Category: Module 2

Transcript: Ort Carlton

Me: How long have you been involved in the music scene in Athens?

Ort: Since Athens began, or since I began. I was born here and I remember quite a few people who made records in the 60s, 70s, and even some 50s rockabilly stuff. There was a rockabilly label in Athens that turned out some pretty decent records. Both of them are quite collectible and hard to find because they were very geographically-site specific. 

Me: What have you seen in terms of when things come and go in Athens, how that has affected the music scene?

Ort: The music scene originally didn’t even begin in bars. It began in parties at people’s houses and this was in the era when beer was currency. You’d buy beer on Saturday because some friend of yours would forget to buy and there wouldn’t be any on Sunday. There were an awful lot of bands that were very informal. It would be whoever would show up. They didn’t always have a name. Or, if they had a name, it would generally change rather frequently. One of the first house-party bands that kept its name was the B-52s. I’ve talked to a lot of people over the years about them, but I still remember the tourists who came all the way here from Finland and wanted to know where the Love Shack was. I told them it was a fictitious location and they looked at each other, and the guy goes, “All of this distance, for nothing!” 

Then the first thing that happened, the first bar that played music regularly was Tyrone’s O.C., which was a place that had been the Chameleon. It was ‘O.C.’ for Old Chameleon. They had a performance room, but they showed pictures in it. They never did very much in terms of business, so when the owner was approached with the idea of letting a band come in once a week, he decided it couldn’t hurt anything. 

Me: Did it help business?

Ort: Oh, heavens yes! He had to shoe-horn people into the place. He had to keep door people at two doors and guard the porch out back so that people couldn’t come and go off of that because the age was 21. I remember the night that Pylon played there for the first time. They never even thought to charge cover. Oliver [the owner] told them he would pay them a portion of the bar tab if it were more than usual. He said if it went over the usual amount, he would give them a percentage of that. Other than that, they were playing for nothing and beer. They walked out of there with 120 dollars. It was incredible. They had no conception. Vanessa [Briscoe Hay] would remember just exactly how much to the penny. But, uh, to say it worked would be an understatement. 

Me: When did cover charges become a thing?

Ort: That first Pylon show didn’t have a cover, but after that they got the idea to charge 50 cents and then a dollar. 

Me: What first interested you in the music scene? A love for music?

Ort: I just enjoyed being a part of it. I knew all of the people. It made me think of Fred Schneider [B-52s] going, “I never thought I’d make a living doing something that was play.” I’m still in touch with Fred. I’m still in touch with a lot of people. I’ve kept in touch with them. Now, after Pylon came Kathleen O’Brien’s birthday party and I think that the three bands that began that night were the Side Effects, the Turtle Bay Band and the Twisted Kites, which was R.E.M. 

Talk about visionary artists who did not have any immediate thing that you can call to mind as an influence! REM did not have any straight off the top influences. It was a bunch of stuff put together, but it’s fitting. Self-taught maniacs. I’ve been a self-taught maniac since 1918 and I wasn’t even born then. 

Me: After playing in bars and doing covers, what was the next direction the music scene took?

Ort: The biggest thing that happened was it reached a point where people began taking it too seriously. They would have press kits and all of that stuff. I mean, none of the early Athens bands had a press kit. I mean, a press kit? They would have asked, “What’s a press kit?” People heard about other band’s gigs by word of mouth. It was sort of like… when I lived in Richmond in 1979, there was an AM Progressive Radio Station that changed my life. It was the most incredible commercial radio station I’ve ever heard. It was WGOE Progressive Radio Richmond. They used to say things like, “Others claim it, we do it, that settles it.” And it’s true, they did. They were known for taking records they were mailed and slapping them on the air right out of the envelope. Well, when the Pylon 45 came out, it would have been in early 1980, Vanessa asked me if there was anyone they should send a copy to and I said, “Yes. Send one to WGOE.” I got them an address and they put a copy in the mail. Before they mailed it, I wrote a note and put it in the single that said: “Dear WGOE, This record is really great. Play it. Love you, Ort.” They threw it straight on the air. They mentioned me and said, “If Ort says it’s good, its good.” They played both sides of it and the next time the reporter sheet came out to radio stations, it said: WGOE Richmond Virginia and it was additions to the heavy play bin. Pylon 45 ‘Cool Dub’ was there. When REM went to New York a few weeks later, they picked up WGOE in South Virginia and got about halfway to Petersburg when they heard Cool by Pylon. Of course, it made their whole trip. On the way back, fittingly-enough, they heard them play Dub. They weren’t there anymore when REM released their single, but they did something a little more… dangerous. They sent a copy to the NYT. Well, two people went to review it and didn’t like it, so they put it back in the file. Not their cup of tea. They gave it then to someone who really knew what he was doing. A guy reviewed it and gave them a glowing review and when they played at CBGB, he came backstage and got to meet them. He was 82. He knew what was good. 

So, anyway, when it went to the next phase, people started taking it too seriously and they had their little press kits and their whole ‘gimme-some-attention’ kind of thing…this guy would come and he would draw all over the sidewalk and his band was horrid. Absolutely horrid. I wrote a not too good review of them for Flagpole. He wrote in and said I was old so I didn’t understand their music. Well, we sent one of our interns out. She was really young. She went out to hear them and wrote several column inches of pure vitriol about them. They were horrible. They didn’t have anything to recommend to other people. That’s where it went in Athens. Just a whole bunch of egos. 

Me: Is it in that phase now?

Ort: No, not really because people now play music because they love music and don’t give a tinker’s damn whether they make a fortune doing it or not. They pay back the people who put up the money for the instruments, but they know it’s important to have fun or it’s not worth anything. Music shouldn’t be a business, it should be pleasure. It should be fun. I’m not a big fan of bands who do it as a business and I think that’s one reason that REM hung it up. It was becoming too much of a business. And I think that’s why the B-52s got rid of their manager. That was an interesting and almost unparalleled story. They fired him. People said they would never find anyone else to manage them. When they caught wind of that, one of the members of the band said, “Then, we’ll manage ourselves.” And they didn’t have to do that because someone else in management had a band of his retire and he had room for one more in his stable, but he’s been managing them since, I think. It’s nice when you can get along with your manager and you don’t have to bring bludgeons tucked away behind your back. 

Me: Who is your favorite person that you’ve met through this scene?

Ort: That person was Jimmy Ellison. He wrote for The Red & Black under the name J. Eddy Ellison. He was, at one time, married to Vanessa of Pylon. Jimmy was, or he described himself as, the second worst bass player in the world. He didn’t care who  the first was. He didn’t care. He knew there had to be one worse. He reviewed bands and worked as an insider. He never believed in the ‘it’s us versus them syndrome.’ He was constantly encouraging other people. That was one of the biggest things he was more than guilty of. He was a lovable, eccentric, frustrating individual who ended up dying of a brain tumor. It is really a tragic story in Athens. He was loved and one of the best friends that I have ever had. He played bass for a group called the Side Effects. They had an EP that didn’t do them justice because they had a song that was throw all abandon out the window-ish and it was called, “I Always Used to Watch Her.” Kit Swartz wasn’t much of a singer, but he didn’t have to be. I don’t remember all of the lyrics, but it sings itself. That was their most requested song. You can hear Jimmy thumping away on bass on that.  

After that, considerably after that, I had a very wonderful lady friend. She and I used to go see bands together and she became quite a visible part of Athens. She was very shy before she met me and didn’t go out, but I coaxed her out of her shell. She was beautiful and had beautiful hair. She wanted to grow it down to the floor. I used to brush it. She loved it. She’d purr herself to sleep when I brushed her hair. Then, I’d have to wake her back up. I miss her very much. Her name was Melissa Williams. She was the best friend that I ever had. A lot of other people in Athens loved her very much too. She turned me on to the Indigo Girls because she had seen them while she was going to school at Emory. And, as a result, I found a copy of the 1st Indigo Girls EP, the one that has never been reissued. I found it in a thrift store and grabbed it and now I think I have four or five or maybe even six of them. I also have the Kilkenny Cats, Little Tigers, The Plague, even more. A lot of us have them. They’re around. I’ve got the B-52s first single. My copy belonged to Debbie Hydell when she decided she didn’t want it anymore. Debbie Hydell always painted her toenails. She painted one primary colors and the other secondary colors. And she never wore sandals. I only knew it because she had a rock in her shoe one day.

Danny Beard is one of the people who gave us the music scene in this town because he started DB Records in Atlanta out of Wax N Facts record store in Atlanta and recorded a number of Athens groups. He record the B-52s, Pylon, the Side Effects and several other Athens acts. For the longest time, all of it was still available, but he has had a cash flow problem and hasn’t repressed. He said he’s waiting to win the lottery so he can put everything back in print. He and his partners are still working together after 38 years.

Me: Has a lot changed since then?

Ort: Not a lot in Athens has, except that Tyrone’s burned down and you had to have another venue. And, at that time, the drummer of Pylon had a loft apartment on the third floor of the building that houses The Grille. It has a bathroom and all of the feelings of a home and with a restaurant downstairs, it had hot water. So, he had Pylon play their once. Because it was illuminated by one 40 Watt light bulb, he called it the 40 Watt Club. It wasn’t a club. But Paul Scales, who owned the sandwich shop across the street, wasn’t doing anything with his upstairs lounge. Oddly enough, it was the crow’s nest. He allowed bands to go over there. He had to buy timbers and wedge them into the floor of the building to keep the floor from collapsing. There was only one entrance and one exit, and the owner of the building wouldn’t install other entrances or exits, so it’s existence was really legally iffy. The fire marshal hit the ceiling when he saw it. They had to make changes. The landlord wouldn’t make changes, so they found a vacant place at 256 West Clayton Street. They moved down their and opened the 40 Watt Club as a club. It was honestly a club for the first time. Ultimately, though, the club outgrew the space. There was a bar in an old, what had been when I was a kid, grocery store at 382 East Broad Street. It had been Smoke’s, run by a guy named Frazier. They took that space area. A guy named Doug Houst then came into the fray. He ran it for a while and I don’t remember just what happened, but Barry Buck got in on it and moved the place to the old thrift store on West Washington where it remains. It did move back to 256 West Clayton that is now the Caledonia Lounge for a while before moving back.

Me: On top of some of the places where bars and clubs used to be, there are now Starbucks and stuff like that. How has that affected the scene?

Ort: Hasn’t really affected it at all. I’ve about quit going out. I still have decent hearing and I intend to keep it that way.

Me: How would you say that beer has changed in that time? (He has told me in the past that he likes beer as much as he likes music)

Ort: Let’s go back to the night of REM, to Kathleen’s birthday party. When REM played, they weren’t so much good as they were magic. They were magic. I had never heard anything like that. Kurt Wood was the designated driver that night. He does record sales twice a year and is one of the major reasons there is a music scene in this town. He’s a real good guy. We’ve been friends for over 38 years. I digress. He was our DD in the Volvo. He was the least drunk of all us and I said to him, “Hey, Kurt, if they can maintain the momentum and keep writing material this good, REM is gonna be as big as The Beatles when they learn to play their instruments.” That only happened to me one other time. I lived in Nashville for a while and I got tired of hanging around there, so I got in the car and went to Bowling Green, Kentucky. For no reason other than to go somewhere. I found the record store in the mall and made friends with a woman who worked there. She told him about a band that would be playing at Michael’s Pub. So, I went. I paid cover, walked in. One of the members wasn’t there yet. Or later. Or later. They had everything set up and he wasn’t there yet. Everything was ready except for him. Finally, he comes leaping through the door and apologizing for getting lost. The bass player looks at him and says, “You better be glad you got here quick.” Laying it on thick, pointing to me he says, “This guy has come all the way here from Athens, Georgia just to hear us.” He knew it wasn’t the truth, but it was the fire they needed. They put one one helluva show that night. It wasn’t so much good, again, as it was magic. I came back down here and told the people at REM about them and they were familiar with them through the grapevine. The guy who ran IRS records was very interested in them. But they signed with somebody else. They release 3 records and were the darlings of Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green and Nashville. They’re still together. They’re still playing. All the original staff, same members, same roadie. It’s still magic. They’re still writing new songs.

Me: What do you think makes you such a target for music? How do you meet all of these people?

Ort: Don’t believe the hype!

First Interview- Fashion & Lifestyle Beat

Adrienne Nettles is a makeup artist and hairstylist in Atlanta who I conducted my first interview with. She’s styled models in some Atlanta fashion shows and photoshoots. She does freelance work; works at the Red Carpet Salon and Spa, and is in her last year at the Aveda Institute in Atlanta.

Me: [So first, tell me your first and last name, where you’re from, and where you live now]
Adrienne: I’m Adrienne Nettles .I’m from McDonaugh, GA. I’m 25 years old. I live in Atlanta.
Me: [What school are you enrolled in?]
Adrienne: The Aveda Institute of Atlanta
Me: Have you worked as a stylist before this? What made you want to enroll in Aveda to get your certificate?
Adrienne: Actually I started doing makeup when I was in highschool, after working for Sephora, I decided to go to school to get my certificate in hair because they go hand in hand. I thought it would just help my business.
Me: I believe you said previously you were able to work on fashion shoots or been involved in the fashion scene in Atlanta?
Adrienne: The director [of her most recent fashion show] came looking for stylists from Aveda. I had to style the models in the way the director specifically wanted — the natural look. A lot of people want that look these days. You know the big bright eyed and natural face and lots of glow. I did two shoots. One was very casual, there was one that was high fashion. The high fashion one involved a lot of crazy makeup, that was really fun.
Me: [Do you have a preference of which of the two you’d prefer? Like what’s your style? Do you have a very different fashion sense in the day-to-day then what you like working on? Or are those two things similar?]
Adrienne: I actually like to do dramatic makeup. More than I like natural — I mean that does bring out your inner beauty. But the more dramatic makeup brings out more of your personality and people can see, “Oh wow, she must be really fun to wear all that makeup, ya know?” It makes people smile. It’s more fun to do.
Me: Speaking of wild makeup, you were at the Imagine Festival in Atlanta this past weekend, right?
Adrienne: Mhm. Yes
Me: What was some of the craziest or stand out trends this year? What did you like? What did you not like?
Adrienne: The craziest things were the pasties. People wear something on top of them but you know, very see through, crop tops, aliens, holographic pictures…it’s really out there. I’d say the worst would be — the guys in choo choos. That would be the worst. It’s really funny to look at though.
Me: [It’s weird how- I think you’re more familiar with this scene but — it’s weird how raves have their own little subculture, isn’t it?]
Adrienne: I think for the EDM culture- it’s mainly neon colors, very accessorized. But mostly people dress in colors– just at this very moment, people are very go with the flow. EDM in general, has so many subcultures, that you can pick any genre. They have country influences and hip hop influences.
Me: It seems that the fashion and the music are very intertwined in those ways, don’t you think?
Adrienne: Mhm, definitely.
Me: Changing the subject a little, I know you’ve traveled a bit, from like Atlanta to NYC — how do you think the fashion scene — including makeup and hair — how do you think the scene is different, Atlanta’s scene is different versus NYC?
Adrienne: I think Atlanta is more open to more body types. I think in NYC you see more slender people. I think in Atlanta, they wear what they’d like to. I think in NYC, larger people dress more for what makes [other peoples eyes] comfortable. But women in Atlanta, they’re very carefree. Crazy hair in Atlanta. You’ll see piles and piles of extensions in Atlanta. And it’s not just African-Americans, it’s all kinds of people. That you see rocking these crazy hairstyles. I’d say, we’re the national hair capital of the world.
Me: So [Atlanta’s] a much more diverse fashion scene? It’s not like New York, where it’s like monochrome skinny models?
Adrienne: Yeah.
Me: What are your goals? Do you want to stay in Atlanta for your career or go someplace else?
Adrienne: I want to stay in Atlanta. Everyone’s moving here. Why would I want to leave Atlanta when everyone’s coming to this place that could be as incredible as NYC.

Transcript: Marathon Runner Talia Levine

Sandra McGill: If you would, please tell me your name and your title.

Talia Levine: Talia Levine, and I am a graduate assistant at the National Park Service. Is that the title you wanted?

SM: Sure! That’s fine.

TL: Okay.

SM: And you’re a second-year master’s student?

TL: I’m a first-year master’s student at the Odum School of Ecology.

SM: Okay. And how do I spell your name?

TL: T-A-L-I-A, and last name is Levine: L-E-V-I-N-E.

SM: Excellent. And you are running a marathon. Would you tell me about that?

TL: Yes. I am running the New York Marathon on November 6, and I’ve never run a marathon before. I’ve done half-marathons. I’m actually doing this one because my mother passed away just under two years ago, and had a very sudden heart attack. She was very healthy, and [this was] unexpected. So I am running with the American Heart Association team and fund raising for them, so that’s why I decided to run it.

SM: Excellent. And did you run half-marathons at all before she passed away?

TL: Yes. So I’ve been running—I’ve been doing races for the last 10 years. I did my first half-marathon 10 years ago. So I’ve done—I guess I’ve run about five or six half-marathons, but never a full.

SM: Okay. And what inspired you to initially start running?

TL: Um … that’s a good question. I think part—well, I think I started, you know, for weight loss and probably to get in shape—a lot of what initially motivates people. But I think I have kept doing it because it’s good for one’s sanity. (laughs)

SM: So first for weight; now for sanity.

TL: Yes. (laughs)

SM: Wow; neat. Tell me your training schedule.

TL: So right now I run three kind of shorter to moderate runs throughout the week, and then a long run on the weekend. And it kind of ramps up each week, so this past weekend I ran 10 on Saturday, and this upcoming weekend I’ll have to run 12.

SM: Miles or kilometers?

TL: Miles.

SM: Okay.

TL: And I’m trying to remember—I think—well, nevermind: I’m not going to say that because I don’t know if it’s accurate. But that’s about what the schedule is. And then you have another day or two where you can throw in some cross-training, if you want to do walking or swimming or biking or something, if you’re not exhausted, which generally I am. (laughs)

SM: And how long are your short runs, generally?

TL: Right now they are five and six miles.

SM: And at what time of day do you run those?

TL: It depends on my schedule with school, but anywhere from—um—sometimes, you know, seven in the morning; five in the morning, sometimes nine or 10 at night—it just depends on when I can get it in. So I don’t have a very patterned schedule! (laughs)

SM: Cool beans. What inspired you to run a full marathon this time?

TL: I think it’s been on my bucket list; I just wanted to see if I could do it. When I first started running halfs, I didn’t think that I could run a half. I just learned that, like anything else, you just have to work at it and train, and if you dedicate yourself to it, you can accomplish it. So I’ve wanted to kind of test myself with the full to see if I can do that without dying! (laughs) That’s my main goal.

SM: What do you expect?

TL: Uh, potentially to die! (laughs) I expect I’m going to—I’m prepared to walk/run, so I don’t think—it’s been a while since I’ve run. So this is really just to kind of get back into it. So I hope to finish: that is my goal, just to finish and try to enjoy [it]. [I’ll] get to run through the five villas of New York, so I’ll try to enjoy the experience and not be too hard on myself. So that is my expectation: just to walk across that finish line, or run. I guess run would be better. (laughs)

SM: And why did you choose one so far away?

TL: Um, I think just because it’s an iconic race. And I wanted something I would be excited about to motivate me to train for it and do it.

SM: Awesome. Tell me about the American Heart Association. Why are you specifically running for them?

TL: So I have lost two family members to heart-related conditions: my grandmother died when she was—when I was a baby—from a stroke, very suddenly, and then my mom of a heart attack. So, um, just kind of seeing how people’s lives can change somewhat dramatically: even when you think someone’s healthy and, you know, skinny and exercises and eats right, there are still underlying conditions that people can have. So I wanted to support their research and their health outreach programs to hopefully prevent that from happening in other people’s lives.

SM: And how have you found running and training is fitting in with your own health?

TL: I think it’s been really good. I think, you know—I’m sure you can relate: having started grad school, I probably would not be exercising right now if I were not, you know, afraid that I would be embarrassed (laughs) in three months’ time by not being able to finish the race. So I think it’s been a good motivator for me, and I find that when I have a schedule like that, that I’m a lot more likely to stick to it than when left to my own devices.

SM: Did you run for any charitable causes before your mom passed?

TL: This is—no. I mean, I think I’ve done races in the past that have supported charitable causes, but this is the first time I’ve kind of taken on fundraising as part of a racing experience.

SM: And I know your mom passed away two years ago, you said. Why wait until now?

TL: I was going to—so, it happened in December of 2014. I was actually supposed to run last year, [but] I hurt myself and couldn’t do it. So I deferred until this year, and I’m running with a team this year. So I’ve actually kind of been fundraising for two years! (laughs)

SM: Tell me about the fundraising aspect.

TL: So you have to raise $3,500 to run, and last year I raised $6,500! This year has not been as profitable, because I think most people donated last year. But luckily I don’t have a level I have to achieve this year; they’re letting me run because I already did my fundraising. But I’m still trying, and techniques I’m using—aside from peer pressure—are I have a dog who likes to sing. So every time someone donates, she and I sing a song together and post it to the person’s Facebook wall. (laughs) And I’ve even thought about trying to record something to send to Ellen DeGeneres, to see if she would feature it and maybe some. So that is in the works in the next couple of months. (laughs)

SM: That’s hilarious. That is very funny!

TL: You gotta get creative, you know?! [There are a lot of] people with a lot of causes. You have to do something to stand out a little.

SM: What are your other techniques for raising funds?

TL: Um, you know, the first time was really easy because there were a lot of people who really loved my mom, so I [reached out] to a lot of her friends and family members. Facebook has—I’m not a huge social-media person, but Facebook was definitely, you know, paramount in helping me to achieve that goal and kind of getting the message out. Honestly, it really was pretty easy last year because of that. This year I’m having more trouble and am needing to get a little more creative. I’m a group fitness instructor, and I’ve taught yoga in the past, so I’ve thought about maybe trying to organize some classes for donation, or things like that toward the end of things. If I’m not kind of at the level where I want to be, to see if I can maybe boost my donations generated a little bit.

SM: Is that because you don’t want to ask the same people again?

TL: Yeah—I mean, you know. People were pretty generous in their donations last year, and I know that people have a lot of things going on. So I’ll probably email some of the people who didn’t donate last year, who maybe, you know, might be interested in doing it this year. But I don’t like pressuring people too much. I want to make them feel like there’s something in it for them.

SM: You mentioned [the race benefits] the American Heart Association. Why that particular vascular association as opposed to another one that also does vascular research?

TL: Hmm; that’s a good question. I think they’re just kind of the primary one that comes to mind. I’ve been CPR certified and AED certified through them for many years. So I think people just kind of respect that organization, and think that they make a huge impact in people’s lives. So I guess they were kind of the first that came to mind, and since they do stroke and heart disease and heart attack, it seemed like it fit my situation well.

SM: Do you happen to know how much of the funds that are raised go toward research and that kind of thing, as opposed to operational expenses?

TL: That’s a good question. They send us emails about how they are going to use the funds, and they did send a communication out recently about (searches her phone for the email)—oh, I’m not going to be able to find it. But they sent something out about how much it takes for certain preventive education [and] things like that. I should have a better answer to that, and I don’t. but I can certainly follow up with you about that later.

SM: If you find that email, would you send it to me?

TL: Sure.

SM: My email address is sandralmcgill@gmail.com. Thank you!

TL: Sure. I’ll try to find that tonight.

SM: How long have you been training for this particular marathon?

TL: This one, I’ve been seriously [training] for about six weeks, and I’ve got about ten weeks to go. So I was kind of running a little bit off and on before that, but my schedule is a 16-week training schedule.

SM: What would you like people to know?

TL: I think that you can never judge a book by its cover, in a lot of different ways. My mom was someone who—she and I did not really resemble one another in body: she was very—she used to always tell me that she could never gain weight. That was her problem growing up, which I’ve never experienced! (laughs) But she also, you know, didn’t really—because of that—didn’t go to the doctor very much. She just always kind of assumed that she was in good health. I think that you can lead a very healthy lifestyle and [bad] things can still happen, so I think it’s good to get checked out and kind of stay on top of that. I think the flip side of that is, you know, I think a lot of people would look at me and probably think, “Oh, you’re going to run 13 miles?” Or “You’re going to run 26 miles?” and probably assume that’s not necessarily something I can do based on my body [type] (she is a bit heavy set), but I think that you kind of never know what people have going on, what kinds of hobbies they’re into, and what types of things they devote themselves to in life. I guess that would be my primary takeaway.

SM: What would you like people to do?

TL: I guess maybe two things. One would be to find something that you’re passionate about and support it in the way that you can, in the way that feels authentic to you, I guess. And then I think one really powerful lesson—a kind of takeaway for me from running—has been that, I don’t know that it’s true that you can do anything you set your mind to, because I know that there are places where you’ll have more natural skill. But I think that running is a good example of something where just showing up and being consistent, you notice that you get better. So I think that’s kind of 99 percent of life, they say, is showing up and trying. So if there’s something that you want to do and you want to try, try it, and even if it doesn’t go well the first time, continuing to show up and continuing to do it and looking at it six weeks, six months down the line, and kind of seeing where you are. And then if you’re terrible at it, you can quit! (laughs) But at least try it for about six months to a year before quitting. That’s my message! (laughs)

SM: What other health benefits have you noticed as a runner?

TL: I think, just, definitely reduced stress. I think it helps to manage times in your life where you know, you’re busy; you have emotional things going on; or whatever the case may be. I think it’s kind of cheap therapy. I think just feeling like I can keep up with my two-year-old nephew better when I’m running after him, and I think I just have a better quality of life when I’m running because I feel more energetic. I feel like I can go out and do things and have better energy when I’m doing it.

SM: What have I not asked that you’d like people to know?

TL: Well, I’d like them to know that if they’d like to donate to my campaign (laughs), I am happy to provide that information! (laughs) If you’d like to advertise that to UGA!

SM: Thanks so much! Is there anything else you’d like to add?

TL: No. Thank you for the interview; I appreciate it!

SM: You’re welcome!

Business/Downtown Interview

I did an interview with a local pharmacist named Joe Smith at Horton’s Drugs. Horton’s Drugs is a locally owned pharmacy in downtown Athens. In the business world, there has been a price hike in Epipens, a life-saving injector used for those with severe allergies. I worked on localizing the story for the Red&Black and did an interview with a pharmacist downtown.

 

me: Hi. I just want to know about Epipens. I read recently that Epipens are getting quite expensive. Over the last decade, people have seen a 400 percent price increase. I was wondering, since you’re a pharmacist, if you could comment on that.

Smith: We’ve seen people who have gone away empty handed because they couldn’t afford them, and that’s unusual with medicine. There’s nothing else in that segment. There was another pen called…are you familiar with that?

me: yeah, there’s a second producer but there was something wrong with the mechanism so they dropped out of the market.

Smith: It didn’t work right so, so yeah it’s been very disappointing. What other kinds of things are you looking for?

me: Actually, something like that. Could you tell me about the alternatives? I heard epinephrine itself is not very expensive.

Smith: It’s not. It’s getting it in a sterile formulation that you can eject.

me: So is there an alternative?

Smith: Well certainly you can get a vial of it and draw it up and inject it yourself but that wouldn’t be useful if you’re going into anaphalactic shock. You need something that’s easy to carry around and easy for a stranger to use.

me: So it’s not like you could not have an Epipen and just wait to call an ambulance?

Smith: No no. It certainly isn’t. I’d say that any patient that’s allergic to bee stings with insurance that doesn’t cover the Epipen is in danger by these high prices.

me: Are insurances not required to cover Epipens?

Smith: Well they are. And so there was an alternative for a little bit, Auvi-Q, the one with the mechanism that didn’t work…the manufacturer gave out coupons because they thought it was important to keep their prices more affordable with a competitor on the market. But since the recall occurred, they haven’t given out any coupons. Insurances just need to cover one of them, and a lot of them just cover Auvi-Q even though they’re off the market now.

me: Okay

Smith: Inspite of insurance reform, not everyone has insurance. There are people who come in, can’t afford it, and so they walk away.

me: wow. So currently there are no coupons that they can use?

Smith: Not unless they have one of the old ones.

me: Okay. At this current time, in Athens, about how much does an Epipen cost? I looked online and some of them are like $600-$800.

Smith: Well, um. You know, we’re an independent pharmacy so our prices are set locally. They’re based on what we paid our distributor. Which is what they pay their manufacturer. So our prices are a little bit different from other pharmacies. We are able to sell them for close to $300.

me: really? So Horton’s sells them for like $300, but CVS is selling them for $600, $700?

Smith: That’s right.

me: So is it Mylan that’s doing this? Or is this the pharmacy? Because you’d expect them to have lower prices because they’re buying them in bulk.

Smith: Well, they’re selling them in bulk too. If someone is already steered toward CVS by their insurance or they’re out of town and don’t know where to go, then they’re gonna buy the Epipen from that store. CVS has a huge marketing…I don’t want to say scam, but CVS has a huge marketing budget and that marketing is paid for by drugs like Epipens that are being sold for twice as much as we’re selling them for.

First Interview

Interview with Liz Best, Fashion Blogger and Stylist

Me: Hey Liz! Thanks for making time to talk with me. I really appreciate your help.

Liz: No worries! I remember how hard it is to nail down interviews; I’m glad to help.

Me: So what have you been up to since you left Grady?

Liz: Well, you remember I left when I started getting styling jobs for Atlanta Magazine and whatnot. I had felt like I needed a master’s to sort of prove myself, but when I started getting jobs it seemed smarter to walk away. Sometimes you have to just jump at an opportunity. But since then I’m still styling. I try to update my blog at least every other week or so, and I’ve had images of my styling (sometimes on me, sometimes not) on the New York Times site, The Huffington Post, and Refinery29.

Me: It seems like it’s really working out for you!

Liz: So far so good, yeah.

Me: Well, I always enjoy seeing your posts on Facebook and whatnot. I have what you might call kind of a casual interest in fashion. I know what I like and what I think looks good on myself or friends, and I always click through the fashion albums posted during the Oscars and stuff. I know the September issue of Vogue is always a big one. I know some things, but I’m by no means an expert. So when I was assigned this beat on fashion and lifestyle, I immediately thought of contacting you as a first step.

Liz (laughs): Totally! So what did you want to know, specifically?

Me: I guess I’d like to know where to start. What do you, as a fashion blogger and stylist, see as big trends or topics in the fashion world right now? What should I be reading? Are there stories that you think should be covered but aren’t really getting covered? Do you have any ideas on how to localize stories on what’s happening in bigger cities? Any words of wisdom appreciated.

Liz: Ok, that’s a lot—

Me: I know, sorry—

Liz: No, it’s cool. I’ll do my best. First I’d recommend you look more at Vogue, because that’s going to be different than a magazine like Cosmo or something. You know, more actual writing, less clickbait on paper. You’ll see stories about what’s coming for fall, new designers and all that, and maybe some of those could be localized somehow. Like, do you see trends for fall reflected in what girls are wearing in Athens. Still on the whole what to read thing, I’d also recommend Atlanta Magazine, because that’s more local and has a good fashion section. You might get ideas about upcoming events you could write about or something, and then that could maybe be a place you could pitch or publish a story. I’ve worked with them a few times now, I’ll have to send you some contact information later.

Me: That would be great!

Liz: No problem! As far as story ideas go, I think the whole “sorority girls in workout clothes and what is appropriate on campus” has probably been done too much, but I could be wrong. But I do like stories about fashion that really show how much what we wear matters in our lives, in how people perceive us or how we perceive ourselves. I think maybe you could do something interesting relating to the whole burkini ban thing, have you heard about that?

Me: In France? Yes.

Liz: Yeah, exactly. There’s definitely a Muslim population at UGA, I wonder if you could do a piece relating to religiously-inspired fashion choices. Like, that would be timely with the burkini ban being in the news right now.

Me: That’s a really great idea.

Liz: Glad you like it! And then the last thing I can really think of at the moment would be that it could be cool to do a photo series of fashion in Athens. I feel like when you’re sitting outside a café or something you see a lot of people in workout clothes or whatever, but also some people who have made these really interesting and creative styles work for them. I think a cool photo series could be made just of people you see downtown in an afternoon, get a statement about what they’re wearing means to them. I don’t know if that would work for your assignment. I just want someone to do it.

Me (laughs): Downtown really is its own little fashion parade. I don’t know if I’d be able to do that as an assignment, but even if that didn’t work out for class purposes maybe that’s something I could do just for my own portfolio.

Liz: Yeah, I saw you’ve kept working on your site!

Me: I’m trying! I think this class is really going to help with that, actually. I’ve done more in the last week or so with it than I have in a while, which is good. Anyway. I don’t want to take up too much of your time, but I do want to thank you for all of your insight, and one last  thing I always ask people is “Is there anything else you’d like to say that I didn’t give you space to say? Anything I should have asked you?”

Liz: Hm. I guess I would say, and it’s just something I think about sometimes, is that it’s really hard to make fashion both art and like…relatable? You know? Like, you have all these ritzy articles by Vogue and stuff talking about how so-and-so’s Fall collection is reminiscent of so-and-so other designer back in whatever time, and there’s an audience for that, just like there’s an audience for the NYT book review. It’s art critique. But there’s also an audience who still cares about clothing and how they look, and they have their own look, but they’re not interested in the jargon. They like what they like just because they like it. And that’s cool too. But I wish you could write for people who aren’t looking to hear the jargon without it turning into “people of this body size should wear this silhouette” or “this style skirt makes your butt look good.” I would like to see more depth in fashion coverage without it alienating people.

Me: Wow. That’s pretty deep right there.

(both laugh)

Liz: I’m not trying to be, I guess. It’s just something I’ve thought about personally.

Me: No, I like it! That definitely gives me something to think about, and it touches on something I was thinking about myself. I know I don’t have the resources to do “high fashion” coverage, you know, but I didn’t want to do just another piece on whether leggings are pants, either. I didn’t describe that as eloquently as you did, but I think I’m maybe describing that quest for middle ground that you were referencing.

Liz: Yeah, I think we’re kinda touching on the same idea. I’d love to see what you’re able to do with it.

Me: Well, I really appreciate your confidence in me! And your time. I really appreciate your time.

Liz: No problem! It was great to chat with you again. Hit me up if you think of anything else you’d like to ask. I’ll do my best to answer.

Me: I may just take you up on that! I’ll let you go for today, though. Thank you again!

~Awkward “ok, bye! Yeah thanks! Ok bye!” at end of  recording~

Vertical

In the evenings when I’m unwinding, I like to find things that make me laugh and things that make me think. Although I haven’t visited their website before tonight while composing this post, I usually keep an eye out for BuzzFeed videos on Facebook. Sometimes they post funny ones, like “Things Cats Do That’d Be Creepy If You Did Them” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUANIvNmYzQ), and sometimes they’re thought-provoking or status quo-busting, like “30 Days Without Shaving” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWTin-X4GrM) in which they followed several women at different time periods over a month in which they did not shave their armpit hair. Overall, these videos are enjoyable and entertaining. And seriously, if you need a laugh, check out that “Things Cats Do” video.