The Tulsa Voice | Vol. 5 No. 8

FIVE STORIES FROM OUR INAUGURAL CONTEST | P18 PLUS: YOUR GUIDE TO TULSA LITFEST | P24

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April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

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THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

CONTENTS // 3

WE

HOPS

CHINCHILLAS HOP WHEN THEY ARE HAPPY. 100% of proceeds raised at Conservation On Tap goes to Save the Wild Chinchillas, Inc. 21+ event.

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4 // CONTENTS

The Helmerich Trust

The H.A. and Mary K. Chapman Charitable Trust

April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

April 4 – 17, 2018 // Vol. 5, No. 8 ©2018. All rights reserved.

IN BRIEF P18

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon EDITOR Liz Blood ASSISTANT EDITOR Cassidy McCants DIGITAL EDITOR John Langdon

BY ANNA MILLER, MASON WHITEHORN POWELL, A.W. MARSHALL, F.M. SCOTT, AND DANIEL HITZMAN

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

Five winning stories from the inaugural The Tulsa Voice and Nimrod International Journal Flash Fiction Contest

AD SALES MANAGER Josh Kampf EDITORIAL INTERN Trent Gibbons

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CONTRIBUTORS Matt Carney, Matt Chinworth, Barry Friedman, Ryan Gentzler, Mitch Gilliam, Valerie Grant, Daniel Hitzman, Jeff Huston, Clay Jones, A.W. Marshall, Anna Miller, Jeanetta Calhoun Mish, Mary Noble, Kathryn Parkman, Michelle Pollard, Mason Whitehorn Powell, Zack Reeves, Joseph Rushmore, F.M. Scott, Damion Shade, John Tranchina, Chris Williams, Michael Wright The Tulsa Voice’s distribution is audited annually by

BY JEANETTA CALHOUN MISH, DAMION SHADE, AND TTV STAFF

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Poetic Justice gives incarcerated women a voice

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NEWS & COMMENTARY 7 DON’T BOGART SQ 788

B Y RYAN GENTZLER

12 SPRINGTIME SWIGS

B Y TTV STAFF

Legislators could rewrite medical marijuana law before Oklahomans vote on it

A bar guide featuring Tulsa’s affinity for creature-named cantinas and more

8

16 TASTING IS BELIEVING EXECUTION REDUX Y MITCH GILLIAM B

BY BARRY FRIEDMAN

Death’s new formula

MUSIC 38 KEEP TULSA HYPE

BY MARY NOBLE

THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

TV & FILM 43 BREAKING GOOD

B Y JEFF HUSTON SNL alum and Tulsa native Bill Hader stars in genre-defying HBO series

44 MANIFEST DESTINY

B Y MATT CARNEY

Golden era legends to share stage with local artists for Hip Hop 918

Netflix’s ‘Wild Wild Country’ examines a mostly-forgotten, bizarre Oregon cult

38 FOR THE UNIVERSE

B Y MARY NOBLE

45 THE GOSPEL OF INCLUSION

BY MICHAEL WRIGHT

An interview with Biz Markie ahead of his Guthrie Green performance

SPRING BAR GUIDE P12 | DOS BANDIDOS DOWNTOWN P16 | HIP-HOP AT GUTHRIE GREEN P38

Dos Bandidos is downtown’s newest Mexican spot

10 LEGACY AND IMPACT

BY MARY NOBLE Remembering MLK’s visit to North Tulsa, 50 years after his death

FIVE STORIES FROM OUR INAUGURAL CONTEST | P18 PLUS: YOUR GUIDE TO TULSA LITFEST | P24

FOOD & DRINK

40 LOUDER THAN THE MACHINE

B Y DAMION SHADE Erin O’Dowd releases her first album and quiets her demons

ARTS & CULTURE 30 ‘REAL ART’

B Y ZACK REEVES Local INKSLINGERS art show celebrates its first year as a collective

32 TRIPLE PLAY

B Y KATHRYN PARKMAN Heller Theatre Company closes season with three one-act plays

34 ONE GAME BETTER

B Y JOHN TRANCHINA

Drillers plan to build on last year

ETC. 6 EDITOR’SLETTER 9 CARTOONS 36 THEHAPS 42 MUSICLISTINGS 46 FULLCIRCLE 47 THEFUZZ + CROSSWORD

‘ Come Sunday,’ a film about Carlton Pearson, premieres in Tulsa before heading to Netflix

46 THROWBACK FATIGUE

B Y TRENT GIBBONS

‘ Ready Player One’ offers pop culture, reused and in poor condition CONTENTS // 5

editor’sletter

“A

ll of writing is a huge lake. There are great rivers that feed the lake, like Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky. And then there are mere trickles … All that matters is feeding the lake. I don’t matter. The lake matters.”

— Jean Rhys

When I was in graduate school studying creative writing, mentors and friends talked often about being good literary citizens. What that meant to me then was being an active participant in the world of literature—feeding the lake by writing, yes, but also by supporting other writers, volunteering at literary events, hosting accessible readings, facilitating collaborations with poets and writers so their work would be seen, sharing writers’ works on social media, etc.

Now it means more to me.

Maybe the change has come

because I’m older (and wiser, duh) or because the Trump era changed the way I see much of the world. I see good literary citizenship, now, as an insistence upon the idea that writing is not frivolous but necessary. Using our voices is one of the most important—resistant, defiant, rebellious, revolutionary— acts there is. And the benefits reading offers can spill over into your daily life: Reading can make you a better, more engaged citizen, period. It gives access to the stories of those we might not otherwise hear. It teaches empathy.

The Oklahoma officials rooting for death by gas chamber in Barry Friedman’s piece (pg. 8) would do well to read “The Execution of Tropmann” by Ivan Turgenev.

As I write this letter, thousands of teachers, administrators, parents, children, students, and supporters are at the Oklahoma

State Capitol asking our legislature to properly fund education. They need sustainable funding, more teachers, more classroom supplies, more books. (On April 2, pbs.org published a story about teachers across Oklahoma posting photos of crumbling, outdated textbooks.)

Tulsa has long been a literary town—from poet Ron Padgett to novelist S.E. Hinton to the ever-popular Booksmart Tulsa events so many of us enjoy today.

This year, our town (including those teachers at the walkout today) is increasing its part in feeding the lake. Two 2018 Tulsa literary developments include TTV’s first-ever flash fiction contest, held in partnership with TU’s Nimrod International Journal, and the debut of Tulsa LitFest. Read our contest winner and finalists on pg. 18. On pg. 24, you’ll find

interviews, articles, and a full guide to Tulsa LitFest.

Also in this issue, Mary Noble brings us a preview of Hip Hop 918—another first—on pg. 38.

Guthrie Green has never before hosted a hip-hop show, and the one they’ve styled for April 7 should be an old-school good time. Local art collective INKSLINGERS celebrate their oneyear anniversary (pg. 30) on April 6. And Heller Theatre Company closes out another season this month with an evening of three one-act plays by local playwrights (pg. 32). a

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April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

okpolicy

DON’T BOGART SQ 788 Legislators could rewrite medical marijuana law before Oklahomans vote on it

by RYAN GENTZLER

THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

A

dvocates for medical marijuana in Oklahoma were riding high after collecting nearly 66,000 signatures to put State Question 788 up for a vote of the people. SQ 788 would allow people to apply for a medical marijuana license with the recommendation of a doctor, and license holders would be able to possess useable marijuana and plants in generous quantities.

Among state medical marijuana laws, SQ 788 falls on the more permissive end, with relatively few restrictions on how marijuana is grown and distributed and who qualifies to use the drug.

This session, some legislators have introduced bills that would reduce the scope of medical marijuana in Oklahoma. While some changes to the law are advisable, one bill would make the measure unrecognizable before voters even have a chance to express their opinions on the matter.

Under SB 1120 by Sen. Ervin Yen (R-Oklahoma City), only people who are terminally ill or have one of four serious conditions would qualify for a license, and patients would be able to possess only a 30-day supply of the amount prescribed by their doctor.

By comparison, Alaska, which, according to a 2014 study, has the most restrictive laws on obtaining medical marijuana, has a list of eight conditions that qualify for a prescription.

Most concerning is the harsh punishment that the bill would impose on people convicted of “criminal diversion of medical marijuana.” The first offense of providing medical marijuana to a person who does not have a prescription includes a mandatory minimum of one year and up to five years in prison. Given our state’s struggle to reduce its prison population, this would be a giant leap in the wrong direction.

SB 1120 failed its first vote in the Senate but was reconsidered

and passed narrowly. It has been assigned to the House Judiciary committee.

Legislators looking for a measured approach to implementing and regulating medical marijuana should instead look to HB 3468.

The proposal by Rep. John Paul Jordan (R-Yukon) would create an Oklahoma Cannabis Commission to regulate medical marijuana, taking that responsibility from the embattled Department of Health.

It would lengthen the deadline to set up regulatory processes from the 30 days after passage set by SQ 788 to 120 days.

Commission members would be nominated by the Attorney General, legislative leaders, and government agencies, and all would be approved by the Governor. With that makeup, it’s likely that the Commission would be a cautious but accountable governing body. HB 3468 passed out of the House and awaits committee assignment in the Senate.

Many important issues must be carefully considered as a state establishes its medical marijuana regime, and setting up the Oklahoma Cannabis Commission through HB 3468 is a smart way to prepare. It invests wide regulatory power in a commission to closely study and adjust the state’s medical marijuana system, should SQ 788 pass.

This task is better left to a dedicated agency rather than the restrictive and punitive approach dictated by SB 1120. Polling suggests SQ 788 has strong support across the state. Legislators should resist the temptation to preempt the measure with a drastic rewrite before voters have a chance to weigh in. a

Ryan Gentzler is a policy analyst with Oklahoma Policy Institute (www.okpolicy.org).

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 7

viewsfrom theplains

O

n February 28, the State of Oklahoma Department of Corrections released a Death Row Monthly Roster consisting of 48 names (47 men and 1 woman) and they’re all, as John Prine once sang, “waiting to die, they won’t never be free.”

They may not have to wait much longer.

First, a little history.

Since 2015, there has been a moratorium on executions in Oklahoma because, as the bipartisan Oklahoma Death Penalty Review Commission concluded, “A review of the evidence demonstrates that the death penalty, even in Oklahoma, has not always been imposed and carried out fairly, consistently, and humanely.”1 Commission co-chair Andy Lester said in 2017, “Our overall recommendation was that the state keep the current moratorium on executions in place. If we’re going to have the penalty, we need to do it the right way.”2 Last month, however, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter and Director of Corrections Joe M. Allbaugh decided “we’re good to go.”

In a press release from March 14, 2018, announcing a new execution protocol called Nitrogen Hypoxia, Hunter said, “The new procedure is the best way for the state to move forward with executions and ensure justice is met for victims of heinous crimes.”3 And we’re off.

It’s not that new, actually. The procedure was approved in 2015 as a secondary method of execution by the Oklahoma Legislature.

It involves sealing prisoners in some kind of airtight compartment and filling their lungs with nitrogen gas until they die from lack of oxygen.

Nitrogen gas has yet to be put to the test as a method of capital punishment—no country currently uses it for state-sanctioned executions. But people do die accidentally of nitrogen asphyxiation, and usually never know what hit them.

(It’s even possible that death 8 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

“I THINK THE FACT THAT OKLAHOMA ACTUALLY USED A LETHAL DRUG NOT ON ITS EXECUTION PROTOCOL ONCE AND ALMOST USED IT A SECOND TIME IN LIGHT OF THE LOCKETT EXECUTION RAISES SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY THE STATE SHOULD BE TRUSTED WHEN IT SAYS IT CAN CARRY OUT A WHOLE NEW METHOD OF EXECUTION THAT HAS NO APPARENT SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION.” — ZIVA BRANSTETTER,

SENIOR EDITOR FOR REVEAL FROM THE CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING AND FOUNDER OF THE FRONTIER

Execution redux Death’s new formula

by BARRY FRIEDMAN by nitrogen gas is mildly euphoric. Deep-sea divers exposed to an excess of nitrogen develop a narcosis, colorfully known as “raptures of the deep,” similar to drunkenness or nitrous oxide inhalation.4

Apparently that passes for due diligence these days, so Hunter and Allbaugh now believe the time has come for the procedure, as the press release states, to be “the primary method of execution.”

Why the rush?

Allbaugh said in trying to find a supply of lethal drugs he was forced to deal with “seedy individuals” who may have had access to them.

“I was calling all around the world, to the back streets of the Indian sub-contient.”5 You hope he’s being hyperbolic.

It used to be we strapped those on death row into electric chairs and forced 2,000 volts through them, but often their vital organs would melt and heads would burst into flames, so a new, more humane method had to be found.

And it was—a lethal dose of injected chemicals. But that is a costly and imprecise method. Pharmaceutical companies soon got tired of protesters and boycotts, and prison personnel couldn’t always find a vein, anyway, so another method had to be found. Which is how we got to nitrogen.6 Death has always been in the details.

For starters, death penalty experts say the use of nitrogen gas on unwilling subjects—in this case, prisoners—would not go as smoothly as it does for, say, assisted suicide patients. An additional problem is the delivery system.

The two most talked-about ways of delivering the nitrogen are 1) by placing a facemask around the mouth and nose of the offender, and 2) by placing him or her inside some kind of medical tent or small chamber.

Yes, a gas chamber.

Let the image sink in for a moment.

Hunter says the state has waited long enough: “The people of Oklahoma

spoke clearly when an overwhelming majority of the electorate voted to amend the constitution and guarantee the state’s power to impose capital punishment two years ago. As state leaders, it is our duty to utilize an effective and humane manner that satisfies both the constitution and the court system.”

Ziva Branstetter, former executive editor of The Frontier, witnessed the last two executions and saw just how unsatisfactory the state can be in these matters.

“I think Oklahoma has never adequately owned up to how it botched the [Clayton] Lockett execution [or] held anyone accountable for the multiple failures that night, especially those who were running the process: Gov. Fallin and [then-Attorney General] Scott Pruitt,” Branstetter said.

“I think the fact that Oklahoma actually used a lethal drug not on its execution protocol once and almost used it a second time in light of the … Lockett execution raises serious questions about why the state should be trusted when it says it can carry out a whole new method of execution that has no apparent scientific foundation.”

Dahlia Lithwick of Slate magazine said at the time about Lockett: “Oklahoma killed a man while trying to execute him.”

It was an absolute shit show.

“He hit the artery and blood started backing up into the IV line,” the paramedic told state investigators.

“And I told him. I said [redacted] you’ve hit the artery. Well, it’ll be alright.

We’ll go ahead and get the drugs. No. We can’t do that. It doesn’t work that way and then I wasn’t telling him that. I mean I wasn’t trying to countermand his authority but he was a little anxious. I don’t think he realized that he hit the artery and I remember saying you’ve got the artery. We’ve got blood everywhere.”7

What happened was not only ghastly—it had the inexplicable and unfortunate consequence of April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

turning Lockett into a sympathetic figure.

Another witness said the scene “was like a horror movie” as Lockett was bucking and attempting to raise himself off the gurney when he was supposed to be unconscious and dying.8

There is also the matter of the Eighth Amendment, which states, “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”

And what happened to Lockett, whatever you think of him, was clearly that.

When the U.S. Supreme Court was asked to rule on this very issue—the case involved the 2015 halted execution of Richard Glossip—Associate Justice Samuel Alito waved off the cruel and unusual part: Our decisions in this area have been animated in part by the recognition that because it is settled that capital punishment is constitutional, “[i]t necessaril y follows that there must be a [constitutional] means of carrying it out.”

And because some risk of pain is inherent in any method of execution, we have held that the Constitution does not require the avoidance of all risk of pain. After all, while most humans wish to die a painless death, many do not have that good fortune.

Holding that the Eighth Amendment demands the elimination of essentiall y all

THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

risk of pain would effectivel y outlaw the death penalty altogether.9

Good God, what a monster.

Glossip received a stay of execution twice, you may remember: the first time to hear new evidence, the second when the state discovered one of the three drugs he was to be given was the wrong one.

(The state was supposed to use potassium chloride as part of the three-drug cocktail but didn’t realize it had received potassium acetate from its supplier until moments before the execution. Most people don’t leave CVS without checking their scripts, but apparently nobody connected with this execution bothered to check what kind of potassium the state had until Glossip had already finished his last meal.)

“Using an inert gas will be effective, simple to administer,” said Hunter, “easy to obtain, and requires no complex medical procedures.”

What could go wrong?

“What Oklahoma is doing is not a scientific endeavor,” said Joel Zivot, an anesthesiologist at Emory University. “I can’t put my scientific head to it. Not only is there no medical indication whatsoever for nitrogen gas, the question of whether nitrogen inhalation would be ‘effective’ and painless cannot ethically be studied by the medical profession. How this will work is known only to them,” Zivot added. “It’s nonsense, empirically.”10 Branstetter agrees.

“They say the same thing about each new method,” Branstetter said. “‘It will be so easy and painless. It’s more humane.’ It just isn’t effective and it’s silly to pretend this is a medical procedure.”

Silly, too, to think any execution method, even if done correctly, has any impact on crime.

Over all, 94 percent agreed that there was little empirical evidence to support the deterrent effect of the death penalty. And 90 percent said the death penalty had little effect overall on the committing of murder.

Additionally, 91.6 percent said that increasing the frequency of executions would not add a deterrent effect, and 87.6 percent said that speeding up executions wouldn’t work either.11

This is grisly, costly, and (at best) inefficient business. Still, it would be nice if we got it right, for without competence, without accountability, these executions become snuff porn.

But maybe the problem is that the whole exercise is insurmountable. Maybe it’s simply impossible for civilized societies to execute its own citizens with any degree of humanity and equity.

In “Aftershock,” the finale of the sixth season of “Law & Order,” the main characters witness a successful execution. The show traces what happens to them afterwards. One of the characters, Lieutenant Anita Van Buren, writes a letter to her mother, explaining the day’s events, the crime committed, the execution.

A crowd of people stood and cheered when he raped her. They were supposedly good people, and they did absolutely nothing. Then he beat her to death with a tire iron, and today the state of New York got its revenge.

It’s not enough, and it’s too much.

Then there is the matter of those gas chambers. a

1) nbcnews.com: Commission Call for Extending Oklahoma Execution Moratorium 2) kfor.com: Death sentences continue in Oklahoma despite execution moratorium 3) oag.ok.gov: Attorney General Hunter, Corrections Director Allbaugh Announce Inert Gas Inhalation as Primary Choice of Execution 4) slate.com: Death by Nitrogen 5) abcnews.go.com: Oklahoma officials plan to use nitrogen for executions.

6) theregister.co.uk: What happens when you are executed by electrocution?

7) courthousenews.com: Report Describes Botched Execution in Oklahoma 8) tulsaworld.com: IV errors, lack of training cited in Oklahoma botched execution report 9) newrepublic.com: Justice Samuel Alito: Death Is Often Painful, So Why Shouldn’t Lethal Injection Be? 10) themarshallproject.com: After Lethal Injection 11) deathpenaltyinfo.org: Is the death penalty a deterrent

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 9

community

I

moved into the Greenwood neighborhood a little over a year ago. My house is on a cul-de-sac less than a block away from First Baptist Church North Tulsa (FBCNT). My backyard faces North Greenwood Avenue, a street steeped in history, lined with plaques commemorating buildings destroyed during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. FBCNT piqued my interest from the moment I was told Martin Luther King Jr. had spoken there in 1960. On Sundays I would drive by and watch members file in, almost envious of the sense of community that seemed to reverberate from its heavy wooden doors.

Little did I know that not only had MLK spoken there, but other historical figures—Justice Thurgood Marshall, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Gardner C. Taylor, among others—have also graced the pulpit of FBCNT. The church we see today, located on North Greenwood Avenue, just south of East Pine Street, began with five families congregating in a small building around a wood-burning stove. It is unknown if the founders were freedmen or settled in Indian Territory during the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889.

As the weekly meetings gained congregants, they outgrew their small space and moved into their first church at 902 E. Archer St. in 1899, eight years before Oklahoma reached statehood. The original church has since been torn down but was one of few that survived the Race Massacre.

“Our church was on the south side of Archer; the rioters actually thought it looked too nice to be a black church, so they just bypassed it, came and got the ones on the other side of Archer,” said FBCNT’s senior pastor, Rev. Anthony L. Scott.

In 1953, FBCNT moved from their original location to the building they reside in today, a three-story brick building with cement stairs leading to two sets of large off-white doors. Just below the stairs a plaque—titled “In Memoriam BLACK WALLSTREET 10 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

First Baptist Church North Tulsa, 1414 N. Greenwood Ave. | CHRIS WILLIAMS

Legacy and impact Remembering MLK’s visit to North Tulsa, 50 years after his death

by MARY NOBLE 1921”—gives a brief history of the church.

In late March, I finally had the opportunity to attend a service.

Anticipation knotted my stomach as I walked up the stairs and into the unfamiliar space. Inside, I gazed at the stained-glass windows depicting the Stations of the Cross, oblivious as to how lost I must have appeared. An usher asked me if I needed help and led me down the aisle of crimson carpeting to the office of Rev. Scott.

My anticipation turned into guilt for interrupting what surely

was preparation for the Sunday service. The reverend closed his Bible and greeted me with a smile and a handshake.

“Our church is the oldest African-American church in North Tulsa, but [MLK] having been here really solidified our church as kind of being a go-to church when certain situations would arise,” said Rev. Scott.

31-year-old Martin Luther King Jr. came to the church on July 28, 1960, and spoke to 1,500 people.

His speech touched on the importance of unification: “We must

all live together as brothers or we will die together as fools.” He also spoke about the importance of voting, stating one of the most impactful steps a member of the black community can take is “the short walk to the voting booth.”

“I think that even resonates … with all the young people [at the March for Our Lives], because that’s their position: ‘Either you can listen to our voice or we will speak on a ballot,’” Rev. Scott said.

“I feel even his March on Washington has a link to other movements—where [D.C.] becomes the place where people feel if we go and we march and assemble … we can bring about change.”

April 4 marks the 50th anniversary of MLK’s assassination. Rev. Scott believes MLK’s legacy lives on in his church’s social justice and advocacy roles. “[MLK] was the first one to kind of mobilize—particularly the black church—nationally, to try to bring a change in society. I think that role and that legacy where churches come together to try to bring about social change … and where the community comes to the church to see how they can have a role in resolving tensions in society—I think his legacy continues to have an impact from that standpoint.”

Corean Barnett has been a congregant of FBCNT for 58 years and was there with her daughters, aged 11 and nine, the day MLK visited.

“I walked down with my two daughters,” Barnett said, “and the church was full. I had to sit in the balcony. I hadn’t been a member here that long, but the most I remember, I knew it was a large crowd. It was a freedom rally— but it was more like a sermon.”

Barnett recalled that much of what she heard from MLK that day came from Amos 5:24, which he later used during his “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered at the March on Washington in 1963: “No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” a April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

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THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 11

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SPRINGTIME SWIGS A bar guide featuring Tulsa’s affinity for creature-named cantinas and more

by TTV STAFF

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HERE WE OFFER AN INCOMPLETE BUT PRETTY THOROUGH LISTING OF VARIOUS watering holes in the Greater Tulsa area. Go wet your whistle anywhere from Broken Arrow to Sand Springs, whether you’re a fan of sports, music, pub food, or reverie—or you’re simply a gulping guzzler. And who needs to escape to a Harry Potter or a Terry Pratchett novel when we’ve got Utopia, No Place, and Yellow Brick Road right here?

5 O’CLOCK SOMEWHERE BAR 8330 Riverside Pkwy.

888-748-3731 riverspirittulsa.com CABIN CREEK 777 W. Cherokee St. 800-760-6700 hardrockcasinotulsa.com THE MAX RETROPUB 114 S. Elgin Ave. 918-895-6200 facebook.com/themaxretropub NO PLACE LOUNGE 11730 E. Admiral Pl. 918-437-3777 facebook.com/noplacesportsbartulsa

BRICKTOWN BREWERY

ELGIN PARK

ARNIE’S BAR

UTOPIA BAR & LOUNGE 3508 S. Sheridan Rd. 918-895-3711 facebook.com/utopiabarlounge VINTAGE 1740 1740 S. Boston Ave. 918-582-0700 vintage1740.com

DOC’S WINE & FOOD 12 // FOOD & DRINK

BARS FOR SEEING A SHOW BAD ASS RENEE’S (Karaoke, music) 6373 E. 31st St. 918-992-5161 BAMBOO LOUNGE (Comedy, drag) 7204 E. Pine St. 918-836-8700 facebook.com/bamboolounge.tulsa.9 THE COLONY (Music) 2809 S. Harvard Ave. 918-794-4208 thecolonytulsa.com MERCURY LOUNGE (Music) 1747 S. Boston Ave. 918-382-0012 mercurylounge918.com NEW AGE RENEGADE (Drag, karaoke, Twisted Theatre) 1649 S. Main St. 918-585-3405 facebook.com/newage1649 SOUL CITY GASTROPUB & MUSIC HOUSE (Music) 1621 E. 11th St. 918-582-7685 tulsasoul.com THE STARLITE (Comedy, karaoke, music) 1902 E. 11th St. 918-701-0274 thestarlite.net VFW CENTENNIAL LOUNGE (Music, comedy) 1109 E. 6th St. 918-585-9148 facebook.com/vfwtulsa UNCLE BENTLY’S (Music) 4902 S. Sheridan Rd. 918-664-6800 facebook.com/unclebentlys

BARS WITH NO TVS HODGES BEND 823 E. 3rd St. 918-398-4470 hodges-bend.com SATURN ROOM 209 N. Boulder Ave. 918-794-9422 saturnroom.com VALKYRIE 13 E. Matthew B. Brady St. 918-295-2160 valkyrietulsa.com

YELLOW BRICK ROAD PUB 2630 E. 15th St. 918-568-6455 facebook.com/YBRTulsa April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

ROOFTOP: MICHELLE POLLARD; STARLITE, VFW, SATURN ROOM, BRICKTOWN: GREG BOLLINGER; ELGIN, ARNIE’S, DOC’S: VALERIE GRANT

downthehatch

MEET ME AT THE MAX! 4p – 6p HAPPY HOUR

FUNDAY: OPEN AT NOON

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

MONDAY: $1 COORS BANQUET

MON – FRI $2 DOMESTICS & FREE GAME PLAY

ON TAP ALL DAY

TUESDAY: FREE GAME PLAY WEDNESDAY: TEAM TRIVIA NIGHT

QUESTIONABLE COMPANY @ 8pm

THURSDAY: DJ MOODY @ 9pm

FREE GAME PLAY FOR THE LADIES

FRIDAY: 4/6 & 4/13 • DJ AFISTAFACE SATURDAY: 4/7 • DJ ROBBO

4/14 • AARON BERNARD OF 105.3 OLD SCHOOL SUNDAY

NEVER A COVER/21 & UP FREE WIFI NEW RENOVATIONS

THEMAXRETROPUB

BLUE DOME DISTRICT • 114 S ELGIN

B LO O DY M A RY/M I M O SA BA R SAT U R DAYS A N D S U N DAYS

D R I N K D E LI C I O U S LO C A L B E E R & CO C K TA I L S I N D O O R S E AT I N G/EN C LO S ED H E AT ED PAT I O N E W D O G R U N CO M I N G T H I S S P R I N G !

Great Drinks • Live Music • Comedy Nights

#G E T YO U R FIX AT FU EL6 6

24 39 E A ST 11TH ST /// FU EL6 6 O K .CO M THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

FOOD & DRINK // 13

BARS WITH MANY TVS BRICKTOWN BREWERY 3301 S. Peoria Ave. 918-895-7878 bricktownbrewery.com ELGIN PARK 325 E. Matthew B. Brady St. 918-986-9910 elginparkbrewery.com LEFTY’S ON GREENWOOD 18 N. Greenwood Ave. 918-794-0017 leftsongreenwood.com ROOSEVELT’S 1551 E. 15th St. 918-591-2888 rooseveltstulsa.com TOBY KEITH’S I LOVE THIS BAR AND GRILL 777 W Cherokee St. 918-739-4988 tobykeithsbar.com

BARS FOR DAY-DRINKING OPEN CONTAINER R BAR

ARNIE’S BAR 318 E. 2nd St. 918-583-0797 arniesbar.com BLUE ROSE CAFÉ 1924 Riverside Dr. 918-582-4600 bluerosecafetulsa.com DOC’S WINE & FOOD 3509 S. Peoria Ave. 918-949-3663 docswineandfood.com EMPIRE 1519 S. Peoria Ave. 918-599-9512 empiretulsa.com FASSLER HALL 304 S. Elgin Ave. 918-576-7898 fasslerhall.com FUEL 66 TULSA 2439 E. 11th St. 918-861-4110 fuel66tulsa.com KILKENNY’S IRISH PUB 1413 E. 15th St. 918-582-8282 tulsairishpub.com LOUIE’S GRILL & BAR 6310 E. 101st St. 918-298-5777 louiesgrillandbar.com

BULL & BEAR 14 // FOOD & DRINK

OPEN CONTAINER 502 E. 3rd St. 918-895-5016 facebook.com/ opencontainertulsa

CHIMERA CAFÉ 212 N. Main St. 918-779-4303 chimeratulsa.com Vegans welcome

R BAR 3421 S. Peoria Ave. 918-392-4811 rbartulsa.com

CROW CREEK TAVERN 3534 S. Peoria Ave. 918-749-9100 facebook.com/crowcreektavern Motorcycles, music, food specials

BARS WITH A CERTAIN JE NE SAIS QUOI CAZ’S PUB 918-585-8587 21 E. M.B. Brady St. cazspub.com INNER CIRCLE VODKA BAR 410 N. Main St. 918-794-2400 icvodkabar.com WOODY’S CORNER BAR 325 E. 2nd St. 918-794-8645 woodyscornerbar.com

BARS NAMED FOR ANIMALS BEEHIVE LOUNGE 2405 E. Admiral Blvd.

918-592-3275 Neighborhood bar BLACKBIRD ON PEARL 1336 E. 6th St. 918-936-4936 blackbirdonpearl.com Live music BLUE TURTLE TAVERN 6350 S. Lewis Ave. 918-745-2077 Live music BIRD AND BOTTLE 3324-A E. 31st 918-895-6468 Zinke wine, cocktails BOUNTY LOUNGE 6529 E. 31st St. 918-664-5078 Trivia nights BULL & BEAR TAVERN 5800 S. Lewis Ave. 918-895-7655 facebook.com/ bullandbeartavern Dark and secluded BULL IN THE ALLEY 11 E. Matthew B. Brady St. 918-949-9803 bullinthealley.com Fancy-schmancy

THE [ELEPHANT] RUN 3141 E. Skelly Dr. 918-746-8271 Karaoke, music, dancing

C’YOTE CLUB 822 S. Sheridan Rd. 918-835-4669 cyoteclub.com Thurs. open jam hosted by 3 Dawgz and a Kat

SHARKY’S ON BROOKSIDE 3415 S. Peoria Ave. 918-742-9500 sharkysonbrookside.com Billiards SOUNDPONY 409 N. Main St. 918-582-7669 thesoundpony.com Comedy, music, dancing

DUSTY DOG PUB 5107 S. Harvard Ave. 918-933-5473 Paint parties, live music

THE STUMBLING MONKEY BAR & GRILL 8219 S. Yale Ave. 918-921-3530 facebook.com/ stumblingmonkeybar 16 TVs

FISHBONZ 106 S. Atlanta St., Owasso 918-274-8202 facebook.com/fishbonzowasso Steak dinners and shots

TIN DOG SALOON 3245 S. Harvard Ave. 918-747-6663 Live music, next to veterinary hospital

FLYING MONKEY TAVERN 424 S. Memorial Dr. 918-576-6705 facebook.com/ theflyingmonkeytavern Pool tables, karaoke

TULSA EAGLE 1388 E. 3rd St. 918-592-1188 Great patio; celebrate Gay Pride here!

FOX & HOUND PUB & GRILLE 7001 S. Garnett Rd. 918-307-2847 foxandhound.com Pool tournaments, patio, sports THE FUR SHOP 520 E. 3rd St. 918-949-4292 Good beers, three stages THE HUNT CLUB 224 N. Main St. 918-599-9200 thehuntclubtulsa.com Mike Hosty plays regularly THE IRON PONY SALOON 20915 W. 8th St., Sand Springs 918-245-1158 Happy hour specials, comedy nights ROOSTERS COCKTAILS 8215 E. Regal Blvd.

918-364-2625 facebook.com/ roosterscocktailstulsa Sunday karaoke

UNICORN CLUB 222 E. 1st St. 918-551-7447 facebook.com/unicorntulsa Totally escapist WHISKEY DOG 2408 W. New Orleans St., Broken Arrow 918-286-7111 facebook.com/ whiskeydogbargrill Tuesday Boozeday, beer pong WHITE CROW TAVERN 7103 E. Pine St. 918-836-7522 Karaoke WHITE LION PUB 6927 S. Canton Ave. 918-491-6533 Pub fare WYLD HAWGZ 6151 E. 31st St. 918-949-4434 facebook.com/wyldhawgz Karaoke, Wyld Hawgz mugs for sale YETI 417 N. Main St. 918-936-4994 facebook.com/theyetisaloon Live music, great patio, Tues.

Writers’ Night a

April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

MARYN’S: MICHELLE POLLARD; OPEN CONTAINER: LIZ BLOOD; R BAR, BULL & BEAR: GREG BOLLINGER

MARYN’S TAPHOUSE AND RAW BAR

SPRING YOUR WAY However you want to enjoy spring...Weʼre here for you.

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Cherry Street Adjacent

918.382.7777 • rokatulsa.com

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THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

thetulsavoice.com FOOD & DRINK // 15

citybites

Tia Nene’s poblano cream spaghettis | GREG BOLLINGER

Tasting is believing DOS BANDIDOS IS DOWNTOWN’S NEWEST MEXICAN SPOT

by MITCH GILLIAM DOWNTOWN’S RUSTY CRANE SEEMED TO shutter as soon as it said it would, and Dos Bandidos seemed to fill its void just as quickly. One day there was a massive empty space on North Detroit Avenue, and the next there was a sign on the patio with two Mexican caricatures.

I hope my early doubts about the restaurant can be forgiven, that the taco gods will pardon my initial indifference regarding Dos Bandidos.

Judging a book by its cover is a rookie mistake that leads many people to turn away from the barred windows of excellent places like El Burrito. I made the inverse mistake of casting eye-rolls at the Bandidos sign (one of its two titular caricatures resembles the Pringles man).

I imagined a place similar to South Tulsa’s Ricardo’s Mexican Restaurant, which is so famously unflavorful you’d swear John McCain was working the grill.

But Dos Bandidos is legit—authentic and unique.

The restaurant is an expansion of the wildly popular Bixby joint and flies in the face of the IDL’s “Tex Mex is Best Mex” commandment adhered to by the chips-andmarg crowd. Venezuelan-American brothers Carlos and Luis Lopez have built an excellent California-style Mexican food menu.

There is no ground beef. There are no chimichangas. But there is queso, because this is Oklahoma and the brothers Lopez are businessmen.

“I grew up on the West Coast, and when I moved here I couldn’t find the food I loved,” Carlos said.

The food he missed included Mexican street corn, Sinaloa traditional dishes, 16 // FOOD & DRINK

and tacos cooked on the grill until the cheese melts.

All these items made it onto the Bandidos menu, and many of the traditional dishes have been customized to the brothers’ tastes. There is an emphasis on árbol chiles for extra spiciness, as well as an abundance of seafood dishes. Carlos is constantly in the kitchen and is currently experimenting with a brunch menu that will include horchata pancakes.

The Bandidos tacos are advertised as a best-seller, and it’s easy to see why.

The tacos are loaded with carne asada, shrimp, and cheese and left on the grill until subtly crunchy. The camarones culichi is another chef (and crowd) favorite: 12 shrimp cooked inside a poblano pepper and covered in a cream cheese sauce.

My friend ordered the pollo Pancho Villa, for which chicken is cooked with bacon and chorizo, drizzled with queso, and served fajita-style with rice, beans, and tortillas. His girlfriend, who weighs about 40 pounds, nearly had a stroke when she saw the size of the nacho plate she ordered.

Even the margaritas were special, made with mango purée and garnished with a chamoy and Tajín rim and a Mexican lollipop.

The menu at Dos Bandidos is enough to distinguish it from any other Tulsa Mexican place, and word of mouth is sure to spread quickly about downtown’s newest Mexican food contender. a

DID YOU MISS WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN TULSA L AST WEEKEND? DON’ T MISS OU T THIS WEEK END! Sign up for the FREE weekly Insider today at TheTulsaVoice.com/theinsider.

It’s back!

DOS BANDIDOS DOWNTOWN 109 N. Detroit Ave. | 918-340-5533 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun.–Thurs 11 am–11 p.m., Fri.–Sat. April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

Not just an ordinary bar

Join us for the tastiest Chicken & Waffles in Tulsa!

21 E M.B. Brady St 918-585-8587

18 East M. B. Brady St. 918-588-2469 cazschowhouse.com

A Tulsa Tradition!

• Delivery Available • Daily & Weekly Specials • Full Service Catering • Banquet Facilities 14 West M.B. Brady • 918.582.3383 MexicaliBorderCafe.com

woodyguthriecenter.org

Open Tues. - Sat. 11am - 7pm 217 E. Archer Historic tulsa Arts District (918) 619-6353

An urban park and event space in the heart of Tulsa’s Art District.

SIRENS OF SOUTH AUSTIN WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4 • 7pm

BOB DYLAN’S “TARANTULA”: A CHAT WITH MICHAEL CHAIN SUNDAY, APRIL 22 • 4 pm

LIVE AT CAIN’S BALLROOM TUESDAY, APRIL 24 • 7pm

111 East M.B. Brady Street, Tulsa, OK 74103

address 102 EAST BRADY STREET, TULSA, OK

74103

phone 918.574.2710

email INFO@WOODYGUTHRIECENTER.ORG THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

www.guthriegreen.com

TULSA ARTS DISTRICT GUIDE // 17

A PE RFOR MING ARTS CENT ER TULS

Now - Apr. 30

Cathy Deuschle, Rhonda Davis & Louise Preisch PAC Art Gallery April 3-8

The Sound of Music Celebrity Attractions April 4

TSO Woodwinds Quintet PAC Trust Brown Bag It April 6

Curious George: The Golden Meatball Tulsa PAC Trust April 6-15

GET TICKETS

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TULSAPAC.COM MYTICKETOFFICE.COM April 13-21 The Producers 918.596.7111 Theatre Tulsa

In brief FIVE STORIES FROM THE INAUGURAL THE TULSA VOICE AND NIMROD INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FLASH FICTION CONTEST

This year marks the first for our annual The Tulsa Voice and Nimrod International Journal Flash Fiction Contest. During the months of December and January we received over 70 anonymous submissions from Tulsa-area and Tulsa-connected writers.

Here are the winners and finalists we selected.

I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y M AT T C H I N W O R T H

18 // FEATURED

April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

FIRST PLACE

Bring a Knife, No Guns

BY ANNA MILLER “If you’re gonna go out to the farmland—” “Stay out of the woods. I know.”

“Don’t sleep out there. Set up camp somewhere else.”

“Okay.”

“You have everything? Food? Water? Rope? First aid?

And don’t forget—” “An offering. I know. I have everything.”

“I know you’ve heard it all before, but I’d just feel better tellin’ you all of it again. Phones don’t work out there, ya know? They just don’t. Let’s just run through it, okay?

For me?”

“Yeah, all right.”

“If you come across a patch of dirt, no grass, all dead, don’t touch it.”

“Nothing good grows there.”

“Right, and if you come across someone else out there, don’t tell them your name. You never know if they’re real or not.”

“The Wendigo evolve in cruel ways.”

“Just avoid anyone else, doesn’t matter what they are.

And if you hear a woman crying, hope it’s a cougar and don’t go looking for it.”

“Look, I know all of this by heart and more.

Don’t cross bodies of water, if you feel someone behind you don’t look, don’t go into the cottages of the share farmers—something else lives there now, close every gate you open, don’t take anything from the farm. See? I know. I’ve heard it all a hundred times over.”

“Yeah, and tellin’ you once more isn’t gonna hurt anything.

If you see ghosts of the natives, they won’t hurt you.”

“Just respect them. I know. I’m not going to do anything risky. Please just—” “Don’t look at the lake after two, don’t bleed into the dirt, time passes differently near the milking shed. You have to remember all of it. You have to. If you’re gonna do this, you have to.”

“Yeah, look, I got it. Let me go while I still have daylight to look around. Please. I’ll be safe.”

“Okay, I know, I’m sorry. Just one last thing, finding skulls is normal—” “Only worry if I find ribs.”

THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

FEATURED // 19

SECOND PLACE

Highs and Lows

BY MASON WHITEHORN POWELL Alex and Camila sat stationary behind the aban-

He was nothing like her pa or bubba, and he didn’t

depart, Alex took out one white as an angel in the sun.

doned rest stop south of town. Trees overwhelmed

know what it meant to love or to hate.

He held it between his thin fingers and with a knife

them, hanging full as if they’d snap. They closely watched the women’s restroom.

Fowler rolled out of the women’s restroom already on his bike, gestured sayonara, and steered

crushed it into a fine powder. He spread out a neat line with the blade on the center console.

Camila remembered when the building was soft

towards the trailer park. Alex only nodded. Teddy

white, but mold and dirt and the urine of desper-

strolled out of the dark space on foot, putting his

ate travelers had stained the building a demented

sunglasses on. He did a Michael Jackson spin off the

“Couldn’t do it yourself, huh?” she asked.

rainbow. It was getting late and heavy trees swayed

curb and leaned into Alex’s window, tossing a bulg-

“I don’t know Fowler like Ted does.”

dappled light.

ing bag of pills onto his lap.

“And what when daddy finds out you’ve been

Alex muttered something about fucking hurrying. He turned to Camila: “You think Fowler’s good for it? Maybe Ted could use some help.”

“He told us to wait,” she said. “Besides, they’re

“How many this time?” Alex asked.

“One hundred,” Teddy said.

“Ladies first,” he said, offering her a bump off the tip of his knife. She shook her head.

spending allowance on this.”

“I’ll ask for more. You like when I take you to

“How much?”

dinner? When I buy you underwear so you don’t have

He counted on his fingers.

to steal it? And you want these as much as I do.”

“Five hundred.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Fuck me, that’s more than last time.”

“Right,” he said, starting his engine.

“Times are hard. One for the road?” Teddy

The A.C. kicked on and blew the fine powder

grinned down at him like a marionette hanging from

onto Camila’s dress. Alex jerked her around with

heaven itself and held out a dirty hand. Alex undid

the car, accelerating onto the entrance ramp. Police

the bag’s twist tie and fished out two pills for Teddy.

lights danced ahead. Alex sped past his father, who

“Like a baker’s dozen, Ted. A dealer’s duo.”

had Fowler pinned to a police cruiser. Off the trunk

through torn black tights, like he wanted to hurt her.

Teddy winked and wheeled around as quickly as

beside them, money gusted up in the air to float

She looked away and placed her hand gently on his.

he came without saying thanks. After watching Teddy

both jumpy as hell.”

“What’d you know about this, Mils?”

“I’ve been on more runs with Teddy than you have.”

“Don’t remind me,” he said.

Alex reached over and squeezed her thigh

20 // FEATURED

down slowly.

April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

RUNNERS-UP

Returning to Hallways

BY A.W. MARSHALL

In the mid-Eighties I lost my job with the typesetter. I got kicked out of my tiny apartment near 15th and Quaker. Through a quick liquidation of assets, including my car, I reduced my life to fit in a wallet and a hiker’s backpack. I hit the street.

After some time and adjustment, the shock and disarray settled. Between job applications, guerrilla self-cleanings in public restrooms, and careful purchases of food, I opened up to deeper possibilities of the organic me. I rediscovered a talent that had been, except for a few scattered occasions in my youth, forgotten. It, the talent, had a distinctive history of either flattering people or pissing them off: I was a great mimic. If you said one word, or a complete sentence, or if you held forth on something or other, I could replicate you. If you were fifty or five, male or female, it didn’t matter. In pitch, volume, inflection, and timbre, I could nail you to the wall. Instantly, after hearing you just once.

A guy yelled at me for bumping into him on the Main Mall. I shot his predictable response right back to him, in his precise tone: “Hey, buddy, what the fuck!” He froze at this rendering of himself. I can still see the color drain from his face, his eyes fixed like those of someone being hypnotized.

I didn’t think much of this strange talent. The idea of being someone else for a moment was too pointed (read: dying of thirst while adrift on a lifeboat), too cheap to mention. But I bumped into a couple of others on purpose, just for the sake of doing it. Perfect, both times.

“Watch it, freak scum!” “Excuse you, bug nuts!”

Busking: illegal then. Still is, though recently the city council made some noise about changing that. Will Mock You for Food.

Standing next to my old Folgers can, I did okay. I never set a price; people threw in whatever they wanted to. On a good day I could pull in as much as sixty dollars, and my subjects got the service of having their minds blown, their egos stroked.

I’m sure you don’t remember my name. Why would you? Same with the person who had it worse than me and walloped my brains in with something blunt as I slept under the old Boston Avenue pedestrian bridge. My obit was short. They never found my killer. That bridge burned down, and they did something else with it. I’m still there, my talent intact, even in death.

Maybe you’ll be the one who learns my story and says my name while standing there.

That’s when I’ll stop playing everyone’s words back to them. I’ll step inside that circle of bricks with you, and we’ll be together. At the Center. You’ll know just whose Universe everybody’s talking about, because at that moment, it will become Ours.

THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

Like fashioning insects into blankets that turn to dust while sleeping, I forgot the child between us for the yawn and chant of endless distraction. My scant allegiance transported them both away. Said she was going to L.A. How bad can I be that she ran there?

I reacted by sitting still. Doing nothing. Staring at our couch, our wall, a blank space where she took the Klimt away: two lovers draped in the convoluted radiance of a blanket, his hands cradling her face up to his lips, her face serenely solaced. I pretended my stillness was a decision. Something like resilience and confidence instead of gutless immaturity. I tried to stay still. But that couldn’t last.

Then I started drinking again and took up online Keno. The rolling drunken music, all round O’s and spastic dings, masked the whispers. Still, I imagined Laura broken down in New Mexico, off the side of the dark highway, those dilapidated houses her only chance, bare light bulbs and barking dogs. And it wasn’t that I wanted her to need me. I wanted her to suffer and for our daughter to see it. This is the truth.

Draining beers, I moved to cleaning our fridge, dragging endless paper towels into crevices until black turned to brown turned to beige turned to white while my mind drove past our battlefields. Putting my hands anywhere you didn’t stop me (which wasn’t much) in Ramone Park after graduation, smoking cigarettes in my Toyota after your Aunt Lou’s funeral, the time you said that you were sorry, that you were really so drunk. That time. Not like That Time ever went away for me.

As I moved to the oven, wiping off grease, scraping up black scabs and burnt moth carcasses I’d never noticed, my mind dropped down from a window and twisted an ankle in our old high school, limping the midnight halls: our early vibrancy still alive in the clang of lockers I dragged my knuckles over. That time you came over for Fourth of July (Sweet Sixteen is what I called you that year) and drunk Uncle Pete saying, “You can’t pick your own escape, kids,” which always seemed so shitty to say to those not yet in need of redemption.

If you were here I would fail you again. I would take for granted kindnesses, I would say “uh huh” and “that’s nice” until you realized the things that got you on the plane and got you home, back in our bed, under me, were wishes, prayers, hopes—the things I spin out of nothing.

And I Will Step to You B Y F. M . S C O T T

FEATURED // 21

RUNNER-UP

A Collection of 500 Words of Friction

BY DANIEL HITZMAN

Say what you say, but your collection of postcards, so many postcards sorted into a mountain of shoeboxes labeled “Skyscrapers,” “National Parks,” “Jack-a-lopes,” and more and more and more, enough to fill three closets, and my great aunt’s collection of china teapots, with her favorite being the black one with white feet that looks like a short-hair tuxedo cat with a curved tail, and my neighbor’s beer can collection that takes up two entire walls in his basement man-cave while his wife’s collection of pencil sharpeners barely covers the coffee table in front of their widescreen TV and speaking of TVs, I heard that your first wife’s third husband collected TVs and radios and 8-track players, and when she caught him cheating on her with their son’s vice-principal—kinda ironic really, get it? vice, vice-principal, cheaters having vice? anyway—she took their son’s baseball bat and smashed all his TVs and radios, but left the 8-tracks alone and then she ran off with her son’s baseball coach who not-so-surprisingly collected baseball cards, but not just any baseball cards, he only collected baseball cards from Japan and Cuba and Florida, that coincidentally all those collections we just talked about and all the collections you might know about and all the collections anyone might care to list or—for that matter, collect—that my collection, my totally unique and dare-I-say-never-to-be-duplicated collection, leads me to boast and embrace the Deadly Sin of Pride because I happen to collect the clothes and especially the footwear of people who have been struck by lightning and lived to tell their tales and I am here to tell you that Florida, the Sunshine State, that besides oranges and Mickey Mouse and alligators, that Florida has more lightning strikes than any other state, and that I vacation there every year to collect the clothes of lightning-strike survivors, but certainly not lightning-strike victims because that would be gruesome, and there is a family that lives outside Tallahassee that has three brothers, two sisters, a grandfather, and a dog that have all been struck by lightning on separate—yes, I said separate—occasions, that some people say are very lucky, but whenever I visit them to pick up another set of clothes I always point out to them that being struck by lightning in the first place is not a very lucky thing and the mom of the family just giggles and laughs and then hee-haws and snorts “what are you gonna do?” and then she hands over the charred and sometimes blood-splattered clothing—usually nose bleeds in case you were wondering—and then thanks me for the Christmas card that I send out every Black Friday after Thanksgiving and I enclose a photo of my lightning clothes collection wall with all the torn and tattered shirts, frayed pants, scorched belts, and blasted sneakers and boots. Lightning is just God’s friction, you know. a

22 // FEATURED

April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

FEATURED // 23

LOOKING FOR SURPRISE A conversation between Oklahoma State Poet Laureate Jeanetta

TULSA LITFEST WILL BE A WEEKEND FOR THE BOOKS

BY JEANETTA CALHOUN MISH, DAMION SHADE, AND TTV STAFF

In celebration of all things literary, the Center for Poets and Writers at OSU-Tulsa, Magic City Books, and the Tulsa Artist Fellowship present the inaugural Tulsa LitFest, April 19–22. The festival, which is free and open to the public, will include readings, workshops, lectures, parties, panels, a press fair, and more. See the full schedule on pg. 27 (and cut it out to take with you for the weekend). Whatever kind of literary life you lead—or want to begin—you’ll find inspiration and entertainment at this first-ever fest.

24 // FEATURED

Calhoun Mish and The New Yorker Poetry Editor Kevin Young

KEVIN YOUNG

K

evin Young is a writing Renaissance man. He is the poetry editor for The New Yorker, editor of several anthologies, author of many books of poetry and nonfiction, a multi-award winner and finalist, and a curator, and he teaches writing at Emory University. Jeanetta Calhoun Mish is a poet, writer, director of the Red Earth MFA program, and the current Oklahoma State Poet Laureate. She has published several books of poetry, won the 2010 Oklahoma Book Award for Poetry, the 2010 Western Heritage Award for Poetry, and the 2010 WILLA Award for Poetry from Women Writing the West. See them both at Tulsa LitFest.

JEANETTA CALHOUN MISH: Kevin, thank you for visiting with me. I edit a small press and have edited a couple of anthologies in magazine issues. How does your editing process inform your writing, and vice versa?

KEVIN YOUNG: I think that in both of them you’re really looking to get surprised and perhaps pleased. [W]hen I’m looking [at a poem for The] New Yorker … I’m really looking for poems that say something in ways that only they can. I try to judge each poem on its own merits … but I also must say, in terms of The New Yorker, I really rely on that element of being surprised and moved and changed by a poem. I think that for me, my own writing, I want that surprise, I want to discover along the way what I’m thinking, how I feel, also sort of get down the music in my head. And if you’re able to do that as a writer, I think you’ve accomplished a great deal.

BY JEANETTA CALHOUN MISH AND TTV STAFF

MISH: You write in multiple genres—some writers say jumping genres is a way to cleanse the writing palate. Others say the topic theme determines the genre or that themes run across their genres, that genre choice is more about choosing what kind of exploration or theme feels appropriate at the time. How does writing in different genres work for you?

MISH: That’s well said. I was going to ask you a little bit more about “Bunk,” your new book about hoaxes, hucksters, humbug, plagiarists, forgeries, and phonies.

It sounds like something that would be a lot of fun to research, though it might not have been something fun to discover about America and Americans—but did you enjoy doing the research for this book?

YOUNG: I don’t think it’s cleansing the palate at all for me. I think they do different things, and I turn to nonfiction as a reader but also, I think, as a writer, when I’m interested in tracing an idea and understanding more about a time. In the case of “Bunk” I was interested in tracing the history of an idea or the idea of history across time, from P.T. Barnum to the present, and understanding it through the lens of a hoax and understanding what it taught us about our time and then. It seems to be very different than poems, but in my very first book I write about a local fair, and I’m certainly interested in these questions of spectacle and display and entertainment and identity; all that, I think, plays into my work. So it’s not like those things don’t cross the genres, but it’s very different approaches and very different goals. [In my] latest book of poems, “Brown,” I was really interested in trying to capture a different kind of history. So it’s hard for me to say that one is history and one isn’t. They both are interested in it, but I think in poetry I’m interested in the music of history and the history of music.

YOUNG: I think it was compelling. Sometimes the reading wasn’t always pleasant because I was reading about some of the worst tricking and human behavior—and that goes for the hoaxers, but also this broader thing that I came to understand was that the hoax was often predicated upon race. And so trying to read through that wasn’t always enjoyable.

I think it was always compelling, though, and really led me from one thing to another.

I was really struck by the connections that I found, and that kept me going, I think. It was also a question of discovery, because a lot of the books I had to track down. I was really intent to read the books in their original form. A lot of times hoaxes get expunged from the record or pulled off shelves, and I really wanted to track down those often rare copies and see what people claimed at first and what, in most cases, were best-sellers or widely believed or accepted, only to turn around and be sort of disproved. So I really wanted to understand that gap that sometimes was left by the hoax.

MISH: It’s a fascinating project. Your poetry covers a wide range of themes: the blues; April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

YOUNG: Langston Hughes is a huge important figure for me—just the way he was able to write in the blues form and capture jazz and really be a pioneering voice, but also his humanity and humor—and I think Gwendolyn Brooks for much the same reason, the way that she was able to capture life in the city and life sort of behind the scenes. I think both are really hard to do, and her music is just unparalleled. But I think in a book like “Brown,” I talk about Arthur Ashe and Hank Aaron, sports heroes who I think go well beyond sports, and also figures like James Brown and John Brown, who kind of helped name the book. I should say that just yesterday Linda Brown of Brown v. Board [died], and she helps name my book, too. I knew her growing up in Topeka … I’m deeply aware of those advances that she helped to bring about and the way that I can write about them. I’m glad I did. I do feel sort of honored that I was able to write about it, but I certainly wish she was still with us, and my thoughts go out to their family.

MISH: I’m sorry you had that loss. Which emerging poet should we be reading now?

YOUNG: I think that’s a hard question for me because it sounds like I’m playing favorites. You know, I’ve really been struck by a number of poets who I wasn’t aware of, and not all are emerging. Some are poets who have been writing a long time but [are just] coming across my desk. I would say people should look at The New Yorker and see what I picked. I’m really interested in the real range of writing that’s happening now. There’s poets like Danez Smith, [who] wrote a tremendous book last year that is still making waves, and a poet like Layli Long Soldier, who was a finalist for the National Book Award and just won the [PEN/Jean Stein Book Award]. She’s written a terrific book, and these are just some people who I think are amazing voices, you

know, early in their writing or publishing life, I should say, that I think we should pay attention to.

ROBERT POLITO

MISH: Thank you for answering that somewhat difficult question. If someone asked, “Why should I read or listen to poetry?,” what would your answer be?

YOUNG: I see you left me the tough question for last. I mean, it’s tough and it’s easy. I have a couple reactions. One is if someone asks me that, I think it would be like saying, “Why should I like music?” Why would you cut yourself off from beauty and from this other way of being? I was taught poetry horribly in school, as if it was sort of a quiz that I didn’t understand, and I think if we think of it more as music it might help us understand the ways that it can soothe us, it can fire us up, it can comfort us, it can provide a language to something we didn’t know we felt. Poetry thinks about history in an intimate way and can help us understand history up close. We need more of that, especially now.

MISH: Yeah. Well, I think that was a great answer. Thank you so much. I look forward to meeting you in person in Tulsa and to hearing you read. Your ode to Southern Foodways—that series of poems has kind of changed my writing, actually, so I just wanted to thank you for that.

YOUNG: Oh, well, thanks. Looking forward.

AN EVENING WITH KEVIN YOUNG FRI., APRIL 20, 7 P.M. OSU-TULSA AUDITORIUM, 700 N. GREENWOOD AVE. JEANETTA CALHOUN MISH, OKLAHOMA POET LAUREATE, & WOODY GUTHRIE CELEBRATION, FEAT. POETIC JUSTICE SAT., APRIL 21, 7 P.M. OSU-TULSA AUDITORIUM

PUBLISHING TODAY

A PANEL AND PRESS FAIR FEAT. INDIE PUBLISHERS On Saturday of Tulsa LitFest, nine independent small press publishers and journals will gather at Greenwood Cultural Center to sell books, talk about their work, and meet with local writers.

Press fair participants include AWST Press (Austin, Texas), Cimarron Review (Stillwater), Deep Vellum Publishing (Dallas), Graywolf Press (Minneapolis), Literati Press (Oklahoma City), Mongrel Empire Press (Norman), Nimrod International Journal (Tulsa), Penny Candy Books (Oklahoma City and Savannah, Ga.), Sibling Rivalry Press (Little Rock, Ark.), Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and The Tulsa Voice.

THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

CRIME TIME POET AND SCHOLAR ROBERT POLITO TO

BRUNCH POEMS

loss, grief, and healing; American places and concepts of home; film noir; race; cultural icons; genius—and on and on.

Who are your writing idols? Who has inspired you?

DISCUSS OKLAHOMA’S JIM THOMPSON Robert Polito, author of “Savage Art: A Biography of Jim Thompson,” will join Tulsa LitFest to discuss the work of Jim Thompson, a prodigious crime writer from Anadarko, Okla., who passed away 41 years ago. In the early ‘90s, Black Lizard, a small publishing house in the Bay Area, began reissuing Thompson’s books. After reading some reviews, Polito bought the five books Black Lizard had reprinted, beginning with “A Hell of a Woman” (1954).

“It starts off in a realistic crime novel universe, after the first serious traumatic murder,” Polito said. “Not only does the psyche of the character start to fall apart, but the formal qualities of the novel split apart.”

The book sent him on a quest to determine “where a novel like this could come from, in both the life of an individual and the life of a country.” What Polito found surprised him: Thompson’s experimental crime novels—i.e. novels about complicated sheriffs in Oklahoma or Texas who turn out to be not who they appear as—were quite autobiographical.

“Thompson was haunted by this sense that his father was also kind of somebody else—that vision of his father was behind the characters. These genre novels turned out to be personal.”

Another surprise for Polito was how left-leaning the Federal Writers’ Project— part of the WPA—was in Oklahoma. Thompson was a member of the Communist party (his predecessor Bill Cunningham, too), and the people he associated with “were communists in that Woody Guthrie way,” Polito said. “It was a very American version of communism, and Thompson was friends with Guthrie and followed him to NYC, in a way. I knew the Writers’ Project in NYC or San Francisco or Chicago was predominantly on the left, but it was a surprise to see that that was the case in Oklahoma also.” Polito sees in the dark vision of Thompson’s novels a Marxist view of the world—the “novels portrayed how the world is until an economic shift comes.”

Polito has visited Tulsa for research, both for his Thompson work and for a book about Bob Dylan he’s working on. “I’m very fond of Tulsa, very fond of Oklahoma. Thompson was like Woody Guthrie, a true native son of Oklahoma.”

—CASSIDY MCCANTS CRIME TIME: REMEMBERING JIM THOMPSON WITH ROBERT POLITO SAT., APRIL 21, 1 P.M. | MAGIC CITY BOOKS, 221 E. ARCHER ST.

To kick off the day, representatives from four of the presses— AWST, Deep Vellum, Graywolf, and Sibling Rivalry—will lead a panel on indie publishing. The discussion should be relevant to writers, readers, editors, and publishers alike.

The press fair participants publish a range of voices and genres— everything from children’s books to translations, from lit mag selections to full-length works. The first 25 fair attendees to arrive will receive a Tulsa LitFest tote bag.

PUBLISHING TODAY SMALL PRESS PANEL SAT. APRIL 21, 10 A.M. | GREENWOOD CULTURAL CENTER, 322 N. GREENWOOD AVE. SMALL PRESS BOOK FAIR SAT. APRIL 21, 11 A.M.–4 P.M. | GREENWOOD CULTURAL CENTER FEATURED // 25

MICHAEL CHAIKEN

KIESE LAYMON

BECAUSE I NEED TO WRITE Kiese Laymon on his

HEADSTRETCH AND BOOTLEG

understanding of the

Michael Chaiken to discuss Bob Dylan’s ‘Tarantula’

BY DAMION SHADE

Michael Chaiken, curator of the Bob Dylan Archive, thinks of “Tarantula”—Bob Dylan’s book of experimental prose and poetry—as “an odd moment of Bob’s career … an odd tangent, a headstretch … with an interesting publication history.”

The Bob Dylan Archive, housed at The University of Tulsa’s Helmerich Center for American Research, holds several iterations of the “Tarantula” manuscript—“enough to phenomenologically lay out the trajectory of how it came to be,” Chaiken said. The text came at a critical moment in Dylan’s career, around the same time as Bringing It All Back Home. “‘Tarantula,’” Chaiken continued, “weaves in and out of the writing of his songs on that 1965 album.” He stresses that the book didn’t happen in a vacuum, that “it was part of a larger wellspring” near the beginning of what later became a cult around Dylan—its galleys were bootlegged due to high demand in the mid-‘60s, years before the book’s publication in 1971.

According to Chaiken, “Tarantula” is a larger body from which Dylan “carved songs,” and it “offers a lot of parallels; it’s not a throughway or aberrant thing.”

The book, ultimately, shows what a prodigious writer Dylan is.

He is, after all, the recipient of a Nobel Prize in Literature. —CASSIDY MCCANTS BOB DYLAN’S “TARANTULA”: A CHAT WITH MICHAEL CHAIKEN SUN., APRIL 22, 4 P.M. WOODY GUTHRIE CENTER, 102 E. M.B. BRADY ST. 26 // FEATURED

world and his message for young black men

KIESE LAYMON IS THE AUTHOR OF THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED NOVEL “Long Division” and a collection of essays entitled “How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America.” He has written for numerous publications, including Esquire, The New York Times, McSweeney’s, The Guardian, Ebony, and NPR. He is also a contributing editor at Oxford American and a professor of English at the University of Mississippi. After being kicked out of Millsaps College (ostensibly for not returning a library book) he was awarded the prestigious Benjamin Brown award, named after an unarmed black truck driver who was shot in the back by police in Jackson, Miss., in 1967.

DAMION SHADE: When did you become serious about writing?

KIESE LAYMON: My mother made me write my whole life. At Millsaps … I think that’s when I really started trying to hone my craft and take it seriously, but even then I didn’t really know what it meant to live as a writer. I remember telling myself it wasn’t until I could pay for my own computer with money I made from writing that I thought I was a writer. The truth is, I’m a writer because I just really need and I love to write. That doesn’t mean I’m a good writer, but that’s what I do. It’s how I see. It’s how I understand the world.

It’s how I become a better teacher, a better person, a better partner.

That’s how I breathe, really, but I know a lot of people have different relationships to writing. They call themselves writers too, and I’m cool with that. I’ve grown out of that phase where, like, so-and-so is a real writer and so-and-so is not.

SHADE: The essay you wrote in college—the real reason you got kicked out—was about communal masturbation, right? What’s the story there?

LAYMON: Oh man. That was supposed to be satire. There were just all kinds of friction on our campus with fraternity systems, and then there was a lot of sexual violence on campus. College Republicans, College Democrats, folks with money versus folks who didn’t have money. So I was really trying to answer the question, if anything could bring people together. I was 19. Nowadays I think how about fucking crazy it was that I wrote that, but back then I was like, I wonder what would happen if everybody got together and pleasured themselves and talked about it. I was actually trying to make the point that we all would not allow anything to bring us together. But it was a different era, man. That was when everyone was talking about commonalities and healing and stuff and I was just trying to be funny, and it wasn’t funny. Honestly, I think I got the Benjamin Brown award for fighting white supremacy at Millsaps College, but ultimately I got it because I

got kicked out of school for something that nobody in the history of that school [had] ever gotten kicked out for, for taking a book from the library and not bringing it back.

SHADE: In one of your essays you describe a situation where your mom kicked you out of the house while holding a gun on you. Would you feel OK talking about that and how you two rebuilt your relationship?

LAYMON: It wasn’t even a relationship that needed to be rebuilt, necessarily. I was going through a lot of stuff in Jackson at the time with my schooling. Whenever you go through things—if your parents are close to you—they go through them, too. My mom was watching what was happening with me, but she was also going through her own life. She had other things that were kind of giving her the blues, and one night she was just, like, at her wit’s end. She didn’t know what to do with me. It was actually about my transfer application to Oberlin. She was like, “You need to type that up,” and I was just like, “It doesn’t matter if I type it up because they’re not gonna admit me.” Because I’d been admitted to schools and then they’d get these Dean’s reports from Millsaps and they’d kick me out. So she pulled a gun out on me, and she regrets that for sure. And I also regret doing things that would encourage her to pull a gun on me. But you know, we’ve talked about it. She was young when she had me. So we were mother and son. We were also, at different times, like best friends.

There was never a time, really, that we weren’t talking to each other.

We’ve always talked at least once or twice a day every day of my life.

SHADE: Is there any message you’d like to give the next generation?

LAYMON: I think my message to young black men would be that it’s OK to admit that we’re afraid and we’re scared, and it’s OK to regret. I think men, regardless of race, in this country are often told we shouldn’t regret anything, because if we regret things we wouldn’t be who we are today. And most of us need to regret. We need to revise. It’s impossible to be better today if you don’t actually assess who and what [you] are and what you did yesterday. So I would just be like, brothers, it’s OK to admit when we fail. It’s OK to admit when we’ve harmed people. Because we want to fail less, and we want to harm people less. We need to be honest about the way we’ve harmed people and harmed ourselves and failed in the past. I think that’s crucial.

AN AMERICAN MEMOIR: KIESE LAYMON SAT. APRIL 21, 12 P.M. GREENWOOD CULTURAL CENTER, 322 N. GREENWOOD AVE. April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

MARY KATHRYN NAGLE

STERLIN HARJO

BOOKISH WEEKEND

ALEXIS MUNOA DYER

THE FULL TULSA LITFEST SCHEDULE All events are free and open to the public.

For more detailed event information, visit tulsalitfest.org.

REVOLUTION AND CHALLENGE STERLIN HARJO AND MARY KATHRYN NAGLE TELL STORIES TO PUSH NATIVE ART FORWARD

On Saturday, April 21, filmmakers/playwrights Sterlin Harjo and Mary Kathryn Nagle will teach a Native writing and theater workshop. They’ll discuss the craft of and challenges in depicting Native stories in our country.

“It’s no mystery why there are struggles for Native writers,” said Harjo, who is Seminole and Creek. “But I never got too hung up on that. … I’ve plowed ahead.

And I’ve seen a shift—people like Mary Kathryn Nagle have come out of obscurity and been celebrated around the country.”

The Dakota Access Pipeline protests at Standing Rock in 2016, he believes, started to wake up the world.

Nagle, who is Cherokee, also uses her work to challenge our culture.

“We live in a world where all Native writers have experienced silencing in a different form or fashion,” she said. “All Native artists have been excluded in some way. Most theaters in the U.S. have never produced a single Native play. It’s an act of revolution and a challenge, asking a theater to consider a work of art they’ve either purposely decided [to leave out] or [haven’t acknowledged] for whatever reason—your work challenges this and asks them to reconsider, and that’s not easy.”

Harjo believes support is one of the most important elements in all groups of artists and that because of the tightknit nature of Native and artist communities, “all of us, we support each other. It’s never felt like I was struggling.” But that doesn’t take away from the hard work.

“We just have to keep making our art,” Nagle said. “Unfortunately, [Natives are] held to a higher standard. It has to be pristine. We’re scrutinized in a different way. If your play is the only Native play a theater has ever done, it better be good.”

Both artists have long shared a love for writing and storytelling—Nagle said she’s loved to write ever since she learned how. “I like telling stories,” Harjo said.

“I’m not doing this because I think I’m going to get rich.” Their approaches have proven successful; Harjo was recently hired for a film rewrite in L.A. and has a project in development with VICE, and Nagle’s play “Manahatta” just opened at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

“It’s felt like a rebellion,” Harjo said. “This is a choice. I’m gonna fight those odds and write. Culture can catch up to me if they want.” —CASSIDY MCCANTS NATIVE WRITING & THEATER WORKSHOP: STERLIN HARJO AND MARY KATHRYN NAGLE SAT., APRIL 21, 2–4 P.M. WOODY GUTHRIE CENTER AUDITORIUM, 102 E. M.B. BRADY ST. PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED AT TULSALITFEST.ORG THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

THURSDAY, APRIL 19 7 p.m.

YOU’VE GOT MAIL: CELEBRATING NORA EPHRON (BOOK TALK & SCREENING) OSU-Tulsa Auditorium, 700 N. Greenwood Ave.

FRIDAY, APRIL 20 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

LITFEST WRITING WORKSHOPS (registration is mandatory; visit tulsalitfest.org to register) OSU-Tulsa, Tulsa Room, 700 N. Greenwood Ave. 5–6:30 p.m.

SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN: A READING OF SHORT PROSE Mainline Art Bar, 111 N. Main St. 7 p.m.

AN EVENING WITH KEVIN YOUNG, POETRY EDITOR, THE NEW YORKER OSU-Tulsa Auditorium, 700 N. Greenwood Ave.

SATURDAY, APRIL 21 10–11a.m.

PUBLISHING TODAY, A SMALL PRESS PANEL FEAT. AWST PRESS, DEEP VELLUM PUBLISHING, GRAYWOLF PRESS, AND SIBLING RIVALRY PRESS Greenwood Cultural Center, 322 N. Greenwood Ave. 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

SMALL PRESS BOOK FAIR Greenwood Cultural Center, 322 N. Greenwood Ave. 12 p.m.

AN AMERICAN MEMOIR: KIESE LAYMON Greenwood Cultural Center, 322 N. Greenwood Ave.

1 p.m.

CRIME TIME: REMEMBERING JIM THOMPSON Magic City Books, 221 E. Archer St. 2–4 p.m.

NATIVE WRITING & THEATER WORKSHOP WITH STERLIN HARJO AND MARY KATHRYN NAGLE Woody Guthrie Center auditorium, 102 E. M.B. Brady St. 4 p.m.

THE NAUGHTY NINETIES: DAVID FRIEND OF VANITY FAIR Tulsa Artist Fellowship Refinery, 109 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

7 p.m.

JEANETTA CALHOUN MISH, OKLAHOMA POET LAUREATE, & WOODY GUTHRIE CELEBRATION, FEAT. POETIC JUSTICE OSU-Tulsa Auditorium, 700 N. Greenwood Ave. 9 p.m.

LITERARY AFTER PARTY: A CELEBRATION OF WORDS Living Arts of Tulsa, 307 E. M.B. Brady St.

SUNDAY, APRIL 22 1–3 p.m.

NIMROD JOURNAL’S GREEN WRITING: CELEBRATING THE EARTH WITH POETRY Tulsa Botanic Garden, 3900 Tulsa Botanic Dr. 2 p.m.

FRANCES MAYES: BACK TO TUSCANY Congregation B’nai Emunah Synagogue, 1719 S. Owasso Ave. 4 p.m.

BOB DYLAN’S “TARANTULA”: A CHAT WITH MICHAEL CHAIKEN, CURATOR OF THE BOB DYLAN ARCHIVE Woody Guthrie Center, 102 E. M.B. Brady St. FEATURED // 27

More than rhyme schemes POETIC JUSTICE GIVES INCARCERATED WOMEN A VOICE GENEVA PHILLIPS, POET AND POETIC JUSTICE PARTICIPANT | COURTESY

BY ZACK REEVES

C

ELLEN STACKABLE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF POETIC JUSTICE | JOSEPH RUSHMORE 28 // FEATURED

hecking everyone in to a Poetic Justice workshop takes fifteen minutes. The events are held in correctional facilities, so making sure everyone is accounted for is crucial.

Then, there’s an icebreaker. What is one thing people need to know about you?

How has writing changed your life? What’s your favorite comfort food? The women take turns answering the question. After that, they do three or four rounds of breathing exercises. Breathe in for four counts, hold for seven, breathe out for eight.

“And then it really calms down,” said Ellen Stackable, the executive director of Poetic Justice, a nonprofit that sends volunteers into prisons and jails across the state to teach imprisoned women to write poetry.

Classes are two hours long. It’s a writing workshop, but Hanna Al-Jibouri—a Poetic Justice chairwoman—says that only about fifteen or twenty minutes are spent on writing.

“We have to build trust with them,” Al-Jibouri said. “We have to make sure they know that we’re intentional with every single move we make. It’s so much more than a writing workshop.”

So, what is it? The women throw out a lot of phrases: therapeutic writing, restorative writing, creative writing, storytelling.

“It’s hard to land on one thing, because I don’t feel like any one of them encompass what we’re trying to do,” Al-Jibouri said.

“We do what we do under the guise of poetry,” Stackable said. “But it’s more about therapeutic work. It’s the affirmation of you as a human being. Looking at you in the eyes. Treating you as an individual. We let them make the rules. They hold each other accountable, and that’s empowering.”

What she means is: They’re teaching more than rhyme schemes.

“What I love about it, for these women, is that it also means they can find confidence in their voice,” Stackable said.

“Cloaking it in poetry means they have freedom to write from their heart to the paper. There are more stories to be told than just looking at a rap sheet and what the news reported about them.”

Stackable closes her eyes and smiles when she listens, as though each syllable she hears could be some vital piece of verse. And for the women she serves across the state, every syllable is that important.

“There’s always another story,” she said.

And it’s quite a story. Oklahoma incarcerates 151 out of every 100,000 women—a rate doubling the national average.

And while 151 out of 100,000 may seem April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

like a drop in the bucket, consider that states like California, Massachusetts, and Minnesota incarcerate fewer than 30 out of every 100,000 women.

According to Dr. Susan Sharp, the David Ross Boyd Professor of Sociology Emerita at the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma’s high female incarceration rate is due to a number of policies. Most notable, she said, are Oklahoma’s low use of probation (Oklahoma is one of the few states to have more people incarcerated than on probation or parole, according to the latest data available by the Bureau of Justice Statistics) and inadequate mental health and substance abuse treatment programs.

“The number one offense is drug possession. The number two offense is drug delivery. Low-level property crimes are also responsible for quite a few admissions. In other words, we are not incarcerating that many dangerous women. We are incarcerating women who are poor and who are addicted.”

Many of the women in Poetic Justice have higher-than-average scores on the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) quiz, a set of ten questions about childhood events—things like, Were you ever hit? Did your parents ever separate? Did anyone in your house ever abuse alcohol or drugs?

Did anyone in your house ever attempt suicide?—that occurred before the age of 18. At the end of the test, your number indicates how adverse (difficult or harmful, essentially) your childhood was.

My score is 1. The national average is 1.6. But 75 percent of the women who go through the Poetic Justice program while incarcerated have ACE scores above 4. The score that occurs most frequently among Poetic Justice participants is a staggering 8, only 2 points away from the full score of 10.

Dr. Chan Hellman, the director of the Hope Research Center at OU-Tulsa, compiled this data for Poetic Justice. He pointed me toward a few statistics from Bessel van der Kolk (author of “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma”): Going from an ACE score of zero to a score of six, the likelihood of someone attempting suicide increases by 5,000 percent. People with scores of four are seven times more likely to be alcoholics than those with scores of zero.

When someone has a score of six or more, they are 4,600 percent more likely to use IV drugs. This narrative suggests that childhood trauma is as responsible—if not more responsible—for incarceration risks than individual factors.

Hellman studies hope and researches how social service agencies can provide individuals with the ability to hope.

“What we know from the data is that having a coping resource like Poetic Justice buffers the negative effects of adversity and stress, predicts positive outcomes, and can be learned and sustained,” Hellman said.

In Hellman’s research, these same benefits (buffering the negativity of adTHE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

versity and stress and predicting positive outcomes) come from hope, which he suggests Poetic Justice helps create.

According to Stackable and Al-Jibouri, Poetic Justice participants have higher-than-average scores in hope after they’ve gone through the program: higher, even, than the average unincarcerated population. That’s surprising, considering how few of them will see freedom again in their lives. Poetry, it seems, brings hope, even in prison.

“Oklahoma is unique in a lot of ways for women,” said Dr. Lisa Lewis, a poet and professor at Oklahoma State University, “and none of them are good.”

Poetry is always concerned with justice, she said, because it refines and changes our ability to perceive and imagine people.

“Poetry is anti-cliché, and injustice thrives on clichéd assumptions and language,” Lewis said. “Poetry means to look past surfaces into the center of things.

That’s very similar to what [Percy Bysshe] Shelley was talking about when he said that ‘poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world,’ though [right now] the lack of acknowledgement is even harder to overlook.”

While Oklahoma locks up its women at alarming rates, Stackable and Al-Jibouri believe we can’t sit back and hope for the best. Besides hindering their own lives, many of these imprisoned women have children, and, according to Dr. Sharp, those children experience trauma due to separation. It’s not just that a woman is serving seven years—it’s that a child spends that time without their mother.

“When I’ve looked at the women in Poetic Justice,” said Stackable, “I’d say that maybe twice in four years [I have] had the thought, ‘This person should not ever be out.’ A lot of the women I meet would be tremendous assets to our state.”

“I am an inmate,” Angelina wrote in one poem. “My number is 67812, / The number of a single mistake / And one I must wear for life.” She describes how she lost all five children to the system. “I write to my pain, my children, my past. I write for change.”

Wanda wrote a love/hate poem to meth: “And then getting high became a job and not an adventure. And by the way, you were a sucky boss. The fringe benefits were shit and this is a fucked up vacation plan.”

“I have never known a safe place,” wrote China, “my entire life.”

Poetic Justice is working towards solutions. One goal is to screen their documentary, “Grey Matter,” in all 77 Oklahoma counties before the November elections.

The film, produced by Scissortail Media, reveals the human side of harsh and discriminating sentencing practices. They’ll be showing the film at OSU-Stillwater on April 6 and will hold an event with Oklahoma Poet Laureate Jeanetta Calhoun Mish at OSU-Tulsa on April 21 (See pg. 27 for event information). a

SHAME (IN ALL MY PLACES)

BY GENEVA PHILLIPS

Childhood should be happy And love should not hurt I know of these things But I do not know about these things Words are weapons They cut you in pieces No one will ever see Places that scar Places that never really Heal all the way Indifference is a glacier miles thick It is insurmountable You are encased in it Ever alone Darkness is a place Where things happen That no one seems to remember Except you It is a place of silences and secrets Where you are always Small and weak And I know that once the words have stopped Once the indifference has faded And the darkness receded to a distant shadow That can no longer hurt you But never goes away That the one thing I have left is shame I have shame on my fingertips I smear it on the glass I have shame in my ears Where it echoes of the past I have shame on my tongue In every word I speak I have shame on my mind In every thought I think I have shame in my eyes It colors all I see There stands shame in the mirror Staring back at me It is in all my places And when I look at other people I find it reflected in their faces This is what I know Childhood should be happy And love should not hurt.

HOPE

BY GENEVA PHILLIPS Hope is the shining thread that binds me to life It is the knitted ribbon that I wind Through the breath of my prayers Hope is an impregnable shelter Against dark, crushing moments.

Hope is the drum that turns the earth A deep steady rhythm Each newborn recognizes As a heartbeat Hope is the power to rectify wrongs Hope refuses to be silenced It is hope that gets up one more time Hope offers help.

Kindness, A hand, A hug.

Hope builds bridges between colors, Ideas and dreams.

Hope honors, encourages and applauds Every effort towards goodness.

It comforts failures and always ALWAYS tries again.

Hope is an anchor It is the keystone upon which all things hinge Hope is the center that holds when all else fails.

FEATURED // 29

artspot

INKSLINGERS’ February 2018 First Friday show at Yeti | JOSEPH RUSHMORE

‘Real art’

Local INKSLINGERS art show celebrates its first year as a collective

by ZACK REEVES

D

erik Hefner was a budding young comic book artist when he visited a local university’s art school. He was about to graduate high school and wanted to attend a college that would boost his talent and prospects. When the head of the art department scanned Hefner’s portfolio, he seemed impressed.

But then he said something Hefner would never forget: “Don’t worry; we’ll get you into real art.”

Real art. It stung, but he refused to believe that the comics he loved weren’t real art. He didn’t think much of that art school, either.

“Well,” he said, smiling. “I didn’t go there.”

That comic book kid survives today. When I met him at Yeti, Hefner was wearing a vintage Doctor Strange shirt and a Green Lantern pin on his black hat. He’s now the leader of INKSLINGERS, a community of Tulsa artists and illustrators sharing support, advice, and exposure.

After years of going it alone doing comics, logos, and illustration, he came to a realization.

“Rather than have my work get lost in a sea of other things that 30 // ARTS & CULTURE

are just like it, maybe I can get my work in places where it can stand out,” Hefner said.

So, he started reaching out and engaging with his local comic book and art community.

On their Facebook page, INKSLINGERS bills the group as “a motley assemblage of outsider artists and general ne’er-dowells who keep our city honest.”

Since its beginning in 2017, it has gained almost 750 members.

Scroll down their Facebook timeline and you’ll see why: well-rendered faces, bodies, superheroes, animals, creeps, and abstract art are all over the group. In creating a community of artists, Hefner has also amassed a repository of Tulsa’s artistic talent.

That talent is put on display at the INKSLINGERS’ monthly art shows. Every First Friday, the group gathers six or so artists to display and sell at Yeti from 8 p.m. until close.

“We’re the First Friday Art Crawl’s after-party,” Hefner said.

“Five years ago, I never would have wanted to bring anyone into town,” said INKSLINGERS artist D.M. Williams. “Now, it’s exploding. To be in the beginning

stages of that is insane. It’s really exciting.”

Williams has been doodling his whole life, but after a recent creative dry spell, a friend pushed him to start drawing again.

“They would just push a piece of paper into my hand and say, ‘draw.’ After that, I didn’t want to stop.”

Williams’s work is colorful and explosive, with detailed characters and ocean-inspired psychedelic pieces.

Chris Osbourne, another INKSLINGERS artist, emphasized the community aspect of the group.

“It’s just a great group of people, living their life, trying to do some art, helping to uplift each other and saying, ‘Hey! What do you think of my stuff ?’”

Obsourne showed me what he called his “brain splatter” pieces: a collection of Rorschach-style drawings that if turned one way look like one thing (a labyrinth), and if turned another way look like something else (a house).

“Just let your brain go,” he told me as I turned a piece one way, then another.

Joy Eaton has been with INKSLINGERS since last October.

Her work spans many different styles. Alongside her dramatic pencil drawings of Batman, Spock, and Bowie are studies of hands, abstract renderings of trees, and the occasional nude.

“I like to be eclectic with art,” she said. “I do new things all the time.”

“You get used to doing your own thing,” she said, referring to the way INKSLINGERS gets her out of her comfort zone. “It’s inspirational when you have a bunch of artists coming together and encouraging each other and giving each other tips and tricks.

If it weren’t for INKSLINGERS, I wouldn’t have branched out the way I have.”

On Friday, April 6, INKSLINGERS will hold its one-year anniversary show. The back fence of Yeti will become a canvas for INKSLINGERS artists to engage in a collective “art jam,” the walls will be packed with INKSLINGERS art, and Hefner will be working on a Yeti mural. a

INKSLINGERS ANNIVERSARY SHOW Friday, April 6 | 8:00 p.m.

Yeti, 417 N. Main St. April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

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onstage

“S

ometimes you have to do ‘Oklahoma!’ to pay the bills, but what we’re interested in is theatre as an art form, exploring empathy and the human condition,” said Angela McLaughlin, director of “Going Out of Business, A Comedy with Food References and Salty Language, in One Act.” Written by Michael Wright, “Going Out of Business” represents one-third of Heller Theatre Company’s upcoming Triple Feature! showcase of three one-act plays by local playwrights.

“It’s a comedy, mostly, with a dramatic-tragic undercurrent of people losing their jobs,” Wright said. Wright worked as a cook at a French restaurant in New York City in the 1970s, and some characters are loosely based on people he knew. One character wants to go back to school but can’t afford it; another is a musician, but all of his instruments are in the pawn shop.

“Throughout the play we explore the idea of rebuilding things, especially people who would be considered ‘lower class,’ people who are living paycheck to paycheck,” McLaughlin said. “There’s this idea of creating family in a community out of what’s in front of you, versus your family or relationships that you’re born into.”

Directing a complete story arc in under an hour presents a unique set of challenges, according to McLaughlin. “Everything we do or say has to have meaning.

It’s pacing, it’s energy, everything is high stakes.” And how do you smash 15 plates without anyone severing an artery onstage?

“Four Ways to Die,” written and directed by David Blakely, is the longest one-act of the evening.

Blakely informed much of his play with “‘Bloodland: A Family Story of Oil, Greed and Murder” and “The Deaths of Sybil Bolton” by Dennis McAuliffe Jr. McAuliffe’s investigation revealed truths about his family mythology and a historic mur-

32 // ARTS & CULTURE

TRIPLE PLAY Heller Theatre Company closes season with three one-act plays

by KATHRYN PARKMAN der-conspiracy plot during the so-called Osage Reign of Terror.

“This is the story of a man trying to tell the story of his grandmother, of the way she died—there’s a difference between dying of kidney failure and dying because you were part of a group that was systematically murdered.”

“There’s a part of me that wants to get out the injustices that are swept under the rug,” Blakely said. He might one day expand “Four Ways to Die” into a lengthier project and already has ideas percolating for the centennial of Tulsa’s 1921 Race Massacre.

“Stories resonate. If a story is about a particular group of people, it doesn’t mean that other groups of people can’t identify

with it,” Blakely said. He then offered an anecdote: “A friend of mine is a poet, and he identifies as white. About a year and a half into Jamaica with the Peace Corps, he started writing Rasta poetry. He felt bad, because he’s not a part of that culture, but his writing was reflecting that culture. One of his Jamaican friends said to him: ‘Don’t worry about it. If you feel the music, you are the music.’”

Blakely, who helms the theatre program at Rogers State University, is also indirectly responsible for the third play appearing in Triple Feature!

“I’m not very self-confident at all,” said Archer Williams, writer of “Speak with Dead” and one of Blakely’s former students.

The young playwright lives in Oklahoma City now, occasionally drops the Gs at the ends of verbs, and, at 24, still sounds like a teenager over the phone. He recalled how he felt after he wrote his first play: “I was like, oh, this is dumb, but David [Blakely] said it was good. I was still like, are you sure?”

Blakely must have a sense for untapped talent, because every play Williams has written has made it to the stage.

“I haven’t always been a writer, but I’ve always had ideas. … Like, what if you died and had to talk to the grim reaper, like, how awkward would that conversation be?”

This is, essentially, the plot of “Speak with Dead,” Williams’ fifth play. He said he hasn’t seen “The Seventh Seal,” Ingmar Bergman’s 1957 knight-plays-chess-withdeath classic, but is aware of the trope. As a kid in rural Oklahoma, he was more interested in Monty Python and “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” than existential Swedish epics.

His one-act opens with a woman slipping on a discarded banana peel. But her slapstick pratfall is fatal, and even more awkward, thanks to her guardian angel’s illtimed taco run.

“I just, I dunno, the world isn’t always a real happy place, and even though everything kinda sucks right now, you can still have a good time. Comedy is there to remind you that you can still smile.”

He said he wrote the first draft of “Speak with Dead” in the breakroom of the Walmart Neighborhood Market where he works.

“It feels good when something you put time into works out. Not like, okay, I wrote this script, now it’s gonna sit on a shelf, or sit in my computer, forever.” a

TRIPLE FEATURE! April 6, 7, 13, 14 | 7:30PM | $15 Nightingale Theater | 1416 E 4th St. hellertheatreco.com April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

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MARY KATHRYN NAGLE, PLAYWRIGHT

Tulsa LitFest brings together diverse literary artists and writers to collaborate and inspire, enriching the Tulsa community.

JEANETTA CALHOUN MISH, OK POET LAUREATE

KEVINYOUNG YOUNG, NEW KEVIN YORKER POETRY EDITOR

STERLIN HARJO, FILMMAKER

All events are free and open to the public.

Find a full schedule at www.tulsalitfest.org.

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FRANCES MAYES, WRITER & POET

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ARTS & CULTURE // 33

sportsreport

One game better Drillers plan to build on last year

by JOHN TRANCHINA

A

fter coming oh-so-close to winning a Texas League Championship last year, the Tulsa Drillers hope to build on that experience and take the final step in 2018.

Entering their fourth season as the Class AA minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Drillers will have successful manager Scott Hennessey back, as well as a number of familiar players.

Tulsa opens the 2018 season on the road on April 5, with their home opener at ONEOK Field on Thurs., April 12, against the Frisco RoughRiders.

Hennessey’s return as manager is a big deal. For a while, it wasn’t clear if he would return to his previous role as a Dodgers’ scout, which he held before being pressed into duty when former Drillers manager Ryan Garko resigned last July to take over the college program at Pacific University.

The Drillers were 50-50 when Hennessey took over. He sparked them to a 27-13 record over the final 40 regular season games, including a club record 15-game home winning streak, to claim the North Division second-half title.

They defeated the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in the North Division Playoff Series, then won the first two games of the TL Championship series on the road, but they lost each of the next three at home with a chance to clinch the title.

Watching the Midland Rockhounds celebrate at ONEOK Field was a tough pill to swallow, but Hennessey is happy he was asked to return as manager and believes that playoff experience will help motivate the team to take the next step this year.

“Honestly, the feeling that we all had, you don’t want to go 34 // ARTS & CULTURE

Tulsa Drillers second baseman Drew Jackson, 2017 Texas League Championship Series | RICH CRIMI

through that again,” he said. “As a competitor, you just want to get better, get one game better, and reach your potential. I’m definitely looking forward to it, looking forward to the players that we think are going to be here, the challenge, the grind, and getting after it for a full season.”

As for the Drillers’ roster, Hennessey is excited about the pair of catchers he expects to start the season with.

“I think the strength of our team is going to be, probably, behind the plate,” he said. “It looks like we’re going to get Keibert Ruíz and Will Smith here to start the year, both highly-touted prospects. Both can do a lot of things offensively, defensively, both can throw, can handle the pitching

staff, call a good game. It’s going to be a challenge to get those guys playing time on a consistent basis.”

Last year, Ruíz batted a combined .316 with 51 RBI split between Class A Great Lakes (63 games) and Class A-Advanced Rancho Cucamonga (38 games), while Smith hit .232 with 11 home runs and 43 RBI in 72 games at Rancho Cucamonga.

Hennessey also believes several Driller infielders from last year should be back, such as Errol Robinson, who batted .273 in 57 games in Tulsa, and Drew Jackson, who hit .234 but scored 22 runs in 29 games with the Drillers.

Among outfielders he expects to be in Tulsa are Yusniel Díaz, who spent most of last year at Rancho Cucamonga but batted

.333 in 31 games in Tulsa, Johan Mieses (16 home runs, 36 RBI in 90 Drillers games), Blake Gailen (hit .300, 35 RBI in 49 games with Tulsa), and Kyle Garlick (17 home runs, 42 RBI in 74 games with the Drillers).

Pitchers that Hennessey projects the Drillers will get are Mitchell White (1-1, 2.57 earnedrun average in seven Tulsa starts), Yadíer Alvarez (2-2, 3.55 ERA in seven starts with Tulsa), Dennis Santana (3-1, 5.51 ERA in seven Tulsa starts), Andrew Sopko (5-7, 4.13 ERA in 23 starts with Tulsa) and Josh Sborz (8-8, 3.86 ERA in 24 Tulsa starts), among others.

Hennessey feels that having so many players back who experienced that playoff run will be a major plus.

“We got a good nucleus— young, but guys with experience and that have had success at this level already,” Hennessey said.

“And now, coming back, they know the league, they know the travel, they know the surroundings. It helps.

“On paper, it looks good. If we can stay healthy, we should have a good club.”

Of course, winning isn’t the team’s only objective. Hennessey acknowledged that the Drillers’ primary purpose is to develop the players enough for them to earn promotions to Class AAA and, ultimately, the Major League roster in Los Angeles.

“We’re all competitors, and the object is to get them better, to get them to be quality big-leaguers, to get them out of here and to Triple-A, then the big leagues,” Hennessey said. “But once you get in the playoffs, the competitive nature takes over and you want to win. Let’s hope we can get them better, can keep them healthy and win one more game.” a April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

ARTS & CULTURE // 35

thehaps

TRIPLE FEATURE!

Friday, April 6, 7, 13, 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Nightingale Theater, hellertheatreco.com This evening of one-act plays written and directed by locals will close Heller Theatre Co.’s first all-original season.

“Four Ways to Die,” written and directed by HTC Playwright in Residence David Blakely, is inspired by the true story of the Osage Oil Murders and based on Dennis McAuliffe’s 1990 nonfiction book “The Deaths of Sybil Bolton.”

“Going Out of Business, A Comedy with Food References and Salty Language, in One Act,” written by Michael Wright and directed by Angela McLaughlin, is a comedy about secrets, survival, a restaurant closing, and the ripple effect it has on its now-former employees.

“Speak with Dead,” written by Archer Williams and directed by Nick Lutke, is an absurdist comedy that takes place in the moments between life and the afterlife and features a standoff with the Archangel of Death.

For more information, see pg. 32.

ART CRAWL

OUTDOOR CONCERT

The First Friday Art Crawl will, as always, feature dozens of exhibition openings, performances, and live music, including an anniversary show by the local art collective INKSLINGERS. For more info, see pg. 30. Apr. 6, 6–9 p.m., thetulsaartsdistrict.org

Hip Hop 918: Kickin’ It Old School promises to be one of the city’s dopest concerts ever. Hosted by Doug E. Fresh and fellow rap legends Biz Markie and Big Daddy Kane. See pg. 38. Apr. 7, 7–10 p.m., guthriegreen.com

IT’S BACK!

BASEBALL

Cherry Street Farmers’ Market returns on Saturday, Apr. 7, and every Saturday through October, 7–11 a.m. South 15th Street between Peoria and Utica Avenues, tulsafarmersmarket.org

The Tulsa Drillers kick off the season with their first homestand of 2018, a series of games against the Frisco RoughRiders. For more, see pg. 34.

Apr. 12–14, 7 p.m., ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com

AUTHOR WORKSHOP

BALLET

Sasha Martin, author of “Life from Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family, and Forgiveness,” will host The Language of Survival, a workshop on writing about trauma in both fiction and memoir. Apr. 7, 2–4 p.m., TU’s Tyrrell Hall, nimrod.utulsa.edu

Emerging Choreographer’s Showcase will feature world-premiere works by up-and-coming choreographers Penny Saunders, Joshua A. Stayton, and Daniel van de Laar. Apr. 13, 15 at Studio K, Apr. 14 at Zarrow Performance Studio, tulsaballet.org

ART PREP

GARDENING

Local artists are paired randomly to create portraits of each other at the annual Back Gallery Portrait Show. The name-drawing party will be at Soundpony on Apr. 7, starting at 4 p.m. All artists are welcome. facebook.com/backgallerytulsa

Tulsa Garden Center’s SpringFest will feature more than 50 vendors of plants and other gardening accoutrements, as well as the opportunity to get gardening tips from Tulsa Master Gardeners.

Apr. 13 & 14, tulsagardencenter.com

36 // ARTS & CULTURE

April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

BEST OF THE REST EVENTS Lines with Power and Purpose: Editorial Cartoons // 4/2-28, The Museum Broken Arrow, brokenarrowmuseum.org Voyage of Discovery: Space, The Final Frontier // With guest conductor Ron Spigelman, Tulsa Symphony will perform Gustav Holst’s The Planets, as well as some memorable themes from the star worlds of Trek and Wars, accompanied by projected images from NASA. // 4/14, Tulsa PAC - Chapman Music Hall, tulsapac.com Kendall Whittier Food Truck Festival // 4/7, 11am, Kendall Whitter District, historickwms.com War on the Poor: Technology and Inequality // Author Virginia Eubanks will discuss the impacts of data mining, policy algorithms, and predictive risk models. // 4/7, 2pm, Magic City Books, magiccitybooks.com Restring and Recycle // Guitarists can bring in old strings for recycling and get their electric or acoustic guitar restrung with D’Addario strings for free. // 4/7, Saied Music Company, terracycle.com Rose District Farmers Market Opening Day // Saturdays, 7 a.m.-noon, and Tuesdays, 4-7 p.m., April through October. // 4/7, 7am, The Rose District, facebook.com/bafarmersmarket Cuba Loves Baseball: A Photographic Journey // Acclaimed photographer Ira Block will discuss his three years spent photographing Cuban culture. // 4/8, 2pm, ONEOK Field, magiccitybooks.com Sloane Crosley Book Party // Bestselling essayist and novelist Sloane Crosley comes to town for an evening of hilarious stories, live music, drinking, and cake. // 4/11, 7pm, The Bond, magiccitybooks.com

Annie // 4/13-21, Muskogee Little Theatre, muskogeelittletheatre.com The Producers // 4/13-21, Tulsa PAC - John H. Williams Theatre, tulsapac.com

Lenny Schmidt, Raanan Hershberg // 4/4-7, The Loony Bin, tulsa.loonybincomedy.com Jay Leno // 4/5, Hard Rock Casino – The Joint “Whose Line” Rip-Off Show// 4/6, 8pm, Rabbit Hole Improv, rabbitholeimprov.com Improv Pop // 4/7, 6pm, Rabbit Hole Improv, rabbitholeimprov.com On The Spot // 4/7, 8pm, Rabbit Hole Improv, rabbitholeimprov.com 6-Pack of Punchlines w/ Zach Amon, Tevin Banks, Ryan Green, Hynece Brown, Laura Cook, Jon W. Tyler, Gnarly Norton// 4/8, 9pm, Blackbird on Pearl, facebook.com/bazarentertainment Soundpony Comedy Hour w/ Raanan Hershberg, Andrew Deacon// 4/9, 7:30pm, Soundpony, thesoundpony.com Tracy Smith // 4/11/18-4/14/18, The Loony Bin, tulsa.loonybincomedy.com Red Dirt Improv // 4/14, 8pm, Rabbit Hole Improv, rabbitholeimprov.com Josie Peacock - Attempting 30 w/ Ethan Sandoval, Tom King, Kayse Melone, MacKidneys Bryan// 4/15, 9pm, The Venue Shrine, facebook.com/ bazarentertainment

SPORTS Tulsa Oilers vs. Idaho Steelheads // 4/4, 7pm, BOK Center, tulsaoilers.com

Chillin and Grillin BBQ Festival // 4/12-14, Case Community Park, sandspringschamber.com/ chillin-and-grillin

Extreme Fight Night 347 // 4/6, 8 p.m., $45-$105, River Spirit Casino – Paradise Cove

Piper Kerman // Author of the memoir-turned-Netflix series “Orange is the New Black” talks about the real-life story behind the TV show. // 4/13, Tulsa PAC - Chapman Music Hall, tulsapac.com Herb Day in Brookside // 4/14, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., 36th St & Peoria Ave, facebook.com/HerbDayInBrookside Teen Night // 4/14, 6pm, Philbrook Downtown, philbrook.org The Red Earth Writing Workshop // The Red Earth MFA in Creative Writing at Oklahoma City University will hold two free workshops in Tulsa. // 4/14, 2pm, Magic City Books, tiny.cc/redearthmfaokcu Canned: Do We Trust Our Food? // Author Anna Zeide will discuss her book, “Canned.” // 4/15, 7pm, Congregation B’Nai Emunah, magiccitybooks.com

PERFORMING ARTS Curious George: The Golden Meatball // 4/6, Tulsa PAC - John H. Williams Theatre, tulsapac.com Disgraced // This play centers on a dinner party thrown by a successful Pakistani-American lawyer.

Discussion gets heated when politics and religion become the topic // 4/6-15, Tulsa PAC - Liddy Doenges Theatre, okworldstage.org Tulsa Sings! 100 Years of Song // 4/6-7, VanTrease PACE, signaturesymphony.org

THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

A WON DE R F U L PHO T O GR A PH E R A N D G O OD F R I E N D. F ROM YOU R FA M I LY AT T H R E A D S ON B O S T ON .

COMEDY

Here and Now: Coming Back to Greenwood // This exhibition of works by photographer Don Thompson will features his photographs of the Greenwood District. // 4/12-26, Greenwood Archives, Art & Curio, greenwoodchambertulsa.org

Think & Drink: Indigenous Perspectives on Science and Math // This evening will feature a talk by Apollonia Piña, a research assistant on a National Institutes of Health grant concerning Native Americans in STEM fields. // 4/12, 6:30pm, Heirloom Rustic Ales, stemcelltulsa.com

CONGR AT U L AT ION S VA L E R I E GR A N T!

Roughnecks FC vs Portland Timbers 2 // 4/4, 7pm, ONEOK Field, roughnecksfc.com

Tulsa Oilers vs. Rapid City Rush // 4/6, 7pm, BOK Center, tulsaoilers.com Tulsa Oilers vs. Rapid City Rush // 4/7, 7pm, BOK Center, tulsaoilers.com Tulsa Drillers vs Frisco RoughRiders // 4/12, 7pm, ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com TU Softball vs USF // 4/13, 5pm, Collins Family Softball Complex, tulsahurricane.com ORU Baseball vs Fort Wayne // 4/13, 6:30pm, J.L. Johnson Stadium, oruathletics.com Tulsa Drillers vs Frisco RoughRiders// 4/13, 7pm, ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com Mud Down in T-Town// 4/13-14, Tulsa Raceway Park, tulsaracewaypark.com TU Softball vs USF// 4/14, 2pm, Collins Family Softball Complex, tulsahurricane.com ORU Baseball vs Fort Wayne// 4/14, 2pm, J.L. Johnson Stadium, oruathletics.com Tulsa Drillers vs Frisco RoughRiders// 4/14, 7pm, ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com TU Softball vs USF// 4/15, 12pm, Collins Family Softball Complex, tulsahurricane.com ORU Baseball vs Fort Wayne// 4/15, 1pm, J.L. Johnson Stadium, oruathletics.com

M E N S W E A R

THREADS O N

B O S T O N

170 9 S. BOS TON AV E . • 9 18.515.1181 • T H R E A DSON BOS TON.COM

TULSA SYMPHONY

2017-2018 S E A S O N T W E LV E

Pops Series

VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY: SPACE, THE FINAL FRONTIER featuring space images from NASA

SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 2018 | 7:30 PM TULSA PERFORMING ART S CENTER Music from the Star Trek Enterprise WILLIAMS: Star Wars HOLST: The Planets Ron Spigelman, Guest Conductor * Pre-Concert Conversation | 6:30 PM * Pre-Concert Student Recognition Concert | 6:45 PM * Post-Concert Reception – All Welcome * Childcare Available

Tulsa Drillers vs Midland RockHounds// 4/15, 4/16, 4pm, ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com TU Softball vs Oklahoma// 4/17, 6pm, Collins Family Softball Complex, tulsahurricane.com

For Tickets, Call 918.596.7111 or www.tulsasymphony.org

Tulsa Drillers vs Midland RockHounds // 4/17, 7pm, ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com ARTS & CULTURE // 37

musicnotes

Biz Markie | COURTESY

FOR THE UNIVERSE

KEEP TULSA HYPE Local Hip Hop 918 performers—from left: Written Quincy, Doc Freeman, Steph Simon, Tea Rush, St. Domonick, Verse, and DJ Somar | GREG BOLLINGER

Golden era legends to share stage with local artists for Hip Hop 918

by MARY NOBLE

O

n April 7, three legends from the Golden Era of hip-hop—Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, and Doug E. Fresh—will perform a free show on the Guthrie Green stage. Grammy Award-winner Big Daddy Kane is widely considered one of the greatest lyricists of all time and thought to be pivotal in shaping Jay-Z’s career. Rapper, DJ, actor, and beatboxer Biz Markie, sometimes referred to as the “Clown Prince of Hip-Hop,” is most known for his 1989 hit single “Just a Friend,” which to this day can make an entire room break out in song. The event, Hip Hop 918, which aspires to be reminiscent of a South Bronx street party, will be hosted by Doug E. Fresh, the human beatbox known for keeping the crowd hype.

Organizers wanted to to open the show with local artists capable of embodying old-school hip-hop.

They enlisted rapper Steph Simon to help put it together. “[DJ] Somar popped in my head, of course Doc [Freeman] popped in my head,” Simon said.

38 // MUSIC

“She said we need a female, I said Tea Rush, then I told them we have a young up-and-comer—St. Domonick—we need to add to bridge the gap between the young generation and the old.”

Simon was told they’d be given a 45-minute set, and the organizers requested there not be any lag time between acts. In the realm of hip-hop, this necessitates a hype man: someone to talk on the mic and keep the crowd entertained as DJ Somar spins the classics. Simon couldn’t think of anyone better for the task than Tulsa’s own Doc Freeman. Freeman is a member of Tulsa rap group Oilhouse (who recently performed at SXSW) and hosts the monthly Lessons in Fresh. Held at different locations around Tulsa, Lessons in Fresh pays homage to the elements of hip-hop with live performances, rap battles, breakdancing, vinyl DJing, and live graffiti painting.

For Freeman, keeping the crowd engaged comes naturally.

“Whenever you’re trying to get the music to work right, if there’s a technical difficulty, I always fill

that space during Oilhouse shows; I do the same thing during Lessons,” he said.

I asked him if he planned on channeling hypeman Doug E. Fresh during the show.

“It’s always there, it’s always in the back of my mind, anytime I’m going to [perform] I think about Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, I think about DJ Kool Herc,” Freeman said. “I think about the first time I heard Big Daddy Kane, first time I heard Biz Markie … it was the sound of my skin color—this is the sound of my people, my family.”

Local artists to expect at Hip Hop 918 include Steph Simon, Verse, Doc Freeman, St. Domonick, DJ Somar, Tea Rush, Written Quincey, and more.

“This show will definitely be historic,” said Tea Rush, R&B singer and performer. “To have such iconic artists perform in downtown Tulsa [and] open up the show with some of Tulsa’s most talented local artists is insane. This will be a night to remember.” a

An interview with Biz Markie ahead of his Guthrie Green performance

by MARY NOBLE

B

iz Markie, pioneer of hiphop and beatboxing, will perform April 7 at Guthrie Green with Big Daddy Kane and Doug E. Fresh. His debut album, Goin’ Off, released in 1988, showcased his beatboxing skills with the hit single “Make the Music With Your Mouth, Biz.” The album also featured fan favorites such as “Nobody Beats The Biz” and “Vapors.” In 1989, Biz Markie reached a new high with his most successful single to date, “Just a Friend,” a hilariously relatable anti-love song that made off-key belting of songs about your failed romantic endeavors cool. He since has toured with the Beastie Boys and been featured on their albums Check Your Head, Ill Communication, and Hello Nasty. He has cameoed in such films as “Men in Black II” and “The Wackness” and has starred in children’s television show “Yo Gabba Gabba!” We spoke by phone.

MARY NOBLE: You said in in an interview once, “Me and Doug E., we’re the ones that made up the beatbox. He’s number one; I’m number two.” Could you explain that dynamic to me?

April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

BIZ MARKIE: Me and Doug E., we boys, we like Felix and Oscar (“The Odd Couple”). When I met him he was doing the beatbox and I was doing the beatbox; that’s why we both sound different, because neither one of us copied each other. And we got to be tight.

NOBLE: You were the first one to rhyme and beatbox, correct?

BIZ MARKIE: Oh, yes.

did you have that in mind when writing for “The Noisy Eater”?

BIZ MARKIE: Yeah, The Avalanches was dope.

BIZ MARKIE: Oh, yeah, everything is universal. I don’t make songs for adults. I just make records for the universe.

NOBLE: Are you still teaching cooking classes?

NOBLE: That song sounds like a combination of one from the golden age of hip-hop and one for children.

BIZ MARKIE: I haven’t had time to do it, but when I get some time, I’m going to do it again. I was teaching cooking classes and teaching people how to DJ. I promote health; you don’t have wealth without health.

NOBLE: Are you still DJing frequently? A lot of people couldn’t believe you went from “Just a Friend” to DJing, but you’ve been successful with it.

BIZ MARKIE: Yeah, I DJ more than I perform. I love to DJ. [In] anything you do, you got God behind you and you got your own confidence, you can accomplish anything. a

NOBLE: Will the two of you be beatboxing together in Tulsa?

BIZ MARKIE: We might do somethin’.

I might jump onstage with him.

NOBLE: I love reading about your relationship with the Beastie Boys.

What are some songs you sang with them?

BIZ MARKIE: We did so many records that we rocked together.

We did “The Joker” with the Steve Miller Band, we did “Bennie and the Jets.”

NOBLE: Were you touring with them when you jumped onstage and sang “Bennie”?

BIZ MARKIE: Yeah, I was on tour with them. I [was] like the Billy Preston of The Beatles when it came to the Beastie Boys.

NOBLE: Are you all still in contact?

BIZ MARKIE: We don’t talk as much as we used to, but we still talk whenever we can. Everybody got lives, so it ain’t like we beefin’, but we talk whenever see each other.

Rest in peace to Yauch. I’m always one of them who just shows up.

You can always count on me.

NOBLE: You’re well known for your hilarious and fun-loving persona; was it a natural move to work on videos for kids?

BIZ MARKIE: Yeah … my thing was I didn’t like what was on TV for kids, so I said, “I want to do something for kids”—so they can have a different imagination, not a negative imagination.

NOBLE: When I heard you on The Avalanches’ Wildflower album it reminded me of your kid videos— THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

MUSIC // 39

musicnotes

Louder than the machine Erin O’Dowd releases her first album and quiets her demons

by DAMION SHADE

L

ast September Erin O’Dowd moved to Nashville. After 18 years of living in Tulsa, she wanted a reboot. O’Dowd found herself in a situation not dissimilar from those many 20-somethings face: too many old lovers, past mistakes, and ghosts in the city she’s always loved deeply and called home. Since moving, she’s built a new life for herself as a songwriter whose music is still rooted in Oklahoma, and she’s releasing her first album, Old Town, through Horton Records with a performance at Soul City Gastropub & Music House on April 13.

“Tulsa actually means ‘old town’ in the Muscogee Creek language,” O’Dowd said. “So that’s where the title comes from.

It’s funny, because I decided on [it] years ago, before the album was ever made.”

Some of these songs date back to 2013, a time when she started playing shows in earnest, but she was hindered by a pretty serious roadblock.

“The place that I was living [in] had black mold. I played the first [Rock N’ Folk N’ Chili Cook-Off] at Cain’s that Brian Horton did, and then the next day I had my first ER visit. I couldn’t eat very much. I ended up in the hospital for a few days about a month later. … I weighed about eighty pounds.

2014 was pretty much a year [when] nothing much happened, because I was just so weak.”

This sickness changed O’Dowd’s life, but she thinks she learned a lot from the time. Her father’s influence also gave her the strength to keep pursuing music.

“I think I can credit him for a lot of my musical instincts, because he would make up songs about everything around the house and I would join him. Even before then I’d take my stuffed animals 40 // MUSIC

Erin O’Dowd | COURTESY

and my little Fisher-Price xylophone piano thing and I’d make up songs.”

All these years later O’Dowd calls her sound “Cosmic Americana”—a reference to Gram Parsons, Sturgill Simpson, and folk artists like Devendra Banhart.

Their exploration of both ironic and emotional spaces not usually found in folk and Americana is a model she’s tried to recreate on this record.

These songs aren’t psychedelic, but they definitely have heady rock elements. The musicality of Old Town is firmly rooted in a collaboration between talented Oklahoma players. Jake Lynn’s heavy snare drives many of these songs, and the layers of lap steel and vocal harmonies are distinctly Tulsa. The line-up of contributors includes Chloe Johns (vocals), Jacob Flint (vocals), Stephen Lee (guitar), and country notables

Jacob Tovar and John Fullbright, to name a few. Travis Linville’s deft recording has captured the poignant sweetness of O’Dowd’s voice and polished the work of these diverse players and singers into a cohesive sound.

Old Town sounds like a conversation. There is an ever-present “you” in most of these songs.

Sometimes this second-person character seems like someone deceased. At times it’s a lover who lingers, ghostlike, in O’Dowd’s mind—or who she’s finally gotten over enough to tell off in words.

“There’s a lot of themes of on-and-off-again relationships,” she said. “Really just one relationship, if I’m honest. There’s definitely a theme of reconciling that and self-empowerment, like the emotional effects of complete self-destruction and learning how to repair yourself and becoming a better person after that.”

These two moods inform the album’s emotional tone. On one of its most uptempo numbers, “One Trick Pony,” O’Dowd has clearly had it with this eponymous “you.” She sings: “I thought I’d call you up on the phone, but I guess I left all my quarters at home. Well, the stories you tell and the lies you believe. Oldest trick in the book. You’re just a brokedown sleaze. You’re just a one trick pony … Who wants to beat a dead horse, anyhow?” Here she’s an empowered woman prepared not to look back at the “you” who seems to be vanishing with each passing verse.

A song later, she’s reflective again. The album’s first single, “Robin’s Egg Blue,” represents the other side of these emotions. It’s brimming with sadness about the loss of a love, a loss that finally feels permanent but also cathartic: “And I lost you again and again.

Goodbye, too. I’ve grown again.

You’re a long-lost mister. Someone I never knew—and all I see is blue now when I look at you.”

O’Dowd said she feels like her life started over again last year.

Her music kept her alive through sickness and a difficult season.

On one of the record’s strongest tracks, “Songwriter’s Breakfast,” she admits, “I’m just a loner; I don’t want to be kept … If love is real why doesn’t it come around?

Don’t put the kettle down. You better go and make a sound louder than the machine, darling.” a

OLD TOWN RELEASE SHOW WITH OPENERS DESI & CODY AND CHLOE JOHNS Friday, April 13 | 8 p.m.

Soul City Gastropub & Music House 1621 E. 11th St. | $10 April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

MUSIC // 41

musiclistings Wed // Apr 4

Sat // Apr 7

Dusty Dog Pub – Robert Combs Mercury Lounge – Jared Tyler, Seth Lee Jones Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Shelby & Nathan Eicher – ($10) River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Jason Young Band Soul City – Don & Stephen White Soundpony – Caregiver to a Monster, Paul Cherry, Space Horse The Colony – Tom Skinner Science Project w/ Randy Crouch The Vanguard – Mike Frazier, Nathan Perry, Tim Clark of Downward, The Gales, Emmanuel, Tracy of Sabbatical – ($10) Woody Guthrie Center – Sirens of South Austin – ($25)

Blackbird on Pearl – Alterblood, Vague Vendetta – ($5) Dusty Dog Pub – Airtight Alibi George’s Pub – Weston Horn Guthrie Green – *Hip Hop 918 w/ Doug E. Fresh, Biz Markie, Big Daddy Kane, Steph Simon, Verse, Tea Rush, St. Domonick, DJ Somar, Doc Freeman Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Daniel Jordan, Mayday

by Midnight Lefty’s On Greenwood – DJ Harvey Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Lost on Utica Los Cabos - Owasso – Nick Whitaker Osage Casino Tulsa - NINE18 Bar – Usual Suspects River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Zodiac River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Dane Arnold and The Soup Soul City – The Round Up Boys – ($10) Soundpony – Soul Night The Beehive Lounge – Taylor Jones The Colony – *Combsy w/ Branjae, Costa Upson, & Olivia McGraw, Culture Cinematic – ($5) The Hunt Club – FuZed The Max Retropub – DJ Robbo The Vanguard – Postparty, Joe Myside, Out of Sink – ($0-$10) The Venue Shrine – Tab Benoit, James Groves Blues Machine – ($25-$30) Yeti – Spotlight Tulsa w/ Jay red, Trilla X, Allias, Keezy Kuts, KayDa$toner, Key Factor, M-Dot, Young DV, St. Domonick, Hakeem Eli’Juwon, DJ Wallie Mayne, King Spencer

Thurs // Apr 5 Blackbird on Pearl – Folk Family Revival – ($7-$10) BOK Center – Thomas Rhett – ($39.75-$77.75) Bound for Glory Books – *Ralph E. White Cain’s Ballroom – Corey Smith, Kody West – ($18-$33) Dusty Dog Pub – Sweeny & Campbell Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Travis Kidd, Replay Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Chris Clark Los Cabos - Jenks – ZENE Los Cabos - Owasso – Jacob Dement Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman pH Community House – Tulsa Noise Presents: Curse, Disparity Gospel, Bonemagic, Junfalls River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – DJ Johnny Bananas Soul City – The Begonias Soundpony – DüClaü, Bike Thiefs, Oceanaut Happy Hour Show Soundpony – Absolutely Not, Tight Rope The Colony – Tovar’s Western Night The Hunt Club – Dachshund, Move Trio Yeti – Crystal Chameleon, Nomad, Bunn E Beats

Fri // Apr 6 American Legion Post 308 – Round Up Boys Blackbird on Pearl – *Brad James Band – ($5) Cain’s Ballroom – William Clark Green, Corey Kent White – ($12-$24) Dusty Dog Pub – Creeler George’s Pub – SteneRoller Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Blend, Superfreak Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Radio Nation Los Cabos - Owasso – Bria & Joey Duo Mercury Lounge – Arkansauce Osage Casino Tulsa - NINE18 Bar – Annie Up River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Tiptons River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – The Duo Soul City – Scott Musick & Friends, Susan Herndon Soundpony – Favored and Flavored All Stars The Beehive Lounge – Ryan McLaughlin The Colony – Desi & Cody, The Lonelys – ($5) The Hunt Club – *Bandolier, Grazzhopper The Max Retropub – Afistaface The Vanguard – The Brothers Moore, Modernmyth, New Time Zones, Stinky Gringos – ($10) The Venue Shrine – Infamous, Biskit – ($10-$12) Yeti – Cucumber Mike’s Happy Hour

42 // MUSIC

Sun // Apr 8 Cain’s Ballroom – *Leon Russell Birthday Celebration – ($25) Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Jacob Dement Mercury Lounge – Greenbeard, Redwitch Johnny River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Jake Flint Saturn Room – *Broncho, Planet What Soul City – Bruner & Eicher Soundpony – Cedar House The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing The Hunt Club – Preslar Monthly Showcase The Vanguard – Rome Hero Foxes, Small Talks, Lilac Kings, Sessions – ($10) Yeti – Shut Up! Dance Party

Mon // Apr 9 Blackbird on Pearl – The Portal Centennial Lounge @ VFW Post 577 – Dave Les Smith, Papa Foxtrot, and Friends River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Marriotts Soundpony – Somekindof Nightmare The Colony – Seth Lee Jones Yeti – The Situation

Tues // Apr 10 Blackbird on Pearl – The Pearl Jam Brady Theater – Garrison Keillor – ($39.50-$59.50) Cain’s Ballroom – *Sleep, SubRosa – ($25-$40) Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic Lefty’s On Greenwood – Stephanie Oliver Trio Mercury Lounge – Wink Burcham Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Depot Jazz and Blues Jams River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Dane Arnold Soul City – Dustin Pittsley The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night Yeti – Yeti Writers’ Night

Wed // Apr 11 Cain’s Ballroom – Black Tiger Sex Machine, Kai Wachi, Sullivan King, LeKtriQue – ($20-$25) Dusty Dog Pub – Robert Combs Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Runnin On Empty Mercury Lounge – Jared Tyler, Seth Lee Jones Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Shelby & Nathan Eicher – ($10) River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Tiptons Soul City – Don & Stephen White Soundpony – The Holy Knives, Carlton Hesston, Oceanaut The Colony – Tom Skinner Science Project The Vanguard – Amigo the Devil, Jillian Holzbauer of Vagittarius, Mike Williams – ($10)

Thurs // Apr 12 Blackbird on Pearl – Shawn James – ($8-$10) Cain’s Ballroom – John Moreland, Deer Tick – ($25-$40) Dusty Dog Pub – Lori Duke Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Chris Hyde, Paul Bogart Lefty’s On Greenwood – Branjae Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Travis Kidd Los Cabos - Owasso – Scott Pendergrass Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – DJ Johnny Bananas Soul City – *Erin O’Dowd Album Release w/ Desi & Cody, Chloe Johns – ($10) Soul City – The Begonias Soundpony – The Human Beings The Colony – The Soup Kitchen w/ Dane Arnold The Hunt Club – Brandon Clark The Vanguard – *Erika Wennerstrom (of Heartless Bastards), Beau Jennings & The Tigers – ($13-$25) The Venue Shrine – *Tim Reynolds Trio, Combsy – ($15-$20)

Fri // Apr 13 14 North – *Dane Arnold EP Release w/ Zunis, Mr. Burns 41 Brookside – Matt Sanders & Garrett Brown American Legion Post 308 – Joe Harris Barkingham Palace – *Holy Void, Iron Cathedral, Police Academy 2 Cain’s Ballroom – Battle of the Bands 2018 w/ Henna Roso, Cherokee Rose, Accident Artist, All For More, Florence Rose, Amerigo, Photoelectric, emrldboi, SteelyFace, Marilyn – ($10-$12) Dusty Dog Pub – Sweeny & Campbell George’s Pub – Barrett Lewis Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Donte Schmitz, Squadlive Lefty’s On Greenwood – Mary Cogan Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Fuzed Los Cabos - Owasso – The Fabulous Two Man Band Mercury Lounge – BC & The Big Rig Osage Casino Tulsa - NINE18 Bar – Drive pH Community House – The Blakstar Experience and Ladycork, We The Undead, Obscure Sanity, Drew Hale River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Brent Giddens River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – D’Elegantz Soundpony – DJ WhyNot The Colony – Animal Names, Girls Club The Hunt Club – Taylor Machine The Max Retropub – Afistaface The Vanguard – *Megafauna, Helen Kelter Skelter, Golden Ones, Colouradio – ($10) The Venue Shrine – Swan Lake Gentlemen’s Society – ($7)

Yeti – Cucumber Mike’s Happy Hour Yeti – *Saganomics, Dismondj, Mr. Burns, The Runaway, Ject, Darku J, Kudos

Sat // Apr 14 41 Brookside – Cale Lester Bad Ass Renee’s – Oldman, Pittersplatter, Gadgets Sons, Smoking Crow Blackbird on Pearl – Stellar Ascent, Had Enough, Out of Sink Dixie Tavern – Alan Doyle Dusty Dog Pub – The 29th Street Band George’s Pub – Brian Hughes & the Springfield Two Guthrie Green – *Tulsa Roots Global Bash w/ Michael Franti Trio, Felix y Los Gatos, Local Hero, Henry Zoellner Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Scott Ellison, Pearl Nation Lefty’s On Greenwood – Chris Hyde Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Brandi Reloaded Los Cabos - Owasso – Steve Liddell Duo Mercury Lounge – The Paculiar Pretzelmen Osage Casino Tulsa - NINE18 Bar – Jesse Joice River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Hi-Fidelics River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Alaska & Madi Soul City – Antry & Joyride – ($10) Soundpony – Pony Disco Club The Colony – Isayah’s Allstars – ($5) The Hunt Club – Hosty The Vanguard – My So Called Band – ($10) The Venue Shrine – Wither, Grind, Fist of Rage, Whipper Snapper – ($5) Yeti – *American Shadows, Redwitch Johnny, Acid Queen

Sun // Apr 15 Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Caleb Fellenstein Mercury Lounge – Brandon Clark River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Jake Flint Soul City – Bruner & Eicher The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing The Vanguard – The Pack A.D., Team Chino – ($10) Yeti – *Erin O’Dowd, Jenna Martin - 2 p.m.

Yeti – Shut Up! Dance Party

Mon // Apr 16 Centennial Lounge @ VFW Post 577 – Dave Les Smith, Papa Foxtrot, and Friends River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Marriotts Soundpony – HUGG The Colony – Seth Lee Jones The Max Retropub – Aaron Bernard Yeti – The Situation w/ Van Brando & Sylint

Tues // Apr 17 Blackbird on Pearl – The Pearl Jam – ($5) Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Rivers Edge Lefty’s On Greenwood – Cynthia Simmons & Scott McQuade Mercury Lounge – Wink Burcham Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Depot Jazz and Blues Jams River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Dane Arnold Soul City – Dustin Pittsley The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night The Vanguard – I Am, Sledge, Fester, Omen, Planet Namek – ($10) April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

popradar

G

raduating from “Saturday Night Live” to a Sunday night series, Bill Hader is pushing himself in “Barry” like never before.

A lynchpin of NBC’s iconic late-night show for eight years, Hader (a Cascia Hall grad) left in 2013 to branch out in film and television, testing his creative chops while still staying within his comedic wheelhouse. His IFC mockumentary series “Documentary Now!” with Fred Armisen, for example, is the best of its kind since peak Christopher Guest movies (“Waiting for Guffman,” “Best in Show”).

Now he plays an assassin, and it’s not all for laughs. But a lot of it is.

“Barry,” the new half-hour dark comedy from HBO (we previewed the first four of season one’s eight episodes), stars Hader as a former Marine-turned-hitman in existential crisis. His victims are categorically bad people—but so are his clients, and the nihilistic accumulation of killing has brought Barry to a psychic, spiritual breaking point.

He needs a new purpose, and he finds it in a dime-a-dozen L.A. acting class.

His latest target is a struggling actor. When Barry tracks down the poor shmuck at a small black box theater, he not only steps into an unfamiliar subculture but also, for him, a whole new world, one where people are affirmed for accessing their deepest, darkest emotions rather than for bottling them up.

This unexpected epiphany is the liberating path Barry has been yearning for, but the underworld keeps pulling him back in. Caught between the two, his new and old lives are at risk of colliding. That tension drives the series’ initial arc.

A broadcast version of this premise would likely play it all for schtick, i.e. safe. A basic cable take might add some drama to the crime world. But this is HBO, and “Barry” plays both in both.

At times this undercuts some intense life-threatening stakes, THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

BREAKING GOOD Bill Hader in “Barry” | COURTESY

SNL alum and Tulsa native Bill Hader stars in genre-defying HBO series

by JEFF HUSTON but it also inspires for some truly fresh comedy. Similarly, by going beyond sketch-level satire in the acting world, there ends up being some legitimate ennui there—and even cruelty, not just for Barry but also for his manipulative-yet-fragile love interest Sally (Sarah Goldberg) and acting coach on a power trip Gene (Henry Winkler).

The show’s Hollywood sendup, while fertile for hilarious deep cuts, isn’t just fodder for jokes. It’s a genuine character study of rejection. Similarly, the seedy dangers of organized crime aren’t there simply to earn gritty premium cable bona fides (although they do, with bloody, unflinching, even wince-inducing brutality), but to test comedic boundaries.

Barry’s obstacle in getting the life he wants is an L.A. branch of the Chechen mafia. Their paranoia complicates Barry’s patient, measured process in taking out the doofus actor, and their overreach ends up entangling Barry even further in their world, along with his handler Fuches (Stephen Root). What should’ve been a slick, covert job ends up pinging the LAPD’s radar.

Desperate to escape that trap,

Barry plunges into the bubble of the acting class. Hader and co-creator/producer Alec Berg (“Silicon Valley,” “Seinfeld”) explore it with an indicting empathy, parodying the most vapid desperations and self-import of wannabe stars while still sympathizing with the core need for love and acceptance and understanding how the industry preys upon that vulnerability.

Goldberg humanizes Sally’s emotional and ethical volatility.

Bubbly, outgoing, and the most talented of the class by far, she takes advantage of Barry’s naivete for her own selfish needs—but only as a consequence of Hollywood’s chewing her up and spitting her out daily.

Hader counters with angst of his own, but it’s balanced by humor that leans into Barry’s ignorance of film and theatre history, evident in his adorable butchering of Alec Baldwin’s classic “coffee’s for closers” Mamet monologue.

Winkler’s Gene, an acting coach with a decent sense of craft—but one who teaches through workshopping clichés, verbal abuse, and Machiavellian mind games—is the insecure lord of his own little fiefdom. Though

occasionally effective, his ends-justify-the-means approach is a way to mask his own insecurities and boost his own ego.

It’d be unfair to call Winkler a revelation at this stage in his career (particularly after his brilliantly incompetent lawyer from “Arrested Development”), but the former Fonz displays a broad range with new shades, most notably as Gene pursues a romance with an investigating LAPD detective, employing some cheesy-but-charming moves.

If the acting milieu is what Hader and Berg know, it’s the mafia world where they feel energized by new possibilities. Chechen boss Goran (Glenn Fleshler) and his right-hand man NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan, a standout) are as funny as they are formidable, with Carrigan’s millennial take on the consigliere role flavored with playful bro-speak even as he applies gruesome torture.

Along with being the star, head writer, and producer, Hader adds director to his resume for the first time, helming the first three episodes. In total, Hader’s work here is assured in parts while nascent in others, but his artistic ambition is bold and genuine.

This is a solid start to a fascinating experiment. As Hader matures within and beyond his comfort zone, “Barry” is sure to grow right along with him.

“Barry” airs Sunday nights at 9:30 p.m. on HBO. a

Tulsa’s independent and non-profit art-house theatre, showing independent, foreign, and documentary films.

FILM & TV // 43

popradar

1) 2) 3)

MANIFEST DESTINY The Ra jneeshees and the Bhagwan in “Wild Wild Country” | COURTESY

Netflix’s ‘Wild Wild Country’ examines a mostly-forgotten, bizarre Oregon cult

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INDULGE ME, IF YOU WILL, BY READING the next paragraph with the gleeful socialite inflection and roller-coaster cadence of Tulsa native Bill Hader’s beloved “Saturday Night Live” character, Stefon.

Wasco County’s hottest new cult is called Rajneeshpuram. It’s got everything: ritual orgies, wiretaps, bioterrorism—even Nike CEO Bill Bowerman.

That’s the hook to the Duplass brothers’ original documentary series for Netflix’s “Wild Wild Country,” a six-episode foray into a relatively recent bit of overlooked American history concerning experimental communities, the cult of personality, and good-old manifest destiny.

Here’s the setup. An orange-clad mass of neo-hippies known as the Rajneeshees bring international attention to rural Oregon in the early 1980s when they build a 64,000-acre commune next door to Antelope, a sleepy town of cattle ranchers and pearl-clutching retirees.

Led by Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and flush with cash from their homemade publishing empire, the Rajneeshees quickly transform a rocky tract of inhospitable Oregon landscape into a fabulous, thriving utopia. But the culture war with their conservative neighbors soon turns criminal. The Bhagwan’s lieutenant, Ma Anand Sheela, leads a campaign of harassment, sabotage, and social control that should cement her throne in the recent truecrime TV canon. Steven Avery, bow down.

Naturally, power struggle ensues. Alliances are drawn. Rivalries emerge. Access to the Bhagwan becomes commodity.

Before long, Rajneesh leaders are rigging

countywide elections, plotting assassinations, and fending off the feds. Much of it is caught on tape by their in-house film crew, who roll on everything from the Bhagwan’s teachings (relatively innocuous progressive boilerplate by today’s standards) to graphic meditative sessions featuring orgiastic free expression.

This stunning access and a surplus of modern-day interviews stuffs “Wild Wild Country” full of parallels to the American origin mythos. Seeking religious freedom, a sect expands westward, pushing out the practitioners of the old way of life and raising an empire on good old-fashioned grit and determination. From a thousand feet up, the Rajneeshees don’t look so different from the Puritans.

In fact, late in the series, there’s a delicious irony when an Antelope resident complains to a cable news crew that she was pushed out of her own community, likely unaware that the surrounding county is named for a Native American tribe.

Directors Chapman and Maclain Way nail the soundtrack: Canadian creeps Timber Timbre, Bill Callahan, and Bill Fay all lend a malevolent mood to the proceedings, but it’s Callahan’s song “Drover” that gets the starring role.

“Wild Wild Country” draws its title from “Drover,” the opener to Apocalypse, which is full of uniquely American wanderers, fiends, and settlers who reap what they sow. It serves as a reminder that the Rajneeshees aren’t the first empire to crumble on this continent. They’re just the first to do it in matching orange clothes.

—MATT CARNEY April 4 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

filmphiles

THE GOSPEL OF INCLUSION ‘Come Sunday’ premieres in Tulsa before heading to Netflix

by MICHAEL WRIGHT

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Carlton Pearson in “Come Sunday”; inset: Carlton Pearson | COURTESY

H

ere’s the story: Until 2004, Pentacostal Bishop Carlton Pearson was the head of a Higher Dimensions Family Church, a Tulsa mega-church with over 6,000 members, an ordained bishop, and a televangelist—one of just two black TV preachers beamed out across the American faith-scape.

He had enough renown that it was relatively normal to answer the phone and find the office of President Bill Clinton or George H. W. Bush on the other end, inviting him to the White House for prayer and his counsel. Pearson was also a favored son of one of the most powerful men in all of Christian culture, Oral Roberts.

Then one day he saw scenes of mass killings on TV in Rwanda and his heart sank. A thought arose: These murdered people—presumably non-Christians—according to the teachings he’d learned and espoused, could not enter heaven and were being sucked directly into hell and eternal torture.

For Pearson, it was an untenable position, impossible to square with his vision of a loving, forgiving God. He began to doubt the existence of hell as a place of eternal torment, believing instead that hell is created on Earth by human depravity and misbehavior.

Recognizing the potential for THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 2018

universal reconciliation, Pearson began spreading his gospel of inclusion—compassion toward all living beings and the need for us to heal ourselves and assist one another—from the pulpit. It soon cost him nearly everything: most of his followers, his TV show, and his physical church. The Joint College of African-American Bishops labeled Pearson a heretic, annulling his ordainment and ministerial legitimacy among a large segment of the global religious community.

Faithful to his cause, Pearson gathered his remaining 400 followers and started a new church, New Dimensions Worship Center, which eventually merged with All Souls Unitarian Church at East 30th Street and South Peoria Avenue.

A new and different Sunday had arrived.

Hailed as a major success at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, “Come Sunday”—a movie about Pearson’s transition during his theological crisis—will receive limited theatrical release in three cities: New York, Los Angeles— and Tulsa—before it becomes available to Netflix’s 117 million subscribers on April 13.

“Come Sunday” will be seen in progressive screenings on three

separate screens at Circle Cinema on April 8, beginning at 2 p.m.

(See “Full Circle” on pg. 46 for more information.)

The film is directed by Joshua Marston, known for his admired “Maria Full of Grace.” It stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Oscar nominee for “12 Years a Slave,” as Carlton Pearson. Among the outstanding cast members are Condola Rashad as Gina Pearson, Danny Glover as Pearson’s Uncle Quincy, and Martin Sheen as Oral Roberts.

The idea for the film came to screenwriter Marcus Hinchey when he heard a 2005 segment on NPR’s “This American Life” about Pearson. Hinchey then developed the script over an eightyear period.

“Marcus would call me at all hours of the day or night,” Pearson said. “I was hurting and healing at the same time, but I just completely opened up to him about my whole life and all the emotions occurring in it during that very difficult time. He would wait until I got through crying about a particular story and we’d continue. He was very sensitive and patient.”

Pearson visited the production as the film was being made and greatly admired Ejiofor’s ability to engender his essence, emotion, and pathos.

“Some scenes they didn’t want

me there; they didn’t want Chiwetel to feel uncomfortable,” Pearson said. “I told him to be himself playing me, and he relaxed. He was still Chiwetel, but he played my deep agony of soul and resolve to walk it through quite well.”

He also lauded a critical scene in the story.

“The tenderness between Oral Roberts and me was excellently portrayed by Martin Sheen,” Pearson said. “He just captured it.

It was like he was channeling the energy.”

There were also moments that were difficult for Pearson to observe in the filming, ones that brought back distressing memories—the day his congregation turned away from his new vision was especially painful.

“The scene when people started walking out of the church, I couldn’t watch that being shot,” Pearson said. “I had to get up and quietly leave the set.”

“Come Sunday” shows the beginning of a movement away from traditional ways of thinking and being, something Pearson is personally concerned with.

“The old model doesn’t really need to be repaired; it needs to be replaced,” he said.

“Ultimately,” Pearson said, “I don’t want to just make a difference in the world; I want to make the world different.” a FILM & TV // 45

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

CONTINUING THE DEATH OF STALIN and THE BREADWINNER

OPENING APRIL 6 THE LEISURE SEEKER Helen Mirren stars in her Golden Globe-nominated role as a wife who goes on one last road trip with her husband (Donald Sutherland) down the East Coast in their RV, before old age and sickness catch up with them. Rated R. LEANING INTO THE WIND: ANDY GOLDSWORTHY A visually breathtaking documentary portrait of the famed British sculptor and environmental artist who travels the world to create art literally in the world. Rated PG.

OPENING APRIL 13 ISLE OF DOGS Stop-motion animated feature from Wes Anderson (“Fantastic Mr. Fox”) about a Japanese boy’s odyssey to find his lost dog. All-star voice cast includes Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, and Koyu Rankin as the boy Atari. Rated PG-13.

FOXTROT International award-winning Israeli film explores the fallout for a troubled family after something goes wrong for their son at a desolate military post. Rated R. ISMAEL’S GHOSTS Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard stars in this French language drama about a filmmaker whose new production is upended by the arrival of a former lover. Co-starring Mathieu Amalric and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Rated R.

SPECIAL EVENTS HOME MOVIE FESTIVAL A curation of home movies weaves universal

46 // FILM & TV

experiences from unique perspectives. It also includes games and movies drawn from local archives.

In partnership with the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities. Free admission. (Thu. April 5, 6:30 p.m.)

COME SUNDAY: TULSA PREMIERE A new biopic about Tulsa minister Carlton Pearson’s evolution from traditional Christian doctrine to Universalism. See review on pg. 45.

Stars Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor as Pearson and Martin Sheen as Oral Roberts. Screening followed by live Q&A with Bishop Pearson. This will be Tulsa’s exclusive theatrical presentation. (Sun. April 8, 2:00, 2:20, and 2:40 p.m.)

DISTANT SKY: NICK CAVE - LIVE IN COPENHAGEN This concert film captures the return of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, concluding a 2017 world tour. Songs from new album Skeleton Tree are mixed with essentials from their catalogue.

(Thu. April 12, 7:30 p.m.)

CARRIE (1976) Graveyard Shift presents the classic horror film from Stephen King and Brian De Palma. Sissy Spacek stars as the sheltered high school girl who, after being publicly humiliated, takes out her revenge at the senior prom. (Fri. & Sat. April 13 & 14, 10:00 p.m.)

WAY DOWN EAST (1920) Second Saturday Silents presents Lillian Gish as a naive girl who must rebuild her life as a single mother following a sham marriage. Bill Rowland accompanies on Circle Cinema’s original 1928 pipe organ.

(Sat. April 14, 11:00 a.m.)

THE RIDER This festival favorite about a young modern cowboy who must search for a new identity after a near-fatal head injury. Presented by the Tribal Film Festival Spring Showcase 2018, with a 5:00 p.m. pre-screening dinner option. (Sat. April 14, 7:00 p.m.)

THROWBACK FATIGUE Tye Sheridan in “ Ready Player One” | COURTESY

‘Ready Player One’ offers pop culture, reused and in poor condition STEVEN SPIELBERG IS THE MOST commercially successful filmmaker in Hollywood history. That the universally acclaimed director responsible for “Jurassic Park” and “Schindler’s List” is also responsible for “Ready Player One,” a mashup of misfired pop-culture references, is just one of the film’s many confounding elements.

“Ready Player One” adapts a 2011 sci-fi novel whose tropes—like a primarily adolescent capital-R “Rebellion” group— cast it into that dreaded genre of YA dystopia. In the year 2044, most of the population ignores the problems of reality by retreating to Oasis, a digital world where players can adventure, socialize, and get rich. After the game’s designer dies, protagonist Wade Watts and friends battle an evil corporation in a race for control of the game. It’s more or less an excuse to cram a lot of icons into one film.

These references to other movies, music, and games alike are at best momentarily surprising and at worst cringe-inducing, like when the characteristically pacifistic Iron Giant gun down enemies in droves. Worse still, the references within Oasis constitute an identity crisis in “Ready Player One.” The heroes on screen are a hodge-podge of characters Warner Brothers already had the rights to, like Deadshot, classic icons like Godzilla, or cameos that might constitute product placement, like Tracer from “Overwatch.”

If one scene best captures the dilemma of these references, it’s the sequence in which the protagonists—consisting of uniquely uncompelling avatars—navigate the haunted halls of The Overlook Hotel

from “The Shining.” Kubrick’s 1980 visuals were carefully replicated, but the scene bastardizes the pacing of the original, serving a slew of horrors in quick succession. I wondered what I was supposed to feel aside from simple image recognition.

The twin sisters, the elevator spewing blood, Jack Torrance’s axe splitting through a door—these moments lack any real context and left me apathetic.

It’s worth clarifying that “Ready Player One” is by and by a harmless children’s film—it’s competently made, there are some impressive visuals, and the jokes occasionally work. That said, I’ll note that there wasn’t a single child in my showing’s audience—at least not in biological years.

The majority of people there were probably looking forward to a celebration of nerd culture, and it’s here the film presents a mixed message. “Ready Player One” half-heartedly tries to double as an indictment of it. Mainstream nerd culture has become plagued by brand recognition, forced nostalgia, and an embarrassing enthusiasm to consume media indiscriminately, exemplified in the reaction videos YouTubers upload for popular movie trailers, themselves cheering at any familiar image: a lightsaber, a superhero, a rebooted logo, etc.

“Ready Player One” is at its best when it critiques the corporate minds who cultivate and capitalize on this culture through the fictional telecommunications conglomerate IOI. But more often than not, it’s guilty of the same crime as its antagonists: dangling once-meaningful images and icons to draw in a few fanboys.

—TRENT GIBBONS April 4 – 17, 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

CHEWY is a giant boy with a playful spirit.

He is a one-year-old Saint Bernard mix and weighs almost 100 pounds! Chewy loves to play with his rope toys and gets really excited to meet new people.

ACROSS 1 Secret information 7 Impaired or immobilized 15 A Flintstone 20 Mammoth trapper 21 Annul or rule against 22 “Hasta la vista” 23 Rewards excessively 25 Sometimescongested body part 26 Talk or rally type 27 Patella location 28 Home baker 29 Make a decision 30 Close again, as a Ziploc 32 Teen blemish cause 34 Any blade sharpener 35 Letter of 90 degrees 36 Self-centeredness 38 Longish propeller 39 “Despite this ...”

40 Jungle ropes 43 Store more than one can sell 45 Mani-pedi places 46 Part of, as a scam 47 Button on a stopwatch 48 Mr. go-with 49 Tarot card reader, supposedly 50 Space bar neighbor 51 One of the zodiac’s 12 53 Shade of green 54 Like many firstgraders 55 Writer’s point?

56 In the manner of 57 Canaries’ relatives 60 Models of perfection 64 Where this clue’s solution is

68 One-through-nine game 69 Like how you’re working now 70 Hither’s partner 71 Little Ms. Bobbsey 72 Ruby, for one 73 UCLA part 74 “Correct answer!” sound 75 French friend 76 Prince, often 78 Senior’s Junior 79 Plate for Eucharist 82 Bibliographical abbr.

83 Be shot while smiling?

84 Subordinate 86 Gaggle members 87 Lob shot’s path 88 Put food away 90 Boats with one mast 91 Sports tie term 92 NBA guard vis-a-vis NBA center 94 “Great” or “lesser” creatures 95 Understands 98 A substance dissolved in another 99 Prefix with bellum or meridian 101 Eight bells 102 “Found it!”

104 Related on Mom’s side 105 Quota-shy factory’s output 109 Yelp contributor 110 Seemingly black, as the sky at night 111 Summer, e.g.

112 Flexible Flyers 113 U-turn from macho 114 Thomas Jefferson had one DOWN 1 Resting on 2 Ranter’s partner 3 Brunch fare, sometimes

If you are looking for a friendly family dog, PRESLEY may be the perfect dog for you. Presley is a hound mix and is almost two years old. He loves kids, playing outside with toys, and snuggling up on the couch for a nap with his favorite people.

4 Busy mo. for the IRS 5 Jefferson coins 6 Without key, musically 7 Big goofball 8 Less than we’ve?

9 “R-MD” person, e.g.

10 Criminal causing a back draft 11 Most courageous 12 Ad’s version of “diet” 13 Lush place in Genesis 14 ___ Moines 15 Dryer go-with 16 Blithering moron 17 Old printing machine 18 One of many spotted at Disney World 19 States with force 24 Mr. Torme 29 Fast dance syllable 31 Unlike air 32 “... and children of all ___!”

33 Center 34 Some frying vessels 36 Not losing or winning 37 Brief time periods 40 Provisions 41 Taking the place (of) 42 Pretty decent 43 Piped instrument 44 Computer malfunction 45 Health class seg.

49 Home exterior, sometimes 51 Hun or successful blitzer 52 Intestinal section 53 Password relatives 54 Original “American Idol” judge 57 Some time units 58 Makes boo-boos

59 Brazilian resort city 61 Grown together, in biology 62 Woolly Andean creatures 63 Losing mental powers from aging 65 Cowpoke’s ropee 66 Gripping claw 67 Taking a gander 74 Cubs’ cubbies 76 Type of imbalance 77 Intensify quickly 78 Litigation participant 79 Best way to do things 80 Cosmetics succulent 81 “Royal Rhapsody in the third” and others 82 Electrified swimmers 83 They’re moving into the fast lane 85 Some beetles and cheerer-uppers 86 They’re shorter than stares 88 Modifies, tailor-wise 89 Prop on a golf course 91 Galvanize 93 Played an old guitar?

95 Deity 96 Coin of Pakistan 97 Operate a Nikon 99 One not for 100 Co. “don’t reveal this” agreements 101 Quick snack 103 One of the Windsors 105 Aircraft carrier letters 106 Noted building designer I.M. 107 Blogging feed format 108 “Ink Master” design, for short

Find the answers to this issue’s crossword puzzle at thetulsavoice.com/puzzle-solutions.

THE TULSA VOICE // April 4 – 17, 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.

KEVIN is a little guy with a ton of energy!

He loves playing tag with the Tulsa SPCA staff and absolutely loves treats. Kevin is a miniature pinscher mix and is about one and a half years old. Kevin would be a wonderful dog for any family but would love one with lots of attention and time to play with him.

Little MURRAY is a three-and-a-halfyear-old Chihuahua mix. Murray is timid around new people, but with patience and TLC, Murray gains trust with his people friends. His favorite activities include eating all the treats, playing with his dog friends, and being held.

Universal sUnday Crossword THe PlaCes we will Go

By Timothy e. Parker

© 2018 Andrews McMeel Syndication

4/8 ETC. // 47

Pleas e re cycle this issue.