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March 20 – April 2, 2019 // Vol. 6, No. 7 ©2019. All rights reserved. PUBLISHER Jim Langdon EDITOR Jezy J. Gray ASSISTANT EDITOR Blayklee Freed DIGITAL EDITOR John Langdon CREATIVE DIRECTOR Madeline Crawford GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Georgia Brooks, Morgan Welch PHOTOGRAPHER Greg Bollinger
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Beers, burgers, and basketball in Tulsa
CONTRIBUTORS Justin Bryant, Alicia Atkin Chesser, Kristi Eaton, Charles Elmore, Angela Evans, Rebecca Fine, Barry Friedman, Mitch Gilliam, Deric Green, Greg Horton, Jeff Huston, Makaila McGonigal, Mary Noble, Deon Osborne, Mason Whitehorn Powell, Terrie Shipley, John Tranchina
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The face of Oklahoma’s incarceration crisis The Tulsa Voice is published bi-monthly by
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NEWS & COMMENTARY 7 BAD EDUCATION B Y REBECCA FINE Increasing the scholarship tax credit hurts public schools and benefits affluent Oklahomans
8 SPEAKING IN TONGUES B Y BARRY FRIEDMAN Sen. Jim Inhofe is fluent in the language of racism
10 STEPPING UP B Y KRISTI EATON Prison diversion program offers young men a different future I.C.E. UNDER FIRE
A.O. SCOTT ON FILM
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M A R C H 2 0 – A P R I L 2 , 2 0 1 9 // V O L . 6 N O . 7
The face of Oklahoma’s incarceration crisis P26
12 I.C.E. UNDER FIRE B Y DEON OSBORNE Tulsans question moral, financial cost of immigrant detention
MUSIC 38 NOIR’S NOT DEAD B Y MASON WHITEHORN POWELL Writer and punk pioneer Richard Hell talks film and music history
M A R C H M A D N E S S C OM E S T O T O W N P 2 2
ON THE COVER The face of Oklahoma’s incarceration crisis ILLUSTRATION BY JUSTIN BRYANT THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
FOOD & DRINK 14 WHEN IN ROAM B Y ANGELA EVANS The Local Bison serves Okie favorites with a twist
15 TURKISH DELIGHT B Y TERRIE SHIPLEY
ARTS & CULTURE 28 TIMELESS TCHAIKOVSKY B Y ALICIA CHESSER ATKIN Raising the curtain on ‘the man behind the music’
30 SEEKING JOY B Y BLAYKLEE FREED
Annual festival offers a taste of the Middle East
Rob Bell unleashes full-scale assault on cynicism
16 QUANTUM TACO THEORY B Y MITCH GILLIAM
32 AT WORK B Y DERICO GREEN
Pollos Asados al Carbon’s superior tortilla timeline
18 F-BOMB B Y GREG HORTON Understanding Fernet, bartenders’ shot of choice
TV & FILM 42 THERE WILL BE CRITICISM B Y JEFF HUSTON Q&A with New York Times film critic A.O. Scott
44 STAR-CROSSED BUMMER B Y CHARLES ELMORE
Contact sheet
34 TITLE FIGHT B Y JOHN TRANCHINA Drillers ready to defend 2018 Texas League Championship
ETC. 6 EDITOR’SLETTER 36 THEHAPS 40 MUSICLISTINGS 44 FULLCIRCLE 46 ASTROLOGY + SUDOKU 47 THEFUZZ + CROSSWORD
A saccharine tearjerker can’t escape the clichés CONTENTS // 5
editor’sletter
L
ast night I went to Circle Cinema’s screening of the 2018 documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” about the life and lessons of Mr. Fred Rogers. The movie was great—yes, I cried, but I’m a crier—and left me meditating on the possibilities of radical kindness, practiced on yourself and others, as a way of being in and improving the world. This was three days after 50 people were shot to death at Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Center in Christchurch, New Zealand. According to the terrorist’s body cam footage, which streamed on the same corners of the white-power web where the killer was radicalized, he was greeted before the rampage by his first victim: “Hello, brother.” Those words have been bounc-
ing around in my head for days, twinned now with Fred Rogers’ unpacking of his long-running show’s neighborly theme song, whose tenderness seems alien after such horror: “It’s an invitation for somebody to be close to you.” The open-hearted vulnerability of that welcoming, that word— brother—is made grotesque by the killing that followed. But if there’s energy worth hanging on to, it’s in the greeting and not the response. May we all be the person who sees a stranger and thinks, Here comes my kin. My brother. Be close to me. You likely know the Fred Rogers quote about “[looking] for the helpers” in the face of tragedy. That’s a good one—but I’m partial to another: “Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun, like ‘struggle.’”
It’s not enough to love our neighbors. We have to protect them, too. Fred Rogers understood that. It’s what made his message so radical. It’s also what animates this newspaper’s conception of social justice—which we try to practice, unapologetically, in our pages every two weeks. You don’t have to look far to find these kinds of active helpers here in Tulsa. They’re the coalition standing up for undocumented immigrants (p. 12); the people organizing to commute the sentences of women like Ashley Garrison, who feel the teeth of our criminal justice system at a dizzying rate (p. 26); organizations like Women in Recovery and First Step, which give young women and men an alternative to incarceration (p. 10); and the Tulsa SPCA,
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which advocates for animals— who, by all conceivable metrics, are better than people (p. 47). Last, with the dead from New Zealand on my heart, I’d like to leave you with the words of Muhammet Sezer, executive director of the Turkish Food and Art Festival in Broken Arrow: “There is a big misunderstanding about … people from the Middle East and Muslim world … Yes, we have differences, but at the end of the day, we are all human beings” (p. 15). a
JEZY J. GRAY EDITOR
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Donate space heaters and fans or take them to an electronic waste recycler.
Aluminum and steel cans are perfect for recycling, but space heaters and fans are NOT acceptable for the blue recycling cart.
LEARN MORE AT 6 // NEWS & COMMENTARY
tulsarecycles.com March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
okpolicy
I
BAD EDUCATION Increasing the scholarship tax credit hurts public schools and benefits affluent Oklahomans by REBECCA FINE for OKPOLICY.ORG
THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
n 2011, the Legislature passed the Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship Act, which grants tax credits to individuals or corporations who make a donation to a scholarship granting organization (SGO) or an educational improvement grant organization (EIGO). SGOs award scholarships for students to attend participating K-12 private schools, and while much less utilized, an EIGO awards grants to qualified public schools. Currently, the total amount of tax credits that donors can claim per fiscal year is $5 million; however, SB 407 (Sen. Rader) and HB 2621 (Rep. Echols) would increase this amount to $20 million and $60 million respectively. Passing SB 407 or HB 2621 would mean backtracking on progress made last session, which increased tax dollars for public education. Today, public schools have 54,000 more students than they did in 2008, but due to tax cuts and budget shortfalls, they have $180 million fewer dollars to serve those students. Last year’s teacher pay raise was a great step forward, but Oklahoma schools still have far to go to be properly funded. This is not the time to take tax money away from public schools—and increasing the cap on scholarship tax credits would do just that. Advocates for opportunity scholarship funds are not sheepish about advertising how donors can profit from scholarship donations, and some private schools explicitly market these generous tax incentives. As a Christian school in Oklahoma City told prospective donors: “by redirecting your tax dollars, you can directly support scholarships … at little, and sometimes NO, net cost to you.” This is true. Individuals and businesses receive a 50 percent tax credit for a one-time donation and a 75 percent tax credit for a two-year
donation on top of the standard state and federal charitable tax deduction. Individuals can claim up to $1,000, married couples can claim up to $2,000, and businesses can claim up to $100,000. As such, the law benefits affluent Oklahomans who have the means to donate thousands of dollars and take full advantage of the tax credit. Currently, a perk in federal tax law allows families earning over $200,000 a year to actually make a profit on their donation by getting more in tax credits and deductions than they donate. In short, the tax incentive favors Oklahoma’s wealthiest families and businesses under the guise of helping those most in need. Because opportunity scholarship funds lack basic oversight, there is a lot we don’t know about the program. There is no provision that requires SGOs to report who receives the scholarships or how much they are awarded. In 2017-2018, the state’s three main SGOs granted scholarships averaging $1,800. With private school tuition and fees that can exceed $10,000, it is unclear how much low-income families must contribute to make up the difference. Proponents of SB 407 and HB 2621 claim that the Opportunity Scholarship Fund provides a lifeline for students forced to attend a struggling public school. However, the solution to this problem is not to siphon off tax dollars that could be invested in Oklahoma’s woefully underfunded public school system. Ensuring that all Oklahoma children have the opportunity to receive a high-quality education begins with adequate and equitable funding, and increasing the Opportunity Scholarship Fund tax credit would chip away at this promise. a
Rebecca Fine is an education policy analyst with Oklahoma Policy Institute (okpolicy.org). NEWS & COMMENTARY // 7
Speaking in tongues Sen. Jim Inhofe is fluent in the language of racism by BARRY FRIEDMAN Because of course he did: As the battle over President Donald Trump’s wall at the U.S.-Mexico border continues, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe introduced a bill this week that would make English the national language of the United States 1
It’s called—and for the love of George Orwell, is this an overreach—The English Language Unity Act of 2019, and it would establish English as the official language of the United States. 2 It is an unnecessary piece of legislation, offered disingenuously, and infused with more than a trace of racism—and he’s introduced some version of this same piece of dreck since 2006. Other than that, Inhofe and co-author Mike Rounds (R-SD) should be commended for their efforts. The bill states, “English language requirements and workplace policies, whether in the public or private sector, shall be presumptively consistent with U.S. laws.” Private sector, really? Jim Inhofe, proud capitalist who has spent his life bashing government and its “intrusions” on our daily lives and entrepreneurial spirit, is now telling the private sector the limits of its outreach to non-English speaking customers? Well, knock me over with a snowball. There’s more: The Department of Homeland Security shall issue a proposed rule for uniform testing of the English language ability of candidates for naturalization based upon the principles that: all citizens should be able to read and understand gener8 // NEWS & COMMENTARY
Trump wants to stop immigrants with a wall. Inhofe wants to stop them with a vocabulary quiz.
ally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the laws of the United States. 1
The word “generally” is ambiguous enough to drive a taco truck owned by two non-English speaking Uruguayans through. The purpose of the legislation is to “avoid the misconstructions of the English language text,” which, let’s face it, if actually enforced would get Second District Oklahoma Congressman Markwayne Mullin deported. (Thank you. I’ll be here all week.) “Just as there is no country without borders, there is no unity without a common language,” Inhofe, R-Okla., said in a statement to Gaylord News.
Welcome to another performance of Bad Analogy Theatre. For some legal perspective on all this, I contacted good friend of the column, Garrett Epps, professor of law at University of Baltimore and contributing writer and Supreme Court correspondent for The Atlantic.
Epps reminded me that in September, Inhofe, along with Angus King (I-Me), co-sponsored a bill which would require public schools to teach civics to “encourage more young Americans to be active participants in our democracy by communicating with their elected officials, engaging in advocacy and, when eligible, voting in state, local and federal elections.” 3 Epps responds: “Point me to the Article, section, and clause that empowers Congress to designate an official language and require Americans to use it when ‘engaging in advocacy and, when eligible, voting in state, local and federal elections.’ Why should such an imaginary ‘language power’ trump (so to speak) the First Amendment’s Free Speech and Petition Clauses? Why should the official language not be Algonquian, Cherokee, or Navajo? How is it that we won the Revolution, the Civil War, and two World Wars without Senator Inhofe to tell us all what to say and how to say it?”
The current language unity bill, as Epps reminds us, is a political stunt designed to promote division. You can’t look at this proposed legislation and not see the stereotyping, fear-mongering, and cruelty that lies behind, in front and throughout it. It embraces the president’s lie that a marauding band of amoral brown-skinned drug dealers are coming to America to assault us, take our jobs, and suck dry our social services— when in reality most are coming for blank asylum forms. Trump wants to stop them with a wall. Inhofe wants to stop them with a vocabulary quiz. Those mothers and fathers who are trudging through South and Central America to get here, their kids in tow, with a few bottles of water in a knapsack are risking their lives for the promise of something better—like every generation before them. These are exactly the kind of people, with the exactly kind of mettle, we want in America. When my grandfather came from Poland in 1905, he emerged from steerage as his boat pulled into Ellis Island and saw this line from Emma Lazarus’ poem on the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Those coming from Guatemala, Honduras and Venezuela— also wide-eyed and scared—will surrender their children to cages, and will have to know when to use their, they’re and there in a sentence before gaining entry. In 2016, almost 5 million immigrants came to the U.S. from Europe, many of whom overstayed their visas—but there was no national emergency declared because a 24-year-old winemaker from Burgundy, France came to March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
Oregon and spoke only French in the vineyard. According to a 2012 Pew study, 92 percent of second-generation Latino immigrants speak English “very well ” with 82 percent being bilingual. By the third-generation, 96 percent of Latino immigrants are speaking English. In contrast, 35 percent of second-generation German-Americans spoke only German in some of the counties studied. 4
So Latino immigrants are not only learning English, as did previous groups, they are learning it faster? “I challenge anybody to show me a third generation person in this country who speaks Spanish and no English, whereas we can find in the Census records, we can find those people in German speaking communities,” said Joseph Salmons, who studies language acquisition in immigrant communities.
So why the wringing of hands now? Inhofe is standing (white) shoulder to (white) shoulder with the president who lamented immigration from “shithole countries” instead of allowing “more people from places like Norway.” This bill is a cheap sop, a bright shiny object to those who think America is in decay because they have to press one for English when calling Best Buy customer service. Here’s Inhofe admitting as much: “As I work with President Trump to secure our border and build the wall, I wanted to also take steps to move forward to establishing a national language to promote national unity and greater opportunities for immigrant families.”
You want to promote unity, senator? Pass legislation to get the kids out of the cages and back to their parents. The argument for making English the official language has been around as long as the country has. Here’s Benjamin FrankTHE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
lin doing his best Jim Inhofe imitation. “ Why should the Palatine Boors be suffered to swarm into our Settlements, and by herding together establish their Language and Manners to the exclusion of ours? Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a Colony of Aliens, who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us instead of our Anglifying them, and will never adopt our Language or Customs, any more than they can acquire our Complexion?” 6
¡Carumba! In 1988, former Reagan Secretary of Labor Linda Chavez, one-time director of U.S. English, a movement to establish a national language, resigned after the organization’s chairman, John Tanton, lamented the following: The tradition of the mordida (bribe), the lack of involvement in public affairs, Roman Catholicism, with its potential to “pitch out the separation of church and state,” low “educability” and high school-dropout rates, failure to use birth control, limited concern for the environment, and of course, language divisions. 7
Franklin and Tanton, too, were concerned with the country’s unity. It is at this point in the conversation that English-only advocates trot out President Theodore Roosevelt. “ We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.” 8
Conveniently, they leave out the first part of the quote. “In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American
and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin.”
How’s that working out for us? “English is our first language, so you need to speak English,” the woman, identified in the video as Jill, screamed at Sergio Budar, the manager. “Get the f--out of my country.” 9
Bills about language are never just about language. In the House of Representatives, there is legislation very much like Inhofe’s, authored by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa). 10 He’s the guy who said this: For every one who’s a valedictorian, there’s another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert. 11
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tulsaworld.com: U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe pushes legislation to make English the national language 2) nondoc.com: Inhofe introduces bill to make English national language 3) inhale.senate.gov: Inhofe, King Introduce CIVICS Act 4) thinkprogress.org: Latinos Learn English Faster Than Previous Immigrants, Study Finds 5) vox.com: Trump wants fewer immigrants from “shithole countries” and more from places like Norway 6) watzmann.net: Urban Legend: German almost became the official language of the US 7) apa.org: The English-Only Movement 8) Goodreads.com: Theodore Roosevelt 9) nbcnews.com: White customer at Mexican restaurant swears at Spanish-speaking manager 10) washingtonexaminer.com: Undaunted, Steve King pushes to make English the official language of the US 11) talknote.blog.nytimes.com: No Comment Necessary: Drug Mules
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NEWS & COMMENTARY // 9
community
Stepping up Prison diversion program offers young men a different future by KRISTI EATON
L
ast year, Miguel Chavez was facing a minimum two-year sentence for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. With the threat of prison time looming, he was living day-to-day with little hope for the future. But a new program helping young men avoid incarceration has given Chavez and others something they never expected—a second chance. Chavez was one of three recent inaugural graduates of the Tulsa-based First Step Male Diversion Program, which launched in 2016 with the goal of ending the “school-to-prison pipeline” for young men in Oklahoma aged 18 to 25. He now plans to return to school and become an architect. “Probably the most important thing I was taught was to always have a dream,” he said to a room of spectators at the Tulsa County District Courthouse. “Without a dream, you have no vision. Without any vision, you have no goals. Without any goals, you have no motivation. Motivation is the key to being successful.” A February study from Workforce Tulsa and The University of Tulsa College of Law’s Lobeck Taylor Community Advocacy Clinic found that justice-involved individuals face major barriers to fi nding jobs. Obstacles include employer discrimination, complex expungement practices, occupational licensing regulations, excessive wage garnishment for child support, fees and fi nes related to incarceration, and barriers to housing. Tulsa’s Women in Recovery program has helped divert women from prison since 2009, in response to Oklahoma’s 10 // NEWS & COMMENTARY
From left: First Step Diversion Program graduates Christopher Davis, Miguel Chavez, and Justin Cathey look over their medals and certificates at the Feb. 21 graduation ceremony at Tulsa County Courthouse TOM GILBERT/TULSA WORLD
record-setting female incarceration rate. But now that the state has overtaken Louisiana as the country’s leading incarcerator of men as well—with a combined incarceration rate higher than anywhere else in the world—the need for a similar program for men became clearer than ever. During his 15-year career as a public defender, David Philips— now executive director of First Step—wondered why this need wasn’t being met. “I had seen the birth of the Women in Recovery program … [and] my question was, ‘Why aren’t they doing this for men?’” Men are incarcerated at eight times the rate of women in Oklahoma, Phillips noted, and 30 to 40 percent of the young men in the First Step program are fathers. “One thing that the criminal justice system has done
is that it’s broken up the nuclear family, so we have an intergenerational problem of crime,” he said. “We need to attack this problem from [all] genders.” When it became clear that a program for men wasn’t going to materialize on its own, Phillips got together with people in the community from the rehabilitation arena, as well parenting groups, district attorneys, and others—including retired Tulsa County Judge Bill Kellough, who now serves as president. “We began talking about it for about a year, just planning how and what we needed to do and what we needed to incorporate,” Phillips said. In July 2017, the fi rst young men were placed in the program. Today there are eight enrollees, and Phillips expects it to continue to grow. By the end of the
year, he hopes to have 20 to 25 participants in the program, which focuses on men convicted for non-violent crimes who are at a high risk to re-offend. Phillips said each person completes the track at their own pace, over the course of about 12 to 18 months. “It really depends on the individual,” he said. The program, which relies on the income of private donations, is cheaper than sending someone to prison. It costs about $20,000 to house someone in prison for a year, while the diversion program costs around $18,000 per individual, according to Phillips. “We believe we make a better person at the end of the process, whereas a person coming out of the penitentiary doesn’t have any of the skills or mechanisms where they can cope with the life they are being thrown back into,” he said. There are four phases to the program: stabilization, engagement, maintenance, and re-entry or transition. Throughout the program, the men focus on sober living, therapy, working, job skills and training, and parenting and life skills. “By the time they hit phase two or phase three, we are hoping they are employed full-time on a trajectory for some sort of career,” Phillips said. For graduates like Miguel Chavez, this means possibilities for the future which once seemed out of reach. Chavez is excited about what lies ahead after graduating from the First Step Male Diversion Program. “It’s changed my life around,” he said. “It’s taught me what it means to be healthy, both mentally and physically. It helped me to see who I really am as a person.” a March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
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An Arts-Forward Organization for an Arts-Forward City THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
NEWS & COMMENTARY // 11
community
I.C.E. under fire
Tulsans question moral, financial cost of immigrant detention by DEON OSBORNE
A
coalition of immigration advocates are raising awareness for a campaign to end Tulsa County’s partnership with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—a partnership that is separating families right here in Tulsa. The 287g contract authorizes the Tulsa County Sheriff’s office to arrest suspected undocumented immigrants and detain them at the David L. Moss detention center for days or months until they’re turned over to ICE for deportation proceedings. The push from activists to end the contract comes as national reports illuminate thousands of cases of child abuse and neglect at immigration detention centers operated by ICE across the country. Moreover, President Donald Trump’s inhumane crackdown on migrant and asylum seekers entering the U.S.-Mexico border received a harsh rebuke from Congress, as both the House and the Senate have voted to end Trump’s emergency declaration for border wall funding, forcing the embattled president to sign his first veto. Rosa Hernandez is a millennial Tulsan and undocumented Mexican immigrant who isn’t shy about seeking justice for people like herself. She moved from Tijuana to the U.S. at age four. “Growing up [I wasn’t] able to do things other teenagers were doing—I couldn’t get a job or my first car at the same time my friends were,” Hernandez said. “All because I didn’t have these papers my mom kept talking about. It just didn’t seem fair.” Hernandez said seeing the effects of deportations on other families growing up lit a fire inside her to speak out. She eventually joined Dream Alliance Oklahoma
12 // NEWS & COMMENTARY
Chris Shoaf and Rosa Hernandez, activists with Dream Alliance Oklahoma | MAKAILA MCGONIGAL
(DAOK) before becoming a leader in organizing the coalition to end the 287g contract. “I wanted to be someone others could look at and say, ‘Wow, she’s just like me. She’s working to make a change, and I want to do that too,’” Hernandez said. Despite the sheriff’s support for the contract, Hernandez and other activists may have the chance to end the contract if two out of the three Tulsa County commissioners vote in their favor at a renewal hearing slated for this June. At least one commissioner may be on the side of ending the contract, according to Linda Allegro, project director at New Sanctuary Network Tulsa and one of the main organizers for the coalition to end the 287g contract. District Two County Commissioner Karen Keith is “sympathetic to [the coalition],” Allegro said. “Ron Peters is on the fence, and Stan Sallee is not sympathetic to us.” Linda Allegro, a U.S. citizen whose mother was from Nicaragua, studied Central American politics in the 80s during another time of political upheaval and mass migration. “People getting swept up in this have deep roots in our com-
munity,” Allegro said. “People who’ve lived here 10 to 20 years. They have families, jobs, homes, bank accounts, and cars. The effect is devastating.” Allegro said that while the U.S. government in the 1990s sought out the importation of Mexican labor under the North American Free Trade Agreement, it has offered no pathway to citizenship since then, resulting in mass deportations of families. “When they’re deported, they’re literally dropped off at the border with nothing. It’s cruel,” Allegro said. When asked for her reaction to national reports of child abuse at ICE detention centers, Allegro said she was outraged but not surprised. After being told by their parents that the U.S. is a place of safety, Allegro said kids are then harshly torn from their families and intimidated by U.S. agents. “And at a lot of those detention centers there’s no cameras. The press can’t get in. So, it’s a perfect situation for a predator.” Chris Shoaf is a member of the coalition who focuses on gathering data. He said goes through the rosters at the county jail every week for booking information on any person that’s put under immi-
gration detainment locally and specifically for the 287g contract. Shoaf said that while there is a second partnership called Intergovernmental Service Agreement, in which the county jails houses 240 beds specifically for ICE detainments, the coalition is focusing solely on ending the 287g contract as the best place to start. “If we didn’t have IGSA or 287g, we could get rid of three sections of the jail,” Shoaf said. That would result in roughly 300 less people Tulsans’ taxes would be paying to house, feed and provide for care. According to Shoaf’s calculations, it costs roughly $9,000 per day to maintain the 287g contract, outpacing the relatively modest payments the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office receives for housing immigrants under the contract. Shoaf said the jail shouldn’t be used as a way to receive funds for housing undocumented immigrants for months at a time. For Rosa Hernandez, fostering solutions to the national immigration problem involves leaders asking the right questions and that allies need to understand they must be willing to become accomplices at any minute that goes beyond a social media post. “Yes, there’s violence and poverty in those countries, but why is that happening? Who is involved in that? What countries are exploiting their resources and starting useless wars?” Hernandez said, alluding to the decades-long involvement of the U.S. destabilizing and collapsing the leadership of Central American countries. But whatever has pushed people out of their home countries and into a Tulsa County holding cell, one thing is sure: They have advocates fighting for them on the outside. a March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
and a WINNING TEAM!
Do you need a reason to spoil your dog?
1778 UTICA SQUARE 918-624-2600 OPEN MON-SAT, 10-6 THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
NEWS & COMMENTARY // 13
foodfile
When in roam
The Local Bison serves Okie favorites with a twist by ANGELA EVANS
T
he interior is cozy chic, with a bold splash of teal. A smattering of thick, wood-block tables bookend a formidable U-shaped bar. Energetic pop dance tunes bump in the background, while television sets flicker with the latest game. Coupled with a menu that features fried mac-n-cheese and beer battered onion rings, it would be easy to dismiss The Local Bison as a sports bar. But that would be underestimating the new kid on the Deco block. Owners Tony and Emily Galvez have been in the restaurant and bar biz for dozens of years. The Local Bison is their brainchild, and now they’re ready to let it roam The Deco District. Located directly across from H.A. Chapman Green Park, the restaurant is perfect for families with plenty on the menu for the kiddos. Chapman Green Park is slated to be a summertime hub, with movie nights and events, and The Local Bison will be stocking “picnic basket” to-go options for park-goers. “We fell in love with this area,” Emily said. “Up until now, there really hasn’t been a lot of living downtown, but now with these apartments and there’s more foot traffic. We wanted to bring a neighborhood bar to the area.” “And we set our prices so that people can come in three or four times a week, and not just once a month,” Tony said. “We want to be a place for those regulars.” Though the name evokes a strong carnivore vibe, the owners and chef admit that their diets were more in line with the bison’s. The owners have been living vegetarian for several years, and their chef, Joey Guns, has been vegan or vegetarian for almost two decades. He has also been the 14 // FOOD & DRINK
The Menhune features a rum-grilled pineapple, bacon, jalapeno jack cheese, and volcano aioli GREG BOLLINGER
sous chef at SMOKE. on Cherry Street for several years, and his prowess on the grill belies his preclusion of meat. “This whole area is very vegan-friendly,” Emily said. “We’ve been calling it the vegan-friendly district. We do think it’s a huge movement, and I don’t think it’s going anywhere. More people are moving toward a vegan lifestyle. And Joey’s vision for the nonmeat options really fit our vision.” The menu features Oklahoma favorites with a twist, while dishes like shrimp and jalapeno grits and fried green tomatoes give a charming wink to southern influence. But the fi rst thing that caught my eye was the Okie Eggroll. I sampled the Okie Eggroll because I’m a sucker for a
southwest egg roll. And cheese fries. And fried green tomatoes. Comfort foods need not be fussy, and we need not be ashamed for letting ourselves indulge in what we love. The Local Bison’s menu speaks Okie fluently. The menu is a menagerie of kickass sandwich and burger combos Guns has concocted in his free time, like some hobby-slash-superpower. Despite the owners’ veggie predilection, burgers abound at the Local Bison—starting with the low-key basic burg, dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickle, American cheese, and Bison’s own aioli. It’s a perfect, unpretentious specimen, with a glossy bun, a manageable-sized patty, iceberg lettuce and tomato. This burger is the jumping-off point for more adventurous
options like The Menhune, featuring a rum-grilled pineapple, bacon, jalapeno jack cheese, and volcano aioli. The Spicy PB&J steps it up with housemade peanut butter (!), raspberry serrano jam, bacon, and cream cheese. Of course, they have a bison-blend burger, topped with bacon jam, caramelized onion, brie cheese, and tomato. The creativity spills over into their variety of flatbreads and sandwiches, and their coconut corn chowder soup, offered daily. Their priciest options are their entrees, topping out at $14. The shrimp and grits is a more traditional preparation, while their potato chip fried chicken is a more unique approach. The Local Bison’s potato chips are blended to a fine dust, which perfectly coats a juicy chicken thigh that’s been brined in a local brew. The Local Bison’s menu is approachable, with dishes that are sure to strike a note with the delicate, sometimes picky Okie palate. The price point is also attractive, meaning that this can be a place to visit for lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch. The restaurant is great for families, but from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., bar rules apply—only folks ages 21 and up can enter. The bar is stocked with plenty of local beers on tap, creative cocktails, and a smattering of wine and bubbles. Located at Fifth Street and Boston Avenue in the lower level of the Meridia building, The Local Bison is open every day for lunch starting at 11 a.m. and stays open late. The kitchen closes around 10 p.m., but the bar is one of the few in the area that keeps serving until midnight on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and open until 2 a.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. a March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
foodfile
Volunteers from the Raindrop Womens Association made the food for the Turkish Food and Art Festival, including couscous salad, baklava, and crystal cookies with Nutella. | GREG BOLLINGER
TURKISH DELIGHT Annual festival offers a taste of the Middle East
A S T HE T ULIPS COME IN TO BLOOM, Raindrop Turkish House in Broken Arrow is gearing up for its signature Turkish Food and Art Festival, which will take place Saturday, March 30, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Like his home country’s native tulip, executive director Muhammet Sezer comes from Turkey but is putting down roots in Oklahoma. His youngest child was just born here six months ago, and his work with Raindrop is building bridges between various faith and culture groups in the Tulsa community. “We are trying to find excuses to bring people together from all walks of life … anybody and everybody,” Sezer said. Though currency also originated in what is now Turkey, you can hold onto yours—in true Turkish fashion, this event is free and open to the public. Proceeds from food and drink sales will benefit Raindrop. Guests can expect a range of flavorsome fare, from stuffed grape leaves, beef kebabs, and mouthwatering köfte—Turkish meatballs hand-rolled with bulgur wheat and Middle Eastern spices such as coriander, and cumin—to desserts like handmade baklava. Beverages will include Turkish black tea, which is brewed in a specially made double-sided pot; and Turkey’s popular unfiltered coffee, a drink with special cultural significance that is sure to put some hair on your chest. Brought to the Ottoman Empire in 1555, coffee in Turkey has had roles in royal court, marriage traditions, and fortune telling. Traditionally made in a beautiful cezve, a small copper vessel with a long handle, finely ground coffee beans and water are placed over a flame and transform into a thick and frothy drink that is quite strong. “This is why we serve it in small, tiny little Turkish coffee cups,” Sezer said. THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
If you want the flavor of Turkish coffee at home but lack a cezve, don’t despair— instant Turkish coffee will be available for purchase. Also for purchase will be traditional art pieces, pottery, and handmade mosaic lamps, turning Raindrop Turkish House into a small, colorful bazaar. Live demonstrations of ebru—a printmaking artform in which paper or fabric is marbled with colorful dyes—and Turkish calligraphy will also take place. Rounding out the agenda will be live Turkish dance performances and music featuring traditional instruments like the ney, a Turkish flute. Above all else, Sezer hopes the festival will showcase Turkey’s famous hospitality. “That’s the main thing I want to bring and show my friends in Tulsa,” he said. Festivalgoers can look forward to developing a personal connection and better understanding of Turkish culture. “There is a big misunderstanding about Turkish people and people from the Middle East and Muslim world … Yes, we have differences, but at the end of the day, we are all human beings,” Sezer said. “I’ve heard so much great feedback from families that this event helped them to change their mindset.” Sezer misses plenty about his native Turkey—namely his parents, whom he has been unable to visit since 2014 due to political challenges. “We see each other through WhatsApp, but it’s not like seeing them in person,” he said. But some of that heartache has been eased by new friendships, and by the spirit of connection and hospitality animating the Turkish Food and Art Festival. “Tulsa is a welcoming, friendly city.” Sezer said. “I feel like I’m a part of this big family.” —TERRIE SHIPLEY
Greenwood Cultural Center
Legacy Award Dinner Thursday, April 18, 2019 6:30 p.m. – Reception 7:00 p.m. – Dinner
Honoring Chief Bill John Baker Cherokee Nation
David Cornsilk
Marilyn Vann
For table sponsorships and tickets, contact Frances Jordan-Rakestraw at (918) 596-1025 or francesjordan@greenwoodculturalcenter.com.
Greenwood Cultural Center
322 North Greenwood Avenue • Tulsa, OK 74120 FOOD & DRINK // 15
citybites
Quantum taco theory Pollos Asados al Carbon’s superior tortilla timeline by MITCH GILLIAM Pollos Asados al Carbon owners Mario and Daniel Ruiz take a photo with their crew at &Tacos, Pollos Asados’ location at Mother Road Market. | GREG BOLLINGER
T
ulsa taco spots are more divisive than politics or religion. Tempers run high with tortillas on the line, and Tulsans square up to defend with skin. A simple timeline request for “best taco” pits sons against mothers, and reminds one to delete that dude from high school who answers “Jack in the Box.” The Tulsa World stepped in it last October when they published a “best tacos” list that included nods to Margaritaville and more than one sushi restaurant. Even if they had stuck to traditional Mexi-joints, there was a criminal omission from their list: Pollos Asados al Carbon. The truck sits behind a strip in Kendall Whittier at the northeastern corner of Admiral Boulevard and Lewis Avenue. Owned by brothers Mario and Daniel Ruiz, Pollos’ claims to fame are the green sauce and the $5-for-fivetacos deal. The whole chicken dinner they’re named after is what caught former mayor Kathy Taylor’s eye, and earned them a slot at Mother Road Market. Their spot at MRM is called “& Tacos,” and features an expanded menu including fried dishes like chimichangas. All of the meats are the same inde16 // FOOD & DRINK
scribably delicious ones from the Pollos Asados truck, so you simply pick a protein and choose your meat delivery device. Burrito, quesadilla, chimichanga, Gordita … And tacos. Duh. Mario says even at Mother Road, their taco sales dwarf the other meat vehicles. That’s because—and I am aware this is the Franz Ferdinand that’ll kick off World Taco War One—they are the best tacos in town. “Best taco” is a bold statement, and one best viewed through the lens of Quantum Taco Theory. There is objectivity in taco adjudication: tortilla quality, moistness of meat, regional seasoning, and price. Pollos comes up aces in all categories. But discussion—and mere observation of—a taco’s assumed quality can warp their value in a reality hinging on mutual hallucination. However, it is an increasingly agreed-upon Matrix glitch that Pollos is the best, and we must pray for those stuck in the Mr. Taco timeline. Meta-taco-physics aside, we will consider the data. Those meats, for one. There is a sweet and savory depth to their pastor that hints at cinnamon and clove. Their cabeza is buttery from the fat content,
bringing to mind a perfect pot roast. Even their basic asada—a meat skipped over by some taco snobs—is moist and seasoned to what can only be lazily called “perfection.” Other options include chorizo, barbacoa, and campechana, though they lack lengua and tripe—or as former Edible Tulsa contributor Zac King calls them, “the goober meats.” Then there’s that green sauce. Salsa verde is available at a wide variety of trucks around town, but there is something different about Mario and Daniel’s. It is very creamy and spicy from the avocado and jalapeño, but its flirtations with holiness come from a recipe that’s been in the Ruiz family for “as long as [Mario] can remember.” But hailing a taco truck in the ever-trendy Kendall Whittier district as “the best” would be the height of hipster folly without a true control. So I took my friend and taco hunter, Nick Flores, on an east Tulsa truck safari. We tried four well-respected trucks, tasting the bare bones asada and pastor at them all, but none came close. I will not name them, because they all were great in their own right. One popular truck had recently upgraded to a trailer the size of a midway fair
attraction—complete with a spinning cone of pastor they freshly shave off. But Pollos Asados they were not. That the best truck in town could be so close to downtown and midtown isn’t as odd as it seems. As of the last census, Kendall Whittier was 31 percent Latino, and Latino enrollment in the neighborhood school is over 50 percent. In fact, Pollos Asados’ whole chicken dinners are a cornerstone of many neighborhood Latino families’ dinner tables. Mario said they sell 80 whole chicken dinners a day at the truck alone. Mario and Daniel have been serving this community for 11 years, and have seen their sales increase with the influx of breweries, bars, and bookstores. Daniel is very quiet, and Mario only slightly less so. Humbled by both the patronage of his restaurants and interest in he and his brother’s story, Mario says business is booming at their Mother Road Market location, and they have no plans to ever jack up the price on Pollos’ five-for-$5 deal. Mostly, though, he’s grateful: “We are thankful for the people that have given us the chance to feed them.” a March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
Celebrate your winners at The Tulsa Voice Best of Tulsa Concert featuring Jared Tyler and Seth Lee Jones. March 27, 7–8 p.m. at Fassler Hall. Free admission. FIND OUT YOUR WINNERS IN OUR SPECIAL ISSUE, ON STANDS MARCH 27.
downthehatch
F-bomb
Understanding Fernet, bartenders’ shot of choice by GREG HORTON epending on who is describing it, Fernet either tastes like something your mom poured in your preteen mouth for dropping an F-bomb—or it’s a mysterious, complex indulgence meant for booze cognoscenti. Simply put, Fernet is a form of Amaro, the family of bitter, herbal liqueurs made famous in Italy. It’s not just any Amaro, though, because if you offer to buy your bartender a shot, there is a more than 50 percent chance they will choose Fernet. “The taste of Fernet is an interesting aspect of liquor,” Ben Parham said. Parham is a barista-bartender at Topeca’s new downtown location in the Philcade Building on Boston Avenue. “It doesn’t take long to try most of the flavors we associate with liquor, but Fernet is unique, and it helps that the recipes are very old and mostly unknown.” The degree to which Fernet producers are willing to be transparent about ingredients varies, but at its base, the liqueur is a distilled grape spirit with a range of botanicals. The Venn diagram of botanicals usually overlaps with rhubarb, cardamom, saffron, and chamomile, but mint, cinnamon, aloe, and gentian root are common. It would be a mistake to think it tastes like baking spices a la mulled wine, though. The flavor is much more intense, even pungent. Noah Bush, owner of Hodges Bend and Topeca–Philcade, is also a fan of Fernet, and like most fans, he has a difficult time articulating what’s good about the liqueur. This is not unusual, by the way. Just try to articulate what is great about whiskey or wine or IPA. We all end up saying some-
D
18 // FOOD & DRINK
Fernet is a form of Amaro—the family of bitter, herbal liqueurs made famous in Italy. | GREG BOLLINGER
thing like, “It’s really, you know, wine-y.” “It’s either the best shot of the night or the worst shot of the night,” Bush said. “You have to be in the mood for it. I tell people it’s like the person who walks into the bar and one night you’re very much into him or her, and one night you’re not. That’s Fernet.” Like wine, the Amaro is categorized as dry or sweet, but sweet
is relative to the drink itself. In other words, if you order sweet Fernet, it’s never going to be softdrink sweet, nor is it going to be cheap Riesling sweet. “Letherbee Fernet is considered sweet,” said Scott Large, owner-founder of Provisions Fine Beverage Purveyors. “Specifically, it’s Chicago-style because they apparently prefer theirs a little syrupy. It’s very rich, unlike the dry
ones, which can tend toward thin and acidic.” Bush said that Fernet is typically a shot, but it’s also an ingredient in a few classic cocktails. Topeca–Philcade has the Hanky Panky on their cocktail list, a concoction that came from the Savoy in London in 1903. It’s a blend of gin, sweet vermouth, and Fernet. With nine different varieties on their back bar, customers can create dramatically different versions of the drink by choosing different varieties. Richer varieties make for a rounder mouthfeel, whereas dry Fernet like Royal Vallet can make the drink sharp and focused. “Royal Vallet is made in Mexico by a French expatriate,” Large said. “It’s a fascinating story, and the dry character of the Vallet is definitely a different experience than Fernet Branca, the richer variety that dominates Central and South America.” Large also recommended trying Vallet with a Topo Chico or other sparkling water. “Pour a little of the Topo Chico out and then add six to eight drops of Vallet. It’s like a dry Coca-Cola.” Topeca–Philcade and MixCo both provide excellent opportunities to taste a range of Fernets side by side. Try the rich, almost caramelly notes of Townshend’s Fernet over against the minty— maybe event too minty, depending on your taste—bite of Fernet Menta. At good craft bars like Hodges Bend, MixCo, Topeca – Philcade, Doc’s, and Valkyrie, the bartenders are absolutely going to be able to walk you through the variations. To pick up a bottle of your favorite, head to Primo’s Fine Wine & Spirits. Their selection of Amari (the actual plural) is excellent. a March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
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tulsachamber.com THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
FOOD & DRINK // 19 Tulsa Talks Pod Cast Tulsa Voice- 4.375 x 1.5.indd 1
3/4/19 1:21 PM
GLO RUN
20 19
FRIDAY APRIL 12
The T ulsa Voice invites you to visit one of these Tulsa establishments during March Madness at the BOK Center starting March 22!
DOWNTOWN OKMULGEE
ON THE SQUARE SOCIETYBURGER.COM
Great burgers are even better with a great beer. We know the very best brews live where you do – so you can enjoy thirty Oklahoma brews and twenty local Tulsa craft beers here at Society.
ACTIVITIES 2019 OrangeFest Glo Run Live Entertainment Food Trucks Family-Friendly Fun
osuit.edu/orangefest
20 // FOOD & DRINK
March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
BARS, BITES, AND BASKETBALL
LOCATED IN THE BUSTLING AND EVER GROWING TULSA ARTS DISTRICT DOWNTOWN. FEATURING BEERS BREWED ON SITE BY PRAIRIE ARTISAN ALES. OPEN FOR LUNCH 7 DAYS A WEEK
223 N MAIN STREET (918) 936 - 4395 PRAIRIEPUB.COM
201 S MAIN ST
DOWNTOWN OWA S SO
1542 E. 15th St., Tulsa • 918-949-4400 201 S. Main, Owasso • 918-401-4343 smokewoodfiregrill.com
THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
918 401 4353 MADE ATSOK.COM
FOOD & DRINK // 21
BEERS, BURGERS, AND BASKETBALL IN TULSA BY TTV STAFF Spring has sprung and the madness has begun. Winter weather is finally behind us—maybe?—and it’s time to shake off that cabin fever. While locals thaw out and rediscover our city, we’ll be joined by college basketball fans in town to catch first and second round March Madness games at BOK Center. Whether you’re in Tulsa for the first time or a native looking for an excuse to visit another part of town, use this guide to go hard in the paint in Tulsa. 22 // FEATURED
March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
ELGIN PARK IS THE PLACE TO WATCH THE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT (60+ TVS)
THURSDAY, MARCH 21-SUNDAY, MARCH 24 GARDEN F R EE FUN GAMES
BEER
(21+) ADMISSION & ACTIVITIES OUTDOOR WATCH PARTY ON A HUGE 18’ SCREEN LOCATED DOWNTOWN, NEXT TO ONEOK DRILLERS STADIUM THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
FEATURED // 23
BARS, BITES, AND BASKETBALL
BASKETBALL & BREWS
DOWNTOWN SCOOT-SEEING TOUR Like many cities lately, electric scooters are all over downtown Tulsa and the surrounding areas. If you’re spending the weekend watching basketball at the BOK Center, here are some sightseeing highlights that are all just a short scoot away.
ahha, 108 Contemporary, and Living Arts. Snap a selfie by the historic Cain’s Ballroom sign, and pay a visit to Guthrie Green if the weather is nice to get a slice of life in Tulsa. Across the street you’ll find the Woody Guthrie Center, a museum and educational center dedicated to teaching and preserving music history. And don’t forget the Center of the Universe, a tourist favorite.
DECO DISTRICT Possibly the most fun place to scoot around, downtown’s Deco District is a living history of architecture. The mid-century Ponca City Savings and Loan building at 7th Street & Boston Avenue houses the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture. A block north, you’ll find H.A. Chapman Centennial Green, home to Patrick Dougherty’s “Prairie Schooners,” a larger-than-life installation made of thousands of woven branches.
BLUE DOME DISTRICT A good place to start is at the titular Blue Dome, a former filling station on 2nd Street and Elgin Avenue that serves as the district’s central landmark. From there, you can crash some pins across the street at Dust Bowl, game hard at The Max, and eat and drink at any of the numerous bars and restaurants in the area.
THE TULSA ARTS DISTRICT Take a look around the district’s galleries, including
the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Take a walk down Black Wall Street and notice the plaques that represent businesses destroyed. Down the road, John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park is a beautiful place to reflect. See works by local artists at the Black Wall Street Art Gallery. If you just can’t get enough sports, there’s a soccer game at OneOK Field on March 23. Tulsa Roughnecks face off with the Seattle Sounders.
GREENWOOD The Greenwood Cultural Center collects and maintains educational resources about Tulsa’s Black Wall Street, including its destruction in
SOBO/TERWILLEGER HEIGHTS The historic Council Oak Tree is where Tulsa began, but its roots stretch deeper than that. After years on the Trail of Tears, the Locvpokv Muscogee Creeks placed their ashes from ancestral fires at the base of the tree. Today the tree is the namesake for a nearby elementary school. After the history lesson, why not scoot on down to our new mega-park Gathering Place via Riverside or the Midland Valley Trail?
DOWNTOWN AMERICAN SOLERA SOBO 108 E. 18th St. Rated the Best New Brewery in the U.S. in 2016, American Solera will soon open a new location next door to Cabin Boys Brewery.
NOTHING’S LEFT BREWING CO. 1502 E. 6th St. Located in an old Texaco station, Nothing’s Left opened their taproom last year after three years working their way up through regional beer festivals.
Lime scooters outside the BOK Center | GREG BOLLINGER
Tulsa taproom tour Local Cider & Angry Bear Mead | MICHELLE POLLARD
COMING SOON
LOCAL CIDER & ANGRY BEAR MEAD 1724 E. 7th St. Oklahoma’s first cidery will celebrate its grand opening on Sat., March 23.
ELGIN PARK 325 E. Reconciliation Way The pre-/post-game spot for ONEOK Field events. NEW ERA: FINE FERMENTATIONS 321 S. Frankfort Ave. Gluten-free options abound, brewed using cutting-edge processes. PRAIRIE BREWPUB 233 N. Main St. Oklahoma’s favorite purveyor of stouts and saisons incorporates their beer into several menu items. WELLTOWN BREWING 114 W. Archer St. The rooftop patio under the skyline is a great downtown escape. The brewery’s Cloudy Dreams IPA and Caribbean Queen Tropical Stout are the Yin and Yang for springtime flavors, whether your tastes skew light or dark.
PEARL DISTRICT DEAD ARMADILLO CRAFT BREWING 1004 E. 4th St. Dead Armadillo’s patio, “The Boneyard,” is a great place to enjoy new brews and live tunes. The craft brewing scene is booming in Tulsa. Each local brewery has carved out its own niche and each one is worth a visit for a pint or to fill a growler—particularly in the spring months, when several breweries’ patios and outdoor areas shine. To boot, many local beermakers are just a short stroll away from each other in some of the city’s most walkable neighborhoods. 24 // FEATURED
PEARL BEACH BREW PUB 418 S. Peoria Ave. The newest addition to the scene recently opened in the former taproom of The Willows Family Ales (whose beers are still available in stores and bars around town).
KENDALL WHITTIER CABIN BOYS BREWERY 1717 E. 7th St. The Cabin Boys are as dedicated to traditional European brewing processes as they are to fun; the brewery regularly hosts all kinds of events. HEIRLOOM RUSTIC ALES 2113 E. Admiral Blvd. Heirloom’s communal ambience is the perfect setting for sharing and comparing their inventive, small-batch brews. MARSHALL BREWING COMPANY 1742 E. 6th St. The pioneers of Tulsa’s craft brewing scene recently expanded their taproom. RENAISSANCE BREWING CO. 1197 S. Lewis Ave. The neighborhood brewery hosts open mic comedy and yoga classes.
OTHER AREAS BROKEN ARROW BREWING CO. 333 W. Dallas St., Broken Arrow BA’s first brewery is one of few Native American-owned breweries in the country. HIGH GRAVITY BREWING COMPANY 6808 S. Memorial Dr. In addition to serving their own beers in Pippin’s Taproom, High Gravity also carries fermentation supplies for homebrewers. March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
Throw a stone in Tulsa and there’s a decent chance you’ll hit a world-class burger joint. The city has a smorgasbord of options, so here’s our shortlist of can’tmiss Tulsa ‘burgs. (And remember, if you want to do it like a true Okie, have the onions fried-in.)
Tulsa burger tour
BROWNIE’S HAMBURGER STAND 2130 S. Harvard Ave., 6577 E. 71st St. One of Tulsa’s oldest hamburger joints. Sit at the counter and be sure to have a homemade root beer and slice of pie. CLAUD’S HAMBURGERS 3834 S. Peoria Ave. This 65-year institution grinds its meat in-house daily and the dedication shows; the joint’s cozy 14-seat bar is nearly always full. FAT GUY’S BURGER BAR 140 N. Greenwood Ave., 7945 S. Memorial Dr. For the adventurous, Fat Guy’s burgers— including the standout Thai Style Peanut Butter Bacon Burger and cheese-filled Fat and Juicy—are endlessly customizable. FLO’S BURGER DINER 2604 E. 11th St., 19322 E. Admiral Pl. An order at Flo’s is incomplete without a side of “fat fries” piled with fried jalapenos slices, cheese, and bacon. FREDDIE’S HAMBURGERS 802 S. Lewis Ave. Another T-Town classic, the folks at Freddie’s have been doing it right since 1954. GOLDIE’S PATIO GRILL 4401 E. 31st St., 5200 S. Lewis Ave., 6121 E. 61st St. Serving Tulsa with three locations, Goldie’s old-school charbroiled burgers get the job done. HANK’S HAMBURGERS 8933 E. Admiral Pl. This cozy joint has been serving up burgers, fries, and milkshakes since 1949.
BURGER NEWS
HARDEN’S HAMBURGERS 432 S. Sheridan Rd. Whether you go for the double, or something “lighter,” you definitely don’t want to pass up Harden’s chocolate shake and curly fries.
Arnold’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers—a west Tulsa favorite for 33 years—closed its doors on March 16. In a post on their website, the Arnold family announced a new location will open within the year. Billy’s on the Square | GREG BOLLINGER
BILL’S JUMBO BURGERS 2002 E. Admiral Blvd. True to its name, Bill’s burgers range from the 1/3 lb. “Big Daddy” to the 2 lb. “Double Okie.”
Lefty’s on Greenwood | GREG BOLLINGER
THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
BILLY’S ON THE SQUARE 424 N. Main St.; also has a stand inside BOK Center These charburgers are a downtown lunch staple and the go-to concession item at BOK Center events.
J.J.’S GOURMET BURGERS 647 S. Peoria Ave. It’s open for lunch just four days a week, has a simple-but-delicious menu, and a membership program (though you don’t need to be a member to eat there); J.J.’s is well worth its one-of-a-kind experience. LOT-A-BURGER Six locations in Tulsa TTV contributor Mitch Gilliam crowned the 1208 N. Mingo Rd. location as the reining
WHERE TO WATCH MARCH MADNESS There’s no shortage of bars in Tulsa where the beer flows and the hi-def TVs are perched at every angle. We’ve highlighted spots around town that don’t play around when it comes to the spectator sports. BLEACHER BUMS SPORTS BAR, 5073 E. 51st St. BLUE ROSE CAFE, 1924 Riverside Dr. BRICKTOWN BREWERY, 3301 S. Peoria Ave., 9409 E. 71st St. THE BROOK, 3401 S. Peoria Ave., 7725 E. 91st St. ELGIN PARK, 325 E. Reconciliation Way EMPIRE, 1516 S. Peoria Ave. FASSLER HALL, 304 S. Elgin Ave.
Lot-a-Burger champ but we recommend doing your own research. MAD EATS Owasso: 201 S. Main St. The Impossible Burger features a plantbased burger patty, sautéed mushrooms, Swiss cheese and veggies, smothered in MAD burger sauce and topped with a brioche bun. This impossibly tasty ‘burg can’t really be vegetarian—can it? RON’S HAMBURGERS & CHILI Eight locations in and around Tulsa Ron’s claim-to-fame half-beef, half-sausage burgers are taken deliciously overthe-top when smothered in chili. SMITTY’S GARAGE 7104 S. Sheridan Rd., 9718 Riverside Pkwy. The Norman-based joint’s classic and inventive burgers are welcome additions to Tulsa’s stacked burger scene. SMOKE. Tulsa: 1542 E. 15th St., Owasso: 201 S. Main St. Come for lunch and grab the fresh-ground Black Angus burger featuring a delectable blend of ribeye, tenderloin, sirloin and brisket—or drop by for the open-faced green chili burger special on Wednesdays. SOCIETY BURGER 1419 E. 15th St. One of the newer players on the burger scene, Society has quickly become a staple of Tulsa’s Cherry Street District. THE TAVERN 201 N. Main St. Not as casual as the rest of the list, The Tavern’s mushroom cognac cream and stilton-covered burger earned its place among the best thanks to its daily latenite price cut. TED’S HAMBURGERS 2901 W. Edison St. Cherry limeades, homespun malts, and old-fashioned root beer make Ted’s a can’t-miss spot for classic diner grub. TY’S HAMBURGERS 1534 S. Harvard Ave. Ty’s has been slinging classic burgers and sides in Tulsa for more than 30 years. WEBER'S SUPERIOR ROOT BEER DRIVE-IN 3817 S. Peoria Ave. The name says it all. A nostalgic cruise down Brookside’s “Restless Ribbon” is incomplete without a root beer float from Weber’s. a
FUEL 66, 2439 E. 11th St. FOX & HOUND, 7001 S Garnett Rd. HIDEAWAY PIZZA, seven locations in the Tulsa metro LEFTY’S ON GREENWOOD, 10 N. Greenwood Ave. LOUIE’S BAR & GRILL, Tulsa: 6310 E. 101st St., Jenks: 813 E. A St., Broken Arrow: 1640 N. 9th St. NO PLACE SPORTS BAR, 11730 E. Admiral Pl. R BAR & GRILL, 3421 S. Peoria Ave. ROOSEVELT’S, 1551 E. 15th St. SMITTY’S GARAGE, 7104 S. Sheridan Rd., 9718 Riverside Pkwy. SOCIETY BURGER, 1419 E. 15th St. THE STUMBLING MONKEY BAR & GRILL, 8921 S Yale Ave. FEATURED // 25
woman erased
THE FACE OF OKLAHOMA’S INCARCER ATION CRISIS BY M ARY NOBLE ILLUSTR ATION BY JUSTIN BRYA NT
It’s no secret that Oklahoma is in crisis. In 2016, we became the largest per-capita incarcerator on the face of the planet. Even more alarming, Oklahoma has led the nation in putting women behind bars for more than 26 years—a rate that has doubled since 1990 and is more than twice the national incarceration rate. To refer to the excessive sentencing in Oklahoma merely as an issue is a gross understatement. It’s an emergency. Behind these statistics are real women with stories. One of these women 26 // FEATURED
is Ashley Garrison. Ashley and her second husband were sleeping alongside their baby in the couple’s bed when they awoke and realized she was no longer breathing. Ashley is currently serving her eighth of a 20-year sentence at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center for child neglect following the death of her infant. Co-sleeping is not recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, but remains common, with the percentage of babies sharing a sleep space rising from 6.5 percent in 1993 to 13.5 percent in 2010 in the United States. Deaths related to the practice have typically only lead to criminal charges when the parent is found to be under the influence, which Ashley was not.
Ashley and her husband faced trial separately in Garfield County. Ashley took a blind plea on her public defender’s assurance that she would be paroled. Instead, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison by Judge Dennis Hladik—despite the District Attorney only asking for 10. Her spouse, who Ashley says abused and raped her throughout their relationship and who later admitted to placing his leg over the baby that fateful night to help her sleep, was sentenced to 10 years. He was released last year. Ashley’s voice crackled over the speaker phone at her mother Vanessa Blaylock’s Tulsa home. Sitting at her dining room table, Vanessa’s eyes welled with tears as
her daughter recounted her story. Sometimes she seemed moved by pride of her daughter’s strength—other times, she was clearly moved by pain. Vanessa, too, has felt the teeth of Oklahoma’s criminal justice system. In 2008, her father passed away, and she inherited the family business during the global financial crisis. When the business failed and defaulted on its contracts, Vanessa was held responsible and sentenced to four years in prison. “It was a horrible, horrible deal,” Vanessa said. After being released, she began working for a faith-based organization called Prison Fellowship and volunteering at Eddie Warrior Correctional Center with women about to re-enter. March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
Ashley hadn’t met her spouse before her mom’s imprisonment. Back then she was living with and working for her mother after escaping with her children from her first abusive marriage. “She was a teenage mom in a horrible relationship that she didn’t want me to know [about] until the day it exploded, and he took off with the kids. That’s when I found out just what she was living in,” Vanessa said. That night Ashley was assaulted, and she decided she could no longer hide the abuse from her mother and continue enduring it alone. Vanessa called the police and they tracked down her ex-husband to his grandmother’s and had to talk him out of the home. DHS granted Ashley full custody of her two children, allowing only supervised visits with their father. When Ashley went to prison, he was granted full custody of their two kids and does not permit contact from Ashley or any of her family. “She lived at home until I went to prison,” Vanessa said. “Ashley was left on her own. She’s got two kids. She worked for me, so she lost her job. She lost her support system. She lost everything, and that’s how she ended up in such a mess. She was on her own and homeless and he [was] right there. That’s why she was even in that house. Everything she had before was gone. If I would have been there, she never would never have been in that house. She would have been home.” Ashley remembers those days with the same inflection of pain, fear, and longing. “Before I came to prison, especially after my mom had gotten locked up I was lost and trying to fill a hole and I didn’t know what to put in it. I was bouncing from relationship to relationship, I was afraid of being alone, afraid of being homeless— and after my daughter died, I felt like my entire life came apart. I didn’t know who I was or what I was about,” she said. On the day Ashley was sentenced, she gave birth—in handcuffs—to her fourth child. Ashley was allowed one hour with her newborn baby before he was taken away and placed for adoption. Not one to shy away from a line of tough questioning, she falls silent when the subject turns to her birthing experience in the county. A voice breaks through Ashley’s muffled crying to announce 60 seconds left on the phone call. Vanessa’s heart breaks for her daughter, who still can’t summon the words to tell this part of her story. “If that doesn’t tell you what that trauma does to a woman … she’s been through prison, death, losing the kids, but the one thing that she can’t even communicate is that experience. I can’t imagine.” Of her low points in prison over these eight years, beyond the missed birthdays and anniversary of her daughter’s death, Ashley is most stung by the day the rights to her youngest child were terminated. “It was my 25th birthday,” Ashley remembers. “I attempted suicide in one of the showers.” Ashley’s suicide attempt came after a period of recovery from her initial years in prison. “When I first got here, I was very THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
Vanessa Blaylock holds a photograph of her daughter, Ashley Garrison, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison at the age of 23. | GREG BOLLINGER
angry—still dealing with the grief from the death of my daughter and the fact that I just got 20 years and my co-defendant got 10. I was abusing pills and was self-destructive. I was a cutter. “I got sober March 1 of 2012 and I quit doing all of that and [began] actively working an AA program,” Ashley said. She was placed on a one-year waiting list before being admitted. “During the time I’ve been here I’ve completed multiple parenting classes, relationship classes, anything that I can do to be a better mom a better woman and to realize I don’t need someone to make me whole,” Ashley said. In 2017, Ashley enrolled in a cosmetology program lead by former inmate Christie Luther. “I think my biggest change was getting into this program. I am certified for everything from manicures to pedicures to facials and hair cutting. It’s taught me independence and self-confidence which is something I didn’t think I’d ever have. It’s helping me get out of myself and be of service to others. That is really what has saved me,” Ashley said. Ashley completed her hours for her master instructor license for cosmetology the week before our interview and passed her exam the day after we spoke. “[People] might think I’m just a violent offender and I couldn’t be an asset to the outside community,” she said. “Let me prove you wrong and show you that I’m a woman of worth and I’m somebody that can help other women that are in prison and help them become the women they want to be and need to be.” This milestone is especially impressive considering the blow Ashley received last year. In 2018, Ashley’s case was presented to Oklahoma’s Pardon and Parole
Board as a part of Project Commutation, launched by Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR). Commutation is a twostage process that aims to correct unjust sentences. If granted by the parole board and approved by the governor, a person’s sentence is reduced. The initiative focused on prisoners serving excessive sentences for drug crimes now classified as misdemeanors since the passage of State Question 780. While Ashley’s charges are not drug-related, advocates felt her sentencing was excessive and presented her case along with three others of similar nature. One of these was Tondalo Hall’s, a woman sentenced to 30 years for a failure to protect charge while her abuser was paroled. Because the women’s cases are classified as violent crimes, the board denied them immediately without discussing or reviewing them. Newly-elected Gov. Kevin Stitt has made promises to reform Oklahoma’s criminal justice system, electing three new parole board members in February of 2019. One of these new members is Adam Luck, CEO of a non-profit called City Care. Since his appointment, Luck has posted on Twitter and Facebook asking people to reach out with information on cases believed to be eligible for commutation, parole, or pardon. I reached out to Adam to inform him of Ashley’s case and asked what he thinks people can do if they feel compelled to get involved. “Honestly, I think people would be so enlightened if they actually came [to meetings]. There is so much that goes on in these meetings, so people would get a much better understanding of what this process is like,” Luck said.
Colleen McCarty, a TU law student involved with Project Commutation, has more to say about Ashley’s case and society’s tendency to place excessive blame on mothers for child-related charges—especially for women of color and women living in poverty. “It becomes insurmountable the number of things [women] have to do in order to be in compliance with what we think is a good mother. And then we let them sit in front of a jury and let a jury judge their horrible situation. A horrible situation for everyone involved. No one is happy about what happened to that child. It was extremely unfortunate. There are a lot of generally systemic problems with that whole process,” McCarty said. She hopes that bringing Ashley’s story to a broader audience will re-ignite her commutation. “I want people to know that I might be a violent offender but I’m a darn good woman,” Ashley said. “I’m a good mom. I’m a good daughter, sister, partner—and I just want to be of service to people like myself.” McCarty says it’s possible that Gov. Stitt could allow the previously-denied cases involved with Project Commutation to be reevaluated this year in front of the new parole board, forgoing the three-year required wait time for denied applicants to reapply. If that happens, Ashley could have another chance at freedom—if not, she’ll continue her life as so many in Oklahoma do: apart, imprisoned, erased. a
For more information on Project Commutation in Oklahoma, visit fwd.us/criminal-justice/oklahoma. FEATURED // 27
onstage
Timeless Tchaikovsky Raising the curtain on ‘the man behind the music’ by ALICIA CHESSER ATKIN
T
chaikovsky means tumult, tenderness, transcendence. You know his music even if you can’t tell a Sugarplum Fairy from a Swan Queen. Now he’s the subject of a new creation by choreographer Ma Cong, which begs the question: a ballet about the most recognizable composer in ballet—a gay man in 19th-century Russia, and one of the mightiest musical geniuses of all time? Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before? As it turns out, someone has. When “Tchaikovsky: The Man Behind the Music” premieres at the PAC later this month, it will be the culmination of more than 25 years of dreaming, trying, failing, and persevering on the part of Tulsa Ballet artistic director Marcello Angelini. “I have been fascinated by Tchaikovsky’s music for longer than I can remember,” Angelini said. “Of course, as a ballet dancer, most of one’s professional life will be spent listening to Tchaikovsky’s tunes, as at least half of a professional dancer’s shows are Nutcrackers.” And that’s not counting the many symphonic performances that surprised him with their depth and range. But it wasn’t just the music that got under Angelini’s skin. “When I came to Tulsa, I started researching Tchaikovsky’s life and realized the forces at play that shaped his music. He was one of the favorite composers of the Tsar on one hand, and having to hide his personal life on the other. Add in the fact that his dad wanted him to pursue a ‘normal’ job, that his mother was the only one that believed in his talent as a musician from a young age, that she was his teacher and then died young. And suddenly ‘the man behind the music’ comes into full focus.” The details of Tchaikovsky’s
28 // ARTS & CULTURE
Jonnathan Ramirez (left) and Rodrigo Hermesmeyer take center stage in “Tchaikovsky: The Man Behind the Music.” | JEREMY CHARLES
personal life remain debated to this day. Did he die, at 53, by suicide? Or was it cholera from a tainted glass of water taken after the premiere of his final symphony, the “Pathetique”? Did he have homosexual relationships throughout his life, or did he not (as Russian culture officials continue to assert)? For Tulsa Ballet, the story that dared not speak its name was the one that wanted telling. It’s a lush two-act production, scored with his own music, tracking Tchaikovsky’s entire biography: his lovers; his attempts to pass in heterosexual relationships; his double life under the judgment of Russian society; his immense creative output. Angelini assembled an international team for the job: a production designer from New Zealand, a lighting designer from Australia, and experts on Russian music and history, along with sets and costumes commissioned from the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Gathering the right crew is crucial for pulling off a show of this magnitude. However, Angelini said one man has been at the epicenter of this creation.
“I would say that the timing of this work depends on one team member reaching what I feel is the age of artistic maturity,” Angelini said. “That team member is, of course, Ma Cong. Young choreographers of current generations seem to be great at creating works that express their feelings, but it takes maturity to inhabit the mind and the soul of someone else and tell their story. Ma is ready, so I needed to present him with the opportunity.” For Cong, longtime Tulsa Ballet resident choreographer and father of twins with his husband Thomas Landrum, the music’s richness points to the complexity of the life in which it was created. “As a gay man living in that world of high society, of course Tchaikovsky would feel some sort of damage,” Cong said. “That kind of tremendous pressure could also push someone into a deeper level of creativity. “It’s intense. It is tragedy. But there are so many loving moments to balance that.” After trying since the mid‘90s to produce a ballet about Tchaikovsky the man, and never feeling that the time was right,
Angelini said he finally felt that this time—when more conversations about marginalized communities are taking place in Tulsa and around the world—it could work. “We want this piece to instigate an exchange of ideas,” he explained. “At the end of the day, who fits in? Definitely not people like me, a guy growing up in a middle class neighborhood in Naples, with a dad who was making a living as a ballet dancer, and myself being a ballet student. Could it be that most people don’t really fit in the very narrow mold of society? Could it be that everybody tries very hard to fit the mold? And at what personal and emotional and societal price? “Is it possible that society needs people that don’t fit in, because those are the people who think outside the box and create new molds?” Angelini continued. “Could it be that a country whose life depends on innovation needs them? Those, and many more, are the questions I hope to generate in our community by raising the curtain on the life of Tchaikovsky.” Tulsa Ballet consistently programs work that brings classical tradition into conversation with contemporary issues. By putting its resources and talents forward in the service of real human questions, the company insists that this art, like any other, is an essential player in a healthy community. Beauty and elegance, yes. But heart and vision, too. a
TCHAIKOVSKY: THE MAN BEHIND THE MUSIC Tulsa Performing Arts Center March 29–31 Tickets at 918.749.6006 or tulsaballet.org March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
Denim Doves April 12-20 • 8pm
Studio 208 • 308 S. Lansing Ave. Tickets available at https://squareup.com/store/atctulsa
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C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters Fellowship for Performing Arts March 28-31 Tchaikovsky: The Man Behind the Music Tulsa Ballet March 29-31 Brown Bag It: Cynthia Simmons Trio Tulsa PAC Trust April 3 American Dreams World Stage Theatre Company April 4-7 The Wedding Singer Theatre Tulsa April 5-14 Frank Abagnale OSU Tulsa Business Forums April 10 Sarah Parcak Tulsa Town Hall April 12
TICKETS @ TULSAPAC.COM 918.596.7111
MARCH 29 | 7 - 9 P.M. Free Admission Join us for a night of photos and fun featuring • A performance by Fabulous Minx • First look at Pulitzer Prize Photographs • Custom cocktails and more
THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
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ARTS & CULTURE // 29
bookworm
Rob Bell brings his show “An Introduction to Joy” March 30 to Brady Theater | RUSS DIXON
Seeking joy Rob Bell unleashes full-scale assault on cynicism by BLAYKLEE FREED
W
riter, speaker, theologian, joy-seeker— Rob Bell wears many different hats. His fans call him brilliant; his critics call him a heretic. The former pastor has written almost a dozen books, including the New York Times bestseller “Love Wins,” and his latest, “What Is the Bible?” In 2011, he was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time magazine. On March 30, Bell is bringing his “Introduction to Joy” speaking tour to Cain’s Ballroom. Bell talked to me from his home in Los Angeles about life, love, and the perilous state of Christianity in the age of Trump.
BLAYKLEE FREED: So I know you’ve been to Tulsa before because I actually was at your 2015 show at the Brady. ROB BELL: Oh man, that was my first time in Tulsa. I loved it. 30 // ARTS & CULTURE
FREED: Any fond memories of that show? BELL: Yes, I remember a serious love and warmth—because I had never been before, so when you go to a place you’ve never been before, if anybody shows up, you’re thrilled. I distinctly remember—these people, they’re ready. There’s a thing in the room, like a joy, a hunger, like everybody’s on the same quest. FREED: You were mostly talking about [how] the natural order of the universe is to come together and make something greater. … What does humanity coming together look like, particularly in America right now? BELL: What we now know is [in] the universe, for roughly 13.8 billion years, like bonds with like. … So when you think about racism, the reason why this is so disturbing to us is it’s the failure of like to bond with like. It’s going the opposite direction than
the direction the universe has been going to 13.8 billion years. So it’s not just that these things are wrong and immoral and unjust—at a deep physical, biological level, they violate how the universe, or even a human body, came to be what we know as these bodies in this universe. … I just want to say to everybody— you’re holding up a 13.8 billion year process. It’s so crazy. And then you also, you wonder what would have to happen for us to all to have something we have to come together again. FREED: Right. How do we get to that “Star Trek” utopia? BELL: [laughs] Yes, and theorists call it a super ordinate, which is an event or an issue or a cause that nobody is against. It’s something that literally unites everybody on one side, and these are the great questions we’re in the midst of. FREED: Do you still consider yourself an evangelical Christian?
Do you still identify with that in any sort of way? BELL: For me it was always about—what does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be most alive? How do you forgive people that have wronged you? How do you actually fi nd the inner resources to love your enemy? How do you figure out your path of what you’re here to do? … Whatever the word of the day is … why would you confi ne yourself like that? … I love the works of Ilia Delio, who’s [a] scientist [and] spiritual explorer. I love Eddie Izzard. For my reference point, it’s always all over the place, and I always found the Jesus path utterly compelling. … That word that you used earlier [“evangelical”] … people [ask], am I or am I not? It just seems like when it comes to matters of love, wouldn’t you want to be in whatever category is the biggest, widest, most expansive posture of love? March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
FREED: Identity is a really tricky thing because what people put upon you can be perceived as your identity but also what you’re trying to stake claim of for yourself is your identity … your story in particular makes me think about that. BELL: There’s a number of things that worked for people that don’t work anymore. When 73 percent of people who call themselves evangelicals vote for Donald Trump, that word is broken. It no longer works—and language has cycles, so words work for a while to name and describe and orient us, and then certain words lose their efficacy … so you have to be willing to walk away from them, set them down, give them a break, and you’re seeing that now. FREED: Can you try to explain why there are so many white people who call themselves Christians who support [the Trump Administration’s] very un-Christlike policies? What’s going on right now with this group of people? BELL: If you think about how healing conscious has worked over the span of our species, when there is disruption or trauma or loss or any sort of event that causes disequilibrium, human being generally respond in one of two ways: We either allow the pain of that disruption—that change, that transition, that innovation—we either allow that pain to break us open and we become alert and aware of new possibilities … or we dig in our heels and retrench and regress. There’s a large number of people for whom things have changed. The world is different. We are moving. We are connecting more with other tribes. Technology has connected us in unprecedented ways, and there’s a large number of people who are responding to the new world we find ourselves in. … They have dug in their heels and they have gone the other direction. And obviously if you are a candidate and you can play on those impulses, you can get very far down the road, which is why “the wall” has become such a loaded, almost iconic symbol. It’s speakTHE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
ing to a deep pattern in human consciousness, and it shows two responses. … the idea that somehow that impulse is linked with the Jesus revolution is just so absurd. You have to be just like— that is just, I mean obviously the word is ‘antichrist.’ This is the power of a tradition. Like the Hebrew prophets, like the prophet of Isaiah, there’s a whole section of writing … that has God saying to these religious people, I hate your festival. Your feasts make me want to vomit because you come here, you sing these songs and do these rituals, but you do not practice justice. … This acknowledgement: Sometimes the institution that assumes they’re the ones doing God’s bidding are actually in direct opposition to peace and love and justice. So this is actually not new territory. FREED: You say the Bible can provide this platform kind of a context for what’s going on today. BELL: Absolutely.
woodyguthriecenter.org
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FREED: Are you going to talk about that when you come March 30? BELL: The new tour is called “Introduction to Joy,” and it’s about lots of things … Where in your heart do you locate to place all the pain and suffering and loss of life, and how joy is found? I call it the wisdom after wisdom tradition … What does joy look like in a world where we have this many things that are broken and wrong? So it does actually introduce people to a particular wisdom stream that a lot of people aren’t familiar with that, to me, is so of the moment. And I’ve talked about how the tour is a full-scale assault on cynicism. And, how can you be free of cynicism when it’s everywhere among us? FREED: Well that’s about all I had. I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. BELL: I enjoyed it. FREED: Alright, we’ll see you in a couple of weeks
Tulsa || April April66 Tulsa GuthrieGreen Green Guthrie 111 E M.B. Brady St, St, Tulsa, Tulsa, OK 111 E M.B. Brady OK74103 74103 Site Opens: 8:30 AM Site Opens: 8:30 AM Walk Begins: 10 AM Walk Begins: 10 AM
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BELL: Fantastic—see you soon. a ARTS & CULTURE // 31
contactsheet
32 // ARTS & CULTURE
March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
AT WORK
by DERICO GREEN
My photos typically focus on the beauty of the mundanities in everyday life. Working full-time in the service industry allows me to access to witness the daily grind of Tulsa’s workforce and the beauty of those who keep the world going. I’m interested in the moments people behind the scenes get to themselves—and the ones they don’t. Those who relish in their work and others who are having a harder time of it. You don’t always know what’s going on in someone’s head, but I can personally say that it means a lot to be noticed for your labor, even if it doesn’t feel like much to you. a
Contact Sheet is a place for local photographers to share their projects. If you’re interested in submitting, write to voices@langdonpublishing.com. You can follow Derico at @toshiroparkwilliams on Instagram.
THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
ARTS & CULTURE // 33
sportsreport
The Drillers celebrate after winning the 2018 Texas League Championship | TIM CAMPBELL/TULSA DRILLERS
Title fight Drillers ready to defend 2018 Texas League Championship by JOHN TRANCHINA
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ith the mission finally accomplished, the Tulsa Drillers are swinging for an encore in 2019. After coming agonizingly close to winning a Texas League championship in 2017, leading the final series 2-0 before letting it slip away with three straight home losses, the Drillers spent the 2018 season fired up to finish the job. They did just that Sept. 14 by defeating the San Antonio Missions in three straight games to claim the franchise’s first league title since 1998. Tulsa will open the season with its championship defense on April 4 against the Arkansas Travelers at home on ONEOK Field. The Drillers will likely have a lot of familiar, playoff-tested players back this season, their fifth as the Class-AA affi liate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manager Scott Hennessey, who initially sparked the club’s run to the post-season when he took over in July 2018, returns for his second full season at the helm. “The players are looking forward to start the year off, defending their Texas League Championship, and hopefully we can do it again,” said Hennessey, who has
34 // ARTS & CULTURE
an overall record of 112-85 (.569) as Drillers manager. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. The Dodgers, they know how we go about it. They know our work ethic; they know how prepared we are; they know how we prepare the players—and I couldn’t be happier to be in Tulsa. It’s just a good fit.” Hennessey said his primary job is to help players improve to the point where they can contribute to the parent Dodgers and believes that the playoff success just further contributes to that process. “I think it’s really valuable,” Hennessey said. “We’re in this business to develop, but in my opinion, you just can’t flip a light switch on once you get to the big leagues and say, ‘Okay, you had your fun, now you’re expected to win.’ All these guys have won championships, at either Rancho or this level now, and for the Dodgers, we’re teaching these guys, not only how to win, but how to prepare to win. “From the mental side, you don’t change what you do,” he said. “We believe in what we do with our players in the Dodgers organization, and hopefully, we can do it again.” Hennessey expects to have a
number of players back from the championship squad. He expects Tulsa will have a formidable pitching corps, led by top Major League prospects Tony Gonsolin, Mitchell White, and Dustin May. “Three very high pitching prospects could start in Tulsa, and if they do, you’ve basically got three number ones, and they will be the strength of our ballclub,” Hennessey said. “Guys with power stuff, all of them have been up to 96-98 [miles per hour] in spring training, in big league games, and it will be really nice to have those guys.” White spent the entire 2018 season in Tulsa, while Gonsolin and May split the year between Rancho Cucamonga and Tulsa. May was actually the winning pitcher in the Game 3 Championship clincher. Hennessey also speculated about a number of key position players that he expects to be in Tulsa, citing Keibert Ruiz, Gavin Lux, D.J. Peters, Omar Estevez, Cristian Santana, and former University of Oklahoma backup quarterback Cody Thomas, as likely Drillers to begin the season. Ruiz and Peters each played in Tulsa all season, while Lux suited
up for both Rancho Cucamonga and the Drillers last year, hitting a home run in the Texas League final game. The others enjoyed strong seasons in Rancho Cucamonga. All of those players participated in the Dodgers’ main spring training in February and March, mingling with the big league squad’s stars and playing in their exhibition games. That can only have a positive impact on them when they get to Tulsa, especially seeing the pathway to the majors exemplified by Drillers-turned-Dodgers like Cody Bellinger, Walker Buehler, Caleb Ferguson, Dennis Santana, and others. “I think it’s experience that the players are getting, just seeing how hard [the Major Leaguers] are working and how prepared they are getting for a game,” Hennessey said. “It’s great for those guys to see. We graduated those [former Drillers]—that’s our job. We want you here, but we don’t want you here long … Just get them better, move them on and hopefully, they get to Dodger Stadium and become a productive big leaguer for a long period of time.” a March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
30
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THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
ARTS & CULTURE // 35
MARCH MADNESS March Madness returns to Tulsa as the BOK Center hosts games in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament. The action begins with free-to-spectate practice sessions throughout the day on Thursday, March 21, and continues with Round 1 games on Friday, March 22 and Round 2 games on Sunday, March 24.
ROUND 1 SCHEDULE, 3/22: 12:30 P.M. Texas Tech vs. Northern Kentucky 3 P.M. Buffalo vs. Arizona State or St. Johns 6:20 P.M. Houston vs. Georgia State 8:50 P.M. Iowa State vs. Ohio State Aside from the BOK Center, Tulsa’s biggest college hoops watch party will be Elgin Park’s Basketball & Brews Block Party.
AUTHOR
FILM
Award-winning graphic novel and comics author Mariko Tamaki will discuss feminism in the world of comic books. Mar. 20, 7 p.m., Central Library’s Pocahontas Greadington Learning & Creativity Center, tulsalibrary.org
Elizabeth Weitzman, author of “Renegade Women in Film & TV,” will introduce a screening of Ida Lupino’s 1953 noir, “The Hitch-Hiker.” Mar. 28, 6 p.m., Circle Cinema, circlecinema.com
AUTHOR
ON STAGE
Tulsa Native and Scientific American editor Katherine Harmon Courage will discuss her book, “Cultured: How Ancient Foods Can Feed Our Microbiome.” Mar. 20, 7 p.m., Magic City Books, magiccitybooks.com
One of Satan’s senior tempters schemes to capture a human soul in this theatrical adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. Mar. 28–31, $59, John H. Williams Theatre, Tulsa Performing Arts Center, tulsapac.com
FILM
ART
New York Times Chief Film Critic A.O. Scott will discuss P.T. Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” before a screening of the film. Mar. 22, 6 p.m., $7–$9, Philbrook Museum of Art, philbrook.org
This month’s Gilcrease After Hours event will highlight the new exhibition “Pulitzer Prize Photographs” by Washington D.C.’s Newseum. Mar. 29, 7–9 p.m., gilcrease.org
MUSIC FESTIVAL
BALLET
OK Electric Festival celebrates electro-acoustic music with two nights of performances by Amanda Gookin’s “Forward Music Project 2.0” and more at Living Arts on Mar. 22 and Duet on Mar. 23. $7–$15, livingarts.org
Tulsa Ballet will present the world premiere of Ma Cong’s “Tchaikovsky: The Man Behind the Music,” a biographical work on one of ballet’s greatest composers. Mar. 29–31, $25–$105, Chapman Music Hall, Tulsa Performing Arts Center, tulsaballet.org
AUTHOR
CULTURAL FESTIVAL
Lawrence Wright, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Looming Tower” will discuss his latest book, “God Save Texas.” Mar. 27, 7 p.m., Congregation B’nai Emunah, magiccitybooks.com
The Raindrop Turkish House will host its annual Turkish Food and Art Festival. Read more on pg. 15. Mar. 30, 11 a.m.–7 p.m., turkishhouse.org
36 // ARTS & CULTURE
March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
BEST OF THE REST
Tulsa: A True Tragedy Book Signing // Author B. Marie will discuss her book on the massacre of Black Wall Street. 3/23, Greenwood Cultural Center, greenwoodculturalcenter.com Magic in the Old West: Oklahoma Author Brad McLelland // 3/23, Magic City Books, magiccitybooks.com Tase of the City Cooking Show // 3/23, River Spirit Casino, tulsaworld.com NUDE15: Gods and Goddesses // 3/29-30, IDL Ballroom, nudeartshow.com An Afternoon with Joe R. Lansdale // 3/30, Magic City Books, magiccitybooks.com Rob Bell: An Introduction to Joy // 3/31, Cain’s Ballroom, cainsballroom.com Slaughterhouse Five 50th Anniversary Marathon Reading // 3/31, Magic City Books, magiccitybooks.com
PERFORMING ARTS Ok, So Story Slam - Confesstions Pt. 2 // 3/28, Blind Buffalo Pour House, oksotulsa.com
The Brewery Comedy Tour // 3/28, Dead Armadillo Brewery, dabrewery.com Impractical Jokers // 3/29, BOK Center, bokcenter.com Daniel Van Kirk, Andrew Youngblood, Laura Cook // 3/30, Dead Armadillo Brewery, drillercitycomedy.com
Velly Vel Birthday Bash w/ The New York Kings of Comedy, Capone, Talent, Rob Stapleton, Mark Viera // 3/31, Greenwood Cultural Center, greenwoodculturalcenter.com Landry Miller’s Talk Show Incorporated w/ So Many Sequels, The Calamitites, Trever Carreon // 3/31, Nightingale Theater, nightingaletheater.com Puntasmagoria: Pun Competition w/ Wade McFarland, Ethan Sandoval, Katie Johnson, Titus Thompson, Niccolo Birkitt, Jeff Brown, Brian Joseph, Nicole Miller, Shawn Singleton // 4/1, Rabbit Hole Improv, rabbitholeimprov.com Samuel Comroe // 4/2, Lorton Performance Center, utulsa.edu/sa
Fireflies: A Crone’s Tale Performance Night // Performances on womanhood and aging by Christine Booth Hawley, Deborah J. Hunter, Kim Doner, Lisa R. Stefanic, Vivica Walkenback, Jan Simpson, Claudia Sanders. 3/30, Liggett Studio, liggettstudio.com
SPORTS
COMEDY
ORU Baseball vs South Dakota State // 3/23, J.L. Johnson Stadium, oruathletics.com
Alex Elkin // 3/20/19-3/23/19, The Loony Bin, loonybincomedy.com Dusty Slay, Shawna Blake // 3/21, Duet, duetjazz.com Open Mic Night w/ Benji // 3/21, Renaissance Brewing Company, renaissancebeer.com Lyrical Smoke w/ De’Marrio Oates, Buddy Rodriguez, Sondra Slade, Jay Kincade, Andrew Deacon, DJ Afistaface, DJ Kylie // 3/21, Soundpony, thesoundpony.com Funny Makes Laugh // 3/22, Rabbit Hole Improv, rabbitholeimprov.com Tulsa Night Live // 3/23, Rabbit Hole Improv, rabbitholeimprov.com Wayne Brady // 3/23, River Spirit Casino - Paradise Cove, riverspirittulsa.com Puddles Pity Party // 3/24, Cox Business Center, bokcenter.com Landry Miller’s Talk Show Incorporated w/ Travis Guillory, Mike Gilliland, Jyl Johnson // 3/24, Nightingale Theater, nightingaletheater.com Andrew Deacon: Live Album Recording w/ Ryan Green, T.J. Clark, Shawna Blake // 3/26, The Fur Shop, facebook.com/ events/396200320944682 Open Mic // 3/27, Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577, facebook.com/ vfwcomedyopenmic Andrew Deacon: Live Album Recording // 3/27, Soundpony, thesoundpony.com THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
Send all your event and music listings to
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST
voices@langdonpublishing.com
924 S. Boulder
Blue Dome Social Club Rains On Your Parade // 3/30, Rabbit Hole Improv, rabbitholeimprov.com
American Girl Live // 3/28, Cox Business Center, bokcenter.com
Open Mic // 3/20, Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577, facebook.com/ vfwcomedyopenmic/
It is the SPIRIT that QUICKENETH; the FLESH profiteth NOTHING.
So we can tell everyone else
TU Softball vs OSU // 3/20, Collins Family Softball Complex, tulsahurricane.com
Church & Sunday School • 10:30am Wednesday Meeting • 6:00pm Reading Room • Mon. & Wed. • 11am-1pm
STUFF!
Spring Fever: A Group Show // 3/21-4/13, Joseph Gierek Fine Art, gierek.com
Mike Cronin, DJ Sandhu, Ben Moore // 3/27-30, The Loony Bin, loonybincomedy.com
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EASTER GOODIES PACKAGE $200 package includes gift cards for Honeybaked Ham, Queenie’s Cafe, Ida Red and Sweet Tooth! REGISTER BY MAR. 31 AT
thetulsavoice.com
ORU Baseball vs South Dakota State // 3/22, J.L. Johnson Stadium, oruathletics.com
Tulsa Roughnecks FC vs Tacoma Defiance // 3/23, ONEOK Field, roughnecksfc.com ORU Baseball vs South Dakota State // 3/24, J.L. Johnson Stadium, oruathletics.com 2019 Snake Run // 3/24, Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area, snake.run ORU Baseball vs Little Rock // 3/26, J.L. Johnson Stadium, oruathletics.com
Preservation Oklahoma is proud to advocate for the places where Oklahoma history lives. Tulsa is full of rich history with iconic structures that are worth saving.
TU Softball vs Memphis // 3/29, Collins Family Softball Complex, tulsahurricane.com ORU Baseball vs North Dakota State // 3/29, J.L. Johnson Stadium, oruathletics.com Tulsa Roughnecks FC vs Rio Grande Valley FC Toros // 3/29, ONEOK Field, roughnecksfc.com Tulsa Oilers vs Utah Grizzlies // 3/30, BOK Center, tulsaoilers.com TU Softball vs Memphis // 3/30, Collins Family Softball Complex, tulsahurricane.com ORU Baseball vs North Dakota State // 3/30, J.L. Johnson Stadium, oruathletics.com
Brookshire Motel
Griffin-Goodner Grocery Warehouse
J Paul Getty Bunker
Help preserve Tulsa's historic structures by visiting preservationok.org/advocate
Tulsa Oilers vs Utah Grizzlies // 3/31, BOK Center, tulsaoilers.com TU Softball vs Memphis // 3/31, Collins Family Softball Complex, tulsahurricane.com ORU Baseball vs North Dakota State // 3/31, J.L. Johnson Stadium, oruathletics.com
@PreservationOK #PastToTheFuture
ARTS & CULTURE // 37
musicnotes
Noir’s not dead Writer and punk pioneer Richard Hell talks film and music history by MASON WHITEHORN POWELL
R
ichard Hell has never been to Tulsa, but the city looms large in his story. During his early years in New York City, he became acquainted with the work of the Tulsa School of Poets that joined the second generation of the New York School—people like Ron Padgett, Ted Berrigan, Joe Brainard, and Dick Gallup. Hell learned from their verse as a young poet in NYC and would later publish a book by Padgett. “I got a whole lot of my education as a writer from my exposure to those poets when I came to New York in the very late 60s,” Hell said. “They were my main inspiration as I was starting out as a writer. They showed me the way to get out of the ideas of writing that were confining. That group from Tulsa was one of the largest impacts of any experience, as a reader who wanted to be a writer … The idea of Tulsa is really powerful in my mind. I think of this western, roughneck town. And it happened to have these poets that meant a whole lot to me, who came from there.” Hell is known for his writings—from early, self-printed poetry magazines to novels, criticism, and autobiography— and for making music that led the vanguard of the punk rock generation. As a founding member of the proto-punk band Television, Hell performed at NYC’s CBGB— before the Patti Smith Group, the Talking Heads, and the Ramones, all of whom were marked by Hell’s influence. In 1976, he formed and fronted Richard Hell and the Voidoids, whose seminal debut Blank Generation landed the following year. By this time, punk could not be stopped. 38 // MUSIC
(Top) Original theatrical poster for “Kiss Me Deadly” (1955) | COURTESY (Bottom) Author and musician Richard Hell | REBECCA SMEYNE
Famed promoter and manager Malcom McLaren even lifted Hell’s personal style and took it overseas to form the Sex Pistols in late ‘75, which has remained the iconic “punk” look. Hell’s writing and music concern the reality he encountered in New York during the late ‘70s and is imbued with a deep knowl-
edge of literature and culture. His influence on art is wide-ranging and uncontained by rigid categorizations like “punk musician” or “novelist.” One such example is his passion for cinema and fi lm criticism. He’s familiar with Jim Thompson’s dark visions of Oklahoma and refers to noir as “probably
[his] favorite fi lm genre.” The Bob Dylan Center is bringing Hell to Tulsa for a March 30 event at Circle Cinema, where Hell will introduce one of his favorite noir fi lms: Richard Aldrich’s “Kiss Me Deadly” (1955). Adapted from Mickey Spillane’s 1952 novel, the fi lm outpaces its source material both in darkness and intellect, as misanthropic P.I. Mike Hammer attempts to unwind a conspiracy. Hell appreciates the beauty of its cinematography, all done up in classic noir tropes: “nighttime shooting, a lotta squalor, violence, shadows.” Hell’s description brings to mind the “decaying underbelly” of NYC that inspired his music and books. But as he points out, the fi lm is set in Los Angeles and has its sunshine too. He describes it as “something eternal.” “It’s a quintessential noir,” Hell said. “There’s a few movies in the history of Hollywood fi lmmaking, movies by people that aren’t thought of as radically auteur, movies that are more like the Hollywood dream factory model of fi lmmaking, not so personal, but that turn out to be timeless masterpieces.” “Kiss Me Deadly” is not personal and is yet regarded as a piece of art—on the other hand, Hell set out to make music that was personal, music that expressed actual life instead of trying to please a certain demographic. Hell’s music was the catalyst launching the punk movement, from the sound of the bands he formed to his style and attitude. Once he let it out, on stage and on his albums, it was beyond his control. However, Hell wasn’t beholden to punk as an ideology, even before he retired from music March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
to write full-time in 1984. One example is his cover of Dylan’s “Going, Going, Gone” (from Planet Waves), on the Voidoids’ second and final studio album, Destiny Street (1982). While he doesn’t remember exactly how this came about, he assumes it was at the suggestion of Voidoid guitarist Robert Quine. Hell describes the attraction to covering Dylan: “I liked the idea of doing a Dylan song partly because there had been this thing in punk of— this classic rock and roll thing of young artists: ‘All the previous generations were idiots and we know better what to do,’” Hell said. “I understand that stance. I had enough of that myself. But I defi nitely thought it was time for some changes, it was a big motivation for me when starting a band, to change things. I did think that it was wrong and dishonest to pretend that a guy of the capabilities of Dylan would just be treated like a tired old guy who we’re better replacing.” In Hell’s 2014 autobiography “I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp,” he writes that Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home was one of the three albums he owned as a kid and played on repeat. “It was only later that I realized how important he’d been,” Hell said. “Because he brought an adventurousness and an amazing facility for language to his songwriting that was really fresh. You do have to look at the music that inspired him to find anything at that level … It was only after that moment was gone that I realize how valuable it was—that moment that Dylan was on the radio. But when I was a kid, it was like wallpaper, it was a part of your daily life.” The earnestness and virtuosity of Dylan’s music in the mid‘60s revealed, by comparison, the degradation of rock during the ‘70s. Things had changed for the worse, in Hell’s opinion, and it was then that he picked up a bass and switched to penning lyrics. His songs wouldn’t look back, rather he wrote what he knew and felt during that period. Hell describes early punk as “white urban folk music.” This description is not meant to exclude African Americans THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
from punk, he pointed out. (Ivan Julian, one of the founding members of the Voidoids, is black.) It’s to acknowledge that hip-hop developed in parallel with punk and should be recognized as an equally powerful form of contemporary, urban folk music. Just as both forms of “urban folk” were concerned with the harsher realities of life during the late ‘70s, the earlier iterations of folk that inspired Dylan dealt with other harsh realities, as his songs did in turn. Dylan stimu-
lates Hell on a macro level. He appreciates Dylan’s raw talent as songwriter, much more so than the revolutionary messages, which are frequently associated with Hell and punk as well. “It still amazes me that what was called ‘punk’ ended up having the impact on culture that it did,” Hell said. Hell’s own archives were purchased by NYU’s Fales Library in 2013. Like Dylan, scholars will be able to research his career, from the manuscripts of his early
poetry collections to drafts of his songs and books. In addition to his talk at Circle Cinema on March 30, Hell will also be spending some time in the Dylan archives, researching for his contribution to a forthcoming BDC project. Addressing this research opportunity, Hell brings to mind a gumshoe noir protagonist: “I’m really curious. It’s like being able to be a detective. To go down into the archives and see what I can suss out.” a
MUSIC // 39
musiclistings Wed // Mar 20
Sat // Mar 23
Bad Ass Renee’s – Esc Ctrl, Solid Ground, Alterblood, Spook Bound for Glory Books – Vangoons, Anchorway, Route 27, The Weddington Drive Cellar Dweller – Grazz Trio Coffee House on Cherry Street – Open Mic Duet – Dr. Eugene Chadbourne – ($10) Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – Wildfire Juicemaker Lounge – Jared Tyler Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Scott Pendergrass Los Cabos - Jenks – Rockwell Mercury Lounge – Beau Roberson Miami Nights – Tim Shadley & Edwin Garcia Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesdays River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Travis Kidd Soundpony – *Lovelorn, Sun Vow, Beta Betamax, Contra The Colony – Tom Skinner Science Project w/ Cary Morin The Vanguard – Electric Six – ($20-$40)
Bad Ass Renee’s – Carcinogen Daily, Destro, Devil Theory, Covered In Shit Blackbird on Pearl – Cary Morin – ($5) Blue Rose Caf_ – TC Love & Wendell Buckmaster Bull & Bear Tavern – Ashlee Elmore Jazz Quintet Cain’s Ballroom – *Junior Brown, Jacob Tovar – ($20-$35) Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – *Mark’s Big Seven-Oh! Bash w/ Dirty Creek Bandits, Hey Judy, Sloppy Joe Fiasco, Acid Queen, And Then There Were Two, Zoey Horner, Kevin Price Chimera – *The Lukewarm, St. Domonick – ($5) Duet – *OK Electric Festival w/ Amanda Gookin – ($15) El Coyote Manco – Los Inquitos del Norte, Regulo Caro, El Filly y sus Aliados Fassler Hall – *Verse and The Vapors Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Chad Lee, DJ Mib, The Shotgunbillys Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – Chad Lee, DJ Maverick Inner Circle Vodka Bar – DJ Feenix Lefty’s On Greenwood – Curt Hill Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Local Spin Trio Los Cabos - Jenks – House Party Mercury Lounge – Left Arm Tan, Doc Fell & Co. Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Michael Fields Jr., Phil Denny, Tea Rush, Spunky Adams Osage Casino Tulsa - Skyline Event Center – *Smash Mouth – ($25-$40) River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Stars River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Travis Kidd Soundpony – Pleasuredome The Colony – *Free Association, Adrienne Gilley, Carlton Hesston – ($5) The Hunt Club – Swimsuit Edition The Run – Smilin Vix The Vanguard – My So Called Band – ($10) The Venue Shrine – Curtis Roper Band, Indecision Whittier Bar – Darku J
Thurs // Mar 21 Blackbird on Pearl – Dynohunter, Colouradio – ($8-$10) Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – The Jelly Jam Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Scott Eastman, The Fuze Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – Cody Bryan, DJ Demko Juicemaker Lounge – Tori Ruffin’s Juicemaker Open Mic Jam Lefty’s On Greenwood – Brujoroots Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Daniel Jordan Los Cabos - Jenks – Scott Pendergrass Duo Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman Band Pearl Beach Brew Pub – Dane Arnold Renaissance Brewing Company – Open Mic River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – DJ 2Legit Soul City – Don & Steve White The Colony – Jacob Tovar’s Western Night The Colony – David Hernandez - Happy Hour The Hunt Club – *Ego Culture The Run – Zinners Jam The Venue Shrine – Lincoln Durham – ($15) Whittier Bar – Narco Alms, Infinite Crustacean
Fri // Mar 22 41 Brookside – Kevin Jameson American Legion Post 308 – American Strings Blackbird on Pearl – Electric Billy Club – ($5) Blue Rose Caf_ – BASSically SAX Brady Theater – Puddle of Mudd, Saliva, Trapt, Saving Abel, Tantric – ($28.50-$32.50) Bull & Bear Tavern – Hi-Fi Hillbillies Cabin Boys Brewery – Zac Copeland & Ben McKenzie Duet – Jared Johnson & Next of Kin - The Grapes of Wrath Project – ($8) Fassler Hall – *Alan Doyle, The Neighbor$, I Am Des, Heavy J Gypsy Coffee House – Isaac McClung Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Bobby Ray, DJ 2Legit, The Fuze Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – Lucas Gates, DJ Demko IDL Ballroom – PhaseOne – ($15) Juicemaker Lounge – FlyCityDJs Lefty’s On Greenwood – Smoochie Wallus Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Barrett Lewis Trio Los Cabos - Jenks – The Down Beat Mercury Lounge – Chris Welch & The Cicada Killers Pearl Beach Brew Pub – *Burn Tulsa w/ Branjae, Grazzhopper, Konkoba Percussion – ($10-$15) Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – The Earslips, Oceanaut, Cherokee Rose Retro Grill & Bar – Pitch Her Perfect, The Wise Men River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – FuZed River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – The Morgan Band Soul City – Susan Herndon - Happy Hour Soundpony – Flavio Cutatore The Colony – Grazzhopper – ($5) The Colony – Justin Bloss - Happy Hour The Hunt Club – Dante and the Hawks The Run – Ginger Grey The Starlite – Beta Betamax, Damion Shade, Kite Flying Robot The Vanguard – DJ Kylie, Darku J, Jonathan Troy, Nomad The Venue Shrine – Opal Agafia and the Sweet Nothings – ($10)
40 // MUSIC
Sun // Mar 24 Bad Ass Renee’s – Greatness Live w/ Brett As Is, JP Tha Hustler, Slyz Wicked & more – ($5) Cain’s Ballroom – Burn Co Barbecue Brunch w/ Dan Martin – ($15) East Village Bohemian Pizzeria – Mike Cameron Collective Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – Trett Charles Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Dave Kay Los Cabos - Jenks – The Fabulous Two Man Band Mercury Lounge – Brandon Clark River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Brent Giddens Soul City – Bruner & Eicher Soul City – Dustin Pittsley’s Blues Brunch Soundpony – Stone Mecca The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing The Colony – Singer Songwriter Open Mic Matinee w/ David Hernandez The Hunt Club – Ringos of Soul, A.H. Pierce and the Arrows, Giakob Lee The Vanguard – Unturned, Flashing Lights, New Time Zones, Midday Static – ($10)
Mon // Mar 25 Blackbird on Pearl – Open Mic w/ Zac Wenzel East Village Bohemian Pizzeria – Mike Cameron Collective Juicemaker Lounge – Open Mic Mercury Lounge – Chris Blevins Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – Chris Foster River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Morgan Band Soundpony – Go Ask About Me The Colony – Seth Lee Jones The Run – Jermey & Friends
Tues // Mar 26 Blackbird on Pearl – The Pearl Jam BOK Center – *Travis Scott – ($26.95-$129.95) Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic Juicemaker Lounge – Faye Moffett Lefty’s On Greenwood – Josh Westbrook Mercury Lounge – Wink Burcham
Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Depot Jazz and Blues Jams Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – *The Whiffs, Fabulous Minx, The Stiffies River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – FuZed Soul City – Tuesday Bluesday The Colony – Dane Arnold & The Soup The Colony – Deerpaw The Run – Campfire The Vanguard – Julia Michaels, Billy Raffoul, Whitney Fenimore – ($20-$50)
Wed // Mar 27 Blackbird on Pearl – *Mike Dillon Band – ($7-$10) BOK Center – *Weezer, Pixies, Basement – ($22$128) Cain’s Ballroom – Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime, The Stylees, SocietySociety – ($15-$35) Cellar Dweller – Grazz Trio Coffee House on Cherry Street – Open Mic Duet – Pat Kelley – ($5) Fassler Hall – *BOT Celebration w/ Jared Tyler & Seth Lee Jones Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – Asphalt Cowboys Juicemaker Lounge – Jared Tyler Los Cabos - Jenks – Caleb Fellenstein Mercury Lounge – Beau Roberson Miami Nights – Tim Shadley & Edwin Garcia New Era: Fine Fermentations – *Bandelier Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesdays River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Travis Kidd The Colony – Tom Skinner Science Project The Venue Shrine – Trout Steak Revival, Grazz Trio – ($7)
Thurs // Mar 28 Bad Ass Renee’s – Pittersplatter, Had Enough Cain’s Ballroom – *Death Grips – ($25-$40) Duet – Shelby Eicher – ($5) Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Dante Schmitz, Station 9D Hard Rock Casino - The Joint – 3 Doors Down – ($39-$59) Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – Tracy Lawrence, DJ Demko Juicemaker Lounge – Dane Arnold & The Soup Lefty’s On Greenwood – Mary Cogan Los Cabos - Jenks – Brent Giddens Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman Band Pearl Beach Brew Pub – Jamey Hooper River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – DJ 2Legit Soul City – The Begonias Soundpony – DJ $ir Mike The Colony – Jacob Tovar’s Western Night The Colony – David Hernandez - Happy Hour The Hunt Club – Songswappers The Run – Zinners Jam The Venue Shrine – Groovement, Aaron Kamm & The One Drops – ($10) Vox Pop Tulsa – Danike and Jeb, Jacob Tovar
Fri // Mar 29 American Legion Post 308 – The Birdsongs Blackbird on Pearl – *Oceanaut, American Shadows, Strothers – ($5) Cabin Boys Brewery – Chris Blevins Cain’s Ballroom – Pat Green, Allie Colleen – ($35-$45) Duet – *Bill Frisell Trio – ($45) Dusty Dog Pub – James Groves Band Fassler Hall – DJ A Dre Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Kalo, DJ 2Legit, Hook Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – Chas Collins, DJ Phluf Juicemaker Lounge – FlyCityDJs Lefty’s On Greenwood – Faye Moffett Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Rockwell Los Cabos - Jenks – Honey Badger Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – Flock of Pigs, The Neighbor$, Freestyle Funk Jam River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Hi-Fidelics River Spirit Casino - Paradise Cove – Paquita la del Barrio & Angela Aguilar – ($55-$70) River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Blake Turner Soul City – Susan Herndon - Happy Hour Soundpony – NuBlvckCity
The Colony – Pilgrim The Colony – Justin Bloss - Happy Hour The Hunt Club – The Agenda The Run – Sticks & Stones The Vanguard – Dead Metal Society – ($10-$20) The Venue Shrine – Mountain Sprout, Skytown – ($8)
Sat // Mar 30 Bad Ass Renee’s – Mudd Flux, Threatpoint, Silver Tonge Devil, A Special Case Blackbird on Pearl – Brian Parton, Soul Surferos, Soapbox Okies – ($5) Brady Theater – NEEDTOBREATHE, Sean McConnell – (SOLD OUT) Bull & Bear Tavern – Disco Slice Duet – OSU Jazz Faculty Quartet ft. Vince DiMartino – ($10) El Coyote Manco – Cardenales de Nuevo Leon, Los Invasores de Nueo Leon, Los Ligaditos, Los Tercos Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Barrett Lewis, DJ Mib, FM Live Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – Travis Gibson, DJ Maverick Juicemaker Lounge – Adam & Chris Carroll Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Scott Pendergrass Trio Los Cabos - Jenks – Doctors of Replay Louie’s Grill & Bar – Jake Karlik Mercury Lounge – TGTG River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Jesse Joice River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Ayngel & John Soundpony – *Steph Simon The Colony – Hosty The Hunt Club – Rosy Hips The Run – Creeler The Vanguard – Our Last Night, Fight The Fade, ModernMyth – ($17-$35) The Venue Shrine – Kore Rozzik, Thousand Years Wide, Harnish, McCuin – ($10)
Sun // Mar 31 Gypsy Coffee House – Ellisa Sun Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – Wayne Garner Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Steve Liddell Los Cabos - Jenks – The Fabulous Two Man Band Mercury Lounge – Brandon Clark River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Brent Giddens Soul City – Bruner & Eicher Soul City – Dustin Pittsley’s Blues Brunch Soundpony – DJ Noname - Happy Hour The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing The Colony – Singer Songwriter Open Mic Matinee w/ David Hernandez The Fur Shop – Clay Norvell and Jorge Torrico The Starlite – *Jhohn Arlie, Eric Strauss The Vanguard – Spoken, Awake at Last, Arjuna – ($10) Welltown Brewing – Beachfriends – ($5)
Mon // Apr 1 Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective Juicemaker Lounge – Open Mic Mercury Lounge – Chris Blevins Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – Chris Foster River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Morgan Band The Colony – Seth Lee Jones The Run – Jermey & Friends The Vanguard – Dreamhouse, Sophia Massad, Lilac Kings, Lighs of Alora – ($10)
Tues // Apr 2 Blackbird on Pearl – The Pearl Jam Cain’s Ballroom – Rusko, Nitti Gritti, DJ Jesse Strange – ($20-$25) Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic Juicemaker Lounge – Faye Moffett Mercury Lounge – Wink Burcham Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Depot Jazz and Blues Jams River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – FuZed Soul City – Tuesday Bluesday The Colony – Dane Arnold & The Soup The Colony – Deerpaw The Run – Campfire
March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
MUSIC // 41
onscreen
There will be criticism Q&A with New York Times film critic A.O. Scott by JEFF HUSTON
W
e’re all critics. Or at least we should be. That’s the working philosophy of A.O. Scott, the chief fi lm critic at The New York Times and author of the book “Better Living Through Criticism.” He will be in Tulsa at the Philbrook Museum of Art on Fri., March 22, to speak at a special 6 p.m. screening of “There Will Be Blood,” P.T. Anderson’s 2007 epic that he and fellow Times critic Manohla Dargis named the Best Film of the 21st Century so far. In anticipation of that event, I talked with Scott by phone to discuss criticism as a way to engage life along with other issues trending recently in the world of fi lm.
JEFF HUSTON: Before we dive in— you’ve spoken in Tulsa a couple of times before. A.O. SCOTT: Yes, I’m a big fan of Tulsa. My wife’s sister and brother-in-law live there. Visiting family is the hidden agenda of the trips. But I’ve had a really good time there: in the arts district, at the theater (Circle Cinema), and I’m looking forward to the event at the Philbrook for “There Will Be Blood.” It’s a movie that pays endless dividends, so it’s worth talking about and thinking about, along with anything else that people who come out want to talk about. HUSTON: Your book “Better Living Through Criticism” is a defense of living critically—not as a disposition but, rather, as a discipline. Could you nutshell that philosophy for us? SCOTT: Well, criticism is part of our experience, part of the way 42 // FILM & TV
HUSTON: People often disparage critics by saying, “What right does a critic have to criticize a work of art? Who are they to say?” But to me, since art is itself criticism, that’s the equivalent of saying, “What right did Mike Nichols have to make “Primary Colors” since he never ran for President?” Or what right did Kubrick have to make “Dr. Strangelove” since he’d never been in a war room?
New York Times film critic, A.O. Scott | CARMEN HENNING
that we think and talk. My interest wasn’t to defend criticism as a particular profession but as a way of looking at the world. If art and culture matter to us, if they make our experiences as human beings meaningful, it’s worth thinking about why they’re meaningful, and how they’re meaningful. HUSTON: One way you put it in your book is that criticism is not art’s enemy but art’s defender. SCOTT: Yes, exactly. People often think of criticism—at least how critics practice it—as hostile to art. Or that criticism is opposed to creativity or to the enjoyment of art. But I would say that criticism is the name for the experience of our enjoyment. By judging works of art, by thinking about them, arguing about them, that’s what I mean when I say that we should all be critics. We should always keep that process alive, and not always settle into our own tastes and assumptions and ideas. HUSTON: One of my favorite quotes from your book is, “A work of art itself is a piece of crit-
icism.” I doubt that many people view art as criticism, but only as the victim or recipient of it. Unpack that idea a little bit. SCOTT: I think there are two ways of looking at it. One, that art is an act of interpretation; it’s in critical relation to reality. But in a narrower sense, people who become artists are almost always drawn to it because they’re interested in some other example of it. As a kid, Martin Scorsese spent so much time in theaters, and he got the idea that maybe he could do something like that, or something different, but it gave him some inspiration and something to work with. Or Keith Richards and Mick Jagger listening to blues records. One of the ways that art renews itself is that new artists come along and see what has come before them and have to figure out how to make room for what they want to do. Sometimes it’s imitating the past, sometimes it’s breaking with the past, but it’s always engaged with the work that has come before. That is fundamentally a critical position.
SCOTT: Yes, exactly. And that’s one of the great things about the human imagination: We all judge things, all the time. If you walk out of whatever movie it is and turn to your friend and say, “Wow, that was terrible,” who are you to judge that? But that’s the whole point. Critics might have a louder megaphone or bigger platform, but fundamentally it’s the same thing. It’s what we’re all doing. HUSTON: You’re a student of criticism, of many fields and disciplines dating back centuries. You cite many examples in your book. What have you learned from being so literate in criticism? SCOTT: The thing I’ve learned most is that it really is a matter of the critic’s voice more than the critic’s opinions. Susan Sontag is one of the most brilliant and demanding and knowledgeable and consistently wrong critics that I can think of, but she’s an amazing writer. I go back to her again and again to be in the presence of that voice, to watch her think. I find this true of other critics I admire, the sense of being in the presence of an interesting thinker. HUSTON: How would you assess the current state of fi lm criticism right now? March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
the power to shake us out of our complacency. Not necessarily changing our opinions but getting us to think in a different register. The more we have of that, the better.
SCOTT: It’s in an interesting state because there’s a move among younger critics and some digital publications to break down some of the disciplinary boundaries. In the past, critics have stayed in their own lane. I think that younger critics are more interested in using their writing to engage more broadly in a cultural criticism. This has some advantages and some disadvantages. It’s interesting to talk about how a movie reflects the culture right now, whether it’s about politics or gender or race or other hot topics. What is sometimes missing, though, is a sense of history, a history of a particular art form. A movie is not just a reflection or an artifact of the present; it’s part of a longer continuum of an art form. In the same way, a lot of criticism right now is very political, and that, too, I have mixed feelings about. The political interpretations of movies can just drown out everything else.
HUSTON: Your top three film critics not named Roger Ebert or Pauline Kael. Who would they be? SCOTT: Otis Ferguson, who wrote for The New Republic in the late 30s, early 40s, then died in the war. Vincent Canby, my predecessor at the New York Times, who I think is under-appreciated. And finally, another predecessor, and based upon a kind-of-crazy book: Renata Adler. She only had a yearlong tenure at the Times in 196869. It did not go well for her or for the paper, but it led to a wonderful book, “A Year in the Dark.” HUSTON: And to close, a threepart question: what should people watch, read, and listen to? Let’s start with watch.
HUSTON: Why isn’t there a market for TV criticism like the old Siskel & Ebert show? Couldn’t it be on Netfl ix or Amazon or Hulu? Or is fi lm criticism simply too ubiquitous right now? SCOTT: I think that might be part of it. It might be too ubiquitous, but it also might be too perishable. Streaming platforms want something that can stay around, that’s archivable. Archivable content is at a premium. Streaming platforms are also invested in their algorithmic models, and criticism is the enemy of the algorithm. HUSTON: So, shifting gears: Spielberg vs. Netfl ix, and this debate about if fi lms on streaming platforms should be eligible for Oscars. Where do you stand on all of it? The best example about my concerns regarding Netfl ix is the movie “Moonlight.” If that had debuted on Netfl ix then we never would’ve heard about it, it never would’ve won Best Picture, and we still may not have heard about Barry Jenkins, its director. SCOTT: I think that’s exactly true, and I think the way that Netfl ix treated “Roma” proves that. They sent it to major festivals. They did a version of a theatrical rollout. THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
SCOTT: Any fi lm by Luchino Visconti. He’s one of my top-five fi lmmakers. Of all the great Italian directors, to me he’s the greatest. A true poet of the cinema. HUSTON: What should people read?
Scott will be in Tulsa for a special screening of “There Will Be Blood” on March 22 at Philbrook Museum of Art. | COURTESY
But I have mixed feelings about this. Netfl ix also acquires a lot of other fi lms, they put them up on the platform, and they disappear into the cloud. They don’t become a part of the cultural conversation. Whether a movie is playing at home or in a theater is less important than if a fi lm has a chance to enter the cultural bloodstream. HUSTON: Regarding this year’s awards season, the toxicity of our national political conversation seeped into the Oscar bubble. Have we passed along our bad habits? SCOTT: There is that danger. There is so much anger out there, and manifestations of that anger will attach themselves to anything that
comes along. I thought this was a very politically fraught Oscar year, and an interesting polarization within the Academy. In particular, the split between “Green Book” and “BlacKkKlansman” for the two screenplay awards was quite fascinating, from the point of view of cultural analysis. HUSTON: On a more positive note: in your book you say that, “Art frees our minds. Criticism lets us figure out what to do with that freedom.” Unpack that thought a little bit more. SCOTT: I remain idealistic about art. Whatever the awfulness or contentiousness of our political circumstances, the power of the human imagination is an extraordinary thing. A work of art has
SCOTT: “The Privileges” by Jonathan Dee. Fantastically readable, it’s a shrewd picture of wealth and its consequences. It says a lot about where things are now and how they got here. Plus, it’s short and it’s funny. HUSTON: And finally, what should people listen to? SCOTT: Cardi B! And that’s sincere. For some reason, I don’t know why, but my Apple playlist goes back-and-forth between Warren Zevon and Cardi B. HUSTON: What’s that algorithm? SCOTT: I don’t even know. Who could’ve predicted? HUSTON: Thank you so much for the generosity of your time and your thoughts. SCOTT: It’s been great talking with you. a FILM & TV // 43
onscreen
A BRIEF RUNDOWN OF WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE CIRCLE CINEMA
OPENING MARCH 22 GLORIA BELL Julianne Moore stars as a new divorcee who strikes up a relationship with a man she meets at an L.A. nightclub (John Turturro). From Academy Award-winning Chilean director Sebastián Lelio (“A Fantastic Woman”). Rated R. Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse in “Five Feet Apart” | COURTESY
STAR-CROSSED BUMMER
A saccharine tearjerker can’t escape the clichés DAVID FINCHER, THE DARK MIND BEHIND such uplifting films as “Seven” and “Fight Club,” once said that over time, every love story becomes a tragedy. In the new romantic weeper “Five Feet Apart,” about two starcrossed teenagers who suffer from cystic fibrosis, time is of the essence and tragedy becomes a matter of inches. Haley Lu Richardson plays Stella, your typical Gen-Z teenager. She spends her days live-streaming uplifting insights into her daily routine, tinkering with coding apps, and talking about boys with her friends—all from within the confines of her hospital room. Stella suffers from cystic fibrosis (CF), a debilitating genetic disorder resulting in frequent lung infections. Treatment for cystic fibrosis includes a battery of painful surgeries, breathing exercises, and lots of pills. There is no cure. Stella has taken up residency in the treatment ward along with a handful of other teen “CF-ers” including Poe (Moises Arias) Stella’s resident side-kick, and Will, played by Cole Sprouse—the former childactor-turned-heartthrob thanks to “Riverdale,” the gritty Archie Comics reboot. Will is the treatment ward’s newest resident. He skulks around sketching and brooding and rubbing Stella the wrong way. Personalities clash, and doomed, undying love ensues. Moises Arias as Poe has some of the more surprisingly emotional scenes, while ultimately falling into more tragic, albeit contrived, circumstances. The moody, sullen love-interest Sprouse often looks more like a living Edward Gorey character than your typical Hollywood hunk. But it’s Haley Lu Richardson who shoulders the dramatic load in this film, and she shines as Stella. Her range from “The Edge of Seventeen” to “Columbus” to last year’s “Sup44 // FILM & TV
port the Girls” has always been delightful to watch, and “Five Feet Apart” adds a new dimension to her repertoire. One of the film’s few strengths is in leaning into the gritty, handheld approach more akin to indie dramas than the saccharine gloss frequently deployed in the doomed love story genre—a choice that elevates the film from its more network-serialized drama style. And therein lies the rub with “Five Feet Apart”: It often transcends the expectations of its genre while remaining beholden to the formulaic contrivances of the tear-jerker precepts. “Five Feet Apart” never quite escapes the trappings of its melodramatic plot. Despite rare moments of genuine feeling and surprise, the film is littered with formulaic hiccups that come standard with the tragic love story. The central relationship between Stella and Will starts off rocky— even over-the-top corny at times—yet it’s a testament to the commitment of Richardson and Sprouse that elevates “Five Feet Apart.” The movie has its moments of transcendent emotion and heart-wrenching vulnerability. (I won’t lie: the theater got surprisingly dusty a couple times.) Plus, in the lead up to the inevitable glut of CGIheavy superhero fare summer has become dependent upon, “Five Feet Apart” is quite the compelling alternative. Sprouse and Richardson are deeply affecting as the doomed couple destined to never truly feel the power of each others touch, lest it kill them. And often the conflict between them is one of frustration from falling in love while never getting to share the intimate connection love affords—not unlike the experience of watching the movie itself. — CHARLES ELMORE
THE WEDDING GUEST A plan to kidnap a bride-to-be in Pakistan spirals out of control, taking captor and abductee on a wild journey. From director Michael Winterbottom (“24 Hour Party People”), starring Dev Patel (“Lion”, “Slumdog Millionaire”). Rated R. THE IRON ORCHARD In 1939, a young man rises from the brutal oilfields of West Texas to become a risk-taking oil drilling wildcatter. Rated R. RUBEN BRANDT, COLLECTOR In this uniquely animated film, a psychotherapist strikes a plan to help cure himself of nightmares inspired by famous works of art: he employs four of his patients who are expert thieves to help him steal the art from famous museums. Rated R.
OPENING MARCH 29 TRANSIT A man flees Nazi-occupied France under the identity of a dead author, only to meet the author’s wife who—assuming her husband is missing—is searching for him. A German and French language film, based on Anna Segher’s 1942 novel. Rated R.
SPECIAL EVENTS THE JUNIPER TREE (1990) Two sisters struggle to build a new life after their mother is burned by
a witch, in a stark black-and-white retelling of stories from Grimm’s Fairytales. At 24 years old, singer Bjork’s film debut won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival. 4K restoration. $10 admission. (Sat. March 23, 9:30 p.m.) RESILIENCE This hour-long documentary studies the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) and new ways to treat and prevent toxic stress. A post-film discussion will follow. Presented by the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy. (Thurs. March 28, 6 p.m.) THE HITCH-HIKER: RENEGADE WOMEN IN FILM EVENT In celebration of Women’s History Month, author and film critic Elizabeth Weitzman introduces a special restoration of 1953’s “The HitchHiker,” the first film noir directed by a woman, Ida Lupino. Weitzman will be signing copies of her book “Renegade Women In Film & TV” starting at 6 p.m. $10 admission. $8 Circle Members. Sponsored by the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture. (Thurs. March 28, 7 p.m.) VHS & CHILL: BARGAIN BIN The Circle opens its vault of VHS tapes and the audience votes on what is played. $10 admission. $8 Circle Members. (Fri. March 29, 9 p.m.) KISS ME DEADLY (1955) A digital restoration of a landmark film noir, director Robert Aldrich brings this pulpy Mike Hammer crime thriller to life with parallels to Cold War era paranoia. Introduced by punk music icon Richard Hell, in conjunction with The Bob Dylan Center. $12 admission. (Sat. March 30, 8 p.m.)
March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
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FILM & TV // 45
free will astrology by ROB BREZSNY
ARIES
(MARCH 21-APRIL 19):
During the coming weeks, everything that needs to happen will indeed happen only if you surprise yourself on a regular basis. So I hope you will place yourself in unpredictable situations where you won’t be able to rely on well-rehearsed responses. I trust that you will regard innocence and curiosity and spontaneity as your superpowers. Your willingness to change your mind won’t be a mark of weakness but rather a sign of strength.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the animated kids’ film Over the Hedge, ten talking animals come upon a massive, towering hedge they’ve never seen. The friendly group consists of a skunk, red squirrel, box turtle, two opossums, and five porcupines. The hedge perplexes and mystifies them. It makes them nervous. There’s nothing comparable to it in their previous experience. One of the porcupines says she would be less afraid of it if she just knew what it was called, whereupon the red squirrel suggests that from now on they refer to it as “Steve.” After that, they all feel better. I recommend that you borrow their strategy in the coming weeks. If a Big Unknown arrives in your vicinity, dub it “Steve” or “Betty.” GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I urge you to locate a metaphorical or very literal door that will give you access to a place that affords you more freedom and healing and support. Maybe you already know about the existence of this door— or maybe it’s not yet on your radar. Here’s advice from Clarissa Pinkola Éstes that might help. “If you have a deep scar, that is a door,” she writes. “If you have an old, old story, that is a door. If you love the sky and the water so much that you almost cannot bear it, that is a door. If you yearn for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life, that is a door.” CANCER (June 21-July 22): Musician Carole Kaye is the most famous bass guitarist you’ve never heard of. Over the course of five decades, she has plied her soulful talents on more than 10,000 recordings, including gems by Frank Zappa, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Beach Boys. Twenty-seven-time Grammy winner Quincy Jones has testified that Kaye has written “some of the most beautiful themes I’ve ever heard in my life” and that she “could do anything and leave men in the dust.” I trust this horoscope will expand the number of people who appreciate her. I also hope you’ll be inspired to become more active in spreading the word about the gifts that you have to offer the world. It’s high time to make sure that people know more of the beautiful truth about you. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “When you want happiness, what are you wanting?” asks aphorist Olivia Dresher. The repeat of an event that made you feel good in the past? A sweet adventure you’ve thought about but never actually experienced? Here’s a third possibility. Maybe happiness is a state you could feel no matter what your circumstances are; maybe you could learn how to relax into life exactly as it is, and feel glad about your destiny wherever it takes you. In my opinion, Leo, that third approach to happiness will be especially natural for you to foster in the coming weeks. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): There are old traditions in many cultures that pay special attention to the first brick or stone that is laid in the earth to initiate the construction of a future building. It’s called a cornerstone or foundation stone. All further work to create the new structure refers back to this original building block, and depends on it. I’m pleased to inform you that now is a favorable phase to put your own metaphorical cornerstone in place, Virgo. You’re ready to begin erecting a structure or system that will serve you for years to come. Be sure you select the right place for it, as well as the best building materials. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Born under the sign of Libra, Ivan Kharchenko (1918–1989) was a military officer and engineer for the Soviet army. His specialty was disarming explosive devices before they detonated. Over the course of his career, he defused an estimated 50,000 bombs and mines. Let’s make him your patron saint for the coming weeks. Why? Because I suspect you
Place the numbers 1 through 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once.
NOVICE
will be able to summon a metaphorical version of his power: an extraordinary capacity to keep volatile situations from blowing up. You’ll be a virtuoso at waging peace and preventing strife. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): There was a time, less than a century ago, when pink was considered a masculine color and blue a feminine hue. In previous eras, many European men sported long hair, wore high heels, and favored clothes with floral patterns. Franklin D. Roosevelt, one of America’s most prominent twentieth-century presidents, sometimes wore skirts and feather-bedecked hats as a child. With these facts as your keystone, and in accordance with astrological omens, I encourage you to experiment with your own gender expressions in the coming weeks. It’s prime time to have fun with the way you interpret what it means to be a man or woman—or any other gender you might consider yourself to be. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): According to estimates by population experts, about 109 billion humans have been born on planet Earth over the millennia. And yet I’m quite sure that not a single one of those other individuals has been anything like you. You are absolutely unique, an unmatched treasure, a one-ofa-kind creation with your own special blend of qualities. And in my prophetic view, you’re ready to fully acknowledge and celebrate these facts on a higher octave than ever before. It’s high time for you to own your deepest authenticity; to work with extra devotion to express your soul’s code; to unabashedly claim your idiosyncratic genius. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): We don’t know as much about European history between the sixth and ninth centuries as we do about other eras. Compared to the times that preceded and followed it, cultural and literary energies were low. Fewer records were kept. Governments were weaker and commerce was less vigorous. But historians don’t like to use the term “Dark Ages” to name that period because it brought many important developments and activities, such as improvements in farming techniques. So in some ways, “Lost Ages” might be a more apropos descriptor. Now let’s turn our attention to a metaphorically comparable phase of your own past, Capricorn: an era that’s a bit fuzzy in your memory; a phase about which your understanding is incomplete. I suspect that the coming weeks will be an excellent time to revisit that part of your life and see what new evidence and insights you can mine.
MASTER
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Why do some American libraries ban certain books, ensuring they’re unavailable to local readers? The reasons may be because they feature profanity or include references to sex, drug use, the occult, atheism, and unusual political viewpoints. Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis is one of the most frequently censored books. Others are Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Beloved, by Toni Morrison, and The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. In my astrological opinion, these are exactly the kinds of books you should especially seek out in the coming weeks. In fact, I suggest you commune with a variety of art and ideas and influences that are controversial, provocative, and intriguing. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): At the age of 97, Piscean cartoonist Al Jaffee is still creating new material for the satirical Mad magazine, where he has worked since 1964. There was one 63year stretch when his comic stylings appeared in all but one of Mad’s monthly issues. I nominate him to be your role model during the next four weeks. It’s a favorable time for you to access and express a high degree of tenacity, stamina, and consistency.
What’s the thing you lost that should stay lost? What’s the thing you lost that you should find? t h i s w e e k ’ s h o m e w o r k // T E S T I F Y AT F R E E W I L L A S T R O L O G Y. C O M . 46 // ETC.
March 20 – April 2, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
THE FUZZ THE TULSA VOICE SPOTLIGHTS: TULSA SPCA
2910 Mohawk Blvd. | MON, TUES, THURS, FRI & SAT, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 918.428.7722
One-year-old AVERY is as tall as some adult humans on her hind legs! This curious 47-pound pup needs a tall privacy fence and no horses or livestock to tempt her into chasing. She would do best in a home without cats or other canines, where she can be top dog.
ACROSS 1 Big name in boots 4 Muslim pilgrimage 8 Some pancake places 13 ___ Heights (Six-Day War battleground) 18 Actor Julia 20 “O patria mia” opera 21 Former Israeli P.M. Ehud 22 Future seed 23 *Country club? (note each starred answer’s last word) 26 French city near Belgium 27 Major Spanish newspaper 28 1982 Hoffman comedy 29 Discombobulated 30 Some logical operators 31 Be in limbo 32 Ping-Pong surface 34 Entirely 35 Dominating, in gamer lingo 37 *National contest whose 2018 winning word was “koinonia” 40 Homer, to Lisa 41 Lloyd Bridges’ son 43 Designed dance, for short 44 Protein-rich beans 45 See 67-Across 47 Single-masted sailboat 49 “... ish” 51 *Ithaca-based Ivy League team 54 Hearty pastry 58 D&D, e.g. 59 Bar bill 60 “Jane ___” 62 “We got the OK!” 63 “Silent” prez 64 January gemstone
67 With 45-Across, “The Iceman Cometh” playwright 69 Hostel environment? 70 Louvre affairs 72 Caitlyn Jenner’s ex 74 Lion-logo studio 75 Bowie collaborator Brian 76 Most substantial, as a profit 78 *Fairy tale opener 83 Palindromic principle 85 Argentine expanse 86 Singer Morissette 87 Look for 89 Offensive Tweet option 91 Hit exactly 93 Palindromic explosive in 83-Across 94 *Rescue squad 96 Covered with foam 98 Palindromic holiday in 83-Across 99 “___ Fine” (Chiffons classic) 100 Maniacal Melville character 103 Great grief 104 Criticize repeatedly 106 Made, as one’s case 109 Back-of-thedictionary flower 112 Union station? 113 *Digress 115 Trooper automaker 116 Carlo who married Sophia Loren 117 Waffling commitment 118 When Hamlet dies in “Hamlet” 119 Slangy denials 120 Teen’s anxiety
Sweet ELOISE the orange tabby likes to be petted and lounge in the sun. The three-year-old tolerates other cats but would prefer to be the only one getting all the love in the home.
121 “SportsCenter” channel 122 Daily ___ (political blog) DOWN 1 Basic impulse 2 Highlander 3 *1605 conspiracy with an explosive name 4 Golf’s Bill or Jay (anagram of “aahs”) 5 Feel crummy 6 Matchmaking site available in Hebrew 7 Argonauts’ leader 8 “A likely story!” 9 Terrible actors 10 Round-tripper? 11 Light-colored brews 12 Plane’s domain 13 *California nickname, with “The” 14 “Ars Amatoria” poet 15 Rock music? 16 Gene mutations 17 Pine part 19 Get down pat 24 Laughably silly 25 Lawn roll 29 Boxer born Cassius Clay 31 FedExCup org. 33 Flower 35 Wide view 36 “Ain’t Misbehavin’” actress Carter 37 Seaside 38 Sailor of old comics 39 Angora or mountain animals 40 Med school grad, often 42 Chase competitor 43 Machine part 46 End to end? 48 Volleyball defense specialist 50 Stallion controller
52 8 1/2 x 11, for short 53 Solicit, as business 55 *Nuisance 56 Deep disgrace 57 One billion years 61 Small skillet 63 Half-___ (Starbucks order) 64 *Ancient drama group 65 NAACP or NCAA 66 Dictator descriptor 68 Mopey genre 71 Sheer 73 Like horror movies 75 H, to Herodotus 77 Maryland Big Ten team, informally 79 Accident scene VIP 80 Depilatory brand 81 Let enter 82 Id ___ 84 Silverware item 87 Dictionary directive 88 Savor the praise 90 Extend 92 Military landing spot (Abbr.) 94 Muscle malady 95 Female fowl 97 Archipelago near Fiji 100 Big bother 101 Skater Sonja 102 Second or sixth president 105 Be a couch potato 107 Newtborns? 108 Throw ___ (blow up) 109 Malik formerly of One Direction 110 Enthusiastic about 111 Dune buggies, briefly 113 Transcript stat. 114 Keg feature
The Tulsa SPCA has been helping animals in our area since 1913. The shelter never euthanizes for space and happily rescues animals from high-kill shelters. They also accept owner surrenders, rescues from cruelty investigations, hoarding, and puppy mill situations. Animals live on-site or with foster parents until they’re adopted. All SPCA animals are micro-chipped, vaccinated, spayed/neutered, and treated with preventatives. Learn about volunteering, fostering, upcoming events, adoptions, and their low-cost vaccination clinic at tulsaspca.org.
JUPITER is a giant goofball. This energetic 10-month-old loves to play and talk. At 72 pounds, he would do best in a home with children over 12 years old. Jupiter has heartworms, but SPCA will continue to treat him after he’s adopted.
UNIVERSAL SUNDAY CROSSWORD END OF THE LINE By Christopher Adams and George Barany, edited by David Steinberg
© 2019 Andrews McMeel Syndication THE TULSA VOICE // March 20 – April 2, 2019
YAHTZEE is loves everyone she meets and is eager to show off her toys to her many friends. She’s lived with other dogs and cats and would do well in almost any home. Yahtzee is 4.5 years old, weighs about 45 pounds, and she loves to be brushed.
3/24 ETC. // 47
THURSDAY
3.28
FRIDAY
4.05
SATURDAY
04.13
3 DOORS DOWN 8PM ACOUSTIC
THE BEACH BOYS
8PM
DIANA ROSS
8PM
TURN IT ON, TURN IT UP SCAN TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Schedule subject to change.
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Pleas e re cycle this issue.
3/11/19 2:16 PM