President Joe Biden touched down in Watsonville on Thursday, Jan. 19—the last time a president visited Santa Cruz County was in 1989, when President George H.W. Bush visited following the Loma Prieta earthquake.
Nearly 35 years after Loma Prieta, President Biden visited following another natural disaster that caused widespread destruction, and led to his his Jan. 9 emergency declaration, allowing businesses and residents that suffered damage and loss in the recent spate of storms to receive federal aid.
After touring Capitola Village and Seacliff State Beach—and a helicopter flight over parts of Watsonville to survey the damage—Biden predicted it will take years to rebuild, but said he is committed to helping California do so.
“I want to say what I said then, and I’ll say again,” Biden said. “The federal government is not leaving its responsibility until it’s all fixed. Done.”
People and reporters gathered in throngs to watch the president’s arrival from a roped-off stretch of Aviation Way across the street from Watsonville Municipal Airport. An airborne armada that included three gargantuan MV-22 Osprey helicopters and two Marine Sikorsky VH-3D Sea King helicopters circled in the sky.
Local, state and federal officers, including 30 from the California Highway Patrol and military snipers on the Airport administration rooftop, escorted the president’s arrival at the Watsonville airport.
After being whisked away in a dark SUV to a nearby hangar, Biden spent about a half-hour meeting several local and state elected officials. His motorcade then made its way to Capitola, where he toured the damage to the Esplanade restaurants from the recent storms and the tidal surge.
Biden apologized to the contractors repairing the floor inside the Paradise Beach Grille.
“Sorry man, we’re slowing up your work,” he said.
The tour ended at Seacliff State Beach.
Biden says he is utilizing “every element of the federal government” in his drive to help the state.
The Army Corps of Engineers, he says, is monitoring seven reservoirs in the Central Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is helping farmers with disaster aid and grants.
“To the people of California, I say again: the country is here for you and with you,” Biden said. “We are not leaving until things are built back, and built back better than they were before. We’ll be with you every step of the way, and I mean that sincerely.”
Watsonville resident Paul Lego, a pilot who uses the airport, said he came out “to see the spectacle” of the President’s visit. A set of temporary flight restrictions, and an additional provision that no pilot was allowed inside the airport for the duration of the visit kept him outside the airport gates.
“It really gives you a feeling for the fact that it’s the Commander in Chief,” Lego said. “It’s a big deal.”
Julie Garcia took a break from work at Central Coast Energy Services to see the spectacle.
“Having the President visit our small town is something very big for us,” she said. “We are a town that is made up of minority groups for the most part, and having him actually come shows us that he sees us and we matter and he is aware of the tragedies that occurred with the flood.”
The harp is one of several instruments that’s been incorrectly typecast as something strictly used in classical or folk music. Or the visions of European churches or small villages in the British Isles it inspires.
The harp is the oldest string instrument in the world—depictions were recorded in Egypt and the Middle East as far back as 3000 BCE.
“There are versions of the harp in almost every culture on the planet,” said Community Music School executive director Susan Willats. “China, the Middle East, Africa—it’s an ancient instrument.”
On Sunday, Jan. 22, the Harp Festival returns to Santa Cruz in person for the first time in three years. The fundraising event will showcase professional players and CMS’ all-ages Harp Ensemble.
“The ensemble is made up of students taking harp lessons at any level,” Willats says. “Our main focus at CMS is connecting young people to music. Anything we do is to fund those programs.”
CMS was formed 30 years ago by Shelley Phillips. It has hosted workshops, concerts and summer camps for musicians aged seven and up and maintains a free database of local music teachers. It also helps match donated instruments with people who need them.
CMS focuses on teaching Celtic and other types of folk music. In the beginning, harp lessons were the organization’s World Music offering.
“Of course, the harp is big in Celtic music, but there is a World aspect to it,” Willats says. “It was a way to bring instruments from different parts of the globe.”
Santa Cruz has become a hub for harpists, thanks in part to the efforts of Phillips and other local instructors. Willats began playing seven years ago after Phillips encouraged her.
“My husband likes to say, even when you mess up playing the harp, it still sounds beautiful,” she says. “And when you don’t make any mistakes, well, it’s even better.”
This year’s Harp Festival will feature Jesse Autumn (double-strung harp), Phillips (folk harp) with Robin Petrie (hammered dulcimer) and Jennifer Cass (pedal harp) with Rob Watson (guitar). The inclusion of accompanists is new for the festival this year.
“Even if people are familiar with harps, there’s going to be new, exciting, beautiful things to hear,” Willats says.
The event will also include a “Harp Petting Zoo” during intermission, where audience members can try out the instruments.
“After so many days of storms, all the awful stories we’ve been hearing, this will be a respite,” Willats notes. “We invite people to come in for an afternoon, to lose themselves in the music.”
Community Music School’s Harp Festival happens Sunday, Jan. 22, at 3pm at the Resource Center for Nonviolence, 612 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. $15/$20; $10/$15 under 18. communitymusicschool.org
BOOKSHOP SANTA CRUZ PRESENTS JANE SMILEY ‘A DANGEROUS BUSINESS’ Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley (A Thousand Acres) will read and sign copies of her new novel A Dangerous Business. The rollicking murder mystery is set in Monterey in the 1850s, in which two young prostitutes follow a trail of missing girls. Roxane Gay says, “The forthcoming Jane Smiley novel A Dangerous Business is outstanding. Her sentences are sublime. The vivid historical details and vibrant characters bring Smiley’s setting to glorious life. This seductive entertainment is not to be missed.” Free. Wednesday, Jan. 18, 7pm. Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. bookshopsantacruz.com
KARL DENSON’S TINY UNIVERSE WITH MONEY CHICHA 2023 marks KDTU’s 25th anniversary! From performing as Sexual Chocolate—Karl Denson was in the original band in the movie Coming To America and the sequel—at Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco to playing the inaugural Bonnaroo Festival, KDTU has been a dominant force in music for the past 25 years. Touring the country with the Allman Brothers, My Morning Jacket, D’Angelo, The Roots, Public Enemy, Bob Weir, Parliament Funkadelic and Widespread Panic, most concertgoers have encountered the Tiny Universe live. In addition to KDTU, Denson, aka Diesel, is a founding member of the influential jam band the Greyboy Allstars.$30/$34 plus fees. Friday, Jan. 20, 8pm. Felton Music Hall, 6275 Hwy 9, Felton. feltonmusichall.com
MARGARITAS PODRIDAS WITH TBD Shoegaze, alt-rock and punk from Hermosillo, Sonora, México, Margaritas Podridas came together in 2015. Carolina Enriquez (bass guitar, vocals), Rafael Armenta (guitar, drums) and Esli Meuly (guitar) released their debut Porcelain Mannequin in 2018, then went on tour. Their most recent self-titled release led to international festivals, including Ruido Fest (Chicago), Freakout Festival (Seattle), This Ain’t No Picnic (Pasadena) and a live session for Seattle’s KEXP. In 2022, the band released their latest single, “No Quiero Ser Madre,” on the Seattle-based label Suicide Squeeze, and have been touring throughout Mexico and the United States ever since. $15 plus fees. Friday, Jan. 20, 8pm. The Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. thecrepeplace.com
DON CARLOS WITH REGGAE ANGELS PLUS DJ SPLEECE Don Carlos (born Euvin Spencer) was born and raised in one of the most deprived regions of Western Kingston, Jamaica, in a district notoriously known as Waterhouse, which is also known for spawning many reggae greats, such as King Tubby, Black Uhuru, the Jays, Junior Reid and King Jammy. The Reggae Angels are a staple in the reggae scene. They are known to deliver high-energy performances with a happy sound and a universal God-conscious message. Known for their live shows and many albums, the Reggae Angels have been gracing stages around the globe for over three decades. $40/$45 plus fees. Saturday, Jan. 21, 9pm. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. moesalley.com
STEPHANE WREMBEL: DJANGO REINHARDT BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Stephane Wrembel learned his craft among the Gypsies at campsites in the French countryside. He’s toured the U.S., France, U.K., India and Nigeria and released 16 albums under his name and the Django Experiment, which includes The Django Experiment VI. Wrembel’s original compositions have been featured in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Midnight in Paris and most recently, he contributed the original score for Rifkin’s Festival. Since 2003, Wrembel has produced the Django a Gogo Festival to celebrate gypsy jazz in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall. He recently finished recording Django New Orleans, which is due out on May 5. In Santa Cruz, Wrembel will perform with his quartet—Josh Kaye on guitar, Nick Anderson on drums and Ari Folman-Cohen on bass. $36.75/$42; $21/students. Monday, Jan. 23, 7pm. Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. kuumbwajazz.org
REVEREND HORTON HEAT WITH THE SURFRAJETTES Jim is a revelator, revealing and reinterpreting American music’s country-blues-rock roots. He’s a time-traveling space cowboy on an endless interstellar musical tour, and we are all the richer and “psychobillier” for getting to tag along.Seeing Reverend Horton Heat live is a transformative experience. Flames come off the guitars. Jim becomes a slicked-back 1950s rock shaman channeling Screamin’ Jay Hawkins through Buddy Holly. The Heatettes, “foxy rockabilly chicks dressed in poodle skirts and cowboy boots slamming the night away, is like being magically transported into a ’50s teen exploitation flick that takes place in the future. RHH is tantamount to injecting pure musical nitrous oxide into your heart. The Reverend’s commandments are simple: “Rock hard, drive fast and live true.” Openers, the Surfrajettes, are an all-women surf-rockabilly quartet from Canada that charms audiences with a mix of psych rock and reverb-drenched surf music, sky-high beehives, go-go boots and eyeliner as thick as their guitar strings. $35/$40 plus fees. Monday, Jan. 23, 8pm. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. moesalley.com
‘PRECIOUS GURU’ After nine years in the making, and an endorsement from the Dalai Lama, Precious Guru: Journey into the Wild Heart of the Second Buddha is ready to go. The inspired feature-length documentary marks the culmination of an ambitious journey to trace the spiritual life and legacy of the eighth-century tantric master Padmasambhava. Part biographical chronicle, part travelogue and part sacred teaching, Precious Guru peers through the roiling mists of time and digs through the accreted strata of myth and legend, asking the eternal question: Who was Padmasambhava? A Q&A will follow the screening with the film director, Marc Wennberg.$12.50. Tuesday, Jan. 24, 7pm. Landmark Del Mar, 1124 Pacific Ave.,Santa Cruz. landmarktheatres.com
COMMUNITY
CALIFORNIA RARE FRUIT GROWERS 2023 SCION EXCHANGE The Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay area’s major exchange of dormant propagable fruit material is run by the Monterey Bay Chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers. Scion wood of hundreds of varieties, including apple, pear, plum, peach, apricot and other species, will be distributed. There will also be rootable cuttings of fig, pomegranate, grape and more, and various exotic cuttings, seeds and seedlings that are seasonally appropriate for propagation. Newbies to propagating fruit are invited to tutorials on how to graft trees. Apple and Prunus rootstocks are sold at the event when the seasonality of nursery suppliers allows for it. $5. Saturday. Jan. 21, 11am. Soquel High School, 401 Soquel San Jose Road, Soquel. mbcrfg.org/scion-exchange
Deb Perelman politely requests that you do not send her fresh food products. “I’m still recovering from the time I stuck my hand into a bag of liquefied avocados,” she states on her uber-successful blog, Smitten Kitchen (“Fearless cooking from a tiny NYC apartment”). Cooks and chefs across the country have likely come into contact with Smitten Kitchen, directly or indirectly, in some capacity. Its architect, Perelman, is a pioneer of “triumphant but unfussy” home cooking that is equally delicious and accessible.
I came across Smitten Kitchen via Perelman’s salted caramel brownies in 2013. A friend baked them for my birthday, and of all the birthday gifts I have ever gotten (edible or not), these brownies remain high on the list. I was hooked. Perelman had just released her first cookbook, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook: Recipes and Wisdom from an Obsessive Home Cook, and I never looked back.
The Smitten Kitchen blog’s compilation of hundreds—if not thousands—of recipes for meals, desserts, snacks and drinks is truly a fantastic resource. From a Sunday night roast, a holiday pie or just a quick, healthy snack, it’s my epicurean go-to. Each recipe is time-tested, reliable and free—yes, 100% free; no monthly membership fees, costly premium accounts necessary to access superior content or sneaky ploys that require a credit card number. You can even subscribe to the “Smitten Kitchen Weekly Digest” for “notes, updates and seasonal cooking from the Smitten Kitchen.” Also, free.
In addition to maintaining her blog, regularly posting content for her 1.6 million Instagram followers, and writing bestselling cookbooks, Perelman lives a seemingly ordinary life in New York City with her husband and two young children. Her self-crafted empire is a reminder that anything is possible.
Following her two award-winning cookbooks, Perelman’s recently released Smitten Kitchen Keepers: New Classics for Your Forever Files showcases all the recipes that haven’t been disclosed to the public. These are the “VIP recipes,” the culinary jackpot of recipes many years in the making.
Smitten Kitchen Keepers walks readers through a mélange of unfussy, innovative recipes guaranteed to please even the harshest critics. After all, who could say no to slow-roasted chicken with schmaltzy croutons? Schmaltzy croutons! Or the deepest dish, broccoli cheddar quiche. This towering custardy spectacle of a breakfast centerpiece is not to be missed.
Smitten Kitchen Keepers is a beautifully compiled recipe selection that deserves a dog-eared card in the recipe box. The intent behind Perelman’s book is to catalog the best of the best: 100 tried and true new favorites. Her brief notes and stories behind the recipes make the book even more enjoyable.
Thanks to Bookshop Santa Cruz, Perelman will visit Santa Cruz to sign books and discuss all things Keepers. Local food writer and my former Good Times desk mate Lily Belli will join Perelman in conversation. I can’t imagine a better duo, so kudos to those who already secured tickets. Unfortunately, the event is sold out.
Still, that didn’t stop me from picking up a copy of the book. I’ve already delved in, and I’m currently enjoying a thick slice of pound cake—with more butter than I care to divulge. Zero complaints, though. Consider the enclosed freebie recipe for those looking to try it before you buy. A new twist on an old favorite: the chocolate chip cookie with salted walnut brittle is worth the extra effort of making the brittle (plus, it’s a bonus snack to reward your efforts before the cookies even hit the oven—score!). No electric mixer? No problem! Consider it a workout for your arm.
Given Perelman’s dedication to recipe testing and her fuss-free mentality, it’s no surprise that many consider her latest book her best. Perelman has also solidified herself as the ultimate “keeper” with Smitten Kitchen Keepers.
‘Smitten Kitchen Keepers’ is available at Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. 831-423-0900; bookshopsantacruz.com
I remember it like it was yesterday. The now-defunct Rainbow Records was within walking distance from my house in Wilmington, Delaware. That was my spot. Unlike the chain record stores, Rainbow was the one place a 13-year-old could buy a CD that had one of those ubiquitous, black-and-white “parental advisory explicit content” labels on the bottom righthand of the front cover. I braved the walk on a frigid December day as sleet pelted my melon—I shouldn’t have ignored my mom’s recommendation to wear a beanie—for Wu-Tang Clan’sEnter theWu-Tang (36 Chambers). I had already listened to most of the record thanks to my buddy Bobby Pfeiffer, whose older brother always seemed to have the latest and greatest hip-hop albums before anyone else our age. That’s how I learned about outfits like N.W.A.,Geto Boys and Ice T—a lot of great stuff that was probably a tad too rough for my innocent ears. On my trek, I replayed the album opener, “Bring Da Ruckus,” in my head, which kicks off with dialogue from an old kung-fu flick: “If what you say is true, the Shaolin and the Wu-Tang could be dangerous. Do you think your Wu-Tang sword can defeat me? On guard. I’ll let you try my Wu-Tang style.” I had never known of any music group with so many members. And all of them—Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man, U-God and Masta Killa (Cappadonna joined in 1995)—with voices that are so distinctive and delivered with unique cadence. There was something about them that was exciting, mythical and even a bit scary—the way the movie samples intertwined with explosive beats and violent, sometimes jarring prose that had sprinklings of humor. As I came closer and saw the Rainbow Records awning, my pace sped up along with my excitement. I was also worried they’d be sold out or someone might snatch the last copy before me. That wasn’t the case. I had my own copy of Enter theWu-Tang. Though it’s a tad scratched these days, I still have that same CD. And that’s how it went with most of the Wu-Tang members’ solo albums. Two years later, I walked the same route to get GZA’s, Liquid Swords. Like Enter the Wu-Tang, every track on Liquid Swords pops. It’s dynamic from start to finish. It will be a treat for all those who will see him perform the record in its entirety on Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Catalyst. It was an honor to talk to the icon—you can read our discussion in this week’s cover story. Quick side note: Bobby Pfeiffer’s older brother Daniel became President Barack Obama’s senior advisor for strategy and communications. Don’t forget: Best of Santa Cruz County voting is still open. Visit goodtimes.sc through Jan. 31 to show your local love.
ADAM JOSEPH | INTERIM EDITOR
PHOTO CONTEST WINNER
View of the lower farmlands and ocean through the Life Lab Kids Garden’s Spiral of Life sculpture at the UCSC Farm. Photograph by Ross Levoy.
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GOOD IDEA
On Monday, people around the country celebrated civil rights leader and activist Martin Luther King (MLK). Still, the rain continued to pour in Santa Cruz, preventing outside organizations and marches. But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen: the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Resource Center for Nonviolence rescheduled MLK Youth day to Jan. 28 and will soon release a date for the rescheduled annual MLK march. Stay posted at rcnv.org
GOOD WORK
During all this downpour, the Pajaro River levee system, which has been due for an update, began showing seepage, according to the county. The county took quick action and set out to repair the leak on Jan. 11. The repair—known as a “seepage berm”—started at an agricultural area more than a mile upstream of where the Pajaro River and Salsipuedes Creek meet. The repair is still underway but should be completed in the next few days.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Confusion is a gift from God. Those times when you feel most desperate for a solution, sit. Wait. The information will become clear. The confusion is there to guide you.”
Next week the City of Santa Cruz will open the bids for the job of clearing all plant matter under 5’ in height from the levee of the San Lorenzo River from the river mouth to the Highway 1 bridge. This work is being conducted as local developers and FEMA push the City into compliance with outdated thinking about erosion control and levy strength. The City Department of Public Works (funded by the taxpayers) had known about and planned for this project for 2.5 years but only brought this topic to the attention of the public when it was entered into the City Council’s December calendar, thereby actively supporting the clearing of the plant material. There has been no comment from newly elected Mayor Fred Keely, an avowed environmentalist. The environmental degradation this clearing will result in cannot be overstated.
For many years Jane Mio, permitted by the City of Santa Cruz Parks and Rec and funded by the Valley Women’s Club, has gathered groups of volunteers to plant and nurture the environmental health of the River Estuary. The existence of well over 1,000 native plants cared for by Mio et al. has resulted in the establishment of an incredibly diverse environment of animals, insects, birds (both resident and migratory, including the bald eagle) and aquatic animals in this location, which will be wiped out and displaced if this clearing takes place. It should be noted that the allowance of increased vegetation along this corridor was supported and encouraged by the Army Corps of Engineers after UCSC Prof. Gary Griggs’ findings on the 1982 storm. It showed that increased vegetation did not interfere with levee effectiveness during high water events.
The Army Corps of Engineers own the levee. They were provided a timeline to update rules and regulations regarding the care of aging levees by June of 2023, which they have failed to begin work on. The levee health studies they are relying on do not include the reality that root structures in the soil help to retain that very soil, that plants covering bare ground help slow rain, reducing the impact of water when it hits the ground, that shading the levies helps cool the river, protecting the array of animals living in its waters, that runoff from the bare levies will silt up the river, smothering eggs laid by salmon and other amphibious animals. The list goes on. The reliance on these outdated parameters is due to the Corps’ failure to update its regulations. Updated regulations would include findings of Prof. Griggs—currently allowed.
At this late date, it seems that the very public servants paid to inform us of actions planned to be taken in our neighborhoods have failed miserably. Please, though, reach out to the City Council, Mayor Fred Keeley and Supervisors Justin Cummings and Bruce McPherson and express your concern about this project. At some point, the environment must be the winner, not the developers. Time is of the essence.
Beth Ahlgren, Felton
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Writer Stephen Kessler has been named the 2023 Artist of the Year by the Santa Cruz County Arts Commission.
“Santa Cruz is a tremendously dynamic arts community,” he says. “I have some friends who have won this award. It’s great to be able to say, ‘hey, they noticed me too.’”
Kessler has written a dozen volumes of original poetry, 16 books of literary translation, three collections of essays and a novel, The Mental Traveler. Additionally, he’s edited numerous literary journals and community newspapers and is the editor and principal translator of The Sonnets by Jorge Luis Borges.
More recently, he’s become a well-known columnist for the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Kessler arrived in Santa Cruz in 1968 on a Regents Fellowship to study with the first graduate students in UCSC’s doctoral program in literature. The following year, a personal crisis led him on a different path, away from academia and eventually into journalism, specifically local underground and alt-weeklies.
“Writing is a way of discovering what I think and how I respond to experience,” Kessler says. “I don’t really see writing as self-expression or manifesting what you already know, but finding out what you know.”
He was a founding associate editor and writer with the Santa Cruz Express and the founding editor and publisher of The Sun, which was put out of business by the Loma Prieta earthquake—but not before its final issue chronicled the event.
In the ’70s and ’80s, Kessler was active as an organizer and an advocate for the Santa Cruz poetry community. He held readings, wrote reviews and essays for local weeklies and co-hosted “The Poetry Show” with Gary Young and “Bards After Dark” on KUSP, serving as a bridge between the literary world and the general population.
The credits go on: Kessler’s work has been published in Poetry Flash, Exquisite Corpse, San Francisco Review of Books, East Bay Express, Los Angeles Review of Books and North Bay Bohemian. As editor of the Redwood Coast Review, he received the California Library Association’s “PR Excellence Award” four times.
Kessler’s influences include everyone from Charles Bukowski to Joan Didion and Norman Mailer to James Baldwin.
The Artist of the Year award is presented annually to local artists for performing, visual or literary arts achievement. Nominees must be a resident of Santa Cruz County, have a national or international reputation, have created or presented work in Santa Cruz County, and “contributed to the cultural enrichment of the local community,” according to the commission. Over the last 37 years, the commission has selected artists nominated by the public.
“At this stage, it doesn’t matter too much to me who likes my work or the prizes I receive—writing is something I’m doing no matter what,” he says. “But I’m hoping this highlight on my work will arouse some curiosity. Inspire a few more people to check out my work.”
A free profile performance with Kessler will be held in May at Kuumbwa Jazz.
Gary Grice, aka GZA, aka Genius (a nod to his colossal lyrical vocabulary and his lifelong interest in science, among other things), has chess on the brain.
During Covid, GZA played a lot of chess. A couple of years ago, Vans launched Channel 66, an online television network that was a pop culture mecca, featuring everything from skate videos to shows like “Chessboxing with GZA.” The Wu-Tang legend curated music, discussed metaphysics and, of course, played live chess matches with celebrity guests, including Interpol’s Paul Banks, Logic and Scott Frank, the creator, director and writer of the popular Netflix miniseries “The Queen’s Gambit.”
“Can you imagine that shit?” GZA lights up. “One of the top writers in Hollywood came to play me in chess.”
While Vans’ Channel 66 is no more, GZA’s affinity for chess lives on—as part of a concert VIP experience, fans get to play a match against Genius.
2023 is a significant year for GZA and the Wu-Tang Clan family. It marks 30 years since GZA and his cousins, RZA and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard, blasted off with a Staten Island collective of longtime childhood buddies—Method Man (Clifford Smith), Raekwon the Chef (Corey Woods), Ghostface Killah (Dennis Coles), Inspectah Deck (Jason Hunter), U-God (Lamont Hawkins) and Masta Killa (Jamel Irief)—to form the world’s greatest hip-hop ensemble of all time.
The outfit’s 1993 debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is a stark, unapologetic narrative propelled by a mix of “free-associative,” explicit and sometimes humorous rhymes driven by pop culture and the reality of the only life these guys had ever known at the time. RZA’s infinite collection of homemade beats, samples and perfectly placed dialogue plucked from ’70s kung-fu flicks equates to something so vibrant; it was impossible to ignore when it hit the streets—over 30,000 copies were sold in its first week. It went platinum in a little over a year and triple platinum in 2018. Not only is Enter the Wu-Tang regarded as one of the most important albums of the ’90s—in any genre—it is ranked number 27 on Rolling Stone magazine’s updated “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list.
To top it off, the album was selected in 2022 by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”
It was evident from the beginning; talent erupts from just about every second of Enter the Wu-Tang—every member has made at least one critically acclaimed solo record.
GZA’s 1995 Liquid Swords is an undeniable hip-hop masterpiece. It’s so lyrically dense that several critics mentioned that it would have been impossible to include the lyrics in the CD insert because it would be the size of a book.
“Little shorties take walks to the schoolyard/ Trying to solve the puzzles to why his life’s so hard/ Then as soon as they reach the playground, BLAUW!/ Shots rang off, and now one of them lay down!”
It would be impossible to highlight all the prose that makes Liquid Swords so lyrically poignant. GZA’s blend of metaphor and reality blurs lines with disturbing force.
“I be the body dropper, the heartbeat stopper/ child educator plus head amputator.”
With the assistance of the RZA—whose encyclopedic musical knowledge brings in perfect samples that fit exactly where they’re needed—the production level elevates Liquid Swords to a height that few hip-hop records reach. A class on par with Nas’ Illmatic and Ice Cube’s Death Certificate.
“Everything is based on mathematics,” GZA says. “Chess is calculation of movements. The opening [move] is defined by a response. White moves first, but depending on how black answers, it defines the opening.”“Everything is based on mathematics,” GZA says. Photo: Azuree Wiitala
Before heading out on tour, Good Times caught up with GZA for a sprawling conversation.
What’s a day in the life of GZA like?
GZA: A lot of thinking. I’m not as busy as I should be. I should be much busier, but I’m a laid-back, lazy dude who don’t like to do shit but think and play chess—and write sometimes.
Who taught you how to play chess?
I learned how to play from a cousin at an early age, but I never played the game. He just showed me the rules. I didn’t start playing chess until I met Masta Killa. I already knew how to play the game. I just wasn’t skilled. So, he reintroduced me to chess, and that’s when it started for me. That was 1991-92. I didn’t even know how to set a board up. It was Killa who showed me. He brought me into the game.
What did you think of “The Queen’s Gambit.”
Beautiful! I might watch it again now that you mentioned it. It’s been a year now. I play random [people] at different events and at my shows. But I was playing celebrities on the Vans [“Chessboxing with GZA”]. One of my guests was Scott Frank, the guy who made “The Queen’s Gambit.”
Who won?
I think I came out on top when it came to the chess matches. But I came out on top because I learned a lot from [Frank]. I got to pick his mind. Not really during the chess game, but we went to dinner, and I got to speak to him. He gave me a few pointers as a director because I’ve been directing videos since the ’90s. Every time I write something, I imagine it on film and on the screen; I’ve always had this vivid imagination about a lot of shit, but I’m just lazy and laid back. I take a while to share shit. I think it’s been 14 years since I’ve put an album out. But I learned a lot from him. He schooled me. He gave me great advice as a film person as a director. And I watched some of his other things like “Godless.”This dude is amazing. He said he would help me develop one of my own projects. So, it was a learning lesson for me. I won the chess matches, and I learned a whole bunch of other shit.
GZA’s Liquid Swords went platinum—it sold more than a million copies—in 2015, joining Wu-Tang’s Method Man and Ghostface Killah, who had solo LPs that also went platinum. GZA will perform the record in its entirety on Saturday, Jan. 21 at the Catalyst.
Speaking of filmmakers, you got to work with Jim Jarmusch on Coffee and Cigarettes. He’s one of the greatest indie filmmakers. Do you stay in touch with him?
I was thinking about Jim Jarmusch today. He’s such a laid-back [guy]. He reminds me of myself in a way. I don’t know that much about him. But he’s quiet. He’s laid back. That’s how our relationship started with Coffee and Cigarettes. And my manager at the time brought me on the project with RZA, and I look forward to doing some more shit with him. I want to do some projects with Jim. I think we are probably the same fucking Zodiac. I like Jim, man. I got to spend several hours around him—and Bill Murray. I’ve just been blessed throughout my life. I can’t complain. I’ve been blessed on several levels.
I got Liquid Swords on CD when I was 16 years old, and I was hooked. You could let the album play from beginning to end without skipping. I’ve always put that record in the same category as albums like A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory, Nas’ Illmatic and Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.
That makes my day. That inspires me a little more if I’m down in a funk or I’m not motivated. Just to hear that—I love Illmatic; I love A Tribe Called Quest. For you to compare [Liquid Swords] with those albums, it’s a great thing.
I know I’m not the only person who feels that way. Liquid Swords is loved by millions worldwide of all backgrounds. Why do you think it resonates with so many?
I think it was the timing. I think there were a couple of things that brought about that album. It was me striking back at the industry, at the label, who didn’t support me when I did my first album [Words from the Genius]—though I give all praises to the man who signed me to the first album, Tyrone Williams, and I was happy to be signed to the Juice Crew.
[Liquid Swords] was just shit I needed to let out at the time—it was real and organic. I didn’t know how it would hit the people, and I can’t say why it hit them; it’s just something people [stood behind].
I enjoy the variety of samples, like Stevie Wonder, the Bar-Kays and Thelma Houston, and the cultural references to folks like Wes Craven. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that RZA was the producer.
No one ever knew that was Thelma Houston until I mentioned it [the soul singer’s “Don’t Leave Me This Way” is sampled on “Labels”]. It was a song that RZA wanted to use, and it was something he felt was needed for the album.
There’s some deep music knowledge throughout the album. The Mothers of Invention’s “Plastic People” is sampled on “Cold War,” and I had never heard of the Ohio Players until I heard the sample of “Our Love Had Died” on “B.I.B.L.E” I’ll never forget those memories; Liquid Swords expanded my world musically. Do you have any memories of making the record that has stuck with you over the years?
I’m an artist that takes a long time to get something done. I didn’t deliver fast enough—it takes me a while to write a rhyme. It’s not like I’m sitting on thousands of rhymes. I think with this album, I struck back against the industry. I had something to prove. I had to let [execs] know that I am a genius of rap. It was a remarkable moment that I needed to share; I needed it to be heard, and I needed to be seen.
The third season of the biographical drama “Wu-Tang: An American Saga”—a fictionalized telling of the group’s story available on Hulu—will be available Feb. 15. Showtime’s four-part docuseries “Of Mics and Men” dropped in 2019, and features interviews with all nine living members.
Are you working on any new material?
I always want the best in whatever I’m doing. Even if it’s just buying a speaker, I want to buy the best speaker, not because it’s the most expensive. If I deliver a new song, especially if it’s conceptual—it has to be a song with a foundation built for learning or educating. I want to make it the best of the best. That’s how I am, and when I’m working on something, it has to be the best it can be.
Have you been laying down any tracks or recording?
I’ve recorded a few songs, but right now, I’m at a standstill with this album. My ideas change as days go on. I want to create something great.
You’re also working on a documentary, correct?
Yeah, the documentary is about mental illness and focuses on a young chess prodigy with ups and downs. He’s been incarcerated and in and out of the system. He’s been unfairly treated and mistreated like a majority of the people. I just want to shed light on that. I want to shed light on the mental illness situation and what some have gone through. So, I’m making a film about it and incorporating chess.
Is there a tentative release date?
I think sometime in 2023.
2023 also marks 30 years of Wu-Tang. What does that mean to you?
If I flashback and go through history, it means a lot. We were a group that came from nothing and started something. Of course, it was all built around hip-hop culture. It was something that was innate within us. The love and the passion you have for something, to continue to do something, and to reach the millions of people we reached is a beautiful blessing. It’s something that I will always do, something I’ll always love; I love writing, and I love talking about lyrics. We can talk for hours about lyrics. We can talk for hours about writing. We can talk about music samples, which is a blessing. It means so much that I can be on this platform and do what I do.
Speaking of someone who also has a platform but has used it recently to spread hatred. What are your thoughts on Kanye West?
Now it becomes controversial. Although I’ve never met [Kanye], I know he’s a big fan of Wu-Tang, and he’s a big GZA fan. How can I put this? I love Kanye. He’s a great producer. He’s a great artist. I don’t know if I’m answering your question, but I respect him fully. I’m never going to say anything bad about him. I don’t want to start going into other shit he’s saying about certain things. I think that more shit is coming down on him than should come down on him. As artists, we just got to get on our platform, represent what we are saying, and stand behind what we feel.
There are certain places I can go, but I don’t want to be in a situation he’s in.
All I can do is stand by him. He’s a brother, and it is what it is. He may not be the clearest when he tries to explain himself. Sometimes you got to take time and think about what the fuck you want to say to the public, to the media, and be really careful about what the fuck you say, but I support Kanye though he might need a little help with certain things.
Do you consider yourself spiritual?
There’s always some spirituality, but it depends on how deep you are behind what you’re saying. When you start speaking about certain things, you have to go to the foundation of it.
How do you stay humble?
I think you keep yourself humble by knowing who you are, what you do and what you have on the table, what you’re working with, and that’s all you have as yourself. I can’t be Superman if I’m not fucking Superman. I can’t look into a jar of a thousand fucking jellybeans and tell you how many jellybeans are in that fucking jar. I am who I am. I’m no different from you. We’re no different. I’m not above you. I’m not below you. We are equal.
Whether you’re an artist or not, or whether you are the biggest artist in the world, you have to go into it knowing that you are the same person. Same shit. There’s no difference. I’m no different than you. And what makes us more alike is that you ask questions that I like to be asked.
What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to do creatively but haven’t had the chance to do yet?
I would like to write and direct a film. That’s one thing that I haven’t done, but I should have been doing it for years.
Well, you should reach out to Jim Jarmusch.
You know what? I’m going to call him today. I think he can open my mind. He’s so laid back. I don’t even know the other words I can use to express this dude. But I want to make a film with him.
I also want to learn more about people like Bob Dylan. I don’t know much about his music, but people always say Bob Dylan is a master songwriter. I don’t know many of his songs. When we talk about songwriters, I know his name is always mentioned.
GZA performs ‘Liquid Swords’ (Amplified opens) on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 9pm. $35/$40; $135-185/VIP plus fees. The Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. catalystclub.com
Diane Sterling and her 11-year-old daughter Zasha spent Jan. 12 at the Felton Branch Library, using its Wi-Fi. The Sterlings’ power has been out for several days. One of the worst storms to hit Santa Cruz County caused widespread power outages, especially throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains—some residents went a week or longer without power. Even as storms have begun to ease, nearly 2,000 residents across the county are still without power, according to the online power outage tracker.
While the Sterlings’ power is back on, they remain disconnected in other ways.
“I have no phone and no internet,” Diane says. “If I wasn’t trying to work, it wouldn’t be an issue.”
The British native says she’s surprised the local infrastructure isn’t set up to handle rainy conditions.
“They don’t have any drains or gutters,” she says, adding that crews could have done more—like trim trees and remove the dead ones—to prepare ahead of time. “It’s just very backward.”
A few days earlier, their road was closed due to fallen trees; when Diane was finally able to make it to the store, it was sold out of ice. Many mountain businesses have been struggling with staffing shortages, closed roads and increased demand for specific items, like ice. Some businesses have had to get creative as a result.
Jeannette Kornher, owner of Kitten Kornher Rescue in Boulder Creek, says she brought her cats from home to join the kitties at her downtown storefront so that she could keep track of them during the torrential weather. Meanwhile, her partner, a veteran of Hurricane Katrina, has been repairing generators for residents.
Krista Scarborough, whose family owns Scarborough Lumber, says that while their stores have seen a significant uptick in sales—emergency tools, building materials—they’ve had staffing difficulties.
“I have employees that have been out of power for nine days,” Krista says. Still, she says it’s inspiring to see the community pulling together. “Everybody has been extremely understanding and patient.”
THE COUNTY’S RESPONSE
Santa Cruz County responders have begun to make a dent in the crisis that has hit the mountain communities especially hard. Santa Cruz County spokesperson Jason Hoppin noted particular attention had been paid to Lompico’s river systems.
“There was a large ball of wooden roots and trees that could have created a dam along the creek bed if [county workers] didn’t remove it—it’s almost like sticking your finger in a dyke, and then another three problems crop up,” Hoppin says. “Everybody’s working hard and long hours to keep the community on its feet.”
Everybody is also using any means possible—Hoppin says he’s never seen a jet ski used for rescue situations. State Parks used the recreational water vehicle to save Felton Grove residents who didn’t initially evacuate.
“We were surprised there wasn’t more damage in Paradise Park,” Hoppin says, noting residents’ efforts to elevate their homes throughout the years paid off.
Though 67 county roads remain closed as of Jan. 16, Santa Cruz County Deputy CAO Matt Machado is optimistic about his team’s progress. Roughly three-quarters of his team have been working in the Santa Cruz Mountains clearing roads. “We’ve had a lot of success in Bonny Doon,” Machado says. “We didn’t have any permanent damage there.”
STILL RECOVERING
As the rain poured down onto Santa Cruz County, it’s hard to imagine the arid conditions that led to the devastating CZU Lightning Complex Fires of 2020.
With another weather calamity wreaking havoc on businesses, homes and city infrastructure, the destruction is all too familiar for some mountain residents who watched helplessly as the wildfire scorched hillsides and destroyed more than 900 homes nearly two and a half years ago. Some are even eyeing the storm with a sense of Deja Vu as they work to reconstruct the homes that the fires burned down—at least that’s how Ken Mosberg felt after the initial storms hit on New Year’s Eve.
Mosberg and his wife, Carol Droskey, are one of the families who lost their homes to the CZU fires that torched the hills of Ben Lomond. Two and a half years later, they broke ground on the hill where their house once stood and even built the foundation and drywall, an accomplishment that not many CZU fire victims can relate to.
According to the county’s website, there are still 218 survivors whose permits to rebuild their homes haven’t been processed, and 194 people with all three permits are in the rebuilding process. Only 24 people have entirely overhauled their homes.
All those waiting to break ground are held up due to the clearances that preempt receiving county permits. Mosberg credits the swift success of receiving authorization and permitting to his house’s relative newness: built in the ’90s, the home was already up to recent state codes compared to many of his neighbors in more rural areas of the mountains.
But the recent storms have set the rebuilding progress back a few weeks. The nine inches or so of rain decimated Mosberg’s temporary drainage system that prevents water from going over the hillside. After the New Year’s Eve storm, the hill’s drop-off eroded to just a few feet away from the new house’s foundation.
“On New Year’s Day, I walked out back, and that yard area was gone,” Mosberg says. “There was still water running over the hill eroding the hillside. I had a moment where I wanted to say, ‘eff it. Let it go.’”
According to Mosberg, stubbornness propelled him to dig out the channels around his house, funneling the excess water and avoiding any indoor flooding.
“After going through as much as we’ve gone through, I wasn’t willing to just let it go,” he says. “I’m also probably way too optimistic. That’s the problem.”
So far, Machado says that he hasn’t seen a pattern of washouts, mudslides or falling trees being triggered due to the previous destruction of the fires or burn scars.
“The mountainsides have kind of healed up a bit,” he says.
Mosberg hopes to have his new home completed in the upcoming months. The trenches he and his neighbor dug to funnel excess water from the hillside into the streets have been vital. The makeshift canals, he hopes, will keep his home out of harm’s way and allow him and his family to sleep under their home’s new roof very soon.
“It’s fires or floods, one of the two, right?” Mosberg says with a chuckle. “I have to laugh.”
Despite her name, Mayhem—a charismatic 2-month-old “Great Pyrenees” puppy—brings a moment of respite from the storm for many at the Santa Cruz Fairgrounds temporary evacuation shelter. Most grateful for her calming presence is her owner, Rory Stanton of Santa Cruz. His gray hoodie and large rain boots shroud him, and his eyes shift around nervously. But he lights up whenever Mayhem is mentioned.
“If she wasn’t allowed, I wouldn’t be here,” he says as the puppy pulls at his sweatshirt strings. “She’s my everything.”
The inseparable pair have spent the last two days hunkering down at the temporary shelter serving as a haven for people and their pets displaced by storm evacuations. Santa
Cruz County Animal Shelter has been working with temporary shelters to keep pets with their owners and out of animal shelters during the storms. “Our approach is different compared to fire evacuations,” SCCAS attorney Cara Townsend says. “It’s less stressful for people and pets.”
The animal shelter’s team has worked with the Fairgrounds shelter, run by the Red Cross, to host animals alongside people. The shelter asks all non-service animals to come with crates, but they are ready to dole out pet food, dishes and necessities, says Jenny Arrieta from the Red Cross communications team. Unlike other shelters, pets are welcome to join people indoors by their cots. Technically, all pets must be kept in crates, but most seem alright if that rule is overlooked.
“I was afraid,” Karla Villalobos, who evacuated her home in Pajaro, says. “I wasn’t sure who would take care of them.” She flips through photos of Shadow and Bandit, her 1-year-old husky and border collie mix, and her 1-year-old pomsky—a Siberian husky and Pomeranian mix—who wait in their crates by her cot.
“It’s just nice to be able to have them with me,” she says as she smiles at their photos.
Some, like Stanton, wouldn’t have gone to a shelter if pets weren’t allowed, and, believe it or not, some left their pets at home with no idea of when they’d be returning—this was seen during the CZU Lightning Complex fire, as Good Timesreported. Rescue teams regularly found abandoned pets. Villalobos was nervous that she might go to work one day and be unable to return home due to the storms. She worried she wouldn’t know where to find her dogs if someone came to save them.
Cabrillo College’s Santa Cruz shelter also accepts pets, but they’re asking them to be kept in owners’ cars in the parking garage and may be walked on the main roadway off campus, according to a volunteer at the shelter.
SCCAS urges people to have an evacuation plan for their pets. Additionally, owners should have a week’s supply of food, water, medication (if needed), a crate and a litter box with litter. If your pets can’t join you and friends or family can’t assist, the shelter will house and care for your animal(s) for free. While the SCCAS is happy to have your dog, cat, horse, tortoise or any other pet during tumultuous times, their ultimate hope is that pets and their people can stay together.
Like Stanton says, not having Mayhem is a dealbreaker. He might not know what will come next for him after the storms, but he knows his best pal will be with him.
