Queen City Nerve - August 24, 2022

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 20; AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 6, 2022; WWW.QCNERVE.COM

ARTS: Wheelie Boys Become a Target pg. 8 FOOD: Keeping Dish Alive pg. 16

THE DNC 10 YEARS LATER By: Michael Cooper Jr.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS & OPINION

4 A Dream Deferred by Michael Cooper Jr. Ten years later, did the DNC in Charlotte mean anything?

ARTS & CULTURE

8 Wheels on the Ground by Ryan Pitkin Richard Flood pushes back against Wheelie Boys narrative 10 Lifeline: Ten Cool Things To Do in Two Weeks

MUSIC

12 Music for Choice by Pat Moran Spoke Easy hosts concert for reproductive rights 14 Soundwave

FOOD & DRINK

LIFESTYLE

18 Puzzles 20 Aerin It Out by Aerin Spruill 21 Horoscope 22 Savage Love Thanks to our contributors: Grant Baldwin, Michael Cooper Jr., Aerin Spruill, Justin Driscoll, Ryan Allen, Jonny Golian, Jeff Howlett, Rayne Antrim, Enowen Photography, Kenneth Zirkel, Brandon Weiner, Teresa Sedo, Bill Lee, and Dan Savage.

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16 Keeping Dish Alive by Karie Simmons Amanda Cranford pays homage to history of popular Plaza Midwood location

NEWS & OPINION FEATURE

A DREAM DEFERRED

Ten years later, did the DNC in Charlotte mean anything?

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BY MICHAEL COOPER JR.

For me, covering the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte was a dream gig. At the time, I was a law student and freelance reporter for Creative Loafing. I loved writing about politics and I was still something of an idealist. I grew up reading about our history and believing in what this country could be.

That sense of citizenship stayed with me even at times when it turned into a critique. I protested the Iraq War in college and interned on Capitol Hill during the first months of President Obama’s administration. That was back when “Hope” and “Change” were real and big things were happening in Washington, D.C. That didn’t last very long.

In September 2012 I was living in Charlotte, and the arc of the moral universe was getting harder to bend. We had already seen the Tea Party movement, the rise of birtherism and, here in North Carolina, a vote in favor of Amendment 1, making us the last state to ban gay marriage by voter referendum.

Those were omens of what was to come, but we didn’t know that yet. The summer of 2012 was a simpler time for our country and our politics. It was a simpler time for Charlotte, too. And with the DNC coming to town to lead into what would surely be Obama’s reelection, it was hard not to get excited.

For one week, every four years, a national party convention is like the center of the universe. It’s like the Super Bowl or the Academy Awards, only bigger.

Someone gets nominated to lead the free world and even the speeches themselves can change the course of history.

The DNC is where FDR proposed a “New Deal for the American people” and where JFK summoned us to a “New Frontier.” It’s where Hubert Humphrey called on the Democratic Party to back a civil rights

platform “to get out of the shadow of states’ rights and walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights.” That’s politics at its best. That’s why people still watch and stay up for the balloon drop.

And all of that was coming to my neighborhood.

At the time, I lived off Morehead Street within walking distance of where the Democratic National Convention would take place in Uptown.

Preparations started months in advance. One could argue that the DNC was Charlotte’s national coming out party — it’s around that time you started to hear that term “world-class city” coming from all sorts of city leaders — and everyone wanted in on it.

Thousands of people volunteered. Restaurants had specialty drink and menu items. I remember the early staff meetings at the Creative Loafing office and how we divided up the coverage.

I would cover the politics from inside the hall because I was interested in that kind of thing, Ryan Pitkin would be out in the streets on the protest beat, and Joanne Spataro would write about parties, nightlife and celebrity sightings.

Editors Mark Kemp and Ana McKenzie would roam around.

Conventions are less newsworthy now than they used to be (the party’s nominees are selected in advance by primaries now) but there were still

THE STAGE INSIDE THE SPECTRUM CENTER DURING THE 2012 DNC.

plenty of stories to be found, we just had to look.

We put out a DNC preview issue of Creative Loafing that depicted Queen Charlotte on the cover lying in bed with a donkey, the two of them smoking cigarettes. We created a timeline of prior DNC moments (Robert Kennedy eulogizing his fallen brother, Mario Cuomo and Jesse Jackson in 1984, the Al and Tipper Gore kiss in 2000) and we conducted a series of interviews with leading Democrats (Michael Dukakis, Gary Hart, and Harvey Gantt) to hear what it was like inside the arenas of conventions past.

The Gantt interview was particularly noteworthy. There’s a famous photo of a then 29-year-old Barack Obama wearing a “Harvey Gantt for U.S. Senate” T-shirt in 1990 while he was a student at Harvard Law School. Gantt didn’t win that election against Jesse Helms, nor the rematch, but Obama had won North Carolina and it wasn’t hard to catch the symbolism of the president coming to Charlotte to be re-nominated in the heart of the New South. Before we knew it, the first week of September was here.

PHOTO BY JUSTIN DRISCOLL

NEWS & OPINION FEATURE A convention is a lot like a music festival

Less than a year later, the park would host one of the first Moral Mondays, a tradition that still goes strong today elsewhere in the state and country.

Whether it’s voter ID, gerrymandering, or Black Lives Matter issues, North Carolina can’t stay out of the

news, protests have gotten serious, and sometimes it does seem that “the whole world is watching.”

To get into Time Warner you had to go through a security perimeter and metal detectors. As it was often raining and you couldn’t take umbrellas in

NCDP in decline

Justin and I stopped by the North Carolina delegation breakfast, which carried all the vibes of a last hurrah of the old guard. Republicans had taken control of the General Assembly two-years earlier — for the first time since 1896 — and they had just redrawn North Carolina’s political maps.

Democrats in the room had grown up when North Carolina was a one-party state, coming of age as Terry Sanford and Jim Hunt were investing in education and modernizing North Carolina. But that era was coming to an end. Congressmen Brad Miller and Heath Shuler had announced their coming retirements, Gov. Bev Perdue had already opted against running for a second term. Congressman Larry Kissell ran but skipped the convention (and lost anyway).

Here the delegation was hosting a national convention, the culmination of years of hard work, while anticipating losses in November and preparing for the wilderness. The moment was bittersweet.

Next, Justin and I walked through Marshall Park where scores of protesters were camping out in tents. Having been kicked out of their original space in front of the Old City Hall, Marshall Park was a regrouping point for Occupy Charlotte, which had formed in October 2011. The scene was disorganized and lacked urgency. There were exceptions that week, such as the massive March on Wall Street South held on Sept. 2, or the “No papers – no fear” demonstration by undocumented migrants at the intersection of East 5th and North College streets, but Chicago 1968 this was not.

Still, it could be said that the haphazard scene at Marshall Park that week was the start of something.

ABE LINCOLN AT THE 2012 DNC. PHOTO BY JUSTIN DRISCOLL

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The convention was officially held Sept. 4-6, though related festivities, protests and parties were planned throughout the week. Friends from Washington, D.C. and friends I’d interned with one summer in Burlington, Vermont, began arriving the week prior. A couple of them slept on the couches in my living room and I took them to Common Market and The Diamond to show them the real Charlotte.

But this was hardly the real Charlotte.

There were police barricades and fences blocking off access to Uptown. An estimated 35,000 visitors came to Charlotte that week — 5,000 of them delegates. The rest were journalists, staffers, security and protesters.

The convention gaveled in from Tuesday to Thursday. The preceding Monday was for peoplewatching. I made my way up to the Epicentre where Morning Joe and Hardball with Chris Matthews were doing live shows and delegates were wandering in and out of the clubs upstairs. It was a very different Charlotte for those few days.

The official DNC took place inside of Time Warner Cable Arena (now the Spectrum Center). That’s where I picked up my press credentials. I headed next for the Charlotte Convention Center, which was something of an overflow space for the folks in town who weren’t delegates.

There’s a critique of the modern Democratic Party that it’s just a collection of interest groups now (labor, environmental, women’s rights), and this is where they were set up (AFL-CIO, SEIU, Emily’s List, NARAL, Sierra Club, etc.) with free buttons, coozies and all sorts of swag. After grabbing some souvenirs, I landed the first big interview of the week, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley.

I asked O’Malley what it would take for Democrats to win North Carolina again and compete in the South. He talked about how great the Research Triangle Park was — the perfect political deflection, answering a question that wasn’t really asked.

Afterwards I tried to catch some of the James Taylor concert outside, got caught in a monsoon, and headed home down Morehead Street, stopping only to give a drenched Van Jones directions.

On Tuesday, I was ready to do it right. This was a big opportunity. At the time, Hunter S. Thompson was one of my heroes. I’d devoured his Fear and

Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ‘72 and recently read Norman Mailer’s Miami and the Siege of Chicago: An Informal History of the Republican and Democratic Conventions of 1968. Now it was my generation’s turn to try and make sense of it all. That morning, I teamed up with CL photographer Justin Driscoll and headed for the arena.

The programming inside of Time Warner didn’t start until late afternoon/early evening. Before that were various delegation and caucus meetings (Women’s, Hispanic, LGBT), luncheons hosted by organizations like the Human Rights Campaign and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and special events with figures like Madeleine Albright, Al Sharpton and Abby Wambach. Every building in the city was, for all intents and purposes, booked up by a cause, a news outlet, or a lobbying firm.

NEWS & OPINION FEATURE with you, there were stacks of them on the sidewalk.

It became customary to ditch one on the way in and pick up a new one on the way out.

It was also common to recognize the people standing in line with you (from historian Douglas Brinkley to journalist Jonathan Capehart to actress Ashley Judd). There were lots of celebrity sightings in the city that week.

But it was time to get to work. The Charlotte Bobcats practice court served as the designated press area. That’s where we filed each day. Creative Loafing also had a couple seats in the rafters looking down from behind the podium. It wasn’t the greatest view, but it’s what we had come to expect as the local alt-weekly. As long as our press passes still got us free food and beer at Blackfinn, we were good.

3rd grade class from W.R. O’Dell Elementary School in Concord led the Pledge of Allegiance. Julián Castro gave the keynote address followed by First Lady Michelle Obama.

I remember looking out at a sea of people who looked like America. A woman in a hijab held up a sign that read “Arab American Democrat.” There were Black women in hats covered with campaign buttons. There were older men with baseball caps reading “World War II Veteran,” “Vietnam Veteran,” and “Purple Heart.” There were young people with “Latinos for Obama” signs. This was Obama’s coalition. His gift was making that work.

By nature of his story (Hawaii, Chicago, grandparents from Kansas, Michelle’s family), Barack Obama could appeal to people all across the United States: college-educated progressives, Black Americans, white farmers living in Iowa. He had appeal in the Sun Belt and the Rust Belt. He could

win over labor leaders in Pittsburgh and Detroit and the tech industry in Silicon Valley.

They all thought he was theirs. They all wanted to be seen with him. They were all together in Charlotte — an audience as diverse as the country.

Without Obama, that coalition eventually fell apart … and 2016 happened.

But in 2012 it held. And inside the hall the delegates were focused on victory, provided with red/blue signs that said “Forward/Not Back.”

There were plenty of sights and sounds to experience that week. On Wednesday, there was Harvey Gantt introducing an In Memoriam video, Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas leading the Pledge, and Branford Marsalis playing “The StarSpangled Banner” on his saxophone. Cecile Richards from Planned Parenthood addressed the crowd, as did Kamala Harris (then the attorney general of California), Elizabeth Warren, and former president

Bill Clinton.

Warren was a senate candidate in Massachusetts at the time and she gave a moving speech with a passionate rejoinder to a recent Republican gaffe, “No, Governor Romney, corporations are not people.

People have hearts, they have kids, they get jobs, they get sick, they cry, they dance. They live, they love, and they die. And that matters. That matters because we don’t run this country for corporations, we run it for people.”

It was stirring. It was the best she has ever sounded and it connected in a way her 2020 presidential campaign never did. But maybe there’s still time for her to regain that voice?

Up next was the 42nd president of the United States. I don’t remember the expectations being all that high. Bill Clinton is no Jack Kennedy and no Barack Obama. He doesn’t write history with words like other Democratic presidents. We remember

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In the arena

The best way to get access was to wait in line on the concession level for a 30-minute floor pass that got you down to where the delegates were seated. That’s also where most of the cameras were.

A couple times that week my phone blew up with texts from friends watching at home who saw me standing behind someone’s shoulder as they spoke live on CNN. Early in the evenings, I would go down to the floor to visit with North Carolina delegates — some of whom, such as Sam Spencer and Jennifer Roberts, are regular Queen City Nerve contributors today. At the time, Roberts was running for Congress, but would eventually settle for Charlotte Mayor.

Down on the floor, I watched speeches from Kay Hagan, Anthony Foxx, Walter Dalton and Mel Watt.

The later in the week it got, however, the harder it became to get a floor pass. For that reason, I joined CL editors Mark Kemp and Ana McKenzie on the press level for many of the primetime speeches. It was often standing-room only, but I just was happy to be in the arena.

By 2012, political conventions were basically infomercials. The candidates ran in primaries and the platforms were worked out in advance (not that anybody reads them), but the speeches still mattered (Obama in 2004 being the best example).

That’s where the intrigue was: who got what time slot and what message would they try to send?

On Tuesday, the speakers included Cory Booker, Jim Clyburn, and equal-pay advocate Lilly Ledbetter. An actress from Glee sang the National Anthem and a INSIDE THE SPECTRUM CENTER DURING THE 2012 DNC.

PHOTO BY JUSTIN DRISCOLL

NEWS & OPINION FEATURE Kennedy’s inaugural, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” speech, as well as, “We choose to go to the moon.”

We remember Obama’s DNC keynote address in 2004, his “Yes, we can,” and him singing “Amazing Grace.” We don’t remember Clinton like that. The “New Covenant” never caught on. Clinton’s speeches aren’t inspirational; they’re conversational. He presided over a great economy, and we do remember that, so that was his mission on that Wednesday night: Sell Obama’s record and to ask for four more years.

A speech to remember

As a result, millions of Americans became cynical at politics as usual, they stopped paying attention, and the DNC in Charlotte receded from memory. But I think that summer is worth looking back on now.

It’ll go down as more important in our story than we thought or realized at the time.

Did the DNC mean anything?

In the years since the Democratic National Convention came to Charlotte there’s been House Bill 2 and a boycott of North Carolina, the election of Donald Trump, the murder of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, Sandy Hook, the Orlando shooting, the Las Vegas shooting, COVID-19, Lafayette Square, the Dobbs decision, and the events of January 6th, among other tragic and/or foreboding moments.

A decade later, we feel worse off as a country.

We are divided politically. We have lost trust in our institutions (from the courts to the media to Congress). At times, it feels like our democracy is at stake (to see white supremacists marching through Charlottesville is a reminder that, yes, it can still happen here).

My own idealism has been tested. After leaving Charlotte, I came home to a small western North Carolina town to practice law on the front lines of the opioid crisis. My journalism has too often consisted of reporting on bad things (for instance, the closing of the Julius Chambers Civil Rights Center at UNC). But to witness all of that has somehow left me feeling a bit hopeful again, too, as I’ve been reflecting on what’s happening here and across the country.

In the end, Barack Obama did have a consequential presidency — not because of the Affordable Care Act, although that was big, but for what was happening outside of Washington in society and in our culture.

The demographics of the country felt like they shifted overnight. America became more diverse and more inclusive. Issues like marijuana legalization and marriage equality moved rapidly through the states, culminating with the Obergefell case.

We’ve gone through enormous changes since 2009. Did Obama usher in those changes or was he a product of them? That’s like asking if the ’60s would have happened without John F. Kennedy. It’s a bit of both; they fed off each other.

Obama came to office because of what was happening in the electorate, in the media, in social movements, and in the field of technology (he wouldn’t have been elected yet without online fundraising, Facebook and YouTube).

But he was also a visual reassurance that progressive change was possible. He inspired millions just like Harvey Gantt inspired him. There were ripples.

There was also a response to all of that. The Tea Party and birtherism were precursors to Donald Trump. There was the return of ideologies we thought were locked away in our past — or we hoped, anyway, but they were always there waiting to be brought back to the forefront.

That’s what we’re living through now. That’s the story of our time: the progress, the backlash, and hopefully more progress. After the Charleston massacre, the confederate flag came down from South Carolina’s State Capitol. After George Floyd, the confederate monument came down from North Carolina’s State Capitol. Old ways are dying. A new America is struggling to be born. That’s not easy and it’s not supposed to be, but think of how far we’ve come.

Zoom in and this moment looks terrible (strangers arguing on social media, Proud Boys in the streets). Zoom out and the arc of the moral universe does have a bend. However, its direction is not guaranteed. Victories are hard-fought. The good guys don’t always win.

For every Lincoln there’s Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, and Andrew Johnson. Here in North Carolina, there were the “Red Shirts” and the Wilmington Massacre. Frank Porter Graham didn’t beat Willis Smith. Harvey Gantt never did beat Jesse Helms. Nobody did. But the more we work at politics, the better life can get. Politics is how we got the Bill of Rights, the 19th Amendment, the Civil Rights Act, and the Voting Rights Act. We’re closer now than ever to being a true multiracial, multiethnic democracy, and actually making that work.

The last Democratic convention held in the Carolinas was in Charleston in 1860. The party split over slavery and many of the Southern delegates walked out. What came next was the outbreak of the Civil War. The last Civil War pensioner died two years ago (she lived in a town not far from Charlotte). Her father fought in that war. That’s not the distant past.

Within two lifetimes, a Black man stood on a stage in the South and accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of the United States.

That’s what the DNC in Charlotte meant. Everything we’ve been through teaches us how precious that moment was, and how vital. The farther away we get from that day the more it seems to matter.

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Clinton went off script at times and was easily the longest speaker of the DNC at 48 minutes. He dismantled Republican attacks on Obama with logic and arithmetic and the audience was riveted as Clinton spoke to undecided voters at home. “[Obama] has laid the foundation for a new, modern successful economy of shared prosperity,” said Clinton. “And if you will renew the president’s contract you will feel it.” Everyone knew the stakes.

“Folks, whether the American people believe what I just said or not may be the whole election,” he admitted. “I just want you to know that I believe it.

With all my heart, I believe it.”

Clinton was the best natural politician of his generation and, at the age of 66, he still had it.

He closed his speech, waved, and smiled as “Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac filled the air with nostalgia.

President Obama joined Clinton on stage, the music switched to “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty and the two presidents embraced. The election felt like it was in the bag.

There were other big moments to come in the campaign. The polls remained tight, Obama lost the first debate, but there was a decisive feeling to that Wednesday night following the Clinton speech. It felt like a backbreaking touchdown at the start of the 4th quarter. To be there was to sense it. To realize you’d just seen a bit of history: Clinton, never the orator, had just given the best speech by a former president. People needed a cigarette after that.

On the way out I ran into some old friends and we took a pedicab to Midnight Diner, passing by all kinds of very important people who were waiting for rides.

Because of the weather, President Obama’s speech on Thursday was moved from Bank of America Stadium back to Time Warner. That location

turned out to be fitting. By then we were used to the Obama we met at the DNC in 2004 (“There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America — there’s the United States of America”). But we weren’t going to get that Obama in Charlotte. As Mario Cuomo once said, “You campaign in poetry, you govern in prose.”

That’s the Obama we got, not the social healer, but the professional politician from Chicago.

Plus, there wasn’t much left to say. All throughout the week, governors and senators had taken their turns getting their digs in at the Romney-Ryan ticket and trying out soundbites.

“In your car and on your ballot, the ‘D’ is for drive forward, and the ‘R’ is for reverse,” said Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Thursday. Vice President Joe Biden added that, thanks to Obama, “Osama bin Laden is dead, and General Motors is alive.”

So the 44th president was shorter and subdued: “The first time I addressed this convention … I was a younger man, a Senate candidate from Illinois who spoke about hope … that hope has been tested by the cost of war, by one of the worst economic crises in history, and by political gridlock that’s left us wondering whether it’s still even possible to tackle the challenges of our time.”

He made his best case that America still could and asked the voters to rally around his priorities for the country in education, energy and the economy.

He did what he needed to do: paint a contrast, look competent and look ahead to November. When it was over, “We Take Care of Our Own” by Bruce Springsteen came on. Michelle and the girls came out. The delegates waved thousands of American flags. The confetti dropped.

“Only in America” by Brooks & Dunn played next.

It was such a fitting song for the occasion. Where else in the world could you see something quite like that?

The diversity of the crowd (delegates representing places as different as American Samoa, Puerto Rico and Montana), the show business aspect (the Foo Fighters, Scarlett Johansson and Mary J. Blige), the scale of it all, and the symbolism of a Black president being re-nominated in a majority white country. We got to see that in Charlotte.

The next day I went back to class.

A couple months later the election happened.

Obama was reelected. Republicans won the Governor’s mansion. I moved away, life moved on, so did the politics, and the news cycle. Obama had a rougher go of it in his second term (they always do). There were arguments over spending and the debt ceiling and a government shutdown in 2014.

Immigration, climate change and gun violence never did get addressed.

ARTS FEATURE

WHEELS ON THE GROUND Richard Flood pushes back against the Wheelie Boys narrative

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BY RYAN PITKIN

When local chef-turned-photographer Ryan Allen first met Richard Flood, he was immediately drawn to the young cyclist as an artist and friend.

It was summer 2020, during the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Allen was riding with The Bike Squad, a group of cyclists who would offer support and protection to local protesters during nightly marches — blocking off roads, transporting supplies and creating a barrier between police and protesters.

Flood, known by most as Backwheel Rich, was part of a group known by protesters as The Wheelie Boys, teens and young men, most of whom are Black, who would ride alongside The Bike Squad doing wheelies.

Allen had recently taken up photography and found Rich to be a compelling subject.

“The more I put my camera on him, just being friends and finding out the many different layers of Rich and how much he really knows for such a young man, it blew my mind for me to look at where I was at 21, talking to this young man at 21 that was way ahead of me,” said Allen.

Allen and Flood became closer friends over time, and Allen learned more about the community rideouts that Flood organized and his work with children in west Charlotte where he grew up on the Beatties Ford Road corridor.

In late 2021, Allen released a collection of photos titled This Is Richard Flood.

“I just thought it was someone that needed to be highlighted,” Allen told Queen City Nerve. “I thought it could be a good way to empower him to keep going down the path that he was on, you know, of trying to build that community.

“I just think that’s an important thing with our camera and with social media now, I think it’s important to highlight people that are really community leaders. There’s a lot of people that

really make Charlotte Charlotte, and I think Rich is one of those people,” he continued.

The city of Charlotte — or at least local law enforcement — disagreed. In April 2022, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department held a press conference “to discuss recent enforcement of groups of individuals driving recklessly on bicycles and motorized vehicles.”

At the press conference, the police used three

RICHARD FLOOD, AKA BACKWHEEL RICH.

unrelated incidents — one in which someone on a bike shot someone in a car, another in which a child on a scooter flashed an Airsoft gun, and third in which someone on a dirt bike allegedly used a Molotov cocktail against no one in particular — to announce that they would be cracking down on folks like The Wheelie Boys, implying that these incidents proved that all of the young men riding their bicycles regularly in Uptown were part of a criminal gang.

On July 31, CMPD officers in the Central Division Patrol and Crime Reduction Unit, along with Dual Sport officers from multiple divisions, the Real Time Crime Center, and the Aviation Unit took part in what CMPD called “a proactive patrol to confront serial offenders.”

Dozens of officers on dirt bikes flooded the streets in search of reckless bike riders, arresting two: Flood and a 15-year-old boy.

In a statement released the next day touting the arrests, CMPD wrote that, “These groups of bikers participate in organized rides with dozens of participants at a time. They travel in packs, taking up multiple lanes of traffic, and are observed doing

wheelies, failing to obey traffic lights, riding the wrong way in traffic, playing chicken with motorists, and numerous other traffic violations.”

CMPD pointed out that it was the juvenile’s third arrest for reckless driving while emphasizing that Flood had “multiple pending felonies,” though they were not the reason for his arrest that day.

For Flood, now 22, all the attention, both positive and negative, is becoming overwhelming.

Backwheel Rich can still be seen riding around town, but more scarcely than in the past two years.

“They’re portraying me like I encourage all the stuff that they’re saying is going on out there. I don’t justify everybody’s actions,” he told Queen City Nerve.

For the time being, he’s becoming more focused on Richard Flood.

‘From day one’

Before there was Backwheel Rich, there was Richard Flood and his go-kart. It was only three years ago that Flood didn’t even have a bike. He would regularly see his friend, who goes by Zay, riding by his west Charlotte home doing wheelies.

PHOTO BY RYAN ALLEN

ARTS FEATURE

Cycling as an art form

For the photographer who has seen Flood as a sort of muse over the last year, what The Wheelie Boys represent is important for both artistic and social reasons.

“What I saw Rich and The Wheelie Boys doing, it’s kind of like an artistic expression and an empowerment of doing something that a lot of people weren’t okay with,” Allen explained. “I kind of think that’s art in general; I think art is meant to be a resemblance of something that stirs up conversations that some people will be really, really into and some people will really not be into.”

For Allen, it’s a performance but it’s also political, a sort of urbanist protest of a car-centered world.

“They provide inconsistency to a daily routine, and to me, it’s a metaphor of life: You have a plan, you’re going to do something, and then traffic messes you up and it deteriorates your whole mindset,” Allen said.

He said his photo collection featuring Flood drew praise from the arts world and heavy criticism from those outside of that world who only see Backwheel Rich and his buddies as pests or, worse, criminals.

“I think they just kind of still see it as an inconvenience and as something that is kind of challenging,” Allen said. “I don’t think the community looks at bike riding as a form of transportation or a way of life. This is these people’s way of life as much as it is art. It’s their cars. It’s their chance for equal opportunity. And when you don’t provide communities equal opportunity transportation, there’s going to be ripples in the system.”

Flood said he’s been staying off his bike lately, especially since his arrest in July. He still faces felony charges related to a past incident in which police accused him of a hit-and-run on a dirt bike. The pedestrian victim reportedly suffered a brain injury in the incident.

Flood couldn’t discuss the details of the incident, only to say that, “Accidents do happen, and I’m a cyclist myself, so I do understand where people are coming from. I’ve been hit by a vehicle myself before, too, and that’s not a good feeling.”

Flood was struck by a speeding car while riding his bike at the corner of Tuckaseegee Road and Glenwood Drive in October 2020. He broke his nose and suffered major scratches and bruises, spending the night in the hospital.

“I was on a bike like a week after I got hit when I wasn’t supposed to be,” he told me. “I was in a tremendous amount of pain when I did it, but I was, like, back riding a bike.”

The driver fled the scene and there was never any follow-up from police, Flood said, despite the incident having been caught on surveillance footage.

When I went to meet Flood on a recent Tuesday afternoon, he was at the Tuckaseegee Rec Center not far from where he was struck two years ago,

teaching kids about bike safety for the rec center’s Sports Week.

He laughed when he told me later how they all just wanted him to teach them how to wheelie.

“Honestly, I don’t look at myself as a leader,” he told me when I asked what it’s like to be able to teach the youth based on his reputation for riding bikes. “I know I play a key role in a lot of stuff as far just being influenced when people may come out to the city and ride, but I don’t know, to be able to have that ability is pretty cool, because when I got into bikes, I never thought I’d be able to do that — to be able to reach out to people and actually have a message that someone will actually listen to.”

And as for those adults who are also listening, police or otherwise, what is his message?

“One last thing I would have to say, if something do happen — I know it’s hard to not do this because they do this with not just only bicyclists but pretty much any group is guilty by association — but I would like for the people and police in general to actually look into who is actually doing it and not the whole group as one, because it’s not the whole group out there doing that,” he said. “If we’re not impeding traffic, just let us ride.”

RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM

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Flood, then 19, didn’t know how he pushed the seemingly gravity-defying feat so far, but he took it as a challenge.

“I used to see him riding around the neighborhood on a pedal bike, he would always stop me here and there talking about wheelieing,” Flood recalled when we met in front of the Bette Rae Thomas Rec Center in Enderly Park on a recent afternoon.

“I never paid too much mind. But one day he came up to me when I was on my front porch, and he showed me he could actually wheelie, and ever since then, that’s what sort of got me into it, because if I’ve seen one of my younger friends doing it, I know I could do it too.”

A friend told him about a bike that had been abandoned in some woods down the street. It would need some work, but he could fix it up if he had some help. A couple area kids who were already cycling enthusiasts scoped out what parts were missing from the bike and were able to gather them up. They brought the parts to his house and they taught him in his garage how to build a bike.

The experience stuck with Flood.

“I felt like from day one I was a part of a community because of the way I really got into bikes,” he said. “People I had just met that day, they had parts for it and they brought them to my home and we put it together that day.”

I first met Flood later that year, practicing wheelies at the former Eastland Mall site alongside other Wheelie Boys and members of Charlotte Bike Life, who were at the time being targeted by police for their citywide ride-outs on dirt bikes and ATVs. That day, a couple police officers came by to talk with the cyclists and ATV riders, but were kind about it and eventually went on their way.

Flood said that’s the way it’s been with police since he began organizing ride-outs; there are some who act friendly and some who hassle them every chance they get.

He remembers the first time he rode in Uptown when cops pulled up behind him and his friends and flashed their blue lights. The cyclists scattered, but Flood never knew the reason behind it.

“At the time I wasn’t doing anything, but I really didn’t look at it as harassment,” he recalled. “I thought maybe they really seen us doing something wrong because it’s my first time downtown. I thought maybe they always mess with us. But as I started going downtown more I realized that not every police officer mess with us. It’s just sort of hard

to say like when it all really started because it’s good days and bad days.”

Flood acknowledges that sometimes things get tense in Uptown when someone riding in the group goes to “swerve” a car, which is a reference to the games of chicken referred to by police, but contends that neither he nor any of the friends he rides with were familiar with any of the shooting or assault incidents police have used to try to paint them all as criminals.

He explained that there was a lot of confusion in their group chat in April on the day police lumped them all in with suspects in a shooting that occurred near Romare Bearden Park.

Flood says he’s seen plenty of tense situations between cyclists and drivers who get upset with getting swerved or just having to dodge bicycles in the street. He said he tries to de-escalate the situation using skills he learned when he first met Allen at the 2020 protests.

WED 8/24

THUR 8/25

“Jenny Hill was a big star in her hometown, but she gave it all up. Could she get a second chance at love and theatre — 20 years later?” So runs the teaser copy for this Wilmington-set-and-lensed drama produced by Tobbot Films in which the reappearance of a woman’s first love forces her to confront her feelings from the past — two decades later. The Independent Picture House demonstrates their commitment to local and regional filmmaking with this one-night-only special engagement screening of the seaside romance, followed by a Q&A with writer/director J.R. Rodriguez.

More: $10.50; Aug. 24, 6:30 p.m.; Independent Picture House, 4732 Raleigh St.; independentpicturehouse.org

getting around lately. In April, he married Black Belles singer-songwriter Olivia Jean onstage during a Detroit show. In July, fans caught him clowning on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, duetting with the talk show host and comic on the 1976 pirate-themed folk song “Barrett’s Privateers.” That same show, White performed the haunting “If I Die Tomorrow” from his new LP Entering Heaven Alive.

The tune is among White’s finest, an authenticfeeling yet muscular folk-rock juggernaut that channels Heavy Horses-era Jethro Tull.

More: $45 and up; Aug. 25, 8 p.m.; CMCU Amphitheatre, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd.; livenation.com

‘REMEMBER YESTERDAY’ SCREENING JACK WHITE Former White Stripes maestro Jack White has been AND Q&A

ROSALIA TORRES WEINER Photo by Brandon Weiner

JACK WHITE Photo by Teresa Sedó

8/26

FRI8/26

8/25

FRI 8/26

WED8/31

Memphis than the white-bread 1960s sci-fi show it’s ostensibly based on, Lost in Space is the latest cross-disciplinary mashup of local artists curated, empowered and encouraged by composer and visionary Elizabeth Kowalski’s Your Neighborhood Orchestra. Here, cosmonaut Ludmilla ascends beyond the struggles of humanity, adrift among the stars. It’s an Afrofuturist sci-fi bio-mystery with an aerialist, a genre-bending chamber orchestra and spoken word artistry by Bluz Rogers.

More: Free, $20; Aug. 26, 6 & 8 p.m.; Charlotte Art League, 4327 Raleigh St.; yourneighborhoodorchestra.com

Launched in 1979 as a reaction to injustice in the California prison system, Black August has grown into a month-long celebration of Black liberation as well as a remembrance of those who have struggled against systemic racism and state-sanctioned violence through history. This Wednesday Night Live event features Charlotte Poet Laureate Jay Ward reading an exclusive piece written for Black August, followed by Unmasked: Multi-Layered Movement, a panel discussion facilitated by Ohavia Phillips.

The panel features Charlotte City Council member Braxton Winston, Be More Foundation executive director De’Les Green-Morris, and local activist Kass Ottley.

More: Free; Aug. 31, 6:30 p.m.; Harvey B. Gantt Center, 551 S. Tryon St.; ganttcenter.org

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NOT IN REPOSE: A RECKONING, A ‘LOST IN SPACE’ PREMIERE WEDNESDAY NIGHT LIVE: BLACK Closer to the segment in Jim Jarmusch’s triptych film MOMENT, A FURY AUGUST

Charlotte’s art community is not going to take oppression lying down. A powerful broadside against authoritarianism, Not in Repose features works from more than 20 visual artists, cast as a response to the Supreme Court’s dehumanizing decision to overturn constitutional rights and endanger lives. Highlighting art as activism, the show includes interdisciplinary works reflecting on reproductive and LGBTQIA+ rights, civil unrest, immigration, indigenous genocide, gun control, and climate justice. The exhibit includes music by Kadey Ballard, and poetry readings by Erin Coffin and Kuma Murrain.

More: Free; Aug. 26, 6 p.m.; Goodyear Arts, Camp North End, 300 Camp Road; camp.nc

THUR9/1 SARAH ELIZABETH LEWIS LECTURE/ GALLERIES RECEPTION

UNC-Charlotte’s Department of Art & Art History presents a lecture by Harvard academic Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Lewis, whose presentation will focus on the nature of creativity as examined in her book, The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery. A gallery reception follows featuring two exhibits: Beauty in the Struggle: Celebrating the Life & Works of Broderick Adé Hogue, highlighting designer Hogue, who was killed in a 2021 bicycle accident; and At the Mouth of a Room, which features the art of alumni Elizabeth Arzani and Holly Keogh.

More: Free; Sept. 1, 5 p.m.; Rowe Galleries , UNC Charlotte, 9119 University Road; coaa.charlotte.edu

RICHIE KOTZEN Promotional photo

FRI 9/2

FRI 9/2

RICHIE KOTZEN

LIVE FROM THE BOILERYARD: DANE PAGE

Kotzen is best known as the flashy virtuosic guitar player for ’90s hair-metal acts Poison and Mr. Big, but there’s much more to the Reading, PA, native.

As a pre-Poison solo artist, Kotzen complemented his appregiated shredding with his own savvy pop vocals. In the years since, the singer/songwriter and producer has ventured all over the musical map, performing bluesy acoustic rock, cranking out coruscating covers of theme music from the Japanese Gundam series, and collaborating with Iron Maiden guitarist/backing vocalist and songwriter Adrian Smith for the galvanizing, genre-jumping collection Smith/Kotzen in 2021.

More: $27.50 and up; Sept. 2, 8 p.m.; Booth Playhouse, 130 N. Tryon St.; blumenthalarts.org

Each Dane Page song unfurls like a journey, a roadtrip through an interior landscape that nods to the indie-Americana of neo-folkie Josh Ritter, the hypnogagic haze of psych-rockers Tame Impala and the hardscrabble country and plain-spoken poetry of Woody Guthrie — all suffused with a mist-laden dream-pop aura. There are plenty of twists on Page’s odyssey, however. Just when you are lulled by the coiling, finding faces-in-the-bonfire spell of “Straight to My Soul,” he unleashes the whiplash snap and transcendent pop of the title track to his LP Selma.

More: Free; Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m.; Boileryard, Camp North End, 300 Camp Road; camp.nc

9/2

9/2

SAT 9/3 PJ MORTON, DJ ARIE SPINS

9/3

SEPT9/6 - 9/11 ‘MEAN GIRLS’

Written by SNL’s Tina Fey, the 2004 teen flick Mean Girls defied critical expectations by being genuinely funny. Even star Lindsey Lohan, who subsequently descended into tabloid-bait behavior, delivered a warm and believable performance. The good news is that everything that clicked in the movie is retained in the 2018 musical adaptation. Fey is back on board as scripter, and her off-the-cuff remarks hit dead center, even though Nell Benjamin’s lyrics aren’t nearly as witty. Best of all, despite glitzy costumes and bouncy numbers, the show still retains the undying theme of high-school-as-living-hell.

More: $25 and up; Sept. 6-11; Belk Theater, 301 N. Tryon St.; blumenthalarts.org

‘MEAN GIRLS’ Photo by Kenneth Zirkel

9/6-9/11

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PJ Morton isn’t on every R&B crossover hit released in the last decade, but it sure seems that way. The Maroon 5 keyboardist/vocalist and multi Grammywinning R&B singer, songwriter, performer and producer has jammed with Nas and Stevie Wonder on the transcendent and insanely catchy single “Be Like Water,” and his previous LP, Gospel According to PJ, nabbed the 2021 Grammy for Best Gospel Album.

The New Orleans native is also a huge community advocate and has collaborated with Erykah Badu, JoJo, Kirk Franklin, Lil Wayne, Rapsody and more.

More: $29.50 and up; Sept. 3, 8 p.m.; Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St.; blumenthalarts.org

PJ MORTON Photo by Bill Lee

DANE PAGE Photo by Enowen Photography

MUSIC FEATURE

MUSIC FOR CHOICE

Spoke Easy hosts concert for reproductive rights

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BY PAT MORAN

Rusty Colton and Lindsey Miller weren’t alone in their first reactions: outrage. Then came a sense of urgency.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion after nearly 50 years. The majority ruling, supported by six Republican appointed judges, gave state legislatures the right to outlaw abortions. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the decision, which overlooks half a century of settled law and instead quotes anti-abortion activists and scholars, including 17th-century jurist Sir Matthew Hale who supported marital rape and had at least two women executed for witchcraft.

The assault on fundamental constitutional rights set off a cascade of appallingly cruel trigger laws, poised to take effect after the court’s decision.

As Queen City Nerve goes to press, six states ban abortion outright and an additional four make the procedure illegal after six weeks, when many women are not even aware they’re pregnant. Even North Carolina, considered a pro-choice haven where woman can get safe and legal abortions, was tainted when U.S. District Judge William Osteen reinstated the state’s 20-week abortion ban.

“We thought, ‘We have to do something!’” says Colton, a Charlotte musician who currently plays in his band Pretty Baby. “There are multiple people in my life whose lives would be totally altered [without abortion rights].”

Like Colton, Miller was galvanized by the proliferation of abortion restrictions.

“Bodily autonomy is important and no one should have to be told what to do with their bodies,” Miller says.

In the end, Colton and Miller chose not to move quickly but carefully in their quest to help, wanting to ensure that their actions and contributions could help the most people possible. Miller had held a stint

as bar and events manager at The Spoke Easy bicycle shop in the Elizabeth neighborhood. As luck and/or fate would have it, The Spoke Easy had recently been increasing the number of community events held on its patio, including concerts, as management at the bicycle shop and bar steadily worked to elevate their profile as a Charlotte music venue.

“We quickly realized the need for a venue like ours and have been energized by the creative spirit of Charlotte’s youth,” wrote Spoke Easy co-founder

BURIED IN ROSES

Kevin Kennedy and general manager Dread Fiyah in a co-composed email sent to Queen City Nerve. “The patio shows have become incredibly popular, and we’re grateful to have been accepted by the local music scene as a destination for more and more shows.”

With the support of The Spoke Easy staff — including Kennedy and co-founders Chris Scorsone, Fiyah and Genevieve Goldner, who took over as events manager when Miller left — Colton and Miller drew on their love of Charlotte’s thriving music scene to put together a concert to raise funds for abortion care and access in their community.

Drawing on a close bond with The Spoke Easy staff that’s almost akin to family, Colton and Miller are seeing their desire to respond to the Supreme Court decision come to fruition with the Carolina Abortion Fund concert at The Spoke Easy on Aug. 27. A bill of 10 local acts — Lena Gray, Josh Cotterino, Buried in Roses, Mindvac, Pretty Baby, Pleasure House, Phase Gawd, Faye, Gasp and Invader Houses — kicks off at 3 p.m. The event also includes DJs, raffles, vendors and more, with a $10 suggested donation.

Proceeds from the event go to the nonprofit Carolina Abortion Fund, a pro-abortion and pro-

choice organization that partners with local, regional and national reproductive justice organizations to support access to parenting, abortion and adoption.

CAF also operates a confidential toll-free helpline that provides financial, practical and emotional support to callers in North and South Carolina.

“Everything [CAF] does is what I would do, given the power to [do so],” Miller says. “They allocate their money in a good way, help people pay for abortions, [and help] them deal with the aftercare of it, too.”

As Colton and Miller make final preparations to see their hard work, networking and connections pay off in a high-profile funding event, Colton says he’s glad he and Miller held off on their urge to do something immediately after the Supreme Court handed down its authoritarian decision.

“We initially wanted to put something together immediately after the overturning of Roe v Wade,” Colton says. “We were incensed.”

The more the two friends talked about the situation, however, the more they turned to putting on the best show they could with plenty of planning.

“I hope we’re able to hand CAF a fat stack of cash, and be able to help such an incredible organization,” Miller says.

PHOTO BY JONNY GOLIAN

MUSIC FEATURE At the same time, Colton is glad that the planning for the event didn’t take too long.

“There’s a pretty short shelf life on news stories when the world seems to be constantly burning down in different ways,” he says.

A musical community

PLEASURE HOUSE

repercussion,” Pucci says. “Poor people will be fucked.”

“One’s beliefs should not impose on another’s decision about what they can do to or with their body,” says Antony Potts, who raps as Phaze Gawd.

“Any effort to restrict the right of people to make personal decisions is ultimately a violation and should not be tolerated,” adds Ian Pasquini, adding that his indie-rock band Pleasure House is proud to support CAF. Nathan Louis of adventurous and hard-hitting Rock Hill trio Gasp is adamant that people are allowed to make their own choices, regardless of what the Supreme Court says.

“As three men in a band, I don’t think we should get to decide whether a woman gets an abortion or not,” Louis says. “Nine Imperial Wizards should not get to decide that either.”

Tessa Harmon of goth pop duo Buried in Roses has seen friends drop out of school due to unplanned pregnancies. She says she has compassion, however, for anti-choice activists who say abortion is murder.

“Opponents to the right to choose have been indoctrinated, often violently, to believe that abortion is murder from childhood, and I recognize that it is really hard and uncomfortable to question such deep-seated beliefs shared by everyone close to you,” Harmon says.

“However, you’re crossing a line when your personal beliefs lead you to harass strangers trying to

PHOTO BY JEFF HOWLETT

get safe medical care on what is most likely already one of the hardest days of their lives,” she says.

“People should have the freedom to choose,” avant-garde electronic artist Joshua Cotterino says simply.

Gray applauds Colton and Miller’s efforts to bring The Spoke Easy, the musicians and the public together.

“The first step towards something better is through community efforts like this and by building networks that take care of marginalized people,” says Gray, who is transgender.

In one way, the intersection of business and art that has led to the CAF fundraiser illustrates how a community can do just what Gray advocates.

While one side in the abortion rights struggle seizes the levels of power by optimizing the most antidemocratic features of American governance — the Electoral College, gerrymandering, police and the Supreme Court — the opposing side has turned to education, empathy, democracy and ultimately Miller hopes, commonality and love.

“Being reactionary to someone’s ideas may be easy, but I think with education and compassion minds can be changed,” she says. “It may be a trope, but we all know someone who has benefited from reproductive access rights.”

PMORAN@QCNERVE.COM

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Given Colton’s career as a musician and Miller’s background as an events promoter and photographer, the two friends believe they were bound to cross paths in Charlotte’s intersecting music and arts communities.

Growing up in south Gastonia, Colton discovered the musical parodies of “Weird Al” Yankovic when he was seven. By the time he was a teen, Colton’s tastes had expanded to include punk rock. Ironically, Colton’s father, an accomplished blues guitarist, declined to teach his son the instrument, because Colton refused to learn to play piano. Colton attended UNC Charlotte to delve into Religious Studies and English in 2011, but he dropped out in 2013.

“I immediately started playing in bands and sometimes booking shows at the house where I lived on Pegram Street,” Colton remembers. He formed the short-lived pop punk band Girl Pants.

Next he launched the acoustic solo project Pretty Baby, partly as an antidote to the loud music he’s been playing.

In time, Pretty Baby became a louder quartet, including Lofidels founder Lenny Muckle on guitar.

The band, which Colton calls “weirdo punk rock,” will play at the Carolina Abortion Fund concert.

Miller grew up listening to classic country and Motown. Like Colton, she hosted concerts at her house, this one on Commonwealth Avenue, while she was at UNC Charlotte studying political science.

After her 2018 stint at Spoke Easy, Miller earned her masters in sociology with a focus on cultural sociology.

Miller and Colton figure they must have met prior to an art show at Petra’s in Plaza Midwood, curated by Miller. Pretty Baby played at the event and Miller showed collages made from her 35mm photography prints.

“It was a few months before Roe v Wade was overturned,” Miller remembers. “Rusty and I both donated all the money that we got from the show to Carolina Abortion Fund.” Thus, when the fundraising event at the Spoke Easy started to come together, CAF seemed the obvious recipient.

As COVID restrictions began to relax a bit in late 2020, The Spoke Easy started hosting bicyclethemed events like group rides and architectural bicycle tours, launched from its patio.

“As things opened back up, we’ve seen a lot of interest in the patio as an independent music venue,” write Kennedy and Fiyah. “The sound and energy on the patio was great. Since then, we’ve supported all the bands that have asked to play, and have continued to expand our events and concert offerings.”

That’s when Miller brought the idea for the CAF Fundraiser Concert to The Spoke Easy.

“We pitched it to Genevieve first. Then she pitched it to Kevin, Chris and Dread,” she says. “They jumped on it right away.”

To fill the concert bill, Colton turned to friends in Charlotte’s tight-knit music community, and called in several favors.

“The messages that I sent to bands were pretty clear,” Colton offers. “It was like, ‘You’re not going to make any money. It’s going to be hot and difficult, but it’s for the Carolina Abortion Fund.’

“Everyone was just straightaway ready to do it,” he continues. “I have eclectic tastes, but if there is a common thread, [there’s] a sort of give-a-shit attitude among the people we’ve booked for the show.”

The Spoke Easy says it is unequivocally on the same page as Colton, Miller and the musicians on the bill.

“We unanimously and enthusiastically approve this event,” wrote Spoke Easy’s Kennedy and Fiyah.

“Our goal is a world where all human rights are respected and protected.”

“Opponents of abortion rights need to understand that these bans are an attack on people’s autonomy and … on people who have experienced sexual violence,” adds local electronic musician Lena Gray.

She believes that forcing people to have kids will lead to more children becoming traumatized within the overcrowded foster care the system.

“Thinking that removing [women’s] rights will limit or stop all abortions is not only naive but dangerous; disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable in our community,” says Susan Plante of alternative rockers Faye.

Phil Pucci of Invader Houses also believes that making abortion illegal will negatively affect people with lower socioeconomic status the most.

“Privileged folks will still have the procedure done regardless of its legality, because they will have the resources to get it done safely and without

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Jewelry w/ Pet Bug, Boy A/C (The Milestone) Paint Fumes w/ Waltzer, Pleasure House (Snug Harbor)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B

Hoodie Allen (The Underground)

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Jack White (Charlotte Metro Credit Union) Petite Amie w/ La Brava, Tambem (Snug Harbor) Circles Around the Sun w/ Color Green (Visulite Theatre)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B

Big Pooh (Neighborhood Theatre)

POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ

PainPrism w/ Adam, January Knife, Prostate Orgasm (The Milestone)

JAZZ/BLUES

Surround Sound presents A Tribute to James Brown (Middle C Jazz)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Will Wood (Amos’ Southend) Sophie & The Broken Things w/ Stacy Antonel (Evening Muse)

OPEN MIC

Open Mic Night w/ Chase Brown & Aleeia “Sug” Bolton Brown (Tommy’s Pub)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Tangerine Trees (The Beatles tribute) (Amos’ Southend) Goo Goo Dolls (Charlotte Metro Credit) The Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) Ponce w/ Yugo (Evening Muse) Sunday Boxing w/ Mercury Dimes, Evil Beatles, True Lilith (The Milestone) Wine Pride w/ The Pauses, The Courage To Dive (Petra’s) Rod Stewart w/ Cheap Trick (PNC Music Pavilion) Dreamboat w/ Petrov, Pie Face Girls, DJ Scott Weaver (Snug Harbor)

JAZZ/BLUES

Brandon Stevens w/ the Troy Conn Quartet (Middle C Jazz)

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POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ

Shadow Play w/ Kraft and& DJ Christian Hoefle (Crown Station) Reflexions w/ DJ Velvetine (Tommy’s Pub)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Featherpocket (Birdsong Brewing) Courtney Lynn & Quinn w/ Jon Ward Beyle (Evening Muse)

SINGER-SONGWRITER/ACOUSTIC

Keith Serpa (Heist Brewery & Barrel Arts)

FUNK/JAM BANDS

Pluto Gang w/ Tin 4 (Visulite Theatre)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 27 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

The Phantom Friends w/ DOTS, Sweat Transfer (Petra’s) Anchor Detail w/ HEY Richard!, Harriet RIP, LEGS, Terpsichore Raqs (Skylark Social Club) Bakalao Stars w/ Ancestor Piratas (Snug Harbor)

POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ

Kany Garcia (The Underground) Digital Noir w/ DJ Spider (The Milestone)

JAZZ/BLUES

Samara Joy (Middle C Jazz)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Jamey Johnson (CMCU Amphitheatre) The Lumineers (Spectrum Center)

CLASSICAL/INSTRUMENTAL Rhett Price (Evening Muse)

FUNK/JAM BANDS

Trevor Buffalo Kings w/ Ben Gatlin, Nate Sacks (Primal Brewery)

SINGER-SONGWRITER/ACOUSTIC

Scott Miller w/ David Childers (Neighborhood Theatre)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 28 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Percussion Concussion w/ Lofidels, Complaint Club, Quinn Rash (Petra’s) The Hellfire Choir w/ StormWatchers, Spite House, Reckless Threat (Tommy’s Pub)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B Giveon (The Fillmore)

POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ

Ultra Deluxe w/ Sidestep Dog, C.I.Ape, January Knife (The Milestone)

JAZZ/BLUES

Gena Chambers (Middle C Jazz)

PERFORMANCE

The Frank Helms Band (Comet Grill)

MONDAY, AUGUST 29 JAZZ/BLUES

The Bill Hanna Legacy Jazz Session (Petra’s)

OPEN MIC

Find Your Muse Open MIC feat. Jamie and the Guarded Heart (Evening Muse)

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30 HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B

Phaze Gawd w/ Hirow, W A L T (Petra’s)

POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ

Lauv (Crown Station) Dani Rev w/ AKAFAE, No Parking, DJ NPC x DJ Shrimp (Snug Harbor)

JAZZ/BLUES

Ron Brendle Quartet (Visulite Theatre)

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Dispatch w/ O.A.R. (CMCU Amphitheatre) Korn w/ Evanescence (PNC Music Pavilion) Paint Fumes w/ Shawnis and The Shimmers, Plan B (Snug Harbor)

JAZZ/BLUES

The Girls w/ LJ & the Sleeze, Acne (The Milestone) Queen City Metalfest: Witchpit, Blackwater Drowning, Septarian, Fractured Frames, Savage Empire, Voraath (Neighborhood Theatre) Neon Deaths w/ Ladrones, Virtual You (Petra’s) Sibannac w/ The Good Goddamn, BOLO 1037, Dead Senate (Skylark Social Club) The Seduction w/ Haal, King Cackle (Snug Harbor)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B

PJ Morton (Knight Teater)

JAZZ/BLUES

Noel Freidline & Maria Howell (Middle C Jazz)

SINGER-SONGWRITER/ACOUSTIC

Ephraim Sommers (Birdsong Brewing)

LATIN/WORLD/REGGAE

Pedrito Martinez (Stage Door Theater)

POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ Daughtry (Ovens Auditorium)

Reggie Chambers w/ The Sean Higgins Trio (Middle C Jazz)

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Slumberer w/ Wreath, Sam Abyl (Petra’s) Self-Help w/ Julian Calendar, Modern Everything (Snug Harbor)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B

Jay Critch (The Underground)

JAZZ/BLUES

Sol Fusion (Middle C Jazz)

POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ

Night Palace, Kenosha Kid, Cicada Rhythm (Evening Muse)

OPEN MIC

Open Mic Night w/ Chase Brown & Aleeia “Sug” Bolton Brown (Tommy’s Pub)

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Richie Kotzen (Booth Playhouse) The Human Fund w/ C.I.Ape, Dead Senate, Physical Digital (The Milestone)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B

Grits & Biscuits (The Fillmore)

JAZZ/BLUES

Noel Freidline & Maria Howell (Middle C Jazz)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Home for the Day w/ Come Clean, The Second After, So Far So Sick, All My Circuits (The Milestone)

JAZZ/BLUE

CLT Blues Society: A Might Fine Blues Jam w/ Dave Forakar (Neighborhood Theatre)

FUNK/JAM BANDS

BadCameo w/ Whoa (Evening Muse)

POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ

Hazy Sunday (Petra’s) Twenty One Pilots (Spectrum Center)

LATIN/REGGAE/WORLD

Elan Trotman (Middle C Jazz)

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Haunt w/ Seven Sisters, Intranced (Snug Harbor)

JAZZ/BLUES

The Bill Hanna Legacy Jazz Session (Petra’s)

OPEN MIC

Find Your Muse Open Mic (Evening Muse)

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

LATIN/WORLD/REGGAE

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

FUNK/JAM BANDS

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B

Pedrito Martinez (Stage Door Theater) Intocable Modus (Ovens Auditorium) Machine Funk (Widespread Panic tribute) (Neighborhood Theatre) Akita w/ Tumbao (Snug Harbor)

SINGER-SONGWRITER/ACOUSTIC Matt Stratford (Primal Brewery)

Briston Maroney (Neighborhood Theatre) Five Finger Death Punch (PNC Music Pavilion) Aleman (The Underground)

SINGER-SONGWRITER/ACOUSTIC

Will Overman w/ Kyle Kelly, Justin Golden (Evening Muse)

VISIT QCNERVE.COM FOR THE FULL SOUNDWAVE LISTING.

Pg. 15 AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 - QCNERVE.COM

FOOD & DRINK FEATURE

KEEPING DISH ALIVE Amanda Cranford pays homage to history of popular Plaza Midwood location

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BY KARIE SIMMONS

Taking over an established and beloved restaurant is an immense responsibility, but it means slightly more to Charlotte native Amanda Cranford, new owner of Dish in Plaza Midwood.

The no-frills eatery has been a neighborhood staple for Southern comfort food for 20 years, and Cranford understands what’s at stake.

“It weighs heavy every day to not fuck it up,” she said.

Cranford, who also owns Paper Plane Deli & Market in the nearby Belmont neighborhood, has extensive industry experience, though she admits her entire foray into cooking was an accident. She was working at a breakfast restaurant when one day the cook was so high that he couldn’t function, so she volunteered to cook the eggs.

“I was sold. I loved it. It’s oddly satisfying,” Cranford said. “When you’re on a busy line, it feels like you’re dancing.”

Cranford continued to work her way up, eventually landing a role at Reid’s Fine Foods where she started a commissary program and helped acquire and brand a line of in-house products, including a wholesale biscuit company that was distributed throughout the Southeast. She also does consulting work and has developed food programs for The Royal Tot, Devil’s Logic Brewery and Catawba Brewing Company.

Plaza Midwood is Cranford’s favorite neighborhood in the city. She loves the tight-knit community feel and says places like Dish are a big part of that. The restaurant has been around since 2002 and was originally owned by Penny Craver, Lawrence Stubbs and Maggie McGeeStubbs. In September 2019, they sold Dish to Lewis Donald, owner of Sweet Lew’s BBQ in the Belmont neighborhood.

A close friend of Donald’s, Cranford knew he was struggling to balance his time between two establishments after making it through the worst of the pandemic. She knew what it would mean to the neighborhood — which has already lost a number of popular restaurants, bars and retail shops in recent years — if Dish closed.

In late June, she took over primary ownership from Donald, who stepped away to focus more on his barbecue.

“I have watched so many spots in this neighborhood that are beloved and are different kind of go by the wayside and the threat of that happening to a spot that means a lot to other

people, I had to do something,” Cranford said. “I have regulars at [Paper] Plane that Dish means a lot to. I know people that, if Dish went away, I’m not sure where they would eat like six days a week.”

Dish has a dedicated pool of regulars who come in every morning, every evening and every Sunday for brunch. Among them is Bob, a 95-year-old man who walks from his apartment to eat at Dish twice a day and sometimes falls asleep in the booth.

Cranford said it’s important to hold onto places like Dish that make Plaza Midwood special, especially as the landscape of the neighborhood continues to change due to increased development and growth.

“We’re either gonna go the way of the dinosaurs or we’re gonna teach the community that’s coming in what it’s actually like to live in this part of Charlotte,” Cranford said. “If we lose something like

A SLICE OF QUICHE WITH SMOKEY LIMAS AND A DEVILED EGG ON THE SIDE AT DISH.

Dish or Snug Harbor or Petra’s or Common Market, then we kind of lose the ability to do that.”

Hats off to Ho Toy

Before the iconic yellow brick building on Thomas Avenue was Dish it was a Chinese restaurant called Ho Toy. Junior Wong, the chef at Charlotte’s first ever Asian restaurant Oriental, had the building built in the 1950s and attached to his house.

There were originally two separate buildings: the Ho Toy restaurant and a Chinese laundry. When Wong retired in the early 1980s, he sold the property and business to his former boss at Oriental, Johnny Tom, who tore down the house and connected the restaurant with the laundry to create the space that Dish occupies today.

Tom eventually handed Ho Toy off to a “Mr. Chen,” who ran the restaurant until it closed in the

PHOTO BY RAYNE ANTRIM

FOOD & DRINK FEATURE late 1990s. From 1998 through 2000, Cafe Dada operated there with the former laundry building serving as an intimate late-night unplugged music venue. Phat Burrito also had a short-lived stint in the space before Dish opened in 2002.

Dish’s new late-night menu is a nod to Ho Toy. Served Thursday to Saturday until 1:30 a.m., it features a mashup of Asian and Southern comfort foods including Southern fried rice, sweet and sour meatloaf and Szechuan chicken and dumplings.

There’s also pimento cheese (Southern or kimento style with kimchi), fries with house dipping sauce and Alabama shrimp sauce, a fried chicken biscuit (Asian, Southern, or vegetarian style), and the option to “Dish It Out!” — a chef’s choice with no refunds or dietary restrictions.

“There’s something to be said about great, classic Southern comfort food and we’ll never change that about Dish, but this gives us the creativity to stretch our legs a little bit more as culinarians and to pay homage to the people that put all the effort into keeping this around before Dish got here,” Cranford said.

The new-old Dish

know that the landlord that I have is in this because it means something to him,” Cranford said. “It’s really nice to see an example of somebody choosing for something to mean something more than money.”

With the property owner’s support, Cranford is already looking toward the future of Dish and conjuring up ideas for how to keep it thriving — ideas like potentially staying open 24/7 and bringing back live music. Dish used to have a pretty active music scene thanks to former owner Penny Craver, who founded the since-closed music venue Tremont Music Hall in 1995.

Donald experimented with bringing those vibes back by launching Dish After Dark, an intimate latenight live-music series that started in February 2020 but had to shut down less than a month later thanks to the pandemic.

Cranford also wants to completely rebrand the bar. She envisions revamping the side that used to be a Chinese laundry into one more dedicated toward the bar. She’d run her late-night menu there, put in working washers and dryers and call it The Cleaners — another nod to the building’s backstory.

“It’s fucking weird and I love it. It’s very Plaza weird,” Cranford said. “Also, it’s really funny to ask somebody if you can take them to The Cleaners.”

As a Charlotte native, Cranford feels immense responsibility for Dish to make it not just for the community, but for the hospitality industry in general.

Lately, she said it feels like genuine human interaction between people is lacking.

“Less and less are there places anywhere like Dish where we do know Bob’s order by what gets rung in. And I know Bob likes dark burnt bacon and I understand who Bob is as a human.”

At that moment, Bob emerges from the parking lot and begins to shuffle across the back patio toward the restaurant for his evening meal.

“Speak of the Devil,” Cranford said, smiling at the arrival of Bob before finishing her thought. “Places like this don’t exist and that’s why it’s so serious.”

When Cranford really thinks about it, making sure Dish thrives doesn’t just feel like holding onto a piece of the neighborhood. It feels more like holding onto a small slice of humanity in a world that is begging for it.

And she’s trying really hard to not fuck it up.

KSIMMONS@QCNERVE.COM

Future vision

The passing of the torch to Cranford marks the second time Dish has changed hands in just three years, but this is where it stops, Cranford ensured.

“I fully intend to be here until I either die or they bulldoze this building down,” she said.

It seems the latter isn’t happening anytime soon, as one of the minority owners of Dish is also the building’s landlord, Ray Tom, whose father, Johnny Tom, owned Ho Toy. Cranford said Tom’s goal is to keep Dish a part of the community, not to price gouge or sell the land despite several offers over the years.

“Even on really frustrating days, when the kitchen is pouring water in from every which way and I’m asking everyone if they know how to swim, I

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As the new owner/operator at Dish, Cranford has been careful about not changing too much about the popular diner-style eatery so as not to upset customers who’ve been coming for years.

Other than switching the shrimp and grits from a cream sauce to a Creole sauce, she hasn’t touched the classics. The meatloaf, lentil loaf, chicken and dumplings, salmon patties, country fried steak and the pot roast are all original to when Dish first opened.

And Fred, who’s been working at Dish for 20 years, is still making his chocolate pecan pies and key lime pies.

The popular Dirty Mermaid cocktail (Bacardi rum, coconut rum, blue curacao, melon, sour mix and a splash of pineapple juice) is still on the menu and will remain even after Cranford updates the drinks in the coming weeks.

In addition to the classics, it’s important to Cranford that Dish maintains the personable service it’s known for. She believes people return to a restaurant not just for the food, but more so for the hospitality.

“When you walk in, you should be comfortable, you should feel like you’re at home. If you’re a regular, we should know you,” Cranford said. “And

so that excuses a lot of the other change if the hospitality is consistent enough and the service is consistent enough.”

Some of those changes include extending the Sunday brunch menu until 9 p.m., condensing the number of side items and adding several new salads and entrees, including a beet and goat cheese salad and a pecan-crusted pork tenderloin.

Cranford said customers still have the ability to get a biscuit and deviled egg with their meal, but they’re no longer automatically on the plate as in years past — a decision made to cut down on food cost and waste.

While most of the changes have been wellreceived, others have been more difficult to swallow — like only offering collard greens seasonally.

Cranford said she’s trying to shift Dish into more seasonality by adding new seasonal menu items and using fresher ingredients through Freshlist, a company that works with small-scale family farms throughout the Carolinas.

Don’t even bother ordering the sourdough pasta because Dish doesn’t have it. Cranford said she’s been kicking herself for putting it on the menu because the kitchen at Dish is too humid and the pasta can’t dry out enough to be the right texture.

“Trying to use a sourdough starter to make a pasta dough in general is a little touchy because it’s alive, so we’re just like feeding it even more in that environment. And we’re trying to kill it, essentially, in the dough and then process the dough down,” Cranford said.

It’s become a running joke amongst the staff whenever Cranford reminds them the “pasta is still 86” (a kitchen term that means out of stock). She said she might try to make a sourdough gnocchi in the fall in an attempt to redeem herself.

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LIFESTYLE PUZZLES

LIFESTYLE PUZZLES

TRIVIA TEST

BY FIFI RODRIGUEZ

1. GEOGRAPHY: How many independent countries are in Africa SUDOKU

BY LINDA THISTLE today?

2. TELEVISION: What was the name of the hospital in the sitcom “Scrubs”?

3. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: The secret government site called Area 51 is located in which U.S. state?

4. ANATOMY: What is the rarest human blood type?

5. HISTORY: Demolition of the Berlin Wall started in which year?

6. LANGUAGE: What is a polyglot?

7. MOVIES: In which Disney animated movie does the character Maleficent appear?

8. U.S. PRESIDENTS: What kind of crop did Jimmy Carter raise as a farmer?

9. MUSIC: Which instrument is Bartolomeo Cristofori credited with inventing?

10. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What do you PLACE A NUMBER IN THE EMPTY BOXES IN SUCH A WAY THAT EACH ROW call a group of horses or ponies that ACROSS, EACH COLUMN DOWN AND EACH SMALL 9-BOX SQUARE CONTAINS is used or owned by one person?

ALL OF THE NUMBERS ONE TO NINE.

CROSSWORD

©2022 King Feautres Syndicate, Inc. All rights reserved.

WWW.CANVASTATTOOS.COM

2019 2020 2021

APT CITY SIGHTS

©2022 King Feautres Syndicate, Inc. All rights reserved.

Pg. 19 AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 - QCNERVE.COM

(980) 299-2588 3012 N. DAVIDSON STREET VOTED BEST TATTOO SHOP 2918 N. DAVIDSON STREET CHARLOTTE, NC 28205

LIFESTYLE COLUMN

AERIN IT OUT

HUMBLED AT HUMBUG New bar is a refuge within a Refuge

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BY AERIN SPRUILL

Sitting on the cozy patio of Humbug nestled inside Refuge, a “five-room limited engagement hotel” at the corner of Central Avenue and Heath Court, drinking a well-crafted cocktail, I’m reminded of the quirky nature of Plaza Midwood.

Or should I say, the Plaza Midwood area. See, Refuge sits at that convergence of neighborhoods that makes it hard to know where you’re actually standing. Technically, the hotel is in the Belmont neighborhood. Just across Hawthorne sits The Thirsty Beaver Saloon, which is in Plaza Midwood. And just across Central Avenue is Moo & Brew, which is in Elizabeth.

But I digress.

The area has been going through its share of growing pains in recent years. Sure, we’ve suffered losses of neighborhood favorites like Elizabeth Billiards and, most recently, Soul Gastrolounge (which has ripped a hole in many a heart and left us butt-hurt). But we’ve also gained some brag-worthy newbies like Two Buck Saloon, Calle Sol, Morningside Pub, and at least for now, Humbug, all of which offer some glimmer of hope in not losing the neighborhood completely.

We ordered two Lemon Drop the Mic shooters ($7), one Sour to Rule Them All & In the Darkness Bind Them ($13) for me, and a Let It Rip ($13) for him. Humbug is a pop-up concept so named not because the intricate libations are at risk of conjuring a “Bah humbug!” but because of local visionaries Larry Suggs and Andrew School’s, “Irreverent approach to cocktails.” At least that’s how Larry put it as he sat our shots down in front of us.

My mouth watered but I wasn’t sure if it was in a good way.

“Always delicious, never pretentious,” surrounding the logo on a coaster dampened by the water that rested in front of me. Though confused as to why someone would spend $200 a night for a 219-square-foot hotel room without a TV, I wasn’t confused as to why Humbug had me at hello — or why that slogan couldn’t be a better fit for a concept that felt like it’d been open for more than the three days it had existed when we walked in.

A neon sign donning “cocktails” glows in front of a colorful tiger-patterned wallpaper backdrop, and welcomed us as we rounded the corner. At night, the dimly lit bar with twinkling candles and the buzz of conversation quickly drew me to the right even when my nosey urge to try the door of the first hotel room wanted to pull me left.

Larry and Andrew were busy behind the bar, but

not too busy to acknowledge our entry with a mutual head nod. We popped a squat on a stool and admired the decor. A few mismatching tables and chairs scattered, easy-to-maintain greenery placed on the floating shelves alongside a Fernet Branca sign and a few tchotchkes. It was just enough to look modern and elevated (without trying too hard) while also maintaining the approachable homeyness of a neighborhood hangout.

I turned to my boyfriend with a childlike excitement stirring inside of me, “I can’t wait to come back here already.”

Now y’all know there was a time that the only way you’d get me to venture outside of my favorite watering hole would be kicking and screaming. And here I was, five minutes in, experiencing a feeling you only get walking into your favorite bar.

Normally, the sight of a shot produces a visceral reaction that could easily turn into a trip to the restroom.

Not to mention the name of the shooter reminded me of a night in Columbia when I learned the hard way that not everyone’s Lemon Drop was made the same. To my surprise, Lemon Drop the Mic restored faith that the perfect shot for me, in fact, exists.

The cocktails that followed kept our attention from the first sip to the last, only sharing a single taste of our choices with one another. Usually, one of us experiences “cocktail envy,” the feeling that you ordered the wrong thing upon tasting someone else’s drink. But this time, we were beyond content, which usually is a telltale sign that we could choose a cocktail completely at random without fear of disappointment. And that’s harder to come by than some realize.

“I only wish they had some food,” I said to my boyfriend searching for a fork, small plate, crumpled napkin with a stain, or any other remnants of a snack on other patrons’ tables. He sighed, annoyed that, one, I couldn’t just be satisfied with what Humbug had to offer and, two, that I was thinking about food — again.

Here he goes with a reality check, crushing my hopes and bringing my search to an end.

Little did he know, Humbug was “cooking” up a collab with our friends at Counter-, where patrons will get to experience the culinary wild cards of Chef Sam Hart for a steal: $55 a person compared to the $155 a person price tag on Counter-’s upcoming Community Matters Pop-Up. Brah(-vo), Humbug!

INFO@QCNERVE.COM

of attention and probably would be a big success in show business.

upsets the amorous Arian, who is puzzled by Cupid’s LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Money romantic antics. Be patient and considerate. The matters remain a bit unsettled, but soon will ease confusion will soon sort itself out. into the kind of stability you appreciate. Meanwhile, an expanding social life offers a chance to make new TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) It’s a good time friends. for travel-loving Taureans to take off for fun-filled jaunts to new places. And don’t be surprised if Cupid SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Use an tags along for what could be a very eventful trip. unexpected roadblock in your monetary dealings to reassess your financial plans and make changes, if GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) You appear to be necessary. It soon will be smooth sailing again. of two minds about continuing a relationship that seems to be riding roughshod over your emotions.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) A frank talk could help you decide one way or the Aspects of love are strong for both single and paired other.

Sagittarians. Professional dealings also thrive under the Sag’s clever handling of difficult situations.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Stepping back from a relationship problem provides a fresh perspective on CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Set a how to deal with it. Meanwhile, watch your words. realistic goal and follow it through to completion.

Something said in anger now could backfire later.

Remember, you’re more likely to impress the right people with one well-done job than with lots of jobs LEO (July 23 to August 22) A changing situation left undone. makes the Big Cat uneasy. But hold on until things settle down in about a week. Meanwhile, continue AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) You like your good work on that still-unfinished project. to plan ahead. That’s fine. But, be prepared to make some changes because of an unsettled period that VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A decided influences your aspects throughout the next week. improvement in a workplace situation results in an unexpected, but very welcome, added benefit for PISCES (February 19 to March 20) A brief phase everyone. Personal relationships also improve. of instability affects your usual work cycle. Use the time to catch up on chores around the house or office. Things will settle down soon after this week.

PUZZLE ANSWERS

Aug. 31 - Sept. 6

BORN THIS WEEK: You love being the brightest

light wherever you go, and people love basking in your warmth and charm.

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) A strong social whirl

brings a new round of good times to fun-loving LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) A new Rams and Ewes. Also, Cupid is busy aiming arrows at contact opens some doors. That’s the good news. single Lambs hoping for a heart-to-heart encounter. But, there’s a caution involved: Be sure you protect your rights to your work before showing it to anyone TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) A romantic incident else. could take a more serious turn if the Divine Bovine considers meeting Cupid’s challenge. Meanwhile, a SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) A professional opportunity is also about to turn up. former colleague might seek to resume a working partnership. Ask yourself if you need it. If yes, get GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) A bit of hardheaded more information. If no, respectfully decline the realism could be just what the Twins need at this request. emotionally challenged time. Face the facts as they are, not as you want them to be. Good luck.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Good times dominate your aspect. So, why not have CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Many opportunities a party to celebrate a loved one’s success? And do are opening up. But, you need to be aware of their invite that special person you want to get to know actual pros and cons. Check them all out and make better. your choice from those that offer more of what you seek.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) The shy side of the Sea Goat soon gives way to your more LEO (July 23 to August 22) A more stable situation assertive self. This should help you when it comes begins, allowing you to feel more secure about time to speak up for yourself and your achievements. making important decisions. Meanwhile, be sure to meet any project deadlines so that you can move on AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) A new to other things. period of stability will help you deal with some recently reworked plans. Once you get your current VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) task done, you can devote more time to personal Congratulations. A new personal relationship matters. thrives, as you learn how to make room in your busy life for this wonderfully warm and exciting PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Things are emotional experience. finally much more stable these days, so you can restart the process of meeting your well-planned goals with fewer chances of interruptions or delays.

Pg. 21 AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 - QCNERVE.COM

Trivia Answers

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) A turn in a relationship

BORN THIS WEEK: You love being the center

2022 KING FEATURES SYND., INC.

6. A person who can speak multiple languages.

7. “Sleeping Beauty.”

8. Peanuts.

9. The piano.

10. A string.

August 24-30

HOROSCOPE

1. 54.

2. Sacred Heart.

3. Nevada.

4. AB negative.

5. 1989.

LIFESTYLE

LIFESTYLE COLUMN

SAVAGE LOVE

JERKED AROUND The memefication of porn

Pg. 22 AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 - QCNERVE.COM

BY DAN SAVAGE

I’ve been with my wife for 10 years. We are both 36 years old. We moved in fast and didn’t take time to learn certain things about one another. For example, I watch porn, which she only found out about after we moved in. She had a visceral reaction. She told me it was a dealbreaker for her, no negotiation. I agreed to stop but didn’t.

Fast forward 10 years and now I’m medicated for ADHD, which makes it much easier to avoid impulse behaviors like looking at porn. We have come close to divorce over this issue, as well as over how toxic I was before getting treatment for my ADHD. I’ve contributed my share of negativity to the marriage.

Now, as it stands, the agreement we have is that I will not watch porn of any kind. This is where we really start to differ. To her, porn is masturbating to anything. Looking at porn?

Not allowed. Looking at women in bikinis?

Not allowed. Coming across something that sexually charges me and masturbating to it? I have betrayed her trust. So, I don’t watch “porn” anymore but I feel extremely resentful about how I am controlled.

The latest example of this was when she was helping our kid play a game on a device that had to be connected to Facebook. Mine was connected, and a message came up with a recent conversation. In it I thanked a friend for being there for me, checking in on me, sending jokes, etc. This friend likes to send funny memes, some of which are risqué. I mentioned that I appreciated his jokes, even the ones that would have “upset my wife.” She is now accusing me of using friends (and memes) as loopholes to get around my promise not to look at porn.

I’m so tired. I have so much shame around masturbation now and I feel like I have no privacy.

We are about to see another couples’ counselor.

Any suggestions for me?

WORRIED ABOUT THIS CONSTANT HARASSMENT ERODING RELATIONSHIP

I don’t know exactly what your wife has had to put up with. You mention toxic behavior on your part prior to seeking treatment for ADHD. Toxic energy, toxic actions, toxic toxins — whatever you did, I’m going to assume your bullshit came close to intolerable, WATCHER, and award your wife some points for putting up with your bullshit.

With that said…

Giving up porn is a price of admission some are willing to pay. A person with an otherwise healthy relationship to porn — someone who, like most people, can enjoy porn in moderation, someone who can use porn without neglecting their partner sexually and/or being inconsiderate about their partner’s feelings — sometimes falls in love with a person who, for whatever reason, can’t stand the idea of their partner watching porn. Some people have sensitivities, others have insecurities; some on the left have political objections, some on the right have religious objections. Giving up porn is not something I would ever agree to, but a reasonable person might agree to stop watching porn (or pretend they’ve stopped watching porn) for someone they love.

But if the person who insisted their partner stop watching porn later defines absolutely everything as porn — porn itself, non-pornographic photos, good-looking people walking down the street, memes shared by friends — then it was never about the porn. It wasn’t about their insecurities or their political objections or their precious religious beliefs. It was about control. And the worst thing about controlling people is that they’re never satisfied. No matter how much control a romantic partner gives up, it’s never enough. A controlling person’s demands escalate slowly at the start of a new relationship, WATCHER, when

it’s still relatively easy for someone to end things. But once the relationship is harder to exit — once leases have been signed, marriages have been performed, children have been born — the controlling person’s demands not only escalate rapidly, they also tend to be become more arbitrary and irrational. (No memes? Really?)

Your wife’s bullshit is intolerable, WATCHER, and you shouldn’t put up with it.

Everyone is entitled to privacy, even married people.

Likewise, everyone enjoys a zone of erotic autonomy, even married people. Experiences you fantasize about, when and how you masturbate, things you can safely do without violating your monogamous commitment and/ or putting your partner at risk … not only shouldn’t someone try to take those things from you, it’s not in anyone’s power to take those things from you. We can’t police our partner’s fantasies. Ideally, our partners feel safe sharing their fantasies with us and involving us to the extent we can or wish to be involved. But we can’t prevent our partners from looking at whatever they want to look at, provided they’re considerate about when and where, and we certainly can’t stop our partners from thinking about whatever they want to think about, dick in hand or no dick in hand.

Get a divorce. Or get better at telling your wife what she insists on hearing, doing whatever you want when you’re safely in the zone (of erotic autonomy), and covering your tracks.

P.S. If the last couples’ counselor you saw didn’t turn to

your wife at the end of your first session and say, “You’re a fucking psycho,” they sucked at their job.

I am a gay man in a large Canadian city and I have a question about monkeypox. I have been seeing a male escort for several years and have built a friendly relationship with him. We both received the monkeypox vaccine in late June. My question is whether I should stop seeing him while monkeypox is still running rampant. Some further background — he is still advertising for clients online and he’s told me that he’s still sexually active and doesn’t always use condoms. I know he is in a financially precarious situation, which is why he escorts, so I don’t blame him for doing what he must. It pays the bills. I honestly miss him and our intimate connection, but I’m afraid I’d contract monkeypox even though we’re both vaccinated.

Should I take a pause in seeing him because he is still having sex with multiple people?

WORRIED ABOUT MONKEYPOX

Go to Savage.Love for Dan’s answer to this question and more; send questions to questions@savagelove. net; listen to Dan on the Savage Lovecast; follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage.

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VOTING OPENS SEPTEMBER 1 bit.ly/qcnbin22

2022 BIN awards will feature over 500 winners in:

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