The Pitch: November 2018

NOVEMBER 2018 I FREE I THEPITCHKC.COM

LIFE AS A KANSAS CITY SCOOTER CHASER

ALSO: TROUBLE OFFSTAGE AT METROPOLITAN ENSEMBLE THEATER A QUEST INTO A STREET KITCHEN CALLED TRIBE

SCOTTY MCCREERY NOVEMBER 9

THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND DECEMBER 1

NOVEMBER 10

TLC

NOVEMBER 17

98° NOVEMBER 30

SARA EVANS

RODNEY CARRINGTON

FEBRUARY 8

FEBRUARY 15 & 16

GENE WATSON

LIVERPOOL

FEBRUARY 23

Join us in the Star Pavilion for our thrilling upcoming shows. Get your tickets at Ticketmaster.com or visit the Ameristar Gift Shop to receive $5 off the standard ticket price with your mychoice® card.

Must be 21 or older to gamble. Must be a mychoice member to receive mychoice discount. Must be at least 18 or accompanied by an adult to enter Star Pavilion. Tickets available online at Ticketmaster.com or at the Gift Shop (service charges and handling fees may apply). No refunds/exchanges unless canceled or postponed. Offer not valid for persons on a Disassociated Patrons, Voluntary Exclusion or Self Exclusion List in Missouri, Indiana and Ohio or who have been otherwise excluded from Ameristar Kansas City, MO. Gambling problem? Call 1-888-BETSOFF. ©2018 Ameristar Casino Kansas City, MO LLC. All rights reserved.

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CONTENTS PNK Creative Studio

8 CHASE CASTOR

6 GET OUT

Your November Agenda What to do and where to be this month.

BY DAVID HUDNALL

8 NEWS

The Scooter Chase Life as a Bird bounty hunter.

BY KELSEY RYAN

12 Cops in Toyland

16 Stage Dive

As MET enters a new era, multiple actors and technicians describe uncomfortable working conditions at the theater company.

BY LIZ COOK

Think Globally Tribe Street Kitchen in the River Market wants to show you the world.

BY LIZ COOK

98°

NOVEMBER 30

24 FOOD

Join us in the Star Pavilion at 8:30p to see 98° perform their live Christmas show that will bring you back to the 2000’s for an unforgettable night you won’t want to miss!

30 EAT

Purchase tickets online at Ticketmaster.com or at the Ameristar Gift Shop.

Roundup!

The best neighborhood restaurants in Waldo.

BY APRIL FLEMING

SIG CD

Is your local police department preposterously militarized? Chances are good.

BY JASON COOK

22 CAFE

Eat This Now Turkish Elotes at Karbón

BY APRIL FLEMING

31 DRINK

Drink This Now Tea-Biotics kombucha

BY APRIL FLEMING

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Must be at least 18 or accompanied by an adult to enter Star Pavilion. Tickets available online at Ticketmaster.com or at the Gift Shop (service charges and handling fees may apply).

No refunds/exchanges unless canceled or postponed. Offer not valid for persons on a Disassociated Patrons, Voluntary Exclusion or Self Exclusion List in Missouri, Indiana and Ohio or who have been otherwise excluded from Ameristar Kansas City, MO. Gambling problem?

Call 1-888-BETSOFF. ©2018 Ameristar Casino Kansas City, MO LLC. All rights reserved.

thepitchkc.com | NOVEMBER 2018 | THE PITCH

3

CONTENTS

THE PITCH

Publisher Stephanie Carey Editor David Hudnall Digital Editor Kelcie McKenney Contributing Writers Tracy Abeln, Traci Angel, Liz Cook, Karen Dillon, April Fleming, Natalie Gallagher, Roxie Hammill, Libby Hanssen, Deborah Hirsch, Larry Kopitnik, Angela Lutz, Dan Lybarger, David Martin, Eric Melin, Annie Raab, Aaron Rhodes, Barbara Shelly, Nick Spacek, Lucas Wetzel Little Village Creative Services Jordan Sellergren Contributing Photographers Zach Bauman, Joe Carey, Chase Castor, Jennifer Wetzel Graphic Designers Jennifer Larson, Kelcie McKenney, Katie McNeil, Danielle Moore, Gianfranco Ocampo, Kirsten Overby, Alex Peak, Vu Radley, Zachary Trover Director of Marketing & Promotions Jason Dockery Senior Multimedia Specialist Steven Suarez Multimedia Specialists Becky Losey Director of Operations Andrew Miller Multimedia Intern Lauren O’Bannon Design Intern Austin Crockett

CAREY MEDIA

Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Carey Chief Operating Officer Adam Carey

VOICE MEDIA GROUP

National Advertising 1-888-278-9866 vmgadvertising.com

DISTRIBUTION

The Pitch distributes 35,000 copies a month and is available free throughout Greater Kansas City, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for $5 each, payable at The Pitch’s office in advance. The Pitch may be distributed only by The Pitch’s authorized independent contractors or authorized distributors. No person may, without prior written permission of The Pitch, take more than one copy of each week’s issue. Mail subscriptions: $22.50 for six months or $45 per year, payable in advance. Application to mail at second-class postage rates is pending at Kansas City, MO 64108.

COPYRIGHT

The contents of The Pitch are Copyright 2018 by Carey Media. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means without the express written permission of the publisher.

The Pitch 1627 Main St., #600, Kansas City, MO 64108 For information or to share a story tip, email tips@thepitchkc.com For advertising: stephanie@thepitchkc.com or 816-218-6702 For classifieds: steven@thepitchkc.com or 816-218-6732

16 ZACH BAUMAN

32 MUSIC

Another Spin Lotuspool Records gives ‘90s indie-rockers Zoom a repackage.

BY AARON RHODES

34 Acid Flashback

The unlikely resurrection of “The Darkness,” an obscure ‘60s heavy-psych single from Clinton, Missouri.

BY NICK SPACEK

36 ARTS

Toy Story newEar and the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures team up for an especially playful evening of chamber music.

BY LIBBY HANSSEN

38 PAGES

Erased Mickey Mouse co-creator Ub Iwerks has been mostly written out of Disney’s history. A new book gives the Kansas City animator his due.

BY DAN LYBARGER

46 EVENTS

Your November Calendar Holiday events have begun.

40 FILM

Home Runs Netflix wants Oscars, which means there’s a lot of good stuff coming soon to your living room. We break it down.

BY ERIC MELIN

44 SAVAGE LOVE

Meow & Forever What accounts for the popularity of pet play among young kinksters?

BY DAN SAVAGE

COVER

Bird Hunting, Kellen Jenkins

See into the daily lives of the imperial family.

NAPOLEON P O W E R AND S P L E N D O R #NapoleonKC

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45th & Oak (3 blocks east of the Plaza)

The exhibition is organized, produced and circulated by The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts with the participation of Château de Fontainebleau and the exceptional support of Mobilier national de France, in collaboration with The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. | Joseph Franque (1774–1833), The Empress Marie-Louise Watching Over the Sleeping King of Rome (detail), presented at the Salon of 1812, 1811, oil on canvas. Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon. © RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY / Daniel Arnaudet.

NelsonAtkins_Napoleon_Open1_Pitch_FNL.indd 1

9/27/18 9:42 AM

GET OUT

November Kauffman Center should pair nicely with Wilson’s orchestral proclivities.

John Prine, with Conor Oberst

Endless Variety, Matchless Talent!

Friday, November 16, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland

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Why?

Tuesday, November 6, RecordBar

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A low-key classic of the 2000s, Why’s Alopecia fused Yoni Wolf ’s brightly detailed backpacker rap lyrics with indie-rock production and pop tunefulness. I just listened to it for the first time in at least five years, and it still sounds amazing. The Anticon act’s current tour celebrates the album’s tenth anniversary. Lala Lala supports.

This year, folk icon John Prine turned 72 and released a new album, The Tree of Forgiveness. Prine looks old as hell on the cover, and his craggly voice is getting cragglier, but the songwriting remains intact. Sometimes my ol’ heart is like a washing machine, he sings on one track, it bounces around ’til my soul comes clean. Conor Oberst, an heir to Prine’s sound and spirit if ever there was one, opens this show.

Hall of Fame Classic

Monday, November 19, and Tuesday, November 20, Sprint Center

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An annual Thanksgiving-week Kansas City tradition since 2001, the College Basketball Experience Hall of Fame Classic brings four teams to town to duke it out in a season-opening mini-tourney. This year, it’s Texas Tech vs. USC and Missouri State vs. Nebraska on Monday, with the consolation and championship games on Tuesday night.

An Evening with Nnedi Okorafor

Thursday, November 8, Liberty Hall

libertyhall.net

8 p.m. l Saturday l Nov. 10 Don Felder – formerly of The Eagles Felder co-wrote “Visions,” “Those Shoes” and “Victim of Love.” His guitar solos on “Life in the Fast Lane” and “Hotel California” are rock legend. He and his band will perform Eagles hits plus other rock classics.

Afrofuturist author Nnedi Okorafor’s Black Panther comics were the basis for this year’s blockbuster hit of the same name, and her novel Who Fears Death is currently in development with HBO, with Game of Thrones’ George R.R. Martin producing. At this event, co-sponsored by the Lawrence Public Library, Okorafor will discuss the real-life inspirations behind her sci-fi and fantasy imaginations.

Brian Wilson

Over 30 performances! Build a season package of five shows (or more) and save 10%.

jccc.edu/CarlsenCenter | 913-469-4445 NO ONLINE FEES | FREE PARKING | WINE & BEER AVAILABLE

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Tuesday, November 13, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

kauffmancenter.org

Beach Boy #1 Brian Wilson is touring with a few former Beach Boys — Al Jardine, Blondie Chaplin — and a sizable band, performing the greatest hits of one of the biggest American bands of all time. The grand environs of the

Phosphorescent

Monday, November 26, The Granada

thegranada.com

Under the moniker Phosphorescent, Matthew Houck has spent the last decade and a half making gorgeous records — 2010’s Here’s To Taking It Easy and 2013’s Muchacho among them — that hover around, and often elevate, the alt-country genre. His latest, C’est La Vie, opens up the Phosphorescent sound to vocoders and motorik beats, but the pedal steels and melodic beauty are present as ever.

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THE SCOOTER CHASE LIFE AS A BIRD BOUNTY HUNTER.

BY KELSEY RYAN

NEWS

KELLEN JENKINS

ey. They pick up the scooters, charge them at their houses, and return them to their “nests” by dawn. These gig-economy workers are referred to as “chargers.”

But I think of them — us — as bounty hunters. You’re looking for a capture — to beat somebody to a scooter. It can be thrilling. As one journalist has said, the scooter chase is like a less fun version of Pokemon Go. It taps into that primal obsessive character trait of wanting to “Catch ‘em all.” And along the way, you start to see your city in a whole new light.

But like any job — and it is a job — the ride can get a little bumpy.

• • •

The sun’s down, and we’re prowling the darkened streets of Kansas City in a small sedan, stalking our prey. We’ve got flashlights, and we’ve got cell phones. Little green, yellow, and red dots light up the map on the Bird app, guiding us on our hunt.

Scooters, of course, are everywhere these days — dinky, almost toy-like vehicles scattered across the streets and sidewalks of the city, praised as part of the dawn of a new age of transportation. You can hardly move in Downtown, Crossroads or River Market without seeing a Bird (those are the black ones) or Lime (green) scooter. They’re easy and disposable — a dollar to activate, 15 cents every minute thereafter, and you just leave the scooter at your destination for the next person to use.

What you might have wondered is who keeps these shareable scooters in working order, day after day. The answer: your neighbors, coworkers, and friends, most likely — anybody looking to make some extra mon-

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THE PITCH | NOVEMBER 2018 | thepitchkc.com

WHO KEEPS THESE SHAREABLE SCOOTERS IN WORKING ORDER, DAY AFTER DAY? YOUR NEIGHBORS, COWORKERS, AND FRIENDS, MOST LIKELY.

Bird migrated to Kansas City in July, following a quick and relatively covert prelaunch period that included targeted social media ads for prospective chargers, who were invited to a Tuesday-evening launch event at the airport.

Like Uber and other Silicon Valley companies that have sought to disrupt the way American cities operate, Bird opted to beg for forgiveness rather than permission, dropping 100 scooters onto the streets without the OK from City Hall. In other cities, this has led to fines and bans. But Kansas City government took a friendlier approach, stating that it wanted to work with Bird — albeit after it had landed. Soon, a tentative agreement was struck, and more and more scooters slid into town.

Every night at 9 p.m., the scooters “go live” on the app for chargers. Green dots on the app’s map show the locations of the cheapest bounties, yellow dots indicate more valuable ones, and red dots show the $20 scooters — generally the hardest to find.

I’m usually the navigator and my husband is the driver. I start looking for Birds nearby to After 9 p.m., the app for Bird chargers goes live.

Go to

K C TI

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to find the hottest events in KC.

CHASE CASTOR

see what we can pick up the easiest. On this night, I spot a $20 Bird at UMKC. Jackpot.

The hunt is on.

We head to a parking garage on campus. But the Bird is not on the corner where the app says it was three minutes ago. We use the app to “ping” the Bird, so that it will start loudly chirping, making it easier to find. But we don’t hear any chirps. With the car windows down, we slowly climb the levels of the garage and come back down again. Nothing.

We park and start walking around the parking garage (I hate parking garages, probably because I watched too much X-Files as a kid) and check the stairwells. No scooter.

It’s a common problem, Birds not being where they’re supposed to be. People leave scooters in the middle of sidewalks (not cool) or even in trees (admittedly, a little funny). Several times, we’ve gone to a location only to find that a Bird is on private property — inside an apartment building, behind a gate, in someone’s backyard. At that point, there’s not really much that can be done.

Perhaps these are folks who need the scooter to get to work or class the next day and don’t want to risk it not being available in the morning. But I’m generally more skeptical, especially when the app shows a scooter’s been in one spot for several days.

I tend to think these are situations where people have taken a scooter hostage and are letting its battery drain in order to increase its bounty. At which point the hostage takers can claim the bounty themselves.

I reached out to Bird with several questions for this story, including whether they have a way to stop their system of charging from being exploited by hoarders. They said they’d respond by my deadline, but I didn’t hear back.

When we started charging for Bird, competition was fierce. On more than one occasion, we chased down scooters only to have another charger swoop in and drive off with our Bird just as we arrived.

But in September, Bird dropped its minimum price for Birds from $5 to $3.

The drop caused a lot of chargers to leave the market, including John Ruhlman, a minivan-cruising dad who lives near Liberty. He was driving to downtown KC to charge Birds, and a 40 percent drop in wages was a major deterrent from continuing to charge, especially when factoring in gas and the fact that taxes aren’t taken out of the pay up front.

Before, he could pick up 12 scooters and make at least $60. Now the minimum is

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NEWS

nearly half that: $36.

“It’s still an easy way to make money,” Ruhlman tells me. “But it’s a grind. It’s a lot more work than I thought it would be, that’s for sure, especially to make it worthwhile.”

For Michael Bogart, who has been a Bird charger since the company arrived in town in July, charging is a good way to make some extra cash; he used his earnings for a recent vacation to Vermont and Boston.

Even though he doesn’t ever ride Birds himself, Bogart picks up about 20 scooters five nights a week, charging them in his garage.

He says he doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon, but he’s also run into the problem of hoarders. Bogart notes that, within the app, there is a way for chargers to report Birds that are being held hostage.

“But I don’t know if it helps very much,” he says.

• • • Another night, another hunt.

I’m standing in the pouring, humid autumn rain outside an apartment complex wondering why the app refuses to let me scan and capture this damn Bird. I start to spiral: Why am I doing this? Why am I here in the rain? After three attempts, I say, “Fuck

it,” and move on to a different scooter sitting a few feet away. Voilà. The scan works on the first try. I throw the Bird in the backseat. On to the next one.

A curious guy walks by with his dog. He tries to chat me up about the scooters, but dude, you’ve got an umbrella and I’m soaked and in a hurry and having an existential crisis. I give him my best Midwestern-polite, answering with as few words as possible. I just want to go home. Back in the dry car, we check the app and see more Birds next to each other on Broadway, not far away.

My husband drives us there, and we run out again in the pouring rain. We’re nearly done capturing the first Bird when a man staggers out from the shadows. He’s yelling incoherently — angrily — and running right at me.

We run back to the car. What the fuck?

I’ve never gone out to catch Birds by myself, and I’m glad I wasn’t alone that night. But I think about the other female bounty hunters out there and wonder: Are there women who have put their safety at risk just to get $5? Do they have to hunt in packs? And what does it say about our society when my husband can go out and make extra cash doing this alone, but I don’t feel like it’s safe enough in the dark for me to go, even in the “nice” neighborhoods?

CHASE CASTOR

I start to ask around. Several women I speak to say the same thing: They only go out to charge with their boyfriends/hus-

bands/partners/friends. Not alone.

Ann Winn is a “juicer” (what Lime calls its chargers) who also delivers for Postmates.

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NEWS

She says she feels safer delivering food than charging scooters. On one of her first outings as a Lime juicer, she had a run-in with a woman she believes was on drugs. Luckily, her husband was with her.

“I’m not that skittish, but that kind of made me think, ‘What would I have done in that situation if he hadn’t been with me?’”

Winn says.

Caci Leigh and her fiance have been charging since August. They used to primarily hunt around the Northeast but now focus on the River Market. She says she’s heard more stories about Bird chargers threatening other chargers than just random people on the street, like I encountered.

“It’s not safe in KC at all,” she says.

“There’s some really scary people. I’ve even heard about people threatening to kill other people over a high-dollar Bird, which is scary.”

Leigh continues: “They get kind of sketchy. They think they hustle and are tough and take on other chargers that they think seem weak.”

Her advice, especially for women: Don’t go alone, download safety apps for your phone, keep your phone fully charged, and always bring mace, a gun, or a knife just in case.

Unfortunately, there’s not much to be

IS THE FUTURE WE WANT REALLY ONE IN WHICH WE ALL TRADE AWAY OUR JOBS WITH BENEFITS FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF PICKING UP HUNKS OF METAL FOR BILLION-DOLLAR COMPANIES BASED THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY?

done on Bird’s end about this. Ultimately, it comes down to what an individual feels comfortable doing. But the safety issue points to interesting gender disparities we see with other gig economy startups in the transportation field. In June, researchers from Stanford released a study of more than a million drivers on Uber and found a 7 percent gender earnings gap among drivers, which can be attributed to three things: experience on the platform, preferences for driving speed, and preferences over where to work (driven by where drivers live and safety).

And while there’s no study yet, I’d venture to say that the safety factor plays a greater role for Bird, given the fact that you have to get out of your car and charging has to be done at night.

• • • I calculated that we could maybe pull in a couple hundred extra bucks each week if we went out a few times. Not bad money. But it’s contract work, and with the Bird price drop, it’s probably not a sustainable long-term gig for most people. Physically hauling Birds (those suckers are heavy), charging them up at home, and returning them to their designated nests by 7 a.m. isn’t a breeze. After

capturing dozens of Birds, you realize just how much of a hassle it is to make $40 — and remember, that’s $40 before tax.

Meanwhile, the corporate machine in which you’ve made yourself a cog has received more than $300 million in venture capital this year alone and is valued at more than $2 billion — and that’s just Bird, not the other scooter companies. The truly big question about all these scooters is whether Bird and Lime (and all the other companies dominating the gig economy) will evolve in a way that works for their workforces. Will they address the problems chargers face or pass the buck? And is the future we as a society want really one in which we all trade away our jobs with benefits for the privilege of picking up hunks of metal for billion-dollar companies based thousands of miles away?

After that incident on Broadway, I don’t see myself roaming the streets of Kansas City in the dead of night with my husband much in the future. Maybe once in awhile. Maybe if a big purchase is coming up, or an unexpected bill. At least for me, though, the novelty of being a scooter bounty hunter wore off pretty quickly. But let me know when the next transportation fad comes along — rideshare hovercrafts? — and I might be willing to give it another try.

thepitchkc.com | NOVEMBER 2018 | THE PITCH

11

NEWS

n i s Cop d n a l y o T

IS YOUR LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT PREPOSTEROUSLY MILITARIZED? CHANCES ARE GOOD. BY JASON COOK

A sliver of a silver lining of the events in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, was that Americans took notice of the fact that the police department there had an awful lot of military-grade weapons: tanks and mortars and other big, scary shit you tend to associate with Middle East wars and African dictatorships. Ferguson police, it turned out, was hardly the only department with these toys.

It, and something like 8,000 other police departments in the country, had participated in something called the 1033 program, which exists to transfer excess military equipment to civilian law enforcement agencies for little or no cost.

The visuals that emerged from Ferguson — police officers cloaked in the accessories of war, in combat with those they are sworn to protect — drew scrutiny to the 1033 program, and in 2015 President Obama signed an executive order to scale it back. But like many things Obama accomplished, that order was undone by Donald Trump in 2017.

In the KC metro, spoils of the 1033 program lie just out of view of the public — until our own Ferguson moment arrives, at least. According to a Pitch analysis of data compiled by watchdog group MuckRock, 11 metro-area police departments — seven in Missouri and four in Kansas — have received at least $100,000 in equipment through the program in recent years. From bayonets to bomb robots, rifles to radar scramblers, metro police are creating their own armories across Kansas and Missouri with surplus military equipment. Here are some of our findings.

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THE PITCH | NOVEMBER 2018 | thepitchkc.com

MRAPs Flashiest and most expensive of the toys acquired through the 1033 program are “MRAPs,” or mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles. These hulking, tank-like

“The MRAP that we have is a defense-only vehicle,” Puett says via email.

“Basically it is a large, open metal vehicle that is bullet resistant [and] can be used to extract citizens or law enforcement officers to safety in an active shooter event.”

lized when people are in extreme danger and hopefully reducing the loss of life,” he says. Puett adds that an MRAP was once deployed in a situation in which two officers were “pinned down in a ditch” by someone “shooting at the LEOs [law enforcement officers] with a high-powered deer rifle.”

Other local law enforcement agencies in possession of a MRAP include the sheriff ’s offices of Bates, Cass, Clay, Jackson counties, as well as the Shawnee Police Department and the Olathe Police Department.

BLUE SPRINGS

holdovers from the wars in Iraq and Af- A MRAP similar to the kind owned by multiple ghanistan are capable of driving over mines local law enforcement agencies. and withstanding firearm rounds with little damage. They “retail” for about $733,000.

Puett touts one of the obvious benefits The Buchanan County Sheriff ’s office — whose territory is north of Platte City and of the 1033 program: cost.

“The 1033 program has provided a includes parts of St. Joseph — is one department that currently has an MRAP, confirms piece of safety equipment, that has already been paid for with tax dollars, to be utiSheriff William Puett.

Roughly 100 sworn officers serve and protect the 54,000 people who live in the pleasant KC suburb of Blue Springs, Missouri.

The past five years have seen just four murders within city limits. And yet: the Blue Springs Police Department is in possession of $500,000 worth of military gear courtesy of the 1033 program. That includes a “combat/assault/tactical wheeled vehicle” and 45 high-powered 5.56-millimeter rifles (pictured above) — one for every two officers on the force.

BSPD chief Bob Muenz is a fan of the 1033 program, when it’s used correctly.

“It provides law enforcement agencies with equipment and resources to protect their communities or enhance their service levels that they might not otherwise be able to obtain,” he says.

While stopping short of calling the situation an arms race, Muenz says police match “force with greater force” and that combat-

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ing escalating gun violence between police and citizens is very difficult.

“Unfortunately, in this day and age, history has shown that weapons of this caliber and range are necessary to protect citizens and officers from criminals who readily possess these types of weapons.”

When asked if tougher gun laws, disarming citizens or police, or some other solution could be possible, Muenz demurrs. “[That] is above my pay grade, and if I had an answer I would write a book and retire,” he says.

LENEXA Life’s pretty good in Lenexa, a comfortable suburb in the wealthiest county in Kansas.

The city has seen only two murders in the

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past five years. The chamber of commerce describes the crime rate as “incredibly low.” But just in case, it has a 107 millimeter mortar (photo above) valued at just over $200,000.

What’s the big deal with law enforcement agencies holding on to these free weapons? The American Civil Liberties Union commissioned a report, published in 2014, about the effects of the militarization

of police departments. It found that these war toys “encourage officers to adopt a ‘warrior’ mentality and think of the people they are supposed to serve as enemies. Police officers use these weapons routinely, across the United States, to force their way into the people’s homes, disrupting lives and destroying communities.”

Micah Kubic, executive director of the Kansas chapter of the ACLU, tells The Pitch that, in the same way law enforcement waged its war on drugs primarily in communities of color, “the repercussions of this flood of military hardware will likely land disproportionately on the same neighborhoods.”

“These wartime tools may be free for cops,” Kubic says, “but they come at a great cost to vulnerable communities.”

thepitchkc.com | NOVEMBER 2018 | THE PITCH

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Stage Dive AS MET ENTERS A NEW ERA, MULTIPLE ACTORS AND TECHNICIANS DESCRIBE UNCOMFORTABLE WORKING CONDITIONS AT THE THEATER COMPANY. BY LIZ COOK

Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre is having a banner year.

The nonprofit theater company ushered in its 14th season with a move to the Warwick Theatre, a historic Midtown building that had operated as a movie theater from 1914 to 1953.

The company’s previous home, a yellow, rented storefront space at 3614 Main, had never felt grand enough for the ambitions of founders Karen and Bob Paisley (once married, now divorced, still married to the company). The Paisleys are known for producing challenging, interesting seasons that blend well-loved classics like Steel Magnolias and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with quieter, underproduced scripts like M Butterfly and Vincent in Brixton.

They’re also well-known as performers at MET. Karen is in her mid-50s but reads as a leading lady, with glossy sheets of chestnut-brown hair, Cleopatra-grade statement

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earrings and a mellifluous voice slightly thickened with coastal Carolinian vowels.

Bob recently played President Bill Clinton and suits the part — he’s about 10 years younger than Clinton, with darker eyes, but has the same easygoing charm and mop of silver-gray hair.

The purchase of the Warwick was a major step toward cementing the Paisleys’ legacy and ensuring the theater’s creative growth. Publicly, it was a triumph.

But behind the scenes, not everyone was celebrating.

Actors who had once whispered about their experiences over drinks began openly warning others against working on MET shows. Complaints that might have been soothed with time and acknowledgement had curdled, then turned sour, as former employees saw their own bad experiences play out on a fresh crop of young technicians and actors.

The new Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre.

ZACH BAUMAN

Over the last few months, I’ve had conversations with more than 25 former MET employees: actors, stage managers, technicians, and box office staff. They described experiences ranging from union violations to unsafe working conditions to sexual and verbal harassment. Some had been with the company since its inception in 2005. Others had worked with the company only recently, after its move to the Warwick Theatre.

Nearly all of them had one thing in common: they weren’t going to work with the Paisleys again.

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Jake Walker started acting when he was 19. He’s 39 now. He’s worked in nearly every theater in Kansas City and Denver. But his

experience working on Picasso at the Lapin Agile at MET in September 2016 shocked him.

“I’ve never seen anything — I’ve never seen anything like it,” he says. “It’s insanity.”

Walker is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association, a union for professional actors and stage managers. The rulebook for small professional theaters like MET is extensive, covering everything from rest days and rehearsal hours to paychecks to when production photos can be taken and how they can be used.

Walker’s first paycheck was late — a union violation. After more than a week of rehearsing without pay, Walker says, he told the show’s director, Bob Paisley, that he couldn’t come to another rehearsal without it. The resulting scene was cinematic. “[Bob] stormed off on his moped, went to an ATM, gave me cash in an envelope, and then as he was holding it — it was like a movie — he held onto it and said ‘You know, no other Equity actor has complained when this has happened.’”

Walker describes several other union violations — photo calls scheduled without notice, a request by the Paisleys to work overtime without pay, unsafe working conditions generally. During one rehearsal, Walker entered the dressing room to find part of the ceiling had collapsed onto his dressing room table. He ultimately filed a complaint with Equity, but did so after the show had ended, when the organization has fewer options. He received a sympathetic email from Equity’s then-business representative Matt Fayfer, but didn’t get the impression that the theater would face any consequences.

Actor Nicole Marie Green says she experienced several other Equity violations while working on 2016’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof — being kept in rehearsals past agreed-upon times, rehearsing full weeks without a designated day off, rehearsing more than the maximum number of hours allotted under her Equity contract. When she tallied up all the excess hours, the company owed her over $500 in overtime pay (she was eventually paid for that time, though emails reviewed by The Pitch show that Karen Paisley seemed surprised by the request).

There were also issues with the building. When it rained, the roof leaked — often, directly onto the stage. (Green remembers adjusting her stage exit during Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to avoid a puddle on the floor.)

Walker and five other performers who spoke with me independently described mold in the backstage areas. One of them, actor Deanna Barron, notes that she lost her voice overnight during a production of Tennessee Playboy in 2017. She suspects the backstage conditions were to blame. “By no means were we in a clean, safe dressing room,” Barron says.

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Karen Paisley, the company’s artistic director, acknowledges the roof leak but says “if there was mold in the building, we wouldn’t have stayed.” She adds that McCownGordon Construction had inspected the building and told her it was safe to be there.

In some ways, the building issues are irrelevant now that MET has moved out of 3614 Main. But the actors I spoke with felt they fit into a larger failure to acknowledge the safety and well-being of performers — a failure that extended into the company’s ethic and continues today.

In April 2017, Karen Paisley directed Green in Tennessee Playboy. During the run, Green had an odd and uncomfortable run-in with Bob Paisley. He called her over to his desk in the lobby, she says, and complimented her on the way her butt looked in her tight herringbone costume pants.

At the time, she brushed it off. It felt inappropriate, she acknowledges, but “it wasn’t like a come-on by any means.”

She interacted with Bob again when he came to the theater to take production photos (which, she says, was scheduled without advance notice, much like Walker’s). The photo call itself seemed normal. But late that night, her partner, Andy Perkins, received an email from Bob Paisley with a production photo of Green laying on a table with her legs in the air, simulating an orgasm. There was only one line in the body of the message: “Taking photos of your girlfriend… he, he, he.”

Green reported the photo to Equity — setting aside the question of sexual harassment, it’s a violation simply to use production photos for non-publicity purposes.

But the only resolution she received was an email from Matt Fayfer telling her he had urged the theater to conduct an “internal investigation.”

Karen Paisley acknowledges the incident with Green, but couches it as a misunderstanding.

“I’m terribly sorry that she [Nicole] was upset about that,” she says. She adds: “He [Bob] didn’t see it as a compromising picture.”

Bob Paisley declined my request for an interview. But in a mass email sent to current and former employees two days later, he characterized unspecified allegations as “the petty jealousies of a few shallow discontents.” He added a hashtag to the end: #IamMET. •

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Two years ago, theaters across the Midwest received a wake-up call after the Chicago Reader published an exposé in which the artistic director of Profiles Theatre was accused of routinely harassing and endangering actors. Most of the incidents, the au-

thors noted, took place before the company became an Equity house. The subtext was clear: one of the reasons the abuses had gone on for so long was that there was no one to run to with complaints.

In that respect, Walker and Green were lucky — they could notify Equity. But it didn’t seem to make much difference. In addition to Walker and Green, at least five other MET employees say they made complaints to representative Matt Fayfer between 2016 and 2017 (Fayfer has since left the company). Emails obtained by The Pitch show that Fayfer often took more than two weeks to respond. When he did respond, the messages began with slight variations of the same phrase: “First off, let me apologize for not getting back to you sooner…”

The employees were frustrated. “The impression I got,” says Walker, “was ‘Who cares? It’s Kansas City.’”

But small scenes — where options are limited — are the ones that need worker protections the most. Boycotting a theater in New York City is a comparatively easy prospect. Bad experience? There’s another theater around the block. They’re having an audition next Tuesday. Boycotting a theater in Kansas City might mean losing your health insurance. Equity actors need at least 19 weeks of work at an Equity house each year to qualify for 12 months of insurance coverage.

Anti-union folk are fond of telling aggrieved workers to “vote with their feet.” If workers aren’t being treated well, they argue, the best solution is for those workers to seek employment elsewhere. Let the free market work its magic! But the free market doesn’t feel so free when only a handful of employers are pulling from a field of hundreds of hungry applicants. In those cases, union enforcement may be the mechanism keeping companies in check.

My conversation with Karen Paisley and current board member David Emerick underscored the importance of that role.

Both repeatedly referenced their good relationship with the union in response to complaints.

“It’s my understanding that we’ve never been told that we had violations,” says Emerick. Paisley notes that she had spoken with an Equity representative about several of the issues actors described and says, “There is no finding, we are all moving forward, we’re in good standing with them.”

But Equity members weren’t the only ones having issues at MET. “Everyone in this scene has a MET story,” says actor Ellen Kirk.

Kirk had heard plenty of disquieting rumors about the company before signing on for her first production, Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth. But Sabina was a dream role — Tallulah Bankhead once played it on Broadway. So Kirk was willing

to endure a rudderless rehearsal process and comments by director Bob Paisley that seemed harmless, if a bit inappropriate — for example, asking her when she was going to wear a particular pair of tight jeans with a zipper up the back to rehearsal again.

The Skin of Our Teeth is a challenging show — three hours, three acts, three time periods. But Bob, she says, was preparing to leave for a tour of his one-man show, Bill Clinton Hercules, and had largely checked out.

“You need someone to lead you into the night,” Kirk said. “And Bob was always very flippant. [The cast] would just turn to each other for notes, because it came down to, like — the audience is going to be here in three days, is what I’m doing playing? Is this making sense? And any note that I would get was like, ‘Ayy, your Act II costume looks good.’ Which was a fucking bathing suit. I need to know about this three-paragraph monologue that I’m giving, not what I look like in a bathing suit.”

Actors also say the dynamic between Karen and Bob created confusion. Three cast members of Picasso at the Lapin Agile say that, although Bob had directed the show, Karen arrived a couple days before the official opening to give the cast notes. That’s not inherently unusual. Artistic directors often check in on a rehearsal or tech rehearsal and might occasionally pass notes to the director or stage manager. But Karen, the three cast members say, gave them notes directly — notes that often contradicted directions Bob had already given them.

“Karen comes in, two days before we open, and rewrites all of our character concepts,” one actor says. “Like, who am I supposed to listen to?”

Jake Walker (left) and Ellen Kirk both had unpleasant experiences acting in MET productions.

“EVERYONE IN THIS SCENE HAS A MET STORY.” — ACTOR ELLEN KIRK

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The answer was always Karen, whether they liked it or not.

“The joke in town,” says Matthew Henrickson, an actor and stage manager who worked with the company on multiple shows, “is that the MET’s greatest asset is Karen Paisley. And the MET’s greatest liability is Karen Paisley.”

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For years, Karen Paisley has taken an active — some might say too active — role in MET’s productions. She served as director, set designer, and lighting designer for Tennessee Playboy — all in the midst of planning a major fundraising gala for the Warwick.

During 2016’s Emilie, she directed, designed the lights, and co-designed the costumes — while also starring in the title role. Audiences and critics couldn’t help but notice the pattern. In his review of Emilie, former Kansas City Star critic Robert Trussell wrote that the production “marks a return to the Karen Paisley show.”

Artistic directors often direct shows at their theaters. In many cases, it saves the company money. But theater is a collaborative art form, and most of the employees I spoke with painted Karen as a poor collaborator.

“She doesn’t like having outside designers because they have their own ideas,” says Logan Black, an actor who worked with the theater on Emilie in 2016 and Cymbeline in 2017. Black, who also worked as a scenic carpenter on Cymbeline, says Paisley’s desire for creative control often created challenges for employees. But a disorganized scene shop wasn’t Black’s biggest concern.

Karen, he alleges, would frequently wink at him during performances of Emilie (including in scenes where he played her father), and squeeze his arm or touch his knee during rehearsals. He considered filing a complaint with Equity over it — he eventu-

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ally filed one for paycheck violations — but ultimately felt that Karen’s behavior seemed too benign to pursue.

“You kind of go, ‘You haven’t done anything terrible, but you are making me uncomfortable to the point that when you touch me, I move away from you, and then you follow me to continue touching me,” Black says.

Those uncomfortable touches continued during Cymbeline, although they were distributed between Black and another young male actor in the cast. Black says the two would purposefully sit so they were flanked by other actors during notes sessions to stay out of reach. It didn’t work.

“She’d just step in front of us and put her hand on our knees,” Black says. “People visibly cringe and move away from her, and she still just pursues.” Black also describes feeling pressured to do a fight scene shirtless that the script didn’t call for. He told Karen he wasn’t comfortable disrobing, he says, but she pressed the issue multiple times in front of the whole cast.

Actor Megan Wagner, who played the servant Pisania in the production, acknowledges that Paisley was “very handsy” with Black and the other male performer and adds, “I also recall her being very adamant that Logan do a scene shirtless that he was very opposed to. I could see how uncomfortable he was.”

Other actors suggest Black’s experience was part of a pattern of insensitive or unprofessional behavior by the Paisleys. One male actor, who was 19 when he first started working with the company, says he felt that Karen had taken an unhealthy interest in him early in their working relationship.

(The actor asked me not to use his name out of fear of retaliation.) When he was cast in a lead role at MET, he says, the attention from Karen ramped up. The show included a scene in which he and a female co-star undressed each other while kissing passionate-

ly. But his costar was called late to rehearsal one evening, he says — and Karen wanted to run the blocking of the scene without her.

“So Karen had to step in and go through that scene with me,” he says. “And she’s forcing me to go through this blocking and forcing me to kiss her.”

Karen alleges, through her lawyer, that the actor kissed her, rather than the other way around. The actor’s costar declined to comment on the specific allegations. The stage manager on the production could not specifically recall whether Karen and the actor kissed, but says that Karen often served as a stand-in for his love interest during rehearsals. The stage manager also says, “It was kind of known she [Karen] had a little bit of a crush on him.”

What is more definitively known is that the actor left the union and quit acting entirely for three years. When we spoke, he chalked up his decision to leave theatre largely to his experiences at MET. Karen categorically denied any romantic or sexual interest in the actor in both an in-person interview and in follow-up emails after the fact.

“I have led a pretty straightforward life in my relationships,” she says. “And no, I don’t date actors.”

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In a year in which you could field a baseball team with powerful people accused of horrific abuses, one could conclude that a lot of this stuff doesn’t rise to the level of serious infractions. Most of the actors I spoke to ranked sexual harassment near the bottom of their concerns with the company. In your average corporate environment, the Paisleys’ behavior might add up to a note in a file — a complaint to an HR rep, a requirement to brush-up on the employee handbook or retake a sexual harassment training module.

But professional theater isn’t your aver-

Photographed in 2015, the working conditions backstage at the old MET.

age workplace environment. The industry’s reputation for late nights and wild antics have, arguably, led it to lag behind others in workplace protections. So what happens when there is no HR? What happens when there is no employee handbook or sexual harassment training? What happens when the only person you can complain to about a director’s behavior is the director’s ex-spouse?

These are not impossible problems to solve. An employee handbook is an easy, obvious fix. Copies of board minutes obtained

by The Pitch show that then-board president Valerie Schlosser had urged MET to adopt one as early as March 2016. The minutes stated that Schlosser had even circulated a draft she’d prepared based on an employee handbook used at Barkley. When I asked Karen in September 2018 — two and a half years later — if one had been implemented, she told me no: “Because the people who were charged with making it didn’t finish it.”

Some professional companies, like the Actors Theatre of Louisville, have mandatory sexual harassment training each year. In 2015, The Lilly Awards Foundation, which honors women in American theater, released an “Official Statement on Harassment” providing clear, actionable steps for companies to follow with regard to filing and mediating complaints. After Profiles Theatre in Chicago closed, a group of Chicago-based actors formed Not in Our House, an organization devoted to rooting out harassment and abuse in the art form. In December 2017, the group released a revised, 33-page standards document for Chicago theaters.

At the same time, theaters are increasingly employing “intimacy consultants” or choreographers for romantic scenes, just as they use fight choreographers for combat.

Organizations such as Intimacy Directors International offer consent and anti-harass-

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ment training. Establishing clear boundaries before intimate scenes allows actors to take creative risks without losing control. The actor’s role, to quote the famous acting teacher Sanford Meisner, is to “live truthfully under imaginary circumstances.” The director’s role is to make sure those circumstances remain imaginary.

Many of these changes don’t require extraordinary sacrifices or financial outlays.

But they do require a theater willing to swim with the changing current. Artists aren’t asking to be coddled like rare-earth artisanal snowflakes; they’re asking for the protections they need to make good art. Good theater requires vulnerability. And few people are able to make themselves vulnerable when they don’t feel safe.

Allegations of sexual harassment at MET were rare. But allegations of garden variety harassment were much more common.

Several employees I interviewed said that Karen was noticeably harsher — bordering on cruel — to the women she worked with than men.

“She was a bully,” says René Harden, a development director who left the company after three months. Harden describes multiple occasions in which Paisley’s comments would drive a young female office employee to tears (the employee confirmed Harden’s account but asked not to be identified in this story).

I spoke with three former office and administrative employees — all of them young, all of them women, and all of them unwilling to use their names out of concern for their careers — who described an atmosphere of fear and verbal abuse.

“She treated me like a dog,” says one.

Another employee who overlapped with her described the environment in similar terms: “That was the norm,” she says. “If [Karen] couldn’t get her energy out to someone else, it would come back to whoever was in the next room when she storm[ed] out…and then it would be Maleficent coming at you, screaming.”

“I’ve never seen an adult speak to another adult the way she does sometimes in rehearsals,” says Deanna Barron. “Just blatant disrespect.”

“It often felt like she was trying to break a horse,” says actor Katie Gilchrist, who walked away from the theater after her experience during The Who’s Tommy in 2011. “If you are a strong, talented, vibrant woman, and you’re working there, it was never going to be a good time for you. Because the envy or the displacement [Karen] feels is really palpable and really hurtful. It didn’t matter any choice you made — it was never the choice she would have made, and therefore it was wrong. You can’t create that way. You could see the fear in some of the [cast’s] eyes because they were afraid to make choices.

And if you can’t go into a rehearsal process

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE ONLY PERSON YOU CAN COMPLAIN TO ABOUT A DIRECTOR’S BEHAVIOR IS THE DIRECTOR’S EX-SPOUSE?

with the permission to fail — the encouragement to fail — then you can’t do the work.”

Gilchrist called and filed a complaint with Equity during The Who’s Tommy.

“It’s the only time I’ve ever complained about a theater,” she says. “Ever.”

The violations she alleged matched those described to me by multiple other actors — late paychecks, photo calls announced with no notice, rehearsals going over allotted times, and harassment by Karen Paisley (“I was often told that since I was bigger than Karen, that I should be grateful that I even get to play any of the roles that I played.”)

But Gilchrist also describes a feeling of alienation — bordering on retaliation — as a result of her adherence to union rules.

During The Who’s Tommy, Gilchrist says, she insisted on taking breaks at the required times. She says Karen confronted her about being “difficult” and blamed her for the cast’s low morale.

To the recollection of the production’s stage manager, Alex Murphy, Gilchrist was never difficult. But he acknowledges that her Equity status may have created some tension.

“I learned that even from the beginning, even from my first show, that Karen’s not a big fan of Equity,” Murphy says.

Today, Murphy is one of the more respected Equity stage managers in town, but he managed three shows at MET before joining the union. His first two shows with the company were good experiences — he described Time of Your Life and Enchanted April as “smooth sailing, a wonderful process.”

It was The Who’s Tommy when things went off the rails. Tommy was a challenging show: an enormous cast, a limited rehearsal window, and a director, Karen, who Murphy described as passionate about her craft but frazzled from wearing too many hats.

The old home of MET.

ZACH BAUMAN

“It was frustrating to just get her to nail down the schedule,” Murphy says. “It would be so much easier if people were hired in certain positions and allowed to do their jobs.”

That included his job. Murphy constantly felt disrespected in the rehearsal room.

“It was multiple days of me just driving home bawling my eyes out,” he says. (Another cast member of Tommy, who asked not to be identified, confirmed that “she [Karen] was so degrading to him.”) The stress of the show started to change Murphy’s behavior in subtle ways. When Karen’s number showed up on his caller ID, he let the calls go to voicemail. He took a moment to compose himself before calling her back.

The stage manager is the organizational powerhouse of any production. They’re there to grease the wheels and protect directors and actors from their worst impulses.

It’s one of the reasons why Equity’s rulebook for small professional theaters takes care to point out that the stage manager is not an “entry-level position.”

But until recently, MET didn’t seem to place much stock in the role. Stage managers were sometimes late hires — artists fresh out of college and those who had little or no stage managing experience were at times thrust into the role. Those staffing decisions have consequences. Multiple employees describe receiving their contracts late, sometimes three weeks into the rehearsal process.

More than one stage manager describes arriving to the process after the cast had already been rehearsing for a few days.

Lindsay Adams, who had been hired as a dramaturg and assistant director for 2017’s Cymbeline, left the production after a week and a half when director Karen Paisley still thepitchkc.com | NOVEMBER 2018 | THE PITCH

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hadn’t secured a stage manager. Adams never received a contract for her work on the show, though she recalls requesting one on multiple occasions. The result? She was never paid for the work she put in (though Adams acknowledges she didn’t follow up with the company after her departure).

Emily White was the stage manager for Tennessee Playboy; she had a contract specifying that she be paid weekly, but says her checks rarely arrived on time. She often had to ask for them directly, she says, and the interactions were always awkward — even more so when her final paycheck from the company bounced. The Paisleys corrected the error quickly and reimbursed her for the returned check fee her bank had charged her account. But for her, that was the final straw.

“It was in the middle of all this fundraising for the Warwick,” White says, “and from my perspective, it was like, ‘Why are you purchasing a theater when you can’t pay your staff?’”

One former box office employee says there were “several times” when she had to approach Bob Paisley directly for a late paycheck because she needed to pay bills.

Another office employee describes similar issues getting her checks on time, noting, “The actors would get paid, but no one else would get paid. For the most part, box office would get paid last, because they weren’t forward-facing in the company.”

An involved board of directors could help avoid accounting issues. But employees familiar with MET’s board suggested that in the past, the board’s involvement in the theater’s operations seemed limited at best. When the board did intervene, it was largely around the matter of fundraising — a matter that Karen Paisley seemed to have difficulty delegating. Emails obtained by The Pitch show a terse exchange between former board secretary Don Dagenais and Karen Paisley after Paisley emailed him to suggest that he approach their realtor on the Warwick for a donation to the theater’s capital campaign.

“I am getting a little frustrated at the scatter gun approach of this campaign,” Dagenais replied. He went on to outline how capital campaigns were typically organized, adding “I’m repeating this now for the dozenth time at least!”

The big punch came at the end: “If we can’t get this one ‘together’ in the matter that has proven successful for all other organizations that have ever done one of these (at least, as far as I know), then it’s not one in which I want to be involved.”

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It is not a crime to be a struggling theater.

It’s no secret that theater audiences are dwindling — Karen acknowledged this when we spoke — and that a preponderance of new

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companies has spread already-thin audiences thinner.

“Artists struggle,” says Matthew Henrickson. “And what they’ve [the Paisleys] done to bring a theater up from nothing is impressive.”

Nearly everyone I spoke to agreed on a few points. Paisley casts well. She works hard. And she picks great shows — challenging shows, cerebral shows, shows that actors are desperate to perform and that no other theater in town will touch. The theater is currently producing the Kansas City premiere of Horton Foote’s Orphan’s Home Cycle. It’s also only the second theater in the country to perform the full cycle of nine one-act plays.

And recent changes have created more optimism for the company’s future — chief among them, the purchase of the historic Warwick Theater in 2015. While the theater is still in the midst of renovations (and a capital campaign to support them), the space has already been dramatically transformed. There’s a cheery new rehearsal space with wood floors and natural light as well as an expanded stage area.

Another boon, depending on your point of view: according to board member David Emerick, the theater’s board of directors has ultimate governance over the Warwick. Emerick was careful to highlight multiple times in our interview how “engaged and involved” the board was in the Warwick. He emphasized the importance of sustainability, too — “beyond just whoever the founder is” — and mentioned that the board had discussed adding a board liaison so that employees could share feedback with them directly.

Todd Lanker’s appointment to the theater’s leadership team — he’s now associate artistic director — in June was also an encouraging sign for many employees. One of Lanker’s early ideas was to add a complaint form to new contracts so that employees would have a clear sense of the chain of command.

The complaints to Equity yielded some changes, too.

“We know that members still feel frustrated by their experiences with this employer, and with us,” says Brandon Lorenz, the communications director for Actors Equity, in a prepared statement. “Based in part on feedback from members who felt this employer failed to meet its obligations, Equity now requires this employer to use an Equity Stage Manager on all their productions.”

Having an Equity stage manager is a good start. A knowledgeable stage manager can curb violations before they happen and provide a neutral intermediary for any actor or crew complaints. But when I asked MET to provide the name of the Equity stage manager for the current production, Orphan’s Home Cycle, I was surprised to see

OVER THE COURSE OF OUR NEARLY THREEHOUR MEETING, KAREN PAISLEY SPENT MORE TIME CRITICIZING THE CHARACTER AND WORK ETHIC OF THE EMPLOYEES I’D SPOKEN TO THAN EXPRESSING CONCERN FOR THEIR GRIEVANCES.

a familiar name: James Paisley. Bob and Karen’s son.

When I started this piece, I felt optimistic about MET’s future. I felt certain the Paisleys could rise above these complaints, that they could listen and grow and respond to them in the way that good artists do.

I do not feel optimistic now. I do not feel optimistic about a company that responds to a punitive Equity requirement by circling the Paisley family wagons more tightly. I do not feel optimistic about an artistic director who, over the course of our nearly three-hour meeting, spent more time criticizing the character and work ethic of the employees I’d spoken to than expressing concern for their grievances.

I do not feel optimistic about a company that has attempted to bully The Pitch into silence with disingenuous legal threats. After learning of this story, MET and its attorneys scoured my social media feed for ammunition, located a Facebook post I made in 2017 at the height of the #metoo movement detailing my personal, painful experiences with sexual assault and harassment, and submitted it to The Pitch as evidence of, I don’t know, my status as a living, breathing woman?

“Such experiences further call into question her ability to objectively report about allegations such as those made here,” their attorney wrote, of me, in a letter to The Pitch.

At the risk of stating the obvious, this would disqualify just about every female reporter I’ve met — and many male reporters, too — from reporting on sexual harassment.

Also obvious: these are not the actions one associates with empathetic people aware of the politics of power and sexual harassment.

These are the actions of people concerned about protecting one thing: themselves. In the end, Bob’s #IamMET hashtag was more appropriate than he realized: I, not we.

“In the beginning, we had these dreams of what the company looked like,” says a former employee who held multiple roles at MET and worked with the Paisleys nearly continuously between its inception in 2005 and 2017. “Originally, when the MET was created, it was Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre, and their vision of having leadership roles in every aspect of the theater was grand, and it was coming to fruition. But all of a sudden there was just this switch with Karen, and her vision, her ideas were the only poker chips on the table.”

She continues: “Karen and Bob have gotten away with a lot of things for far too long. It’s time that people know what’s happening. I’m sad every time I hear what’s happened on the next show...that’s what hurts my heart. It’s just time people know— as they go into the Warwick, it’s time for people to know what they’re investing in.”

SAVE THE DATE!

JANUARY 21-27 1/2 off specialty sandwiches all week long!

Participating restaraunts to be announced soon!

CAFE

Think Globally TRIBE STREET KITCHEN IN THE RIVER MARKET WANTS TO SHOW YOU THE WORLD.

BY LIZ COOK

Chain restaurants with sprawling menus and microwave-centric kitchens are a bit of a collective joke these days. Applebee’s, like Nickleback or jorts, has become lazy shorthand for anyone taking a swing at mass-market mediocrity.

But I’ve always been fascinated by the melting-pot mashups those restaurants and their novel-length menus inspire. I recall more than one youthful Applebeevening bouncing from “Asian-glazed riblets” to something called a “quesadilla burger” (This land of plenty! This cornucopia of colonized chow!)

It was only a matter of time before some millennials came along and, having already crucified casual dining, resurrected its best features beneath some Edison bulbs.

Tribe Street Kitchen has little in common with the Riblets of Yore. But it is a holy land for anyone who has ever been asked “Do you want Indian, Mexican or Thai?” and answered “Yes.” Tribe opened in March on a piece of prime real estate on the River Market streetcar line. Since then, it’s earned sentiments as varied as its internationally inspired menu. I want to love this place. I often do. The beers are giant! The prices are reasonable! But the food and service are — forgive me — all over the map.

Co-owners Ben VinZant, Sam Hagan, and Jordan Mathes have, if nothing else, created a supremely pleasant spot for happy hour. The warm bar lighting does a lot of heavy lifting: if you ignore the chevron-patterned shiplap, you can imagine yourself in a bustling night market where neon signs scream, sodium street lamps sputter, and stark interior fluorescents spill out onto the crowded street like an accusation.

Even on slow nights, the vibe is buzzy and sociable. Cocktails arrive by the pitcher; bar bites are novel and portioned for sharing. There’s a wine list, but it isn’t the focus.

Executive chef Lance Gipson’s dishes are boldly spiced (and sometimes baldly spicy); you’re going to want a beer.

For all Tribe’s international ambitions, the taplist is decidedly local, with selections from Stockyards, Martin City, Brewery Emperial, and…Hamm’s (I can’t think of a better macro for which to break ranks).

Drafts are reasonably priced to start, which may explain why the happy hour pours are

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THE PITCH | NOVEMBER 2018 | thepitchkc.com

Above: the khao soi noodles. Left: chile relleno. Opposite page: crispy curried ZACH BAUMAN cauliflower.

bigger rather than cheaper. Order a beer between 2 and 6, and it’ll arrive in a chunky stein the circumference of a salad plate.

Possibly owing to the size of said stein, I puzzled over the happy hour menu for far longer than seemed ideal. That menu lists a few drink specials as well as a selection of dishes from the dinner menu. But you can also order off the full dinner menu during happy hour. No matter which menu you order from, the food is the same price. Confused? Me too. My server offered zero guidance.

Still, navigating those menus reaps rewards. The chile relleno, which is only available during happy hour, was a delicious showpiece. It was unlike any chile relleno I’d tried: crisp and dry, with a glut of gooey chihuahua cheese, a smoky salsa roja and a coarse, decidedly un-eggy breading. It was

also roughly the size of a bicycle tire.

The three happy hour cocktails are worth ordering, too. The Mamalona margarita was smooth and sunny, perfectly pinned between sweet and sour (and served in an elfin glass boot). The white and red house sangrias were subtly flavored without skewing too sweet. And the La Rambla cocktail was cracklingly dry, heightening the flavors of sparkling rosé, strawberry, and elderflower.

Another happy-hour-only steal: the nachos. Nachos are a dicey pick on most bar menus. Too often, they’re forgettable, soggy mounds of bagged chips and reconstituted cheese. Tribe’s nachos were thick, salted totopos that stayed crisp despite a heavy load of melty Chihuahua cheese, thinsliced serranos, and fire-roasted corn. The whole affair was trimmed divorciados-style

with dueling red and green salsas. For a modest upcharge, you can add a protein.

My table ordered the chicken mole. We were served carnitas.

I played dumb when they arrived, trying to be polite. “Oh!” I prompted our server. “Is this the chicken mole?”

She squinted down at a plate of what was unmistakably pork. “I’m not sure,” she said. “I can ask the kitchen?” She hesitated.

We kept the nachos (and, like good Midwesterners, silently paid the upcharge for the mole we hadn’t been served).

Tribe’s front of house is largely composed of attractive, clean-cut young people who look as though they recently returned from a mission trip building CrossFit gyms in Kenya. Service on all three visits was friendly but shaky. I wasn’t offered a bar menu until my third visit and was surprised to discover a full list of creative, globetrotting cocktails. (I liked the Tuk Tuk’n Around, an opaque, seafoam-green brew of white rum, cucumber and lime that had a silky mouthfeel thanks to taro root.)

Timing was an issue, too. On one visit, I was careful to order the Korean beef short ribs as a starter. But those ribs hit the table exactly one minute before the entrees, making an otherwise laidback meal feel rushed.

The ribs were also lukewarm, though the flavors of soy sauce, brown sugar, and gochujang sang through.

To be fair, Tribe isn’t necessarily built for structured courses. The menu seems geared toward communal dining, and the

CAFE

LIVE MUSIC

THUR 11/1 FRI 11/2

Tribe Street Kitchen 316 Delaware St 816-214-6058 tribekc.com

Hours: Monday–Friday 11 AM–1:30 AM

TBA SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 7PM

SAT 11/3

NACE BROTHERS 7PM

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JEFF, NORM & DAVE 7PM

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BARCLAY BROTHERS 8PM

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GROOVE PILOTS 8PM

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ROCK PAPER SCISSORS 5PM PROMISE MAKERS

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JEFF, NORM & DAVE 7PM

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RUSSIAN RIVER RECORDS’ KC SONGWRITERS ROUND 7PM

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TOE JAM 7PM

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JEFF, NORM & DAVE 7PM

FRI 11/23 SAT 11/24

THE LONNIE RAY BAND FRED WICKHAM & THE HADACOL CARAVAN

WED 11/28 THUR 11/29

JEFF & NORM 7PM NACE BROTHERS ACOUSTIC TRIO

FRI 11/30 SAT 12/1

ALLIED SAINTS REX PRYOR SONG CIRCLE 2PM

1515 WESTPORT RD. 816-931-9417

Saturday 9 AM–1:30 AM Sunday 9 AM–12 AM ZACH BAUMAN

Prices: Cocktails: $8–10 Appetizers $5–13 Entrees $7–15

Best bet: Slurp a La Rambla at happy hour and make a meal of small plates: the chile relleno, the crispy curried cauliflower, and the harissa chickpea salad.

trendy-casual ambience absolves any guilt you might feel about pilfering your tablemates’ fries (and they’re very good fries).

Sure, there are a few industrial-rustic design tropes — lots of exposed brick, enough devil’s ivy to choke a housecat. But the artwork is bolder (from sugar skulls to a neon Lucha Libre mask), the colors are brighter (hello, lapis-hued velvet booths) and the bar is plated in cool hexagonal tiles made locally by R24 Studios’ Cody Brown.

Another hip addition: a wood-fired grill used to alternately brilliant and baffling effect. The grill was ideal for the nopales street tacos, lending an earthy char to the tender and tangy cactus pads. But it was less ideal for Tribe’s chicken korma. Gipson’s gravy was creamy and faithfully spiced, ladled around an herbal mound of cardamom rice. But browning the chicken thigh pieces on the grill (rather than braising them in the sauce) buried the curry’s subtler flavors in muddy char.

The khao soi noodles were another nearly perfect dish. The rich coconut broth was well-spiced and fragrant with fish sauce, though it lacked the floral notes I associate with the dish (makrut lime leaves often fill that role). The thick, angular egg noodles were comforting, and a cap of lightly pickled spiralized carrot added textural variety and a spark of acid. But as in the korma, the shrimp were grilled, adding a discordant brown note to the dish.

Eating around the world at Tribe is an exercise in almosts and buts. The bar burger was perfectly engineered but undersalted.

The beans in the feijoada, a Brazilian stew stippled with cotija cheese, were plump and flavorful — but the chorizo was dry and chalky, and the dish needed a hit of acid to gussy up the flavors. And the po’ boy had an addictively spicy remoulade, but the beer-battered shrimp turned gummy inside the overlarge roll.

When the dishes are good, though, they justify any amount of frustration. A cold harissa chickpea salad was exceptional, with tender chickpeas, brightly acidic vegetables, and a full blush of hazy heat. The textures and flavors were as varied (and harmonious) as the restaurant’s vision.

I was similarly fond of a shareable platter of crispy curried cauliflower dotted with green beans and pepper strips. The vegetables were decorously battered and fried to a light and airy crunch. I had a hard time forgoing the accompanying charred leek yogurt sauce (smoky, savory, seductive), but the dish comes with a solid mango chutney as well.

Tribe has all the ingredients for a hit: a stylish space, bold flavors, and party-sized drinks. The flaky service and uneven menu may improve with time. For now, it’s one of the more appealing spots for a downtown happy hour — as long as you can navigate the menu.

g ro w n b y h a n d

made by hand

8 1 6 .2 2 1 .7 5 5 9 | bl u e bi rdbi stro .co m 1 7 0 0 S u mmi t S tre e t

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Pitch Barcentral Ad 4.917 x 5.667.qxp_Layout 1 10/18/18 7:13 PM Page 1

FOOD

We’re very crafty

with our cocktails!

Don’t miss the opportunity to sample a variety of handcrafted cocktails in

BARCENTRAL – our energetic

restaurant and lounge in the center

ROUNDUP! APRIL FLEMING

of the hotel’s activity.

We’re open all day, so stop by for a morning latte, a freshly prepared

quick lunch or toast the end-of- the -

THE BEST NEIGHBORHOOD RESTAURANTS IN WALDO. BY APRIL FLEMING

day with a cocktail, wine or beer.

Look — it’s not that we don’t love a ridiculously extravagant, clarified-milk cocktail with a list of ingredients we’ve never heard of that costs as much as a week’s worth of college groceries. Nor can we help ourselves around a gourmet dish with the seasonal microgreens plated just so. And as much as we might hate ourselves for it, if a server slides a beautiful tart between our elbows, don’t think for a second we won’t whip out our phones as fast as any “influencer” and Instagram-story that thing.

But sometimes — let’s say most of the time — the most satisfying places are those in our own neighborhoods: the low-key local spots that are a part of our everyday experiences.

We’re talking about places that are busy on a Sunday night. Places you can maybe walk to from your house on a nice night, but if you drive, parking’s not a pain. Places that don’t make you order fries separately. Places where you can eat like a goddamn king for $15 — including your drink.

Few neighborhoods provide these everyday comforts at the level Waldo does. It’s maybe not the fanciest girl at the party, but it boasts a disproportionate number of the most beloved local spots in the city. Below, we celebrate some of Waldo’s easygoing treasures.

Big Sips l Small Bites l Great Time KANSAS CITY MARRIOTT DOWNTOWN 200 West 12th street Kansas City, MO 64105 816. 421.6800 barcentralkc.com

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @thepitchkc

COME GET YOUR WINGS FOR THE NEXT GAME! BUCKNAKEDWINGS

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5912 BLUE PARKWAY 2631 NE VIVION RD. NKC INSIDE WORLD LIQUOR 63RD ST. & 350 HWY

THE PITCH | NOVEMBER 2018 | thepitchkc.com

Waldo Pizza

Chelly’s Cafe

You can’t talk about great neighborhood joints in Kansas City — much less Waldo — without bringing Waldo Pizza into the discussion. It’s an institution — 30 years and counting of undeniably great pie. It has also boasted an excellent beer list since long before craft-beer culture was en vogue. We like its custom pizzas, including the Local Pig (spicy red sauce, porchini-thyme Local Pig sausage, herb-roasted potatoes, red onions and grated parmesan) and the Breakfast for Dinner, or “BFD,” (alfredo sauce, coffee maple sausage, eggs, white onion and green peppers). But Waldo Pizza also casts a wide net by being one of the only pizzerias in town that offers both vegan pizzas and (surprisingly quite good) gluten-free pizza crusts. Even the humble “cheese crust” — a 12” cracker topped with garlic butter and mozzarella, served with marinara; $6 — is damn solid. Waldo Pizza is also exceedingly family friendly, which can be a lifeline for parents and kids. All tapped out on conversation with your spouse or kids? Grab one of the old Trivial Pursuit Genus cards that sit in batches on the tables. Your pizza will be ready before you know it.

Discreetly tucked into the strip mall at 85th and Wornall, Chelly’s Cafe is a Mexican restaurant that serves predominantly TexMex: addictive white cheese dip, chimichangas, chicken enchiladas, taco salad, and more gooey white cheese. But if you dig a little deeper into the massive menu, you can also find authentic dishes from all over Mexico: dianitas (red snapper in lemon sauce), camarones al mojo (shrimp in garlic tequila sauce with an avocado salad), and sopes (thick, fried corn discs covered in silky pork carnitas, lettuce, and pico). Chelly’s does all these — authentic and Americanized — well, and in huge portions that tend to cost around $10. We also recommend the giant margaritas made with freshly squeezed lime juice.

(7433 Broadway Boulevard)

816-491-8037 816-673-1635

(214 West 85th Street)

Walsh’s Corner Cocktails (304 West 85th Street)

Open since 1978, Corner Cocktails is a firstname-basis kind of place, and the townies who have been coming here for decades make for excellent people-watching (and if you stay long enough, you’ll make some

CIGARETTES *Website restricted to age 21+ smokers. ©2018 SFNTC (4)

thepitchkc.com | NOVEMBER 2018 | THE PITCH

25

NOVEMBER

12-18

$5 COCKTAILS ALL WEEK LONG AT EACH OF THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS:

26

THEPITCHKC.COM/COCKTAILWEEK

THE PITCH | NOVEMBER 2018 | thepitchkc.com

BAR CENTRAL/ METROPOLITAN KC SMOKEY SNAPPER

BAR K GOOD BOY PUNCH

HOPCAT GRAMBERRY

A house-made smoked bloody mary mix, Beefeater Gin, pickled onion, jalapeno, and in-house BBQ rub rim.

Rieger’s KC Whiskey with Plantation Dark Rum, citrus, allspice, Tiki bitters, and green tea.

Blackberry Liqueur, Captain Morgan, a dash of Bitters, Cranberry Juice, and last, but not least: LOVE.

200 West 12th St., Kansas City, MO (816) 802-7095 | marriott.com

501 Berkley Parkway, Kansas City, MO (816) 474-2275 | barkwdogbar.com

401 Westport Rd, Kansas City, MO (816) 656-3439 | hopcat.com/kansas-city

HUSH JAZZ LOUNGE THE COLTRANE

TAVERNONNA BRANDY APPLESEED

THE BRASS ONION GET WELL SOON

Patron Blanco Tequila, orange, lime, agave, blueberry, and basil.

Boulard VSOP brandy, ginger beer, apple cider, and simple syrup.

W.L. Weller bourbon, berry-tarragon shrub, lime, smoked honey syrup.

1000 Broadway, Suite 0, Kansas City, MO (816) 600-0707 | facebook.com/HushKC

106 W 12th St, Kansas City, MO (816) 346-4410 | hotelphillips.com/tavernonna

5501 W 135th St, Overland Park, KS (913) 851-5940 | thebrassonion.com

THE MONARCH BAR THE KANSAS CITY ICE WATER

A refreshing, citrus forward cooler that brings together both the Vodka-Soda lover with the Gin & Tonic connoisseur alike.

4808 Roanoke Pkwy, Kansas City, MO (816) 437-7912 | themonarchbar.com

THE PRESSED PENNY JACK ROSE COCKTAIL

Laird’s Applejack brandy, house made pomegranate grenadine, lemon juice, and Peychaud’s bitters.

1511 Westport Rd., Kansas City, Missouri (816) 531-7687 | thepressedpennytavern.com

THE RESERVE THE GHOST NOTE

Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur, Stoli Razberi Vodka, cream, and a touch of cherry, with special notes of dark chocolate to harmonize.

1111 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO (816) 298-7700 | reservekc.com

#OURPITCH | #KCCOCKTAILWEEK

FOOD

onion rings. If you’re going for dinner, get there early: Max’s closes at 7 p.m.

friends, whether you want to or not). You can get a knackwurst or solid burger with fresh-ground chuck from McGonigle’s with fries, chips, or cole slaw for under six bucks, or a sausage pizza big enough for two for under $10. The food is way better than it should be. Stick around and watch the game: why not?

Princess Garden

(8906 Wornall Road)

Game Day Chicken Wings and Fish (8950 Wornall Road)

Waldo Pizza

Open for only a few years now, Game Day is a relative newcomer to the neighborhood, but it’s quickly established itself as a go-to for all-day, cooked-to-order classic breakfast, burgers, and wings (including jumbo wings), as well as a party spot from Thursday to Saturday nights. Game Day has the heart of a soul food restaurant, offering huge portions of multiple varieties of fried fish, chicken and waffles, pork chops, collard greens, and homestyle sweet potatoes. And the restaurant recently added

APRIL FLEMING

a large outdoor patio, doubling its capacity.

A warning that potentially doubles as a recommendation: it is very difficult to leave this place in any condition other than sleepy and happy.

Max’s

(8240 Wornall Road)

Gyros and burgers aren’t an intuitive combo. But they also doesn’t not make sense

together. This old-fashioned-ish burger stand keeps it simple and fresh, with houseground, never-frozen burgers grilled over an open flame. The double cheeseburger with bacon, served with tangy pickles, is among the best you’ll find anywhere in town. And though they often take a backseat to the burgers, the lamb and beef gyros are tender and flavorful. Also available: charbroiled chicken, pork tenderloin sandwiches, curly fries and big, crunchy

With its red-and-gold motif complete with dragons and pagodas, and light fixtures decked out with red tassels, Princess Garden is in many ways a throwback American Chinese restaurant.

Like Chelly’s, you can go Full Midwestern here with General Tso’s and orange chicken, but you can also order authentic, hard-to-find dishes like Beggar’s chicken (cooked in clay and must be ordered a day in advance) and Mam Fa Sha (shrimp stuffed with scallops and crab in ginger sauce). And its tiki-inspired cocktail menu has become the stuff of legend; drinks include the Planter’s Punch (description: “There are many Planter’s Punch. Try this One) and the Princess Garden Grog (“Strong but Very Passionate”). A truly oneof-a-kind gem, this place.

1110 E Santa Fe St, Olathe, KS 66061 Mon-Sat 10:30am - 9pm

stripschicken.com

! s u lo U O Y b Fa Have a wonderful holiday!

Breakfast  Brunch  Lunch  Cocktails 4059 BROADWAY / (816) 931-4401 / THECORNERKC.COM

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THE PITCH | NOVEMBER 2018 | thepitchkc.com

Your friends at Foo’s

From full service to express drop-off and everything in between, you can rest assured that you will get the menu and service you need to make your celebration a success!

Brancato’s

CATERING

BrancatosCatering.com sales@BrancatosCatering.com 816.765.4707

thepitchkc.com | NOVEMBER 2018 | THE PITCH

29

EAT

Eat ThisNow TURKISH ELOTES AT KARBÓN

There’s a lot to love at Parlor, the food hall that opened last month in the East Crossroads. But if we had to pick a favorite vendor in there, it’d be chef Rachel Rinas’ Karbón, which draws influences from both the Yucatán and Turkey, and might just be the most unique concept in all of Kansas City right now.

Take her Turkish elotes, to start. Traditionally, elotes are a hot ear of freshly cooked corn, slathered in tangy mayonnaise and dusted with chili and cojita cheese. Rinas’ version swaps out the chili for her own unique za’atar blend.

Za’atar, to hear her describe it, is a classic Middle Eastern mix of sumac, sesame seeds, and thyme. Rinas adds cumin and coriander, and you can smell it from 15 feet away. A bite of this stuff is creamy, tangy, savory and crunchy — a perfect introduction to what Rinas is capable of. It’s also, as we have happily discovered, a not-too-guilty late-night snack — corn being a vegetable and all.

––April Fleming

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THE PITCH | NOVEMBER 2018 | thepitchkc.com

APRIL FLEMING

DRINK

Drink ThisNow TEA-BIOTICS KOMBUCHA

Yes, we are going to recommend kombucha to you right now, but hear us out for just a second, booch-haters. We know you’re (justifiably!) tired of hearing white ladies talk about probiotics and all-natural whatevers and all the other supposed health benefits of kombucha. And we know that many of the fizzy, fermented versions of kombucha out there taste bitter or just plain gross. But that is not the case with the addictive varieties that Lisa Bledsoe sells through her Lenexa-based Tea-Biotics business. Tea-Biotics kombucha is naturally effervescent (as all kombucha is), but it’s also infused with a dizzying and ever-changing array of flavors, including peach balsamic, elderberry mango, lime turmeric, hibiscus grapefruit, and cayenne lemonade. This stuff is not bitter, nor is it too sweet. Bonus: if you prefer your drinks a bit boozy, Bledsoe’s stuff is a great mixer. We’ve found it goes quite well with seasonal apple cider: mix in some Tea-Biotics kombucha, a few ice cubes, a sprig of thyme, and a little bourbon. Tastes like fall — and not bitter at all. ––April Fleming

APRIL FLEMING

thepitchkc.com | NOVEMBER 2018 | THE PITCH

31

MUSIC Chris Garibaldi.

AARON RHODES

great way to end the label. I’m gonna shut the label down after this big party, and we’re all gonna be happy,’” Garibaldi recalls. Go out with a bang.

Not long after the party, though, he was approached by Mark Henning, a longtime friend and a member of Lawrence rock band Zoom. Lotuspool had recently reissued an album by Poster Children that Henning dug.

He wanted Lotuspool to give Zoom’s sophomore album, Helium Octipede (released the first time around by Tim/Kerr Records in 1993) and Rockin’ In Rio (an early cassette that had never seen a mass release) a similar treatment.

Zoom never built up a significant national following during its original run, but a few decades later, it’s clear that the band was carving out an interesting space inside the larger framework of ‘90s indie rock. Its two LPs take cues from contemporaries like Slint and Hum — lots of heavy, anxious guitar work and an overall sense of friction — and Fugazi’s tuneful, driving grooves.

the band also required Lotuspool to state that the lost master tapes for the album had recently been discovered by a hiker in the Pyrenees.

In keeping with this slightly bizarre streak, Rockin’ In Rio — Zoom’s more melodic debut EP — is being released on limited-edition 8-track tapes. Garibaldi had mentioned to someone at his day job that he runs a label in his spare time. The coworker mentioned that their friend runs the only remaining 8-track manufacturer in the United States.

“It’s an interesting deal,” Garibaldi says.

“They make them by hand, so they find the shells, they clean them, they record your stuff on a clean piece of tape, and then they reel it, put it in the shell, and tape your artwork onto it.” (Rio comes with a download code, in the likely event you do not own an 8-track player.)

Might we see Zoom’s self-titled debut LP released on vinyl sometime soon as well?

“Maybe — we’re seriously considering

(Forums on the website of Steve Albini’s iconic Chicago recording studio Electrical Audio feature praise for Zoom from several people involved with the studio; Albini himself even came out to one of Zoom’s reunion shows half a decade ago.) Zoom’s aesthetic is also detectable in the late-90s local acts that followed it, like Shiner and Giants Chair.

Garibaldi thought it over and concluded Henning’s request was one he couldn’t refuse. And now, a year later, we have the first-ever vinyl release of Helium Octipede, courtesy of Lotuspool Records. It looks great: the updated jacket design is done in the style of the flashy, vintage European pressings that American rock albums would often receive back in the day. Garibaldi’s bandmate from Suneaters, Steve Hartley, wrote the copy for the back of the jacket in English before Garibaldi took it to Parkville’s French bistro, Café des Amis, where an employee and a French poetry professor translated it. A tongue-in-cheek stipulation from

it,” Garibaldi says. He thinks there are exceptional vocal performances on the LP, but, “when they mixed that record, it was at a time where you’d always bury the vocals, so we’ve been talking about definitely remastering it, and maybe doing a bit of remixing to bring out the vocals.”

Until a decision is reached on that front, Garibaldi is staying busy, working on a new batch of releases from other bands, as well as the production of a new Suneaters album at his home studio. He’s surprisingly optimistic about a future resurgence in support for indie rock labels like his. While it’s unlikely that the genre will ever see a boom like it did in the days of Nirvana, he thinks that music fans will eventually sour on the idea of major labels and corporate streaming giants spoon-feeding them, and set out in search of something fresh.

“You can hear when they’re trying to sell you crap,” Garibaldi says. “I just can’t wait for the revolution to come.”

Another Spin LOTUSPOOL RECORDS GIVES ‘90S INDIE-ROCKERS ZOOM A REPACKAGE.

BY AARON RHODES

We last caught up with Chris Garibaldi three years ago, back when Lotuspool, the label he cofounded in Lawrence in 1992, was in the midst of a revival. After releasing beloved indie records by acts like the Weightmen, Bully Pulpit, Panel Donor, and Zoom, Lotuspool went on a decade-plus hiatus starting around 2000. By 2015, though, Garibaldi was working on some new releases, including Heidi Lynne Gluck’s debut LP. So when I visited him last month at his Parkville home — the basement of which houses an impressive, multi-room recording studio he built two years ago — I was surprised when one of the first things he revealed to me was that, just a year ago, he’d planned to shut the label down again.

The thought came to Garibaldi last October, when Lotuspool was celebrating its 25th anniversary with two nights of shows at the Replay Lounge featuring nearly a dozen Lotuspool acts.

“I was sitting there thinking, ‘This is a

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THE PITCH | NOVEMBER 2018 | thepitchkc.com

ZOOM’S HELIUM OCTIPEDE AND ROCKIN’ IN RIO ARE AVAILABLE TO STREAM AND PURCHASE NOW AT ZOOMLOTUSPOOL. BANDCAMP.COM.

MUSIC

WYNONNA with the WYNONNA with the KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY KANSAS CITY10SYMPHONY Saturday, November at 8 p.m.

Saturday, 10 at 8 p.m.

Helzberg Hall,November Kauffman Center

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center Jason Seber, David T. Beals III Associate Conductor Jason Seber, David T. Beals III Associate Conductor

There is only one Wynonna Judd. Her range, There is only one Judd. Her range, style and voice areWynonna simply unmatched. style and voice are simply unmatched.

Wynonna returns to the Kansas City Wynonna to the Kansas Citymusic, Symphonyreturns in a celebration of great Symphony in a celebration of great music, performing her country hits and rock classics performing her country and rock classics along with staples of thehits American Songbook. along staples of the American Songbook.

Note: with this concert is presented without Note: this concert is presented without intermission. Tickets from $45. intermission. Tickets from $45.

Sponsored by the Kao Family Foundation.

Sponsored by the Kao Family Foundation.

FUN, FEEL-GOOD MUSIC! Kansas City Symphony presents Kansas City Symphony presentsBACH, CLASSICS UNCORKED:

Classical Concert with Symphony Chorus Classical Concert with Symphony Chorus MOZART, BACH and

Thursday, Nov. 8 at 7 Center p.m.

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman

Friday Saturday, Sunday,& Nov. 18 at 2Nov. p.m.16-17 at 8 p.m.

Sunday, Nov.Kauffman 18 at 2 p.m.

Helzberg Hall, Center

CLASSICS UNCORKED: BACH, BLUEGRASS and BOURBON BLUEGRASS BOURBON Thursday, Nov. 8 and at 7 p.m.

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center Jason Seber, David T. Beals III Associate Jason Seber, David T. Beals III Associate Conductor Conductor Ready for some toe-tappin’ fun? Come hear Ready for some pickin’ toe-tappin’ fun? Come some bluegrass and pluckin’ plushear some pickin’ and pluckin’ Bach’sbluegrass Brandenburg Concerto No. 3.plus After Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3.glass Afterof the concert, enjoy a complimentary the enjoy a with complimentary glass of wineconcert, while mingling Symphony musicians wine while mingling SymphonyGreat musicians in Kauffman Center’swith Brandmeyer Hall. in Kauffman Center’s Great Hall.

A special selection of Brandmeyer bourbons also will be A special for selection bourbons also will be available tasting.ofMost tickets $25 available for tasting. Most tickets $25

DON’T MISS F DON’T MISS F

MOZART, BACH and SCHUBERT’S NINTH SCHUBERT’S Friday & Saturday, NINTH Nov. 16-17 at 8 p.m.

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center Michael Stern, conductor Michael Stern, conductor Kansas City Symphony Chorus Kansas Symphony CharlesCity Bruffy, chorus Chorus director CharlesChoirs Bruffy, Allegro ofchorus Kansasdirector City Allegro Kansasand Cityartistic director ChristyChoirs Elsner,offounder Christy Elsner, founder and artistic director W.A. MOZART Ave verum corpus W.A. MOZART AveChrist, verummeins corpusLebens J.S. BACH “O Jesu J.S. BACH “O118 Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht,” BWV Licht,”ADAMS BWV 118On the Transmigration of Souls JOHN JOHN ADAMS On the Transmigration of Souls SCHUBERT Symphony No. 9, “The Great” SCHUBERT Symphony No. 9, “The Great” Tickets from $25 Tickets from $25

Julian Kaplan Julian Kaplan

Thanksgiving Weekend Classical Concert Thanksgiving Weekend Classical Concert MOZART’S “JUPITER”

MOZART’S “JUPITER” with HAYDN’S TRUMPET with HAYDN’S TRUMPET CONCERTO CONCERTO Friday & Saturday, Nov. 23-24 at 8 p.m.

Friday Saturday, Sunday,& Nov. 25 at 2Nov. p.m.23-24 at 8 p.m.

Sunday, Hall, Nov.Kauffman 25 at 2 p.m.

Helzberg Center

Helzberg Kauffman Bernard Hall, Labadie, guestCenter conductor Bernard Labadie, guest conductor Julian Kaplan, trumpet Julian Kaplan, trumpet F.J. HAYDN Symphony No. 26, “Lamentatione” F.J. HAYDN Symphony No. 26, “Lamentatione” Trumpet Concerto F.J. Trumpet Concerto W.A.HAYDN MOZART Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter” W.A. MOZART Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter” Maestro Bernard Labadie returns to the Kansas Maestro BernardforLabadie returnsThanksgiving to the Kansas City Symphony this sparkling City Symphony for this sparkling weekend program.

Tickets fromThanksgiving $25 weekend program. Tickets from $25

A Kansas City Symphony & Chorus tradition!

A Kansas City Symphony & Chorus tradition!

HANDEL’S MESSIAH

HANDEL’S MESSIAH Friday & Saturday, Dec. 7-8 at 7 p.m.

Friday Saturday, Sunday,& Dec. 9 at 2Dec. p.m.7-8 at 7 p.m.

Sunday, Hall, Dec.Kauffman 9 at 2 p.m.

Helzberg Center

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Aram Demirjian, guest Center conductor Aram Demirjian, conductor Rachele Gilmore,guest soprano Rachele Gilmore,mezzo-soprano soprano Sofia Selowsky, Sofia Selowsky, mezzo-soprano Jonathan Johnson, tenor Jonathan Johnson, tenor Davóne Tines, baritone Davóne Tines, baritone Chorus Kansas City Symphony Kansas Symphony CharlesCity Bruffy, chorus Chorus director Charles Bruffy, chorus director The Messiah performance of the year! Nearly The the year!voices Nearly 200 Messiah amazing performance musicians andofpowerful 200 musicians and powerful voices bringamazing this choral masterpiece to life with the bring choralDemirjian masterpiece to lifeconductor. with the returnthis of Aram as guest return Aram$25.

Demirjian as guest conductor.

Ticketsoffrom Tickets from $25.

CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL - Festive fun for the entire family! Dec. 14-18 CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL - Festive fun returns for thefor entire Dec. 14-18with the Symphony and Symphony Chorus.

Kansas City’s favorite Christmas concert tradition seven family! joyous performances Kansas City’s favorite carols Christmas concert tradition returnsspecial for seven joyous the Symphony and Symphony Cherished Christmas and Yuletide songs, talented guests and performances one jolly visitorwith from the North Pole are sure to fillChorus. you Cherished Christmas carols and Yuletide songs, talented special guests and one jolly visitor from the North Pole are surenecessary. to fill you with holiday spirit. At each performance, we’ll give away a dazzling jewelry prize from Helzberg Diamonds, no purchase with holiday spirit.

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((816)) 471-0400 // kcsymphony.org 816 471-0400 kcsymphony.org thepitchkc.com | NOVEMBER 2018 | THE PITCH

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MUSIC

Acid Flashback THE UNLIKELY RESURRECTION OF “THE DARKNESS,” AN OBSCURE ‘60S HEAVY-PSYCH SINGLE FROM CLINTON, MISSOURI. BY NICK SPACEK

Almost 50 years ago, a quartet of teen- let in Eagle Rock and the idea for the comp agers walked into Kansas City’s Damon Re- came from DJing those nights and having cord Studios on 14th Street to make a record people tell me I should sell the mix tapes I they hoped might be the start of something make,” Barresi says. “Instead of selling bootgreat. They’d come from a small town called leg mix tapes, I went the extra mile to get the Clinton, Missouri, in the middle of the state, material licensed and issue it properly on about an hour and a half away. They called vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital media with themselves The Summit.

RidingEasy Records.”

“The studio was underground,” recalls Much as Pebbles dug up long-lost gaDana McReynolds, The Summit’s guitarist, rage rock nuggets, or Killed By Death mined on the phone from his Missouri home. for obscure punk singles, Brown Acid sourc“It was under es all of that a parking lot boogie rock, in some place p r o t o - s t o n e r, in downtown hard-riffing Kansas City. music that rang You’d go to a out of garages door, and it and basements was kind of like during the late you’d walk into a ‘60s through the telephone booth mid-’70s. in a parking lot, Bands on and then you’d the comps have follow the steps hailed from down into the across the counstudio. It was try, with a strong really quite a representation nice experience. from California.

When you’re Though “Mis16 and you do souri isn’t a state An article from the Clinton High School newspaper, something like that brought us shortly after the single was released. this, you wonder, a lot of heavy 45s,” ‘Wow, this is the as Barresi puts beginning. Where is this gonna go?’” it, the sixth installment of Brown Acid inMcReynolds and his bandmates — cluded a song called “Give Me Time,” by the singer Jeff Walker, bassist Kevin Frederick, Kansas City band Backwood Memory, and and drummer Larry Smith — laid down two on the upcoming Seventh Trip, the closing songs for a 45 that day. Frederick wrote most track comes courtesy of The Summit. “The of the B-side, “Thank You Mister Jones,” a Darkness,” the folks at RidingEasy Records ballad-like tribute to the Rolling Stones’ Bri- contend, is “one of the very best examples of an Jones, who had died about a month be- heavy psych you’ll ever hear.” forehand.

Were it just for that song, it’s likely The • • • Summit’s single would have mostly been lost to time — a few fond memories for the boys Who were these guys?

By McReynolds and Walker’s own adwho recorded it. But the A-side, entitled “The Darkness,” was something else entire- missions, The Summit wasn’t really a band ly. It kicks off with a deeply toning bell, fol- at all. McReynolds likens them to Steely lowed by a crazy feedback effect that fuzzes Dan, in that they “just went to the studio.”

“Dana lived in Sikeston, and we lived in all over the track. Cue the lyrics about skulls Clinton, and that’s a pretty good commute,” and blood.

Lance Barresi, the owner of Permanent says Walker (who now lives in Carrollton, Records, a record shop in Los Angeles, got Texas), of the 324-mile distance between the turned on to “The Darkness” a few years towns. “So, we weren’t what you would call back by a collector friend. (Barresi has lo- a ‘working band.’ Whenever he was up, we’d cal-ish ties — he used to work at Slackers, get together and jam, and that was basically the Columbia, Missouri, record store, in the what we were doing when we wrote those early 2000s.) Barresi also curates a compila- songs.”

“I rode the bus from Sikeston to Clintion series called Brown Acid, which revives “heavy rock from the classic comedown era.” ton,” McReynolds says. “And the bus trip “I have a weekly DJ gig at the Old Cha- was fairly circuitous — the bus actually went

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THE PITCH | NOVEMBER 2018 | thepitchkc.com

down into Arkansas before it headed north.

I remember it was a full-day trip to get there.

When I got there, there wasn’t a bus station in Clinton. It was a bus stop. There was a street light post with a sign attached to it that said, ‘BUS STOP,’ and you just got off on the curb. Kevin and my uncle met me when I got there.”

The Summit, in fact, only ever played live once. “We did perform one time as a band, in a park in Clinton,” McReynolds says.

“It was after Woodstock, because some local wits called our little festival Cornstocks.”

The single was recorded that day in Kansas City and pressed soon thereafter.

Neither McReynolds nor Walker have their original copies, although McReynolds acquired some copies a few years back from Frederick’s widow. (Frederick died in 2003.)

Mark Prellberg was one of the first to get in contact with McReynolds regarding The Summit’s long-lost single. Prellberg, who headed up the Kansas City power-pop label Titan Records, used to appear on KKFI’s “Signal to Noise” radio show and play rare and vintage vinyl from around the Kansas City area. He heard about The Summit and their 45 in 2016 from a vinyl collector friend on the East Coast who sent him a YouTube link to “The Darkness.”

“I very much like[d] the record and began trying to track down any former member involved with the band, to obtain a copy of the disc and find out their history,” Prellberg writes in an email. “It was extremely difficult to locate them, but after a few months, I got a lucky break and found Dana McReynolds’ brother, who forwarded me Dana’s contact info.”

Prellberg also passed along to McReynolds a photo he’d obtained of a Damon Studios log, which offered insight as to how many copies of the single might be out there.

“The entry for our recording session doesn’t give the date of the recording session — it’s a handwritten log, it’s very rudimentary — but it says that 125 copies of our record were ordered in September of 1969,” McReynolds says.

Barresi also first contacted Walker in 2016. “Oh, it was very much out of the blue — almost didn’t answer the call,” Walker says drily. “It was a real surprise, I guess is a good way to put it. I was waiting in the wait room of a barber to get a haircut on the day I was contacted.”

“This whole phenomenon [of the song being resurrected] has been something that feels like it happens around me, but not to me, because I’ve never met anybody personally,” McReynolds says. “People have contacted me from Europe, and I’ve never met any of my fans, personally, but it’s a story that I like to tell. That and $4 gets me coffee at the drive-through kiosk.”

These days, Walker’s a shipping clerk, and McReynolds retired in 2011 as the lead lab tech in an analytical lab in a coal-fired power plant in southern Nevada. He splits the year between Las Vegas and Bollinger County, Missouri. He’ll be back in Vegas by the time Brown Acid: The Seventh Trip releases at the end of the month, and says he’s looking forward to spinning it.

“I told my friends we’re going to have an album release party,” he says. “It’ll be a very small light in the sky in Las Vegas, but we’ll do what we can.”

thepitchkc.com | NOVEMBER 2018 | THE PITCH

35

ARTS

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NEWEAR AND THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF TOYS AND MINIATURES TEAM UP FOR AN ESPECIALLY PLAYFUL EVENING OF CHAMBER MUSIC. BY LIBBY HANSSEN

Full disclosure: few phrases bring me she says, “but sound cannot be miniatur- anybody around here has programmed her at all.” more joy than “toy piano.” Another is “Tom ized.”

They’re also embracing the childDepending on the performer, Jerome Selleck,” but, regrettably, Tom will most likely not be in attendance at newEar Con- hood-toy theme with a post-show snack and Kitzke’s “The Animist Child” can take eitemporary Chamber Ensemble’s upcoming old school signature mocktails: Shirley Tem- ther a raw, humorous approach or be more concert at the National Museum of Toys ples and Roy Rogers. “We are intentionally shamanistic, as the performer chants and knocks against the toy piano’s body, as and Miniatures (or T/m, as we sometimes being a little kitschy,” says Wagner.

As for the concert itself: it takes an ab- though extorting its soul to emerge. “There’s call it for short). There will be toy pianos at the museum’s November 10 event, though. stract view of childhood in the way it ex- lots of grunting and shouting,” Wagner says.

Jennifer Jolley’s music comes across as So — for now, at least — let’s talk toy pianos. plores play and games, discovery and energy. newEar and T/m have teamed up to That’s one of the appealing elements of toy rather cheeky, if her one-act opera “Krispy present “The Joy of Childhood,” the second piano, too: the way its distinctive jangle can Kremes and Butter Queens” (about notorious TV chef Paula Deen) concert of newEar’s season. is any evidence. Here, her The first, “Our Ancient “Double Concerto for ViPast,” was “based on folk olin and Fiddle” thumbs its songs and parables and nose at the somewhat arbimyths, and the music was trary distinction between a bit more serious,” says the instruments and their Sharra Wagner, newEar’s associated styles, combinartistic director and vice ing traits of baroque and president. The collaborabluegrass for a rip-roaring tion with T/m has “a sense duo. of humor and playfulness Then, with David to it.”

Smooke’s “Toy With Me,” “We hope to bring we return to toy piano, more attention to a hidmultiplied. The hocketden gem in Kansas City,” ed rhythms of the duelWagner says of T/m. “We ing toy pianos suggest a are interested in breaking music box effect, but by that fourth wall with the the final movement, both audience...and getting out performers (in this case, of the traditional perfortwo full-sized adult males mance spaces.”

Hence, they’ve reof the new music species) are squished together over placed the traditional one keyboard. It’s playfully pre-concert talk with a titled “Snug as Bugs in a pre-concert mini-tour of Rug.” the museum, says Leah The concert ends with Sproul Pulatie, president of a recent work from Carl newEar. “It’s going to be a Vine, whose 2017 String NEWEAR CONTEMPORARY CHAMBER ENSEMBLE Quartet no. 6, “Child’s really fun multi-genre, Play,” is a five-movement multi-artistic experience, PRESENTS “THE JOY OF CHILDHOOD” AT THE NATIONAL work that represents “the which we haven’t done in a while as newEar,” PulatMUSEUM OF TOYS AND MINIATURES. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER best part of humanity,” says the composer. ie says. “We’re leaning into “The nature of child’s this theme.”

10. TOUR STARTS AT 7 P.M., CONCERT AT 8 P.M. FOR MORE play, in fact, captures that Katherine Mercier, sense of unfettered ability T/m’s museum educator, INFORMATION AND TICKETS, VISIT NEWEAR.ORG. and unlimited potential will share some musical LIBBY HANSSEN that is within all of us and highlights of T/m’s colthat we lose as we age,” lection. The collection includes Foster Tracy’s Violin Maker’s Shop, convey both innocence and an off-kilter sen- Vine says.

The concert is strategically placed after built in the body of a full scale violin, as sibility, similar to the pure and unique way the midterms, too, to have something lightwell as a 17th century harpsichord made by children interact with their world.

The show opens with Du Yun’s “dreams- hearted, says Pulatie, “after all the seriousJohannes Landman. It’s operational, but at 1:12th scale (you could hold it in your hand), bend,” a miniature, four-minute piece for trio ness of the news cycles.”

Whatever the results of the first Tuesyou would need toothpicks to play the keys. and narrator. The Chinese-American comAlthough, as Mercier notes, it would sound poser and performance artist won the 2017 day in November, we’ll need every ounce Pulitzer Prize for her opera “Angel’s Bone,” of hope, playfulness, and joy this show can off-key.

“An instrument can be miniaturized,” and, according to Wagner, “I don’t think bring.

thepitchkc.com | NOVEMBER 2018 | THE PITCH

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Erased

DISNEY FAMILY MUSEUM

MICKEY MOUSE CO-CREATOR UB IWERKS HAS BEEN MOSTLY WRITTEN OUT OF DISNEY’S HISTORY. A NEW BOOK GIVES THE KANSAS CITY ANIMATOR HIS DUE. BY DAN LYBARGER

Steamboat Willie was made in California and debuted in New York’s Colony Theatre. But the people responsible for Mickey Mouse emerged out of Kansas City.

There was Walt Disney, of course: paperboy for The Kansas City Star who produced the breakthrough sound cartoon and even provided Mickey’s falsetto voice. Walt’s brother, too: Roy O. Disney, who worked at First National Bank of Kansas City and kept the books in order. And Carl Stalling wrote the music, using the skills he picked up as an organist accompanying silent movies in KC’s Isis Theatre, at 31st and Troost.

All of the animation, though, was drawn by one man: Ub Iwerks, who also designed the revered rodent. Even though the early Mickey cartoons all feature the “Drawn by Ub Iwerks” credit, his role in founding one of the world’s largest corporations is not as well remembered. Iwerks, born Ubbe Eert Iwwerks in Kansas City, was the son of a Frisian (northern European) immigrant. After helping create Mickey Mouse, he left the company, founded his own studio, and later

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THE PITCH | NOVEMBER 2018 | thepitchkc.com

returned to Disney to become the company’s special effects wizard.

Jeff Ryan’s new book, A Mouse Divided: How Ub Iwerks Became Forgotten and Walt Disney Became Uncle Walt, helps illustrate how both men became fathers to an animated mouse. It also reveals that bringing Mickey to the big screen was a struggle full of feuds and surprises that were secrets until now. We recently spoke to Ryan by phone at his home in New Jersey.

The Pitch: How did you first discover that there were other Kansas Citians involved with Mickey’s creation besides Walt Disney himself?

Ryan: The first Disney book I ever read was The Disney Version by Richard Schickel.

I thought that would be a good introduction for Walt Disney. I didn’t realize that he had this partner for the first 10 years. I assumed it was just Walt and Roy because those were the guys you heard about. The fact that there was a third person who didn’t really get any credit because he left the company, and he was the guy who made Mickey Mouse, and

was being purposely forgotten instead of accidentally forgotten — I guess that started everything. I don’t want to get into too much of a conspiracy theory, but Walt is able to make Disney what it is because he’s able to take credit for everything.

It’s interesting that in later years, Roy E. Disney, Walt’s nephew and Roy’s son, went out of his way to make sure Ub wasn’t forgotten.

He [Ub] wasn’t just a co-worker or a disposable employee. He was a huge part of the company. The company truly wouldn’t exist without all three of those guys.

Walt, Roy, and Ub came from Kansas City, as did Warner Bros. director Friz Freleng and music supervisor Car Stalling.

Why do you think KC was such a hub for animation?

I think it was just a hub, period. It was the biggest city for 1,000 miles around. If you were going to drive somewhere, and you were in the central Midwest, you would drive to Kansas City more than Chicago, unless you happened to be in Wisconsin some-

where. It was a happening place.

In addition to the people who worked on Disney’s movies, Kansas City was also the home of the marketing guru that kept the company afloat even when the movies didn’t.

Oh, yes. Herbert “Kay” Kamen. The first thing you think about when you think about Disney today is marketing and merchandising, and that’s what Kay Kamen brought to the Disney franchise. He actually talked his way into the job. If you talk your way into the job as a salesman — I think I mention that in the book — it’s kind of a paradox. Are you a good salesman if you talked your way into the job? Is it possible that you’re bad?

But Kamen succeeded.

That kept them afloat for a long time, and it gave Walt his “money isn’t important” philosophy, and kept him able to fund more and more of his projects.

Disney is now a global behemoth, but Walt’s Kansas City-based companies went bankrupt.

Walt’s different companies went bank-

PAGES

rupt several times. It turned out that DIsney Brothers (with Roy) — that the fourth time was the charm for them.

Walt and the Hall family, later Hallmark, had a mutually beneficial relationship. Having Mickey helped Hallmark get ahead, yes?

I’ve always wondered that, the two-part thing: One, would Hallmark still be around if they didn’t get Disney involved? And two, was it the Kansas City connection — that Walt had liked that they were from Kansas City when there were a couple of dozen other card companies, and he gave it to them because they were in KC like him?

Another Kansas Citian who contributed to Mickey’s creation was Carl Stalling, who ended up as the music director for Warner Bros. cartoons.

When you hear “Rock A Bye Baby” when someone gets hit over the head, you’re rightly attributing Carl Stalling. That was his idea. He’d have a specific kind of music for a specific kind of visual cue.

On paper, it made sense for Iwerks to leave Disney at the end of the 1920s because Disney was near bankruptcy again and Walt was an overbearing micromanager. But without Walt, Iwerks struggled.

He [Disney] was a micromanager and like a lot of micromanagers, he would pick and choose what he was micromanaging because you can’t micromanage everything.

Ub had his own studio, but it didn’t last.

I use the pictorial analogy of a car without a spark plug. He had all this drive and energy and could make these fantastic things, but he didn’t have a story to tell, and Walt did. Ub, by himself — it didn’t matter what he drew, but it was different every time. He didn’t have that narrative. Walt had that narrative. People still know what you’re talking about when you say a Disney story.

If I didn’t know the story that I know now, I would naturally be a little suspicious.

I would think surely it was an exaggerated claim, but in this case Ub truly did invent Mickey Mouse. It is true to say that he is one of Mickey’s fathers, if not his primary father.

I’ve read one or two books that said everything bad about Walt. I didn’t want to do that, partly because they’ve already been written, and partly because I don’t believe that’s the case. I don’t think you could have Disney without Walt. Ub Iwerks was a genius, but so was Walt. Walt’s genius is in management and collaborating and getting people from all walks of life on the same team and the sort of leadership that’s normally in generals and captains of industry.

His [Disney’s] industry was in making art.

Your book includes excerpts from an unpublished book by journalist Richard Hubler on Disney that included firsthand recollections from Iwerks. Ub’s granddaughter Leslie co-wrote a great book and

directed a first-rate documentary on him, but yours has previously unseen info.

I was really floored when I found all that stuff and that it really exists. I knew there was an unpublished Disney book, but I didn’t know that they talked to Ub for it so much, and I got to know a little about Ub based on how he was talking about stuff.

There’s a little bit of a distance that he held himself at from the reporter, which made sense. It was aligned with his character, he wasn’t a very boisterous character, especially looking back 40 years with all the emotions.

He’s not going to want to bring that up on the record.

One thing that you can attribute to Walt and Ub’s Midwestern roots is that most of the humor in Steamboat Willie and Plane Crazy is barnyard-based.

They wanted the settings to be familiar. When I came to KC, I realized that if you drove 10 miles in any direction you got farmland. That’s the way cities used to be — a bundle of civilization all surrounded by farms.

I love how the early Mickey cartoons have content more suited to a Deadpool movie. You have a running count of all the things in his cartoons that would make parents blush.

I only did that for one of the cartoons [Gallopin’ Gaucho], but if you decided to take a drink each time Mickey does something inappropriate , I don’t know what your inebriation level would be. They needed to sand off his edges later on, especially when he started to do impressions of blacks and Jews. Walt truly did not know why [blacks and Jews were offended]. He thought it would be complimentary. It’s not complimentary when you make fun of another race. Ethnic humor was very different back then. People grew up watching vaudeville.

Vaudeville had ethnic humor.

The book also includes cartoons that illustrate how Ub’s and Walt’s careers are going.

I love to talk about this because the art is by Roger Langridge. I read his stuff and loved it. The inking really invokes halcyon 1936. I asked him to draw little cartoons, and I thought they would be two-character cartoons hitting each other with pies. I think those were my actual directions. I never thought he’d bring this heart and emotion and understanding.

Why does the book end after World War II? That’s basically when Disney stopped making Mickey Mouse cartoons. They went from two a year to one every other year to one every five years. And that’s when Walt stopped using Ub’s style of animation. He remained on the shelf for the next 50 years.

thepitchkc.com | NOVEMBER 2018 | THE PITCH

39

FILM

Home Runs NETFLIX WANTS OSCARS, WHICH MEANS THERE’S A LOT OF GOOD STUFF COMING SOON TO YOUR LIVING ROOM. WE BREAK IT DOWN.

BY ERIC MELIN

Netflix now has close to 125 million paying subscribers a month — just over 56 million domestically and 68 million internationally.

The streaming behemoth has permanently changed viewing habits across the globe. But staying on top of the market it created won’t be a cakewalk. Competition looms.

Disney is expected to launch a new service with three video bundles next year, including content from recently acquired Fox, along with Marvel, Pixar, and ESPN, which it already owns. AT&T is also launching a direct-to-consumer streaming service in 2019 that will combine HBO, Warner Bros., and Turner assets. Apple, too, is reportedly soon to offer a comprehensive entertainment package to stream music, video, news, and give customers cloud storage.

Meanwhile, analysts estimate Netflix spent somewhere around $10 billion on TV and movies last year as part of its arms race with Amazon for original content.

In Hollywood, they’ve got a love-hate relationship with Netflix. With every new weekend box-office report comes mention of the fact that theaters are struggling more than ever as people are increasingly staying home to watch movies. But directors and showrunners love the big budgets and creative leeway Netflix allows, and for docu-

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THE PITCH | NOVEMBER 2018 | thepitchkc.com

mentary and indie filmmakers, access to well over a hundred million people is a much bigger audience than limited theatrical runs could ever provide. And with Netflix adding approximately two million new paying subscribers every month, the potential eyeballs will only grow. Still, Hollywood money can’t help but view Netflix as a threat, luring away A-list talent and keeping the movies they make out of the theaters.

Documentaries were the first category Netflix focused its buying on, seeing it as a relatively cheap investment and hoping to reap awards attention. The streaming giant has had seven Oscar-nominated feature-length documentaries in contention over the last four years, and finally won earlier this year for the Russian doping scandal doc Icarus. Also this year, Mudbound — a Depression-era family epic that Netflix bought after its 2017 Sundance screening — earned four Oscar nominations, including Best Supporting Actress for Mary J. Blige.

The crop of original Netflix movies being released in 2018, though, is already of a higher caliber than any year previous, and the company is making a full-court press for publicity to make sure the right people notice come awards season. This isn’t without its fair share of controversy. At the Cannes

PRIVATE LIFE

THE CROP OF ORIGINAL NETFLIX MOVIES BEING RELEASED IN 2018 IS ALREADY OF A HIGHER CALIBER THAN ANY YEAR PREVIOUS.

Film Festival, in May, Netflix films were banned from the competition because the company wouldn’t give its movies a French theatrical release.

At least six of Netflix’s fall 2018 releases so far (which are being pegged as awards contenders) are getting some sort of bigscreen release — a major departure from years past. Historically, theater owners don’t like Netflix’s approach on this front, believing that no one will pay to see a new Netflix movie in a theater when they can watch it at home with their streaming subscription. But that may change this fall.

Although it wasn’t able to compete for the Palm d’Or at Cannes, Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón’s black-and-white Spanish film Roma won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and is currently the frontrunner for Best Picture at the 2019 Academy Awards. A Spanish language black-and-white movie about a middle-class Mexican family in the 1970s isn’t necessarily the first thing you’d expect to win the big prize, but the critical buzz since its premiere has been grande. And the people who’ve seen it say it absolutely must be experienced in a theater.

I’ve already gotten word that Roma will be screened for members of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, just as Paul Greengrass’s Netflix movie 22 July was last month. And unlike 22 July and Tamara Jenkins’s Private Life — which each landed limited domestic theatrical releases, although not in Kansas City — I have every reason to believe that Roma will indeed screen in Kansas City theaters. All of this points to a big push from Netflix to garner awards attention and a rethinking of its theatrical release strategy.

A theatrical release equals more publicity.

And with forthcoming new releases from the Coen brothers, Orson Welles, and Martin Scorsese, Netflix was bound to take more chances.

What’s annoying about Netflix movies is how they are essentially dumped, with little fanfare, onto the streaming platform, mixed in with everything else. It’s hard enough to tell what’s good and what’s crap when scrolling through your options, and even harder for a new, non-franchise movie to stand out because it’s not a known entity.

With that in mind, consider this your headsup for the rest of the year of the Netflix original movies you need to watch out for. *Even this early in awards season, writer-director Tamara Jenkins’ Private Life has to be considered a frontrunner for a Best Original Screenplay nomination. By turns awkwardly hilarious and heartbreaking, this wonderful film is an acutely observed portrait of Rachel and Richard, a middle-aged married NYC couple (Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn) whose lives are stuck in neutral while everything they do revolves around trying to have

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a baby.

The movie is semi-autobiographical, and Jenkins’ script knowingly explores as many unbearable situations as possible, while her talented leads bring the perfect mix of lived-in familiarity and exasperation to their roles. Rachel and Richard are both writers in different stages of their careers, but lately everything has revolved around trips to the doctor and visits from adoption agencies. And that’s just the middle phase.

They’ve been doing this awhile. When their aspiring writer step-niece Sadie — it’s complicated — comes to stay with them after leaving college, we see that Rachel and Richard are eager nurturers. Well, in some respects. Again, complicated. Newcomer Kayli Carter is also standout as Sadie, a young woman flush with the idealism and enthusiasm of a budding intellectual, talent be damned.

Private Life understands that the struggle for fertility can make monsters of anyone, and it doesn’t judge its characters. (Not even Sadie, who may actually have some writing talent after all.) It doesn’t let them off the hook either, and it avoids offering easy outs. In other words, it feels about as

director also puts that approach to work making neo-realistic movies about real-life high-profile tragedies, such as Bloody Sunday, United 93, and Captain Phillips. His newest thriller, 22 July, finds Greengrass in that mode again as he re-enacts the 2011 Oslo terrorist attack, where a lone Norwegian gunman blew up a government building and opened fire at a youth summer camp, killing a total of 77 people. But about 40 gripping minutes into 22 July, the attack is over and there’s still 100 minutes to go.

At which point Greengrass’s film slowly but sure-footedly begins to change gears.

Although it’s set in Norway and the cast is Norwegian, the language spoken throughout 22 July is English. That’s the second sign Greengrass doesn’t want to limit the audience for this story. The first? Releasing it on Netflix. And he’s right, because the movie has disturbing relevance to our own democracy. The storyline fractures into three narratives — that of a government caught completely off guard, a courageous young survivor forever adjusting to his new life, and the self-important homegrown white nationalist terrorist who takes advantage of the limelight and exploits a legal system that

honest performances by Anders Danielsen and Jonas Strand Gravli, who play two people at opposite ends of a rifle, 22 July is a powerful reminder that democracies are fragile and must be protected with scrutiny and resolve, not bullets. *Hold The Dark is the latest drama from director Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room, Blue Ruin) to plumb the dark depths of humanity’s soul. Jeffrey Wright plays a retired novelist and animal researcher summoned to a depressed rural village in Alaska to find a child taken by wolves. Alexander Skarsgård is the child’s father, and all hell breaks loose when he returns from serving in Iraq. Like Saulnier’s other films, the story explodes with violence and goes in surprising directions, but it’s the isolated countryside and the cult-like regional folklore that drive people to embrace their inner wolf, making the setting the most important character. *A who’s-who tale of music in the 20th century, Quincy is a documentary on the life and work of famed music producer Quincy Jones. It’s fascinating enough to hear inside stories of the artists Jones partnered with,

Powered by

HARRIMAN-JEWELL SERIES Ballet Folklórico de México (11/03); Saturday, November 3 at 7 p.m.

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center hjseries.org LYRIC OPERA OF KANSAS CITY Madama Butterfly November 3, 7, 9 at 7:30 p.m.

November 11 at 2 p.m.

Kauffman Center, 1600 Broadway kcopera.org or (816) 471-7344 THE COTERIE THEATRE AT CROWN CENTER Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical November 6 - December 31 2450 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Mo. thecoterie.org KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY Classics Uncorked: Bach, Bluegrass and Bourbon Thursday, November 8 at 7 p.m.

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center kcsymphony.org or (816) 471-0400 AMERICAN JAZZ MUSEUM Eboni Fondren | Friday, November 9 at 8:30 p.m.

Blue Room, 1600 E. 18 St., Kansas City, Mo. americanjazzmuseum.org KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Brian Wilson | Tuesday, November 13 at 7:30 p.m.

Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kauffman Center kauffmancenter.org or (816) 994-7222 KANSAS CITY REPERTORY THEATRE A Christmas Carol | November 16 - December 30 Spencer Theatre, UMKC Campus kcrep.org or (816) 235-2700 STARLIGHT INDOORS The Naked Magicians | November 16 - 17 4600 Starlight Road, Kansas City, Mo. kcstarlight.com or (816) 363-7827 FOLLY THEATER Folly Frolic - An Evening with Oleta Adams Saturday, November 17 at 8 p.m.

300 W. 12th St., Downtown Kansas City, Mo. FollyTheater.org/Folly-Frolic or (816) 474-4444

THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS

real as movies get. Jenkins shot the film in and around New York City, but it takes place mostly indoors, in claustrophobic waiting rooms and small apartments, so it could be said that this is the perfect type of film to be watched at home on Netflix. That’s how I saw it, but I feel a tinge of jealousy for those who experienced Private Life in a theater filled with uncomfortable laughter. *Paul Greengrass is probably best known for the shaky-cam action-movie filming style he pioneered in The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, but the British

gives every concession (and all its attention) to the accused.

From a pacing standpoint, 22 July suffers a bit, especially after its horrific opening sequence ramps up the rage factor. If you are patient, however, the movie holds many rewards. I don’t want to suggest that viewing this film is akin to doing homework, but the cumulative experience is far greater than the “enjoyment” in the moment. It is an ensemble piece, to be sure, but as the story opens up, it reveals richer thematic ideas beyond the tried-and-true “courage in the face of adversity” thing. Anchored by powerful,

but because the film was co-directed by his daughter Rashida Jones, it also contains intimate family footage. Not the best of the year by any means, but Oscar loves its music docs, so it may get a nom. *Since the new horror thriller Apostle was directed by Gareth Evans (The Raid and its sequel), it was easy to guess that it would be brutal and gory in the freakiest — and sometimes most unnecessary — of ways.

And it truly is. What’s surprising is how this turn-of-the-century period piece, starring Dan Stevens and Michael Sheen, goes all in

QUALITY HILL PLAYHOUSE Christmas in Song | November 23 – December 23 303 W. 10th St., Downtown Kansas City, Mo. QualityHillPlayhouse.com or 816-421-1700 KANSAS CITY BALLET The Nutcracker | November 30 - December 23 Kauffman Center | KCBallet.org THE WHITE THEATRE AT THE J An Evening with Grammy-nominated Cellist Amit Peled Wednesday, December 5 at 7:30 p.m.

5801 W. 115th St., Overland Park, Kan, TheWhiteTheatre.org or (913) 327-8054 Follow KCLiveArts on Facebook and sign up for E-News Alerts at KCLiveArts.org thepitchkc.com | NOVEMBER 2018 | THE PITCH

41

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Holiday Lighting Ceremony Saturday Nov. 10th

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3:00pm-7:30pm

Presented and Sponsored by:

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on its religious fanaticism and cult worship plot and achieves something close to poignancy by its end. Not for the faint of heart, but unexpectedly rewarding. *Sandi Tan won a directing award at Sundance for Shirkers, an autobiographical documentary that challenges the form. It follows its director across two continents and multiple media formats — including animation — as she reckons with a lost movie she made 20 years ago that’s been newly discovered.

Festivities: • Free to attend • Santa and his Sleigh • Cookie Decorating • Adult Sip and Shop • Live Reindeer • Musical performances by Lonnie McFadden and the Brody Buster Band • Seasonal flavored Ice by Kona Ice

Featuring the

RED REINDEER GAMES

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*An absolute event for any serious film fan, November 2 is the day that Orson Welles’ unfinished mockumentary The Other Side of the Wind, starring John Huston and Peter Bogdanovich, debuts for the world to see.

On Netflix. Yes, the auteur behind Citizen Kane — the most revered film of all time — has a new Netflix movie. Let that sink in.

Filmed from 1970-76, Welles tinkered with editing until his death in 1985, and the full story of the project finally coming to completion last year is chronicled in a companion documentary They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead, directed by Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor).

A night to stay in for sure. *Hell or High Water rode its sleeper-hit status all the way to a Best Picture nomination in 2017, and now its director (David Mackenzie) and star (Chris Pine) reteam to tell the bloody medieval story of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, who fought for Scottish independence in the 14th century. Outlaw King debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and comes to Netflix November 9. *Joel and Ethan Coen have always been pranksters. It was widely known that Netflix had hired the writer-directors to helm an original western anthology series, but when

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THE PITCH | NOVEMBER 2018 | thepitchkc.com

the trailer debuted, they issued a statement along with it: Surprise! The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a feature-length film. Starring Tim Blake Nelson and Liam Neeson, among others, it’s made up of six chapters that may or may not be somehow related. Who cares what it is? It’s new Coens and it premieres November 16 on Netflix and in select theaters. Keep an eye out in KC. *In terms of early unanimous critical acclaim and auteur credibility, the crown jewel of Netflix’s awards season is Roma. Alfonso Cuarón already has an Oscar for directing Gravity, and although this story is more grounded than his space-set masterpiece, the word is out that this family drama is also pure cinema with plenty of emotion. It drops on Netflix December 14, but has an extremely high chance of being in theaters that day in Kansas City as well. *Bird Box, a post-apocalyptic drama directed by Susanne Bier (the Oscar-winning In A Better World) and starring Sandra Bullock, is still a big mystery. No one’s seen it yet, so there’s no buzz, which could also be a bad thing. Regardless, it has its premiere at AFI Fest on November 12 and will be available on Netflix December 21, just in time to tempt filmgoers to stay home on the busy pre-Christmas weekend. *Lastly, a heads up on two foreign titles of note that don’t yet have Netflix release dates: Happy as Lazzaro is an Italian drama, written and directed by Alice Rohrwacher, that won Best Screenplay at Cannes (before Netflix purchased it — sneaky!).

Girl is a Belgian drama directed by Lukas Dhont. It’s about a 15-year-old transgender ballerina, and it won Best First Feature at Cannes, as well as being submitted as the Belgian entry into the 2019 Foreign Language Film Oscar race.

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thepitchkc.com | NOVEMBER 2018 | THE PITCH

43

SAVAGE LOVE

Meow & Forever WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR THE POPULARITY OF PET PLAY AMONG YOUNG KINKSTERS?

BY DAN SAVAGE

Hi, Dan: I am a homosexual young adult seeking advice about kitten play. I find it very intriguing, and I’m wondering where to start.

It’s a turn-on when someone calls me kitten, but I’m not sure how to express my kink or desire for kink play to the person or persons I am into. Any advice would be appreciated. –– Constructive Advice Thoughtfully Sought Hi, CATS: I am a homosexual not-so-young adult without much advice to offer where kitten play is concerned. I’ve encountered plenty of gay puppies in the wild — at various leather/fetish events — but I’ve seen only one fetish kitty in my lifetime, and she was a queen. (A female cat is called a queen, a male cat is called a tom, and a group of cats is called a glare. #TheMoreYouKnow!)

But Amp Somers, who hosts the kink-friendly sex-ed show Watts the Safeword, assures me that gay kitties are definitely a thing.

“Kitten play is a subcategory of the ‘animal role-play’ or ‘pet play’ kink,” said Somers. “It is a form of domination and submission in which someone gets into the headspace of an animal they are role-playing and takes on its characteristics — be it with gear (masks, tails, collars) or by acting out the mannerisms of their animal. Most importantly, and this goes for all proper pet players, there are no actual animals involved in this play.”

Puppy play is the most common form of pet play — by far — and it’s very popular among younger gay kinksters. (Please don’t confuse gay pups or kitties with gay bears or otters. The former is about role-play and fetish; the latter is about body type, affirmation, and community.) But what accounts for the popularity of pet play among younger kinksters?

“This sort of play allows someone to get into kink easily with or without a partner and in a playful manner,” said Somers. “Pet play allows players to get their feet wet in the BDSM world without having to visit a dark dungeon, get tied up, or engage in anything a newer kinkster might find intimidating.

It’s a great entry-level kink.”

As for expressing your kink, CATS, that’s something you’re going to have to work out on your own.

“I imagine CATS already has an image of what kitten play looks like to them, and I bet it differs from what I might imagine my own pet play would look like or even from what readers imagine a kitten player to look like,” said Somers. “Is CATS a domesticated lazy kitten who lies in the sun? A curious, well-trained, docile cat responsive to cuddles and treats? Or are they a rambunctious, bratty, independent stray?”

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THE PITCH | NOVEMBER 2018 | thepitchkc.com

To find your way into the kink scene, Somers recommends getting online.

“That’s how I first found pet play,” he said. “Sites like kitten-play.com offer indepth written pieces by players, links to resources, and forums where people like CATS can educate themselves. Other sites like FetLife or Facebook provide more private groups to ‘meet’ others, ask more in depth questions, find local get-togethers, and make friends to socialize with. Or if they prefer video content, YouTube has a number of creators (like ‘Scream Kiwi’) who talk about their kinks in a fun, educational, and personal way. And once CATS feels comfortable in their own identity and has defined what they want out of this play, they will be able to really communicate to their partner(s) what they’re into and what they want out of kitten play.”

Check out Amp Somers’s show — Watts the Safeword — at youtube.com/WattsTheSafeword, and follow him on Twitter @ Pup_Amp. Hi, Dan: I’m a gay male, and one of my good friends has put me in a strange position. The friend has been married to his husband for 15 years, and they are allowed to “play.” I have no desire to be in an open relationship, and I don’t think my boyfriend does either. I occasionally go over to this friend’s house right after work to buy weed, and he’s always alone when I come by. He joked about answering the door naked and then did it. (He told me he was going to, but I honestly didn’t think he would do it.) I was extremely uncomfortable, and he knew it.

The last time I went over, he was naked again — and this time, he jerked off to completion in front of me. He asked me to join in, and I told him I couldn’t because I hadn’t discussed anything like this with my boyfriend. I’m supposed to go over again tomorrow, and he asked me to come by early because his husband would be getting home from work early that day. This leads me to believe that the husband would not be okay with this. I haven’t said anything to his husband or my boyfriend because I don’t want this to become a huge mess and I hoped my palpable discomfort would put an end to it.

Any thoughts on how I should handle this nicely to make it stop without hurting his feelings?

––Undressed Naked Friend Really Is Engineering Needless Drama Dear UNFRIEND: Your “good friend” is an asshole, UNFRIEND. He’s violating a whole bunch of social norms — chiefly the don’tjerk-off-to-completion-in-front-of-otherpeople-without-their-enthusiastic-consent norm (aka the Louis C.K. Career in Comedy Memorial Norm) — and relying on your adherence to other social norms (avoid being

rude, defuse don’t confront, spare others’ feelings) to get away with violating you as well. This asshole is sexually harassing you, and you haven’t told him to stop in unambiguous language.

The only reason you’ve given him for not whipping it out yourself is that you haven’t “discussed anything like this with [your] boyfriend.” He has self-servingly interpreted your reason for not joining in like this: “He wants to, and maybe he will after he has a ‘discussion’ with his boyfriend.” I’m sorry, UNFRIEND, but you’re going to have to be blunt: “You have to knock this shit off. It’s disrespectful, it’s nonconsensual, and it’s pissing me off.” Don’t worry about hurting his feelings — he obviously doesn’t care about your feelings — and find a new weed dealer.

Hi, Dan: I have a follow-up question on your advice for JACKS, the gay manager who ran into an employee at a JO party. Alison “Ask a Manager” Green told him he couldn’t go to these parties anymore. A distinction was made between sexual situation encounters between bosses and those they manage in “private clubs” (the JO club) or at “public events” (Folsom Street Fair). My question is about Grindr/ Scruff/Growlr/etc. Are these more like “private clubs” or “public events”? In part, my question stems from being a professor and having seen students and colleagues on these apps. I feel like I should not be reading the profiles of students in my department (who are mostly graduate students). I am also troubled by my colleagues appearing on these apps — from the perspective that this seems to be a sexually oriented space and there is the power differential between faculty and students. ––Basics Of Sexual Spaces Dear BOSS: Dating apps are the new gay bars — more than 75 percent of same-sex couples met online — so telling gay bosses or college profs they can’t go on dating apps because their gay male students or underlings might be on them means condemning gay bosses and profs to celibacy. Bosses and profs shouldn’t flirt with their students and underlings, of course, and it might be a good idea to block ’em when you spot ’em — so you won’t be tempted by their profiles/torsos and they won’t be tempted by yours — but gay bosses and profs are free to look for dick on dating apps.

Question for Dan? E-mail him at mail@savagelove.net. On Twitter at @fakedansavage.

EVENTS • Voted KC’s Best Gentleman’s Club • Oldest Adult Club in Missouri • 70 Girls • VIP Lounge • Great Place to Watch Sporting Events • Full Service Kitchen • Cover Friday & Saturday ONLY! • Premium Bottle Service

November Events For more events, visit local.thepitchkc.com

30 seconds East of the Power & Light District 2800 East 12th St., Kansas City, MO 64127 816.231.9696 • KcShadyLady.com

Armani’s Play House Known For Our Entertainment, Got a Event Give Us A Shout.

NOV. 1-15

NOV. 3

Night at the Museum, Union Station

Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

NOV. 2-4, 7-11, 14-18 The Nance, Spinning Tree Theatre

NOV. 2 Big Gigantic, The Midland Showgirls • Private Parties • Events • Perfection Globalcartel816@gmail.com – Now Hiring

816-301-6075

Girls!Girls!Girls!

Chantel Jeffries, Mosaic Ultra Lounge Rhythm of a City, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sprint Center

Playmates and soul mates...

NOV. 3, 7, 9, & 11 Madama Butterfly, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

30 minute Free trial 18+ 816-841-1577 // 913-279-9202 46

THE PITCH | NOVEMBER 2018 | thepitchkc.com

Jason Boland & The Stragglers, The Truman Thundergong: Jason Sudeikis & Friends, Uptown Theater Wicked Wine Walk, KC Live! Block

NOV. 4 Jazz Ambassadors of the U.S. Army Field Band, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Lil Xan, Uptown Theater Monty Python’s Spamalot, Lied Center of Kansas

NOV. 5 KCJO Listening Party, Bluford Library

Kansas City:

816-841-1521

18+ MegaMates.com

Step Brothers Movie Party, Alamo Drafthouse

EVENTS

NOV. 6 Gary Clark Jr., Uptown Theater Why?, RecordBar

NOV. 6 - DEC. 30 Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer: The Musical, The Coterie Theatre

NOV. 8 An Evening with Nnedi Okorafor, Liberty Hall

NOV. 10 Ja Rule, KC Live! Block Daniel Caesar, VooDoo Lounge The Weepies, Knuckleheads Wynonna with the Kansas City Symphony, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

NOV. 11 This is Spinal Tap Movie Party, Alamo Drafthouse

Ben Rector, Uptown Theater

NOV. 12-18

NOV. 9

The Pitch’s Craft Cocktail Week.

Participating restaurants include: Bar K, The Brass Onion HopCat, Hush Jazz Lounge, Metropolitan KC & Bar Central, The Monarch Bar, The Pressed Penny Tavern, The Reserve, and Tavernonna

Little River Band, Uptown Theater

NOV. 7 ELF the Musical, Lied Center of Kansas

NOV. 12

NOV. 9

Planes, Trains, & Automobiles Movie Party, Alamo Drafthouse

Crankdat, Mosaic Ultra Lounge

WWE Raw, Sprint Center

Gatsby Swing at the Station, Union Station Little River Band, Uptown Theater Scotty McCreery, Ameristar Hotel & Casino

NOV. 13 Brian Wilson, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

thepitchkc.com | NOVEMBER 2018 | THE PITCH

47

EVENTS

NOV. 14 Bastille, Uptown Theater Maxwell, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland

NOV. 15 All Get Out, The Rino Steven Curtis Chapman, Folly Theater

NOV. 18 Celeste Barber, Truman Theater

NOV. 19 The Princess Bride Movie Party, Alamo Drafthouse

NOV. 16 John Prine with Conor Oberst, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland Josh Turner, Uptown Theater Lucero with Strand of Oaks, Madrid Theatre

NOV. 16-17

NOV. 20 Lil Yachty, The Truman

NOV. 21 Twenty One Pilots, Sprint Center

NOV. 17

NOV. 22

Boogie Knights, miniBar

Bristol Thanksgiving Dinner, Bristol Seafood Grill

TLC, Ameristar Hotel & Casino

THE PITCH | NOVEMBER 2018 | thepitchkc.com

Hall of Fame Classic, Sprint Center

The Naked Magicians, Starlight Theatre

Holiday Kickoff Ceremony, Union Station

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NOV. 19-20

EVENTS

NOV. 23 Kasbo, The Truman Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, Crown Center Square The Rainmakers, RecordBar

NOV. 24 Bob Seger & The Silver, Sprint Center

NOV. 25-29 Elf, Union Station

NOV. 26 Phosphorescent, The Granada

NOV. 30 Anita Baker, Municipal Auditorium Music Hall Home Alone, Union Station

Tash Sultana, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland

The Texas Tenors: Deep in the Heart of Christmas, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

NOV. 27

NOV. 30 - DEC 23

Jane Lynch: A Swingin’ Little Christmas!, Lied Center of Kansas

Nutcracker, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Underoath, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland

NOV. 28

Free Tastings Every Friday Evening Phone | 816-531-5900 Address | 4500 Belleview Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64111 Hours | Mon-Thur: 9am to 10pm Fri-Sat: 9am to 12am Sun: 9am to 10pm

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Good Charlotte, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland

thepitchkc.com | NOVEMBER 2018 | THE PITCH

49

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1996 GMC Sierra

1GTEC14M3TZ503327

2007 Hyundai Sonata

5NPET46C57H186265

2007 Lincoln MKX

2LMDU88C47BJ33033

2006 Pontaic G6

1G2ZH158364154972

2007 Chevrolet Impala

2G1WB58KX79247588

2011 Ford F150

1FTFW1EF2BFA03591

2005 Chevrolet Uplander

1GNFK16Z45J140027

2016 Ford Focus

1FADP3F24GL253246

2008 Toyota Yaris

JTDBT923181200614

2006 Honda Ridgeline

2HJYK16576H524476

2000 Toyota Celica

JTDDY32T0Y0029545

2004 Honda CRF450

JH2PE05324M205117

2007 Pontiac Grand Prix

2G2WR554571184184

2006 Ford Focus

1FAFP34N06W115481

1992 Chevrolet GMT 400

1GCDC14H6NZ183812

2014 Dodge Ram 1500

1C6RR7ST7ES171814

2007 Dodge Durgano

1D8HB48P57F584085

1995 Ford F150

1FTHX26F4SKB16394

2016 Chevrolet Sonic

1G1JC5SH7G4103147

2001 Oldsmobile Aurora

1G3GS64C714165344

2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer

1GNDT13S852208853

2012 Jeep Patriot

1C4NJRBB9CD636015

2002 BMW 530

WBADT63442CK27880

2001 GMC Sierra

2GTEC19T211289050

2012 Chevrolet Malibu

1G1ZD5EU5CF284675

2005 Dodge Magnum

2D4FV48V45H571015

1998 Chevrolet Venture

1GNDX06E3WD164495

2014 Chevrolet Cruze

1G1PE5SB8E7334781

2008 Mercury Mariner

4M2CU91138KJ19782

2006 Inifiniti FX35

JNRAS08W06X205597

1996 Toyota Corolla

1NXBA02E3TZ430273

2007 Dodge Caliber

1B3HB28BX7D201620

913.782.4244

2008 Nissan Sentra

3N1AB61E08L675134

2005 Honda Accord

1HGCM72515A025236

Sun 12pm-6pm

2008 Dodge Caliber

1B3HB28B88D724622

2001 Mercedes Benz ML

4JGAB54E81A232984

2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee

1J4GW48N31C636622

2007 Ford Focus

1FAFP34N77W321432

2003 GMC Envoy

1GKDS13S932254785

2008 Toyota Camry

4T1BK46K28U061160

2010 Chrysler Sebring

1C3CC5FB2AN234028

MUSIC/MUSIC ROW

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FREE SA MPLES

LEGAL

Science Teacher (Kansas City, MO): Teach Science at secondary sch. Bachelors in Science Edu or any subfield of Science, +1 yr exp as Sci Tchr at mid or high sch. Mail res.: Frontier Schools Inc., 30 W Pershing Rd Ste 402 Kansas City, MO 64108, Attn: HR, Refer to Ad#RO.

2016 Nissan Rogue

7000

EMPLOYMENT

Largest seLection of cBD ProDucts in Kansas city!

ATTORNEY SINCE 1976 KS/MO Injuries, KS Divorce, All Family, Juvenile & More.

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400 E 18th Street, KCMO, 64108 • 816-474-7400 Thecbdstores.com

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THE PITCH | NOVEMBER 2018 | thepitchkc.com

2017 Harley Davidson FXDLS 1HD1GS814HC318866 1997 Ford F150

1FTDX1768VNA71132

2008 Dodge Caliber

1B3HB28B58D753818

2007 Dodge Charger

2B3KA43R97H685601

2009 Pontiac G8

6G2EC57Y49L158804

2016 Ford Focus

1FADP3F23GL379517

2004 Saturn Ion

1G8AL52F24Z190020

2005 Ford Escape

1FMCU03125KA12437

2007 Honda Accord

1HGCM56497A073818

Many of these vehicles run and drive. If you are looking for cheap transportation, don’t miss this auction/sale. We welcome all buyers. Terms of auction: All sales are “as is” “where is”. No guarantees or warranties. Paper work to obtain new title will be $75.00 Per vehicle. No guarantee that paperwork will produce title.Bidding will be number only. Terms are cash or certified check.

Vehicles must be paid for in full at end of auction. No exceptions. All sales are final. No returns.

NEWto see& what RESALE ALL AREAS | ALL PRICES Want your Short Sales-Foreclosures-Condos Townhomes-Single Family Homes.

VIN#

JTEGD20V050063211

WANTS TO purchase minerals and other oil & gas interest. Send details to P.O. Box 13557, Denver, CO 80201

2000

YR MAKE/MODEL

4T1BG22K4YU705558

Piano, Voice, and Guitar lessons

SERVICES

VIN#

2005 Toyota Rav 4

BUY, SELL, TRADE

Available from professional musician and instructor. Instructor teaches in a fun and meaningful context from ages 4 to the young at heart. Sessions are 1⁄2 hour and 1 hour. Students who sign up before January 31st will receive $5 off For more info Please call/text Kathleen 913-206-2151 or Email: klmamuric@yahoo.com

YR MAKE/MODEL 2000 Toyota Camry

4000

CALL TODAY!

WEATHER PERMITTING

The following vehicles will be sold at public auction on Wednesday, December 5th, 2018 unless claimed by owner and all tow and storage charges are paid in full. For information, please contact Insurance Auto Auction at 913-422-9303.

Spacious one-bedroom cabin, sleeps four. $ /night

85

25 one-time cleaning fee

$

901-233-4496

INSURANCE AUTO AUCTION 2663 SOUTH 88TH ST. KCKS, 66111 | 913-422-9303

WH E R E NE I G H BORS A RE B E ST F R I E ND S Eastland Court 816 -363-9684

Senior Apartments Rents Starting at $1,020/mo.

BRAND NEW, 1&2 BEDROOM APARTMENTS FOR THE ACTIVE ADULT (55+)

NOW LEASING!

Free Heat, Electric, Cable, Water & Garbage Small Pets Welcome!

Close to Shopping, Restaurants, and Places of Interest

In-Suite Washer and Dryer

Emergency Call Systems

Central Air Conditioning

Beauty Salon & Large Community Room

Patios/Balconies Smoke-Free Living

Fitness Center

Elevator/Secure Entry

19301 East Eastland Center Court | Independence, MO 64055 eastlandcourt@clovergroupinc.com

Scared? Anxious? Confused?

HELP IS HERE!

Now Hiring For Numerous Departments

● $30 parking per month ● Generous travel discounts ● Vacation & PTO pay ● Holiday pay

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Criminal Defense Attorney

David M. Lurie

816-221-5900 www.The-Law.com

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913.345.4100

Greg Bangs

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eDs i F i ss a L c Ds

● Discounted bus passes ● 1 free meal per shift ● Medical ● Vision ● Dental

Apply in person at 1329 Baltimore Ave, Kansas City, MO 64105 Questions? Call HR at 816-303-1629

iFie s s a L c

ssified a l c a e To plac isement advert

To place a classified rez ven Sua call Ste .6732 816.218 pitch.com advertisement @ n.suarez steve

Tinctures Water Soluble Pet Health Vape Products Edibles Soaps Topicals

2 LOCATIONS

9627 W. 87TH STREET 7932 W. 151ST STREET OVERLAND PARK, KS OVERLAND PARK, KS 913-730-8520 913-257-5717 www.phoenixnaturalwellness.com

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IF YOU WANT TO DRINK THAT’S YOUR BUSINESS. IF YOU WANT TO STOP THAT’S OURS.

(816) 471-7229 (Kansas City Area Central Office)

call Steven Suarez 816.218.6732 steven.suarez@pitch.com

CONTACT Steven Suarez 861-218-6732 steven@thepitchkc.com 1/2 month off special 1 bed. | 1314 SQ. FT. $1375 available Jan. 5th 2 bed. 2 bath | 1477 SQ. FT. $1515

816-741-5040 | 2109broadwaylofts.com thepitchkc.com | NOVEMBER 2018 | THE PITCH

51

MYLES KENNEDY & CO. YEAR OF THE TIGER TOUR

NOVEMBER 17

THE URGE NOVEMBER 9

LANDSLIDE

A TRIBUTE TO FLEETWOOD MAC

NOVEMBER 16

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Tickets available at VooDooKC.com or Ticketmaster.com/voodookc or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Located minutes from Downtown Kansas City. Unlimited Free Parking.

Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-888-BETSOFF. Subject to change or cancellation. Phone and online orders are subject to service fees. Must be 21 years or older to gamble, obtain a Total Rewards® card or enter VooDoo®. ©2018, Caesars License Company, LLC.