One day when my kids ask what I did in college, I'll just pull out my copy of Athens, GA: Inside/Out and let ‘em watch it.
It's not that I was in the movie or anything like that; I did, however, play drums in a few fairly forgettable bands that were part of the same Athens scene chronicled in that 1987 rock doc.
For all the occasional swagger evident among the musicians in the movie, the truth is it was a comparatively innocent time. Athens, Ga., in the mid-1980s was a self-contained universe unto itself, with its own rules and folkways.
The fact that the music scene there blew up into something close to a global phenomenon was almost a fluke. As far as I could tell, the bands were going to play what they were going to play regardless.
And that was the beauty of it.
(Also, this: No internet!)
The movie screens this Thursday June 28 at 7 p.m.as part of the opening of the new Howard Finster art exhibit at the Jepson Center. Connect Savannah is proud to be media sponsor of the event.
At the combined screening/opening reception you can enjoy RC Cola, Southern food, Moon Pies, and three - three! - flavors of Nehi, courtesy of Quality Beverage. Did I mention live banjo music by Joe Flanders? All for a mere five bucks for non-Telfair members, free for members. In all, an excellent deal.
You can read my story about Finster in this issue, as well as a closer look at Athens, GA: Inside/Out by Bill DeYoung.
Our Jessica Leigh Lebos contributes a couple of nifty piece this week as well, one a (possibly artfully embellished?) Hunter S. Thompson-style piece on the Drayton Tower, and another on the still-burgeoning mural on 34th and Habersham.
I also contributed a late-breaking piece on the recent announcement by Robyn Reeder that her beloved Broughton store, Primary Art Supply, will be acquired by national chain Blick Art Materials. Geoff L. Johnson shot some awesome photos for the piece.
There were some grumbles from the public about the sale, but as Robyn explains, it was either that or eventually she'd have to close Primary down without a deal at all.
As it is - with current Primary employees all being offered jobs at the new place, which should open around August - it's a rare win/win story coming out of this challenging business environment.
