The TV screen flickers, and the image of a machine appears. The humming sound of whirling, trapped air fills the room. Behind the glass, numbered ping-pong balls swarm and collide in a chaotic dance of destiny. After a few tense seconds, the first one is randomly sucked up from the melee and its number shown, […]
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Rising from the Dead
When Ratdog played the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium on June 2, I was prepared to encounter some manner of drugs and free love — and Dead-sure I’d see hippies of all ages at the downtown venue. And indeed, I found all of this — along with, more importantly, new insight into what rock ‘n’ roll is […]
Asheville City Council
Judging by the sentiment at a June 6 public hearing on Asheville’s new operating budget, most city residents seem to approve the proposed tax hikes — and, maybe more importantly, the improvements they will pay for. There was standing room only at the hearing, as a dozen folks paraded to the lectern and praised the […]
The other side of Asheville
[Editor’s note: The following is excerpted from The Underground Asheville Guidebook (Whisper Press, 2000), written by Tom Kerr (and other contributors) with photographs by Gail Forsyth-Kerr. This handy reference source plumbs the heights and depths of our city with a mix of wry insight and reverent aplomb. Available at local bookstores beginning in mid-June, the […]
The daily grind
Forget about booting up the computer this weekend — instead, strap on a pair of real dust kickers and take a spin on a Jersey ox, during the Western North Carolina Nature Center’s fifth annual Farm Fun Day. An ox, you say? Yep — who knew that early Appalachian homesteaders often rode oxen? You’ll learn […]
The shame of a village
It was during one particularly bright and sunny day that my perpetual wanderings brought me to the boulder-beaded and tree-shaded edge of a certain river. There, amidst the colossal chunks of stone and the voices of rushing water and foam, I found the monster. She slipped up behind and beneath me, without my noticing, until […]
Respect begets respect
As the blossoming spring and summer season makes each new day here in Asheville more splendid than the last, it seems good to reflect on certain of our local issues. The spirit of our mountain community brings out the best in folks during fine weather; combined with the splendor of a beautiful day, we are […]
Mission St. Joseph’s saved my life
I am sitting at my computer, composing this response to Randy Siegel’s lament about his visit to the Mission St. Joseph’s emergency room (Mountain Xpress, April 19). I can write this letter because I am alive — and I am alive, in large part, because of my own visit to the Mission St. Joseph’s emergency […]
The price of illicit love
One recent March morning, Jack Altamont told a judge how his children’s athletic coach had seduced his wife and wrecked his family’s life. For that, the Buncombe County man claimed he was entitled to cold, hard cash. Superior Court Judge Zoro Guice agreed, and ordered the coach to pay Altamont half-a-million dollars. “It could’ve been […]
Notepad
Tolerance and compassion: The next generation Faced with so much alarming or discouraging news, it’s all too easy to succumb to cynicism. But Asheville LEAP, a group of local teenagers, is taking a different tack: pooling their energies to make a positive difference in their community. The Come-Unity Asheville Festival 2000 is these teens’ attempt […]
Asheville City Council
The prospects for auto racing in Asheville this season don’t look good, despite a last-minute appeal by racing enthusiasts. With plans for building a track near the Asheville Regional Airport apparently dead, and another in Canton not expected to be complete until 2001, fans lament the end of 40 years of racing history. And the […]
Guts and glory
Don’t let the dried-blood-colored letters in the vestibule scare you off. Though the sign advertising From the Gut — a feminist fine-art show now on view at Urthona Gallery — is painted in precisely that shade of red (aptly named by show curator Gavra Lynn), the show is not about being angry, or anti-male, or […]
Notes from the edge
Live shows by popular rock musicians often provide little more than a replay of the album — albeit with a little good-natured chatter tossed in for variety. But an upcoming show at The Grey Eagle, featuring the alternative-acoustic sounds of Kristin Hersh and Vic Chesnutt, promises something much greater — though it’s unclear exactly what. […]
Stories in stone and brick
In this age of sprawling five-lanes lined with fast-food chains and megastores, we are fortunate to live in a city whose rich history is abundantly in evidence. From the gargoyles of the Jackson Building — whose necks jut out boldly over the adjacent streets — to the trim brick storefronts of bustling Biltmore Avenue, much […]
Mother to daughters
It could have been a figment of my 10-year-old [twin] daughters’ imaginations — but it wasn’t — when they burst through the door one afternoon fresh off the school bus, exclaiming, “Mommy, we just saw a black man holding a Confederate flag on the corner!” In my best maternal tone I replied, “No, girls that […]
From the bottom up
They once carpeted more than 200 million acres of Appalachia and accounted for nearly half of the tree population in Buncombe County. Today, spotting even one American chestnut tree is big news: It doesn’t happen very often. In fact, the number of thriving American chestnuts is so small, and the trees themselves are so widely […]
Letters to the editor
Free speech vs. our culture of complaint The estimable C. E. “Buzz” Johnson’s sloppy column, “Free Speech 2000” [Commentary, Feb. 23] is a paranoid, self-righteous, vague lecture on civility in free speech. “Buzz” bleats, “Should we really be allowed to insult, put down, attack, threaten, etc., fellow human beings … without some sort of reprimand […]
In search of a fetish
I’m looking for a fetish, as any postmodern hipster should. Let me clarify: This is no run-of-the-mill panty fetish I’m talking about. That very concept rings cliche in this niche of oddity. In fact, a fetish of the overtly sexual nature is hardly of interest. I can’t check my e-mail without one of those sneaky […]
Undoing past mistakes
[Editor’s note: As we went to press, news arrived that the Haywood County Commissioners had voted on Feb. 25 to withdraw from the two-county WNC Regional Air Pollution Control Agency, effective July 1, sending agency board members and staff into turmoil. A special meeting of the board has been called for Wednesday, March 1 at […]
Singing your heart out
How many of us can say we love the sound of our own voice — especially when singing? If the thought of taking voice lessons has ever crossed your mind, an upcoming workshop may satisfy your curiosity. Be forewarned: My Voice, My Heart, My Song may also change your life. At least, that’s what several […]
Down in the dumps
Maybe that old couch has outlived its springiness, or else it’s just plain ugly — but tossing it down the nearest ravine could get the law after you. On a warm February day, Environmental Control Officer Jane Cole stands at the curve in the road that winds up and over Hookers Gap, in west Buncombe […]