12
PLUS: SOCIAL NETWORKING [p 5] | THE MAJAK MIXTAPE [p 10] | THE ADVICE GODDESS [p 11] the f ree press APRIL 2012 | VOLUME 12, NO. 4 WWW.SECONDSUPPER.COM A Digest of Coulee Region Culture Bullied on the playground, dismissed by society, discounted at the ballot box. Meet Mickey Mouse: e Man Democracy Disowned [p. 3] Cover photo by: Ashly Conrad APRIL FOOLS EDITION [p. 1] The plebeians rehearse the uprising Wisconsin Spring springs eternal [p 4] Fat Sams Sandwiches for all tastes [p 9]

Second Supper | Vol. 12, No. 4

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Mickey Mouse: The Man Democracy Disowned

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Page 1: Second Supper | Vol. 12, No. 4

PLuS: SoCIAL NeTworKING [p 5] | The MAJAK MIXTAPe [p 10] | The AdVICe GoddeSS [p 11]

the free pressAPRIL 2012 | VOLUME 12, NO. 4 WWW.SECONDSUPPER.COM

A D i g e s t o f C o u l e e R e g i o n C u l t u r e

Bullied on the playground, dismissed by society, discounted

at the ballot box.Meet

Mickey Mouse: The Man

Democracy Disowned

[p. 3]

Cov

er p

hoto

by:

Ash

ly C

onra

d

APRIL FOOLS EDITION [p. 1]

PLUS: SOCIAL NETWORKING [P. 6] | THE MAJAK MIXTAPE [P. 10] | THE ADVICE GODDESS [P. 12]

The plebeians rehearse the

uprisingWisconsin Springsprings eternal

[p 4]

Fat SamsSandwiches for all tastes

[p 9]

Page 2: Second Supper | Vol. 12, No. 4

2// April 1, 2012 Second Supper | The Free Press

By Adam [email protected]

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Surprising facts1. Football is violent.2. Nobody cares about John Carter.3. Newt Gingrich won't be president.4. People like Adele.5. Phish is touring.6. The Afghan war is unpopular.7. There's a fake story in this newspaper.

Reasons to be excited about Milwaukee1. Tom Barrett, as incumbent mayor2. Monta Ellis3. Iron Maiden at Summerfest!4. Left side of the Brewers' infield5. Lakefront Bridge Burner Ale6. Looked glamorous in "Bridesmaids"7. Still haven't closed Wolski's

According to the “butterfly effect” —the intellectual concept, not the AshtonKutcher vehicle— any alteration to a non-linear system may bring about unintendedconsequences. This may explain how theOccupyWallStreetmovement,whichIorigi-nallydecriedasaimless,introducedincomeinequality into the national conversation,helped turn public opinion against MittRomney and somehow spurred the rise ofRickSantorum. On the state level, the butterfly effectmay yet bring the downfall of WisconsinRepublicans.Onpaper,theyhadoneofthemostsuccessfulpoliticalrunsI’veeverseen.TheGOPdominatedthe2010electionandthe2011Legislature,buttheirhubristopassunpopularlawsmaycostthemboththesen-ate and the governorship via citizen recall,whichcouldsetthepartybackdecades. These are the sorts of ideas I’ve beenruminating on as I considered the debateover La Crosse’s proposed city administra-tor. Let me say outright that I support anadministrator,butnotbecauseofanystudyorunprovableclaim.It’sbecauseI’vebeena small-town government reporter, and ineverymunicipalityI’veevercovered,thead-ministratorisalwaysthemoststabletechni-cianintheroom. Politicsmaymakeforentertainingdra-ma,butit’sterriblefortheworkplace.Therearecost-savingargumentsandexpertisear-gumentsandmanyotherdefendableclaims,but I’m not really interested in discussingwhyweneedacityadministrator.I’mfasci-natedbywhyweprobablywon’tgetone. Ofall thepoliticalskirmishesI’vecov-ered in La Crosse, few seem to be talkedabout less than this one. Only in the past

week have I seen op-eds or mailings frompro-administratorgroups,yet thishasbeenonouragendasincelastsummer.Whathavewebeendiscussingallthistime?(Ohyeah,ScottWalker.) This could be due to over-analysis orconversationaldeferenceorotherrigmaroleI’ve come to expect from the plutocraticMidwestern left. But in the meantime, thecommonvoterhasbeenalmostcompletelyignored — neither educated on the issuenor even asked their opinions. And giventhislackofmotivation,votersarelikelytosay“Effit.Keepitthewayit’salwaysbeen.” Thereisnoreliablelocalpollingontheissue, but from where I sit, the pro-admin-istratorsideisn’tmakingastrongcase.TwomonthsagoIexplainedhowthedeckisal-readystackedagainsttheircause,sincenextweek’sreferendumwillskewheavilyRepub-licanduetothepresidentialprimary. Iliketokeepmyearsopen,butwhenitcomestothisadministratordebateI’veheardonlyapathyandopposition,whenIhearany-thingatall.AndIthinkthat’sashame.Apro-fessionaladministratorcouldbearealboosttoLaCrosseasitlaysitspathforthe21stcen-tury.However,thepro-administratorcamp—whichincludessomeofthecity’smostaccom-plishedbusinessandpolitical leaders—willhavenooneelse toblamewhen theirargu-mentsfallondeafears. If(theoptimistinmeisreluctanttosay“when”)theadministratorreferendumfailsonApril3,itwillprobablyneverbebroughtupfordiscussionagain,notforagenerationanyway. It would be political suicide. Andthat’swherethebutterflyeffectcomes intoplay. Because by starting this administratordebate—agoodideawhosetimehascome— but not following through with it, thepeople who most want a city administratorareensuringthey’llnevergetone.

This month in local politicsThe paradox of a city administrator

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Page 3: Second Supper | Vol. 12, No. 4

Second Supper | The Free Press April 1, 2012 // 3THE BLUFF

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the free press “It’s not easy being Mickey,” MickeyMousesighsaboveamugoffairtradecoffee. The 58-year-old La Crosse man hasheard it all through the years, the jokes inthe sandbox, the rejection by society, and—worstofall—hisdisenfranchisementattheballotbox.Allheeverwantedtodowasmake a difference in this mixed-up world.Allheevergotwerecheaplaughs. Byday,you’llfindMickeyMousewhil-ing away the hours at Jules’ Coffee. He’sthe world-weary upper-middle-aged manwithbagsunderhiseyesdespiteaperpetualcupofblackcoffee,idlystirringwhileread-ing every article in regional newspapers. Ifyoucan’ttellwhichoneishim,justwalkin,exclaim“Hey,Mickey!”andclapfourtimes.He’llbetheonerollinghiseyesandgrum-blingcursesintohisEthiopianroast. By night, Mickey Mouse sorts mail attheLaCrossepostoffice.Themechanizedlabor suits him fine. He likes the solitudeandthecoolefficiencyofpostagerates,ZIPcodesandcollectiblestamps.Butcomewin-ter,Mickeywillbeoutofa job,his lifelongoccupation relocated to a more efficientregional mail center outside Minneapolis.Once again society has turned its back onMickeyMouse. Itwasn’tsupposedtobethisway,notinhismother’seyes.GloriaMoonbeamMarcusGarvey III was born in Onalaska, educatedatLaCrosseStateUniversityandlivedmostofherdaysonasoybeanandsorghumcoop-erativeoutsideofViroqua.Shewasaradicalacademic,acard-carryingcommunistintheeraofJoeMcCarthy.ShewasoncecalledtotestifybeforetheHouseUn-AmericanActivi-tiesCommitteebutwasbumpedinfavorEliaKazan.Sheneverforgavethesleight. Fortherestofherdays,Gloriacommit-tedherselftocombatingAmericanculturalimperialismandtheevilsofmassentertain-ment,andsheinstilledthosevirtuesinheronlyson,MickeyMouse. “Mom sawmeas a foot soldier in thewaronculturalhegemony,butsheneverre-alizedtheironywouldbeloston9-year-olds,”MickeytoldSecondSupperinhisfirstinter-viewwithamainstreampress. For a while, Mickey tried to rebel.He collected comic books, joined the Boy

Scouts, and tried to form Viroqua HighSchool’sfirstgleeclub.Butdespitehisbesteffortsatfittingin,noonewouldevertakeMickeyMouseseriously. “It’stragicomic,Iguess,thatallpeopleeverwanted todowasgivememouseearsand ask about Pluto or Goofy, ” Mickeymused. “Anddon’tevengetmestartedonhighschoolgirls.” After graduation, Mickey hitchhikedaround British Columbia, spent most of1977onGratefulDeadtourandultimatelyenrolled at Evergreen State University inWashington where he fell in line with theemerging philosophies of Noam ChomskyandHowardZinn.Helaughsatthe“MickeyMouseclasses”hetookatEvergreen—dia-lecticalmaterialism,introductiontoEngels,thecollectedwritingsofCheGuevara—butitopenedhis eyes to theworldofpoliticalactivism. After dropping out of the narco-anar-chistuniversityheconsideredtoobourgeois,Mickey rode down Highway 1 in a classicNorton500motorcycle,hiseyesfixedsteelyon thehorizon.ButMickeywasn’t lookingforZen.HewasgoingtoDisneyWorld. “I did everything I could to turn thevisitors against consumerismandmonocul-

ture,butalltheydidwasrushpastmetobuyChinese-made rubbish and take snapshotswithguysinanthropomorphicsuits,”Mick-eyremembered.“AmInotMickeyMouse,aman,andabrother?” AfterhisWaterlooinAnaheim,MickeyreturnedtotheCouleeRegiontospreadhisidealism inamoregrassroots fashion. Hestartednetworkingwiththecoffeeshoppo-liticos, sitting in on City Council meetingsand writing letters to the editor of the LaCrosse Tribune. In moments of fitful pas-sion,he’dbuyoutbillboards to spreadhismissivestodisinteresteddrivers. But Mickey’s favorite political actioncameasawrite-incandidate.Therewasnev-er a raceMickeydidn’t enter.HispoliticalbackersatJuleswerealwaysgoodforafewdozenvotes,andwhilehepolledfairlycon-sistentlyovertheyears,thePowersThatBealwaysdiscountedhistally. “NomatterwhatIwasrunningfor,Ial-wayshadabout20votes,buttheclerkwouldsee that name Mickey Mouse and just dis-missmeoutofhand,”Mickeysighed.“NowIknowhowRonPaulfeels.” But theworstoffenseof all came latelastyear,whenwavesofWisconsiniteswerebeginning to catch on to Mickey’s brandof Gonzo politics. A recall effort against asitting governor encouraged nearly 1 mil-lionresidents tovotewith their signatures,petitioningtheirgovernmentforredressofgrievances. At thestrokeofmidnightonNov.15,2011,MickeyMouseclutchedarecallpeti-tionandproudly scrawledhisnameacrosshalf a page. Never has there been a moretriumphantJohnHancock. Yet in typical fashion, the Establish-mentmadeajokeofMickeyMouse.Senatemajority leader Scott Fitzgerald and Gov.ScottWalkerbothtookshotsatMickey,say-inghewasn’treal,thathewasemblematicofabrokenpoliticalclassandthattheirentireoppositionwasajoke. “I figured they’d come after me likethat. That’s what cowards always do, putdown the weak to entrench their power,butthey’renotgoingtogetawaywithitthistime.” Mickey shook his head, and for thefirsttimeintwohours,LaCrosse’smostmis-understand son cracked a smile. “I’d sureratherhaveaMickeyMousecampaignthanaJohnDoeinvestigation.”

Mickey Mouse: Th e man democracy disowned

Photo by .Ashly Conrad

Spring break neededto get over Craig FourandahalfmonthsafterbreakingupwithCraig, and threemonths after tak-inganopen-endedbreakfromherstudies,UW-LaCrossesophomoreSaraisconfidentthat a parent-funded Cancun vacation willprovidethetherapeuticreleasenecessarytosortoutherfracturedforaysintoromance. “Kaitlinislike,'YousoneedtogetoverCraig,' and I'm like, 'Whatever Kaitlin.' Soanyway, just because I'm, like, not takingany classes doesn't mean that spring breakisn't still, like, applicable. Before they gave

me the money to go, my parents were alllike 'GRRRR!'and Iwasall 'Youguysneedto understand. This is a huge opportunityformetofigureouthowtomoveon, like,post-Craig,’”SaraconfessedfromherXboxheadsetwhileplayingGearsofWar2inherparents'basement. According to Ilene Skoom, Ph.D., asocio-psychologistspecializingintheresidualeffectsofCraiginteractingwithsociety,Sara'sstoryreflectsthestrugglesofagrowingdemo-graphicintheCraigbreakupepidemic. “The widely held notion that Craig'sformer girlfriends recover from breakupalonganaturalsix-weekcurve,Ibelieve,isa

farce.Asimplecross-sectionalanalysiscon-trollingforprimaryindicatorssuchaselevat-edTanningQuotient,KardashianKomplex,andelevatedPH(ParisHilton)levelsrevealsa much more dire situation representedby the6-month to12-yearcurve illustratedhere,” said Skoom, pointing to one of sev-eraldozenmonitorsinherresearchlab. In order to treat chronic Craig with-drawal, Skoom typically prescribes a heavyregimen of Oxycodone. Although Sara isnotunderprofessional care,Skoompostu-latesthatsheshouldhavenoproblemscor-ingplentyofitinCancun.

By Adam [email protected]

Page 4: Second Supper | Vol. 12, No. 4

4// April 1, 2012 Second Supper | The Free PressCOMMUNITY

By Bob TreuSpecial to Second Supper

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

The plebeians rehearse the uprising

Saturday,March10. ItwasanicedayforaprotestrallyinMadison:aspringskyofthelyricalbluevariety,andtemperaturespromising to reach the 60s. Lake ice wasconfined to a few secluded bays, and thebreeze that freshened Capitol Square wasnot troublesome. In fact, some of us wor-ried the weather might be too nice, andpeoplewouldgofishingratherthanremindthegovernortheyarestillhere.Ayearagothebuswasfilledwithpeoplewhowerere-actingtothepassingofthegovernor’sbud-getrepairbill.Youcouldseetheirangerintheirfacesandhearitintheirvoices. Thisyearthebuseswerelesscrowdedandpeopletradedearlybluebirdsightingsand talked about gardening. I broughtShakespeare’s “Coriolanus” along becauseIhadseenareviewofthecurrentfilmver-sion,inwhichRalphFiennesplaystheleadanddirects.“Coriolanus”ispossiblyShake-speare’s least popular play, crammed as itiswithundemocraticsentiment,but itwasarguably the first portrayal of political in-surrectionontheEuropeanstage.Ididn’tfindtimetoreadmuchSaturday,soitwasafewdayslaterwhenIrealizedhowmuchtheplayhadtosuggestabouttheWisconsinuprising. AsthebuscruisedupEastWashingtontowardCapitolSquarewepassedagroupofpeopleenjoyingthesuninsomesortoften-tativecampground.ItturnedouttobetheOccupy Madison site. There is somethingappropriateintheOccupyMovementnest-inginMadison,sinceitmayhavehaditsori-ginsinlastspring’sprotests,butwhileafewoccupierswaved,theyshowedlittleinterestinjoiningus.Nonetheless,someoftheOc-cupyMovement’sindifferencetowardpartypolitics may have seeped into the Recallmovement, so if any of the Occupiers didmaketheirwaytoCapitolSquare,theyverylikely felt athome.WhathappenedSatur-dayinMadisondidn’thaveallthatmuchtodowithtraditionalpolitics. Instead, the mood at Capitol Squarewas festive, heightened by satiric gesturesthatseemedtocombinerebellionwithMar-diGras.Therewas, forexample, thewon-derfullywackyandcolorfulgroupthatcallsitselftheForwardMarchingBand,followedbyagiantWalkerrobot-zombiethatdomi-nated the skyline wherever it appeared. Iconfess I foundhimnearlyas scaryas thereal item.TherewasalsoasmallerWalkerdummy busily collecting money for thegovernor’s legal defense fund. Walker didimplementsuchafundrecently,butIcan’tverifythatanymoneycollectedSaturdayac-

tuallywentthere.Thissortofrowdystreettheaterwasawelcomerelieffromthestarkgrimnessof“Coriolanus.” When movement leaders took turnsaddressing thecrowd in frontof theStateStreet entrance to the Capitol, La Crossewasverywellrepresented,firstbyStateSen.Jennifer Shilling, who looked around andquickly concluded it was time to do somespringcleaning,andthenbyEdLudwig,ofthe La Crosse Education Association, whogavevoicetotheangerandfrustrationfeltbyteachersandbyallthosewhocareaboutpubliceducationinWisconsin.Hespokeoftheunfairnessofasystemwhereateachercan be fired without a convincing reason.He explained that even vocational classeslikeweldingarebeingcut,deprivingyoungpeopleoftheeducationtheyneedtomakedecentlives.Hedescribedtheincalculabledamagebeingdonetothedemocratictradi-tionofaneducatedworkforce.Hisrefrainwas,“That’snotright,”areminderthatthisisamoral,aswellasapoliticalfight. The final speaker was John Nichols,WashingtoncorrespondentforTheNationandregularcommentatoronMSNBCnewsprograms.Hepointedwithpridetohisfam-ily’slonghistoryinthestate,andhecouldsay,withoutsoundingphony,that“Wiscon-sinisnotjustastate.It’sthegreateststate.”HefollowedthiswithreferencestoRobertLaFollettetakingonthemonopoliesintheearly1900s,andGaylordNelsonsigningthenation’s first collective bargaining law forstateemployeesinthe‘50s. BythetimeNicholsfinished,someoneestimatedthecrowdtobeintheneighbor-hood of 62,500. Nichols then said he hadfoundanother2,500soulsontheothersideof the building and revised the figure to65,000.Notalltheestimatesweresogener-ous.TheLaCrosseTribunecoverage,ifyoucouldfinditonpageeightoftheSundayCsection,putthecrowdat35,000.It’sworthremembering that when the Occupy WallStreetmovementbroughtout20,000peo-pleinthestreetsofNewYorkitwasreasontocelebrate, so theMadisonrallydidwellbyeitherestimate. Although the governor was the focusofmuchoftheactivityinCapitolSquare,itdidnotfeelmuchlikeapoliticalcampaign.KathleenFalkwastheonlycandidatevisibleandshedidn’tspeak.Ifotherpotentialcan-didates were roaming the area, they weredoingitincognito.Itwasn’tclearwhymostofthecandidateskeptsuchlowprofiles,butitdidnotseemtobeagoodsignforthere-callmovement.WhileFalkshowsenormousenergy and determination, no candidatehas seized control of the energy latent intherecallmovement.

The Wisconsin Spring springs eternal, or so it seemed one sunny afternoon

Butiftherecalleffortfails,itwon’tbethe governor’s fault. He has gone a longwaytowarddestroyingpubliceducationinastatewhereeducationishighlyprized;hehas removed environmental protectionsinastatewhereoutdoorsytypesarehighlymotivatedandpolitical;hehastakenhealthcare fromtheneedyandelderlywhereverhecould; and someofhispolitical associ-ates are lining up for places in the state’scorrectional facilities. Finally, his prom-ise tocreate jobs, jobs,andmore jobshasturnedout tobedisappointingatbest. Infact, Wisconsin has the worst track recordinthecountryinthatdepartment.Evenifthesituationhas improved the lastmonthorso,wemaybesimplycatchingthewaveof the national recovery, and contrary totheRepublicanvision,economistsactuallythinkmuchoftheimprovementhastodowithfewerpeoplebeingdroppedfrompub-licsectorjobs. Who could ask for better campaignmaterial? But without compelling lead-ership in the opposition, it won’t matter.Don’t get me wrong. Kathleen Falk maywellbeabletoprovidetheneededleader-ship. So might Tom Barrett or any of theotherdeclaredcandidates,butpeoplekeepwaiting for Russ Feingold or Ron Kind tocomecharginginonahorseofanycolortotakeupthebanner.There’seventalkofJonErpenbachcoming in.Allof thisneeds toberesolvedbeforetheDemocraticprimaryonMay8,andit’ssafetosayifthatprocessisparticularlyrancorous,thegovernorwillbenefit. But none of that muddle seemedto dispel the carnival atmosphere on thesquare. For the moment, the 12-foot zom-bie puppet impersonating the governorhad my attention. “Coriolanus” suddenlyseemed more relevant as I watched thisfigurestumble throughthecrowdwithouteverchanginghisexpression,portrayingapersonality so frozen in self-admiration itcannot understand why people are angry.Indeed Scott Walker and Shakespeare’shero share some important traits, particu-larly their contempt of the plebeians, thepeoplewecalltheworkingclass,thepoor,orsometimesthemiddleclass.Coriolanusfeels they are useless and unworthy of be-ingfed,unlessofcoursetheyarewillingtomakewaronRome’senemies.Heseemstobe obsessed by their collective bad breathand is against their being represented inRomangovernment.Walkerislesspersonalinhisattacks,butheisn’tinterestedintheirvotingeither. Coriolanus and Walker both repre-sent the interests of the patricians, the 1percent,andneitherislikelytogiveupanypatriciancornsimplybecausetheplebeiansarehungry.Still,Coriolanuscanhavetheirsupport if he will simply humble himselfenoughtoacknowledgetheirpartingover-nance,justasWalkermighthaveacceptedthedealwhenstateworkersofferedtogive

upsomeoftheircorn(agreatdealofthecorn,actually)iftheycouldcontinuetoberepresentedbytheirunions.NeitherCorio-lanusnorWalkerisinterestedinthedemo-craticprocessofnegotiation. When the plebeians finally supportCoriolanus’ election, they regret it almostinstantly, and the Elizabethan version ofunionthugssoonmovethepeopleagainsthim.Whatfollowsisakindofrecall(with-out the protection of a year’s grace in of-fice), which can take either of two forms:the offending politician is tossed fromRome’sTarpeianRock(prettymuchalwaysfatal)orheisforcedintoexile.InCoriola-nus’case,thefirstisbrieflyconsideredbe-forethesecondischosen.Atthispoint,thereadercanteaseoutappropriateanalogieswithoutfurtherhelp. There is, however, another point tobe made about class warfare, especiallysincethetermhasbeenusedbytheRighttodisparagetheiropponents,asifwewereallreallyonehappyfamily,asifRepublicanpolicies, beginning with Ronald Reagan,haven’topenedthelargestgapinAmericansocietysincethelate1920s.Theall-one-fam-ily,trickle-downsortofpoliticallogicworksaslongasmostpeoplehavedecentincomesandhope to see theirchildrenprosper toareasonabledegree,butwhenpeoplelosetheirhomesandthefoodkitchensstarttocomeupshortandcollegeseemsasdistantas Dorothy’s Oz, there comes a tippingpoint and everything changes. Then wecansoundlikeShakespeare’srabble:“Careforus?True indeed!Theyne’ercared forusyet:sufferustofamish,andtheirstore-houses crammed with grain; make edictsfor usury, to support usurers; repeal dailyanywholesomeact establishedagainst therich, and provide more statutes daily tochainupandrestrainthepoor.Ifthewarseatusnotup,theywill;andthere’sallthelovetheybearus.” Righton.Still,itwashardtofeelthatsort of bitterness in the crowd Saturday.That air of good natured festivity neverseemed to wane, even in the face of thelingering possibility of defeat. Oh, peopleareseriousenough.Everyoneknowsastoryabout someone who has dedicated his orherlifetopublicserviceandisnowfacingthelossofajob,ahome,orboth.There’splenty of reason for bitterness, but some-thing subtle has happened to these peo-ple in the last year.Perhaps singingaboutSolidarity sooftenworked somemagiconthem.Orperhapstheyhaveconcludedthisisnotgoing tobeaquickbattle and theymayaswellgetusedtooneanother. There’s something else about thesepeople: They are informed. I don’t meanthey all have advanced degrees, but theywatchthenewsandreadpapers.TheyarenotthemobCoriolanusdespisesforitsig-norance.Theyhavewhatnocitizenryhad

Our next edition of Second Supper | The Free Press publishes May 1. Our advertising deadline is April 23. For information, email [email protected].

Page 5: Second Supper | Vol. 12, No. 4

Second Supper | The Free Press April 1, 2012 // 5STREET BEAT

What would you like to see happen with the Hollywood Theater?Speak Your Mind with Ashly Conrad

Name: Matt MoonAge: 23Occupation: Root Note/Stu-dent of brewingA. I'd like to see the Hollywood Theater turn into a bomb dig-gity music venue, or turned inside out!

Name: Lauren WilkerAge: 22Occupation: StudentA. An old-school theater, keep the old-school culture going, kinda like the Rivoli.

Name: Kathy HollonAge: 35Occupation: Administrative staffA. A nice place to take the family to see a great new film or play.

Name: Anna HagenessAge: 20Occupation: StudentA. A black-and-white theater with films like "Casablanca" or Cary Grant films. Keep it old and classic!

Name: Brett SmithAge: 40Occupation: Financial service repA. Well, the Rivoli does pretty well. I’d like to see a bigger, better vintage theater in town, maybe some music or dancing, too!

Name: Joe KensokAge: 28Occupation: BartenderA. Concert venue with bigger out-of-town acts.

Name: David SayotovichAge: 57Occupation: Gundersen Lu-theranA. Theater that plays foreign/educational/art films, films we wouldn’t usually see at a regular theater around here, like at a film festival.

Name: Hanna StetterAge: 21Occupation: WaitressA. Plays and live performances would be awesome!

Name: Matt CorgerAge: 32Occupation: AnalystA. It would, of course, be great to see it stay a theater, but have it be available to hold large party events, maybe have a small restaurant inside.

untilthe20thcenturyinAmerica:an education that fits them forparticipatory democracy. In oth-er words, Walker looks at themthrough the wrong end of thehistorical telescope. If he couldonly wreck their schools, or atleast control them ideologicallythrough privatization, the rabblehe faceswouldbea lot less trou-blesome. Iwasabouttowritethatevenif the Walker recall falters Wis-consinpoliticswon’tbethesame.WithRepublicanDaleSchultzvot-ingwith theDemocratson issuessuch as the mining bill, thingshavealreadychanged.ButassoonasIformedthatsentencerevisionsbegantoparsetheirwayintoit.Toshow they won’t brook disobedi-ence, the Republicans just an-nouncedthattheywillfindsome-onetorunagainstSchultz intheprimary.Theywillalsofindsome-

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

Plebeians one to run against Bob Jauch,who, with Schultz, authored analternative to theminingbill thegovernor favors. To make thingsmore complicated, Pam Gallo-way, a Republican Senator fromWausauwhowasslatedforrecall,hasresigned.AsofrightnowthetwopartiesaretiedintheSenateand itwill stay thatwayuntil thespring storm of recalls is over. Itisn’t likely the Republicans willregain control of that body, butin the shifting, swirling winds ofWisconsinpoliticaldiscourse,itiscertainlypossible. Spiritsremainedbuoyantonthe ride home. Jokes were madeabout the governor, but no oneseemed to be talking about theelections. Instead they sharedstories from their lives and com-parednotesaboutfavoriterestau-rants.Buthere’s someadvice fortherichandpowerful:Whentheangryrabbleappearatyourgatesyoushouldworry;whentheystartto enjoy each other’s company,you’reindeeptrouble.

Social Networking

NAME AND AGE: Kay M. Mazza, ageless?

WHERE WERE YOU BORN? In a small room filled with love in La Crosse, Wis.

CURRENT JOB: Herberger's Store Manager

DREAM JOB: Making creative greeting cards with quirky, witty,thoughtful comments

lAsT THING YOU GOOGlED: 4 OHIO teams in the sweet 16 a new record

IF YOU COUlD lIvE ANYWHERE IN THE WORlD, WHERE WOUlD IT BE? A little place called Utopia, where the living is easy and the drinks are free and we dance till dawn every night

WHAT Is sOMETHING YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:

That's my little secret.

WHAT Is YOUR BEvERAGE OF CHOICE? Tie: WATER and Jagermeister ... Pimms a distant third

CElEBRITY CRUsH: Tie: number two, Jason Schwartzman, Justin Theroux and Scarlett Johansson

WHAT Is YOUR BIGGEsT PET PEEvE? People who don't follow thru; secondoption, smells that are upsetting.

WHAT BOOk ARE YOU CURRENTlY READING? "The Very Hungry Caterpillar"

TEll Us YOUR GUIlTIEsT PlEAsURE: Late nights

TEll Us A JOkE: What is a lamb with no legs? A cloud.

WHAT ONE PERsON AlIvE OR DEAD WOUlD YOU WANT TO HAvE DINNER WITH? Woody Allen first. If he's busy, Cornel West. Either way, conversation would not be an issue.

WHAT's THE lAsT THING YOU BOUGHT? A plane ticket to New York

WHAT's IN YOUR POCkET RIGHT NOW?: Lip-gloss and a penny

IF A GENIE GRANTED YOU ONE WIsH, WHAT WOUlD YOU Ask FOR? The elimination of violence in the world. Yes, ALL violence gone.

FIRsT CONCERT YOU WENT TO: The deep southern rock of Kansas

— Compiled by Shuggypop Jackson,

Page 6: Second Supper | Vol. 12, No. 4

6// April 1, 2012 Second Supper | The Free PressTHE ARTS

In case you missed it: Marchmaybe the timeof ides,mad-ness and basketball, but it was also popu-lated with a slew of shows at the varioustheatricalvenuesintown.Whattheylackedin3-pointers,theymorethanmadeitupinentertainmentvalue. UW-L’s production of the musicalcomedy “The Drowsy Chaperone” was agood-verging-on-great production that gotlotsofmileageoutofitscast,evenifsomesufferedfromanacutedeficiencyofcharis-ma.ParticulardelightswereJakeVossastheshelteredtheatreaficionadolisteningtohisrecordingof“Drowsy.” Lewis Youngren and Seth Von Steidlshowed off what a superb comedy duotheymake,somethingthatwasestablishedin UW-L’s production of “Shakespeare InHollywood.”AlsostandingoutwasLindsayVanNorman,whobeltedtheshow’ssigna-turesong,“AsWeStumbleAlong,”akathecatchiest song about drinking this side ofAmy Winehouse’s “Rehab” with a carefulmixofwrywitandheart. OveratViterbo,“TheSecretGarden”succeeded in spite of itself. To be frank,“TheSecretGarden”isthesortofshowthatmistakes lethargic pacing with emotionalresonance, but the direction by Dana Mc-Connell kept things moving even if theplotsometimesfeltstalled.WhatalsomadeViterbo’s rendition of the show enjoyable,other than the gorgeous set and costumedesign, were strong performances, such

The Month in Theatre as Aubrey McCarthy as orphaned MaryLennox,CharlieWardasa schemingrela-tive and Paige Hauer as an advice-givingchambermaid. Jill Iverson delivered heroutstanding vocals on “How Could I EverKnow.” “HowCouldIEverKnow”isprobablywhatthecharactersfromLCT’scross-dress-ingextravaganza“LeadingLadies”weresay-ingtothemselvesbytheendofthedelight-fullyzanyshow.Astheleadingladies,KevinLaumbach and Michael Marcou bouncedoffeachother,pushingeachothertonewcomedicheightsthroughouttheshow.Theensembleoftheshowwasmorethangameenoughtokeepupwiththeduoastheshowbrimmedwithenergyandabandonneces-sary for a farce as gleefully ridiculous as“LeadingLadies.” And while the leading ladies keptus chortling most of the show, The PumpHouse’sproductionof“TheMovieGame”left yours truly, unlike the audience whoseemed to love it, searching for laughs. Aromanticcomedythatwasslimonboththeromanceandthecomedy,thestoryisaboutwhat happens when a movie lover, playedwellbyBrandonHarris,goestoacelebritytherapist who has the idea of said movieloverplayingtheleadroleinthemovieofhislife.Wacky,sub-sitcom-levelshenanigansmarwhatcould’vebeenafascinatingshow,particularlysinceithadsuchstrongperfor-mancesfromHarrisaswellasAmandaWi-eseashisgalpalwhodevelopsfeelingsforhim.Predictabletoafault,theshowleftmefeeling I would’ve been better served get-

Thursday, April 5VIVA Gallery, Viroqua — Jaimie Heiden (art-ist reception) • 5 p.m.

Friday, April 6Gallery La Crosse — “First Fridays" Recep-tion • 6 p.m.UW-L Planetarium — The Shins' “Port of Morrow” (album encounter) • 8 p.m.

Saturday, April 14Viterbo Fine Arts Center — Platinum Edition (show choir) • 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 19Viterbo Fine Arts Center — Viver Brasil (Af-ro-Brazilian dance) • 7:30 p.m.

Friday April 20-21, April 26-29Viterbo Black Box Theatre — “Hippolytos” (Greek tragedy) • 7:30 p.m.; 2 p.m. on Sunday

Friday April 20-22, April 26-29UW-L Toland Theatre — “Antigone” (Greek tragedy) • 7:30 p.m.; 2 p.m. on Sunday

Tuesday, April 24Viterbo Fine Arts Center — The Step Crew (dance) • 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 28Viterbo Fine Arts Center — “BubbleMania” (soap bubble artist) • 3 p.m.

Arts Directory

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tingsomethingfromRedboxinstead.

On stage this month: It’s a double bill of Greek tragedy asUW-L stages “Antigone”at Toland Theatreand Viterbo does “Hippolytos” at the LaCroixBlackBox.BothshowsrunfromApril20untilApril29.

— Jonathan Majak

TheLaCrosseChildren'sMuseumun-derstandshowfickleMotherNaturecanbe.So,it'sofferingtwoindooregghuntstoen-suretheEasterBunny'sworkisnotinvain. Themuseum'sEasterEGG-Stravaganzawill be offered from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday,April5,andfrom9:30-11a.m.Friday,April6. Theevent,forages2to7,includesanegghunt,games,crafts,treatsandprizes. The fee is $5 per child for museummembers and $10 per child for non-mem-bers(adults free).Pre-registrationandpre-payment are required. For registration orinformation,call608-784-2652orvisitwww.funmuseum.org. Holiday hours for the museum, 207FifthAve.S.,LaCrosse,arenoonto5p.m.Friday,April6and10a.m.to5p.m.Satur-day,April7.ThemuseumwillbeclosedonSundayandMonday,April8and9.

Children's Museum offers indoor Easter egg hunt

Page 7: Second Supper | Vol. 12, No. 4

Second Supper | The Free Press April 1, 2012 // 7THE PLANNER

APRILAPRILThe Month in Preview

music | entertainment theater | fine arts festivals | things to do | easter | shows bands | earth day | beer, wine & cheese

Wed., April 4 STRIKE A POSE@ Downtown Mainstreet Attention beautiful people, the fashion con-scious, and the runway-inclined: Downtown Main Street wants you. In preparation for the fundraising fall fashion show this Sep-tember, DMI will be holding an open cast-ing call for models on Wednesday, April 4, at 5 p.m. sharp. DMI seeks both male and female models, ages 18 and up. Models must commit to being in La Crosse at the end of August for fittings and the fashion show on Sept. 6 (with a dress rehearsal the preceding day). For more information, con-tact Kick Shoes at 608-782-5425. Work it, La Crosse!

Thur., April 19TSO YEAH!@ the La Crosse CenterIf you like lasers, grand musical narratives, and symphonic prog rock, you’re probably awesome. And you probably love Trans-Siberian Orchestra, too. This touring musi-cal spectacle defies easy classification, but it needs to be seen to be believed. You can have your chance on Thursday, April 19 when TSO and their multiple semi-trailers of stage gear will load into the La Crosse Center for a 7:30 p.m. concert that you

will not soon forget (although we’re a little hazy on the storyline involving Ludwig Von Beethoven and Mephistopheles). Tickets are $39.50, $49.50 or $59.50 depend-ing on seating – which is probably the best value you’ll find on laser retina attacks per minute.

Fri., April 20 HIGH FIDELITY FRIDAY@ Popcorn Tavern & JB’s SpeakeasyAhh, April 20, the feast days of both St. Ag-nes of Montepulciano and Oda of Brabant. It’s the birthday of Steve Spurrier, George Takei, Tito Puente and – wouldn’t you know it? – Stephen Marley. But despite being the two-year anniversary of the Deepwater Ho-rizon oil rig explosion, April 20 is actually a really good day to listen to music. While we’ll be spending much of that Friday at the Mid West Music Fest, when night falls you’ll find us pulling into one of our all-time favorite venues for one of our favorite local bands. Yes, Nimbus will be lifting the roof off the Popcorn Tavern — which will per-fect, because we could all use the ventila-tion. Big Tree Bonsai, a Shoeless Revolution side-project of sorts, will open the 10 p.m. show. There’s sure to be a grip of great mu-sic around town that night — including The Homeland Conspiracy, Sowbelly Bitchhog and Porcupine at JB’s Speakeasy — so if you see us about, say hi.

Sun., April 22 LOVE YOUR MOTHER NATURE@ the Myrick Hixon EcoParkEvery day may be Earth Day, but the Coulee Partners for Sustainability’s 2012 Earth Fair will be held Sunday, April 22, at the Myrick Hixon EcoPark beginning at 11 a.m. This will be the fourth year CPS, a local environmental nonprofit, has hosted Earth Fair. It succeeds an Earth Day cel-ebration on the UW-La Crosse campus, and it seems to incorporate more local organizations and events every year. Highlights of the 2012 Earth Fair will include animal demonstrations, gardening workshops, the first farmers market of the season, wilderness tours, storytellers, door prizes and much more. For more information, includ-

ing details on the affiliated Spring Cleanup Day and Recycling Fairs, visit www.cpslax.org/earthfair.

Thur., April 26 AIN’T NOTHIN’ BUT AN OFFICE PARTY@ La Crosse CenterIf there’s one thing we all love it’s a party, and if there’s one thing we all tolerate it’s an office, so if you think the World’s Larg-est Office Party on April 26 would be an above-average time, you would be incor-rect. It’s actually an awesome time! Do you love ‘80s music? (If not, too bad for you, and sorry about all the exclamation points.) Of course you love ‘80s music! Well, the WLOP has two of the best ‘80s bands in the land, beloved purveyors of spandex, Brat Pack Radio and Hairball. What’s that you say? You enjoy country music and sometimes country-rock? Well, you’re in luck because they’ve also booked the Back Home Boys! Like all great parties, the de-tails are a little sketchy at the moment. We do know that it will be held at the La Crosse Center on Thursday, April 26 from 5 p.m. until 11 p.m. Tickets go on sale April 3. No one’s told us yet how much they cost or how stocked the bar will be, but neither of those should be a reason to skip out. See you ‘round the world’s largest water cooler!

Sat., April 28 A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS@ Southside Oktoberfest GroundsIf an overlord ever imposed some strict ra-tioning policy where we could subsist only on beer, wine and cheese, Second Supper: The Free Press would probably survive just fine. In fact, it might take a few months be-fore we even noticed a difference. That’s why we’re mega-amped this month for our favorite celebration of local gastronomic delights: the 10th Annual Between the Bluffs Beer, Wine, and Cheese Festival. More than 200 beers from 35 breweries will be flowing at the Southside Oktober-fest Grounds on April 28. But that’s not all! Regional vintners will offer nearly 50 differ-ent kinds of wine, while some of the world’s finest cheesemakers will share their wares. Musical entertainment will be served up by local favorites the Smokin’ Bandits as well as the Fabulous Baloney Skins, but we’re just as excited to chat up the artisans who make all of our favorite things. VIP tickets have already sold out, and the $30 ad-vance tickets are going fast. For more infor-mation – including pre-tasting events and

homebrew competitions – visit /www.betweenthebluffs-

beerfest.com. Don’t for-get your pretzel neck-laces!

Sun., April 22 LOVE YOUR MOTHER NATURE@ the Myrick Hixon EcoParkEvery day may be Earth Day, but the Coulee Partners for Sustainability’s 2012 Earth Fair will be held Sunday, April 22, at the Myrick Hixon EcoPark beginning at 11 a.m. This will be the fourth year CPS, a local environmental nonprofit, has hosted Earth Fair. It succeeds an Earth Day celebration on the UW-La Crosse campus, and it seems to incorporate more local organizations and events every year. Highlights of the 2012 Earth Fair will include animal demonstrations, gardening workshops, the first farmers market of the season, wilderness tours, storytellers,

The Month in Preview bands | earth day | beer, wine & cheese

Page 8: Second Supper | Vol. 12, No. 4

8// April 1, 2012 Second Supper | The Free Press

Lupulin MaximusO'So BreweryPlover, Wisconsin

The Beer ReVieW

I was eating a black bean burrito andreadingtheNewYorkTimeslastweekwhenIdetectedanoddfoodparticleonmytongue.Itwasbristlybutflavorful,andwhenIpickedat it I just assumed itwas cilantro. Iwasn’tnecessarily shockedby thepossibility Ihadspilledmydinner,butwhenIlookeddowninto my pint glass — what the ? Floatingrightunderthegrayheadwasaneminentlyfamiliarsight—ahop!—buthowdiditget

The Casino304 Pearl St.

Beer listWittekerkeFranziskanerHacker-Pschorr WeissWeihenstephan Kristall 16.9 ozDelirium Tremens 750 mlMelange A Trois Reserve 750 mlPearl Street Pale AlePaddy Pale AleMoon ManCrooked TreeHopslayerCentennialHop Stoopid 22ozLambickX 750 mlPetrus Aged Pale 750 mlGoudenband 750 mlSmuttynose Farmhouse 22 ozSpotted CowPrima PilsGolden Pheasant 16.9ozBrew Farm Select LagerGrain Belt NordeastLost Lake LightRhinelander Export-7 ozLa Crosse LagerLa Crosse LightSpaten OptimatorHuber BockDoppel Weizen 22ozDowntown BrownHobgoblinFounder's PorterCappuccino Stout 22ozFounders Breakfast StoutMatacabras Dark AleGouden Carolus 750 mlAchel Trappist Extra 750mlKasteel Donker 750ml

happy hour:$1 off all beer over $3$3 off all beer over $6$6 off all beer over $18

Beer Directory

intomybeer?Icheckedthelabelandsureenough,itsportedatagIneverbotheredtoread before purchase: “WARNING: bottlemaycontainhopcone.”Well,thatwouldex-plainwhyitpouredsofunny,andwhytherewasahopconefloatinginmybeer.Asfaraspackagingandmarketinggoes,thefloatinghopconceptwasgenius,butwoulditmakethisimperialIPAanybetter? O’so has always been a peculiar brew-ery, one more inclined to go its own waythanfollowtraditionalrecipes.Infact,mostofitsbottlesdon’tevenmentionestablishedstyles,onlyevocativedescriptorslikechewy,juicy and robust. This Lupulin Maximus isactuallythefirstO’solabelI’veseenwithany

traditional style indicator. That it’s an Im-perialPaleAle, rather thantheestablishedImperialIPA,shouldhavebeenmyfirsthintthatthiswouldn’tbethetypicalhigh-gravitybeer. Well, other than the hop trapped in-sidethebottle,ofcourse.

Purchase: Four-pack of Lupulin Maxi-musfromthePeople’sFoodCo-op,$9.99

Style:ImperialIPAStrength:9percentABVPackaging: Thelabeldepictsacloseup

photoofseveralhops,whichresembleBrus-sels sprouts, superimposed with the lime-green O’so logo and the aforementionedhopwarninginayellowbox.

Appearance: The beer pours anopaque, unfiltered ochre with a thin headthatbarelyconcealsthewalnutsizedhop.Ofmyfourbottles,threeofthehopswereintactbutthefirstone–thecilantrodoppelganger–hadsplintered.

Aroma: The aroma is extremely hop-forward, which you would imagine whenthere’s a hop floating a quarter inch from

yournostrils.Italsosmellslikepineneedles,lemongrassandcaramel. Taste: Despite housing a marinatinghopflower, the initialflavor isn’tespeciallyhoppy.There’saheavybreadinessandmo-lasses-ymaltsthatmakemethinkthiswouldbebetterafterafewmonthsinthecellar.Butthen Ignoshedon thehopand suckedallthebitter,sageygoodnessfromthemostde-lectableadditivethissideofatequilaworm.Itwasworthit. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, whichputsitonthethinsideforanimperialpale. Drinkability:Itdoesn’tseemtoostrong,soyoucouldprobablydrinkafewofthese,ifyouweresoinclined. Ratings: BeerAdvocate scores it an 87,whileRateBeergivesitamorecharitable97.Other than the innovativebottling, this isn’tan especially notable imperial. For a moreheavenlytreat,holdontoyourHopslamsandtossinafreshhopwiththeharvestcomes.

— Adam Bissen

CONSUMPTION

Pearl Street Brewery Tasting room1401 St. Andrew St.

Beer listD.T.BPale AleEl HefeThat's What I'm Talkin' 'Bout StoutRubber Mills PilsTambois Raspberry FramboiseJava LavaDankenstein Double IPA

The first music collectors' show in LaCrosse in more than 10 years will be heldSunday,April15,attheAll-StarLanesBan-quetHall,4735MormonCouleeRoad. HostedbyTimSchloeandRichFran-son,theLaCrosseMusicExpowillfeaturea dozen-plus dealers from the Midwest, in-cludingdealerstravelingfromasfarawayasNebraskaandascloseastheRochesterarea. The expo includes records, CDs, con-certpostersandmusicmemorabiliafromalltypesofmusic. Hoursare10a.m.to4p.m.,withearlyadmissionavailableat8:30a.m. Admission is $3 per person or $2 perperson with the donation of two cans ofnonperishable food. Donations benefit theWaferFoodBank.Earlyadmissionis$10perperson. “Weareverypleasedtobeabletobringthis 'music store' to collectors in SoutheastMinnesota and Southwest Wisconsin andcollectfoodfortheWaferFoodShelf,”TimSchloesaidinapressrelease. RichFransonadded, “Theshow’snotjust for people who want to buy music. Ifpeople have records they’ve been holdingontoforyearsandarewonderingwhattodowiththem,wewillhavepeopleonhandwhoareinterestedinpurchasingthem.” More information is available at www.mspmusicexpo.com/lacrosse.

Music collectors' show April 15

Page 9: Second Supper | Vol. 12, No. 4

Second Supper | The Free Press April 1, 2012 // 9CONSUMPTION

By Marcel DunnSpecial to Second Supper

Fat Sams412 Main St., La Crosse608.782.7267

Dining Out

Ifthereisonetraitthatmost,ifnotall,criticsshare, it is thatwetendtocomparethat which we criticize to an invisible andimpossible standard. I could not describethe perfect restaurant to you, nor could Igiveyoutheaddressanddirections.Itisanidea inmyheadand Ibelieve I’ll know itwhenIseeit,andthatisoneofthethingspeople hate about us. But the unspokentruth is that there is no such thing as theperfect restaurant, and so just like any-thingelsethatreceivescriticismandscores(though I’ve never put a score on thesereviewsbecauseIbelieve that tobeunfairtowardanyrestaurant),it’salljustamatterofopinion. Soherearethefacts:FatSamsisafinesandwichshopandworthyofyourtime. LocatedinthemiddleofdowntownLaCrosseonMainStreet,FatSams isa fairlynewestablishmentthatcaterstothatgreatand wonderful idea called the sandwich.In theory, this simpleapproach isnothingnew.Sandwichshopswithclevernamesforalloftheircreationshavebeenastapleofdowntown America for as long as anyonecanremember.However, theownersseemtohaveafirmgraspontheoldbeliefthatthere are no new ideas, only new ways ofmaking them felt. For Fat Sams, this newwayoffeelingisarestaurantwiththesoulofacasualsandwichshopandthebodyofasit-downrestaurant. Within this balancing act, Fat Samscould have fallen prey to taking itself tooseriously, but the atmosphere is wonder-fuland the furnishingscleanandelegant.Oldphotographsadornthecream-coloredwalls and the lighting is soft and bright.High-backedchairssurroundshortandtalltables in the front of the restaurant, withseveral booths and tables further back. Ashortblackbarstandsinthecornertoyourrightuponenteringand it is stockedwitha well-chosen selection of beer and winethatwouldhavebeenawfullytemptinghadInotbeenthereatoneintheafternoon,onSt. Patrick’s Day, in the middle of a train-ingregimenfortheToughMudder,whichleadsmetomynextthoughtsontheserviceandatmosphere. Forwhateverreason,Icompletelyfor-got that itwasSt.Patrick’sDay, so Iwasabit takenabacktofindmyself inapackedhousewherenearlyeveryonewasingreenandmy hostwas dressed as a leprechaun.Of course, this could have led to an un-derstandablybadexperiencebut instead Ifound myself instantly attended to, seatedand perusing my menu before my mindeverregisteredthefact thattheguyhand-ingmemymenulookedlikethemascotforLuckyCharms.Iwasthenswiftlygreetedbymywaitresswhowashelpfulandrelativelyquickthroughoutthemeal,whichwas im-pressive under the circumstances. In fact,I can’t rave enough about the staff, the

warmththattheyexudeandthefunatmo-spherethatcouldhavebeentackygiventhedayandmymood,butwas insteadagreatwaytospendanhourinsideonsuchabeau-tifulday. OnthemenuatFatSamsyouwillfinda small variety of appetizers and salads tostart yourmealwithand15differentcon-coctionsinthesandwichportion.Thesand-wichescomewithasideofkettlechipsandpickle, which can be substituted for freshfruitorpotatosaladifyousochoose.Acupofsoupcanalsobeaddedifyouwish,andtheselectionchangesdaily.Thisvarietyofsidesandappetizersisanexcellentadditiontothesandwichmenu,buttobehonest,it’sthe sandwiches that will keep you comingback. After some deliberation I decidedto just close my eyes and point a fingerbecause, minus The Fat Elvis and The O’Mother Earth, everything looked good,andIwasn’tdisappointed.TheBigEasyisaNewOrleans-inspiredcreationofsmokedham, hard salami and provolone layeredbetweenItalianbreadwithaspicyoliverel-ishinbetween.InspiteoftheItalianbreadbeing more panini than “rustic,” like thedescriptioninthemenu,itwasadelicioussandwich whose ingredients integratedseamlessly.Thesourbitternessoftheolivesandthespiceoftheredpeppersintherel-ishcomplimentedthesalty,smokyflavorofthehamandhard salamiperfectly.Apart,theseflavorsdon’tsoundliketheywouldgotogetherbutonyourpalettetheysing.And,ofcourse,provoloneisoneofthosesmokycheeses thatareneverwrongwhensalamiandhamareinthemix. Athumbsup,aswell,forthebalancingcrunchofkettlechipsinsteadofsomelame,lessercousinlikeLays. Alltold,FatSamshasthefeelofanes-tablishmentthatreceivedalotofloveandcare in its creation. It’s the kind of placewhereyoucansitdown,orderagoodbeerand your favorite sandwich and feel yourmoodinstantlybrighten.Thefoodisgood,the people are friendly and you’re nevermore thana fewpacesaway fromalcohol.Inotherwords,asolidLaCrosserestaurant.

Photo by .Ashly Conrad

37 Nutty way to run38 Female megastar, in pop music39 British children's au-thor Blyton42 It holds a golfer's balls43 Periodic table creator Mendeleev44 Jim who brought us Kermit45 "Then what hap-pened?"46 Betty of cartoons47 Obama opponent of 200849 Diagonal slant50 City the Sisters of Mercy and Corinne Bai-ley Rae come from51 Microbrewery's need55 Quilting get-together56 Bird that can turn its head 135 degrees in both directions57 Caviar, e.g.58 You may be struck with it59 Another nuclear fam member60 Naval rank: abbr.

ACROSS1 Donkey was tempo-rarily turned into one, in "Shrek 2"6 Final decision11 ___-droppingly bad14 Receive, as a penalty15 Far from lewd16 The end of winter?17 Where to play games like Little Red Riding Kombat and Jack and Jill's Skee-Ball?19 Pork pie, e.g.20 Golfer ___ Aoki21 Paperless tests23 Meat preparation in "Up in Smoke"?29 Big band leader Tommy30 It's a perfect world31 Yani Tseng's org.32 Leavened34 Question from view-ers if TV's Robin will get a cohost?40 Camped out in line, maybe41 Green ice cream fla-vor43 Greg's mate, in a sit-com

46 Flick where you might see planets held up by fishing line48 Imaginary cutoff of supplies?51 Language we got the words "basmati" and "juggernaut" from52 Gp. against work-place discrimination53 Fifth qtrs., so to speak54 Where cartoon char-acter-shaped balloons fly?61 Expert62 Got hitched again63 James T. Kirk, by state of birth64 Wrath or sloth65 Hollers66 Topic for the mar-riage counselor

DOWN 1 Nuclear fam member2 NBA airer3 Prefix meaning "green"4 It's north of Afr.5 Fog maker at a haunt-ed house6 Get the heck outta

there7 One of the 30 com-panies comprising the Dow Jones Industrial Average8 Supporting vote9 Regrettable10 Small game of b-ball11 "Holy warrior" in the news12 Common shrub13 Hoses down18 Pale gray22 Genre for Schoolly D23 CCXXV doubled24 Kachina doll maker25 Rowing machine units26 Morales of "NYPD Blue"27 Son in the "National Lampoon's Vacation" series28 Tabloid pair32 Out in the sticks33 Speck in the Pacific: abbr.35 Like yellow-green and red-orange, on the color wheel36 Weekly academic mag for docs

"Drink up"It's getting hot out there

By Matt Jones Answers on Page 11

©2012 Jonesin' Crosswords

wE have moved!444 main St., Suite 310,

La Crosse, WI 54601

Office hours by appointment onlythe free press

Fat Sams offers 15 different sandwiches, along with a variety of salads and appetizers at its shop in downtown La Crosse.

Page 10: Second Supper | Vol. 12, No. 4

10// April 1, 2012 Second Supper | The Free PressMUSIC

The Majak MixtapeBy Jonathan [email protected]

FeATured ShowSTuesday, April 3Cavalier — Talking Computron, The Ring Toss Twins, East Side Robots, Gimp & the Violin, Dr. Bob's Puppet Cabaret, Jammin George (WTF variety show) • 8 p.m.

wednesday, April 4Del’s — Ultrasonic Duo (acoustic) • 9 p.m.Recovery Room — Joe Cody (open jam) • 7 p.m.

Thursday, April 5Dewey’s — Randy’s Corner (songwriters) • 6 p.m.Red Pines — Dan Sebranek and Mary (folk) • 6:30 p.m.The View — Don Harvey (“Moonshine Mati-nee”) • 6 p.m.

Friday, April 64 Sisters — Michael Patrick (vocal jazz) • 7 p.m.Popcorn — The Histronic (electronic) • 10 p.m.

Saturday, April 7JB’s — G5 Entertainment (hip-hop) • 9:30 p.m.Robin’s Nest — Two Shots to Memphis (clas-sic rock) • 8 p.m.Popcorn — Howard “Guitar” Luedtke and Dave Rogers (blues) • 10 p.m.Trempealeau Hotel, Ryan Holweger & Meg Ashling (Americana) • 7 p.m.

Thursday, April 12Dewey’s — Randy’s Corner (songwriters) •

6 p.m.

Friday, April 134 Sisters — Michael Patrick (vocal jazz) • 7 p.m.JB’s — No Sleep Squad (hip-hop) • 9:30 p.m.Popcorn — Sans Souci Quartet (bluegrass) • 10 p.m.Root Note — Pieta Brown & Bo Ramsey (roots, folk) • 8 p.m.

Saturday, April 144 Sisters — Michael James • 7 p.m.The Starlite — The Larry Price Trio with Miles Johnston (jazz) • 8 p.m.Popcorn — Sterbus (jamband) • 10 p.m.

Thursday, April 19La Crosse Center — Trans-Siberian Orches-tra (epic) • 7:30 p.m.

Friday, April 204 Sisters — Mark Harrod • 7 p.m.Robin’s Nest — The All Stars (4/20 show) • 8 p.m.Varsity Club — Julica Rose (rock, R&B) • 9 p.m.Popcorn — Nimbus w/ Bigtree Bonsai (jam-band) • 10 p.m.

Saturday, April 21Riverjack’s — Julica Rose (rock, R&B) • 8 p.m.Robin’s Nest — The Fabulous Baloney Skins (classic rock) • 8 p.m.Popcorn — The Regulars (jamband) • 10 p.m.

Thursday, April 26La Crosse Center — Hairball, Brat Back Ra-

dio, The Back Home Boys, Back Home Boys (World’s Largest Office Party) • 5 p.m.

Friday, April 27Popcorn — Nicholas Mrozinski and the Fee-lin Band (world pop) • 10 p.m.

Saturday, April 284 Sisters — Michael James • 7 p.m.Fieldhouse — Julica Rose (rock, R&B) • 10 p.m.Oktoberfest Grounds — Smokin’ Bandits, Fab-ulous Baloney Skins (Beer Fest) • 12:30 p.m.Popcorn — fdakar (jamband) • 10 p.m.Pump House — Steven Marking (“American Art Songs”) • 7:30 p.m.

weeKLY ShowSSundayPopcorn — Innocuous Voodoo (funk) • 10 p.m.

MondayDel’s — Cheech’s Open Jam • 10 p.m.Popcorn — Grants Open Jam • 10 p.m.

TuesdayPopcorn — Paulie • 10 p.m.Root Note — 3rd Relation Jazz • 7 p.m.

wednesdayCavalier — Jamal’s Jazz Jam • 7 p.m.Popcorn Tavern — errapin Shells/Open Jam • 10 p.m.

ThursdayPopcorn — Dave Orr’s Blues Jam • 10 p.m.Root Note — Open Mic * 8 p.m.Starlite — Kies & Kompanie (jazz) • 5 p.m.

Music Directory

OhMixtapers,otherthanbeingapan-eliston“TheView,”thereisnofasterwaytolet the world know what a jackass you arethanawell-placedtweet,isthere?Membersof “The Hunger Games” fandom foundthatoutquickly.Asthefilmrakedinhugebucks,itdidsowithabitofcontroversyoverthecastingofpeopleofcolorinsomekeyrolesbecausesomepeopleareSHOCKEDthatblackpeopleareactuallyplayingblackpeople.Thoughweadmittedlyhavelittletonoknowledgeabouttheintricaciesof“TheHunger Games,” other than the guy whoplaysPeeta looks likeaLegocometo life,that isn’t stoppingus fromputting togeth-er thisMixtapewe’redubbing“Prejudice?WroteaMixAboutIt.LiketoHearIt?HereItGoes.” We kick off the Mixtape with the“GoldilocksZone”byGrassWidowasfolksseemed particularly concerned that thecharacterRue was not the blondgirl theyhad imagined despite being describedIN THE BOOK THEY LOVE SO DAMNMUCH as a dark-skinned girl. Someoneactuallytweeted,accordingtotheawesomeTumblr “Hunger Games Tweets,” “Why isRue a little black girl? Stick to the books,dude.”Really, that’s likerenting“Memoirsof aGeisha”andbeing surprisedbyalloftheAsianfolksinit.Andsidenote,wehereattheMixtapeareprettysurethatwhenev-ertheword“dude”isusedinacritiqueofsomething,itcompletelyinvalidatesit,bro. Thescarythingisthatthatisoneofthemilder tweets that came out in regards tothesituation.Onepersonevenwentasfaraswriting,“Sense[sic]whenisRueanigger.”This leads us to our next song “TumblingBackwards”fromYoungWonder.Whenweliveinaworldwhereahoodiecaneffective-lyputatargetonyourback,it’shardtodis-miss such comments being made. And letusberealforamoment,youknowthat80percentofthesefolksragingaboutablackgirl in“TheHungerGames”are thesameones thatwereblowinguptheirFacebookaccountswithlinkstoKONY2012anddon’tseetheslightestbitofironywhatsoever. Sowhatexactlydoesallofthissayabouttheworldwe live in?Probablynothing thatwedidn’talreadyknow.Thisleadsustoourlastsong“DumbHope”byShadyLane.Thereactiontothecontroversywasswiftandof-tentimesbrilliantlyhilariousaspeopletookfolkstotaskfortheirreadingcomprehensionfail/racism.Wellit’stimeforustogowatchaTylerPerryfilmwerented.Hopetherearen’tanyblackfolksinthat.

Tumblr For You:GarfieldMinusGarfieldAll A-Twitter: RonPaul’sDragRaceYouTube: Got2BReal

By Jason [email protected]

While we don’t have a nearby Lolla-palooza or Coachella to nurture our out-door musical fanaticism, Winona’s MidWestMusicFestisshapinguptobeonehellofagoodtime. ComingApril19-21,MWMF2012willboast more than 120 bands spread across17stages,witha lineupthat includes folk-legendGregBrown,KimyaDawsonofTheMoldyPeaches fame,pop-punkoutfitTheMelismatics, dance-duo Koo Koo Kanga-roo and, last but not least, the indie-rockawesomenessthatisTapes‘nTapes,whoseappearanceatthefestivalmaybeyourlastchancetoseethemforaverylongtime. Formed in late 2003, Minneapolisalternative indie-rock quartet Tapes ‘nTapesgot togetherafteramassingcopiousamountsof“tapes‘ntapes”ofexperimentalrecordings,atwhichpointtheydecidedtomake itofficialandrecordanEP.WhenIaskedabout theirprocess—expiringtoacabindeepintheWisconsinwoodsforsoli-darity—inarecentphoneinterview,leadsinger Josh Grier laughed, replying, “Wedid theBon Iver thingbeforeBon Iver, ifthat’swhatyou’reasking.”Itwas. The band was able to achieve rapid,

nationwide popularity through the Inter-net,leadingtothembeingreferredtoasa“blogband.” “We were fortunate enough to comealongatatimewhenthatsortofstuffwassortofexploding,”Griersaid.“ItwasrightaroundthetimepeoplewerereallystartingtolooktotheInternetformusic,soIthinkwewerejustluckyenoughtobeintherightplaceattherighttime.” In late 2005 the group released itsfirst full-length album The Loon, whichwasquicktoreachnotorietyandcriticalac-claim,eventuallyevenbeingpraisedbyDa-vidBowie,describingthefirstsingleofftherecordas“cracking.” “Idon’tknowifthere’sanybodycoolerthatcouldhavesaidanything(aboutus),”Griersaid. The success of the album led to theband’shybrid,vintagerockstylebeingcom-pared to both newer groups such as ClapYour Hands Say Yeah and Arcade Fire aswellasbands fromthe late ‘80s/early ‘90ssuchasPavementandthePixies. Tapes‘nTapesfollowedupthesuccessofTheLoomwithtwomorealbumsandex-tensivetouringthatincludedsetsatCoachel-la and Lollapalooza. Their music has beenfeaturedinseveralmajorfilms,commercialsandvideogames,andthebandwasfeatured

inMTV’sshow“HumanGiant.” Despiteallofthis, theguysviewtheirpopularity with a healthy indifference.“People ask to use our music and we’relike‘Yeah,sure,’andthenyouforgetaboutit,”saidGrier.“Iwaswatchingit[NickandNorah’sInfinitePlaylist]theotherdayandoursongcameonforlike10or15secondsandIwaslike‘Ohyeah!We’reinthis!’youknow?It’sprettycoolIguess.” The band is in no hurry to recordagain.“We’vegotabunchofstufflinedup,butwe’reallbusywithdifferentmusicproj-ectsforthetimebeing,sothere’sreallynourgencywhenitcomestogettingbackintothestudio,”Griersaid. Grierexpressedalotofenthusiasmfortheirupcomingsetat theMidWestMusicFestonApril19,explaining,“We’retakinga break from touring (after this) for thetimebeing,probablyayearorso,sothisisprobablythelastchanceyou’llgettoseeusliveforawhile.” MWMF 2012 will be showcasing quite a few acts from La Crosse as well, including 1,2,3 Walrus!, Porcupine, Brahman Shaman, Talk O Destiny, Hyphon, Urine, Gregg “Cheech” Hall, Cool Kids Committee, Jolly Roger Protocol, Cheez Land Uke Band and Click Track, so be sure to make it out and show your support.

Tapes‘nTapesheadlinesMidWestfest

Page 11: Second Supper | Vol. 12, No. 4

Second Supper | The Free Press April 1, 2012 // 11THE LAST WORDwedding.Nottoworry,Grandma—youcanuseyouroxygentankasaflotationdevice!” Destination weddings are great if youcansendtheprivate jet topickupGrandpaLou,Great-AuntieMyrtle,andallyourPh.D.-equippedbarista friendsandthenput themupinavastestateyourentedforthewedding-ganza weekend. But, in a tough economy,maybe your special day doesn’t have to beother people’s special day to go bankrupt:“Pleasejoinusaftertheceremonyfordinneranddancing,followedbycreditcounseling.” Because boys don’t grow up havingmisty daydreams about someday being agroom, itcanbehardforamantounder-stand how an otherwise sweet and reason-able woman can go all weddingzilla: “Mydress must have a 50-foot train, trimmedwiththeskinsofpuppies!”Thequestionis,isthisjustacaseofbridefever—temporaryblindnesstoallformsofsenseandreasonre-latedtoweddingplanning—orisitthathertrue colors are graduating shades of bossyselfishness (one part Kim Kardashian andtwopartsKimJongIl)? When two “become as one,” decisionsneedtobeaproductof“we”andnot“she”(asin,shedecidesandthentugstheleashforyoutocomealong).Astumblingblocktocompro-miseisself-justification—theego-protectingtendency to stubbornlydefendourselves, in-sistingwe’rerightandshovingawayanyinfor-mationthatsuggestsotherwise.(Toerrishu-man—asisdoingeverythinginourpowertoavoidadmittingwe’veerred.)

Manure and wifeMy fi ancee insists on having our wedding

at “THE most magical place to get married,” this beautiful lake resort. Her family’s well-off, but having it there creates a fi nancial hardship for my relatives and our friends, who are working crappy jobs in a terrible economy. Our guests mostly live in our hometown, and the lake is a four-hour drive each way, and there are no affordable places to stay. I’ve suggested that we have the wedding in this beautiful space on my uncle’s farm, just outside of town, but my fi ancee, who’s typically unselfi sh, remains infl exible.

— Concerned She’s So Unyielding

Brides-to-be can easily lose touch withreality. They start by pricing the VFW hall,andbeforelongit’s“Oh,istheInternationalSpace Station booked? OK then, we’ll renttheGrandCanyon forawhite-water rafting

The ADVice GoDDessBy Amy [email protected]

Preventing this takesputtingmarriagebeforeego—andmakingapacttoresolveconflicts by really listening to each other,puttingyourselvesineachother’sshoes,andworkingoutsolutionsthatworkforyouasacouple.Askhertoexplainwhythislocationis so special to her. Let her know that youtrulyappreciateherefforts,but thatwhat’sspecial for you is having everybody there(and without feeling guilty about what itcostthemtocome).Offertohelpherfindsomeplace closer; maybe suggest having apre-wedding photo shoot at Lake Perfect-weddingspot.Since there’snowiggleroomforfriendsandrelativeswhoarebroke,let’shope she’ll come to understand that yourguestswon’tcry fewer tearsof joy if you’resayingyourvowsinyouruncle’spasture.Asforwhat’s“trulyspecial,”anybodycanhaveafancyhotelwedding;howmanywomengettheopportunitytohavebridesgoats?

Doctors without bordersMy normally very sweet boyfriend told me

that the doctor who gave him his physical was hot and fl irted like she was into him. I told him he could’ve kept all that to himself. Clearly, he was checking her out, and I think it’s disrespectful to tell me about it.

— Dismayed

A person might “get points for hon-esty,”butifhe’ssomebody’sboyfriend,he’llget lotsmorepoints ifhishonesty involvesstatements like “The lady doctor who just

palpatedmygroinwasaringerforLouFer-rigno.”Mostpeoplegetthatmerelyhavingathoughtisn’treasontoreleaseitandletitboundaround likeapuppy.That’sagoodthing,becausecontrarytowhatwomenwanttobelieve,prettymuchallmenarecheckingoutallwomenatalltimes.Thatsaid,ifyourboyfriendisasweetguy,chancesarehismes-sagewasn’tsomuch“She’shot”asitwas“I’mhot.Hotwomenwantme.”Theimplicationbeing“Betterhangontome!”Lethimknowthathangingontoyoutakesrespectingwhatyoudon’twanttohear.Asforthedoctor’sin-tentions,consideringtheprospectoflicenserevocation and men’s tendency to mistakefriendlinessforinterest,it’spossibleshesawsomething in him — and probable it wassomethingliketwobenignpolyps.

$1.75 - Miller/Bud Taps$2.25 Micro/Craft Taps$2.50 Cherry Bombs(7-1am)

$5 Miller Lite/Bud Light Pitchers$2.25 Leinies Bottles (7-1am)

Good People, Good Drinks, Good Times

SUNDAY TUESDAY THURSDAYMONDAY WEDNESDAY FRIDAY$5 Pitchers $2 Bottles of Miller Products (11-4 pm)$2 Corona Bottles$2 Kilo Kai Mixers $3 Bloody’s (7-1am)

$1.75 Rails$1.50 Domestic Taps$3.50 Jager Bombs(7-1am)

$2 Domestic Bottles$2.50 Skyy/AbsoluteMixers$2 Dr. Shots (7-1am)

5 Domestic Bottles 4 $10$5 Micro/Import Bottles$11.50, $7 Micro/CraftPitchers (7-1am)

$2 Captain Mixers$2 Long Islands

Mixers (7-1am)

SATURDAY

Check out our new bottled beer selection!

Page 12: Second Supper | Vol. 12, No. 4

12// April 1, 2012 Second Supper | The Free Press