Cover Stories
Do the hustle
Garry Smith’s house is a front-row seat to the action at Churchill Downs on Derby Day. Nestled along Central Avenue, the view from his small front porch faces the main entrance of the track, where the 63-year-old Vietnam War veteran once worked as stable boy. The living room is adorned with horse memorabilia and majestic…
Once upon a time
The Kentucky Derby isn’t what it used to be. It used to be a rite of spring and a celebration of the horse that everyone, from the $2 bettor to the millionaire, shared. Today, it’s a monument to Mammon that little people can’t afford. If only I could turn back the clock to those golden…
The mane event
People have all these theories and historical notes about the Kentucky Derby. They’ve got Ragozin Sheet figures and Dosage Diagrams, and studies that prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that a horse that has made its reputation on a track with a synthetic surface is a no-good commie rat, compared to a good old-fashioned,…
Thunder’d
The two space-pirate women are engaged in battle, twirling and jousting between the narrow corridor of RV-campers and their milling inhabitants, swinging oversized rubber swords with the might and finesse of a haphazardly choreographed B-grade action flick. “Have at you!” the brown-coated warrior screams. “Take that!” Despite the constant roar of fighter jets overhead, it’s…
Rose-colored glasses
Among Louisvillians, there are two camps when it comes to the Kentucky Derby: those who want nothing more than to flee as racing fans, drunken mobs and Kid Rock-caliber stars descend on our city, and those who are overcome with a sense of childlike merriment this time of year. Despite having a long list of…
The Endtables
I thought we were modern, sings Steve Rigot at the beginning of “Trick or Treat” by the Endtables, a perfect statement on life in Louisville circa 1979. Arguably the first punk band in town, their music utterly reflects the anxiety of growing up “punk,” modern, in a thoroughly unmodern place. Songs such as “They’re Guilty,”…
A Nightmare on Lydia Street
Not too long ago, things were looking pretty bleak for the Old Hickory Inn. The longstanding Germantown-Schnitzelburg bar and restaurant — perhaps most famous for its open defiance of Louisville Metro’s 2007 smoking ban, and whose operation in some form or another dates back to the early 1900s — was consumed by a freak fire…
Theater: ‘Jockey Jim’ salutes a Kentucky hero
Despite the sentiments of the Tea Party protesters in downtown last week, Louisville does not have much in common with Czarist Russia. But the last African-American jockey to win the Kentucky Derby was one link between the two places. James Winkfield won back-to-back Derbies in 1901 and 1902, but declining purses due to an anti-gambling…
Video TapeWorm
THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS: OPIUM AND THE KUNG-FU MASTER 2010; $17.95, UR A bit of Shaw Brothers history for sale, cheap. Veteran fight-master Tang Chia directed only three films for Shaw, but, more than any others, they exemplified the action, romance and excitement the studio was known for. This is the last of those three,…
Doubled over
Gentle Reader, I’m concerned my constant prattling about “The Culture of Excess” and “Conspicuous Consumption” may ultimately lead to a decline in interest on your behalf. It breaks my heart to think of you spending your solitary moments on the can paging through the latest bridal edition of Louisville Magazine instead of here with me,…
Staffpicks
Thursday, April 22 Electric Six Zanzabar 2100 S. Preston St. 635-ZBAR www.electricsix.com $12; 8 p.m. Detroit’s masters of the endless rock ’n’ roll kitsch party continue their quest for world domination. Formed in 1996 as The Wildbunch, Electric Six gained buzz early when Jack White may — or may not, stories vary — have sung…
Mug Shots: The cycle of life
In the small town of Frasnes-lez-Buissenal, within the gently hilly area of Belgium known as the Pays du Collines, there is a municipal health and fitness center not unlike the YMCA, save for one crucial difference. Ten years ago, my hearty band of budding beer-cyclists were limping wearily back to this clean, well-lit athletic hub,…
The Grape Escape: Organic wine: red, white or green
Organic food is trendy, and it’s good business. Organic foods make up 2 percent of all national grocery sales, according to industry stats, which show sales gaining at 20 percent annually. But organic wine doesn’t show the same traction, comprising only about 1 percent of the domestic wine market. Personally, I’m all for organic foods,…
B-Sides: Music & Other Ephemera
The third annual South by South End Festival happens April 23-24 at Expo Five (2900 S. Seventh St. Road, www.sxsend.com). Tickets are $10 per day or $15 for a weekend pass. There will be three stages, including one outside, artist booths, an appearance by Hare Krishna Zombie from “Dawn of the Dead,” as well as…
Pussy control
If you think you haven’t heard Nashville Pussy, you’re probably wrong. “Super Troopers,” Tony Hawk’s skate video games, and “The Sopranos” have all featured their profane, twisted, metal-tinged cowpunk. They’ve lasted 14 years on the strength of songs like “Hate And Whiskey” and “Keep on Fuckin’.” When they stop here Thursday as part of their…
Born and Thrown on a Hook
Much of Drink Up Buttercup’s debut doesn’t sound composed so much as thrown together from disparate scraps by an ADD-addled 10-year-old. The songs jerk between tempos and time signatures as often as verses shift to choruses, and the band makes no effort to make the proceedings run smoothly, letting overdriven organs, knee-slapping rhythms, shouted choruses…
Book: Dark and bloody ground
The Name of the Nearest River By Alex Taylor. Sarabande Books; 190 pgs., $15.95. It’s difficult to fictionalize rural Kentucky without fondling the sensationalized fare of white power, drug addiction and crime, much in the way FX’s new series “Justified” cheaply boosts ratings with bazooka-toting hillbilly-Arians and crystal-meth prom queens. But that’s precisely what’s so…
Comedy: Tommy Davidson
For more than two decades, Tommy Davidson has been one of the most successful comics in the business. His star rose quickly as a standout member of the ensemble cast of “In Living Color,” which included such colossal co-stars as Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx and David Alan Grier. He went on to star in such…
Film: ‘Kick-Ass’ kicks ass
Kick-Ass Starring Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong, Chloe Grace Moretz and Nicolas Cage. Directed by Matthew Vaughn. Rated R; 1:57. LEO Report Card: A Opening just as the comic does from the unreachable ideal to the stilted and limited real world, the camera flies in through the clouds to land in a nowhere city…
Unmasking the two faces of Zanzabar
By night, Zanzabar is a hipster hangout, a music venue that attracts local and touring artists alike, and it offers a varied dinner and late-night menu, along with a pretty fair beer list. By day, Zanzabar is a mild-mannered purveyor of boxed lunches and “the lunch line” — a one-price, one-stop, cafeteria-style alter-identity that offers…
Film: ‘Mother’ channels Hitchcock to no avail
Mother Starring Kim Hye-Ja, Won Bin, Jin Gu and Yun Je-mun. Directed by Bong Joon-ho. Rated R; 2:09. Starts Friday at Village 8 Theatres. LEO Report Card: B- To take a line from “Tropic Thunder” — “Everybody knows you don’t go full retard.” Well, apparently everybody except South Korean actor Won Bin, who plays Do-joon…
When it gets dark, Thunder rolls
The way I see it, sexuality in general is a lot like Thunder Over Louisville. A massive amount of preparation goes into the hair-raising and mind-numbing 28-minute (or so) display of booming fireworks, which is certainly a sight to behold for those who take part. Often heard from miles away, Thunder brings all types of…
Blackmagic
José James should be famous. His debut, The Dreamer, should be placed in the gallery of soul and jazz vocal greats: Marvin, Stevie, Donny, Al, Johnny Hartman, Jon Lucien and Andy Bey. James is the truth, plain and simple. His latest, like his first, is on BBC DJ Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood record label and, unfortunately,…
Inbox — April 21, 2010
Correction A photo caption in last week’s Staffpicks section incorrectly identified Louisville Ballet Executive Director Dwight Hutton. LEO regrets the error. Trash Talk The April 14 LEO cover story seemed to put Portland down more than cover its great history. A lot of good people worked in Portland and did a lot for us Portlanders.…
Rise Up
Remember that look your mom used to give that said, “I’m gonna tell you it’s great that you drew me that picture, but damned if I have a clue what I’m looking at. And besides, you’re 16 and still drawing me pictures? Shouldn’t you look for a job or get a girlfriend?” That’s the new…
Threat of Tea Partiers and friends
Any honest dialogue reveals not only a seedy history of American social and political racial reactionary behavior, but also an uneasy present that should give thinking people pause. From the beginning, this land’s racial landscape has been marked by brave, humane steps forward as well as hellish regression. Neither should be ignored. For example, many…
Feathersongs for Factory Girls
Rebecca and Ryan Coseboom apparently thought it was time to move on from their solid shoegaze act Halou, so they formed Stripmall Architecture first as a side project, but now it’s the main gig. Here the couple leads a quartet that tweaks Halou’s ambience and occasional experiments with interjections based on traditional guitar-and-drums rock. A…
Plugged In
Readers are strongly encouraged to call ahead to verify these listings. To get your club, comedian, musical act or karaoke listed, please send e-mail to mherron@leoweekly.com with PLUGGED IN in the subject line. The deadline is NOON THURSDAY the week before the show happens. We do not accept listings via social networking sites. Wed. Apr.…
Swim
Caribou (not the veteran Louisville cover band, but the nom de synth of Canadian Daniel Snaith) creates electronica just a shade too up-tempo to be called ambient, but too insular for the dance floor. It’s an intriguing paradox, but Swim is too often content to spin its wheels, repeating musical phrases ad nauseam without ever…
Jerry’s kids
Originally, officials with Yum! Brands claimed they weren’t interested in naming the downtown arena, but a corporation built on indulgence can’t be expected to pass on such a huge waterfront advertisement. The Louisville-based fast food company has signed a $13.5 million, 10-year contract that allows them to dub the building “KFC Yum! Center,” helping pay…
