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Glad you asked!
people writing down phone numbers while they’re doing that. Next up, Pink Floyd.
First, it’s DIGITAL – meaning you can carry it with you anywhere, and nobody even knows you have it. So somebody won’t pick it up when you lay it down, smash a fly, and get all that blood and gunk on it. The pages don’t tear, and the fan won’t blow them over when you’re not ready and make you lose your place. So, there’s that.
Or, maybe you saw a newspaper ad for a 4 hour guitar sale, half of half! It was a couple of days ago. You can’t remember what day or time the sale took place. The paper? Of course, you’ve thrown it out – because that’s what people do with papers. Good luck looking it up online, without subscribing to the online version of that paper.
Did we mention, it’s FREE?
Even Facebook. Maybe you wanted to go back and revisit something you saw there. It can be done. All you have to do is remember who posted it, find their page, and then scroll back through every post they’ve made since then … and, voila! Only took half an hour.
OK. So there’s that. But here’s something that you may not have thought about.
ARCHIVING. Your ad always accessible. How many times have you seen something in a printed publication, on the television, or heard it on the radio, and then needed to recall that thing and couldn’t find it? Could be a story or an article or even an advertisement and, dammit, it’s gone. Your printed publication was laid in the wrong place and the kids have made paper airplanes out of it, set them on fire, and threw them at the dog house. You didn’t get a chance to finish the story you were reading. The radio ad ended, and they’ve moved on to the next over-played song. You didn’t get the phone number for that plumber because you were driving at the time, and the police take a dim view of
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With a digital magazine, the information is always in the same place. If it was in the June issue, it’s still there. The pages are still in the same place. Nothing has moved. One click on your phone, and there’s the June issue; and you quickly and easily find the AD you were looking for; and link from there to the advertiser’s website … or wherever. You couldn’t do that with a printed magazine or a newspaper, even if you could find them! Try it. You keep punching and punching the web address, and you never go anywhere. With digital, they can FIND YOUR AD. It’s probably already in their hands.
June, 2016
Foreword
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? Question Mark Magazine Vol. 2 No. 5, June, 2016 Published by TigerEye Publications P.O. Box 6382 Springdale, AR 72766 E: cybermouth@hotmail.com Copyright 2016, Rick Baber Question Mark (?) Magazine is electronically published monthly, free to online subscribers, by TigerEye Publications, through ISSUU.com
Statement of Copyright: All rights reserved. Individual authors hold copyright on all materials herein. No part of this electronic magazine may be reproduced – except by ISSUU.com – without the written consent of Question Mark Magazine or the author. Email requests to copy any materials, including photographs and art work, to the address shown above. Please feel free to share the publication, or unaltered excerpts from it, via social media, with credit given to the Question Mark Magazine and the author. Acceptance of advertising does not carry with it endorsement by the publisher. Opinions expressed by Question Mark Magazine or any of its authors, do not necessarily reflect positions of our advertisers.
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? Magazine June, 2016
June 2016 * Volume 2 * Issue 5
CONTENTS Everybody, shooting everybody’s ass … PAGE 1 Back Issues (Get it?) PAGE 6 The Language of the Angels Bret Burquest PAGE 7 SUSAN ERWIN and her pink piano PAGE 7 The BENTONVILLE FILM FESTIVAL Rhonda Crone PAGE 12 BRUCE DERN tells us what’s real in an interview with Rhonda PAGE 17 MUHAMMAD ALI Zach Mann PAGE 18
? Magazine June, 2016 WTF IN ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
June 2016 * Volume 2 * Issue 5
CONTENTS It’s hard to leave when you can’t find the door. Rick Baber PAGE 22 Zach tries some logic in approaching the Gun Problem. Anybody want to listen to logic? Zach Mann PAGE 33 ABOUT OUR COVER
Having fun on your Summer Vacation? Don’t let this spoil it! PAGE 39
That’s all we got. Whattaya want? It’s summer. Go outside and get a sunburn or something.
How cool is this? Joe Walsh and his band play for a private party for the Citizen Soldier movie folks at the Bentonville Film Festival, and we got in! See more beginning on Page 22
? Magazine June, 2016 WTF IN ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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Since our humble conception a little over a year ago in that motel lobby in Batesville, Arkansas, (the one where that crazy-eyed chick came out of nowhere trying to sell us some pot) to our first cover shot while sitting in a bar in Kansas City, Missouri in June, 2015, getting prepared to go to a Jimmy Buffett concert; then on to publishing the first issue that September, Question Mark Magazine has spread from the hills of Arkansas to the four corners of the planet. “Thank you” to our readers, worldwide; and “Welcome,” to those parts of the map not yet painted blue.
Click any image to read our previous issues:
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June, 2016
? Bret Burquest
Boldly Going Nowhere
LANGUAGE OF THE ANGELS
When you're young you know everything. As you become middle-aged you tend to question everything. And when you get old you realize everything is so bizarre that it makes no sense at all. It seems like every year I have another birthday. If my new age doesn’t end in a zero, I try not to dwell on it too much. On my birthdays, I usually take a retrospective trip down memory lane, spending the day listening to my old music. It’s interesting how certain songs will trigger memories of specific segments of my life. "We skipped the light fandango... And turned cartwheels cross the floor... I was feeling kind of seasick... The crowd called out for more... The room was humming harder... And the ceiling flew away... When we called out for another drink... The waiter brought a tray... And so it was that later... As the miller told his tale... That her face at first so ghostly... Turned a whiter shade of pale." (lyrics by Gary Brooker and Keith Reid) Music is the language of the angels. When the right song hits you, you feel no pain. It brings splendor to loneliness and the heartbreak of love.
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"If I were a carpenter... And you were a lady... Would you marry me anyway,... Would you have my baby... If a tinker were my trade,... Would you still find me... Carrying the pots I'd made... Following behind me Save my love through loneliness,... Save my love for sorrow... I've given you my only-ness... Come give me your tomorrow." (lyrics by Tim Hardin) I was born at precisely the right time to suit my musical taste buds. When I became a teenager, a new musical style called rock-and-roll had just been introduced, thrusting the whole country into a generation-gap frenzy. Teen-agers loved the beat, but everyone over thirty basically thought the world was about to come to an end. While many of my classmates in the late 50s and early 60s swooned over Pat Boone, Ricky Nelson, the Everly Brothers and Elvis, I tended to like the heavy hitters like Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Bo Diddley. "I walk 47 miles of barbed wire... I use a cobra snake for a necktie... I got a brand new house on the roadside... Made from rattlesnake hide... I got a brand new chimney made on top... Made out of a human skull... Now come on take a little walk with me, Arlene... And tell me, who do you love?" (lyrics by Bo Diddley) As years went by, my music taste expanded into the blues, including John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Reed and many of the old-timers.
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? "Got me working, boss man, working 'round the clock... I want me a drink of water but you won't let me stop... Big boss man, can't you hear me when I call... Well, you ain't so big, you just tall, that's all." (lyrics by Jimmy Reed) When I was in college, I discovered folk music. Bob Dylan, Tom Rush, David Bromberg, Simon & Garfunkel -- profound hidden messages in the lyrics. "Get born, keep warm, short pants, romance, learn to dance... Get dressed, get blessed, try to be a success... Please her, please him, buy gifts, don't steal, don't lift... Twenty years of schooling and they put you on the day shift." (lyrics by Bob Dylan) Years passed and I became a working stiff in my 30s, into the Rolling Stones, Joe Cocker, Credence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, George Thorogood, Taj Mahal, Canned Heat and Joy of Cooking. "I'm going where the water tastes like wine... We can jump in the water, stay drunk all the time" (lyrics by Canned Heat) I moved into the Hollywood Hills for a couple of years. Two of my closest neighbors were aspiring actor Harrison Ford and singersongwriter Danny O'Keefe. "Everybody's gone away... Said they're movin' to L.A.... There's not a soul I know around... Everybody's leaving town... Some caught a freight, some caught a plane... Find the sunshine, leave the rain... They said this town will waste their time... 8
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Guess they're right - it's wasting mine... Some gotta win, some gotta lose... Good Time Charlie's got the blues." (lyrics by Danny O'Keefe) In my moody forties, I couldn’t get enough JJ Cale. "I go down there every chance I get... It's where my baby she met her death... And the river runs deep and the water is cold as ice... Ain`t no woman gonna make a fool out of me." (lyrics by JJ Cale) On occasion, I even found myself liking Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Pink Floyd, Moody Blues, The Doors, soft jazz and new age sounds. "When I was just a baby,... My mama told me, 'Son,... Always be a good boy... Don't ever play with guns'... But I shot a man in Reno... Just to watch him die... When I hear that whistle blowing... I hang my head and cry." (lyrics by Johnny Cash) In my fifties, I became more conscious of the darkness of the world around me. "Everybody knows that the dice are loaded... Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed... Everybody knows that the war is over... Everybody knows the good guys lost... Everybody knows the fight was fixed... The poor stay poor, the rich get rich. *** Everybody knows that the boat is leaking... Everybody knows that the captain lied... Everybody got this broken feeling... Like their father or their dog just died." ***
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? Everybody knows that the plague is coming... Everybody knows that it's moving fast. *** That's how it goes... Everybody knows." (lyrics by Leonard Cohen) Sometimes it doesn't matter if the lyrics make sense. If it sounds right, it is right. "Sitting on a cornflake... Waiting for the van to come... Corporation tee-shirts... Stupid bloody Tuesday... Man, you've been a naughty boy... You let your face grow long... I am the eggman... They are the eggmen... I am the walrus... Koo Koo Kachoo." (lyrics by John Lennon and Paul McCartney) Basically, I can listen to music and reflect upon a time in my life when I first heard it. Every time I hear Sonny and Cher singing “I got you Babe,” I think about the woman I was seeing back then.
"I have my books and my poetry to protect me... I am shielded in my armor... Hiding in my room... Safe within my womb... I touch no one and no one touches me... I am a rock... I am an island... And a rock feels no pain... And an island never cries." (lyrics by Paul Simon) I dwell alone on Bret Island -- August 10 is my birthday. Whiskey River don't run dry, excuse me while I kiss the sky, and break on through to the other side. Koo Koo Kachoo. ___________ Bret Burquest is the author of 11 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and where music in the soul can be heard by the universe. ___________
The Rolling Stones remind me of my Army stint, while Simon and Garfunkel bring back my college days. And whenever JJ Cale does “Cajun Moon” or “The Fate of a Fool,” I fondly remember my years living alone on a mountaintop, seeking answers to questions I hadn’t even thought of yet. The purpose in life is to grow and I've been able to accomplish that in all directions, except vertically.
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PERFORMANCE VENUES AND DETIALS JUNE 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 - The Red Piano SANTA BARBARA, CA JUNE 28, 29, 30 - The Red Piano SANTA BARBARA, CA
JULY 15, 16 - Pink Piano Show Oaklawn Casino Hot Springs, Arkansas JULY 22, 23 - Pink Piano Show Oaklawn Casino Hot Springs, Arkansas JULY 29, 30 - Pink Piano Show Oaklawn Casino Hot Springs, Arkansas
JULY 2, 3 - Pink Piano Show Oaklawn Casino Hot Springs, Arkansas
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JULY 8, 9 - Pink Piano Show Oaklawn Casino Hot Springs, Arkansas
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? AUGUST 2016 The Red Piano TRONDHEIM, NORWAY Every Monday-Saturday 9pm-1am
DEC 23, 24 Pink Piano Show Oaklawn Casino Hot Springs, Arkansas
SEPT 2-11 Joys Live Marbella, Spain SEPT 16 Balboa Club Hot Springs Village, Arkansas OCT 1 Pink Piano Show Oaklawn Casino Hot Springs, Arkansas OCT 7, 8 Pink Piano Show Oaklawn Casino Hot Springs, Arkansas OCT 14, 15 Pink Piano Show Oaklawn Casino Hot Springs, Arkansas OCT 21, 22 Pink Piano Show Oaklawn Casino Hot Springs, Arkansas OCT 28, 29 Pink Piano Show Oaklawn Casino Hot Springs, Arkansas OCT 30 - BALLET ARKANSAS "BALLET & BLOOMS" 3PM Garvan Gardens, Hot Springs, Arkansas GET TICKETS OCT 31 Pink Piano Show HALLOWEEN Oaklawn Casino Hot Springs, Arkansas NOVEMBER 1-30 2016 The Red Piano CARIBBEAN St. Maarten, Caribbean | Every Tuesday Sunday 8pm-1am DEC 2, 3 Pink Piano Show Oaklawn Casino Hot Springs, Arkansas DEC 9, 10 Pink Piano Show Oaklawn Casino Hot Springs, Arkansas
First Picture: Photography - Matthew John Garsteck Location - Venice Beach 2015 — at Venice Beach, California.
DEC 16, 17 Pink Piano Show Oaklawn Casino Hot Springs, Arkansas
Click any image to visit Susan’s website!
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Look Out Sundance, There’s a New Kid in (a small) Town by Rhonda Crone
IF you told me seven years ago that the small town of Bentonville, Arkansas, population 40,000 (and it was less then), was to become home to an international film festival, drawing names like Geena Davis, Meg Ryan, Bruce Dern, Jon Voight, Nia Vardalos, and Darius Rucker - to name only a few - in the same weekend, I would have spat out my Yellow Tail merlot right in your face, laughing. Even if it were, say, three years ago, despite the revitalized town square, influx of Walmart and other well-todo corporate executives, and Drew Barrymore being rumored to be buying real estate there because of her Walmart makeup line, I still would have giggled and said, “Yeah, right, okay. That’ll be adorable, just like Fayetteville’s Fashion Week.” But in 2015, the First Annual Bentonville Film Festival made its debut to a crowd of about 37,000 people with Oscar Award Winner Geena Davis as the face of the five-day event. On May 3-7 2016, the Second Annual BFF saw a turnout of 63,000 people (a whopping 70% increase), this year guaranteeing distribution for all winning films by way of VUDU, Walmart DVD, Starz and Lifetime.
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One might wonder, “How in the hell did a small Arkansas town with NO MOVIE THEATRE score an A-List actor like Davis as its “co-founder” for a film festival?” Well, if said person was aware of the fact that Bentonville is home to corporate retail giant Wal-Mart, and subsequently satellite or home offices to numerous other multimillion dollar corporations, they need ask no further. With Sponsor Wal-Mart and presenting sponsor Coca-Cola, The 2nd Annual BFF, as the event has been playfully nicknamed, had a running start. Despite the fact that there are dollars galore in Bentonville, it’s a still a bit surreal to see, as a Northwest Arkansas (we call it NWA) native who grew up seeing Bentonville as a sleepy little town of under 20,000 people despite it being home to WalMart corporate offices. Other than that, it had nary a Sonic until a few years ago.
As I sat there in the Ozark Mountains in a world-class art museum, Crystal Bridges, that houses work from artists such as Warhol, Cezanne and Norman Rockwell (more thanks to the Walton Family), a few feet away from me sits one of the iconic actresses of our time, Meg Ryan, as part of a discussion called “In Control of Her Own
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? Destiny.” I had to pinch myself. And then again later, after an in-depth casual conversation I had with Hollywood Legend Bruce Dern.
All of this, right here in my own backyard. The festival spanned the town, showing films and holding other events at venues like Crystal Bridges and 21C Museum Hotel, and the Cinetransformers –movie theaters set inside trailers across the town. Other coinciding events were a Darius Rucker show at the Walmart AMP (of Hootie and the Blowfish fame), Arkansas’ very own “Voice” star, Barrett Baber, a Girls That Grill BBQ judging by Harry Connick Jr., and Eagles’ veteran Joe Walsh playing a private show at a tiny theatre on the Bentonville Square, Meteor Guitar Gallery. Walsh wrote music for the submitted film Citizen Soldier, set in 14
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Oklahoma – which is what brought him to the venue. There was a filmmakers’ lounge, a Bloody Mary brunch with Bruce Dern, children’s activities on the square – basically far too many things going on to catch them all. There’s also a mission underlying the BFF. We should discuss what this festival that within a few years, could rival Sundance or the Tribeca Film Festival, is really about. Thanks to Geena Davis and her Institute on Gender and Media, BFF was created under the concept of diversity and this year added “inclusion” as relayed in the new logo. By “inclusion” they mean not only the inclusion of women and minorities in the film industry, but also, not the exclusion of the white male. “Include” is the term of the hour. But, the hope is to bring down the 9 to 1 ratio of men to women working in the film industry. For minorities, the number is even lower. Despite the ironic backdrop - a lessthan diverse small Arkansas town smack dab in the Bible Belt, there’s hope for the mission, due to the progressively progressive influx of young professionals from around the country, and world, as well as hipster 20somethings fresh out of college. Also fortunately, the muscle of the companies behind the cause is powerful enough to see it through. At the opening press conference, co-founder Davis, along with ex-corporate executive and co-founder Trevor Drinkwater, Coca Cola Executive Stuart Kronauge and Ben Hasan of Walmart, discussed the parallels of the film industry and the general workforce regarding the quest for diversity. “[We] seek diversity in the workforce in the same way, ” Said Kronauge, of Coca-Cola. “We are on a pursuit for diversity and inclusion, so [the festival is] a natural fit.” June, 2016
? “We can leave here and spread the message – it’s a continuation of something very large.” Hasan stated his company shares the same ideals, “At Walmart, one of the fundamental beliefs is respect for the individual – it naturally fits with the Walmart mission.” Drinkwater added in, “Media can create the problem or solve the problem.” So here’s hoping, the Bentonville Film Festival along with Geena Davis’ Institute on Gender in Media, will make a significant mark on Hollywood and help rectify the alarming discrepancies in the industry. Winners of the 2016 Festival can be found via http://www.BFF.com . Geena Davis’ Institute for Gender in Media is found at http://www.seejane.org .
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Rhonda got a cool gig for this issue. Here’s a VIDEO of a one-on-one conversation between Question Mark’s Rhonda Crone and the immortal BRUCE DERN. Mr. Dern goes on, in the video, to tell a story about him with a couple of other young actors, named Jack Nicholson and Harry Dean Stanton, trying to get an audience with renowned casting director, Lynn Stalmaster, back before anybody knew who these three guys were. During the video, the camera operator got so involved with the conversation and trying to get the shot that she turned the camera sideways, a couple of times. We can’t figure out how to fix that – but, as said on the YouTube channel, when you’ve got somebody like Bruce Dern, unscripted, speaking from
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the heart with such honesty and intensity, you don’t edit! QM: Do you think it can be “bought” in Hollywood? DERN: No, it can’t be bought, we gotta bring it back and make it be bought, and the only way you can do that is to make a five minute film, a fifty minute film, a hundred and two hour movie. It doesn’t matter what it is. Put it on film. It’s something that you can say “If I’ve done nothing else, and it bores the shit out of you, let me tell you something, it’s fuckin’ real!” Best. Damn. Advice. Ever. Click the image to watch the video. 7 minutes. June, 2016
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? He was, in so many ways, the avenging angel for so many people around the world. He sacrificed the best years of his career on a matter of great principle which most of the rest of us hadn’t even snapped to yet - the insanity of the war in Vietnam, and thus the insanity of war itself.
The Greatest By Zach Mann
I’d like to personally thank the kid who stole a bicycle in Louisville around 1954 that belonged to a twelve-year-old kid named Cassius Clay. Whoever that kid was, he changed the world. By now we’ve all heard this story about how Muhammed Ali would enter a boxing ring for the first time, and the rest is some of the most fascinating history of a single life in modern times. Ali was not normal in so very many ways. His boxing skills alone were freakish for a man his size. At 6’3’’ tall and 210 pounds, he was screaming mean and lean when he took the heavyweight championship away from Sonny Liston in 1964. He truly did float around the ring like a butterfly, and applied the sweet science with an uncanny grace and totally unconventional style. It was like watching some sort of pugilist ballet, with surgical precision and lightning speed, all the while slipping and dodging his opponent’s barrages and making them look silly in the process. Don’t forget that this particular era of boxing is considered to be by far the golden age of talent in the heavyweight division, with Floyd Patterson, Jerry Quarry, Joe Frazier, Sonny Liston, George Foreman, and Cleveland Williams to name a few, all on the list of all-time greats. Obviously, Ali fought too long and paid the horrible price of suffering the debilitation of Parkinson’ Disease for the last 30 years of his life, which itself, is poetically sad. Like so many before him and since, he just needed a couple too many paydays to stop when he should have, though he carried his affliction with grace and style.
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“Ain’t no Viet Cong ever called me nigger,” he stated when asked why he wouldn’t serve. Had he gone into the service, no doubt he would never have seen combat, just like Joe Louis didn’t before him during WWII. The army would have paraded him around the world and used him as a propaganda tool instead. Only, unlike Louis, the cause was simply not a just one, and Ali knew it. (Incidentally, Joe Louis was sued by the very government who made him their boy, over tax evasion of all things, and died penniless as a door man at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.) It seems we didn’t have much use for heroes in this country after we used them up, especially if they were black and especially if it was in the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, or dare I say it out loud, even to this day. If things are any better, and I believe that they are, Muhammed Ali is one big reason why. It would not be fair to say that he stopped the war in Vietnam, but he certainly brought a lot of attention to a different point of view, and did so at great personal expense. By this time, Ali was a devout Muslim, and, without an ability to ply his trade, spent the next three years lecturing around the country, anywhere they would give him a microphone, typically espousing the virtues of not only his faith, but also civil rights in general. Finally, the Supreme Court overturned his draft dodging conviction and in doing so, upheld his status as a conscientious objector. Ali was never quite as sharp in the ring again, having been robbed of his title for those three years, but
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? he was still good enough to win the championship back, having to go through Jerry Quarry, Frazier twice, and then George Foreman to do it. It was these fights that probably did the irreversible damage that plagued him all the rest of his years. He later lost to Leon Spinks, then won the title back a third time in a re-match, his speech already slurred and his skills diminished to a shadow of his former greatness. He went on to fight his old sparring partner Larry Holmes, a fight which he lost, then ended his career in the ring with a draw against Trevor Berbick. After the Holmes fight, Larry went over to Ali’s dressing room where he sat withered with his gloves still on. Holmes apologized and told the champ how much he loved him. Ali replied, “then what did you have to go and whoop me for?” and smiled at his old training camp ring mate. Boxing was merely the vehicle for the Louisville Lip to have an audience. He was handsome, proud, black, and brilliant, when folks of color needed an audacious mouthpiece to rally behind. It wasn’t just people of color, though, who needed Ali. It was America, and it was the world. It was anyone from humble beginnings that felt the desperate yearning to be uplifted, to overcome odds, to voice their own opinion, and to be heard. It was all of us. He was a magnificent creature who could shine light where there was none, spread hope where hope was sparse, and man, could he put color on a drab gray palate. He enriched the lives of the entire human race by being nothing more and nothing less than his totally original self. He was, in so many ways, the GREATEST. Rest in peace, great warrior and sweet prince, you’ve made us all just a little bit better.
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“I’ve wrestled with alligators;
I’ve tussled with a whale; I done handcuffed lightnin’; and thrown thunder in jail.” -
Muhammed Ali
"It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wears you out; it is the pebble in your shoe." -
Muhammad Ali
"If you even dream of beating
me, you'd better wake up and apologize." -
Muhammad Ali
"The Nation of Islam taught
me that white people are devils. I don't believe that now; in fact, I never really believed that." -
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Muhammad Ali
? When I first moved to northwest Arkansas, 1983, if I had heard anybody say that Bentonville would ever be anything other than a sleepy little town that just happened to be the home of one of the world’s largest retailers, I would have snorted like Peppa Pig jumping in a puddle. Matter of fact, I think I remember doing that a time or two over the years. If movie stars or rock gods were to happen across the community, they were likely doing so anonymously, in search of quiet solitude, away from the maddening crowds. A place to put on a big floppy hat, and maybe go fishing. Things like that don’t change. In 2016, primarily due to the efforts of the Walton family, who own what is now the world’s largest retailer, things are a bit different. The Bentonville Film Festival is but one example of the changes going on around here that some welcome, and others … not so much. Founded in 2015 by Academy Award winning actress, Geena Davis, and (CEO of ARC Entertainment) Trevor Drinkwater, like the traffic, and the construction here, this thing is growing like a Bluetick puppy in a mobile home. There’s something that would be more familiar here than … this:
That’s a big ol’ dormant chromium tree out in front of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art – where you can have lunch in a place called “Eleven,” here:
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It’s a far cry from the greasy spoons we’d frequent for meals in the early 80s. After lunch, you might want to (you’d be a fool if you didn’t) take a tour of the museum itself, where you, for free, can see hundreds of millions of dollars worth of world-class paintings and sculptures … in the woods … in Arkansas. If you’re here in the warm months, maybe you’d like to go back to your hotel (Expedia found 76 just near XNA, the regional airport), rest up a bit, then take in a show at the Arkansas Music Pavillion (The AMP), in Rogers. Chris Stapleton’s there on July 28. The common theme? WalMart. The Waltons. That family of billionaires that so many people have taken aim at for too many reasons to recount here – turning northwest Arkansas into “the bubble,” as I call it, that is undoubtedly growing bigger and bigger each day with no sharp object on the horizon that would give any indication that it might burst. And as the bubble grows, so does the Bentonville Film Festival, giving the rich and powerful; the influential insiders; and press-pass-grabbing little digital magazine publishers with nothing to lose, like moi, opportunities to attend and photograph a music superstar performing six songs with his band at a private event in downtown Bentonville.
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? Yeah, that’s Joe Walsh. Rhonda Crone had covered the Film Festival, itself, but then she called me the day before the Joe Walsh gig at The Meteor Guitar Gallery that she wasn’t going to be able to attend. What good is having our very own entertainment magazine if Joe Walsh is going to be in town and we have nobody there to cover it? Totally unaccustomed to actual “reporting,” and with no idea how to go about even getting in to such an event, I had her drop the press passes off to me; called my son at the last moment and asked him to be my wingman.
walked up and asked us if we were with the press. Thinking he was the guy who would escort us through the crowd, past the police, I confirmed. Wrong dude. He identified himself as a photographer for Celebrate Magazine, and informed us that this was not, as we had thought, a public event, and was, in fact, a private party, CLOSED TO THE PRESS. With the long line of people wanting to get inside, given the fact that we were all still outside when all those people were standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the lobby; and the sign on the door, we had every reason to believe the guy who had a camera hanging around his neck that made mine look like a toy.
We showed up on the Bentonville Square at about 8:30, thinking we had plenty of time to flash our badges (we did need those stinking badges!) and be stuck in the back of a room, shooting over a horde of screaming newspaper reporters and flashing photogs. There must have been plenty of time, because there was still a long line of people outside The Meteor trying to get in. And the line wasn’t moving. And what appeared to be every cop in Bentonville was there – making sure the line wasn’t moving. We looked around for the rest of the press corps, but nobody else was wearing these classy little necklaces. Then, some dude, seeing my big camera bag on my shoulder,
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? “What time did you get here?” I asked him. “About 8:30 … this morning.” Gulp. “Well, I guess that’s it, then,” I said, not in possession of that dogging reporter spirit; adjusting my camera bag while slapping my disappointed son on the back, ready to walk down the street and have a cold beer. We could listen to The James Gang on the way home. “Just stand over here by me,” the guy said, I’m talking to some people who are working on getting us in.” Us? Damn right, buddy. The party, it turns out, was for one of the movies featured at the festival, “Citizen Soldier,” and Joe Walsh had written and recorded at least one original song for it. Those people inside; and those showing up in the limos and walking right past the crowd, were folks who had something to do with the movie, or the host, or the film festival itself, and, probably most significantly, they were not us. But this dude seemed confidant, after hanging around there for twelve hours, that he had at least a shot at getting inside; and so did we, if we stuck with him.
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So, maybe we had been a little bit, how you say (?) misinformed, but this would make it even cooler if we did somehow manage to get inside. From what we understood, most, if not all, of the other press had simply accepted the fact that it was a closed event, and left the scene. In a little while, a young lady walked back outside and spoke with Dude. He told us they were still working on it. There were some forms we had to sign to get in, and the printer was on the fritz. Working on it. We waited. The show was supposed to start at 9 pm, and it was well after that. A guy came out and brought the forms, which laid down some pretty strict rules about our behavior. Most notably was that we were allowed to take pictures of only the first, second, and third songs; and we weren’t allowed to use a flash; and we were only allowed to take the pictures from the soundboard area. Of course, we didn’t argue. We signed the things and were escorted by “The Guy” into the lobby. There a seven foot tall young man who didn’t seem receptive to humor examined my driver’s license with all the scrutiny and concentration of a McDonald’s employee trying to figure out how to count back change with the cash register broken. He looked at my height, hair color, eye color; asked me my address – as-if I couldn’t memorize that much from a fake ID. And, as did The Dude and my son, I must’ve passed the test; because next, The Guy, was leading us into the auditorium and up the stairs to the “VIP” balcony, where we were placed dead center of the front, against the rail, directly over the sound board. The “rules” were modified slightly, and we were told we could take pix only during the first two songs; and we were to direct our cameras only toward the stage. No pictures of the crowd on the balcony – including actor, Joey Lawrence (Blossom), hanging out, June, 2016
? drinking a cold Heineken, up here with the rest of the beautiful people; or below, where Dude quickly picked out WalMart CEO, Doug McMillon – a celebrity in his own right in NWA. So I didn’t shoot any pictures of them. But my friend, Cherise, an invited guest who, I assume, didn’t have to sign any damn forms, got some pictures of her own, throughout the Festival, which she graciously gave us permission to use.
Maddie, with Indiana & Rory Feek
Cherise and Maddie with Joey Lawrence
Cherise with Alice Coulthard
So, there we were: Me, James (my son), The Dude, and … nobody else. We were IT. Then, just before the show started, The Guy, brought in a fellow with a mega-camera and asked if we could move over a little and make him some room. He was from Wired
Cherise with John Voight
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? Magazine. I guess he signed the forms too. I picked up my beer – I was worried about knocking it over onto the sound board anyway. That would have been awkward. – and let him have the space to my right; holding firmly to my dead-center position.
less acceptable word that sounds kind of like that, but gets a much sharper reaction in mixed company, or at church. Especially at church. They don’t like it at all there.
Then, the opening act – an excellent indie soul trio from L.A. called “Short Sleeve Heart” – would have been worth the price of admission, for those who actually had to pay.
Waddy Wachtel, Jimmy Wallace, Joe Walsh and Joe Vitale
Mike Trella, Laila Garsys, Pat Mannella “Short Sleeve Heart”
Trying to capture Laila Garsys’ more than impressive pipes, I shot a few seconds of video, if only with my Canon SLR. It doesn’t do her/them justice, so I won’t display it here. But, you can find them on YouTube, including THIS VIDEO, of, coincidentally, the same song, from the same gig, I was trying to record. We all know who Joe Walsh is, so there are no revelations here about him. But, if you get nothing else from this article, remember “Short Sleeve Heart;” and do yourself a favor by checking them out. When Joe Walsh’s band walked out, I got my second big bonus of the evening. As a long-time fan, nay, worshipper of Jackson Browne and James Taylor, I was thrilled to scream out to James and The Dude “That’s Waddy Friggin’ Wachtel!” Except I didn’t use the word “friggin.” I used a somewhat 28
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They opened with “Walk Away,” which was perfect, and I shot pictures like the Paparazzi in a sauna with Kim Kardashian, thinking I’d try my hand at video (again) on the second (and final for the camera) song. After the opening, Joe decided to joke a bit with the Arkansas crowd. I can’t find anything in the agreement we signed that forbids it … but …. with the lesson here being “never leave home without a tripod,” just about the time “In the City” was finished, I had it figured out – and The Guy was already tapping me on the shoulder, signaling me to turn off the camera and put it away. The audio isn’t terrible, but the video is so shaky that your opinion of me as the world’s worst videographer might diminish if you were to see it. Damn shame, that is. Although forced to put away our cameras, The Guy said there was no reason for us to leave. “Just relax and enjoy the show.” The third song was “Funk 49,” and I felt as if I was the only spectator in the room old enough to remember The James Gang. But they’d given “Walk Away” a rousing reception, and they dug this one just as much. Renewed my faith in today’s youth. June, 2016
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Larry Young on bass. Backup singers – and God forgive me if I’m wrong, but nobody tells us these things – Connie Jackson, Leslie Fuller, Rickey Washington
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June, 2016 ď€
? For the fourth song, Joe introduced “Life’s Been Good” as a sing along. Everybody did. Fantastic as it all was, not being able to shoot, but still standing down there in front of everybody else in the balcony, and hot as hell, I suggested to James that we go. There are only so many pictures one can get of a band, from the balcony above the sound board, during two songs. They become … redundant, after a while. His response was something to the effect of “And pass up free beer?” (Even if Heineken was all they had – some kind of sponsorship deal). So, we stayed. “Life in the Fast Lane” was next, and the crowd went berserk. Little did we know that it, the 5th song, was the last one in the set. But the band didn’t walk off stage. Joe explained that if they were to do that, the crowd would just be out there yelling and screaming and they’d come back to do an encore, and “This is the encore,” he said as the band started playing Rocky Mountain
Way.
Then, that really was it. Six songs, from one of the premier rockers in the history of music, right there in a guitar gallery in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. Presumably, the party went on, but we hit the street to walk down to Alice Walton’s 21C Hotel bar for a few more cold ones before calling the Uberdude to pick us up. James said he thought the band would probably be staying there and, who knew, we might at least get a chance to hang out with Waddy and the gang. No. Didn’t happen. On the way, I was telling James how The Guy told me he had heard of Question Mark Magazine. While I doubted it, he sounded sincere. Then The Guy asked me if that was our building across the street. I didn’t know what that was about until James showed me on the walk down to the square.
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Just a happy coincidence, I guess. Not our building. Nice sign though. So, The Guy who had the stroke to smuggle us into a private party and hang out (sort of) with Joe Walsh and his band at least thought he had heard of our little digital magazine. Next time, he’ll be sure of it.
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Click the image above to read the previous issue of
Question Mark Magazine
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HOW TO MAKE SENSE OF THE GUN ARGUMENT by Zach Mann
We Americans need to accept a few facts about gun violence, so before we step off the cliff into the same old argument, let’s see if we can establish some common ground. We can all agree that there is entirely too much gun violence in this country. Not only with the horrific massacres like Sandy Hook and Orlando, but each and every day in every corner of the country and all points in between. You see? We’ve already agreed on SOMETHING! Acknowledgement is the key. I believe that it would be fair to say that the very vocal minorities on either extreme of this matter are the folks who are currently framing the argument for the vast majority of us, and I think this is most unfortunate. The shrill voices of the gun
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nuts on the far right and the “holier than thou” voices of the extreme left are drowning out the pragmatic voices of the middle ground. In the meantime, too many people are dying, and this is a road to nowhere. POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION: (1)
THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT THAT GUARANTEES THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS
(a) the intent of that amendment (b) the application of that amendment (c) the responsibility inherent in maintaining that amendment (d) state rights vs. federal rights
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? (2) Guns don’t kill people, people kill people----valid point? (a) arming the “good guys” protects us from the “bad guys”…. (b) if guns weren’t accessible, the same people would kill us by other means… (c) if we outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns…. (3) The Politics of the issue (a) the effect that the gun lobby has on policy (b) the pandering on both sides of the issue by candidates (c) the divisiveness of the issue on the populace in general (4) the SOLUTION(S) As we go through these points, let us endeavor to truly strive to understand the opposite points of view so that we can then understand the necessity of this dialogue in general. Look at it this way; It’s five o’clock on a Friday night before a holiday weekend and nobody gets to go home until we hammer out a framework to SOLVE the problem. It is going require some COMPROMISE, so leave your preconceived notions of VICTORY at the door. Right now, there are no WINNERS, and the losers are all of us who have felt the pain, either vicariously or directly, from violence perpetrated with a gun. The 2nd Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America asserts……. “ A well regulated Militia, being necessary to
the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
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The above is the ENTIRE Second Amendment. Let’s take it apart, word by word, and focus on what is the obvious intent. The first question seems crystal clear. What did they mean when they said “a well regulated militia”? To me, this phrase, written in the vernacular of the day, referred to an organized force which would be controlled by a government for, by, and of the people to provide for the common defense. It seems to me to describe, at the very least, a police force, and at most, an army, (military). It implies nothing less and nothing more. Pay particular attention to the very first words, “a well regulated”. This implies a measure of control, does it not? The amendment, it seems to me, allows for the people themselves to keep and bear arms for their own protection, but still under the guise of being “well regulated”. Now comes the sticky part. The last four words, “shall not be infringed”, seems to be the part of the amendment that is open to such vast supposition. I suppose, for example, that this intends that the right becomes inalienable, like all the other rights set forth in the constitution. There are those among us, though, who believe that we should be entitled by this amendment to each have our very own nuclear warhead and that to be otherwise limited constitutes a violation of the very right itself. I think that we can all agree that, obviously, the right to bear arms does come with some limitations. Remember, the Constitution states in the preamble that we are establishing a method with which to provide for the common defense. This defense is for the overall peace and tranquility within the country as a whole, against all enemies, foreign and domestic. In other words, against those
June, 2016
? among us who would endeavor to do us harm, as well as foreign enemies. We can clearly see our right being exercised daily, when a police car rolls by, or when a person in a United States military uniform goes about their business, all evidence of the right of a free state to bear arms, and under the auspice of the very people they are there to protect and defend, by a government for, by, and of the people. Pretty simple, isn’t it? The amendment, as I mentioned, also seems to extend the right of the individual to protect his own property, along with the right to protect himself and his loved ones. The automobile is an extension of the home, and has been recognized as such by the Supreme Court, and therefore, assumed to be covered within the same framework. Herein, however, is a certain line of discernment which must be evaluated in order to alleviate any misunderstanding. In the days when the 2nd Amendment was penned, there were no automobiles, and consequently no need to have them licensed and registered for the common good. Unless I am sadly mistaken, in the late 1700’s, no one was required to license or insure their horses and buggies. As established by modern law, we require that automobiles be road worthy and safe, and, in addition, that we be tested to determine whether or not we as individuals can operate them responsibly and safely. If the car is an extension of the home, then a gun is an extension of all of the common rights AND responsibilities, as well. When a person is cited for behavior or practices that do not fall within the guidelines set forth under the quest for the public good, (safety), his right can and regularly is revoked. In effect, when a person fails to operate an automobile safely, the
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rights of the public at large trump his rights, clear and simple. Why then, should gun use and/or gun ownership require any less of a responsible trust? Therefore, I contend that all citizens who wish to possess firearms should be required to register those firearms, and, to go a step further, insure their ability to use them in a safe and legal manner. If it’s good enough for your deadly Chevrolet, it’s good enough for your 9mm pistol. Now, remember the part about “providing for the common defense” and how it applies to “all enemies foreign and domestic”? If public safety is the stated goal, which is simply another term for the assurance of the domestic tranquility, why would it not be reasonable to provide certain safeguards for the public at large? We require, for example, that all new cars come equipped with certain safety features as to protect the consumer and whomever the consumer may come into contact with via the vehicle itself, in plain English, to help provide for the public good. We’ve established that it is set forth in the constitution that the right to bear arms is inalienable, but, we’ve also come to the realization that such a right must have limitations, as to provide for the common good. If there were no assault rifles with 100 round clips circulating throughout the populace, the country would be a safer place, would it not? We will get to the part about “if we outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns”, (don’t worry). I know that the horse is out of the barn and that we have some work to do to get him back in. Obviously there are lots of people who believe that any legislation concerning any kind of gun control must be at the state level and not the federal level and I could not
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? disagree more fervently with this assertion. The common defense is paid for at the federal level and uses funds generated in all 50 states to do so. Even though New York is more likely to be attacked from a foreign enemy than is Arkansas, we all pay a fixed percentage at the federal level that does not take such exposure into account. An attack on any sector of our population is an attack on all of our population, as a matter of shared risk. The federal government should be the absolute authority on the licensing and monitoring of guns for this simple reason. Also, it has at its disposal the resources to be more effective and is less prone to being compromised at the “good ol’ boy” level. We have an FBI, we have an ATF, and we have a Department of Homeland Security, all of whom can and should be able to do the job evenly and effectively. This system guarantees that the law is applied across every map, every culture, every class, and any other distinction. GUNS DON’T KILL PEOPLE, PEOPLE KILL PEOPLE Yes, it is true that people kill people, but usually, they use guns to do it. We’ve all heard the Timothy McVeigh analogy, but guess what? Go try and buy fertilizer, like he did, and see what happens. As a matter of public safety, restrictions have been put in place to insure the domestic tranquility and you will be apprised of this reality as soon as you place your order for that fertilizer, (see how well that works). It is true that no matter what we do or what laws we put in place, or how hard we bother to enforce the laws that are already in place, people hell bent on destruction, murder, and mayhem will continue to find new ways to exact their
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toll. We must stay vigilante and united, report all suspicious activity, and never let down our guard, regardless of how long it takes or how tired of hearing about these terrible events we may get. If we do our jobs as watchful citizens, those whom we rely on to help protect us can do their jobs more efficiently. Now, let’s suppose that this murderer who killed all of those people in Orlando was not able to purchase an AR-15-like weapon. He still would have been able to kill a lot of people, but he certainly would not have been able to shoot over a hundred innocent people in just a matter of seconds. As a matter of practicality, in order to protect our homes and families, we simply don’t need assault style rifles. Weapons with that much rapid killing power should be banished from our streets. As for the weapons of that nature which are already in circulation, we should put a bounty on them. To start with, a buyback program like the Australians imposed, whereby the government puts up the necessary funds and invites all of the owners to comply within a date certain. After that date has passed, it should become a felony to own or otherwise have one of these weapons in your possession, period. The strictest of penalties should then be applied to those who still choose to possess them, including the forfeiture of all rights to any other property that they may hold. Should one of these weapons be used in the commission of a violent crime, all penalties should then be doubled. Sooner than you may think, there will be nowhere near as many assault rifles on the street, and thus, not so many dead people in these mass shootings.
June, 2016
? Congratulations, we’ve just made America more responsible and much safer, for all of us. GOOD GUYS AND BAD GUYS Make no mistake about it, folks. The good guys are the ones who want to make the country as safe as we can and still maintain the right of everyday citizens to own firearms. The bad guys want you to live in fear that someone is always waiting around the corner to kill you. The good guys know that we aren’t spending enough money on mental health facilities while the bad guys want anyone with a pulse to be able to buy all the guns he wants, regardless of his intentions. The good guys think that if a person is deemed too dangerous to be allowed to fly on an airliner, he shouldn’t be able to buy guns. The bad guys just want to sell more guns, regardless. The good guys don’t take money from the NRA to fund their campaigns, while the bad guys take money from wherever they can get it and then vote in the best interest of the special interests, regardless of how sinister are their motives. This is an election year. Find out who is buttering your congressman’s bread and then see if there is a pattern to how he or she votes. It’s all a matter of public record. This madness won’t stop until YOU stop it at the ballot box. It is, after all, we the people.
Zach Mann
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Afterword
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