Streetalk
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Streetalk Streetalk: Is America in good hands with the class of 2010?
Posted by Jeff Slate on Sun, May 16, 2010 at 12:00 PM
Chris: It's hard not to feel optimistic after graduating college. The experiences that we came up with, this generation growing up, we have a sense of purpose. Whether it was September 11th or the economy and all these kinds of things by the time we were 22, we had a lot of these things on our plate that we processed and acclimated to and included into our experience. I don't know what would be shocking at this point with all these events that have happened. It will be hard to find a challenge that would be insurmountable.
Christine: Yes. We are very realistic about the problems and situations that our future faces. The economy, the environment, other social issues. We've been brought up to be very aware of the different social issues of our day. We've been taught from a young age that these things are important and they won't just go away. But we're not optimistic on jobs. I don't know anybody right now in my class that has a job. I don't have a job. Everybody else I know is in a very similar situation. I don't know how it will shape up.
Alex: This generation is very special. There's a great love for taking care of everybody. You can't forget that you live in a world where everybody has to work together. It sounds kind of kum-ba-yah, but we realize there are people that don't have the privilege that we have to graduate college, to get a good job. We have that creativity and ingenuity and entrepreneurship to find a way to make it on our own. We might be a little discontent, disillusioned even, but we feel that we can do something about it. We want to reinvent that wheel.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Streetalk Streetalk: How's that food at the ballpark?
Posted by Jeff Slate on Sun, May 9, 2010 at 12:00 PM
Sam: Hot dogs are good. Better buns at the Top Dog [Express]. Those dogs are perfect because they're a foot long and you can really dress them up. If you get a regular dog, it's a gamble because the buns fall apart and you have to put more effort in keeping that dog in there. We buy peanuts from the sweet lady under the bridge coming down here. I get a $3 peanuts bag every time. Same bag at the ballpark costs $6.25. Beer has never been bad here, and if I had these guys playing in my backyard, I'd charge a little more, too.
Stephanie: The fact that they don't have anything healthy to eat in the ballpark at all is what I don't like, unless you're in the club level. With general admission seats we can't access it. You've got fried foods, hamburgers and pizza, which are extremely greasy. I end up either eating before or suck it up and get a hot dog. It's OK but sometimes you want to eat something healthy. And if you eat the hot dog you feel like, gosh, you have to eat salad for the rest of the week. I've been at boot camp and nothing here is on the diet plan.
Carlos: The nachos are inexpensive and you get a lot of them. Like if you're on a date, split some nachos. Going out to venues like this, food is extremely expensive. But if you can get some nachos for $6, I have no problem with it. But I can't get over the $5 Coke. I mean, I have no problem with the food, paying $8 or $9, but a $5 Coke? Coca-Cola is in Atlanta. It's not like you burned a lot of gas. If it's doable, bring your own drinks because you'll go broke just trying to keep yourself hydrated.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Streetalk Streetalk: What was mom's impact on you musically?
Posted by Jeff Slate on Sun, May 2, 2010 at 12:00 PM
Damon: She's solely responsible for music in my life. From the earliest I can remember, she was getting me into percussions. She was constantly motivating me, constantly singing. I came out bobbing my head. They were concerned I may have had some mental defect. I constantly bumped my head in my sleep as a baby. She would hand me cooking spoons and [I would get] pitches and sounds out of different objects around the house. She bought me my first drum set at 4 years old. She always sang in her church, and I grew up a church drummer. She has a beautiful voice.
John: My mother made it possible by believing in the gift. She sang. I grew up listening to Johnny Mathis, Brook Benton and Nat King Cole. I'd be hearing the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Count Basie, all the time. She's the one playing the music in the house, while your daddy is out, and also see that you'd practice. She was very advanced because I had a lot of friends that didn't have that. It's a lineage thing. It's not one day you wake up and say I want to play music. You're coming from somewhere. My mom had eight children and everybody played.
Rachel: I had three brothers and my dad. Her whole impact was that anything guys could do women could do, too. So when I got into music in elementary school, I wanted to be a guitar player. My mom knew there weren't many female guitar players to look up to, so it's really cool to have someone to push you, to encourage you, and found role models for me like Kim Gordon and P.J. Harvey. My mom's great uncle played music with Hank Williams. And she encouraged me to not be a Belinda Carlisle and just settle for being a front woman without a guitar.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Streetalk Streetalk: What does Memorial Day mean?
Posted by Jeff Slate on Tue, May 20, 2008 at 10:00 AM
No Show: There is no Memorial Day to me. I love my country, but am I to memorialize all my brothers I lost? I watched them get shot in front of me. Memorial Day for me, brother, there is none. I got my own Memorial Day in my heart. I’m pretty mixed about Memorial Day. I live and breathe it every day. It’s a delicate situation. The parade I had was getting shit on. That’s Memorial Day.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Streetalk Streetalk: How do your hometown's art festivals compare with Atlanta's?
Posted by Jeff Slate on Tue, May 13, 2008 at 9:45 AM
Bruce, Philadelphia: I like Atlanta. It's got some cool, underground culture. Philadelphia's art scene is great, but it's not much of a festival town. People in Philly leave in the summer and go to the beach. And Philly is a union town so it's too expensive to put on a festival. You'd have four guys charge you $400 to plug a plug in. They probably would charge you to set up a tent even if it's on the street.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Streetalk Streetalk: Are you everything your mother dreamed you would be?
Posted by Jeff Slate on Tue, May 6, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Camille: I am definitely everything my mother hoped I would be and more. Raising me was nothing but a joy for her. Raising me was nothing but a pat on the back at my grand achievements. She’s always been nothing but in awe of my accomplishments. And I’ve tried my best to use the morals that she instilled in me. I’m like the golden child. I’ll probably snag her an outfit for Mother’s Day.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Streetalk Streetalk: What’s the best way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Atlanta?
Posted by Jeff Slate on Tue, Apr 29, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Clayton: You would probably have to have some fighting. It [commemorates] Napoleon III shooting up Mexico. Any Mexican restaurant with a large patio, you’ll see some kind of action there by the end of the night. But you can always go down to the Mexican consulate in Brookhaven and find a way to volunteer for some immigrant assistance program if you want a nonhedonistic, humanitarian way to celebrate the holiday. Do all our holidays have to be about getting drunk?
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Streetalk Streetalk: Will Atlanta soon be catching that Hawks playoff fever?
Posted by Jeff Slate on Tue, Apr 8, 2008 at 9:00 AM
Richard: We’re a real transient town. I get disappointed when I see more Detroit or Laker fans than Hawks fans. We have the potential to be a tremendous basketball town; if the play is inconsistent, then there’s no continuity. People don’t expect the Hawks to win with regularity, so they’re not avid fans, much as I would like them to be. I’m from New York, so I’m more used to a partisan fan base.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Streetalk Streetalk: How will that daylight-saving time affect you?
Posted by Jeff Slate on Tue, Mar 4, 2008 at 9:30 AM
Mahtseelah: It all has to do with my children. When daylight-saving time comes, we can stay in the park later. We can ride our bikes later. I don’t like driving at night. I’m from Los Angeles. I’m a city girl and my eyes haven’t quite adjusted to the darkness here. The lights aren’t even the same in the city of Atlanta. And if you go anywhere outside an eight-mile radius of Atlanta, it’s darker still. I prefer to drive in the day.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Streetalk Streetalk: What are Atlanta’s best and worst clubs to hear music?
Posted by Jeff Slate on Tue, Feb 26, 2008 at 9:20 AM
Renee: Lenny’s. Most of the time the sound is terrible. Last time I was there I saw the Booze. Typical Atlanta band. Mediocre. Lenny’s is just dark, dirty and really smoky. The bathrooms are appalling. Plus, the door guy at Lenny’s is a big jerk. I like the Earl. The sound guy is great. The environment is better for hanging out and listening to music. The crowd is more relaxed, alternative, indie-rock sort of people.
