“It is no secret that I have questions about the whole project.” — Council member Joe Dunn An initiative designed to link Asheville to an evolving statewide rail network roared into City Council’s Feb. 17 work session, but unanswered questions and concerns about the plan’s viability prompted Council members to creep ahead cautiously rather than … Read more
“I was raised during an era of black power — ‘I’m black and I’m proud!’ … In Jackie’s younger years, he could have ended up with a rope around his neck if he’d [said] that.” — Actor Edgar L. Davis “We don’t serve niggers here,” the waitress snaps. “That’s OK,” Jackie Robinson says with a … Read more
Jackie Robinson’s promotion to the Brooklyn Dodgers was major news. The banner headline in the April 11, 1947, edition of the Asheville Citizen read: “Dodgers sign first Negro player in majors.” The wire story that followed reported that “most baseball men agree that the lithe Negro not only will stay up, but probably become a … Read more
Don’t go milking Brad Land’s grueling Goat for any epiphanies. Giving readers “a grand observation” is the aim of most tell-all books, acknowledges the 27-year-old, South Carolina-based author. “That’s something I’ve seen a lot in memoir,” he says. But he deems the approach “kind of bulls••t.” Goat (Random House, 2004), his debut, has met with … Read more
The navel-gazing exercise in shock has long been the province of the angry-white-male artist: Think sheep-pickling Brit Damien Hirst. Matthew Barney’s work, on the other hand, wants to be looked at and loved. Barney, 37, grew up in Boise, Idaho, where he was a star quarterback for his high-school football team. At Yale, though, he … Read more
He’s branded his current spoken-word tour Shock & Awe My Ass — but at a recent show, the volatile Henry Rollins radiated a mixed message. True to form, Rollins predicted a dubiously motivated U.S. invasion of Pakistan and railed against many of the usual suspects: opponents of gay marriage/abortion/women’s rights; Ted Kennedy (“a f••ing coward … Read more
No stupid questions — A self-reflexive exploration of a self-seeking local band on the culture industry, Ahleuchatistas (Ahleuchatistas, 2003) Q: What’s this album like? A: About once in any given three minutes, Ahleuchatistas will steer your ear vastly off course and completely fool you into thinking they’ve forgotten where it was they set out to … Read more
Salsa’s success is the stuff of Asheville legend. An entrepreneur with a great idea and culinary flair cooks up an unorthodox business plan with a little help from the Mountain Microenterprise Fund, sets up shop in a tiny but strategic location, busts his butt, scores huge success — but doesn’t forget how it happened. Owner … Read more
“I’m optimistic … that the people who are going to get access to [URTV] are not all going to be crazy pornographers bent on misshaping society.” — Asheville resident Billy Roberts The simmering controversy over a proposed public-access TV channel erupted once again last week as opponents and supporters squared off at the Buncombe County … Read more
