TABLE of CONTENTS volume 36, # 834, Jan. 6-13, 2022
BLACK CAT LOVE AVA TALEHAKIMI
COVER STORY 20
Editor in Chief Marianne Partridge Publisher Brandi Rivera Executive Editor Nick Welsh Senior Editors Tyler Hayden and Matt Kettmann Associate Editor Jackson Friedman
Teaching Life with Jazz & Blues
Opinions Editor Jean Yamamura News Reporters Ryan P. Cruz, Jun Starkey Executive Arts Editor Charles Donelan Arts Writer Josef Woodard Calendar Editor Terry Ortega Sports Editor John Zant Sports Writer Victor Bryant Food Writer George Yatchisin
David Rojas Leads Turner Foundation Music and Imagination Program
Copy Editor Tessa Reeg Creative Director Caitlin Fitch Graphic Designer Ricky Barajas Production Designer Ava Talehakimi Web Content Managers Celina Garcia, Caitlin Kelley
by Charles Donelan
Columnists Dennis Allen, Gail Arnold, Sara Caputo, Christine S. Cowles, Roger Durling, Marsha Gray, Betsy J. Green, Jerry Roberts, Starshine Roshell
NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 OPINIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Contributors Rob Brezsny, Melinda Burns, Ben Ciccati, John Dickson, Leslie Dinaberg, Camille Garcia, Keith Hamm, Rebecca Horrigan, Eric HvolbØll, Tom Jacobs, Shannon Kelley, Kevin McKiernan, Carolina Starin, Ethan Stewart, Tom Tomorrow, Maggie Yates Director of Advertising Sarah Sinclair Marketing and Promotions Manager Emily Lee Advertising Representatives Camille Cimini Fruin, Suzanne Cloutier, Remzi Gokmen, Tonea Songer Sales Administrator Graham Brown
Angry Poodle Barbecue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Accounting Administrator Tobi Feldman Office Manager/Legal Advertising Tanya Spears Guiliacci Distribution Scott Kaufman
In Memoriam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Editorial Interns Nicholas Liu, Caleb Rodriguez, Kat Sophia Columnist Emeritus Barney Brantingham Photography Editor Emeritus Paul Wellman Founding Staff Emeriti Audrey Berman, George Delmerico, Richard Evans, Laszlo Hodosy
Voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Honorary Consigliere Gary J. Hill
Indy Kids Bella and Max Brown, Elijah Lee Bryant, Henry and John Poett Campbell, Emilia Imojean Friedman, Madeline Rose and Mason Carrington Kettmann, Izzy and Maeve McKinley
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OBITUARIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 THE WEEK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 LIVING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 FOOD & DRINK . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Restaurant Guy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
ARTS LIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 ASTROLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 CLASSIFIEDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 ON THE COVER: Photo by Erick Madrid. Design by Caitlin Fitch.
Amira is Production Designer Ava Talehakimi’s kitty, a former “wild, outside” cat, rescued by the good people at Anthropawlogy, who now prefers the softness and regular meal schedule of the indoors. Like lots of modern relationships, she and Ava met online. What are your hobbies and interests? Is eating a hobby? Because that is my favorite activity ever. I also enjoy dragging my toys into my lair (under Ava’s bed), screaming into the void, and intimidating my dog sister, Kira. What’s something you do that Ava loves? Drives her crazy? Ava loves almost everything I do; I’m small and my tongue sticks out, so I’ve been told my every movement is cute. Her favorite is when I steal her body warmth under the covers. Allegedly, it drives her nuts when I demand food at five in the morning by chirping and chewing on her hair. Are you a hunter, a lover, or a bit of both? I am 90 percent hunter, 10 percent lover (particularly when it’s cold), but I still require lots of pets and attention. INSTAGRAM | @SBINDEPENDENT TWITTER | @SBINDYNEWS FACEBOOK | SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT NEWSLETTER | INDEPENDENT.COM/NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBE | INDEPENDENT.COM/SUBSCRIBE
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JANUARY 6, 2022
THE INDEPENDENT
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