City Weekly September 16, 2021 by Copperfield Publishing

CONTENTS COVER STORY

TIME’S UP It’s the end of the world, and we know it. Commentary by Jim Catano Cover design by Derek Carlisle

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OPINION A&E DINE MUSIC CINEMA COMMUNITY

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OPINION

Check out weekly columns Smart Bomb and Taking a Gander at cityweekly.net facebook.com/slcweekly

DINE

Go to cityweekly.net for local restaurants serving you.

Twitter: @cityweekly • Deals at cityweeklystore.com

STAY INFORMED! Want to know the latest on coronavirus? Get off Facebook and check out these three online resources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov World Health Organization: who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 State of Utah Coronavirus Updates: coronavirus.utah.gov

STAFF Publisher PETE SALTAS Associate Publisher MICHAEL SALTAS Executive Editor JOHN SALTAS News Editor BENJAMIN WOOD Arts & Entertainment Editor SCOTT RENSHAW Contributing Editor JERRE WROBLE Music Editor ERIN MOORE Listings Desk KARA RHODES

Editorial Contributors KATHARINE BIELE ROB BREZSNY JIM CATANO MIKE RIEDEL ALEX SPRINGER Production Art Director DEREK CARLISLE Graphic Artists SOFIA CIFUENTES, CHELSEA NEIDER Circulation Manager ERIC GRANATO

Associate Business Manager: PAULA SALTAS Technical Director BRYAN MANNOS Developer BRYAN BALE Sales Executives: KELLY BOYCE DOUG KRUITHOF KATHY MUELLER Display Advertising 801-716-1777 National Advertising VMG Advertising | 888-278-9866

Salt Lake City Weekly is published every Thursday by Copperfield Publishing Inc. We are an independent publication dedicated to alternative news and news sources, that also serves as a comprehensive entertainment guide. 15,000 copies of Salt Lake City Weekly are available free of charge at more than 1,800 locations along the Wasatch Front. Limit one copy per reader. Additional copies of the paper can be purchased for $1 (Best of Utah and other special issues, $5) payable to Salt Lake City Weekly in advance. No person, without expressed permission of Copperfield Publishing Inc., may take more than one copy of any Salt Lake City Weekly issue. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the written permission of the publisher. Third-class postage paid at Midvale, UT. Delivery might take up to one full week. All rights reserved.

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SOAP BOX “Done Deal,” Sept. 2 Cover Story I hate the idea of this damned port. KENDRA PUGH

via Instagram Can we sue the Legislature for the massive environmental and health problems this ridiculous plan will bring about? JENNIFER KILLPACK

via Instagram

“I Can’t See You,” Sept. 2 Private Eye Column

I’m concerned our summer skies will be an eerie shade of orange, only to be outdone by our winter shade of brown. IRIS NIELSEN

via Facebook

Salt Lake roads have so many people, so much bad air, it’s exhausting! SANDEE3937

via Instagram

Hard Times

As a lifelong Utah resident, I love this state. But life here lately has been turned upside down. Just a few months before the pandemic arrived, my wife and I were doing well financially. But COVID-19 had a traumatic effect on both our finances and our emotional state. I’m so far behind in my bills that I’m afraid to even look at my ledger. I’ve worked hard all my life. I drove a diesel semi-truck for six years, but for most of my working life I’ve been an independent construction contractor, with a focus on home remodeling. Prior to COVID, I earned up to $50,000 a

@SLCWEEKLY year. My wife and I had temporarily moved in with her mother as I recovered from knee surgery, but we always planned to move out once I recovered. Then the pandemic came along. My contracting income nosedived and that temporary stay with my mother-in-law has now run almost a year longer than planned. We’ve fallen behind on our bills, and each month the gap widens. If we were not living with my mother-in-law, my wife and I could be living in a homeless shelter. What’s the answer for a man like me? Well, for one thing, I joined a group called WorkMoney that helps Americans like me raise our voice so politicians can hear us. Even though I supported Donald Trump for president, it really doesn’t matter what your politics may be in a situation as dire as this. Congress is now considering jobs legislation that would help people like me re-

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cover. An infrastructure plan would give me new job opportunities. There would be initiatives dedicated to energy retrofits, removal of lead pipes, expanding broadband access and other programs that would benefit from my skills. I hear that Congress will also be considering legislation soon that would help families by providing more rental assistance. That would also be a big help. We could finally get our own place again. Rep. Burgess Owens, it’s time to think about people like me when votes are taken on these proposals. People in your district are counting on you. ZANE JENSEN

West Jordan Care to sound off on a feature in our pages or about a local concern? Write to comments@ cityweekly.net or post your thoughts on our social media. We want to hear from you!

THE BOX

If you could dedicate your life to solving one problem, what would it be? Chelsea Neider

How to stop global warming and save the planet. It’s heartbreaking to see what we have done.

Mike Ptaschinski

Trying to make certain that tax money gets to the right places.

Tom Metos

World Peas: I don’t understand the problem. Don’t we have enough farmland in the U.S. to grow enough of the little green veggies?

Aspen Perry

Poverty. I used to think you could solve everything with education. Sadly, in recent years, I’ve seen the downside of a sole focus on education: humans! Not everyone cares to educate themselves, which is an essential step on the road of betterment. Solving poverty, as I heard Jane Goodall argue years ago, would (in theory) at least reduce the atrocities humans commit on one another and our planet in the name of self preservation.

Benjamin Wood

Reversing the deadly car-centrism built into our streets and public spaces.

Carolyn Campbell

I’m a total foodie--so I’d really like to solve world hunger.

Jerre Wroble

Plastic/electronics recycling. Waaaay too much of the stuff piling up on the planet.

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OPINION

Break on Through A

s the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, there’s been a lot of talk about breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated individuals. The rampant transmission of the COVID Delta varient means that breakthrough infections are on the rise. The idea of breakthough infections contributes to widespread confusion about the true efficacy of vaccines. A great many people expected the COVID-19 vaccine to offer full protection from symptomatic infection. The truth is, no credible scientist has ever claimed that COVID-19 vaccines prevent every person from getting sick. The goal when developing the vaccine was to lessen the severity of the illness and reduce hospitalizations and death. Decades before COVID-19 swept across the globe, I learned about breakthrough infections the hard way. In the early ’90s, when I was in sixth grade at Woodstock Elementary School in Murray, I awoke in the middle of the night feeling feverish. I will never forget gasping when I turned on my bedroom light because I was covered in a blotchy red rash. I was days away from flying to Alabama to serve as the flower girl in my cousin’s wedding. Instead, I washed up in the doctor’s office and learned that I had the measles. My mom—a registered nurse—was quite upset. I recall her saying to the doctor, “But I had her vaccinated. How could this happen?” My pediatrician explained that no vaccine is 100% effective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine are 97% effective at preventing symptomatic disease. I just happened to be one of the unlucky 3% not fully protected.

BY JENNY POPLAR My doctor said that because I was fully vaccinated, my measles infection would likely be mild. He was right—my fever lasted a day. I felt a little tired and had a rash for about a week but never experienced the dry cough, upset stomach or marked eye inflammation that often accompanies more severe cases. Upon reflection, I don’t recall feeling that bad. I remember watching TV, doing my homework and eating a McDonald’s cheeseburger my dad was gracious enough to procure for me. I almost always lose my appetite when I am sick, so feeling well enough to eat was proof that my infection was mild. In a July 27 NPR interview, public health analyst Dr. Leana Wen compared a COVID-19 vaccine to “a very good raincoat.” Depending on weather conditions, you may still get wet, but a solid raincoat is still very protective against getting soaked to the bone. If you know someone sick with COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated, please consider the severity of their infection before proclaiming the vaccine doesn’t work. On NPR, Wen expanded on her vaccine-as-raincoat metaphor noting that unvaccinated individuals are creating the stormy weather conditions that impact the vaccinated. Getting wet is not the same as getting soaked. And a breakthrough COVID infection that causes congestion, mild fever and fatigue—or even one that requires a short course of supplemental oxygen—is not the same as a case that results in sedation, intubation and death. The COVID-19 pandemic is a constantly evolving situation. Scientists are learning more about the efficacy of currently available vaccines every day. One thing that is indisputable is data about hospitalization rates. Intermountain Healthcare infectious disease doctor Eddie Stenehjem said in a July 13 Salt Lake Tribune article that 95% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Utah were unvaccinated. The New York Times recently profiled a 42-year-old Provo man named Russ Greene who opted not to get vaccinated

against the coronavirus. Greene ultimately contracted COVID-19 and ended up requiring breathing support in the ICU. Greene’s wife, Mindy, expressed regret about deciding not to get herself and her family vaccinated. There are four generations of nurses on my mom’s side of the family. I grew up steeped in stories about the lengths that healthcare workers go to ensure that their patients stay healthy. Every health-care worker in my family has enthusiastically recommended the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccines are not perfect, but infectious disease specialists around the world agree that the COVID-19 vaccine is still the best possible tool we currently have to keep ourselves healthy and safe, and to not overwhelm our healthcare workers. Back in January, my nurse sister did a rotation on the COVID-19 ward at the Utah hospital where she works. She told me of a sign on the wall that read, “Employees must stop crying before they return to work.” The sign featured a drawing of a ghoulish red eye spewing red tears. Back then, very few Utahns were vaccinated because so few had access to the vaccine. Today, access to the COVID-19 vaccine is not an issue for most Americans. And yet, that ghoulish red eye still hangs on the wall of the hospital. The virus rages on, and people like Russ Greene who’ve resisted or refused the vaccine can find themselves critically ill and need to be treated by health-care workers. Intermountain Healthcare recently reported that 91% of all COVID patients who required breathing support in the ICU were unvaccinated. I often wonder if my brush with the measles would have resulted in a stay in intensive care had I not been vaccinated. A splotchy rash and some mild fatigue is so much more manageable than what could have been. CW

Private Eye is off this week. Jenny Poplar is a former City Weekly intern who now resides in New Orleans. Send feedback to comments@cityweekly.net.

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HITS&MISSES BY KATHARINE BIELE @kathybiele

MISS: Vaccine Lawsuits

It’s stunning to see Draper Republican Sen. Kirk Cullimore so concerned about the pandemic, suggesting that businesses with vaccine mandates should be liable for their side effects. But Senator, let’s expand this idea. You have a fine thought here, so how about holding businesses liable—if they do not require vaccines or masks—for hospital costs or—oh yeah—funeral expenses. Lest we forget, Cullimore is a master at squeezing blood from a turnip. He told the Deseret News that his law firm is responsible for roughly 70% of evictions in the state—even during the pandemic. And a Salt Lake Tribune report from February detailed how Cullimore’s firm worked evictions to his financial benefit, looking at 390 cases in which the firm sought to add damages to old evictions. His motto could be “sue them ‘til it hurts,” as he plans this new law to allow workers to claim injury from a vaccine, but not from the lack of one. It looks like this is less about helping injured parties and more about helping lawyers.

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HIT: Death Penalty Revisited

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The United States might be a mean and punitive nation, but maybe not so much Utah anymore. Two Republican legislators—Rep. Lowry Snow, R-Santa Clara, and Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton—are crafting a bill to do away with the death penalty, KSL reports. While there’s little evidence that the death penalty deters murderers, there’s plenty to show it’s a huge waste of money and time, prolonging anxiety for victims’ families. Utah County Attorney David Leavitt buys into that rationale, telling The Salt Lake Tribune that the costs far outweigh the benefits to the community. For now, juries will have to decide whether to kill a defendant, although states around the country are seeking “humane” ways to do the deed. Humanity aside, there’s still the question of guilt. The Death Penalty Information Center notes that at least 185 people were wrongly convicted to death rows since 1973. And you can’t release a dead person.

MISS: Climate Defeatists

You don’t hear much from climate deniers anymore, and maybe that’s the bad news. While air pollution has become an obvious and deadly result of climate change, the deniers of yesterday still hold fast to the belief that there’s nothing they can do. The Deseret News ran an article with reasons why the air is so bad—the shrinking lake, tailpipes, wildfire smoke and ground-level ozone. But the solutions are either too long-term or simply silly. Regulating the type of hairspray you use might have a tiny effect. Tier 3 gasoline could help, especially since electric vehicles are only a fraction of what’s on the road. But hard answers are unlikely to happen. Homes and apartments continue to be built without energy-saving features, and developments hold dear to the idea of a car or truck for every resident. Utah’s ABC4 is looking into the effect of growth on air quality and again, the short-term answer is to change your habits—not the laws.

CITIZEN REV LT IN A WEEK, YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

Fires ‘R’ Us

You may remember someone telling California that they should just sweep up their forests and—voila!—there would be no forest fires. While there is some worth to cleaning out dead debris, sweeping up is hardly the answer. Learn about the role of climate change, the causes and social-ecological consequences of increased wildfire in the Western United States at Wildfire in the Western U.S.: Causes, Consequences and Adaptation. The discussion, hosted by the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, will focus on the predicted fate of future forests and ways that at-risk communities can adapt. “Large fires are becoming more frequent and severe across the Western U.S. Since 1984, annual burned forest area has increased by about 1,100%. Lives, property and livelihoods are routinely threatened, and burned landscapes can be left ecologically transformed,” organizers say. Panelists include forest and fire ecologists as well as a natural resource sociologist. Virtual/ register, Thursday, Sept. 16, 5 p.m., free. https://bit.ly/3yUJ9Dg

Why Fight?

Think about Afghanistan and how long the United States has fought there with no good outcome. “For what purposes should the United States be prepared to fight, and how should U.S. forces be readied to fight such wars? As the Biden administration prepares the next National Defense Strategy, these are vitally important questions.” Those are the questions that former Pentagon Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Elbridge “Bridge” Colby will attempt to answer at The Best Defense Strategy for America? Elbridge Colby on The Strategy of Denial. In his new book, The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict, Colby talks about China and how to frame a strategy around its rising influence. He’ll discuss the value and limitations of alliances, too. Virtual, Friday, Sept. 17, 11 a.m., free. https://bit.ly/3yW4a0q

There Goes Roe V. Wade

Women will be protesting around the country in a few weeks over the Supreme Court’s unwillingness to address the constitutional issue of abortion rights. But for now, you can join people across the nation in lobbying your Congress members to support two key pieces of legislation: the Women’s Health Protection Act (S. 1975/H.R. 3755) would protect a person’s right to decide what is best for their body during pregnancy and protect health-care providers who perform abortions; the EACH Act (S. 1021/H.R. 2234) requires health-care insurance providers to provide coverage for abortion services and requires federal facilities to provide access to these services. “Activists from across the nation, aged 14-25, of all levels of political experience are encouraged to join us,” say organizers of Rally for Roe Lobby Week. While it is too late to sign up for training sessions, you can still lobby. You can find contacts to call or email your representatives at https://bit.ly/3hkVwTa On your own, Wednesday, Sept. 22, free. https://bit.ly/3tyfwGU

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ENTERTAINMENT PICKS, SEPTEMBER 16-22, 2021

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

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Tickets online at www.empoweryouexpo.com *advance purchase discount *children under 12 free

“In the future, everyone will have a podcast for 15 minutes.” Okay, that’s not technically what Andy Warhol once said, but it feels accurate. Celebrity podcasts have been birthed at a seemingly exponential rate over the past decade, so it must take a certain something to stand out from the crowd. Launched in 2018 by actors Dax Shepard and Monica Padman—who co-starred together in the 2017 film version of the vintage TV series CHiPs— Armchair Expert quickly became a go-to source for long-form interviews with actors, comedians, musicians, writers and political figures, and was the most downloaded new podcast of 2018 on iTunes. Over the course of more than 300 episodes, guests have included Shepard’s wife Kristen Bell, Hillary Clinton, Prince Harry, Justin Timberlake and Bill Gates. Also like a lot of hugely popular podcasts, Armchair Expert has become an occasional live-tour event, under the label Armchaired and Dangerous Live. These performances, accompanied by New Zealand-based journalist and filmmaker David Farrier (Tickled), become recording sessions for special monthly episodes of the podcast that focus on

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Armchaired and Dangerous Live

conspiracy theories, with previous installments touching on topics like the JFK assassination and simulation theory. In a historical moment where conspiracy theories have seeped into the mainstream of political discourse and policy-making, it becomes even more intriguing to explore where they come from and how they spread. Armchaired and Dangerous Live visits the Eccles Theater (131 S. Main St.) on Thursday, Sept. 16 at 8 p.m., with tickets $39-$79. Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test will be required for all attendees. Visit live-at-the-eccles. com for additional information. (Scott Renshaw)

Good Company Theatre: Fremont Junior High is NOT Doing Oklahoma! Among the many crazy things we’ve had to witness over the past 18 months, some of the craziest have involved people losing their minds over what should or should not be considered threatening in a school setting. Requiring masks for public safety? A danger to the very foundations of America! Teaching kids about racism? Call a special legislative session to make sure our precious youth don’t learn history! In their first production of the COVID era, Ogden-based Good Company Theatre presents a world premiere that finds comedy in—among other topics—the things that can become controversial where public school students are involved. Fremont Junior High is NOT Doing Oklahoma!, by Chicago-based writer Paul Michael Thomson, involves the decision by Chrysanthemum (Joseph Paul Branca), the high-maintenance new president of the Fremont Junior High Drama Club, to make Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! the school’s spring musical. There’s just a little bit of pushback, however, over some of the classic show’s potentially iffy content and questions of representation—as well as the question of

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ESSENTIALS

the

whether Chrysanthemum’s best friend, Phylicia (Talia Heiss), is as much of a shoo-in for the lead role as she thinks she is. “After the uncertainty of 2020, it’s nice to get back to what GCT does with a play like Fremont Junior High,” says company co-director Camille Washington. Fremont Junior High is NOT Doing Oklahoma! runs Sept. 16 – Oct. 3 at Good Company Theatre (2404 Wall Ave., Ogden), with tickets $25 general admission. Masks will be required for all patrons during performances. Visit goodcotheatre.com for showtimes, ticket purchasing and other information. (SR)

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SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 | 11

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ENTERTAINMENT PICKS, SEPTEMBER 16-22, 2021

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Like so many performing-arts companies, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company spent most of 2020 figuring out how to present work to audiences virtually, and did so splendidly. Now however, also like so many companies, they’re cautiously returning to live performances, as the Rose Wagner Center Jeanné Wagner Theater welcomes Ririe-Woodbury back for the season-opening production Total Ellipse. The schedule includes a world-premiere commission, Two Hearted by New York-based artist Keerati Jinakunwiphat. Also featured is a return performance of the 2017 premiere Pantheon by Raja Feather Kelly, which takes Stravinsky’s infamous Rite of Spring and moves it to the world of 21st-century popular culture. Rounding out the evening is a world-premiere work by Ririe-Woodbury’s artistic director, Daniel Charon, titled On Being; the piece explores social healing, and (according to a press release) “how looking within can inform the greater good.” Running in conjunction with the performances is a lobby installation of work by visual artist Jordan Johnson. “We were able to weather the storm that

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Ririe-Woodbury: Total Ellipse

last season brought and have emerged strong and inspired to continue to bring dance to our community,” Charon says. Total Ellipse runs Sept. 16-18 with live performances 7:30 p.m. nightly, with general admission seating $21. In addition, the Sept. 17 performance will be live-streamed as an option for those who are not yet comfortable returning to a live theater space, and a matinee performance on Sept. 18 will be a “Moving Parts Family and Sensory Friendly” version of the performance, including ASL interpreter, reduced lighting and sound effects and other special accommodations. Visit ririewoodbury. com for more info, including health & safety protocols. (SR)

Brent Godfrey: Matter of Time @ “A” Gallery

Your fall planting headquarters

We’ll all recall many bits of conventional wisdom emerging from the earliest days of the pandemic, among them the notion that with everybody stuck at home, it would be a time for everyone to suddenly burst forth with energy to take on those creative projects that had always been on the back burner. Never mind that most of us were just figuring out how to survive; somehow it would also mark a golden age of symphonies, novels and other art born out of lockdown. For local artist Brent Godfrey, that conventional wisdom kind of turned out to be accurate. In his new solo exhibition Matter of Time, Godfrey displays works that might have been started any time over the past 25 years, but completed over the past two years. Originally scheduled for spring 2020, Matter of Time now features even more pieces that had a long gestation period (including “Drone,” pictured, begun in 2017 and completed in 2020), as well as works created

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Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

entirely over the past 18 months. The result is a uniquely compelling exploration of what it means to call something “new work,” as well as a chance to observe the evolution of an artist’s style over time not just within the range of the exhibition, but within a single piece. A Matter of Time runs Sept. 17-Oct. 30 at “A” Gallery (1321 S. 2100 East), with an artist reception scheduled for Friday, Sept. 17, 6-9 p.m. Masks are required indoors at all times. Visit agalleryonline.com for regular gallery hours, additional health & safety protocols and more information about the show. (SR)

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FanX re-emerges to the challenges of how to stage a huge event in the time of COVID BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

obody in the world of entertainment has had an easy time of it over the past 18 months, navigating an everchanging world where it wasn’t clear when and how people could gather, and what measures should be in place if they do. Now imagine figuring that stuff out for an event where you’re dealing with thousands of people in an indoor space. FanX—Salt Lake City’s home-grown pop-culture and fan convention—was cancelled in 2020, but returns this week for three days of celebrity guest stars, panels on various topics, and vendors, all for the benefit of enthusiasts ready to put on their favorite character cosplay. They do, however, need to be ready to put on masks that aren’t just the kind worn by Spider-man and Batman. In order to allow the event to take place in a safe manner, FanX is requiring attendees to wear masks. While it wasn’t the scenario FanX co-founder Dan Farr was anticipating when they made the decision earlier this year to go ahead with a September event, it was one that made sense. “It’s not an easy decision,” Farr says. “Nobody wants to wear a mask, unless it’s part of their costume. For us, having to come back around to having an event that would require masks, was difficult.” The decision was less difficult, of course,

A&E

Cosplayers gather for a photo at the fall 2019 FanX event safe in the fall of 2021, and Farr says they did discuss vaccine or testing requirements for attendees before ultimately deciding not to impose such restrictions. He also acknowledged that there have been some calls, on social media and elsewhere, for events like FanX not to take place while COVID case counts continue to spike, but he believes that’s “very much the minority. It’s just the world we live in now that people are ready to get back. With that being said, a week from the convention, there could still be something that comes up. But we don’t anticipate that.” So FanX will go on, with a mask requirement that Farr says he expects people to respect in the same way he’s seen it respected at large gathering places like Walt Disney World, where “they weren’t walking around yelling at people, but they’d encourage you when you walked indoors, ‘Put on your mask, please.’ We’ll have a few people kindly reminding attendees at various checkpoints. … We’ve always had such a respectful group of attendees; there’s just

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Pros and Cons

than the one to cancel the event entirely last year. “Even if we had wanted to go forward, the Salt Palace was closed down, so there was just no going forward,” Farr says. “But we wouldn’t have [held the event] anyway. We reached a point where we had a go or no-go moment ahead of the event; people make travel plans and everything. It was just so clear, but still a very hard decision. And even as we did that, we were told by some people that we were ruining lives by not allowing people to get together.” As was true for most of us, the FanX planning team began looking at things with more optimism in the spring, as case counts dropped. Even then, however, Farr says the expectation was for an event that would look at least somewhat different from how it looked in previous years, from a reduction in the number of panels, to greater spacing throughout the event area. FanX also had the benefit of learning from other convention organizers around the country as they began holding their own events. “Every state is different,” Farr says. “Atlanta [where Dragon Con was held Sept. 2-6] is different from Utah. But we’ve learned some things, like using plexiglass partitions for the celebrity guests. … It was nice to have them sort of blaze the trail.” It might be expected that booking celebrity guests to travel to a convention might be harder while COVID still rages, and Farr says there have been some challenges—but not necessarily because potential guests are worried about large gatherings. For many, scheduling simply became more challenging, in part because so many other conventions also planned their events for the fall. There was also the matter of film and television production playing catch-up after the 2020 shut-down, and in part because of restrictions placed on actors who have signed on to such productions. “When an actor starts a film project, they’re expected to isolate,” Farr says. “The film company isn’t going to say, ‘Sure, it’s okay to go off for the weekend.’” The rise of the Delta variant changed a lot of the expectations for what would be

this underlying understanding of being respectful to others, and I assume that’s going to continue with this.” And while Farr notes that masked faces will make it a little more challenging for him to use his traditional “smile test” of knowing while walking around whether people are enjoying the event, he’s confident that everyone involved—from staff to guests to attendees—will be happy to return. “Coming back to this year, being able to re-connect with people we’ve worked with for years, and having a purpose, it’s meant so much for everyone, and pulls everyone out of a slump,” Farr says. “It feels good to bring some happiness to people.” CW

FANX SALT LAKE COMIC CONVENTION

Salt Palace Convention Center 100 S. West Temple Sept. 16-18 fanxsaltlake.com

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Time’s Up It’s the End of World, and We Know It. COMMENTARY by Jim Catano comments@cityweekly.net

icture six friends chatting about the environment. “There’s no such thing as global warming,” the first says. “Climate change is fake news.” “No, the planet is warming,” says another, “but in a gradual, natural cycle that’s repeated itself throughout Earth’s history. Higher temperatures may even benefit some places.” “What we’re experiencing is not natural,” counters a third. “It’s caused by human activity, specifically the burning of fossil fuels. But luckily, we’ve got time to get it under control.” “On the contrary,” the fourth person suggests, “climate change is entering a critical stage. We need to keep lobbying Congress because if we don’t get emissions under control within the next couple of decades, we may experience big problems.” “Sorry, but Congress—or any other political entity—isn’t doing anything close to what could make a difference in time,” the fifth says. “There will be huge consequences in most parts of the world, but hopefully our species will soon wake up and take drastic steps to avert total environmental and societal collapse. We must end our reliance on fossil fuels and pursue new technologies for removing carbon from the air.” The sixth friend lets out a heavy sigh, then speaks. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” he says, “but we’ve simply gone too far down the hole. Rapid conversion to a renewably fueled society and carbon capture are technologically and logistically impossible for several reasons. Even if we were to immediately stop using fossil fuels today—which we won’t—there is already too much heat-trapping greenhouse gas in the atmosphere to stop the rise in global temperatures. A cascade of tipping points—many already in the rearview mirror—will almost certainly make the Earth’s climate inhospitable for humans and most mammals. The best, long-shot case would be if small pockets of habitability can continue to sustain human existence.” That hypothetical conversation demonstrates what I consider to be the six major schools of thought on climate change. And I should know—over the past 30 years, I’ve personally enrolled in five of those schools. But as updated information has poured in and times have changed, however, so has my awareness of the threat humanity faces.

The End is Near

Recent environmental news reports have made the first two schools of thought simply impossible to defend. Even the third—the idea that we have lots of time to correct the problem—has seen its credibility plummet in light of increasing record-setting extreme temperatures worldwide, severe and destructive storms, massive flooding in some areas, prolonged droughts in others, accelerating glacial and ice cap melting, sea level rise and devastating wildfires. At long last, public opinion is coming in line with what science has been warning us about for decades. But as it is increasingly apparent that the way we’ve lived on this planet has tragically altered its chemistry, biology and ecology, the question then becomes how bad things will get. Is it possible that our world could become uninhabitable for humans and most other species? A growing number of scientists and laypersons who choose to be guided by facts and observable trends—as opposed to forming their opinions around hopes and wishes—say such a scenario is very likely, if not inevitable. The end of the world as we know it has been debated, discussed and predicted by intellectuals, mystics and prophets for millennia. What will happen to our planet and its inhabitants has also been considered by science, in fiction writing and cinema, and at around-the-campfire discussions since time immemorial. Potential catalysts bringing about the end have included plagues, asteroids, super-volcanoes, alien invasions, nuclear war, an energy burst from a

quasar, a deity declaring “time’s up” on the human drama or the death of our sun in a few billion years. By comparison, catastrophic, abrupt climate change is the relatively new kid on the block. Mainstream science is gradually narrowing in on the final two scenarios described by the six friends as possibilities. The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a chilling report in August that’s far less hopeful than the previous five assessments published by the IPCC since 1990. The organization has been criticized for being overly optimistic. Its latest report, however, contains dire warnings of imminent, catastrophic and irreversible climate impacts given the quantity of greenhouse gasses (CO2, methane and others mostly released by industrial activities) that are already in the atmosphere and oceans and that continue to be released relatively unabated. Three terms are useful in discussions about abrupt climate change. The first is “overshoot,” when a society surpasses in population and consumption the capacity of its environment to sustainably support it. The second is “tipping point,” which is when a condition reaches a critical stage and can no longer be stopped. The third is “feedback loop,” which is when a condition deepens as a result of itself. (One example is how Arctic ice shrinks each year, allowing more sunlight to penetrate ocean water instead of reflecting back into space, which heats the oceans and contributes to further ice melt.)

Queen Phoebe, of Rose Park... Passed away at home surrounded by family, and friends that are like family. She was 13-ish and a very good girl. A woman of mystery, it’s reported she came of age on the mean streets of suburban Spanish Fork, Utah, before she was surrendered to a shelter there. A fierce advocate for animal rescue and adoption, especially seniors, Phoebs was a selfappointed CAWS ambassador and irrefutable proof that life doesn’t end in retirement, but that our golden years are meant to be celebrated, embraced and most of all, fun.

...this Summer enjoy Fess Parker’s Riesling Chardonnay @the Utah State Wine, Liquor Stores;

She was a lover of life’s most simple pleasures: food, belly rubs, couches, a good nap, walks in the park, car rides and more. Sweet yet strong-willed, she refused to be defined by labels. As Circa 2008 - 9/3/2021 a force for body positivity and inclusivity, she showed us that we’re more than numbers on a scale, and worthy of love no matter the age, shape or size. In her career-defining role as comedienne and ‘life of the party,’ Phoebs was the party. She never met a dog, cat or human she didn’t like. Except her mortal enemies: delivery people and their vans. In years filled with uncertainty, isolation and profound loss, Phoebs found her mom when she needed her most, before she knew she needed her at all. She is missed. She was more than a companion and loyal friend. She is love.

caws.org

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Humans began leaving a carbon footprint about 10,000 years ago with the dawn of agriculture. Things went into overdrive three centuries ago when societies started mining large quantities of carbon that had been deposited over hundreds of millions of years as decaying plant and animal life sank to the bottoms of oceans, seas and swamps, becoming oil, coal and natural gas. Our ancestors started burning these fossil fuels to power their lives, and carbon dioxide was released as its waste. Since the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, we’ve spewed more than a half-trillion tons of CO2 into the air. By weight, that amount of carbon dioxide would roughly equal two Mount Everests.

An Invisible Killer

Unfortunately, carbon dioxide appears “clean.” Despite coming from mostly pitch-black sources, CO2 is invisible, odorless and toxic to humans only in high concentrations. Unlike soot and other emissions that exit smokestacks and tailpipes—and which humanity has done a better job capturing—excess CO2 gave the appearance of being relatively harmless until quite recently. Even though CO2 was identified as a heattrapping atmospheric gas in 1859 by Irish physicist John Tyndall, the cheap, concentrated energy that burning fossil fuels provides has been too tempting and too addictive to spark the motivation to adequately address its downsides. Carbon dioxide’s cousin, methane or CH4, is initially 84 times more potent as a heat-holding greenhouse gas, and billions of tons of it lie just below the Earth’s surface in the frozen northern tundra and seabed. As temperatures climb, this natural gas is being released in ever-increasing amounts to the point that there is now more than twice as much in the atmosphere as there was in pre-industrial times. Some scholars predict that an upcoming, rapid release of methane will be the trigger for a large and catastrophic spike in global temperatures. We’ve created an entire society and economy based on fossil-fuel use and, so far, our species has shown little resolve to significantly change its ways, due in large part to centuries of self-centered thinking and

decades of misinformation disseminated by fossil-fuel companies and the government officials who back them. Many individuals in industrialized societies simply resist change. “I can’t give up my [big house/car/RV/boat/motorized toys/vacations/cruises or even a clothes dryer],” the First World opines, while at the same time, lesswealthy societies aspire to our profligate lifestyle. Our lack of will to abandon biosphere-killing ways is why a growing number of experts see humanity as simply too addicted to have ever averted disaster. There’s also a world population that has swelled from 2.5 billion when I was born in 1950 to nearly 8 billion today. The global population could reach 10 billion, but some researchers have calculated that even if humans were doing everything right in terms of living simply and using alternative and renewable energy, the planet could support, at most, about 2 billion of us in perpetuity.

In This Together

I’m aware this may be the biggest downer that City Weekly readers have ever encountered in these pages. Many will reject it as inaccurate and overly pessimistic, and that’s a perfectly normal human response. Denial is the first of psychiatrist Elizabeth KublerRoss’s classic five stages of grief, and some never move beyond denial even when contemplating their own death—let alone that of all of humankind within a relatively short time frame. As I’ve passed backward and forward through Kubler-Ross’s five stages while contemplating what all this means for me, my partner, children, grandchildren and recently-arrived first great grandchild, I’ve mostly carried the burden alone without asking others to help shoulder it. Fortunately, resources and support groups exist to help people first get their minds around these horrific possibilities and then turn anxiety and fear about them into courage and resolve to live nobly and well in whatever time we have left. I reached out to four thought leaders on abrupt climate change. As you will see, these scholars differ in their views, but each wishes they were wrong about what they see coming. So do I.

Erik Michaels researches ecological overshoot.

COURTESY PHOTO

Max Wilbert, co-author of Bright Green Lies, visited the thawing permafrost in the Russian Arctic.

COURTESY PHOTO

Climate change scientist Guy McPherson believes humanity’s days are numbered.

COURTESY PHOTO

Eco-theologian Michael Dowd urges compasssion in hard times.

The following responses were provided individually via email, but are presented in the form of a panel discussion.

When did you realize climate change would be inevitably catastrophic?

Guy McPherson (an internationally recognized speaker and award-winning scientist who specializes in abrupt climate change): In 2002, it seemed we had already triggered self-reinforcing feedback loops, any one of which make climate change irreversible. As a typically conservative academic, I kept my conclusion to myself. I finally went fully public with an essay I posted on my blog in June of 2012. Max Wilbert (an organizer, wilderness guide and author of “Bright Green Lies: How the Environmental Movement Lost Its Way and What We Can Do About It”): In 2010, I traveled to the Russian Arctic to document a National Science Foundation climate science expedition. In Siberia, we walked on thawing permafrost and saw “drunken forests,” which look like a game of pick-up-sticks as the soil melts underneath the trees. That year was the hottest year on record in Russia at the time. Michael Dowd (a bestselling eco-theologian, TEDx speaker and environmental advocate): It was in 2012 after watching David Roberts’ TEDx talk, “Climate Change Is Simple (Remix)”

When will the climate disaster will become so intense nobody will deny it?

McPherson: Denying reality will continue until the last person draws his or her last breath. COVID-19 serves as a recent example. Wilbert: It’s already that way. If you live in a small island nation, or in New York, or along the Gulf Coast, or in the wildfire-ravaged West, climate crisis is not something in the future. Dowd: Most will go to their grave in one form of denial or another. Erik Michaels (a researcher of ecological overshoot, its symptoms and the human denial of them): Those who deny it now will most likely continue denying it. Facts don’t often change people’s beliefs, unfortunately.

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Will civilizational collapse occur?

Wilbert: Every civilization that has ever existed has destroyed its own ecological foundations and then collapsed. Collapse is not an event, it’s a process. We’re already in the early stages of collapse. Aquifers are shrinking, increasing disease and civil conflict, droughts and extreme weather. It’s here. And in places like Syria, or Pakistan, or Columbia, collapse is already well underway. It’s well underway here in the United States, too. Just look at the homeless encampments in your city. The consumerist “prosperity” of the post-war 1950s is gone and is never coming back. Michaels: Civilizational collapse is already happening and deepening—it’s a very slow process, however, and it really affects the most complex societies first.

Will humans survive?

McPherson: No life on Earth will survive abrupt, irreversible climate change. Wilbert: Humans will eventually go extinct, but who knows when? With nearly 8 billion of us on the planet, we’re nowhere close to extinction now. I’m more concerned about the 100-200 other species that are being driven extinct every day. If we can’t halt that trend, the future for humanity is bleak. Dowd: The stability of the biosphere has been in decline for centuries and in unstoppable, out-of-control mode for decades. This “Great Acceleration”— just Google it—of biospheric collapse is an easily verifiable fact. The scientific evidence is overwhelming, but the vast majority of people will deny this, especially those still benefiting from the existing order, those understandably concerned about the effects of collapse, and those who fear that “accepting reality” means “giving up.” And, yes, that means most of us. Michaels: A quote from Carl Sagan: “Extinction is the rule. Survival is the

exception.” So, yes, we will go extinct— the only question is when, not if. I find it hard to believe that humans will still populate the planet by 2100. If there are still groups alive at that point, the likelihood that they will be functionally extinct is very high. Most likely, six or seven people out of every eight will die over the next two decades as energy and resource decline deepens.

As conditions deteriorate and social institutions breakdown, will individuals and groups be able to offer assistance to others?

Wilbert: We’ve already seen governments increasingly unable to provide meaningful aid in disasters, whether they be economic or natural. The future—if there is going to be one—is local. Dowd: There will always be compassionate and generous people, especially in super hard times. Nevertheless, I think half or more of the human population—3 to 5 billion—will likely starve within 16 months of the first multibread-basket failure, most likely this decade. Michaels: One will see all ranges of social responses unfolding as time moves forward. People will do good things to help and to provide assistance where they can and people will do nasty, selfish and brutish things as well as everything in between. Fewer people will have the resources and abilities to help as time moves forward and resiliency is removed from location after location. As collapse deepens and unfolds, fewer people will be able to help as their own conditions deteriorate. There will also be those who decide to be competitive and take whatever they can. So, there will be moments of beauty and moments of depravity.

Will American climate refugees from flooded coasts or drought-plagued

Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception. —Carl Sagan

“You know, hope is a mistake. If you can’t fix what’s broken, you’ll, uhhhh ... you’ll go insane.” —Max Rockatansky

areas be welcomed elsewhere?

Michaels: Many of us suffer greatly from a sense of privilege and what the Indigenous Americans call “wetiko,” a form of colonialism. Because everyone alive today grew up with the culture of always having “more,” very few people will know how to handle a life of constantly having less.

Do some religious millennialists see catastrophic climate change as fulfillment of the prophesied, fiery end of the world and even welcome it?

Dowd: Yes, of course! Fundamentalist and evangelical Christians are likely to interpret all this as God’s will, not climate change. Michaels: I have met individuals who talked about these claims. They are troubled by their beliefs and denial of reality. The bottom line is that the world is not really ending. A new world will unfold and new species will fill niches once held by species going extinct.

Between now and the end, what’s the best way to live?

McPherson: Treat family, friends, and others with whom you interact frequently as you would treat your beloved, dying grandmother. Would you lie to your grandmother as she is dy-

ing? Would you disrespect her? Once you’ve mastered this way of treating your friends and family, extend the relevant behaviors to everyone. Work in your community to overcome the ills associated with every civilization, including racism, misogyny and monetary disparity. And work to safely decommission all nuclear facilities. Failure to do so likely spells the loss of all life on Earth. Wilbert: It’s not too late. Yes, a lot of change is already baked into the climate and ecological system. A lot of bad things are going to happen. But the Earth is incredibly resilient, and so are human beings. If you’re in love with your family, your partner, your kids, how can you give up? When you see a wild river, or an oldgrowth forest, or an alpine meadow, or a herd of elk, how could you not want to protect the future? Resisting the destruction of the planet is the most normal and natural thing we could do. Dowd: Live fully, trustingly, courageously, compassionately and with deep and profound gratitude for the gift of being alive and conscious and in love with life. Michaels: Live now. It sounds so simple but can be quite difficult for many people because of our cultural programming and indoctrination. CW

About Jonah

Jonah was a full-time teacher at Midvale Middle School and a part-time bartender at Hog Wallow. He passed away from injuries sustained in a tragic motorcycle accident on August 25, 2021. He was only 24 years old. An Iowa boy born and raised, Jonah moved to Utah to teach at Midvale Middle School. He loved adventures and long road trips on his motorcycle. Living in Utah provided Jonah access to all the things he loved including skiing, hiking, climbing, biking, and camping. Even though he was only in Utah for a little over one year, he made the most of each day and made an incredible number of friends along the way. This passion for people is what made Jonah such a great teacher. He truly listened and cared about his students and wanted to help them in any way he could. ABOUT THE COAT DRIVE At the time of his tragic death, Jonah Glenn was organizing a coat drive to benefit the students of Midvale Middle School. The Hog Wallow would like to carry on with the drive in his honor.

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HOW TO DONATE Hog Wallow Pub Dropbox- 3200 E Big Cottonwood Caynon Rd. Cash donation at Hog Wallow Pub GoFundMe for Online Donation Email scott@thehogwallow.com if you are a business owner who would like to host a dropbox.

Items Needed: Sweatshirts/hoodies, zip up or pullover Coats and jackets Gloves Warm Socks Sizes Needed: Youth Sizes: Medium and Large Adult Sizes: Small, Medium, Large, X-Large The students aren’t allowed to wear beanies or hats in school, so they prefer not to receive those. All cash and online donations will be used to purchase cold weather items and donated to the students.

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ALEX SPRINGER

WE ARE OPEN!

22 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

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Mexico City Sammies

A diverse menu and welcoming atmosphere defines dining at Herriman’s La Garnacha. BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer

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few weeks ago, I went to a friend’s house to eat nachos and watch horror movies. On my way home, I noticed this hunting lodge of a building that was across the street from the Herriman city hall, right next to the gigantic JL Sorensen rec center. From afar, the building read restaurant to me, but considering its location smack dab in the middle of the Herriman suburbs, I second-guessed myself. Sure enough, as I got closer, I could see the illuminated sign for La Garnacha (5418 W. Main Street, Herriman, 385-6955871, lagarnachautah.com), a Mexican restaurant whose niche is serving up Mexico City style comfort food. After perusing their menu online, it became a moral imperative to pay this hidden gem a visit. It shouldn’t be a secret that Mexican food in all of its wonderful variations is quite special to me. All the same, I fully realize that the Wasatch Front is home to a broad spectrum of Tex-Mex or otherwise Americanized Mexican establishments. So, when I dug into La Garnacha’s menu of eats culled from the culinary traditions of Mexico City, I got a little tingly. Though Central American cuisine is full of diversity, it can be risky to open a Mexican restaurant that

doesn’t stick to the basics to which stateside diners have grown accustomed. If, like me, you enjoy a deeper dive into a cuisine from another part of the world, then you’re going to have a good time at La Garnacha. Though the menu at La Garnacha boasts a few unique bangers from Mexico City, you’ve also got your share of familiarity. Tacos ($3.25) are prepared street cart style with fillings like steak, chicken, chicharron, even beef tongue if you’re feeling saucy, but you can also get vegetarian fillings like zucchini blossom and nopales. There is nothing wrong with the tacos here—in fact, the vegetarian options are a great change of pace for those a bit burnedout on tacos al pastor. But if you’re coming to La Garnacha, you’ll want to check out their signature items. I was ecstatic to see that one of these items, the overstuffed crimson dynamo known as a pambazo ($11.50), is an insane sandwich. Central American food is high on my list of comforting favorites, but Central American sandwiches—tortas, lomitos, arepas—complete me. The pambazo simply continues the perfect record that sandwiches from this part of the world have. It starts with two slices of pambazo bread (a thick but porous concoction) that get dunked in some guajillo salsa and then slapped on the griddle for a nice crispy finish. The basic pambazo at La Garnacha is stuffed with lettuce, onions, queso fresco and a blend of potatoes and spicy chorizo. Like many sandwiches from Central America, the pambazo is a celebration of multiple flavors and textures. Though the pambazo bread has a toasty crunch on the top and bottom of the sandwich, the edges of the bread soften up as a result of all that smoky guajillo salsa. The soaking method is a great way to include salsa in a sandwich, and the flavor of the pambazo bread alone will leave you licking the fiery red remnants off your fingertips as you go. Inside the pambazo is a traditional mixture of cubed potatoes and chorizo, bring-

ing to mind a spicy breakfast hash. For two bucks more, you can add your choice of protein from their list of carnivorous and vegetarian options, which I would only recommend if you’re extremely hungry—the pambazo is much larger in person than it appears to be in photos. The second sandwich on La Garnacha’s menu is the gordita ($9.50), which is a bit more like an arepa in presentation. It’s a crispy corn tortilla that has been sliced open and stuffed with chicharron, lettuce, queso fresco, cilantro and onions. The biggest difference between the gordita and an arepa is the thickness of the tortilla— though the gordita roughly translates into “little fatty,” its tortilla is a bit thinner than its arepa cousins. Despite its lack of girth, it still manages to keep all that tasty filling inside, and offers a nice crunch with each bite. La Garnacha’s other specialties include two varieties of thick, crispy corn tortillas topped with various delicious goodies. The sope ($8.50) is a round tortilla whose basic iteration comes topped with beans, salsa verde, queso fresco, cilantro and onions, and the huarache ($12.50) is a larger, oblongshaped version; it’s like the sope’s older sibling. Like the pambazo, each of these items can be tricked out with extra toppings for a few bucks more. I liked these a lot—that salsa verde simply sings with bright and herbaceous flavor—but they are definitely part of the menu’s supporting cast instead of the main attraction. While La Garnacha is a bit out of the way for downtowners, its unique Mexico City-inspired menu, comfy digs and ample parking, create a dining experience that is well worth a visit. CW

AT A GLANCE

Open: Mon.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Best bet: The chonky gordita Can’t miss: The pambazo

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GRAPEFRUIT BACK PORCH Great Beer, No Compromise

30 E KENSINGTON AVE SLC, UT 84115

WWW.ROHABREWING.COM

onTAP

A list of what local craft breweries and cider houses have on tap this week

2 Row Brewing 6856 S. 300 West, Midvale 2RowBrewing.com On Tap: Feelin’ Hazy

Moab Brewing 686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com On Tap: Bougie Johnny’s Rose

Silver Reef 4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George StGeorgeBev.com

Bewilder Brewing 445 S. 400 West, SLC BewilderBrewing.com On Tap: Pumpkin Amber Lager

Mountain West Cider 425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com On Tap: Elliot Gold Hard Cider

Squatters 147 W. Broadway, SLC Squatters.com

Bohemian Brewery 94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com

Ogden River Brewing 358 Park Blvd, Ogden OgdenRiverBrewing.com On Tap: Injector Hazy IPA

Bonneville Brewery 1641 N. Main, Tooele BonnevilleBrewery.com On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale

Policy Kings Brewery 223 N. 100 West, Cedar City PolicyKingsBrewery.com

Desert Edge Brewery 273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com On Tap: Fresh Brewed UPA

Proper Brewing 857 S. Main, SLC ProperBrewingCo.com On Tap: Whispers of the Primordial Seai

Epic Brewing Co. 825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com On Tap: Munich Mayhem

Red Rock Brewing Multiple Locations RedRockBrewing.com On Tap: Baked Pastry Stout

Fisher Brewing Co. 320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com On Tap: Red Ale

RoHa Brewing Project 30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com On Tap: Arma-Chillo Amarillo DryHopped Pale Ale

Grid City Beer Works 333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com On Tap: Extra Pale Ale Hopkins Brewing Co. 1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com On Tap: Guava Goddess Hoppers Grill and Brewing 890 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale HoppersBrewPub.com Kiitos Brewing 608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake LevelCrossingBrewing.com On Tap: You-tah Coffee Uncommon

Roosters Brewing Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com On Tap: Cosmic Autumn Rebellion SaltFire Brewing 2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com On Tap: This is Barry Raspberry Milkshake IPA Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com On Tap: Baja Mexicana Ale Shades Brewing 154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer On Tap: Grapefuit Seltzer

Strap Tank Brewery Multiple Locations StrapTankBrewery.com Springville On Tap: PB Rider, Peanut Butter Stout Lehi On Tap: 2-Stroke, Vanilla Mocha Porter TF Brewing 936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com On Tap: Edel Pils Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com On Tap: Japanese Rice Lager Toasted Barrel Brewery 412 W. 600 North, SLC ToastedBarrelBrewery.com Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer UTOG 2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com On Tap: Mandarina Kolsch Vernal Brewing 55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com Wasatch 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC WasatchBeers.com Zion Brewery 95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com Zolupez 205 W. 29th Street #2, Ogden Zolupez.com

Sippers and Swiggers BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer

MIKE RIEDEL

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Ogen’s Family-Friendly Brewery with the Largest Dog-Friendly Patio! Restaurant and Beer Store Now Open 7 Days a Week!

SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 | 25

altFire - Mobius Trip (Utah Plum): The latest edition of the Mobius Trip series of barrel-aged sour ales features locally-sourced plums, and was aged in oak Chardonnay barrels. The color of the brew is hazy straw, with carbonation that is just short of spritzy. An aggressive pour provides some foam for a short while, but it quickly dissipates. It does have a nice glow in the afternoon light. The nose has plenty of Chardonnay barrel sweetness that sits on the fence between wine grapes, tropical apricot and plum. With its hints of smooth dry spice (pepper), wild funk, and a peachy/apple scent, this one is rich and very much like wine. Initial flavors of oaked earthiness, robust Chardonnay wine and biscuit/yeast are bright and puckering. It’s slightly boozy in the body, and the yeasty tartness becomes fruity, with apricot, plum and citrus rind. Throughout, there is a hint of herbal bitterness with a minor amount of burnt rubber rounding out the end. The finish is dry and semi-dusty. Overall: This is a highly drinkable ale that is medium/full-bodied, and has awesomely tight carbonation that reminds me of a sparkling Chardonnay spritzer. The 8.0 percent alcohol, while noticeable, doesn’t overpower, but it sure hits you afterward. This is one of those beers that will age well, but the overall flavors tell me that this is perfect for drinking now. I’ll still stick one in the cellar for experimentation purposes, and will definitely seek this out again.

Fisher - Hazy Train: The pour reveals a pale, cidery, grapefruit juice body with mild haze, significant opaqueness and zero turbidity—kind of halfway between a traditional APA and hazy pale ale, but very “juicy”-looking. A really nice off-white head of soft, sudsy bubbles holds up remarkably well, and provided really solid rings of soapy lacing. A wonderful pop of dank hemp, green onion, and sweet malt emerges on the front of the nose, and gives it the initial feel of a much larger beer. Those three strong notes linger, with layers of grapefruit juice, lemon-lime, green grape and biscuit in the background. The onion notes really stand out, mixing with a pithy citrus end, really unique and interesting for a smaller ABV pale ale. I’m digging this one. The taste can’t keep up, but that’s not necessarily surprising given the 5.0 percent ABV. Still, it’s very solid. Grapefruit juice, damp grass, hemp, a little resin and some stone fruit are the most obvious takeaways, along with a strong mineral note, followed by a touch of salinity, maybe a hint of green onion, then a very dry finish with some pithy bitterness. Very little sweetness appears in this one (except for the burbs, which are lovely), which might otherwise take this up a notch, but it’s certainly an easy sipper. And again, this is a hazy pale ale, so I’m trying to grade it appropriately. Feel is soft but a tad thin, though that’s helped by the robust head and prickly carbonation. Overall: This one isn’t going to knock your socks off, and if you’re comparing it to big hazy IPAs, you might be likely to turn your nose up at it. But for what it is, I think it’s pretty damn solid. The dankness and hop onion notes (which I like) are quite unique, and I’m greatly enjoying it. Wading your way through Fisher’s ocean of pale ales can be a lot of fun; compare Hazy Train with a more traditional American pale ale, and you can really pick up what makes this style so popular. This plum-infused Mobius Trip comes in an attractive bottle, and can be purchased to go or enjoyed at the Saltfire’s pub. As always, cheers. CW

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Careful not to overload or underwhelm while enjoying this week’s beers

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I recently wrote about The Tavernacle’s (201 E. 300 South) closure, and I am excited to report that the team has decided to reopen this fall. The new location isn’t far from its original digs; their encore presentation will be in the Broadway Media Building at 50 W. 300 South. I will keep an eye on development, as I’m sure The Tavernacle’s grand reopening will be the impetus for a grand celebration—this is a team that is no stranger to spectacle, after all. It’s always good to see bars and restaurants that have shuttered their operation once again spread their wings, and we hope that this new chapter will be one filled with another 20 years of drinks and dueling pianos.

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Bambara (202 S. Main Street, 801-363-5454, bambara-slc.com) recently welcomed Chef Jerry Pacheco as their new executive chef, and we’re excited to see what he has planned. Chef Pacheco has been a part of some of Salt Lake City’s finest restaurants—The Copper Onion, Avenues Bistro, Pago and Pallet—along with sous chef experience at Bambara. Though Chef Pacheco has been plenty busy running Cinder Pig, his flavorful barbecue delivery service, the chance to take over as Bambara’s executive chef seems like a match made in culinary heaven. As part of his induction, Chef Pacheco plans to unveil a tasty fall menu in October. Now is a good time to check out Bambara.

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Time for Tribute

Friends and colleagues honor the legacy of prolific musician Courtney Isaiah Smith.

BY ERIN MOORE music@cityweekly.net @errrands_

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28 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

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usicians have lost a lot this year—their stages, their tours, their income, stability. They’ve also lost friends and colleagues. In January of this year, the Salt Lake City music community lost one of its brightest stars, Courtney Isaiah Smith, to COVID, at the age of just 37. A Salt Lake City native, he was a pillar of the music community, and lived and breathed his craft. He played in church and in bands of all kinds, and taught jazz piano at universities around Northern Utah. It’s a loss that’s been felt by his friends, family and former bandmates throughout the course of this year, and one that will be felt for a long time. To honor the place where Smith was and isn’t anymore, a series of tribute shows has been organized in his honor, split up by the many genres which he played. The last of the trio is scheduled on Wednesday, Sept. 22, and Smith’s friend and bandmate David Halliday is using his memories of Smith to make it the perfect tribute. Halliday knows Smith as intimately as anyone would after playing music with them for 10 years, which was the case for the two musicians thanks to their co-directing the series of eight Jazz Vespers shows on the last eight Sundays before Christmas at the First Unitarian Church. Together, Smith and Halliday slowly developed a core group of musicians to play different musical tributes each week, and five years into comfortably playing as that Jazz Vespers Quartet, they were approached about doing Monday night shows at Gracie’s downtown. With all the First Unitarian and Gracie’s shows combined, Halliday estimates they did about 250 jam sessions as the JVQ. That band was obviously a big part of Smith’s musical life, and so it’s at the center of the upcoming tribute. His place in the band has been filled by the pianist Tony Ellison, a talented young pianist whom Smith mentored. “I mean, I don’t think that you could remove a more impactful person from the scene,” Halliday says. “Courtney was a genius, a musical genius bar none. But he was also the kindest and sweetest, least egotistical person. He was like a perfect person.” The loss, Halliday says, has been felt acutely by people like the JVQ drummer Parker Swenson, who was close with Smith; Smith’s

Courtney Isaiah Smith fiancée and fellow local musician, Jazzy Olivo; and of course, Smith’s mother. But Halliday is navigating Smith’s death with some faith—that Smith, too good for this world, just can’t be gone. “I choose to believe that I’m going to see Courtney again. I feel like some people are too significant to just be gone forever,” he says. “Like, this amazing, spiritual genius who affected so many people and had such a deep spirituality … is just gone? I can’t get behind that.” He notes ruefully, though, that it was probably Smith’s passion for music and performance that led him back out into the world of playing live during the pandemic, despite his high-risk status. “If any of us had known, we all would have been like, ‘No, Courtney don’t play, don’t go anywhere, whatever you do.’ But we … how can you know? You just don’t know.” Whether or not you believe his presence continues in a spiritual sense, it is true that Smith is still around in other ways. In the months since his passing, videos of him playing have circulated on the internet, while reminders and mementos are often shared— most recently of course, by way of these tribute concerts. Halliday also says that there is much music to be heard from Smith yet. “There are a bunch of recordings that haven’t been released yet,” Halliday says. “Speaking for myself, Courtney is on an album [of mine] coming out next year, then he’s on another one after that. I’m really good at recording albums, but not at releasing them. … Jazzy told me his laptop is full of original music that hasn’t been released. There are multi-track recordings from a lot of the Jazz Vespers shows that are on separate tracks, meaning that we could mix them, mess with the levels and get them sounding fantastic.” Already out is the film Focused Life, for which Smith and musician Steve Lyman composed music. And considering Smith’s status as a full-time musician who played in bands of all genres—from gospel, party music and R&B to funk, soul, pop and jazz—Halliday is sure more recordings from other projects and collaborations will start to trickle out into the world. “There’s a whole legacy here that will live forever,” Halliday says. “I’m grateful that we decided to split the shows up because— with how many Jazz Vespers shows there were, and with how intimate we were musically—having a little 20 minute JVQ segment on a tribute show just isn’t gonna cut it. We have to dig in,” Halliday adds. “I really am excited to try to choose the right songs and combine the right people and make everyone feel something special.” The show is being produced in collaboration with Excellence Concert Series, who will be live streaming it and preserving it online, too. And, as at all Excellence Concerts, the show is free at the Gallivan Center, is open to all ages, and starts at 7:30 p.m. Visit excellentconcerts.org for more info. CW

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You think DIY music is hard to do here in the wide-open, interstate-connected United States? Try touring DIY venues worldwide when your home-base is a rural village in Niger. That’s how Mdou Moctar came up into the global music scene, though he did achieve viral status in West Africa in the Tuareg language remake of Purple Rain, titled Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai, which Moctar wrote, produced and starred in. Taking inspiration from the six-string technique of Eddie Van Halen, Moctar has developed his own unique style of guitar playing, and with the success of 2019 albums like Ilana: The Creator, he’s earned the nickname “Jimi Hendrix of the Sahara.” His music pulls from contemporary Saharan aesthetics while establishing a distinctly fresh psychedelic sheen all its own, which shines citrus-bright and sweet on his newest effort, Afrique Victime—also the band’s Matador Records debut. Like any great rock album, it focuses on themes like love, but also on topics including religion, women’s rights, inequality and West Africa’s exploitation on the global colonial stage. Moctar and his band stop into The Urban Lounge on Wednesday, Sept. 22 as part of a lengthy North American and European tour, one that’s long overdue for the always busy and jet-setting band—who still find themselves based out of Moctar’s modest hometown of Agadez. The show starts at 7 p.m., is 21+, and tickets are $16. Visit theurbanloungeslc. com for tickets and more info.

Edison Street’s New Street Festival

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30 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

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For the last few years, Edison Street has been, in stops and starts, a great place to spend a night out on the town. Diabolical Records used to host shows in their tiny shop regularly, crowds of which would spill out into the street; next door, Secret Top Secret would sometimes have parties complete with a half-pipe on which bands played at least once. Well, with the addition of some new businesses on the street like Curry Up Now, Roc Taco and Mortar & Pestle, plus the influence of new local music conduits like UPHERE! Records, there’s more to see and do on Edison Street than ever. Diabolical Records’s new fusion-inspired neighbor Roc Taco is presenting a new all-day Edison Street Festival, complete with food from the local businesses, plus local artists, crafts and of course, music. From 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18, the festival will feature music kicking off at 12:30 p.m. with local band hi again, followed by Savage Daughters, Toothpicks and The Boys Ranch in the afternoon. At 4:30 p.m., Worlds Worst welcomes the evening, and are followed by Backhand, Dad Bod, Sculpture Club and the final band Lord Vox, before the rest of the night is taken over by a DJ set from 08gracee. The fest happens across the street from Roc Taco on Edison Street, presumably in the parking lot that is chronically vacant. For more updates and a schedule, visit @roc.taco on Instagram.

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH 0:30PM SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH 3:30PM TRIGGERS AND SLIPS (STAGE) MATT CALDER (PATIO)

KISS End of the Road Tour Comes to SLC

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The legendary glam rock band KISS are at the end of the road—or at least that’s what they’re saying about their latest tour. The End of the Road Tour started in 2019 and was interrupted in 2020 by the pandemic with mass re-schedulings, but has now resumed in 2021 (albeit interrupted by COVID diagnoses for band members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons). The Salt Lake City date was one of those that had to be pushed from its original slot this time last year. All that time throws into question whether the tour will ever really end, especially with scheduled dates that extend into 2022. Having trotted the globe, as world famous rock stars are wont to do, KISS is stopping back here in America, visiting the USANA Amphitheater on Wednesday, Sept. 22. While out on this tour, they’ve obviously played all the hits, while also wowing fans by breaking stage pyrotechnics records to go alongside said hits. Unless they do another lap around the globe before calling it quits, this is your last chance to see an iconic band like KISS—in your own backyard at least. Tickets are still widely available, and they range from $68 to $1,472. Tickets bought for the 2020 date are valid for this one. More info can be found at saltlakeamphitheater.com.

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32 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

Miki Sawada

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A Boston-based classical concert pianist has embarked on an unusual journey, one that involves a whole piano following her on her cross-country travels. Miki Sawada is this pianist, and her goal is to take classical piano music outside of the barrier of the concert hall, and insert it into more accessible community spaces in both urban and rural environments— and to do that in all 50 states. After touring all around rural Utah through the latter part of August and early September, Sawada is finally finishing in Salt Lake City, with support from WESTAF TourWest and Salt Lake City Arts Council. The Mundi Project will present the last three of the 16 Utah events. Her last rural performance will be in Price at the Price

City Peace Garden on Sept. 16 at 7 p.m., and the last Mundi Project presented show here in Salt Lake City will be on Saturday, Sept. 18 at the Alliance Theater at Trolley Square at 7 p.m. Both of these events are free, and listeners can expect to hear excerpts from Sawada’s electro-acoustic debut album A Kind of Mirror, which was written for another Gather Hear tour in West Virginia in 2018. Sawada will also perform African-American spirituals by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, pieces by Franz Liszt and a piece written for the tour by the University of Utah composer Elisabet Curbelo. To learn more about Sawada’s music and her journey, and to keep track of future Gather Hear tour dates, visit gatherhear.com/utah.

Ben Brinton at Marmalade Jam Fest

Partaking of the homemade jam that’s in competition at the Marmalade Jam Fest isn’t the only way to jam out if you stop into this neighborhood fest. Held at Mountain West Cider’s The Garten for the fourth year in a row on Saturday, Sept. 18 and Sunday, Sept. 19, there’s much to entertain besides pursuing the offerings of the fall fruit preserves competition. A celebration of the fruits that historically grow on the trees of the aptly named Marmalade neighborhood, this annual festival will also include beverages by Red Rock Brewing and most definitely Mountain West Cider, and music by locals to enjoy while sipping and munching. Among the performers will be local solo artist Ben Brinton, kicking things off at 11 a.m. on Sunday, performing songs from his 2020 album Pocket Octavez, which is full of tongue and cheek, warm-hearted and often humorous original songs. His acoustics and melodies build on ’90s pop-rock traditions like that of the Gin Blossoms or the Spin Doctors, and are perfect for a sunny late summer day dealing in sweets. Brinton’s set is also accompanied by ASL interpretation, an accessibility move not common on the local show circuit, but maybe one that should be. Other folks at the fest include Picky Out The Stingers later in the day, and more TBA. Marmalade Jam Fest is free, all ages, and more info can be found at facebook.com/TheMarmaladeJamFest.

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ARIES (March 21-April 19) “Books are mirrors: You only see in them what you already have inside you,” wrote author Carlos Zafòn Ruiz. Let’s take that a step further, “Other people are mirrors: You only see in them what you already have inside you.” And even further, “The whole world is a mirror: You only see in it what you already have inside you.” Have fun playing with these meditations, Aries. The coming weeks will be a fertile time to explore how thoroughly your experiences reflect the activity transpiring in your own brain. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Some spiritual teachers say things like “I am not my body” or “This body is not me.” I don’t understand that. It’s an insult and a disparagement. It’s dismissive of our bodies’ sublime beauty and our bodies’ inspired role in educating our souls. I agree that we are not only our bodies. I agree that a part of us is eternal, not confined to flesh and blood. But hell yes, I am my body. You are your body. It’s a glorious aspect of who we are. It’s a miraculous creation that has taken millions of years to evolve into the masterpiece it is. So yes, you are your body, and yes, this body is you. I hope you love your body, are in awe of it, are pleased to be inside it. If anything is lacking in this department, now is an excellent time to make corrections.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Poet Yves Olade writes, “I’ve started thinking of people as wounds that don’t heal.” To me, that idea is idiotically cynical. Moreover, I think it’s wrong for most of us. The truth is, humans have a natural instinct for healing. They are predisposed to attract experiences that might aid their recovery from difficulties—that might teach them the healing lessons they need. I believe this will be especially true for you in the coming weeks. (P.S.—Dr. Andrew Weil writes, “Any level of biological organization that we examine, from DNA up to the most complex body systems, shows the capacity for self-diagnosis, for removal of damaged structure and for regeneration of new structure.”)

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Research suggests that most people think everyone else has more fun than they do. But I’m guessing that only a small percentage of Sagittarians feel that way. You tend to be extra alert for fun, and you have intuitive skill at tracking down fun. In addition, you often take the initiative to precipitate fun. You understand you have a responsibility to generate fun, and you have a talent for generating it. All these capacities will serve you well in the coming weeks. I recommend you raise your mastery of the art and science of having fun to a new level. Be the Champion CANCER (June 21-July 22) “I lie to myself all the time, but I never believe me,” writes of Fun and Games for your entire circle. Cancerian author S.E. Hinton. Ha! As a Cancerian myself, I confess to the same crime. But I am looking forward to a shift in CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) the coming weeks. I suspect we Crabs will be inspired to cut way I’m not engaging in empty flattery when I say that you are back on the fibs we try to get away with. You know what that unlike anyone else who has ever lived in the history of the world. means, right? We’ll be more inclined to trust ourselves, since Your absolute uniqueness is a fundamental fact. Maybe you we’ll be more likely to tell ourselves the truth. Our decisions will don’t reflect on this truth very often. Perhaps you feel that it’s not helpful to think about or that it’s irrelevant to your daily be shrewd, and our self-care will be rigorous. Hallelujah! decision-making. But I propose that in the next three weeks, you give it a central place in your understanding of your destiny. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) My object in this horoscope is to stimulate your imagination in Allow it to influence everything you do. Make it a major factor in ways nobody else in your life will. You need an influence like me, your decision-making. from outside your inner circle, to administer friendly, playful shocks to jolt you out of habitual ways of thinking. Here we go: AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) 1. If you were to stow seven parts of your soul in seven objects, Welcome back from the underworld, Aquarius. I hope your what objects would they be? 2. If you could change one thing time wandering through the maze-like twilight brought you as about your past, what would it be? 3. If you were a character in a many fascinating mysteries as confusing questions. I trust you fairy tale or a movie, who would you be? 4. If you could travel to a took advantage of the smoky riddles and arresting dilemmas place that would teach you what you most need to know, where to fortify your soul’s wisdom. I suspect that although your would it be? 5. If you had a magical animal as your special ally, travels may have at times seemed hard to fathom, they have what animal would it be? 6. If you could sing a song with uncanny provided you with a superb education that will serve you well in healing power for someone you care about, what song would it the immediate future. be? 7. If you could improve your relationship with some part of PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) your body, what would it be? In Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, the lead character says to a friend, “You filled me with a wild desire to VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) “There’s nothing wrong with reading a book you love over know everything about life.” Is there a person who might inspire and over,” writes Virgo author Gail Carson Levine. I also offer you like that, Pisces? Maybe a person from your past with whom you the following authorizations: There’s nothing wrong with you’ve fallen out of touch? Or is there a person hovering on the seeking a pleasure you love over and over; or doing a necessary outskirts of your life who could stimulate you to have such feeltask you love over and over; or performing an energizing ritual ings? Now is a favorable time to seek these influences. I advise you love over and over; or expressing key truths you love over you to be bold in your quest to associate with allies who will and over. And these permissions will be especially crucial for you stimulate your lust for life and teach you crucial lessons. (P.S.— to exult in during the coming weeks, dear Virgo—because it’s a For extra credit, make abundant use of another theme from time when mindful repetition will be one of your strengths and a Wilde’s book: “The search for beauty is the real secret of life.”) key to stimulating the deepening experiences you need.

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GEMINI (May 21-June 20) “I know someone who kisses the way a flower opens,” wrote poet Mary Oliver. I’d love for you Geminis to have that experience. The astrological omens suggest it’s more likely than usual to occur sometime soon. Other experiences with a better-thanaverage chance of unfolding in the coming days: allies who speak of intimate subjects in ways that resemble a flower opening; partners who co-create with you in ways that resemble a flower opening; spiritual helpers who offer guidance and help in ways that resemble a flower opening.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) “If I’m a bitch and a fake, is there nobody who will love a bitch and a fake?” Libra author Graham Greene wrote that in his novel The End of the Affair. Here’s my extrapolation: I believe that every one of us, including me, is a bitch and a fake now and then. We all go through periods when we are not at our best, when we fail to live up to our own high standards. Is it possible that you have recently flirted with such a phase? If so, the cosmos has authorized me to absolve you. You are free to reclaim your full, exquisite beauty. And if you haven’t been a bitch and a fake, congratulations. It means you have weathered a gnarly storm.

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Carrying a ’Toon

The Eyes of Tammy Faye struggles to humanize its complex central character.

SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

hen Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato made their 2000 documentary The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Tammy Faye Messner—still better known to the world as Tammy Faye Bakker—was a cartoon. She was the squeaky-voiced, mascara-caked punching bag of 1980s latenight monologues and SNL skits, caught up in the sexual and financial scandals that engulfed her then-husband Jim Bakker and their televangelist ministry. As much as we all love the schadenfreude involved in watching seeming hypocrites fall, Bailey and Barbato wanted to humanize Tammy Faye and make it clear that she was nothing of the sort—that she was, in fact, a uniquely humane figure in a milieu generally dominated by smugly judgmental Bible-thumpers. In theory, that’s the same goal director Michael Showalter and screenwriter Abe Sylvia have in mind for this dramatized version of The Eyes of Tammy Faye, but they’ve given themselves a much harder job. Where Bailey and Barbato were able to feature the real Tammy Faye and explore the person she was in her post-limelight life, and get playful with gimmicks like chapter titles read by sock puppets, Showalter and Sylvia trap themselves in the structures of a prestige biographical drama. And it’s not one that does the premise any favors. From a brief prologue set in the 1990s, the narrative quickly flashes back to the 1950s childhood of Tammy Faye in Minne-

sota, desperately trying to be part of her family’s Christian church as the daughter of a divorced-and-remarried mother (Cherry Jones). At Bible college, Tammy Faye (Jessica Chastain) meets young, ambitious Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield), and the two quickly marry and hit the road as traveling preachers. But Jim has a vision for bringing the Gospel to mass audiences, ultimately establishing the PTL Network in the 1970s, which rapidly turns into a mega-business including the Heritage, U.S.A. amusement park and a satellite-powered 24-hour broadcasting empire. Not surprisingly, the narrative addresses the twin scandals that toppled the Bakkers—Jim’s affair/hush-money relationship with Jessica Hahn, and Jim’s eventual fraud conviction for misusing donated funds—as well as the back-door takeover of PTL by Jerry Falwell (Vincent D’Onofrio), but the filmmakers find the most interesting avenues for exploration in material that the documentary didn’t include. In particular, there’s an emphasis on Jim’s role as an early-adapter in preaching the “prosperity Gospel” connecting material wealth and holiness, as well as a subplot involving Tammy Faye’s own near-affair with a record producer. Both cases offer an oppor-

tunity for making the character study richer, in terms of attempting to understand whether Tammy Faye got caught up in the Bakkers’ celebrity in a way that pulled her away from her faith. But there’s a basic problem here, one that the documentary didn’t have to contend with: making Jim Bakker a character as central as Tammy Faye. Garfield’s performance feels slightly off somehow, although that could easily be a function of the many questions about him—including allegations about gay affairs, and to what extent he was being deliberately fraudulent in his financial dealings—the film isn’t going to offer answers for by virtue of presenting everything from Tammy Faye’s point of view. It feels like a performance built less on creating an actual character than on delivering a serviceable imitation of the guy we saw on TV. As for Chastain’s Tammy Faye, there’s a lot more depth and nuance there, even as the narrative has to make its way through difficult-to-dramatize material like her addiction to Ativan (while somehow completely ignoring the story of how she tried to open the door of a plane while it was in flight). The earliest and latest scenes provide the strongest performance moments—

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36 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

CINEMA

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Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye

the pre-celebrity Tammy Faye’s infectious enthusiasm suggesting Chastain’s perky character from The Help, and the post-Jim Tammy Faye trying to pitch ideas to a reality-TV producer that convey her almost compulsive need to minister to people. Yet it’s still a challenge for this interpretation of Tammy Faye to capture her complexity, beyond a few token mentions of her more loving view of gay people, because we have to spend time on marital fights that could have been pulled from a hundred other movies. We’re far enough removed from peak Tammy Faye mockery that it’s easier now for her to be more than a cartoon; this Eyes of Tammy Faye still needed to work harder to maker her more than just another conventional biopic subject. CW

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N0. 28 | VO L . 3 3 1 7, 2 0 1 6 OV E M B E R

HALO

BY DAVID LEVINSON WILK

ACROSS

1. Couldn’t stand, maybe 2. “Was ____ harsh?” 3. “Jeopardy!” creator Griffin 4. Auto pioneer Alfieri 5. “Long ____ short ...” 6. Loser in an Aesop fable 7. The rain in Spain, e.g. 8. Pie crust ingredient

California Blues

9. Autumn birthstone 10. Not neat 11. Pitcher who can throw 97 miles per hour, say 12. Word ignored in indexing 15. ____ Young Band (country group) 21. Defendant in a 1963 obscenity trial, for short 22. 43rd prez 25. Knights’ horses 26. Madison Ave. cost 27. One who’s looking the wrong way? 28. Line from a permissive judge 30. Subj. for Janet Yellen 31. Baker’s need 32. Cousin of “Inc.” 33. “____ sure you already know ...” 35. Taj Mahal’s city 37. Off the coast 40. “Can ____ least think it over?” 41. Dishes prepared alla Milanese 46. General with a dish named after him 48. OB or ENT 52. ‘90s commerce pact 54. “Levitating” singer

Lipa 55. “____ be a cold day ...” 56. Kiara’s mother in “The Lion King” 57. Batted but didn’t field, in MLB lingo 58. Roadside stopovers 59. Frigga’s husband 60. Vex 61. Maidenform purchase 64. Child of the ‘70s, e.g.

Last week’s answers

No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.

DOWN

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Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to 9.

1. Super Bowl XXI MVP Phil ____ who was the first to say “I’m going to Disney World!” 6. Purity ring? (... and for more punny clues, see 20-, 39- and 53-Across) 10. Frequently, poetically 13. Bugged incessantly 14. Slack-jawed 16. “Don’t think so” 17. Arms and legs attach to it 18. Like about 97% of U.S. land 19. Mao ____-tung 20. What a chandelier provides ... or a punny clue for 6-Across 23. Lunch bread 24. Fly catchers 26. Capital of Samoa 29. Like pets and parking meters 32. Researcher’s rodent 34. It forms at the mouth 36. Barbecue glowers 38. Cheer at a flamenco show 39. Group of fellow worshipers ... or a punny clue for 6-Across 42. KJ who plays Archie on “Riverdale” 43. 0 to 60, e.g. 44. Prepared for a TV interview 45. Charge toward, with a lance 47. “You ____ me at hello” 49. Ukr. and Lith., once 50. Photo blowups: Abbr. 51. Bed-Ins for Peace participant 53. High employment rate, e.g. ... or a punny clue for 6-Across 61. “I meant to tell u ...” 62. Sundance Film Festival local 63. Army base about 16 mi. from Trenton 65. Chess piece between dame and fou 66. Emmy-winning choreographer Debbie 67. Colorful upholstery fabric 68. Qty. 69. Blokes 70. Actor Ed

SUDOKU

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38 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

I think it’s the law that as a native New Yorker, I must subscribe to The New York Times. That’s OK—reading it is part of my Sunday ritual, and I enjoy it immensely—from the political commentaries/editorials and in-depth series to the museum announcements and Broadway reviews. There’s always something to surprise me. For example, a few Sundays ago, I had to re-read a full-page ad several times. It was an open letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom from Cary Brazeman, a principal of a national marketing agency specializing in real estate, a former commercial real estate agent and founder of L.A. Neighbors United, a community group that advocates on behalf of civilians. There are two bills—California Senate Bill 9 and Senate Bill 10—that Brazeman contends will deregulate the single-family housing market in the state, which would incentivize developers to tear down homes in communities of color where the cost of land is lower and replace those homes with housing that only rich people could afford. Brazeman argues that lower- and middle-income owners and tenants might be forced into being permanent renters. The proposed rules, he contends, will bring a form of the Hunger Games where humans lose and Wall Street wins. Many areas of California have loosened zoning rules to allow for more planned developments, small-lot subdivisions and ADUs (accessory dwelling units, like tiny homes and mother-in-law apartments) to facilitate more density of residences in those areas. Brazeman argues in the ad that the state has taken steps to boost personal income in California by reducing the cost of health care. But he believes that the two Senate bills would allow four to six individual housing units or a 10-unit apartment building on what was formerly a single-family lot, with no recourse for the neighbors next door. That would hurt the affordable housing crisis, he argues, by destabilizing neighborhoods and home values. Why would we in Utah give a hoot about this guy and his opinions? The housing crisis is as real in Utah as it is in California. Local communities and their city councils, planning commissions and zoning enforcers are all looking at changes to density in our state and local building rules and regulations. Portland’s City Council voted recently to throw out single-family zoning rules because they, too, do not have enough housing. Home prices and rents are rising like crazy. On Sept. 1, 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported that the asking rate for houses rose nearly 13% year-to-date through July. Bottom line? Pay attention to your city councils and our Legislature in January and listen to how our leaders plan on dealing with the future of our housing crisis in Utah. The Salt Lake Board of Realtors recently found that 10% of hits to its website were from Californians looking to move to Utah. Leaders should know the housing crisis is just as real in our great state. n Content is prepared expressly for Community and is not endorsed by City Weekly staff.

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WEIRD

Awesome! Cows summering in the mountains of Switzerland have to find their way to lower elevations as winter comes on, but among one herd, about 10 cows were injured and couldn’t hoof it down safely. So in late August, farmers arranged for them to be harnessed and flown by helicopter to terrain more accessible to conventional transportation, Sky News reported. The cows were held in a mesh harness, and farmers grabbed ropes to guide them down. Farmer Jonas Arnold noted, “I didn’t ask a cow how it feels after such a flight, as it couldn’t answer, but ... it was only a short, calm flight.” The cows are scheduled to participate in the annual cow parade at Urnerboden, Switzerland. Bright Idea Yves de Mbella, a television personality on NCI in Ivory Coast, was convicted on Sept. 1 of glorifying rape after he invited a convicted rapist on his prime-time show to demonstrate how he plied his crimes, using a mannequin as his victim. CNN reported that the segment, during which de Mbella helped the rapist adjust the mannequin and asked if his victims “enjoyed it,” aired on Aug. 30. De Mbella, who was fined about $3,600, apologized for the demonstration, saying he was trying to “raise awareness.”

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Update In December 2020, News of the Weird reported on the unusual union between Kazakhstani body builder and self-described “sexy maniac” Yuri Tolochko and his new wife, Margo, a blowup doll. That relationship has since gone south, but Tolochko has found a new object of his affection: a metal ashtray that he procured from a nightclub. In fact, the Daily Mirror reported, Tolochko plans to have the ashtray outfitted with a vagina so they can consummate their love. After a photo shoot with the ashtray, Tolochko, a pansexual, said, “I wanted to touch it again, smell it. I love its brutal scent, the touch of metal on my skin. I also like that it has a story, that it’s not new, that it has served many people and continues to serve them.” News You Can Use n Mortician Caitlin Doughty, who stars in a YouTube show called “Ask the Mortician,” has answered all kinds of pressing questions about what happens when bodies are cremated, the Mirror reported. For example, titanium hip joints don’t melt along with tissue, clothes and hair, so, Doughty explained, “The metal has to be removed by hand or by a large magnet, and it’s not handled as biological waste because it was never really part of the body to begin with.” She said hip and knee replacements can now be recycled into road signs and car parts. Pacemakers, on the other hand, must be removed before cremation, as the batteries and intense heat could cause an explosion. And breast implants? Doughty says they just melt, but can leave a “gelatinous goo” stuck to the bottom of the cremation chamber. n Monsignor Stephen Rossetti of Washington, D.C., is an exorcist, licensed psychologist and counselor who is warning Catholics that demons have figured out how to send threatening text messages to their targets. The Daily Star reported that Rossetti claims to have “three cases in which demons have texted the team and/ or the family of the possessed person. All were high-value targets with high-ranking, powerful demons involved.” For example, one text read, “Her torments start now, priest ... all night. We will make her bleed.” Rossetti points to a long history of demons influencing technology, such as flickering lights and TVs. Gross United Press International reported on Sept. 2 that a pair of Michael Jordan’s underwear, sporting signs of “definite use,” will be up for auction on the website Lelands until Sept. 25. The item description notes “some loose threads evident at the seams.” The basketball star apparently gave the u-trou to John Michael Wozniak, his former security guard, along with other items of clothing. Bid at presstime: $1,074. Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

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Inexplicable n Kimberly Dawn Maxwell, 41, of Ashland, Kentucky, is treading water at the Western Regional Jail in Barboursville, West Virginia, after a puzzling incident on Aug. 27, WCHS-TV reported. As a dad and his two kids enjoyed a picnic at Harris Riverfront Park in Huntington, West Virginia, Maxwell—who was a stranger to them—came to sit at their picnic table. The dad reported that she was mumbling to herself, and he believed she might be under the influence, so he packed up lunch and directed the kids away from her. But as they walked, Maxwell ran up behind the 5-year-old boy and threw him in the Ohio River.

Babs De Lay

| COMMUNITY |

The Way the World Works In one neighborhood in south St. Louis, the century-old brick stormwater sewer system works in a most alarming way: When heavy rain falls, the street “explodes,” with water charging up through any cracks and manholes it can find. Fox2-TV reported that on Aug. 30, resident Sacha Heath recorded video of the phenomenon and posted it to Twitter. “You hear the manholes kind of trembling and you hear the water exploding and it sounds like steam, and then chunks of asphalt are flying in the air,” Heath said. “Obviously, you don’t want asphalt chunks flying into the bottom of your car.” But the Metropolitan Sewer District doesn’t find it unusual: Sean Hadley of the MSD deadpanned that “the water’s gotta go somewhere. That’s what the system is designed to do—for it to pop the manhole covers so that the water can come out and it’s not popping in people’s basements. That’s what you don’t want to happen.”

ATHLETES!

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Compelling Explanation Jonathan George, 31, of Norwalk, Ohio, told police on Aug. 30 that his dog, Lula, shot herself while bringing him his gun, Fox8-TV reported. “[He] said his dog shot itself, and he trained the dog to bring a gun to him,” said police Capt. Jim Fulton. “The dog had the gun in its mouth when it went off accidentally.” But officers didn’t believe that story; Fulton said George’s blood alcohol content was 1.7, about twice the legal limit for driving, and that he “shouldn’t be drinking and handling firearms, bottom line.” George later admitted that he’d been trying to unload the gun when he shot the dog in the jaw. Lula is recovering from her injuries but lost an eye in the shooting; George was charged with cruelty to animals and two other misdemeanors.

A bystander who witnessed the incident jumped in and saved the boy before Maxwell also jumped into the river. When police arrived, she told them, “This is international waters. Police cannot do anything to me.” When the deputy asked her to come talk to him, she responded, “That is not going to happen.” A rescue boat finally plucked Maxwell from the water and she was evaluated at a hospital before being moved to the jail. n After 20 years in operation, a roller coaster in the Fuji-Q Highland Park amusement park in Fujiyoshida, Japan, has been shut down because at least six riders over the last 10 months or so have suffered broken bones while riding. The Do-Dodonpa is famous for accelerating from 0 to 112 mph in just 1.56 seconds, Vice News reported. Four of the casualties involved broken necks or backs. After suspending the coaster, the park and Sansei Technologies, which manufactured the ride, inspected it to see if they could determine the cause of the injuries, but they came to no conclusions.

GO UTES!

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