Fresh Loaf

David Booker-Earley is a 13-year-old jazz percussionist at Jean Childs Young Middle School. The school’s band won this year’s Youth Jazz Competition at the Atlanta Jazz Festival.

Why did you start playing percussion instruments?

It started a long time ago when my older brother came home one day, twirling his sticks, playing a lot of stuff I didn’t know what was. So it just looked pretty cool to me and I thought I’d try it out.

Do you bang on the table when you’re eating dinner?

Oh, yes. Anything I can use to beat on is my instrument. I even played on the concrete with my hands one time. It hurt, but I made a cool song there.

How does your family feel about you banging on things all the time?

My brothers, they bang along with me. My sister, she sings with us. All of us are really percussionists inside. But sometimes they might tell me to stop because they’re trying to watch TV.

Are there any obsessed girl fans at school?

Kind of, sometimes.

(more…)

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Jamie Karns is a bouncer at Lenny’s Bar and Grill. At six-feet two-inches tall and 415 pounds, 37-year-old Karns is also known as Fat Guy.

What kind of training do you need to be a bouncer?

Patience is the biggest factor. There’s not really a special class on how to throw someone out, but you need to be able to control your temper when somebody is obviously drunk and not get mad at him for being rude.

How can you recognize a fake ID?

Most of them are pretty bad. Things like, the girl’s eyes are blue but the girl your talking to’s eyes are green. The manufactured fake ID, things like the watermarks are wrong, the color of ink they use is wrong.

Just how bad do they get?

I’ve gotten several IDs from people I know. A total stranger walks up and gives me an ID of someone I actually know. And I’m like, “This isn’t you.” And they’re like, “Oh, yes it is.” But I’m like, “This is the guy I went to high school with, it’s not you.”

What would you do if someone brought in a McLovin ID (from the movie Superbad)?

That would definitely not fly. First off, no one has just one name, you know? But odd states like Hawaii and whatnot, don’t work. Give me the one of the state you’re in.

Do girls try to flirt with you to get in?

Mm-hmm.

Does it work?

(more…)

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Bernie Tekippe has been repairing clocks in Atlanta since the ’60s. He says he can fix any mechanical clock made in the last 300 years.

“One of the difficulties is trying to diagnose what’s wrong with it, especially if it almost works. You can spend a lot of time fixing the wrong thing.”

He builds clocks, too, usually a dozen at a time. He’s built about 200 in his life and occasionally gives clock-making workshops.

He doesn’t wear a watch, saying it would get in the way and isn’t necessary. “When I’m in here I have clocks all around me.”

He says he’s not punctual, but is aware of the irony.

On digital clocks: “They’re wonderful. They’re what we’ve been trying to make for 300 years. I think we should put them in nicer cases, though. We think they’re cheap, so we put them in cheap cases.”

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Beth O’Connor teaches people about nutrition, health, fitness, meditation, and spirit — the elements of what she says comprise wellness.

“You don’t have to be a size 2 but you can eat nutritiously. Stay away from saturated fats. Stay away from all the processed foods, packaged foods.”

O’Connor teaches groups at wellness parties: “We talk about nutrition and fitness. I teach them meditation and give them some yoga stretches to do. I massage and they learn how to massage — very basic things.”

On Southern food: “I love [Paula Deen].  But everything she makes, it’s just butter, pounds and pounds of butter. I eat butter, but very in moderation.”

“[A]bout five years ago, I realized I can’t eat this southern fried food anymore. I gained so much weight during my marriage and I’m still battling it. I believe a lot is genetics, but we’re still in control.

O’Connor says diet is the primary cause of unwellness. “What you put in your body is gonna affect you, five years from now, 10 years from now.”

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Jay Yeomans, 51, is head referee at Paintball Atlanta. An aficionado of paintball for 15 years, he also maintains the company’s equipment and the facilities.

“You get bruises, maybe a couple little stitches, a turned ankle, something like that – something you can do playing in the backyard. But no one has had a serious injury [at Paintball Atlanta], especially eye-related.”

“Everybody [at Paintball Atlanta] has got to deal with me sooner or later. I’m not known for my wonderful attitude.”

“When a paintball hits you in the mask and it’s in your mouth, usually you gag, hack and spit. And cussing usually is in there somewhere. It’s got that 4-week-old, uncooked meat smell. It’s nasty.”

On his daughter: “She just turned 18, she’s been playing for four years. She’s very brutal. She put Father’s Day scars on both sides of my neck. It’s alright. I got her later.”

Is paintball a sport? “What is your definition of a sport? Okay, like football where you’re playing against another team in front of an audience – spectators – at the big tournaments? You get just as many people as you would on a decent football game. There is money at stake, trophies at stake, sponsorships from manufacturers.”

On real guns: “Most of my guns, I have sold. One of them was grandfather’s shotgun – sentimental. I kept that. One’s a pistol – protection. I kept that.”

“Paintball is nothing like the military. It’s a very sore spot. There are a lot of people out there, churches and other organizations that consider paintball as teaching our children paramilitary training, how to kill somebody else. I’ve called it a paintball gun – we call it a paintball marker. . We don’t kill in paintball, we eliminate. Usually until the next game starts up, which is usually in about 10, 15 minutes.”

“Because the word “gun” is just not a good thing to be thrown around. You can’t talk about paintball in schools because it involves a gun, if you will. Because my daughter tried to set up a team, to start playing a team at school. And the word “gun” came out, and they said, ‘That’s it. Forget it.’”

“The pay’s good and it’s a job I love doing. You can’t beat that.”

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Michael Ellis is the founder and director of Atlanta Wild Animal Rescue Effort. AWARE helps injured and distressed urban wildlife at its facility in Lithonia.

Ellis got involved with wildlife through his work as a builder. “I built some gibbon ape habitats at Yerkes.”

In Belize with a Yerkes primatologist, Ellis met a couple from Washington state who rescued wildlife at their home: “I moved to Washington to volunteer [for them]. I had $700 and my Chevy S-10.”

On the animals he rescues now: “At any wildlife center, birds are 70% of the intake. But it’s everything – hummingbirds, eagles, mice, eagles, deer, possums, squirrels.”

“Roaming cats are one of the biggest devastators of wildlife in this country. Every free roaming domestic cat kills 200 to 400 wild animals a year.”

The biggest mistake people make with wild animals: “People identify animals [that are by themselves] as orphans. They interrupt the most critical training [for these animals.]

To which animals is Ellis most attached? “The ones least likely to survive, because I’m forced to spend more time with them than any other animal.”

“If I had to pick a favorite animal native to North America, it’d probably be a wolf because they represent all the good and all the bad that’s ever happened in this country.”

On releasing a rehabilitated animal into the wild: “Every time I release an animal, it almost makes me cry. Almost, every time.”

Do the animals he rescues socialize? “Birds put up with each other. The young ones interact. If you put an orphaned red-tailed hawk with an adult, there’s good chance the adult will feed the baby.

Yeah, but do hawks play basketball: “No, they don’t play basketball.”

On his father, George Ellis: “ He had the first spoof late night horror satire show in Atlanta on WAGA-TV in the 60s called Big Movie Shocker. He and I sang, acted and had [movie] theatres called the Film Forum. We introduced Atlanta to the art flick world.”

(Photo by Dustin Chambers)

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Charles Knox has been writing orchestral and choir music for half a century, and spent three decades teaching music theory and composition at Georgia State University.

He prefers writing to performing. “I’ve played the piano and the trombone, but I don’t play anything in public.”

Classical is also classic, he says. “Music that has an immediate appeal often doesn’t last very long.”

He got into music while at the University of Georgia, playing in jazz and dance bands, but says he quickly committed himself to writing.

“Yes, there are times when performers add their own interpretations [to his compositions]. They’re not computers; they don’t just read what’s on the page. They add their own emotions. Only on rare occasions have I been disappointed in a performer’s take, and then it was usually just a kid, so you cut them some slack.”

On his least favorite kind of music: “I can’t say. Within any style there are the truly talented ones and there are the ones who are just going through the motions.”

On being called the dean of Atlanta composers: “Basically it just means I’m the oldest.”

He does get writer’s block, he says, but if he has a secret to beating it, he’s not giving it up. “I always manage to find something to get started, and once I get started I can usually write something. Then I just hope it’s good.”

He’s written a few palindromes. “Some people say it’s a lazy way to write music, since you just write half, but you’d be surprised. A lot of music doesn’t quite work backward.”

“Having a visual aspect is something we’ve come to expect with entertainment. Having a group of musicians essentially sitting still on stage, except for bows moving, you have to be very intent on listening.”

“I suspect that rock and hip-hop have become so popular partly because of visual displays. The guitar is one of the only instruments you can play and sing and dance at the same time. If you tried to do that with a flute or trombone you could rattle your teeth out.”

Knox titled a CD of his music Clouds Are Not Spheres. “It’s a quote from a mathematician describing how things are much more complicated than they seem. A sphere is simple; clouds are not. That’s what I was referring to.”

Listen to the three movements of Knox’s “Semordnilap No. 2,” recorded live in Hawaii in January 2006.

First movement

Second movement

Third movement

The first and third movements mirror each other (the third is the first in reverse), and the second movement is a palindrome in itself. Performers for this rendition are Amy Schwartz Moretti (violin), Steve Moretti (djembe), Dorothy Lewis (cello) and Cary Lewis (piano). (Live recordings courtesy Cary Lewis and Lux Nova Press)

He hasn’t written much music in recent years because his wife has been ill, but his latest piece, written to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Druid Hills Presbyterian Church, will be performed there June 22.

(Photo by John Nowak)

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Matthew Mansour is a jouster at the Georgia Renaissance Fair and similar events in Illinois and North Carolina. The 42-year old from LaGrange also makes leather costumes for horses.

How did you become interested in jousting?

I was, as a little kid, always interested in knights. And one day I met a fellow who actually jousted. He was an actor, and he jousted. I begged him and pleaded for years and years to go with him and he said no because I was 12.

When I turned 18, I went on the road and squired for him, and learned the performance trade from the ground up.

How historically accurate is the performance?

This [jousting performance at the Renaissance Fair] is quasi-historically accurate. We put a lot more theatrics into it. A full tournament could not be done in a half-hour show.

Do you have a performance name?

Sir Matthew, the Duke of Windsor. It used to be the Prince of Windsor but that was too hoity-toity so we changed it to Duke.

What are some differences and similarities between you and Sir Matthew?

Sir Matthew is much, much more impressive. Regular Matthew is just a kind of a laid-back guy. When I walk around here as Sir Matthew, there’s a lot of bravado and your chest is swelled, you’re swaggering around. You’re a knight, a fairly important person. And I’m not like that at all.

(more…)

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Sada Jacobson is an Olympic saber fencer from Dunwoody. In 2004, she won a bronze medal in the Summer Olympics and hopes to win gold this year. She and her sister Emily, also a champion fencer, are members of the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

“It’s very difficult to be a professional fencer in the U.S. Most of the pros are from Europe. It’s a more popular sport there.”

“I started fencing when I was 15. 15 is old to start fencing. At our club [in Midtown] we start them when they’re big enough to hold the mask.”

“Originally, fencing was training for sword fighting. The target area is from the waist up. It comes from cavalry. [In cavalry sword fights] you had to attack your opponent without wounding the horse.”

“Fencing is safe. The sabers aren’t sharp. Punctures are rare. The most common injuries are the repetitive stress injuries you get in all sports.

“I’ve never been in an actual physical confrontation. I don’t think I would fare well.”

“You’re trying to symbolically kill the person in front of you. You have to be very centered and calm, but also aggressive. That’s hard to achieve.”

On Tetanus shots: “I actually need to get one.”

The most common response when she tells people she’s a fencer: “1. They do air-poking at me. 100% of the time they do that. 2. They say ‘Whoa, I wouldn’t want to mess with her. She’s dangerous.’ I’ve heard it a million times.”

“It’s a real sport. It’s not a desire to live out a fantasy.”

“I like to make drinks with the little swords in them. I’ve made kabobs once. “

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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(Photo by Joeff Davis)

Decatur attorney Tom Stubbs represents plaintiffs in consumer law and personal injury cases, and defendants in criminal cases. He’s running to be a Dekalb County Superior Court Judge.

How is running for judge different than running for other offices?

You can’t promise anyone anything except that you’ll be fair and decent to them.

Also, when you challenge an incumbent judge, it’s dangerous to the financial health of people who are often in [the incumbent’s] court to help you. I have a lot of lawyers helping me behind the scenes. A judge’s discretion is enormous, so there are reasonable concerns folks would have [about openly supporting me].

Do you have a gavel?

I do have a gavel, from some of the organizations I’ve chaired.

Do you practice judging with it at home in front of a mirror?

I have three children and don’t have the chance to make a fool of myself like that at home.

What is Superior Court?

It’s the highest trial court in the county. It can hear every case. It’s the only place you can go for family law and felonies. It’s the only place you go for injunctive relief, for example if you want to stop a developer from building something.

You wear a name tag telling people you’re a candidate for judge. You also have a magnet on your car saying so. How often do people come up to you because of those?

Fairly often. A lot of people don’t know you can run for judge.

Do they come up to you at inopportune times, like if you’re at a store buying toilet paper? (more…)

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Amanda Araim and her husband, Yasir, run Nottingham Shire and Carriage for Hire, a horse-drawn carriage tour company headquartered near downtown.

“I always wanted unicorns as a kid, and this was the next best thing.”

The horses choose their own time off, usually every three or four days. “They like to work. If they don’t want to go to work, they don’t let you catch them. They’re not stupid.”

Yasir says a carriage ride’s leisurely pace isn’t usually a problem on the various city-approved roads. “Cars pretty much just zip around us.”

When a homeless man recently jumped onto a horse’s back on its route downtown, the horse kicked him off. “I’m sure he did [get hurt], but he got up and ran away.”

One of their horses was videotaped running loose during the tornado in March. “[She] broke free, ran two blocks where she was out of the way of the wind and debris … then just started following her regular route and her normal pace.”

Customers often request rides to the nearby World of Coke and Georgia Aquarium, which are off-limits to horse-drawn carriages. If customers want to leave the city-approved routes, they have to pay for a police escort.

The horses wear bags to catch their dung, and while Amanda says there are sometimes “blowouts,” drivers bring dustpans and brooms to clean up when that happens.

The company is located underneath occasionally loud MARTA tracks and the horses navigate busy downtown streets, but Amanda says noise doesn’t faze them. “It’s things on the road, like objects or new paving, that bothers them. They’re real careful where they put their feet.”

Amanda also breeds horses, some of which she sells on the company’s website. She has mostly sturdy Shire draft horses, which were selectively bred and widely used for pulling weight before the Industrial Revolution.

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(Photo by Joeff Davis)

Theodore Mortin, 74, is a volunteer water aerobics instructor for senior citizens at Atlanta’s East Lake YMCA.

“When I moved to Atlanta in 1995, a lady friend asked me to come with her to the YMCA. I took the water aerobics class, but they didn’t have a consistent teacher. I volunteered to fill-in when needed and have been a teacher for six years.”

“[Water aerobics] helps with arthritis, cardiovascular strength and stroke patients. The water loosens up the limbs, hips and knees.”

“A lady who had a stroke called me to let me know that for the first time in years she was able to walk up the steps at her daughters house without any problems. She was so excited.”

On being called Mr. Ted: “I introduced myself at Ted Mortin, but people just started calling me Mr. Ted. It’s even [Mr. Ted] on the schedule for classes [now].

His other nickname: “I’ve been called Teddy Bear by some of the ladies in the class.”

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(Photo by Joeff Davis)

Mike Van Houten, 39, has been running Oxford Comics since he was 13 years old, originally as part of the beloved (and sadly, defunct) Oxford Books. The store’s busiest day of the year is Free Comic Book Day, held this year May 3.

What’s Free Comic Book Day like?

It’s a carnival atmosphere. People come in costume, and we have artists signing their comics and doing sketches for kids all day. It’s grown each year and brings people from all over. It’s our biggest day of the year.

I’ve got 5,000 comics from each of the 20 publishers waiting in boxes that we’re gong to give away. All the major publishers sent at least two titles, one for a general audience and one for children.

When did Oxford Comics begin?

Oxford Comics grew out of the old Oxford Bookstore. It started in 1980 when I was 13 years old. [Oxford Books owner] Rupert LeCraw was a very open-minded man, and he was impressed that a 13 year-old wanted to open a comic shop in his store, so he said, ‘Go ahead, give it a try.’ I did it all through high school and college, and when I graduated from college, the business had expanded enough that I could do it for a living. Due to various factors, Oxford Bookstore had to close, and I combined the three shops into a standalone comics superstore on Piedmont Road in 1996. Based on our square footage and number of titles, we’re one of the largest comic shops in the nation.

Are there any misconceptions about people who shop at comic book stores?

A big change in the last five years has been a huge increase in the number of girls and women. (more…)

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