The Tulsa Voice | Vol. 5 No. 20 by The Tulsa Voice

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In Oklahoma, four in ten women experience some form of intimate partner violence. OK is ranked third in the nation for women killed by men in single victim-single offender homicides. Eighty-nine percent of the female victims were killed by maleL O O D nce c viole IZ B i t L s e Y m perpetrators. B do better, nses to

Respo have gotten earn o and l sa l d u o T t n e i Among mothers with children experiencing homelessness, ’s morerthan re mo but the 80 percent had previously experienced domestic violence. P18

74 percent of survivors report staying with an abuser for economic reasons.

30–50 percent of transgender people experience IPV in their lifetime.

8 2 0 1

Black women make up 13 percent of the U.S. female population, but account for 22 percent of domestic homicide victims.

R O B E O C T

One study reported a woman’s odds of experiencing intimate partner violence rose by 10 percent with each pregnancy.

Native Americans are two times more likely to experience rape or sexual assault. In 2016, the Oklahoma Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board found Tulsa County had the highest rate of domestic violence homicides in the state, with 26 cases resulting in 27 deaths. 85 percent of domestic violence victims are women.

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THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 – 16, 2018

CONTENTS // 3

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October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

EVERYBODY’S FACE P18

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon EDITOR Jezy J. Gray ASSISTANT EDITOR Blayklee Freed DIGITAL EDITOR John Langdon

BY LIZ BLOOD

We have a lot to learn from survivors of domestic violence—and our recent history

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Madeline Crawford GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Georgia Brooks, Morgan Welch PHOTOGRAPHER Greg Bollinger

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AD SALES MANAGER Josh Kampf CONTRIBUTORS Liz Blood, Matt Carney, Charles Elmore, Angela Evans, Barry Friedman, Mitch Gilliam, Destiny Jade Green, Jeff Huston, Lyndsay Knecht, Lynn Lipinski, Mary Noble, Deon Osborne, Mason Whitehorn Powell, Andrew Saliga, Brady Whisenhunt

The Tulsa Voice’s distribution is audited annually by

BY JEFF HUSTON

Inside the 2018 Tulsa American Film Festival

FIXUP TOWN P26

Member of

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The secret lives of Tulsa lights The Tulsa Voice is published bi-monthly by

1603 S. Boulder Ave. Tulsa, OK 74119 P: 918.585.9924 F: 918.585.9926 PUBLISHER Jim Langdon PRESIDENT Juley Roffers VP COMMUNICATIONS Susie Miller CONTROLLER Mary McKisick DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Amanda Hall RECEPTION Gloria Brooks

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In Oklahoma, four in 10 women have experienced some form of intimate partner violence. | DESTINY JADE GREEN

NEWS & COMMENTARY 7 UP WITH PEOPLE B Y DEON OSBORNE

28 TULSA / MEMENTO MORI B Y LYNN LIPINSKI

A citizen petition is Oklahoma’s best chance to raise the minimum wage

Poetry

TAKING ON THE BURGER KING

30 HEARTY LAUGHTER B Y MITCH GILLIAM

BY BARRY FRIEDMAN

Tim Gilpin’s quixotic quest to get to Washington

10 CHANGING HEARTS, GETTING FREE BY JEZY J. GRAY ACLU of Oklahoma educates voters on the power of district attorneys 74119 60.3

VOL. 5 NO. 20

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1 IN 3 WOMEN 1 IN 4 MEN

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DVIS HOTLINE 918-743-5763 74134 34.2

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FOOD & DRINK

12 CRAFTING A NARRATIVE B Y ANDREW SALIGA

In Oklahoma, four in ten women experience some form of intimate partner violence. OK is ranked third in the nation for women killed by men in single victim-single offender homicides.

Oklahoma Distilling Co. to open cocktail lounge, cidery, and meadery

Eighty-nine percent of the female victims were killed by maleL O O D ence IZ B estic viol perpetrators. BY L to dom er,

ses bett n Respon have gotten and lear sa

e to do in Tul Among mothers with children experiencing homelessness, more than re’s mor but the 80 percent had previously experienced domestic violence. P18

30–50 percent of transgender people experience IPV in their lifetime.

8 2 0 1

Black women make up 13 percent of the U.S. female population, but account for 22 percent of domestic homicide victims.

R O B E O C T

74 percent of survivors report staying with an abuser for economic reasons.

TULSA AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS P22

How (not) to watch the 2018-19 Thunder basketball season

TV & FILM

74108 36.3

74146 58.4

Domestic Violence & Protective Order Dispatch Calls per 1000 residents

74136 49.0

74132 14.4

One study reported a woman’s odds of experiencing intimate partner violence rose by 10 percent with each pregnancy.

32 FLAGRANT FOULS B Y MATT CARNEY

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74103 59.8

L ive at the Fur Shop compiles comedy for a cause

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ARTS & CULTURE

14 OKLAHOMA KETCHUP B Y ANGELA EVANS A vainglorious defense of ranch dressing

44 WORLD MUSIC B Y MASON WHITEHORN POWELL

‘ Far Western’ documents the surviving classic country tradition in Japan

MUSIC 38 ‘WE CAN TAKE YOU ALL’ BY LYNDSAY KNECHT Natalie Prass explores the relationship between ribbon dancing and resistance

40 ‘FROM COMPTON WITH LOVE’ BY MARY NOBLE iamDES serves up a bowl of hip-hop nostalgia

ETC. 6 EDITOR’SLETTER 34 THEHAPS 42 MUSICLISTINGS 46 FULLCIRCLE 47 THEFUZZ + CROSSWORD

44 OCCUPIED B Y CHARLES ELMORE

A small town confronts its dark past in ‘1945’

PHOTO ESSAY: FIXUP TOWN P26

ON THE COVER Tulsa World and Tulsa Tribune article clippings courtesy Tulsa World and Tulsa City-County Library. THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 – 16, 2018

CONTENTS // 5

editor’sletter

nita Hill was born in eastern Okmulgee County, in a rural community called Lone Tree, about an hour southwest of Tulsa. By the time she testified that she was sexually harassed by then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, she was a law professor at the University of Oklahoma, holding a bachelor’s from Oklahoma State in addition to her J.D. from Yale. Every region tells its own myth. Ours is that we’re hardworking and plainspoken—that we do the right thing, and we do right by our neighbors. Hill worked hard to get from Okmulgee County to the Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Washington, only to be verbally abused and humiliated by her boss until she left. Despite the risks, when Anita

Hill learned the same creep who forced a subordinate into disturbing sexual talk was about to be nominated to the highest court in the land, she stuck out her neck and did what was right. She spoke plainly about what happened, to protect her fellow citizens from an abuser on his way to becoming one of the most powerful people in the United States. Hill’s heroism embodies the mythical “Oklahoma Standard,” and we should all be proud to count her among our rank in this beautiful, stupid, wonderful, infuriating place we call home. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to appreciate her bravery as you absorb the current horror show and the residual trauma it may be churning up. I didn’t watch the live testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford,

because I was editing this paper you’re reading right now. Still, it felt like I was running a low-grade fever all day—which is basically how I’ve felt since Nov. 6, 2016, and how I imagine many women and survivors of abuse must regularly feel as they navigate a rotten system designed to discredit their experiences and dismiss their personhood. I believe Dr. Ford. I believe Anita Hill. I believe the dozens of women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexual assault, and I believe the more than 20 who have accused the sitting president. I believe the president, too, when he brags about a life of grabbing women’s genitals and kissing them without their permission. (“When you’re a star, they let you do it,” the billionaire reminds us and our families.)

RECYCLE THIS Plastic jugs & bottles

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Our cover story is by former TTV editor Liz Blood, whose data-driven plunge on the topic is absolutely essential reading (pg. 18.) I’m thrilled to print her work, so deep and clear and urgent, especially after admiring what she did with this paper for so long. To be able to share this story with you, during a moment as repulsive and full of opportunity as this one, is a very sharp honor. Nearly enough to break a fever. a

JEZY J. GRAY EDITOR

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6 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

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okpolicy

UP WITH PEOPLE A citizen petition is Oklahoma’s best chance to raise the minimum wage by DEON OSBORNE for OKPOLICY.ORG

THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 – 16, 2018

he minimum wage was established in 1938 to give workers fair pay for their labor. Yet, the value of the minimum wage hasn’t kept up with the rising cost of living, leaving many working families in poverty. Today, 28,000 Oklahomans make the federal minimum wage of $15,080 per year or less. This isn’t enough to live on—even in Oklahoma. While state lawmakers have not raised the minimum wage— even passing legislation preventing changes to local minimum wage laws—four other politically conservative states have passed minimum wage hikes through citizen petitions in recent years. A citizen petition may be low-income workers’ best chance to establish a livable, minimum wage. Initiative petitions allow citizens to create, change, or strike down state laws by gathering signatures to put a proposal to a statewide vote. Oklahoma was the first state to include a process for initiative petitions in its original constitution. Oklahomans have been filing fewer petitions in the last few decades, but the petitions that have reached the ballot have had a better chance of passing. From 1908 to 1978, citizen petitions that reached the ballot passed and became law at roughly 24 percent. From 1979 to July 2018, nearly 50 percent of citizen initiatives have passed, including three of the four on the ballot in 2016 and 2018. States as conservative as Oklahoma have raised wages through citizen petitions. In 2014, the same year Oklahoma lawmakers banned any cities or counties from raising the minimum wage, four other Republican-controlled states succeeded in using citizen initiative petitions to raise their minimum wages above the federal level of $7.25 per hour. Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota all voted to raise their wages to at least $8.50 per hour. While Oklahoma Representatives Jason Dunnington (D-OKC), George Young

(D-OKC) and Scott Inman (D-Del City) have each introduced legislation to raise the minimum wage in recent years, the dismissal of their proposals indicates that a citizen petition may be the state’s best bet for enacting a fair and living wage. Oklahomans deserve to be paid adequately and fairly for the work they perform. The period between 2007 and 2018 is the longest without a minimum wage increase since the first federal minimum wage law was created eighty years ago. Meanwhile, the cost of living has continued to rise. As a result, the minimum wage is worth less today than it was in 1968 when adjusted for inﬂation. Today, a full-time minimum wage worker can’t even afford a two-bedroom apartment at the fair market rate anywhere in the U.S. Furthermore, research from past minimum wage increases shows that a raise creates a ripple effect that positively impacts workers making up to 150 percent of the minimum wage. This means that even though minimum wage workers in Oklahoma represent only 3.1 percent of the state’s workforce, a minimum wage increase would benefit thousands more workers. Oklahoma’s state motto declares “work conquers all things.” We should reward workers for their labor, not punish them with sub-standard wages that leave them locked in poverty. Low-income Oklahomans are producing more but getting paid less for their important contribution to our state’s economy. Considering the recent successes of citizen petitions and the lack of action from state leaders, Oklahomans of all economic backgrounds should support a citizen petition to raise the minimum wage. a

Deon Osborne is an intern with Oklahoma Policy Institute (okpolicy.org). NEWS & COMMENTARY // 7

Taking on the burger king Tim Gilpin’s quixotic quest to get to Washington by BARRY FRIEDMAN First, the very long disclaimer: I have known Tim Gilpin, the Democratic candidate for U.S. representative in Oklahoma’s First District, for years. His congressional campaign consultant, Michael Whelan, is a friend of mine, as is the person actually running his campaign, Sarah Baker. I know Tim’s fiancé, Sarah Neal, as well, having worked with her here at Langdon Publishing. As for Tim, specifically—while we’re not close, he once introduced me to John Waldron, who is running in the State House District 77 race. He also tried to get me to do yoga once, bought me a salad at Tally’s, and invited me to his house in early 2016, where we watched in horror the first GOP presidential debate—the one where our current president wanted to know precisely from what hole Megyn Kelly was bleeding—so we clearly have a relationship. And we share the horror of the last two years. Of course Gilpin should be the district’s next U.S. representative, but not because I know him or like him, or because he is that transcendent of a figure—he is not. Gilpin is a 57-year-old white guy and a soft-spoken attorney, but he is also on the correct (and sane) side of all the issues. More to the point, his opponent, Kevin Hern, is a Trump fanboy. ‘Did you know President Trump loves McDonald’s?’ Hern wrote in the email to supporters. ‘His go-to order was recentl y revealed: two Big Macs, two FilletO-Fish (sic) and a chocolate malted shake! As a McDonald’s franchisee, I couldn’t be more excited to see that our President is a huge fan of our delicious food.’ 1 8 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

deniability. And there he is, Kevin Hern—beside Heath, also smiling, thumb up, pleasing daddy, looking like everyone else in the room: a well-trained seal. The only people who joke about “white power” are people not joking about it.

Tim Gilpin | ACE CUERVO

You could choke on both the diet and the bootlicking. Bored, arrogant, and wealthy, Hern thinks of political office as a bauble, convinced government needs his skillset—as if opening successful McDonald’s franchises speaks to anyone other than those opening McDonald’s franchises. Hern also doesn’t mind surrounding himself with white supremacists—or those just pretending to be. The cover photo of his campaign Facebook page (since removed) featured staff and volunteers—along with Raphael Cruz, Texas Senator Ted Cruz’s father, whom the president accused of being a co-conspirator in the assassination of JFK—as

well as Katina Heath, a local GOP party activist. In the deleted photo, she stands with her left hand positioned so her thumb and index finger touch in a ring with the rest of her fingers resting on her arm. For some, this is the sign of “white power”; for others it’s a way to troll liberals; for still others, it holds its traditional meaning as “OK,” or “asshole.” What is Heath is doing? Playing the ambiguity. “Maybe it’s racist; maybe it’s not,” her smile seems to be saying. “I’m so clever, aren’t I?” And that’s how a campaign says “F— you” to constituents about whom it doesn’t care, winking at white supremacists while giving itself plausible

Thing is, Gilpin, who is qualified and humbled by the office, is not going to win. As of August, he has been outspent—wait for it—20 to 1 by Hern2, and there is not a national poll that has OK-1 even remotely in play. Northeast Oklahoma is where registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats by about 90,000 and where former GOP Congressman John Sullivan wasn’t considered conservative enough3. If Oklahoma is in the Bible Belt, then the First District is where the zinc, copper, aluminum, and magnesium are poured to make the buckle. Gilpin knows all this, as does every other Democratic office holder, present and ex, who could have run and did not, including County Commissioner Karen Keith and former mayors Kathy Taylor and Susan Savage. So give Gilpin credit for running, though he is not doing this, he assures me, for moral victories. Not that Democrats here couldn’t use one. In 2014 and 2016, no Democrat challenged Jim Bridenstine. In 2012, John Olsen, a veteran, and only the most attractive candidate in Oklahoma at the time, lost by 31 percentage points to the now-NASA chief. You want a silver lining? The gubernatorial race between Democrat Drew Edmondson and Republican Kevin Stitt is about October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

even. If Edmondson is doing well statewide, he is doing well in Tulsa County, the second largest county in Oklahoma. Gilpin and Edmondson drink from the same well, so if Edmondson is gaining ground, Gilpin probably is, too. Still, for a Democrat to capture this seat, the blue wave needs to be a tsunami. In Gilpin’s stump speeches—I’ve seen two—he hits all the right notes, even if the music seems slightly off. He is cerebral, self-conscious to a significant degree, but he thinks women should have control of their own bodies; teachers should be paid a living wage; healthcare is a right, not a privilege; the minimum wage should be raised to 15 bucks an hour; there should be sensible gun control; little children should not be separated from their parents and dumped in detention camps; and the President of the United States is a loudmouth lout. I don’t need to have a beer with Gilpin. I need him to make sure Planned Parenthood stays funded, the EPA does its job, and someone at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue reads the Constitution once in awhile.

We meet for lunch. To talk to Gilpin is to hear him lapse into campaign mode from time to time, but he believes the obviousness of his campaign slogan, “Something’s gotta change.” “So, how do you plan on winning this thing?” I ask. “Politics are simpler than we think,” he says. “Feel it, see it, touch it. ” He is counting on people going to the polls because of how sensory the political dynamic presently is. “You energize the base that is energized by the dysfunction, chaos, and rudeness coming out of Washington. It’s all those folks in the middle who usually might vote R looking at this election and saying, ‘There has to be a better way,’” Gilpin says, again echoing another campaign slogan. “Because now their government, the ones they’ve been voting for for decades—candidates who have been saying, ‘I hate government. I hate how it’s being run’—well, now the government they hate, their government, is acting like a horse’s ass. And not solving problems.” THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 – 16, 2018

Gilpin sees the potential of government, its power for good, and recognizes the common ground. “Here’s what I need to win: energized Republicans, energized Democrats, energized Independents, and the wide swath of Republicans in the middle—” “Tim, please,” I interrupt. “There are 11 such Republicans, and there’s no wide swath. I haven’t met one yet who said, ‘If only I could meet a liberal in the middle and together we could find common ground on issues like guns or abortion.’ They have no desire to compromise. They won.” “Barry, stop being so cynical.” Occupational hazard. “It’s crazy that we continue to elect congressmen who are going to say the same thing and go to Washington to be an ideologue or a showboat and expect things to change,” Gilpin says. “My whole idea is—you go to Washington to do the work. You read, you make relationships, you study. I’m going to try to make things work. I’m not going to be an ideologue. We are living in an age of corruption and cruelty and where politicians are callously open to serving the special interests that elected them. We saw that in education, we saw that in taxes, we saw that in earthquake policy. How long did it take us to recognize Oklahoma was the earthquake capital of the country?” Thinking of Hern and Stitt, I ask: “Does the successful businessman model still work?” “Government is not a business. It’s not for profit. It doesn’t answer to a small board of directors or shareholders. It answers to everyone. You want it to run efficiently, but you don’t want it making money on prisons and schools and defense. “People are worried,” he continues. “They’re worried about education and roads and healthcare, and that worry drives people to the polls.” There is no talking politics anywhere, maybe especially in Oklahoma, without the pall of Donald Trump. “He was the impetus,” Gilpin says of his motivations for entering the race. “So, what’s the first thing you do if lightning strikes and you’re elected?” “When . . .”

“If,” I repeat. He tells me there are people he would keep from Bridenstine’s staff, good people who do an excellent job of constituent service. “Once the local and DC offices are staffed, the key thing is finding those education dollars that are there for Oklahoma. There are programs and grants for technology in the classroom, teacher training, and nutrition. We first need to identify it and then bring those dollars home.” “One of your strengths is you’re a wonk,” I tell him. “You’re not warm and fuzzy, which is fine, but you’re putting up the promise of increased education funding over GOP ideology? That’s a tough sell.” “What do you mean I’m not warm and fuzzy?” he asks, laughing. “People may want to have a beer with you, but you’re not warm and fuzzy—trust me. Does your message work without Trump?” “If Washington were this dysfunctional, yes. But I don’t think it’s ever been this dysfunctional.” “Are you saying, ‘Vote for me. It will be a vote against Trump,’ or ‘Vote for me. It will be a vote for schools and bridges and healthcare’?” “How about ‘Vote for me. I’m not crazy like the people in Washington.’ Look, we live in very vicarious times. Successful political leaders do not work on the far ends. We’re impressed by the extremes because they’re loud, but it’s all the people in the middle who are now rethinking things. They work for solutions that will help the most people. I know that’s not sexy, but it’s true.” “Is this election, 2018, the last chance to save the republic? Otherwise we turn into Turkey?” “I’m an optimist,” he says. “There is always another election. If they write on my tombstone that I was a good congressman, I’d be happy.” a

1) readfrontier.org: The McCongressman? Out-ofstate McDonald’s money flows into the campaign of Tulsa restaurateur Kevin Hern 2) opensecrets.org: Oklahoma District 01 2018 Race 3) ok.gov: Current Registrations Statistics by District

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NEWS & COMMENTARY // 9

community

Changing hearts, getting free ACLU of Oklahoma educates voters on the power of district attorneys by JEZY J. GRAY

hen it comes to putting people behind bars, Oklahoma stands alone. The state leads the nation in the incarceration of women, and was—until very recently—a close second overall. But after the passage of recent criminal justice reforms in Louisiana, the Sooner State has officially become the largest incarcerator on the face of the planet. This isn’t where anyone wants to be, but few organizations are taking action like the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma. Thanks to a grant from the national ACLU Campaign for Smart Justice, the nonprofit has launched a new initiative designed to bring stories and legal information about criminal justice reform directly to the people, with a focus on contested district attorney races, ahead of the upcoming midterm elections on Nov. 6. The civil rights organization will hold a forum around the topic on Oct. 16 at St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in Tulsa. In addition to hosting the two candidates for Tulsa County District Attorney, Jenny Proehl-Day and Steve Kunzweiler, the event will also offer the public a chance to hear directly from people whose lives have been upended by Oklahoma’s draconian criminal justice system. “We want to change hearts and minds about what justice means,” says Smart Justice campaign manager Nicole McAfee. “Most people know someone who has been incarcerated. It touches families. It touches friends. But there’s often such a stigma around incarceration—and talking about it can be really hard. “Part of what we’re doing is trying to create a platform for people to talk about how they’ve been impacted, and also for folks 10 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

Nicole McAfee | COURTNEY DESPAIN

who haven’t to learn what that looks like,” McAfee said. “The idea is to re-frame who we think of when we talk about people who are in prisons and jails.” The ACLU Campaign for Smart Justice aims to curb the country’s world-record incarceration rates, with the long-term goal of reducing prison populations nationally by 50 percent. To this end, funds were awarded to 10 states with high rates of incarceration and high potential for meaningful reform. The idea of this nationwide initiative is to enact change legislatively and through district attorney races by centering the issue of criminal justice reform in those elections. “Our plan is to work with people who have been incarcerated, to help them tell their stories of what it’s like to be over-prosecuted and have your life ruined by a district attorney,” said Alli Shinn, director

of external affairs for ACLU of Oklahoma. “Part of what we’re trying to do here is address why district attorneys so often run unopposed,” Shinn said. “They have this great amount of power over the lives of the people they ostensibly serve— but too often there’s no race at all, and if there is, criminal justice reform isn’t at the center of it.” Tulsa is one of the few Oklahoma counties where voters have a choice, as the reform candidate Jenny Proehl-Day squares off against Republican incumbent Steve Kunzweiler in the Nov. 6 midterm. As a nonpartisan organization, the ACLU does not endorse or oppose candidates as a general rule. (A notable exception came on Sept. 29, when the nonprofit announced its opposition to Supreme Court nominee Bret Kavanaugh, a rare step taken only four times in the ACLU’s 98-year

history.) The early stages of this new initiative aim to educate voters in counties with contested DA races on the outsized power of the office to prosecute and sentence defendants on the county’s behalf. “We know that after November, this person will have four years before we can hold them accountable at the ballot box,” McAfee said. “So we want to make sure people know how [the candidates] would run their office. For the next four years, we want make sure they’re doing what they said they’re going to do to change the face of mass incarceration in Oklahoma.” The goal is to transition into a statewide public awareness campaign, but for now the focus is on the counties of Tulsa, Payne, Logan, Hughes, Seminole, and Pontotoc. “There are only 8 out of 27 district attorney races where people actually get a say in who one of the most powerful people in the criminal justice system is,” McAfee said. “So that’s the starting point for our voter education efforts.” Its goals are ultimately electoral, but the real work of the campaign is about building relationships. “We believe the folks closest to the problem are closest to the solutions,” McAfee said. Since the people most damaged by the system often don’t have the resources to enact the reforms needed to change it, the goal of the Smart Justice campaign is to amplify those voices and make them a serious factor in district attorney elections. “Oklahoma voters are far ahead of a lot of our policy makers about the need for meaningful change,” McAfee said. She points to the success of State Questions 780 and 781, which re-classified many drug possession charges and directed savings to treatment resources. These voter-enacted reforms, if left intact by a October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

meddling-prone legislature, will relieve some of the burden on overpopulated prisons and overpoliced communities across the state. “That really gave folks some hope that with a continued effort we can change the narrative and prison structure in a way that shifts Oklahoma toward not only slowed prison growth, but actual de-carceration,” McAfee said. “People are ready to take action and do something that changes the system. The proof is at the ballot box.” The campaign director’s work, while community-focused, is deeply personal. When her little sister was six, she witnessed the rape of her best friend by an older boy. He threatened them both at gunpoint, promising to kill them and their families if they ever told anyone. “My sister went through several months of nightmares,” McAfee says. “We didn’t know what was wrong, until one day the sheriff knocked on our door and the story unfolded.” Over the next several months, McAfee watched as her young sibling was prepped for court by an overzealous district attorney who assured the traumatized child

that the boy would spend as much time in a juvenile detention center as possible. The fulfilment of that promise was supposed to be a comfort for the young victims of this brutal crime, but that’s not what it felt like to McAfee. “I realized that didn’t bring any justice to my sister or her friend,” she says. “It didn’t help the trauma they’d been through. It didn’t help the boy who committed this act. It didn’t address the trauma that brought him to do it, or the trauma he inﬂicted on other people. It really just kind of left me questioning how and why we call this justice.” That experience animates McAfee’s work on this bold new campaign. “It’s something I’ve lived with and thought about every day since then. Now I have the chance to lift up these broader discussions around how and why we incarcerate people, and why we continue to elect district attorneys who are more worried about their felony conviction rates than actually bringing real, restorative justice to the folks whose interests they’re supposed to represent. That’s what we’re trying to change here in Oklahoma.” a

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NEWS & COMMENTARY // 11

downthehatch

Crafting a narrative Oklahoma Distilling Co. to open cocktail lounge, cidery, and meadery by ANDREW SALIGA

here is a perception gap in the minds of imbibers. The difference between a local craft beer and a national brand is understood, but in the world of distillation, the term “craft spirit” is often used indiscriminately. Too frequently, the marketing teams of big brands are able to sway consumers with unregulated terms like “craft” and “small batch,” leaving a general haze about their meanings. Fortunately, Oklahoma’s latest craft distillery is soon to be better positioned to not only provide a level of transparency that is rare in craft spirits, but to educate consumers on their entire process. In just over nine months, Oklahoma Distilling Co. has launched a portfolio containing vodka, rum, two coffee liqueurs, four whiskeys, and a specialty spirit. Their distillery’s cocktail lounge is scheduled to open mid-October, followed shortly thereafter by an avantgarde cidery, Local Cider, along with a meadery, Angry Bear Honey & Mead. “We want every customer to have the opportunity to learn something as opposed to simply being a consumer of our products,” distiller Hunter Gambill said. Gambill’s career path has more turns than a pot still’s condenser. He began culinary school prior to attending college at Oklahoma State University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He was a food and beverage manager for three Nevada casinos, then learned how to make wine and distill spirits in grad school where his thesis was on mead. He also spent time in Guatemala, where he brewed beer and cooked at a small brewpub. However, Gambill’s background isn’t purely epicurean. He spent a year volunteering for AmeriCorps and also lived in China working as a third-grade 12 // FOOD & DRINK

Hunter Gambill, distiller at Oklahoma Distilling Co. (Inset) Stiff Shot coffee liqueur | GREG BOLLINGER

teacher, principal, and vice president of an international education company—not to mention his time serving the U.S. embassy as consular warden. From his background as an educator, Gambill understands that one of the best ways to teach is through a story. Each Oklahoma Distilling Co. spirit has a connection to Oklahoma that crafts a narrative, reiterating their emphasis on sourcing locally and educating the consumer. “For us, it’s telling that story and people knowing where things are coming from,” Gambill said. “For spirits that we are not producing ourselves, it’s being upfront and saying, ‘This is our process.’” Oklahoma Distilling Co.’s first

product, Indian Grass Vodka, was available in 150 stores on launch day—a success that Gambill attributes to the ability of people to connect with its Oklahoma narrative. By definition, vodka starts as a distilled neutral grain spirit, so the primary way to differentiate is with the water used to bring the spirit to the desired proof for bottling. Oklahoma Distilling Co. uses Ice Age glacier water from Jet, Oklahoma, near Great Salt Plains State Park. This imparts a subtle minerality and a very slight salinity. The bottle is then garnished with a blade of Oklahoma’s state grass, Indiangrass, before sealing. Gambill maintains a connection at every step of the production process. Whether it’s the grain

for his whiskey, the honey for Angry Bear Mead, or the apples for Local Cider, he knows the suppliers on a first-name basis and can trace each ingredient to its source. For Oklahoma Distilling Co., education doesn’t end in the distillery. Gambill’s career background provided insight into the funding issues facing Oklahoma’s educational system, and the distillery has partnered with UpliftEd to help support educators working within Tulsa Public Schools. The distillery’s strategy is focused on the long game and hiring talented, like-minded team members. Gambill’s most recent hire, T. Read Richards, has joined as their beverage manager. Richards recently won the title of Judge’s Choice at Philbrook’s MIX cocktail competition and has since passed his Certified Specialist of Spirits exam. Richards will be over the distillery’s cocktail lounge, where he will craft drinks with small-batch spirits not available by the bottle. The cocktail lounge’s tentative hours will be 4–11p.m., and they’ll also serve carnitas tacos (a staff favorite). Oklahoma’s updated liquor laws have allowed for much of this expansion, but there is progress to be made. Gov. Mary Fallin vetoed the bill that would have allowed the distillery to sell their bottled products onsite. Despite the slow rate of progress in modernizing Oklahoma’s liquor laws, Gambill continues to expand. Building on his culinary training and his insistence on crafting the entire process from start to finish, Gambill will be opening a restaurant as well as a dive bar on the distillery property at 7th and Utica. Some stories are ready to be told, while others still need to be written, and the narrative of Oklahoma’s craft spirits boom is only just beginning. a October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

It’s back!

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THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 – 16, 2018

FOOD & DRINK // 13

foodfile

Oklahoma ketchup A vainglorious defense of a humble condiment by ANGELA EVANS

am the person/monster responsible for the invention of dipping pizza in ranch dressing. This confession either inspires within you feelings of contempt or adoration. Given the widespread popularity of the trend, I sense your incredulity; but indulge your protagonist by taking a little trip to a middle school cafeteria on pizza day in Stigler, Oklahoma. No matter the quality, pizza has always been a treat, whether the foam-crusted Totino’s from the oven or a luxurious slice from Andolini’s. In a small town with one pizza joint, my middle school cafeteria on pizza day was always electric with eager pre-teens and pizza party vibes. As a latchkey kid, I’d often add a healthy squirt of ranch dressing to add pep to haphazard meals. I was very aware of the magic effect it had on pizza rolls. On one fateful pizza day, I asked my favorite cafeteria lady—in a very “Oliver”-esque approach—if I could get a tiny bit of ranch dressing for my pizza. The pliable angel acquiesced to my doe-eyed ploy. The mysterious dollop of white liquid on my pastel plate caused a stir from the kids at my table. I dipped my ﬂoppy, tepid pizza into the ranch. Flares of whispers and stares ﬂitted around the cacophonous dining hall like I had bitten the head off a playground squirrel. The long table of opinion was split. Some schoolmates declared me a heretic. Others asked coyly if they could try some. From that pizza day forward, the union of ranch and pizza was forged on the Oklahoma palate, and I relished my role in its discovery. Alas, those were the “salad days” of ranch dressing devo14 // FOOD & DRINK

Angela Evans with Mazzio’s ranch and pizza | GREG BOLLINGER

tion—a time when asking for ranch with pizza indicated you were a risk taker, like a gourmand with a mullet. Now, it is considered déclassé to make such a request. Ranch dressing devotees must use low whispers and street slang to get the goods. Despite the hoity-toity stigma, the fact remains: We Okies love our ranch dressing. In fact, Mazzio’s Pizza is single-handedly providing us with almost 161,000 gallons of it a year. Many ranch dressing aficionados consider Mazzio’s to be the gold standard among all other restaurant ranch offerings. And popular opinion isn’t just window dressing. Each of their 123 stores

sell more than 1,000 gallons of white gold a year to pair with their wings, pizza and, yes, sometimes even salads. Julie Selby, Mazzio’s school programs and nutrition specialist, is also one of five siblings who helps keep the family business stay at the top of its pizza game. She explained how Mazzio’s ranch dressing became a bona fide phenomenon. “We don’t cut corners with our ranch,” Julie Selby said. “We make it fresh in house every day, just like our dough and our sauces.” For a short time, Mazzio’s relied on the tried-and-true Hidden Valley Ranch packets to supply their salad bars. As the dressing’s

popularity grew in the late ‘80s, Mazzio’s decided to develop its own powder mixture. Mazzio’s mixes a proprietary ratio of mayonnaise and buttermilk with the spice packet, the proportions shrouded in secrecy. “The demand for ranch dressing in the U.S grew in popularity, and the same was true with our dressing,” Selby said. “We started selling a 3.25 oz. container of ranch in 2003, and it was so popular that by 2006 we [began offering] the family size.” If the dinky 3.25 oz. cup isn’t enough to meet your needs, the family size is available—16 oz. (two cups!) of glorious ranch in one discreet container. Selby mentioned that sometimes customers swing through the drive-through just to purchase the large-sized ranch dressing. “We have had many requests to sell this on the shelf, and we have researched it,” Selby said. “We have yet to find a manufacturer that can make it for us, bottle it, and [make] it taste the same.” The numbers don’t lie, folks. Ranch dressing popularity has not waned, so why do we continue to condiment-shame one another? I may not have invented dipping pizza in ranch dressing, but I always feel a twinge of pride when I see other ranch connoisseurs relish each drop. So, I encourage my fellow ranch dressing enthusiasts to hold that slice of pizza pie high and dip with dignity! Drown the naysayers’ words in opaque pools of creamy freedom. No more hiding behind vinaigrette regret. Confidently ask for that ranch dressing and transform an ordinary salad into an avant garde-n salad. Together, we can overthrow bourgeoise inhibitions and revive the ranch revolution. Viva la ranch! a October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

ANDOLINI’S SLICED • Driven By Virtue. Crafted For Taste: It’s more than our standard...it’s the Andolini’s mantra. Combine that dedication to taste with the STG dedication to authentic Italian tradition, and you have Andolini’s Sliced. New Roman square slices, STG Napoletana pizza, NYC foldable slices, Brooklyn Demarco, and your favorite Andolini’s Tulsa style pizzas – all under one roof. Order your pizza by the pie or by the slice. At Andolini’s, we make our own dough, sauces, cheese, dressings, sausage, and more. We promise you’ll taste the difference. Voted “Best of Tulsa” for pizza 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018.

114 S. DETROIT • IN THE BLUEDOME DISTRICT • ANDOPIZZA.COM

MAZZIO’S • What originated in Tulsa, Oklahoma as Ken’s Pizza Parlor in 1961 grew into Mazzio’s Italian Eatery. Mazzio’s is still owned and operated by the Selby family. Mazzio’s still makes dough from scratch every day in every location and uses only 100% real meats and cheeses – and of course, Mazzio’s family-secret pizza sauce recipe.

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17 Locations Statewide | HideawayPizza.com THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 – 16, 2018

FOOD & DRINK // 15

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FOOD & DRINK // 17

Everybody’s face WE HAVE A LOT TO LEARN FROM SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE— AND OUR RECENT HISTORY BY LIZ BLOOD PHOTOS BY DESTINY JADE GREEN

18 // FEATURED

THE TIMING OF THINGS IS OFTEN AMAZING. As I am writing this article, which you won’t read until six or more days after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testiﬁes against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, thousands of people across the country are wearing black and walking out of work and school to protest Kavanaugh’s nomination and to show solidarity with survivors of sexual assault. Sexual assault is just one facet of domestic or intimate partner violence, and October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Though it grew out of the “Day of Unity” that began in 1981, the month-long observation began in 1987, the same year the ﬁrst domestic violence toll-free hotline was established. According to the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, the month’s three main areas of focus are: mourning those who have died because of domestic violence, celebrating those who have survived, and connecting those who work to end violence.

LOCAL HISTORY

A few afternoons spent combing through the “Family Violence” file in the Oklahoma Room at downtown’s Central Library revealed a Tulsa beginning to take domestic violence (DV) more seriously in the earlyto-mid ‘80s and early ‘90s. In 1985, smack dab in the middle of that shifting national conversation, Tulsa police still used what was called “front porch counseling” to handle DV calls. “We’d talk to them, get her or him to leave or get his or her mother to come over,” said Tulsa Police Major Drew Diamond in an August 1985 interview with the Tulsa Tribune. “It was a short-term, BandAid solution.” But that year, TPD changed its procedures to “treating domestic violence for what it is — a crime.” Also that year, Tulsa nonprofit Domestic Violence Intervention Services (DVIS) held a capital campaign to update its shelter from a five-bedroom house (capable of holding 25 women and children, but which typically held closer to 30+ because of need) to a 50bed shelter, one of the largest in the country at that time. (Today, they offer 91+ beds and cat and dog kennels.) Other than coverage of DVIS, headlines from the Tulsa World, TulsaPeople, and Tulsa Tribune parsed out over the next seven years show a lull in the conversation. But coverage spiked again when, between October 1992 and June 1993, 12 Tulsa women were murdered by their male partners. Also in 1993, Oklahoma became the second-to-last state to criminalize marital rape (although the legislation doesn't cover spouses who rape a drugged or sleeping spouse, so there’s still elementary progress to be made). Back then, the Tulsa Police Department did not keep separate domestic violence statistics—all incidents were more or less lumped in together. So it was hard October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

for the city, understandably shaken by the 12 killings, which made up one third of the homicides in Tulsa that year, to understand the prevalence of DV. According to an article in the Tulsa World from June 1996, there were 16 domestic homicides in Tulsa in 1993 and ‘94. In 1995, that number was cut to eight. (According to the 2017 Oklahoma Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board’s annual report, Tulsa County had 27 domestic homicides in 2016.) The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was signed into law by President Clinton in Sept. 1994. The act sought to improve the response to violent crimes against women through the judicial system and community-based organizations. It has been reauthorized and expanded three times—in 2000, 2005, and 2013— and was set to expire Sept. 30, but has been extended until Dec. 7 as part of the stopgap spending bill signed by the president on Sept. 28. The act provides federal grant money to advocacy organizations, like DVIS and the Family Safety Center, and to state, tribal, and local governments to end violence against women. It also provides for care/advocacy for LGBTQ individuals. “Forty-two percent of DVIS’s funding is from federal dollars,” said Carissa Hon, chief communications ofﬁcer at DVIS. “If VAWA is not reauthorized, it will affect DVIS’s breadth of services.” In addition to increasing funding for rape crisis centers, proposed updates to the law include allowing local law enforcement to remove guns from partners under protective orders or convicted of dating violence or stalking. Some states have enacted these “red-ﬂag laws.” Oklahoma has not. Firearms were the cause of death in 58.9 percent of domestic homicides cases in Oklahoma in 2016.

SOURCE: DVIS

RECORD KEEPING

written two years before my birth, I felt that scale of time and the generations before me who didn't care to pay closer attention. That attitude, I hope, continues to lessen. Record-keeping is essential to providing the kinds of services survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault need. “DV stats are our only way to measure,” said Sergeant Clay Asbill, head of the Family Violence Unit at Tulsa Police Department. “It’s our barometer on what’s going on in our community and speciﬁcally what kinds of crimes are being committed. Because of those stats, we’re better able to tell what’s going on and how we need to address it.” “That’s what informs our work and the way we serve survivors and understand the complexity of different intersections of violence and victimization and oppression,” said DeJon Knapp, vice president of Safe Housing Services at DVIS. “That’s why the lethality assessment exists—because we looked at data and asked, ‘What are the experiences of victims?’ to ﬁgure those things out.” (Note: The lethality assessment is used to determine the level of dan-

In “Domestic Violence Spurs Task Force” (Tulsa World, June 13, 1993), Tulsa Police Chief Ron Palmer said, “I’m not sure whether we should be the keeper of those records or not … However, it’s not a bad idea … I guess maybe there’s a need for that.” From the article: “He went on to say that the failure to keep statistics ‘may be a weakness that I hadn’t thought about, or didn’t know about actually.’” Everything is situated in context. In light of the #metoo and #believesurvivors movements, many people are shocked at how prevalent these types of crimes are. Others are incredulous that there is such low public awareness. Many are horriﬁed at the rate of injustice for victims and the time it takes for our public institutions (and, sometimes, fellow citizens) to catch up. Here in Tulsa, we’re operating within a system that began to treat domestic violence as its own insidious type of crime only in the last 25–33 years. I'm 31 years old, and when I came across the front porch counseling article, THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 – 16, 2018

74130 25.6

74126 97.2

74127 65.5

74106 111.6

74103 59.8 74119 60.3

74107 60.7

74117 8.1

74115 83.2

74110 102.2

74120 84.4

74116 77.7

74104 45.2

74129 49.2

74114 26.7 74105 50.4

74128 72.8

74112 64.0

74135 47.8

74145 50.9

74134 34.2

Domestic Violence & Protective Order Dispatch Calls per 1000 residents

74136 49.0 74132 14.4

74146 58.4

74108 36.3

74133 26.2 74137 12.1

111

ger a partner and his or her children are in at home.) From the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence: One in four women and one in nine men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner contact sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking. One in three women and one in four men have experienced some form of intimate partner violence. In Oklahoma, that number jumps to four in 10 women. According to the Victim Policy Center, Oklahoma is ranked 11th in the nation for women killed by men. The state has ranked among the 20 worst states every year of the last decade. In 2016, the Oklahoma Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board found Tulsa County had the highest rate of domestic violence homicides in the state, with 26 cases resulting in 27 deaths. Oklahoma County had 23 victim deaths. The state total was 95, 15 of whom were children under the age of 18. Of those 95, 44 (46%) were female and 51 (54%) were male. Eighty-nine percent of the female

WHAT IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE? Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. It includes physical violence, sexual violence, threats, and emotional/psychological abuse. The frequency and severity of domestic violence varies dramatically. (From the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence; visit ncadv.org for more) NOTE: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a term sometimes used interchangeably, but does not include child abuse. FEATURED // 19

“Domestic violence is one of those things outside people don’t understand, just like mental health. They think that it has a face. It’s everybody’s face.” 20 // FEATURED

victims were killed by male perpetrators and 71 percent of the male victims were killed by male perpetrators. To lessen those numbers, Tulsa is actively working on providing services, intervention, and prevention to victims through the Tulsa Police Department and wraparound services at the Family Safety Center and DVIS.

WRAPAROUND SERVICES

Both the Family Safety Center (FSC), located in the Police Courts Building (600 Civic Center), and DVIS offer a variety of services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. This means a team of professionals and advocates helping to address the varied needs of each individual, not just one need. At the Family Safety Center, you can apply for a protective order, receive danger assessment and safety planning with an advocate, meet with an attorney provided by both DVIS and Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, meet with a forensic nurse for documentation of injuries, receive a general health assessment and/or a sexual assault assessment. FSC also has a child therapist navigator. “After you check in, a navigator will ascertain what kinds of services you need,” Stewart said. “They will take you where you need to go and then will help track you through the system, getting you to the next people you need to talk to.” DVIS provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, counseling, sexual assault services, legal help, advocacy, case management, and some ﬁnancial services. “We work really hard to assess individual needs and connect those we serve to insurance, beneﬁts, medical care, other housing options, spiritual care, and employment,” Knapp said. “The needs are big and we can’t meet every one internally. Luckily, in Tulsa, we have an incredible community full of services.”

INTERSECTIONALITY

I want to acknowledge the many pieces of the larger conversation concerning domestic violence that I must leave out of this piece because of space requirements. To understand oppression, like domestic violence or sexual assault, one has to look at where it meets other systems of oppression. “Nationally, there’s a movement to look at different types of oppression and victimization, not just in the DV ﬁeld,” Knapp said. “Huge national movements like Me Too and Black Lives Matter maybe have opened people’s eyes to exploring how intersectionality plays into it.” Each of the intersections on pg. 21 are common not only nationally, but locally, as well.

TAKE THEIR WORD

For all the efforts of police, nonproﬁts, professionals, and the many personal contri-

“[I

It cr

I butions of Tulsans, there is still a lot that is misunderstood about abuse, and the stigma it carries is difﬁcult for its victims to live with. “Our work doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” Knapp said. “We’re not protected from the climate that’s out there of not believing survivors. It’s tough on staff and tough on survivors. We’re working with people every day, seeing a lot of physical and emotional violence walk through our doors, and it makes it really hard when you’re hearing their stories and then you hear on the news that this person isn’t being believed or respected.” I spent half a day at the DVIS shelter with men, women, and children staying there. At lunch in the dining hall, I was reminded of what Stewart had told me about DV earlier that day. “It’s everywhere,” she said. “Everybody. Doctors, attorneys, poor people, rich people, homeless people, partners, roommates, single people. It’s everywhere.” The room was ﬁlled with regular-looking men, women, and children (though, mostly women) in hoodies, tank tops, with tattoos, without tattoos, wearing glasses, no glasses, with dyed hair, long hair, hair in buns. Old and young. Some discussed whether or not it was too cold inside to eat a popsicle. A dad and his children sat quietly and ate in the corner. A few women talked about the foods they couldn’t even look at while pregnant. October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

It] starts subtle.

reeps up on you.

It’s insidious.” Knapp introduced me to the room and asked the group, if they could tell the Tulsa community something about domestic violence, something they wished the general public would understand, what would that be? Here’s what they had to say: “Even if you think domestic violence doesn’t apply to you, you should always be prepared for the unexpected. I never thought I’d find myself here in the shelter, but here I am. Just like when you make a plan for a fire, or a tornado. Know where to go, or who to call for help … and let people know what your needs are.” “Recovery is about rediscovering yourself … When you’re first escaping, your coworkers or family don’t see that. And sometimes you don’t … For me, that’s why I kept returning. A lack of knowing who I was or what to do for myself … If you lose yourself, well, all you can go back to is what you know, which is where you last were, which isn’t the best place for you.” “It’s like tuning an old radio … with the static between the stations. Everyone is turning that internal tuner and getting static after static trying to find their own channel. For me that’s what it felt like. Going through all of that, inside. We can’t always communicate how we’re feeling because we’re between channels.” THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 – 16, 2018

“You can’t swoop in to ﬁx it. But you can stand next to the [survivor] and let them know you’re there for them.” “Women give up their jobs because they’re ashamed to go to work, or they can’t handle another stressor. They’re not accepted or understood because domestic violence is secret.” “I thought I’d never be one of ‘those women.’ Because I didn’t know. You don’t know until you’re in the situation.” “Domestic violence starts subtle. It creeps up on you. It’s insidious.” “When we break our leg … our friends open the doors for us because they can see it. If you’re abused, it’s not the same. But you still have pain. So, it’s really hard. That’s been my biggest struggle—that my friends didn’t understand. I felt abandoned. They can’t identify it if they don’t see it.” “Domestic violence is one of those things outside people don’t understand, just like mental health. They think that it has a face. It’s everybody’s face. It doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t matter what you look like, how much or how little you make. Everybody is susceptible to it.” “Domestic violence has the same story over and over and over again. We’re all

AT THE INTERSECTIONS ADDICTION: Substance use has been found to co-occur in 40–60 percent of IPV incidents across various studies. (Psychiatric Times) HOMELESSNESS: Among mothers with children experiencing homelessness, more than 80 percent had previously experienced domestic violence. (Safe Housing Partnerships) REPRODUCTION: One study reported a woman’s odds of experiencing intimate partner violence rose by 10 percent with each pregnancy. (National Women’s Law Center) FINANCES: 74 percent of survivors report staying with an abuser for economic reasons. (Institute for Women’s Policy Research)

different. That’s the only difference in the abuse. That’s what people fail to see. Stop looking at the individual, look at the abuse. It comes in the same box every time. You can see it. But you can’t predict who it’s going to affect because it affects us all.” “Another thing that isn’t understood is that we should ‘move on’ within a certain timeframe. There is no timeframe. No matter what happened, there was a relationship with whoever that abuser was. It leaves a scar that we’ll take with us forever. We are stuck with that forever.” “I’m scared because I don’t know where I’m going after I leave here. We don’t have a place to go besides here. People with money in this town could create housing for a new journey for women like us. Like the housing that’s provided for the homeless in [other states].” I asked one particularly vocal and eloquent woman, as she left the dining room, if she wanted to write this story. She laughed and said, “I just did!” a

If you need help, call the 24/7 conﬁdential DVIS’ crisis line at 918-7HELP-ME (918-743-5763).

IMMIGRATION: Abusive partners have a variety of ways to exert power and control over their victims due to their immigration status. (National Domestic Violence Hotline) SEXUAL ORIENTATION: 61 percent of bisexual women (compared to 35 percent of heterosexual women) experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. For bisexual and heterosexual men, those numbers are, respectively, 37 and 29 percent. (domesticshelters.org) RACE: Black women make up 13 percent of the U.S. female population, but account for 22 percent of domestic homicide victims. (National Women’s Law Center) Compared to all other groups, Native Americans are two times more likely to experience rape or sexual assault. (National Congress of American Indians) GENDER: 85 percent of domestic violence victims are women. 30–50 percent of transgender people experience IPV in their lifetime. (domesticshelters.org) PET OWNERSHIP: One study showed 48 percent of survivors delayed leaving out of fear for their pets’ safety. (Juvenile and Family Justice Today) FEATURED // 21

Eclectic

PROJECTIONS DEFENDING THE FIRE

Inside the 2018 T ulsa American Film Festival BY JEFF HUSTON AND TTV STAFF

STRIKE, DEAR MISTRESS, AND CURE HIS HEART

t the Tulsa American Film Festival (TAFF), you’ll see movies you won’t get to anywhere else. In its 4th year, screening at Tulsa’s Circle Cinema and other downtown venues, TAFF is expanding its scope as it continues to fulfill its purpose of providing a platform for burgeoning Oklahoma filmmakers. TAFF also continues to do what film festivals do best: offer panels, Q&As, special events, industry guests, awards, and after-parties that connect filmmakers with audiences. “There’s a rich film history [in Tulsa],” TAFF founder and director Ben Arredondo said. “I feel my mission with the festival is to continue to make film history for Tulsa. That’s why I’m working with people who are living here, working here, staying here, rather than depending on outsiders.” That ethos has led to an infusion of “new blood” at TAFF, from filmmakers to staff to volunteers. Arrendondo is energized by this “changing of the guard” with people who “know what Tulsa’s all about.” It’s also led to a lineup that’s more diverse. Having showcased Native American filmmakers during its first three years, TAFF now also includes more Latino, LGBTQ, and African-American features and shorts, plus a return of student short films. “It would be great to see Tulsans from different types of communities come together to see different types of stories,” Arredondo said. “To see real and true independent film.” “Film festivals elevate the art of filmmaking,” said documentarian Markie Hancock, who returns to TAFF this year (“What We Know About Eddie”). “Festivals raise our level of conversation and nourish our culture.” “You’re surrounded by film lovers,” OKC filmmaker Mickey Reece added. (He also returns to TAFF this year with his film, “Strike, Dear Mistress, and Cure His Heart.”) “That, in some ways, feels like the equivalent of watching a movie with all of your friends.” For TAFF’s two major events, Turner Classic Movies and FilmStruck producers Scott McGee and Gary Freedman will introduce the documentary “Hal”

(about pioneering 1970s filmmaker Hal Ashby) at the Woody Guthrie Center, as well as an outdoor classic screening of the 1931 Best Picture winner, “Cimarron,” about the Oklahoma land rush. That will be held, for free, in the Kendall Whittier Parking Lot on the corner of Lewis and Admiral, adjacent to Circle Cinema. In addition, McGee and Freedman will host an episode of their Facebook Live program, “TCM Backlot Q&A,” taking questions from festival audience members. They’ll also be present at the Studio 75 classic film-themed afterparty on Friday night. Local student filmmakers will be featured in two major blocks: the “Future of Okie Film” Students Shorts Program, and a public reading performance of the top three finalists in a short film screenplay student contest. Those readings are directed by TU film and screenwriting professor, Michael Wright. Breaking through the gatekeepers at Sundance and SXSW is daunting, so Arrendondo is proud that TAFF “provides a venue for young, emerging filmmakers to continue to grow, to continue to create. Distributors aren’t going to pick up films here, but we are entertainment for Tulsans and networking for filmmakers, where new connections and collaborations can happen.” Shaz Bennett, writer/director of “Alaska Is a Drag” (who’s worked on the Ava DuVernay TV series “Queen Sugar” and now Amazon’s “Bosch”) says, “Watching great films that haven’t been released yet, and listening to the artists talk about how their films came about…there’s a vibrancy [that] shows us the future.” As TAFF grows and evolves, Arrendondo remains sanguine. “I’m still very encouraged by the community support that we have. Gilcrease, Woody Guthrie Center, Circle Cinema, and others. The established institutions here see the value of what we’re doing with the festival.” The Tulsa American Film Festival runs Oct. 10-14. All events are ticketed, unless noted on the schedule as free. For tickets and more information: tulsaamericanfilmfest.com

ALL ACCESS PASS $50 | VIP PASS $75 | INDIVIDUAL SCREENINGS $10 ALL EVENTS ARE TICKETED UNLESS NOTED AS FREE OUT OF THE SHADOWS: POSTPARTUM 22 // FEATURED

October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

Guardian of Angels Directed by Ensar Altay

“One of the reasons I chose this film is because it made me cry like five times.” That’s how TAFF director Ben Arrendondo pinged my radar about the festival’s opening night documentary, which will be its U.S. premiere. That kind of apparent hyperbole is usually impossible to live up to, leaving a film hopelessly overhyped. But it’s not. Not this one. Not “Guardian of Angels.” For some viewers, a five-cry count will be on the low end. The titular guardian is a single middle-aged Angeleno. His angels? The 80 foster children he’s cared for over three decades. Not just any foster children, mind you, but the most vulnerable: abused and abandoned, often disabled (sometimes severely) and, on occasion, terminally ill. His most provocative trait, however—given today’s political climate— may be that he’s an immigrant. A Muslim immigrant. But Mohamed Bzeek is anything but provocative. Just the opposite, in fact. Sweet, jolly, and tender, Bzeek is a saint in the city of angels. Filmmaker Ensar Altay’s documentary matches his subject’s humility, too, taking a low-key but frank approach. The first twenty minutes are devoid of narration, interviews, commentary, or a broader context. We simply spend time with Bzeek and his current foster child, Samantha, a 6-year-old girl with an abnormally small brain. We live with them, experiencing their daily routine. Altay expands beyond that, eventually, but aside from one brief, subtle suggestion of political commentary (by Altay, not Bzeek), this is a moving— at times overwhelming—portrait of a man who’s not trying to lionize himself or be a hero for some political narrative. He lives for these kids, his kids, alone. By the end (and long before it), one thing becomes abundantly clear: Mohamed Bzeek may be Muslim, but you’ll never see anyone more Christ-like. —JEFF HUSTON

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Wed., Oct. 10 Tulsa Film Mixer + Panel Series: Finding Your Documentary Story 5:30 p.m., Circle Cinema, FREE

Festival Director Ben Arredondo will moderate a conversation with a panel featuring documentary ﬁlmmaker Roberts Garrett, TU Film Studies assistant professor Michaela O’Brien, and Ok, So… Story Slam co-founder Michelle Bias.

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

NF NARRATIVE FEATURE

mines brought many traditions to Pittsburgh County at the turn of the century. One tradition resulted in a very famous and notorious beer. This event will also include short previews of the upcoming documentary features, “The 100 Mile Run” and “Nomad Cowboys.”

Melt: A Smoking Story

Opening Night Party

A grandmother attempts to kill her annoying grandson.

9 p.m.–12 a.m., Heirloom Rustic Ales, FREE

Shedding light on a potentially deadly illness, Jennifer shares her struggle with postpartum depression.

Short Film Program 1: A Little Bit of Everything

Guardian of Angels

The Scary Ham

Out of the Shadows: Postpartum

Directed by Ensar Altay

Can love give life? Mohamed Bzeek is a foster father who lives in Los Angeles and has looked after 80 terminally ill children, saving 70 of them from death. Blue Smoke: A Folk History of Oklahoma’s First and Finest Beer

7:30–8:30 p.m., Circle Cinema Directed by Greg Singleton

Immigrants working in Oklahoma’s coal THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 – 16, 2018

Dear Sylvia

Directed by Gerard Mooney

An eight-year-old boy builds his own hydrogen-powered racecar in this hand-drawn animated short.

Narrative Feature & Documentary Short Jesse Lott: Art and Activism

Directed by Cressandra Thibodeaux

Two friends try to have a nice meal. Liquid Soul

You People

Directed by Allen Phillips

Heartbroken and high from hufﬁng gasoline, a psychotic truck driver plots revenge. Dead Trail

Two middle-aged sisters reconnect while they sort through 50 years of family memories and contend with their late father’s beloved ham.

After being continually bullied at school, Raymond attempts to take matters into his own hands.

This look at internationally-recognized artist Jesse Lott’s activism and mentors was shot by 28 at-risk teens during documentary classes taught by Thibedeaux.

Directed by John Nunn

Directed by Sue Mroz

Directed by Drew Allen, Alex Allen, and Hunter Cates

8–10 p.m., Circle Cinema

Yous Got Somethin’, Right There

7–9:00p.m., Circle Cinema

Martini Bombini O’Feeney Moonay DS

Directed by Wes DeHart

Thirteen-year-old Shea deals with the small but consuming pains of adolescence by writing diary letters to Sylvia Plath

Directed by Brooke Allen

7–8:30 p.m., Circle Cinema

Two Parisians and a Texas pitmaster come together over their love of barbecue. Granny Kills

OKIE TIES

Red Hoodie

Directed by Jules Renault

Directed by Ruby Lanet

Thurs., Oct. 11

Opening Feature & Short

NS NARRATIVE SHORT

Directed by Laron M. Chapman

A black youth adopted into a white, suburban family has a crisis of ethnic identity.

Directed by Max Federman

Two cavalry deserters in 1897 Oklahoma Territory ﬂee the pursuit of a Pinkerton only to ﬁnd something much worse waiting for them. Monkey

Directed by Troy Lustick

A Machiavellian plot unfolds, set against the American obsession with football.

FEATURED // 23

Strike, Dear Mistress, and Cure His Heart Directed by Mickey Reece “What he’s doing on a microbudget,” says TAFF’s Ben Arrendondo, of OKC ﬁlmmaker Mickey Reece. “I am in awe.” TAFF audiences who saw last year’s “Mickey Reece’s Alien”—an existential rumination on existence via a bold re-imagination of Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s marriage—know exactly what Arrendondo is in awe about. With “Strike, Dear Mistress, and Cure His Heart,” Reece doubles-down on his unquenchable ambition. He’s created another world that is instantly mesmerizing, not only in its quasi-Lynchian cryptic absurdity but also in its quirky yet precise language. Like a bizarre “This Is Us” / “Twin Peaks” lovechild basking in self-conscious gothic lyricism, “Strike, Dear Mistress”—about an estranged mother-daughter reunion where anger and regret explode in metaphysical melodrama—is unconventional but not experimental. That distinction is vital, because every frame is carefully crafted with purpose and intent. You may be mystiﬁed while also hypnotized, but it’s clear that Reece knows exactly what he’s up to even when you may not. “I hope people either love it or hate it,” Reece says. “If it’s somewhere in-between, I didn’t do my job.”—JEFF HUSTON

Fri., Oct. 12 Short Film Program 2: Different Forms of Inspiration 7–8:30 p.m., Circle Cinema

Walk By Faith

Directed by Andrew Laurich

The story of how hunting helped one man see again.

A young man turns to auctioneering to help with his severe stutter.

Give

Directed by David de Rozas

A senior reverend seeks to preserve his legacy while facing his neighborhood’s demographic shifts.

Thy Kingdom Come

The lives of a cancer patient, a Klansman, a mourning mother, an elderly woman, and a priest intersect in a small, middle-American town.

Narrative Feature & Short

Directed by Braven Stone and Benjamin Hayes

A young runaway shares what he has learned during his travels across the southeast.

TAFF’s Ben Arrendondo is excited about this year’s Student Short Film Program, and it’s easy to see why. There’s more ambition than you might expect, and most entries exceed their low-to-no budget limitations in surprisingly creative ways. The entire collection of ten shorts is produced by Oklahoma students, and it ranges from semi-autobiographical narratives to documentaries, to suspense and noir, and even the experimental. There’s more than just potential in these efforts; there’s actual artistry. What these young storytellers may lack in life experience they make up for in a cinematic sophistication beyond their years. “I want them to not be discouraged about working in ﬁlm,” Arrendondo said. “I hope that we can communicate that there’s a place to keep on doing it, here in Oklahoma.” —JEFF HUSTON

Alaska Is a Drag Directed by Shaz Bennett 24 // FEATURED

What We Know About Eddie

A story of resilience and love despite the odds.

Friday Night After Party

Directed by Nik Kleverov

How to Run Away from Home (and Other Useful Tips for the Road) NS

Student Short Film Program

A chance meeting with a mysterious soldier changes the life trajectory of a troubled teen in a single day.

9 p.m.–12 a.m., Studio 75

8–9:30 p.m., Circle Cinema

The Future of Okie Film

Directed by Bruch Becker

Directed by Markie Hancock

The Auctioneer

Soldier

Strike, Dear Mistress, and Cure His Heart NF

Sat., Oct. 13 Latino Film Program 1

12–1:30 p.m., Circle Cinema, FREE

All That We Carry

Directed by Erin Kokdil

A Guatemalan woman tries to make a new home in Oakland, but struggles to forget her painful past. The Cook

Directed by Gianluca Morganti

An undocumented immigrant works grueling hours in a restaurant kitchen to provide for his pregnant wife. Meeting Brown

Directed by Ana Lydia Monaco

A woman is forced to choose between her culture or a future with the man she loves.

Directed by Mickey Reece

Kiko

Newlyweds David and Madeline Middleston have just purchased a historic hotel. When Madeline’s mother comes to visit, she brings an uninvited guest.

Directed by Felix Martez

Documentary Feature & Narrative Shorts

Paralysis

Zoe + Ari

Mestizo

9–10:30 p.m., Circle Cinema NS

Directed by Rachael Meyers

As Zoe and Ari pack their bags to travel to a wedding, Ari learns the truth about what Zoe’s family knows.

A young factory manager is forced to choose between what is right and what is legal when a friend is deported following an ICE raid. NS

Directed by Melissa De Leon

Young mother Diana fears what comes in the night. NS

Directed by Kristofer Karlsson

Two young migrants attempt to cross a deadly stretch of desert near the U.S./Mexico border known as the “Devil’s Highway.”

AS A GAY MAN, TAFF director Ben Arrendondo laments the dearth of quality in LGBTQ indie films. It’s why he’s excited to have “Alaska Is a Drag” in this year’s lineup. Earnest and artful in equal measure, “Alaska is A Drag” is more fun than burdened, more personal than political, and defiant without being dismissive. It’s also gracefully rendered, with striking images and evocative flashback inserts that recall Jean-Marc Vallée’s recent HBO hits “Big Little Lies” and “Sharp Objects.” Set in a remote Alaska fishing town, Leo is a young black gay man who aspires to be a drag queen superstar, with dreams of running off to Los Angeles with his twin sister and soul mate Tristen. Leo’s a fish that wants to get out of his conservative water, and a local drag contest may be the gateway. Leo’s strong and athletic, too, and an amateur boxing plotline serves as a contrast that allows writer/director Shaz Bennett to, in her words, “dive deep into gender and the labels of masculine and feminine. Why is one considered stronger or more powerful?” Bennett takes jabs at religion and macho culture in the process but only after they swing at Leo first, and there’s a more nuanced arc in Leo and Tristen’s conflicted relationship with their street preacher father. TV stars pepper the supporting cast (Matt Dallas, Christopher O’Shea, Margaret Cho) along with some vets (Nia Peeples, Jason Scott Lee), from a director whose career is starting to take off. But it’s YouTube stars Martin L. Washington, Jr. and “Shameless” Maya Washington (who aren’t real-life siblings but sure have a bond like one) that make this sincere melodrama sparkle rather than be, well, a drag. —JEFF HUSTON October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

Latino Film Program 2

2–3:30 p.m., Gilcrease Museum, FREE

DACAmented

Directed by St. Clair Detrick-Jules

Nine young DACA recipients tell their wrenching tales about navigating live in Trump’s America. Rich Kids

Directed by Laura Somers

A group of troubled teens break into the local mansion and spend the day pretending to be rich in order to forget their difﬁcult lives. HAL

2:30–4 p.m., Woody Guthrie Center Directed by Amy Scott

This documentary by Oklahoma native Amy Scott is a look into the life and career of the legendary director of “Harold & Maude,” “Bound for Glory,” and others, Hal Ashby.

The Future of Okie Film: Student Shorts 6:30–8 p.m., Circle Cinema

Getting There

Directed by Spencer Patton

A young musician abandons his dreams to pursue other interests, only to ﬁnd music has always been his purpose. Burlington

Defending the Fire

Directed by David Aubrey

Defending the Fire Directed by David Aubrey

“This is one I chose right away,” said Ben Arrendondo. "Defending the Fire" is a documentary about Native American veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces who “fought for a country that hasn’t treated them very well.” There’s a common perception that Native pride and American patriotism are at odds with each other, a conflict between two cultures that’s inextricable from our country’s historical DNA. There is, not doubt, truth to that perception—but, as this film shows, it’s not a simple binary. For some Natives, the two are one. “Defending the Fire,” the second documentary from David Aubrey about a specific strand Native American life, is a portrait of Native Americans who’ve served proudly in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Interviewing vets of every conflict from World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan—including actor Wes Studi, who also narrates—“Defending the Fire” not only shares their stories and honors their service, but it illuminates how that service is their way of carrying on one of many tribes’ most noble traditions: being a warrior. That identity is rooted in legends like Crazy Horse, an ethos defined by courage and sacrifice, of protecting their people and their sacred land. Through their military service, these Natives uphold and continue this heritage. And through “Defending the Fire,” divisions between Native and Anglo Americans fall away, replaced by a newfound respect that can inspire, heal, and unite. —JEFF HUSTON

The Native Warrior has been a focus of Native and Non-Native interest since the time of early petroglyphs. The Warrior is often depicted in ﬁlm and literature as an aggressor, though the Native perception is of a reluctant ﬁghter, seeking to defend and protect culture and lands against all odds.

Short Film Program 3: Family & Friends 7:30–9:30 p.m., Circle Cinema

Pickle

Directed by Grant Moore

After accidentally freezing the family dog to death, Oscar attempts to make good with his soon-to-be stepson by driving the family pet’s ashes across the country. Story of Self

Directed by Set Hernandez Rongkilyo

What does it mean to choose when there is only one choice? What does it mean to have a story when you’re undocumented? Do We Belong?

Directed by Sofian Khan

An Indian immigrant in Kansas is shot and killed in a senseless hate crime, leaving his wife to grapple with the questions of whether America is truly her home.

Directed by Anna Frieden

Willow Creek Road

This ﬁlm is a look into small town Oklahoma through personal recollections.

Ruth is a lonely Montana ranch hand.

A Transmission from Oklahoma

Directed by Zach Hurley

A sort of quilt. Perfect Proﬁle

Directed by Lauren Bowman

Narrative Feature & Short

Our Tiospaye // Our Family

Guardian

Three Teach for America educators with disparate perspectives discover a deeper purpose while living and working in South Dakota.

7 p.m., Circle Cinema NS

Directed by Nicolas Jara

This ﬁlm juxtaposes the façade and the reality of a popular high-school girl.

A gay Latino teen struggles with whether to keep his sexuality a secret or risk damaging his relationship with his family.

Unlucky Day

Alaska Is a Drag

Directed by Ethan Norvell

A woman seeks vengeance after being kidnapped. File 6

Directed by Kara Singleton

A murder case is revisited ten years after the crime when an unlikely witness reveals new truths. The Library

Directed by Shaz Bennett

An aspiring drag superstar is stuck working in a cannery in Alaska. When a boxing coach sees his potential, he has to face the real reason he is stuck in Alaska.

Saturday Night After Party 9 p.m.–12 a.m., The Beehive Lounge, FREE

Directed by Halle Frieden

While looking into the disappearance of his friends, Phillip uncovers something odd about the local library. Okay

Directed by Hayden Klein

An abusive relationship reaches a breaking point. Film Boy

Directed by Tyler Tush

A ﬁlm student attempts to make a ﬁlm. Lights

Directed by Matthew Hanish

A young man works to reconcile his past mistakes in hopes to reconnect with his family.

THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 – 16, 2018

Directed by Francesca Mirabella

Directed by Meg Griffiths and Scott Faris

Uktena and Thunder

Directed by Joseph Herb

Two boys feed a small starving snake who then grows up to ﬁght Thunder in this animated short. The Violence of a Civilization Without Secrets DS Directed by Adam Khalil

Native Film Program 1

1–2:30 p.m., Gilcrease Museum, FREE

The Bridge

Directed by Randi LeClair

After two high school football stars are found dead, decades of racial tension boil over in a small town diner. Jack

Directed by Maya Craig

A third generation rancher in California’s Central Valley recounts the disappearance of Tulare Lake and the demise of the Native American tribes who relied on it.

Directed by Cirle

When a teenager gets a seemingly depressed man to open up, she discovers he’s on his way to commit a horrible act. Pat and Joe

A man misses his wife. Night Call

Directed by Amanda Renee Knox

While on routine patrol in Inglewood, a disturbance forces a black cop to make a decision that could change her life. Take Cover

Cowboy

1993

A lonely and bitter cowboy is set at ease when he crosses paths with a promiscuous vagabond. Neemkomok

Directed by Douglas Cushnie

An Indigenous Californian woman in the early 1800s faces a battle to survive after being emancipated from the abusive Los Angeles mission where she was raised.

Native Film Program 2 2:30–4 p.m., Gilcrease Museum, FREE

Lakota in America

Directed by Malcolm Pullinger

On the Cheyenne River Reservation—one of the poorest communities in the country—Genevieve Iron Lightning, a Lakota teenager ﬁnds hope for her future.

Directed by Ethan Capello

An urgent reﬂection on indigenous sovereignty, the undead violence of museum archives, and postmortem justice through the case of the “Kennewick Man.” Directed by Boise Esquerra

Sun., Oct.14

Sun Shine

Directed by Ryan Hart

An ailing vagabond moves on down the road. NS

Directed by Kyle Bergersen

A man accidentally transports back in time and tries to seduce the younger version of his wife. However, his younger self stands in the way. Rock Paper Scissors

Directed by Brian Lawes

A boy and girl must exchange numbers at an intersection before the light turns green.

Tulsa American | Awards Show 8 p.m., Circle Cinema

Festival organizers announce winners in several awards categories and present the Bill Blair Awards for Contribution to Film in Tulsa. a

FEATURED // 25

FIXUP TOWN The secret lives of Tulsa lights photos by DESTINY JADE GREEN words by BRADY WHISENHUNT FOR AS LONG AS I COULD OPEN MY EYES, I’VE BEEN SMITTEN WITH Tulsa at night. When I was a teenager in Bartlesville, I’d drive here not to do anything in particular, but simply to get lost in the city’s universe of lights. I’d drive all over town, usually by myself, listening to my favorite tapes, observing the nightscape, the people who inhabited it, and thinking. Tulsa had so many unexplained visual treasures: abandoned factories, lonely railyards, mysterious skyscrapers, ghostly warehouses, imposing oil reﬁneries, lost and forgotten overpasses— and they all came alive at night. It was more than just Christmas lights that made Destiny happy when she was a child growing up in Ada, a small town about two hours southwest of Tulsa. It was all lights—the way the man-made show moved and danced in space at night, illuminating not just things, but ideas, creating new pictures in her imagination. She called it “Fixup Town.” It was a place, and a feeling. Grownups didn’t understand why she called it Fixup Town, but they didn’t try too hard. I don’t know that I gave it a name as a kid, but I saw it too—bright as moonlight. I think I just called it “Tulsa.” Whatever name we give it, we all know Fixup Town. It’s the sense of peace and nostalgia we feel when we see a favorite neon shop sign, one that is so old, and worn by the elements in just such a way, that there could never be another like it anywhere else in the world. We see Fixup Town when we’re outside on a restaurant patio with friends, and our eyes catch on the lights of a downtown building silhouetted against the starry sky, pulling us from the conversation to feast on the beauty of the skyline. Fixup Town is always out there. It transcends the physical, and connects us to the quiet, contemplative world we often ignore. So Destiny and I took a drive around Tulsa looking for it. a

The children streaming out of the movie studied us when they walked by. They’d stop, look up, and whisper. “What is it?”

Like mystical fruit from an imaginary tree that can only be harvested by giants. Ghost giants. Nocturnal river monsters, hungry for light.

Tonight the cloud haze swallowed the Gathering Place rainbow, but we found another one in the cool blue moon, the streetlight’s sodium gold halo, and the car’s incandescent beam. A broadband rainbow of color temperatures.

There’s a calm as we approach the pillars on foot. The light is so loud, and so quiet. It’s impossible to tell if the people in the cars driving past us are also ﬁxed on this piercing, perfect blue.

The unmistakable gleam of Fixup Town in our eyes.

26 // FEATURED

October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

It’s as if this weird little island of staggeringly bright light exists not here, but in a different, lonelier town. A ceiling fan whirls on a tilted axis until dawn.

Some of the city’s circuits are cold. Some of them surge with current. Some transmit loops of radiance, copies, propagating in free space like a waveguide.

The lines, all of them: the ﬂuorescent tubes, the reﬂections, the witchy green sign, the shadow symmetry, the landscaping. They’re giving us goosebumps. Autumn goosebumps. In the daylight, much of the geometric treasure is hidden.

“Whoa.” The bridge gives underneath our feet like a trampoline. A helicopter meanders overhead. Downtown skyscrapers are tiny and silent, twinkling like stars.

We walk up to the conduit of light, inset with rose-white hot spots. Though we see the hint of downtown lights, right now we’re nearer to a single star, hovering in the sky at arm’s reach.

A sketchy guy on a sketchy bike wanted sketchy advice. A thrashed car, sent back in time from the apocalypse, was basking in broad nightlight. The building’s smooth blue glow must’ve been looking the other way the whole time. “This is the weirdest place.”

THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 – 16, 2018

FEATURED // 27

litfix

TULSA by LYNN LIPINSKI

Amid prairie ﬂats cut into oilfields and suburbs Empty driveway scars summer-crisp yard Brown brick ranch house like every other Windows locked tight, curtains drawn Anne Marie changed her name to Brandy Ann As though it would add oxygen to the room But she still sat breathless in the dark cool Every day after class Waiting for something to happen Watching beautiful people on television Drinking sweet tea Her mother’s pearl-handled derringer on the coffee table, loaded for protection a

MEmeNTO MoRI by LYNN LIPINSKI

I was dead in my cubicle for five days before my boss noticed. Each morning she came by to tell me how busy she was. I looked in her eyes and saw she was blinded by tasks and trembling with deadlines. She hunched over her keyboard long hours every day. She was glad to see I did the same. Each morning we had a conversation on autopilot, surrounded by yellow and pink squares pasted everywhere like ﬂags. Proof of my citizenship in the land of the busy, though I no longer breathed to-do lists onto cubicle walls. The smell, they decided, was coming from the office refrigerator. Leftover fish gone bad, or maybe that kimchi from lunch. Someone put a piece of cake from Leanna’s birthday on my desk, a fork rising out of chocolate sheet cake and a half-inch of icing. Thousands of words filled my email box unread. One said Pete is selling his van. Another that there are cookies by the copier. I missed four meetings and a sexual harassment training. My co-workers were amazed what I got away with. I’m busy with decay and rigor mortis, taking conference calls with death and writing up his action items. My mouth has forgotten its small talk. This cubicle had no clock so time never stopped. a

TTV partners with Nimrod International Journal to publish poetry and ﬂash ﬁction from Tulsa-area or Tulsa-connected writers. Submit your work for consideration using Nimrod’s online submission form at nimrodjournal.submittable.com/submit. 28 // ARTS & CULTURE

October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

E V E N T S @ T PA C

La Gozadera Brown Bag It Series Oct. 3 Vicente Fox Tulsa Town Hall Oct. 5 Opening Night with Lynn Harrell Tulsa Symphony Oct. 6 Clue: On Stage Riverfield Country Day School Oct. 12 Tesla Quartet Chamber Music Tulsa Oct. 14 The Barber of Seville Tulsa Opera Oct. 19 & 21 10 Hairy Legs Choregus Productions Oct. 20 Dracula Tulsa Ballet Oct. 25-28

TESLA QUARTET

FRIDAY, OCT. 12, 2018 – 7:30 P.M.

RENAISSANCE SQUARE EVENT CENTER TICKETS @ TULSAPAC.COM 918.596.7111

Doors open at 6:45 for wine and hors d’oeuvres

ChamberMusicTulsa.org

BERNSTEIN

Overture to Candide Divertimento for Orchestra Three Dance Episodes from On The Town

DVOŘÁK

Cello Concerto in B minor

THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 – 16, 2018

ARTS & CULTURE // 29

lolz

Andrew Deacon, host of Live at the Fur Shop | GREG BOLLINGER

Hearty laughter Live at the Fur Shop compiles comedy for a cause by MITCH GILLIAM

wo guys walk into a bar to meet about an upcoming benefit show they’re hosting. The first one says, “I originally envisioned a dog-related charity, so I could be covered in puppies.” The second one says, “This is how Cruella de Vil started: ‘I want to be covered in puppies—but puppy skins would be easier!’” The exchange between top Tulsa comics Ryan Green and Andrew Deacon came about when discussing their upcoming Live at the Fur Shop comedy album. The two comics—along with Michael Zampino, a fellow member of the Channel 4.5 podcast network—are set to record two evenings of their wildly popular Monday night open mic series at the Fur Shop and compile an album from the best sets. But instead of going the “101 Dalmatians” route, all profits from the recording will go to the Hearts of Steel Founda30 // ARTS & CULTURE

tion, which benefits people with congenital heart defects. Green’s dad suffers from a heart defect, and Zampino lost a grandfather to one, so the Tulsa-based charity seemed a more logical fit. “A lot of people think you have a heart attack, you go to the hospital, and you get a big bill,” Green said. “But this is a lifetime thing full of expensive medication.” “We wanted to do something to give back, instead of just splitting the money,” Deacon said. Heart defects aren’t funny, but the trio of Green, Deacon, and Zampino is hysterical. Their weekly Fur Shop open mic, which took shape after the closing of downtown’s Comedy Parlor, has quickly become a staple of the local scene, performing the rare comedy feat of drawing in a steady crowd of regulars along with comics eyeing a slot. “We wanted to create a downtown space that still felt

professional,” Deacon said. That professionalism has manifested in a carefully-curated space for comics to try out new material in a room full of comics. In the long-forgotten genesis days of Tulsa comedy (five years ago) an open mic could mean an evening of rolling your eyes into the back of your skull—but the hosts at the Fur Shop aren’t afraid to cut down abrasive hack comics or the kind that think presenting 4chan in public is edgy. “The cringe still happens,” Green said. “But it’s surrounded by great acts—like hiding medicine in a piece of bacon.” While experimentation and the thrill of seeing a comic work through new material is a huge draw, part of the fun is when a comic’s bomb results in good-natured roasting from their peers. “When you hear Deacon cackling, you know someone’s having a rough go, and it’s hilarious,” Green said.

“Yeah—when you want encouragement, you go to Ryan,” Deacon said. “You come to me when you want to get better.” It’s worth noting that the duo howled at this notion. With Tulsa acts touring to larger fests, and our own Blue Whale Comedy Festival allowing Tulsa stand-ups a chance to rub shoulders with national stars, Tulsa comedy is entering the big leagues. Comedian Patton Oswalt tweeted about Blue Whale—and called Tulsa “hauntingly beautiful”—in a widely-shared clarion call for our scene’s arrival on the main stage. For the recording of Live at the Fur Shop, Deacon, Green, and Zampino selected their top 30 repeat performers. Fifteen acts will make the cut for the final product. “Our scene is full of so much talent, so we thought a compilation showcasing many comics, instead of just a few, would be perfect,” Deacon said. a October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 16, 2018

ARTS & CULTURE // 31

sportsreport

Flagrant fouls

How (not) to watch the 2018-19 Thunder basketball season by MATT CARNEY

here are members of my family—people who fed me when I couldn’t keep formula from dribbling out of my mouth, who witnessed my baptism, who will probably come and drink beers and tell in-jokes at my wedding next year—whose company I refuse to join to watch Oklahoma City Thunder basketball. It’s a matter of emotional preservation. I got heavily invested in the team the moment they relocated from Seattle, and doubled down when I lived in Oklahoma City from 2012 to 2016. It’s landed me in a delicate state where I’m unable to suffer shit takes on my precious baby boys. I took the 2012 Finals result hard, and Kevin Durant’s defection much harder. When Dion Waiters and his fondness for contested, 22-foot mid-range jumpers became the laughing stock of NBA Twitter, I bought real estate on Waiters Island. A babyfaced, 20-year-old Steven Adams showed up at my coffee shop wearing ﬂip-ﬂops in a snowstorm shortly before his rookie season started. That was when I knew I’d take a bullet for him like he was my own, very large, son. What I’m saying is I’ve grown affectionate of the enormous men who play basketball on my TV, to the point that I can’t abide the hacky, small-talk complaining that Okies— conditioned by decades of ESPN and college football talk radio—love to indulge. “We got hosed on that foul call.” “Melo isn’t worth what we paid him.” “Russ should shoot less from three.” Please. It’s not that it’s untrue. It’s that we’ve all heard it before. So, rather than parrot the opinions of professional talking dinguses like Skip Bayless (who you might recall got caught a few years back exaggerating his production at backup point guard

32 // ARTS & CULTURE

for his OKC high school basketball team, when he wasn’t busy trolling LeBron James on ESPN) why not talk like somebody who gives a damn? A better world is not only possible, it’s accessible via WiFi. NBA Twitter has loosened me from the confines of bad sports talk over the length of the Thunder’s existence. My media diet shifted away from horserace league punditry to the microblogging platform’s unfiltered, never-ending chatter, where one’s online performance may range from the abstract and goofball to steely-eyed insight. Conversely, I’ve found that in-person conversations are much more likely to yield the usual dull tropes about the Thunder, most of which were cooked up seasons ago by some awful pundit, only to get reheated and chewed to gristle year after year by gormless fans who dwell on the bottom line of winning championships. With the Thunder’s preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks coming up at

the BOK Center on Oct. 7, here are a few phrases to avoid, lest you become a similar such bore upon your friends and loved ones. “YOU TAKE THE GOOD AND THE BAD WITH RUSS.” Well, duh. When you hang your whole franchise on a player, that’s kinda how it works. You can’t trade him out for another superstar on nights when he kamikazes straight into the teeth of the defense and comes up empty. Of course you take the good and the bad with Russell Westbrook III, a triple-double made human who regularly out-rebounds starting NBA big men and would rather chug battery acid than lose a basketball game. His bad is still pretty damn good. “ANDRÉ ROBERSON’S SHOOTING SHOULD KEEP HIM ON THE BENCH.” You don’t have to know much about basketball to know that good shooting is super important. Shots go in or they don’t. It’s readily apparent who is and isn’t a good shooter, which is why arm-

chair pundits tend to overvalue it. The truth is that plenty of NBA players make long, storied careers doing everything that they can—ﬂitting around screens like a ballet dancer, leaping to heights that are off-limits even to many of their professional athlete teammates, and sniffing out opposing offensive gambits executed at warp speed—to prevent opponents from making shots. André Roberson is one of them. The Thunder’s team defensive rating fell off a cliff midway through last season when he got injured and never climbed back up. So, sure, Roberson may make only one of every four of the three-pointers that he always looks so regretful shooting, but a player capable of effectively guarding as many positions as he does isn’t just sitting at home waiting for an NBA team to call him up. “WE NEED A BIG THREE TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP.” Don’t get me wrong, I’d love for the Thunder to win the NBA Championship. But the Warriors’ bloodless, shameless roster-loading has watered it down to the point that pinning your hopes to it feels corny. And who picked the number three anyway? And one last thing: Please stop complaining about an imbalance of foul calls. The NBA isn’t a nonprofit. More basketball and drama means money, so yes, of course referees are going to lengthen playoff series and favor superstars. Go read a superhero comic if you’re looking for justice. Thunder basketball will be here waiting for you when you grow up. a

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Atlanta Hawks Sun., Oct. 7, 2 p.m., $16+ BOK Center, bokcenter.com October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

SAT. OCTOBER 6 || 7:00PM || ONEOK Field Margaritaville Night

SAT. OCTOBER 13 || 7:00PM || ONEOK Field Pop Socket Giveaway

| 918.744.5901 |

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW:

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW

HALLOWEEN TREATS

Autumn Donuts

Wool Dog Toys

Spooky Cookies

Come see our selection of dogwear, from favorite team jerseys… to sweaters for autumn walks… to Halloween head gear. And, our Halloween baked treats and stuffed toys will surely inspire a trick!

1778 UTICA SQUARE • 918-624-2600 • MON-SAT, 10-6 THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 – 16, 2018

ARTS & CULTURE // 33

PAGAN FESTIVAL

Shop unique vendors while celebrating and learning about Tulsa’s Pagan community at the annual Tulsa Pagan Pride Festival. Oct. 6, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Veterans Park, tulsapaganpride.com

BASKETBALL

The OKC Thunder will take on the Atlanta Hawks in the Thunder’s annual preseason exhibition game at BOK Center. Oct. 7, 2 p.m., $16–$127, bokcenter.com

CULTURAL DAY

WINE, JAZZ & WORLD FÊTE

Tulsa celebrates its second-annual Native American Day with a parade and speakers, entertainment, art, and music all day at Guthrie Green. Oct. 8, 11 a.m.–9 p.m., facebook.com/nativeamericandaytulsa

Thursday, Oct. 4 through Saturday, Oct. 6 Guthrie Green and Duet, tulsarootsmusic.org

BEER

Tulsa Roots Music presents this inaugural wine and jazz festival, which will feature free concerts at Guthrie Green and ticketed events at Duet’s underground jazz lounge (including the venue’s highly anticipated Grand Opening concert with genre-defying trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah). Thursday, 8 p.m., 10 p.m. Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah – Duet – $45 Friday, 6 p.m. Booker T. Washington Jazz Combo – Guthrie Green 7 p.m. Yemen Blues – Guthrie Green | 9 p.m. Wine Tasting – Duet – $35 9:45 p.m. The Bad Plus – Duet – $10 Saturday, 3:30 p.m. Rio Mira – Guthrie Green 4:30 p.m. Mike Cameron Collective – Guthrie Green | 5:30 p.m. Mark Bruner – Guthrie Green 6 p.m. Rio Mira – Guthrie Green | 7 p.m. Reﬂejos Flamencos – Guthrie Green 7:45 p.m. Delfeayo Marsalis Quintet – Guthrie Green 9:45 p.m. Combsy jams w/ festival artists – Duet – $5

More than 70 breweries will be serving under the skyline at the annual McNellie’s Harvest Beer Fest. Oct. 13, 12–3 p.m., 5–8 p.m., First Street & Elgin Avenue, mcnellies.com

ART MARKET

Featuring 150 Native artists representing 50 tribes from across the country, Cherokee Art Market is one of the largest Native art shows in the region. Oct. 13–14, $5, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, cherokeeartmarket.com

ART CRAWL

MUSIC FESTIVAL

First Friday Art Crawl openings include the 30th annual Tulsa Artists’ Coalition juried exhibition, taking place at ahha, and 108 Contemporary’s signature juried biennial, VisionMakers. Oct. 5, 6–9 p.m., The Tulsa Arts District, thetulsaartsdistrict.com

In honor of the late, great Tom Skinner, more than 45 Oklahoma musicians will play at the corner of 18th & Boston for Skyline Music Festival. Oct. 14, 3 p.m.–10:30 p.m., reddirtrelieffund.org

POLITICAL SPEAKER

HOCKEY

Former President of Mexico Vicente Fox will discuss the state of U.S.-Mexico relations with a call to unity. Oct. 5, 10:30 a.m., tulsatownhall.com

Tulsa Oilers kick off their season with a full weekend, taking on the Idaho Steelheads on Oct. 13 and 14. $17–$74, BOK Center, tulsaoilers.com

CAMPING

THEATRE

Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area allows camping one night a year; that night is BaseCamp, which features glow hikes and performances by Kalo, Bandelier, Alice April, and Nightly Dues. Oct. 6–7, $55–$75, turkeymtn.com

Heller Theatre Co.’s original short play series, Second Sunday Serials, returns. See ﬁve new plays and vote on which stories will continue at next month’s performance. Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m., $5, Agora Event Center, hellertheatreco.com

34 // ARTS & CULTURE

October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

LISTEN UP! OCTOBER 13 Allison Miller & Boom Tic Boom

NEW

NOVEMBER 4 James Blood Ulmer

ON TAP ALL DAY

TUESDAY: FREE GAME PLAY

NOVEMBER 15 Jay Larson (comedy)

TULSA’S

CLUB

108 N. DETROIT AVE. Live jazz music and comedy Tuesday through Saturday DuetJazz.com

TULSA TALKS

a podcast on Tulsa’s community and culture from the editors of TulsaPeople! Subscribe for FREE on Apple Podcasts or Google Play! Episodes are released the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. Oct. 3 episode sponsored by Utica Square

THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 – 16, 2018 VT_ TPCE Tulsa Voice 9x6 Ad.indd 1

FUNDAY: OPEN AT NOON

MONDAY: $1 COORS BANQUET

NOVEMBER 7 Jane Bunnett & Marqueque

DECEMBER 10 Charlie Hunter

4p – 6p HAPPY HOUR

FREE HURTS DONUTS CHAMPAGNE MIMOSA BAR LIVE EVENT BINGO @ 2pm

OCTOBER 27 Tia Fuller

DECEMBER 8 Raul Midon

MEET ME AT THE MAX! MON – FRI $2 DOMESTICS & FREE GAME PLAY

NEW PIN BALL

WEDNESDAY: TEAM TRIVIA NIGHT

QUESTIONABLE COMPANY @ 8pm

THURSDAY: DJ MOODY @ 9pm

FREE GAME PLAY FOR THE LADIES

FRIDAY: 10/5 • DJ JEFFEE FRESH

10/12 • DJ SWEET BABY JAYSUS

SATURDAY: 10/6 • DJ ROBBO 10/13 • DJ A.B. NEVER A COVER/21 & UP FREE WIFI SKEE BALL & PIN BALL

THEMAXRETROPUB

BLUE DOME DISTRICT • 114 S ELGIN

ARTS & CULTURE // 35 9/17/18 12:51 PM

BEST OF THE REST

Tesla Quartet // 10/14, Tulsa PAC - John H. Williams Theatre, tulsapac.com

Peter and the Wolf // 10/5 at Studio K, 10/12

The 9th Annual Dinner of Reconciliation The 2018 Dinner of Reconciliation Theme: “The DNA of Reconciliation: Getting to Know You”

EVENTS Gypsy Coffeehouse Spirit Fair // 10/5, Gypsy Coffeehouse, gypsycoffee.com National Indian Taco Championship //

10/6, Downtown Pawhuska, facebook.com/ NITCpawhuska

Art on Main // 10/6, Main Street Jenks, jenkschamber.com

Together OK: What the heck am I voting for?

// 10/9, Rudisill Regional Library, togetherok.org

Kate Moore - Radium Girls // Best-selling

Honorary Dinner Chairs Chris & Lesley Bumgarner

Keynote Speaker Eli Saslow

Location: Greenwood Cultural Center 322 N. Greenwood Ave. Cost:

Adults - $25 Children (Ages 5-17) - $15

Date:

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Time:

Reception - 6:30 p.m. Dinner & Program - 7:00 p.m.

R.S.V.P. by November 9 by contacting Jean M. Neal at 918-295-5009 or jneal@jhfcenter.org Register today at www.jhfcenter.org/dinner-registration

author Kate Moore will discuss her book “Radium Girls.” // 10/10, IDL Ballroom, booksmarttulsa.com

Brush Creek Bazaar // 10/12-14, The Barn,

COMEDY Brendan Eyre, Ambrose Jones // 10/3-6, Loony Bin, tulsa.loonybincomedy.com

Bill Bellamy // 10/7, Loony Bin, tulsa.loonybincomedy.com

Open Mic Comedy // 10/8, The Fur Shop, furshoptulsa.com

Comedy Open Mic // 10/9, Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577, facebook.com/vfwcomedyopenmic Greg Morton // 10/10-13, Loony Bin, tulsa.loonybincomedy.com Open Mic Comedy // 10/15, The Fur Shop,

brushcreekbazaar.org

furshoptulsa.com

Blue Dome Jivin’ // The Oklahoma Swing Syndicate will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a full day of dance workshops and fun. // 10/13, The Oklahoma Swing Syndicate, theoklahomaswingsyndicate.org

Comedy Open Mic // 10/16, Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577, facebook.com/vfwcomedyopenmic

2nd Saturday | Modernism: Public Spaces Inside & Out // 10/13, Tulsa Foundation for

SPORTS

Architecture, tulsaarchitecture.org

TU Softball vs Rogers State // 10/3, Collins Family Softball Complex, tulsahurricane.com

Runway Tulsa // 10/13, Utica Square,

TU Softball vs Arkansas // 10/5, Collins Family

runwaytulsa.com

ShalomFest // 10/14, Temple Israel, shalomfest.com

Caroline Fraser discusses Laura Ingalls Wilder // 10/15, TCC Center for Creativity, magiccitybooks.com

Art Off the Hill // Rogers State University’s art festival. 10/12-13, Ne-Mar Center, facebook.com/artoffthehill

PERFORMING ARTS Cirque Zuma Zuma and Daniel D. // 10/4-5, Gathering Place - Great Lawn, gatheringplace.org

The Hexagon // Black Wall Street Theatre presents an evening of six short plays by local writers Ricco Wright, Josh Wann, Lisa Campbell, and Kode Ransom. // 10/4-6, Nightingale Theater, bwsarts.org The Boxcar Children // 10/5-14, Spotlight

Softball Complex, tulsahurricane.com

TU Softball vs Northeastern Oklahoma A&M // 10/6, Collins Family Softball Complex, tulsahurricane.com

Legends of Pro Basketball // Former NBA and WNBA players will host a free skills clinic for kids of all abilities. // 10/6, Gathering Place - Sports Courts, gatheringplace.org

TU Men’s Soccer vs UCF // 10/6, Hurricane Stadium, tulsahurricane.com ORU Women’s Soccer vs Purdue Fort Wayne

// 10/7, Case Soccer Complex, oruathletics.com

ORU Volleyball vs South Dakota State // 10/9, Cooper Aerobics Center, oruathletics.com TU Men’s Soccer vs Missouri State // 10/9, Hurricane Stadium, tulsahurricane.com TU Softball vs Seminole State // 10/10, Collins Family Softball Complex, tulsahurricane.com

Theatre, spotlighttheatre.org

TU Women’s Soccer vs USF // 10/11,

Tulsa Symphony Opening Night Gala with cellist Lynn Harrell // 10/6, Tulsa PAC -

TU Football vs South Florida // 10/12,

Hurricane Stadium, tulsahurricane.com

Chapman Music Hall, tulsapac.com

H.A. Chapman Stadium, tulsahurricane.com

Doktor Kaboom // 10/8-9, Gathering Place -

TU Volleyball vs Cincinnati // 10/12,

Reading Tree Stage, gatheringplace.org

Reynolds Center, tulsahurricane.com

Disney’s Choo Choo Soul with Genevieve //

TU Softball vs Labette Community College

10/10, Gathering Place - Reading Tree Stage, gatheringplace.org

// 10/13, Collins Family Softball Complex, tulsahurricane.com

Daddy’s Dyin’: Who’s Got the Will? // 10/12-21, Broken Arrow Community Playhouse, bacptheatre.com

Tulsa Walk to Defeat ALS // 10/13, Guthrie

Thirteen // Moonlight Minx Parade presents this

Green, alsa.org

ORU Women’s Soccer vs Western Illinois // 10/14, Case Soccer Complex, oruathletics.com

mysterious, spooky, and sinister strip-tacular. // 10/13, Blackbird on Pearl, facebook.com/ moonlightminxparade

TU Women’s Soccer vs UCF // 10/14, Hurricane

The Grand Illusions of Rob Lake // 10/13,

tulsahurricane.com

Brady Theater, bradytheater.com

36 // ARTS & CULTURE

at Zarrow Performance Center, Tulsa Ballet, tulsaballet.org

Stadium, tulsahurricane.com

TU Volleyball vs ECU // 10/14, Reynolds Center, Xtreme Hip Hop Fitness with Phil // 10/15-16, Gathering Place - Sports Courts, gatheringplace.org October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 16, 2018

ARTS & CULTURE // 37

Natalie Prass | TONJE THILESEN

musicnotes

‘WE CAN TAKE YOU ALL’ Natalie Prass explores the relationship between ribbon dancing and resistance by LYNDSAY KNECHT

atalie Prass waltzed in quietly with her 2015 self-titled debut. The rufﬂed and lovelorn collection of baroque-leaning indie pop charmed critics. Spacebomb Records, which put the first album out, stood by to release Prass’ sophomore effort. The new songs were to be laid down in sessions come December 2016. Then Trump won the election, and Prass wrote 11 different ones with harder grooves, about fear and grief and women’s lives. Spacebomb passed. The album Prass built post-election insists on looking outward even as she gets personal. The Future and the Past (ATO Records) testifies to the black light cast on our relationships and ourselves—on Prass herself, too, who commits acts of resistance with songs like “Hot for the Mountain.” “We’ll take you on / we can take you all,” she sings. I talked with Prass as she hung a sparkly curtain at her merch table at the Turf Club in St. Paul. A songwriter since childhood, she’s always admired artists who put their careers on the line in

38 // MUSIC

speaking out: Nina Simone, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye. “Stevie Wonder shaped my morality in a lot of ways,” Prass said. “As a white suburban Virginia Beach kid, I just learned a lot through his lyrics.” Prass performs at the Vanguard with Stella Donnelly on Sunday, Oct. 7.

LYNDSAY KNECHT: What can folks expect from the stage show this time, with such a swerve? NATALIE PRASS: I’ve just been having a lot of fun with going the extra mile and investing in things I think are exciting for an audience member. We do dance moves and it’s all color-coordinated. My merch has ribbon dancing on it, like our [“Short Court Style”] music video. KNECHT: So, The Future and the Past is out there being clearly read. The politics of it are very direct—it’s an interesting tension with the visual aesthetics, because there’s a October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

lot of exuberance in your presentation. Can you talk about your decisions to present your songs in this joyful way when they are sort of full of struggle? PRASS: It was really important to me to present the material in a positive way and to have everything in a package of hope and in a package of perseverance. As I get older, I want things around me that are going to push me forward, and I really want to do that for others. I didn’t want to bring anybody down, and most importantly, I didn’t want to bring myself down. My last record was very emotional and sad—it didn’t have a lot of hope to it. Well, “It Is You” did—even back then, I wanted to end on a light note.

KNECHT: When I first read about your pivot, I wondered about your family, and whether they had set a precedent for you to follow. PRASS: My dad’s like, never voted, and my mom’s just—we never had political conversations in our family. With a lot of American families—white families, it was: ‘You don’t talk about politics. It’s uncomfortable.’ My sister’s my confidant, and I’m so thankful I have her in my life … she lives in Germany and she organized a

women’s march there, like got on the bullhorn and led all the women and men. She’s amazing. KNECHT: The line on “Sisters”—“keep your sisters close”: What does that line mean for you while you’re on tour? PRASS: When I was in my early 20s, I was so competitive. Now more than ever, since the election, I decided I would try my best not to be jealous, because I’m here to support all the women around me that

are more successful. Once you have that perspective—‘This person is making it easier for me’—it’s like, OK, I’m not at this huge venue and the show’s not sold out, but they’re making it easier for me. Instead of feeling like, ‘Why aren’t I doing that?’ I’m thinking, ‘Hell yeah, that’s so rad.’ a

NATALIE PRASS Sun., Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. The Vanguard, 222 N. Main St. | $12

KNECHT: Pitchfork gave the new one a 7.7. How much do you care about these things? PRASS: I used to care [laughs]. Of course, you’re human, and so you’re going to pay attention, especially to the big publications. I’ve been doing this for the majority of my life but I’m still new to it professionally, you know. So I want to check out how people are perceiving it. I always say I need to make something I am proud of, first and foremost. When you’re a solo artist there’s always so many people telling you what to do, and there’s so many people that have their opinions. And it always comes in a package of, ‘We want you to do you, but we have these things to say about it.’ When I decided to make a more political-leaning record last minute a month before we were supposed to start tracking another record, you know, my label at the time was not OK with it. It was an amicable split, but they ultimately were like, ‘You need to find another home for this record. We don’t want it.’ KNECHT: Did they tell you what they wanted you to change? PRASS: There were a lot of little things along the way. Like, they didn’t want me to record in Richmond [Virginia]; they wanted me to record in LA or New York. Ultimately it was just like a whole, ‘Yeah, we don’t want this.’ THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 – 16, 2018

MUSIC // 39

musicnotes

‘From Compton with Love’ iamDES serves up a bowl of hip-hop nostalgia by MARY NOBLE

hink back to your favorite Saturday morning routine as a kid. Imagine it to the very last detail: your favorite pajamas and your sugar-laden cereal of choice, complete with your favorite cartoon (for me, it’s a tossup between “Doug” and “Recess”). DaVonte Suarez, aka iamDES, has a new project, Saturday Morning Cartoons & a Box of Cereal, Vol 1, which evokes fond childhood memories like these. This 10-track LP of engineered nostalgia details the life experiences that formed Suarez into the man and artist he is today. The album, which was released Sept. 22, took three years to complete. Suarez plans on releasing volumes two and three in the future. I was fortunate enough to attend Suarez’s album release party at the home of 105.3 KJamz host Ali Shaw. As I entered, my senses were ﬂooded with old school tunes and blissful aromas emanating from the kitchen. In front of me was a wall covered in cereal boxes where guests were encouraged to take photos. Shaw was to my right, lounging in a recliner as she cradled rapper Earl Hazard’s newborn baby girl. Rapper and chef Bezel365 served up a pot of his homemade gumbo and made rounds with a pitcher of a peachy libation that was dangerously tasty. Tulsa area rappers, producers, family, and friends gathered around to hear Suarez speak in between tracks, Shaw’s TV running silent clips of old cartoons in the background. Suarez answered questions from guests and reﬂected on his evolution as an artist, happiness and humility springing from him. “God and life had to chip away a lot of my ego to get the blessing I feel like I should have now: one being my wife, one

40 // MUSIC

DaVonte Suarez | COURTESY

being good people around [me], and one being success—whatever that might be.” Later that night, Suarez asked me what my favorite cereal was. “Rice Krispies Treats,” I replied. “But I’m pretty sure they don’t make it anymore.” That next day we had our interview. When I walked into his home there was a bowl, two kinds of milk, and a box of Frosted Krispies sitting on the table. (It was the closest thing he could find.) I poured myself a bowl and we chatted about his body of work, his upbringing, and artistic partnership with his wife Krisheena Suarez, a musical theater major and opera-trained singer whose hypnotic voice is heard throughout the album.

DaVonte Suarez’s formative years were spent in Compton being raised by his mother and step-father. Suarez doesn’t like to refer to his biological father as his “real dad,” because to him his step-father fulfills that role. “My last memory of my [biological] dad is watching my step-dad kicking his ass in front of my grandma’s house,” he said. Suarez was exposed to the hardships of Compton in the 80s and 90s. “We grew up hard, and I got to see their trials and tribulations. I grew up during the LA riots. I saw somebody get raped. It was hard during the riots,” Suarez said. Suarez grew up during a time in Compton where a lot of young men were being pressured to join

gangs. However, Suarez was more interested in watching ThunderCats and listening to conscious rap from the east coast. “I was the kid who liked the comic books. I didn’t like west coast music. I couldn’t identify with being a gangster,” Suarez said. “I’d hear the bullets shooting but was like, ‘Ah man, Martin is coming on!” The song “From Compton with Love” details Suarez’s complex love for Compton: “I can tell you about a story of a rose that grow from concrete / The chip cracks on the building and pavement represent the chip on my shoulder.” The song includes vocals from Krisheena and a feature from Tulsa poet and good friend, Written Quincey. Saturday Morning Cartoons & a Box of Cereal, Vol 1 includes audio clips from his nine-yearold son, his mother, and his kid brother throughout. The voice of Suarez’s mother is heard on the song “5.24.84” (Suarez’s birthdate) where she describes the pride she has for the man, father, and husband Suarez has become. She recounts the evening she brought him home from the hospital: “I took you in the backyard. It was night. It was a full moon. I held you up to heavens just like I saw Kunta Kinte’s dad do in ‘Roots.’ I saw that movie when I was a kid, and I thought all black people did that to their children, to their babies when they were born . . . you are just the way that I pictured you when I would talk to you when I was pregnant.” a

Saturday Morning Cartoons & a Box of Cereal, Vol 1 is currently streaming on all music platforms October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

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MUSIC // 41

musiclistings Wed // Oct 3 41 Brookside – Jake Dement Bad Ass Renee’s – Kore Rozzik, Solidify, Solid Ground, SHIVA BOK Center – *Fleetwood Mac – ($69.50-$226.50) Cellar Dweller – *Grazz Trio Cimarron Bar – Steve & Sheldon Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Keith Anderson Mercury Lounge – Jared Tyler Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – *Nathan Eicher & the Modern Oklahoma Jazz Orchestra – ($10) River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Stephanie Oliver & Johnny Mullenax Soul City – Don & Stephen White The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project Tulsa State Fair - Oklahoma Stage – Roots & Boots

Thurs // Oct 4 Cain’s Ballroom – BØRNS, Twin Shadow – (SOLD OUT) Cottonwood Flats – Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival – ($37-$86) Fassler Hall – The Blueside of Lonesome, Ozaki Bros. Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Jesse Joice, House Party Los Cabos - BA – Jacob Dement Duo Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman Mulligan’s Sports Bar – DJ MO River Spirit Casino – DJ 2Legit Shuffles: Board Game Cafe – Afistaface Soul City – The Begonias The Colony – Jacob Tovar’s Western Night The Hunt Club – Brad Pilgrim The Venue Shrine – Skydyed, TFM – ($8-$10) Tulsa State Fair - Oklahoma Stage – Seether

Fri // Oct 5 41 Brookside – Blue Root American Legion Post 308 – Double “00” Buck Back Gallery – Itchy Fingers w/ Jhohn Arlie, Blake Swaney, Chrim Blackbird on Pearl – Machine in the Mountain, Constant Peril, Let Slip the Dogs – ($5) Chimera – *BUHU Album release Colorfeed A/V – Team Chino, Brooklyn Lyn Dawn, Chess Club, Plastic Psalms – ($5) Dusty Dog Pub – Barry Seal Fassler Hall – *Lessons in Fresh – ($5) Guthrie Green & Duet – *Wine, Jazz & World Fete Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Dante Schmitz, Stars Los Cabos - BA – Str8ght Shot Max Retro Pub – DJ Jeffee Fresh Mercury Lounge – Fred Wickham and the Hadacol Caravan Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – John Petrucelli Osage Casino Tulsa – 5th Element Pit Stop – DJ MO River Spirit Casino – Derryl Perry River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Ayngel & John Soul City – Dustin Arbuckle and the Damn Nations, Jennifer Marriott Band – ($10) Soul City – Susan Herndon - Happy Hour Soundpony – *Tones Beach Release Show w/ Bezel365, KeezyKuts The Colony – *Seth Lee Jones EP Release w/ Paul Benjaman – ($5) The Colony – Damion Shade - Happy Hour The Fur Shop – Jennifer Marriott Band The Hunt Club – RPM The Venue Shrine – Glo Odyssey – ($15-$20) Tulsa State Fair - Oklahoma Stage – 112 Vanguard – Genitorturers, Echo Black, The Offering – ($20-$50)

Sat // Oct 6 41 Brookside – Matt Sanders Bad Ass Renee’s – KrashKarma, Follow the Buzzards, The Alive, Alterblood 42 // MUSIC

Blackbird on Pearl – Monster Fest w/ Basses Loaded, Omni Zero, Had Enough, Maxx Quotes, Prokane & Killa, Meta 4, Fritzy, DJ Feenix – ($5-$10) Cimarron Bar – Rocket Science Crow Creek Tavern – Sasstones Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Continuum, Paralandra IDL Ballroom – Totally 90s Bar Crawl – ($15) Josey Records – *The Mules, Ethan Sandoval, Cherokee Rose, Brad Pilgrim Lefty’s On Greenwood – Faye Moffett Los Cabos - BA – C-Plus Max Retro Pub – DJ Robbo of 80s Prom Mercury Lounge – The Vine Brothers Mulligan’s Sports Bar – DJ MO NSU Event Center – Green Country Roots Festival – (Free admission, VIP - $10) Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Blues Review: Tribute to Dorothy “Miss Blues” Ellis – ($10) Osage Casino Tulsa – The Hi-Fidelics River Spirit Casino – Stars River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Brent Giddens Soundpony – Soul Night The Colony – Wink Burcham – ($5) The Fur Shop – Trick or Tease – ($10-$20) The Hunt Club – Hosty The Venue Shrine – Forgotten Space – ($15) Tulsa State Fair - Oklahoma Stage – Everclear Vanguard – *Cliffdiver EP Release w/ Lilac Kings, The Odyssey, Ben Quad, The Noise Estate – ($10)

Sun // Oct 7 Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective Los Cabos - BA – Rockwell Mercury Lounge – Brandon Clark River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Brent Giddens Soul City – Bruner & Eicher Soul City – Blues Brunch w/ Dustin Pittsley Soundpony – Starving Wolves Soundpony – Jazzarumma Jam - Happy Hour The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Open Mic Matinee hosted by David Hernandez The Hunt Club – Preslar Music Showcase Tulsa State Fair - Oklahoma Stage – *Branjae Vanguard – *Natalie Prass, Stella Donnelly – ($12) Westbound Club – Follow the Buzzards

Mon // Oct 8 Cain’s Ballroom – Highly Suspect, DJ RedBees – (SOLD OUT) East Village Bohemian Pizzeria – Mike Cameron Collective Mercury Lounge – Chris Blevins River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Travis Kidd Soundpony – And Then Came Humans The Colony – Seth Lee Jones Band The Colony – Ryan Browning - Happy Hour The Venue Shrine – The Situation – ($5) Vanguard – Rome Hero Foxes, Candy Fly, Kinda Collective – ($10)

Tues // Oct 9 Blackbird on Pearl – Stinky Gringos, Space Coast Ghosts Mercury Lounge – Wink Burcham and Jacob Tovar Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Depot Jazz and Blues Jams River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Faye Moffett Soul City – Tuesday Bluesday The Colony – Dane Arnold and the Soup The Colony – Deerpaw - Happy Hour

Wed // Oct 10

Sat // Oct 13

41 Brookside – Jake Dement Brady Theater – *Emmylou Harris – ($39.50$69.50) Cellar Dweller – Grazz Trio Chimera – Spanish Love Songs Cimarron Bar – Steve & Sheldon Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Asphalt Cowboys Mercury Lounge – Jared Tyler Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Shelby and Nathan Eicher – ($10) River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Stephanie Oliver & Johnny Mullenax Soul City – Don & Stephen White The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project Vanguard – The Weeks, Manta Rays – ($15)

Bad Ass Renee’s – Forbidden Serenity, Blood of Heroes, Omni Zero, MurderousMary Bound for Glory Books – *The Phlegms, City Trash, Junfalls, Tom Boil, Blurt Chimera – Let’s Session Vol. 2 – ($12-$15) Chimera – City Trash, Sylvia Wrath Dead Armadillo Brewery – Beth Lee, Chris Duarte Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Scott Ellison, Annie Up Los Cabos - BA – Doctors of Replay Max Retro Pub – DJ A.B. Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman, Greenbeard, Lady Killers Mulligan’s Sports Bar – DJ MO Osage Casino Tulsa – Chris Hyde Trio River Spirit Casino – Zodiac River Spirit Casino – *Garbage – ($30-$45) River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – The Duo Soul City – Mark Gibson Band – ($10) Soundpony – Pony Disco Club The Colony – Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires, Planet What, Golden Ones – ($5) The Hunt Club – Str8ght Shot The Venue Shrine – Wakeland – ($10-$15) Vanguard – Obscure Sanity, Less Than Human, Solid Ground, Violent Victim, Alterblood, Mother’s Little Bastard – ($10) Wyld Hawgz – The Rumor

Thurs // Oct 11 BOK Center – *Bruno Mars – ($59.50-$175) Cain’s Ballroom – The Wombats, Barns Courtney – ($20-$35) Gathering Place - Reading Tree – Sonia De Los Santos Hard Rock Casino – Trett Charles, Travis Marvin Hard Rock Casino - The Joint – Aaron Lewis – ($35-$45) IDL Ballroom – Ok, So… Story Slam: Fight or Flight – ($5) Los Cabos - BA – Laron Simpson Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman Mulligan’s Sports Bar – DJ MO River Spirit Casino – DJ 2Legit Soul City – The Begonias Soundpony – Soft Leather The Colony – Jacob Tovar’s Western Night The Hunt Club – Songswappers w/ Jimmy Ray Taylor and Bill Crain The Venue Shrine – *Reverend Horton Heat, Unknown Hinson – ($20-$25) Vanguard – Koffin Kats, The Goddamn Gallows, Gutter Demons – ($15)

Fri // Oct 12 41 Brookside – Tequila Kim Reynolds American Legion Post 308 – Joe Harris BOK Center – *Bruno Mars – ($59.50-$175) Brady Theater – Lauren Daigle – ($25-$75) Dead Armadillo Brewery – Cody Woody Gathering Place - Great Lawn – Maddie & Tae Gathering Place - Reading Tree – Sonia De Los Santos Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Sam Royal, Goldy Locks IDL Ballroom – Cinderella’s Tom Keifer, Sweatin Bullets, Evil Twin – ($30) Los Cabos - BA – Scott Pendergrass Band Max Retro Pub – DJ Sweet Baby Jaysus Mercury Lounge – Hillbilly Casino, Jittery Jack Osage Casino Tulsa – Imzadi Peyton’s Place – Illinois River Jam – ($45-$60) Pit Stop – DJ MO River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Brent Giddens River Spirit Casino - Paradise Cove – *Bob Dylan and His Band – ($70-$535) River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Crystal Williams Soul City – The Grits – ($10) Soul City – Susan Herndon - Happy Hour Soundpony – DJ Mooneyham The Colony – *Erik Oftedahl album release w/ Dan Martin – ($5) The Colony – Damion Shade - Happy Hour The Hunt Club – Fuzed The Venue Shrine – Band of Heathens – ($15-$20) Vanguard – *Desi and Cody album release w/ Roots of Thought, Robert Hoefling – ($10) Wyld Hawgz – EverFade

Sun // Oct 14 Fassler Hall – Hip Hop Brunch Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective Los Cabos - BA – Rockwell Mercury Lounge – Brandon Clark Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Chuck and Sandy Gardner: He Says, She Says – ($15-$20) River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Brent Giddens Soul City – Bruner & Eicher Soul City – Blues Brunch w/ Dustin Pittsley Soundpony – 918 Sole Food Sunday - Happy Hour The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Open Mic Matinee hosted by David Hernandez The Hunt Club – Summerland, Brian Ashley Jones The Venue Shrine – *Tom Skinner’s Skyline Fest – ($15-$50) Vanguard – *Project Pat – ($15-$40)

Mon // Oct 15 East Village Bohemian Pizzeria – Mike Cameron Collective Mercury Lounge – Chris Blevins River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Travis Kidd Soundpony – Creatures of the Ears The Colony – Seth Lee Jones Band The Colony – Ryan Browning - Happy Hour The Venue Shrine – The Situation – ($5) Vanguard – Bogues, Plans – ($10)

Tues // Oct 16 Mercury Lounge – Wink Burcham and Jacob Tovar River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Faye Moffett Soul City – Tuesday Bluesday The Colony – Dane Arnold and the Soup The Colony – Deerpaw - Happy Hour The Hunt Club – The Mules, David Les Smith, March Divide Woody Guthrie Center – Greg Jacobs, Monica Taylor, Randy Pease – ($20)

October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 16, 2018

MUSIC // 43

onscreen

“Far Western” | COURTESY

World music

‘Far Western’ documents the surviving classic country tradition in Japan by MASON WHITEHORN POWELL THE PREMISE OF “FAR WESTERN” IS SIMPLE but strange: In Japan, a dedicated group of Japanese musicians, fans, and venue owners are keeping traditional bluegrass and country music alive. After nearly a decade of work on his part, local James D. Payne’s character-driven documentary will screen Thursday, Oct. 4, at Circle Cinema. Payne answers a few questions about the ﬁlm below. MASON WHITEHORN POWELL: What was that deciding factor that made you say, “Yes, I’m going to do this”? JAMES PAYNE: I was fascinated in a historical sense. I was in this bar and I saw this photo of Leon Russell from the “Hank Wilson’s Back” albums, the early ‘70s country albums, and I was really intrigued by that. I grew up with Leon Russell music in the house, so when I started digging into that post-WWII story, I was fascinated with it as just a chapter of music history. And then as it grew, and I got to know some of the individuals, I was more interested in this cross-cultural exchange story. The way really diverse cultures seem to be transplanted into unlikely places.

congruous, and maybe visually it’s funny or paradoxical or something, but I think once you get further into the ﬁlm and you meet the characters, you realize that country music, or folk music—these sorts of hillbilly, pre-country music like bluegrass— they’re really relatively relatable forms of folk music that are about very relatable themes, and they’re sentimental. I think that every culture has some sort of sentimental bent, and that simple folk music spoke to Japanese. POWELL: Considering contemporary Japanese culture, would you consider the subjects of your documentary to be eccentric? PAYNE:Yeah, deﬁnitely. It’s a tiny sliver of Japanese culture. They are eccentric. And these little [country] bars are very few and far between. The bluegrass scene in Japan has a little more footing because there are clubs associated with universities, and they still have 40–50 bluegrass festivals in Japan. But the sort of country and western scene is really small and fading. It really had its heyday in the ‘50s and ‘60s as a popular form of music in Japan, and that has gone away. a

POWELL: Do you think this concept might appear strange to some Americans? PAYNE: You mean, “Japanese playing Country and Western music?” Yeah, I mean that’s sort of the bait. People see it as in44 // FILM & TV

“FAR WESTERN” Thurs., Oct. 4, 7 p.m. Circle Cinema, 10 S. Lewis Ave. | $9.50

“1945” | COURTESY

OCCUPIED

A small town confronts its dark past in ‘1945’ by CHARLES ELMORE ON A BLISTERING AUGUST DAY IN FERENC Török’s “1945,” a bucolic Hungarian village prepares for a wedding of the Town Clerk’s son and his peasant bride. Across town, an Orthodox man and his son step off a train with two large cases, their contents a mystery. Though they never say a word about their intentions, their mere appearance sets off a chain reaction of suspicion and paranoia within its residents, particularly the town clerk. By the time they leave, the entire village is upended. Things will never be the same. The clerk (Peter Rudlof) appears to be an upstanding member of his community, with a successful storefront, political pull, a handsome son. Yet, as these two mysterious men (Iván Angelusz and Marcell Nagy) make their way to a destination yet unknown, Kustar, the local drunk played by Ági Szirtes , becomes incapable of bearing the burden of a secret he shares with the clerk and possibly these two men. The revelation could ruin the tranquility of their community. Török takes a naturalistic approach to this moral thriller, evoking an atmosphere reminiscent of ﬁlms like “The Bicycle Thief” or “Rome, Open City.” The Hungarian coun-

tryside is rendered is lush, inky black-andwhite imagery. Its characters move in and out of spaces with just the right balance of melodrama and suspense. It’s Italian neorealism by way of Michel Haneke—though “1945” never quite veers into the nihilistic leanings of Haneke’s body of work. What plays out as a period piece fraught with paranoia and duplicity may in fact be read as a sepia-tinted allegory for post-WWII occupation. The film takes place mere weeks before the official end of the conflict, and its aftershocks can be felt in the background of this pastoral countryside. The presence of Russian soldiers constantly loom over the village, a reminder of Russia’s occupation. Even the townsfolk may in fact be occupying a place to which they may not have legal claim. By the time the two mysterious strangers’ intentions are unmasked, it’s too late. Too much has been revealed— the damage, irreversible. What leaves this village and its inhabitants forever changed is not the admission of guilt or culpability. The sin itself, buried deep in the soil of this community, is enough to destroy its peaceful way of life and those who’ve perpetrated it. a October 3 – 16, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

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THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 – 16, 2018

FILM & TV // 45

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A BRIEF RUNDOWN OF WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE CIRCLE CINEMA

OPENING OCTOBER 5 A STAR IS BORN Three-time Academy Award nominated actor Bradley Cooper makes his directorial debut with this modern re-telling of the story told in three previous Hollywood classics. Cooper stars as an alcoholic music superstar who discovers a talented unknown, played by pop star Lady Gaga, helping her to rise to fame as they fall in love. Rated R. SCIENCE FAIR A fun and inspiring documentary that follows nine high school students as they face off against 1,700 teens from 78 countries around the globe in the International Science Fair competition. Rated PG. PICK OF THE LITTER This documentary tracks a litter of puppies from the moment of birth through their two-year journey to become guide dogs for the blind. The standards are high, and not every dog can make the cut.

OPENING OCTOBER 12 TEA WITH THE DAMES Four British acting icons—Dames Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Joan Plowright, and Eileen Atkins—spend a weekend in the country reminiscing and laughing about their legendary careers, all while enjoying a spot of tea. This charming documentary is directed by Roger Michell (“Notting Hill”). Not Rated.

SPECIAL EVENTS FAR WESTERN A unique documentary about the popularity of American country music in post-World War II Japan. Q&A follows with director

James Payne, producer Matt Leach, and band members of The Blueside of Lonesome. (Thurs., Oct. 4, 7 p.m.) BLUE BLAZES RAWDEN (1918) Second Saturday Silents presents a 100th Anniversary presentation of an early Western classic. Bill Rowland accompanies on the Circle’s 1928 pipe organ. Tickets $5 for adults, $2 for 16 and under. (Sat., Oct. 13, 11 a.m.) TULSA AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL See our full coverage in this edition of The Tulsa Voice for schedule and details. (Wed. through Sun., Oct. 10-14) 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) A 50th Anniversary 35 MM film print presentation of the groundbreaking sci-fi masterpiece from Stanley Kubrick. Critics panel follows with Tulsa World’s Michael Smith, TU film professor Michael Wright, moderated by Tulsa Voice critic Jeff Huston. (Sun., Oct. 14, 2 p.m.) BATTLING BUTLER (1926) Free screening of a Buster Keaton comedy classic, hosted by the Sooner State Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society. Bill Rowland accompanies on the Circle’s 1928 pipe organ. (Mon., Oct. 15, 7 p.m.) KILLING PAIN Free documentary presentation about America’s opioid addiction crisis. Q&A follows. (Tue., Oct. 16, 7 p.m.) THE EYESLICER HALLOWEEN SPECIAL Billed as “an acid trip down the Halloween aisle at Party City,” this collection of ghoulish film shorts packs horror, comedy, gore, and more. (Thurs., Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m.)

October 3 – 16, 2018 // 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

PATCHES would make a great family dog. She loves to play with toys and to get treats. Though she may need some training with the leash for slight tugging, she’s a fast learner. Patches is eight months old and weighs about 38 lbs.

ACROSS 1 Be able to buy 7 Bested 13 Provider of finger foods 20 Ritzy evening affair 21 Melodic, in music 22 Go beyond worrying 23 Four fish 26 Singer Cara 27 Electric company measurement 28 Seating level with bleachers 29 “Unfortunately for me” 30 Long-nosed fishes 32 Run, as a committee 34 Chesapeake Bay yield 36 NBA rival, once 39 Unsympathetic sounds 41 Puerto ___ 43 Likely to creep you out 47 Salsa quality 49 Radar screen travelers 52 Yearly ceremony, e.g. 55 Altar declaration 56 Three fish 60 Type of whiskey or coffee 61 Collette or Duggan 62 Word with “EXIT” 63 Wrigglers near reefs 64 Slowly, musically 65 Savory meat jelly 66 Make text corrections 68 Termite’s kin 69 Badge of Courage color? 71 Synagogue (var.) 74 Successfully noshed 75 Dashboard meas. 78 Undo a new marriage

FOXY loves to smile. She is a little shy but loves to be loved on. All she needs is a gentle person willing to give lots of treats. Foxy is four years old and weighs about 36 lbs.

80 Bury ashes in a vase 82 Question of location 84 Worthless email 87 Seductive skirt feature 89 Shelled snack 90 Soother or facilitator 91 Three fish 96 Canton in security? 97 Recap of one’s work history 98 Sri Lankan and Indian language 99 Two Declaration of Independence signers 100 Prefix meaning 2-Down 102 Horse controller 104 U-turn from neatnik 106 EPA-banned insecticide 107 Taking visual notice 110 Miss Piggies? 113 Look at with beady eyes 115 Unobtrusive attention-getter 118 Ms. Lane of comics 120 San ___, Calif. 122 Place to wheel a cart 126 Five fish 130 Make more balanced 131 Winter cap feature 132 Hold in high ___ 133 Flushed in the face 134 Wily and tiptoeing 135 In for the moment DOWN 1 Spot of wine? 2 Gettysburg Address starter 3 “I can’t complain” 4 Type of great ape 5 Microwave job

6 Gordon of the major leagues 7 Regatta tools 8 Dickens character Heep 9 Wee bit of color 10 Impromptu bookmark 11 Suffix with organ 12 Terse command 13 Chair weaver 14 Old Greek meeting place 15 Help off the road? 16 Protect, as in glass 17 Iranian spendable 18 Pound or Cornell 19 Agents 24 Steal cattle off a ranch 25 Cigarette ingredient 31 Red gem 33 Soil 35 Caped Lugosi of horror 36 Historic Hun 37 Devoid of vegetation 38 Apply blessed oil to 40 They make muddy beds 42 “Bye” somewhere 44 Winter coat 45 Kelly Clarkson was the first 46 Many, many years on end 48 Sudden powerful wind 50 Heavy-hitting-soft sounds 51 Type of boom 53 Funny lady Tracey 54 Heretofore 57 Rose protector 58 It’s in Kansas 59 Wasn’t behind a leader? 65 They’re all grown up 67 Part of a staircase 70 Come after

MOO MOO likes playing fetch and likes treats the most. It’s hard to get a good photo of this happy girl unless a treat is involved. Moo Moo is one year old and weighs about 50 lbs.

72 Not fitting a purpose 73 Saint ___ of the Caribbean 75 Chore to restart a lawn 76 Emulated a hungry cougar 77 Least possible 78 “Who ___ to judge?” 79 Relating to public worship 81 Travels all over the place 83 Room 204 and 205 separator? 84 Sealed tightly 85 Cut back, as staff 86 Landed on the ground 88 Sprinter’s stat 92 Jenny’s sound 93 Hawaiian tourist gifts 94 “Weeping” tree 95 Natural healing plant 101 Fix anew 103 “___ Mr. Nice Guy!” 105 Bringer, as of good tidings 108 Intestinal obstruction 109 Way up in an atlas? 111 Said twice, a western U.S. city 112 Hearty meat entree 114 Mountain feature 115 Mimicking one 116 Place drones move about 117 ___ out a victory 119 All females 121 View through binoculars 123 Work a checkout 124 God Almighty’s position 125 Whirling water 127 Hawaiian food staple 128 ___ Pedro 129 Food scrap

Find the answers to this issue’s crossword puzzle at thetulsavoice.com/puzzle-solutions. THE TULSA VOICE // October 3 – 16, 2018

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.

FLOYD is a very playful boy and wants all the love. He would do great in a variety of homes. Floyd is four years old and weighs about 34 lbs.

LARAH would do well in a quiet indoor home. She has lived with senior citizens and given them comfort, love, and companionship at the end of their lives. She would love her next home to be her forever home. She is shy here, but once home with you, she will never leave your side. Larah is ﬁve years old and weighs about 13 lbs.

UNIVERSAL SUNDAY CROSSWORD I CAUGHT 15 FISH By Timothy E. Parker

10/7 ETC. // 47

STEVIE WONDER

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