroine rejects both the options that are too puny and too excessive. She wisely decides that just enough is exactly right. I think she’s a good role model for you. After your time of feeling somewhat deprived, it would be understandable if you were tempted to crave too much and ask for too much and grab too much. It would be understandable, yes, but mistaken.

For now, just enough is exactly right.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In 1140, two dynasties were at war in Weinsberg, in what’s now southern Germany. Conrad III, leader of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, laid siege to the castle at Weinsberg, headquarters of the rival Welfs dynasty. Things went badly for the Welfs, and just before Conrad launched a final attack,

they surrendered. With a last-minute touch of mercy, Conrad agreed to allow the women of the castle to flee in safety along with whatever possessions they could carry. The women had an ingenious response. They lifted their husbands onto their backs and hauled them away to freedom. Conrad tolerated the trick, saying he would stand by his promise. I foresee a metaphorically comparable opportunity arising for you, Aquarius. It won’t be a life-ordeath situation like that of the Welfs, but it will resemble it in that your original thinking can lead you and yours to greater freedom.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The National Center for Biotechnology Information reported on a 15-year-old boy who had the notion that he could make himself into a superhero. First he arranged to get bitten by many spiders in the hope of acquiring the powers of Spiderman.

That didn’t work. Next, he injected mercury into his skin, theorizing it might give him talents comparable to the Marvel Comics mutant character named Mercury. As you strategize to build your power and clout in 2019, Pisces, I trust you won’t resort to questionable methods like those. You won’t need to! Your intuition should steadily guide you, providing precise information on how to proceed. And it all starts now.

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