Ah, the Internet. Who can solve the mysteries of why we click on the things we do? Flagpole didn’t publish any cat videos or pictures of famous people’s butts in 2015, nor did we spark a heated global debate about what color dress Kevin Barnes is wearing. But we did post some stuff online, and sometimes y’all read it. Here are our 10 most popular stories from the past year.
“R.E.M. Doesn’t Feel Fine About Donald Trump Using Its Song”
When Trump took the stage to “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” at a Sept. 9 anti-Iran-treaty rally, members of R.E.M., who are known for backing liberal politicians and causes, didn’t waste any time calling him out.
“Go fuck yourselves, the lot of you—you sad, attention-grabbing, power-hungry little men,” singer Michael Stipe said, referring to Trump and another Republican candidate who spoke at the rally, Sen. Ted Cruz. “Do not use our music or my voice for your moronic charade of a campaign.”
The rest of the band nicely asked candidates to refrain from using their music while calling the hullabaloo a distraction from the real issues.
“Personally, I think the Orange Clown will do anything for attention,” bassist Mike Mills responded on Twitter. “I hate giving it to him.”
“RIP Athens Musician Carl Lindberg”
Lindberg, a well known and highly respected jazz and funk bassist who played with Grogus, Old Skool Trio, Squat and others, died unexpectedly May 15. Family, friends and fans channeled their grief into a variety of benefit shows.
“Offensive Drink Name Sparks Anger at General Beauregard’s”
An angry copy-shop employee’s Facebook post blew up into a national news story in October. The employee posted a photo on Facebook of a recipe list that an employee of the Confederate-themed bar General Beauregard’s brought in to be laminated. The list included a “shooter” called a “N*****ita”—two parts tequila, one part watermelon and a splash of sour mix.
The photo spread widely on social media, and Atlanta TV stations and websites like Gawker picked up the story, bringing much (unwanted) attention on our fair town. Many were outraged, although a stomach-churning number of white people dismissed it as no big deal.
After the owners issued a pro forma apology and the bar closed for the week of fall break, General Beauregard’s reopened and seems to be doing just fine.
“African Americans at UGA Say Downtown Bars Discriminate”
After the General Beauregard’s story blew up, Flagpole started looking into reports that black students were being denied entry to downtown bars based on their skin color. We found widespread incidents where bars kept out African Americans based on seemingly made-up dress codes while allowing in white customers who were dressed the same way. After the story broke, Athens-Clarke County officials started working on a local anti-discrimination ordinance that hopefully will curb this unfair and embarrassing practice.
Beloved local record collector, DJ and craft-beer aficionado William Orten “Ort” Carlton spent a night behind bars in September on probation violation charges stemming from “quality of life” ordinance citations he’d received more than a year earlier. Although he’d been given numerous chances to fix the problem, ACC came under widespread criticism for seeming to come down too hard on him. Progress on cleaning up junked cars, some damaged sheds and assorted other ephemera at his Homewood Hills house was slow—though now complete, thanks to various volunteers, Habitat for Humanity and lawyers Bill Overend and John McArthur—and Ort’s liberty remains in legal limbo.
“And the Flagpole Prince Avenue Flag Photo Contest Winner Is…”
In response to complaints that crossing Prince Avenue on foot meant taking your life into your own hands, ACC gave us some flags to wave as we pranced to our deaths. While certainly better than nothing (barely), the idea met with widespread ridicule, so Flagpole sponsored a contest in January, and Athens responded in spectacular fashion. While we received many hilarious entries, the clear winner was the Secret City burlesque troupe, who posed in The Grit crosswalk wearing nothing but a few strategically placed bits of orange cloth.
“Meet the First Same-Sex Couple to Get Married in Athens”
June 26 was a historic day, as the U.S. Supreme Court struck down same-sex marriage bans nationwide, including Georgia’s. In Athens, Moriah Martin and Jordyn Dolente were first through the courthouse door. “I never thought that this was going to happen, especially in Georgia,” Dolente told Flagpole.
“Famous Athens Dog Cheeseburger Has Died”
Australian cattle dog Cheeseburger, frequently spotted around town accompanied by his homeless human, Johnny Veasey, passed away Apr. 1 at the age of 15. “I know people, and they know me and Cheeseburger,” Veasey told Flagpole in 2012. “People say Cheeseburger’s the most famous dog in Athens after the bulldog.”
“Half of Athens Spent the Weekend Stalking Jon Hamm”
This was so dumb. “Mad Men” actor Jon Hamm and fellow celebs Sarah Silverman, Paul Rudd, Jack McBrayer, Zack Galifianakis and Kristen Schaal, among others, were in town for a wedding in April, and you guys got all creepy on them. Athens Twitter was nothing but selfies with Hamm drinking a beer in the background for like three whole days.
“Body Cam Video Shows Officer Beating UGA Student”
ACC police officer Jonathan Fraser dealt with a drunk and uncooperative 19-year-old by beating him in the head with a baton, then hitting him again while he was on the ground.
Fraser was called to a downtown hotel about the student trespassing and filed a report saying that Michael Roquet grabbed his wrist and hit him in the chest. When footage from Fraser’s body camera was released Aug. 11, though, it showed that the officer’s attack was unprovoked. To the police department’s credit, they called in GBI for an independent investigation, and when the results came in, immediately fired Fraser and charged him with assault.
Honorable mention: “What Have the Cast and Crew of ‘Party Down South’ Been Doing in Athens?’
You may recall that the reality show “Party Down South,” about eight alcoholic rednecks who really can’t afford to kill that many brain cells, taped in Athens in 2014. Well, even though this story is 19 months old and the season aired more than a year ago, it was still among our 20 most-read stories of 2015. SMH.
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