Go Atlanta

It all started with a theme night back in 2007, when some local musicians turned a compilation of soft-rock hits into a set list at 10 High in the basement of the Dark Horse Tavern. But nobody on stage had any idea this was the genesis of what would become Yacht Rock Revue, and that 14 years later, seven of the musicians from that 10 High gig (three of whom are named Mark) would play many of those same songs in front of 6,000 cheering fans at Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park. It’s truly a phenomenon and Rodney Ho has written about the band and he spoke with some of the band members about their unexpected career for this week’s podcast and he’s here to bring us that conversation.

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This week, we’ll talk movies. Art and film critic Felicia Feaster discusses some of the best films of the year with her son Addison, who studies film and English at college. They agree that director Paul Schrader’s “The Card Counter” is their favorite of the year and were wowed by Joel Coen’s take on Shakespeare’s classic play in the remarkable "The Tragedy of Macbeth." Tune in to hear more of their favorites of 2021 on this week’s podcast.

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This week we’ll hear about a Woodstock man’s unusual hobby. Man caves often feature neon beer signs, autographed sports jerseys mounted on the wall, a big-screen TV and maybe a foosball table or a Ms. Pac-Man machine. But Anthony Sant’Anselmo of Woodstock decided to go a different route in his classic suburban home on a cul-de-sac. Over the past three years, his basement has been transformed into a 1980s-era video rental store he named Mondo Video stocked with 6,000 VHS tapes and side rooms focused on films for kids, sports lovers and food. Rodney Ho spoke with Sant’Anselmo about his basement makeover and he’ll bring us that conversation on this week’s podcast.

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Atlanta artist Craig Drennen has created a sophisticated contemporary art gallery, highlighting artists from Atlanta and beyond, called The End Project Space in a growing nexus of artist studio spaces and art spaces just south of Atlanta. Drennen, who is involved in several arts organizations in Atlanta and teaches at Georgia State University, has used his gallery space to bring high-caliber art to Atlanta and support the local art economy. As a well-known figure on the Atlanta art scene, Drennen combines intellectual chops with an incredible sense of humor and generosity rooted in his West Virginia upbringing where hard work, an obsession with books and parents who nurtured his creativity were formative. Felicia Feaster spoke with Drennen and she’ll bring us that conversation on this week’s podcast.

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This week, we’re going to talk about an Atlanta institution that’s no longer with us. Priscilla, Macy’s Pink Pig, had been a holiday tradition in Atlanta for more than 50 years. Macy’s announced back in September that 2019 was the attraction’s last year. After taking 2020 off because of the coronavirus pandemic, Priscilla is retiring. It was a rite of passage for many youngsters. It started in downtown in 1953 as a monorail along the ceiling of Rich’s department store. In 2003, it moved to Lenox Square. And though it’s gone now, the memories remain and we found a few folks to talk about what the Pink Pig meant to them.

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While working on her photo essay about the Underground Railroad, Jeanine Michna-Bales became intrigued by the seminal role the anti-slavery movement played in the birth of the women’s suffrage effort here in the United States. Through her research, she became captivated by the work of Inez Milholland. Milholland was in her early 30s when she became one of the most visible and electrifying advocates for women’s right to vote. Through newspaper clippings, letters from Milholland to her husband, and other documents, Michna-Bales set out on a three-year quest to recreate Milholland’s last campaign for women’s suffrage using friends, volunteers, rented venues and costumes. Photographs from “Standing Together: Inez Milholland’s Final Campaign for Women’s Suffrage” are now on view at the Arnika Dawkins Gallery. Rosalind Bentley spoke with Michna-Bales about “Standing Together" and she brings us that conversation on this week's podcast.

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After 20 months, the AJC’s weekly dining reviews are back and our dining editor Ligaya Figueras and contributor Wendell Brock will join us to talk about what that means and what readers can expect. Reviews were suspended due to COVID-19 safety concerns and the economic impact of the pandemic on the food-service industry. For the most part, the critiques remain the same, with one exception: no stars for now. Reviews will also address COVID-19 health and safety practices, when appropriate. In addition, coverage may include reviews of nontraditional food-service concepts, including pop-ups in residence, that reflect today’s dining landscape. We'll hear the dining team's conversation and go behind the scenes of our restaurant reviews on this week's podcast.

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In 1996, the High began commissioning photographers for an exploration of the South’s rich social and geographic landscape for its “Picturing the South” initiative. Now the High is marking 25 years of “Picturing the South” with a major exhibition that gathers all of those commissions for the first time. Visual arts contributor Felicia Feaster spoke with the museum’s curator of photography, Gregory Harris, and she’ll bring us that conversation on this week’s podcast.

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As the de facto music director of The Rolling Stones during the last 40 years of touring, Georgia’s Chuck Leavell not only handled keyboard duties, he frequently took charge of the music on stage, as a sort of conductor. In performance he kept in eye contact with the late Charlie Watts, since any signal by the music director has to be telegraphed by the drummer. They had a unique relationship and the loss of the legendary drummer hit him hard. But the show goes on and The Rolling Stones, and Leavell, will be performing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Nov. 11. Bo Emerson spoke with Leavell about the Stones and about his tree-farming life just outside of Macon and he’ll bring us that conversation.

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Turn on HLN any time between 11 a.m. and 6 a.m. and it’s a steady dose of true crime, mostly repeats of “Forensic Files.” But every weekday between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. is a five-hour news block hosted by Robin Meade, a chipper Ohio native who recently celebrated 20 years on the air. Her on-air start date at HLN was certainly memorable: 9/11. But she overcame that emotionally taxing beginning to shape the show over time in her image: bright, breezy, vibrant and no nonsense. Rodney Ho recently spoke with Meade about her career and he’ll bring us that conversation on this week’s podcast.

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