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15% OFF U
with this ad
— SALON, INC.
2440 West Broad St.
' 706.548.2188
1
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Chick
TZanglemwi
Serving Musicians for 64
YAMAHA
l:T»: 1 i
MTANIA
240 W. Clayton St. / Downtown Athens
706-543-4348 or (706-54 MUSIC)
www.chickmusic.net
11th Annual
Customer
Appreciation
tight
Five Points
Smoothie
King
ONLY!
ill smalls
mediums
kings
• ••
Not valid on Hulks, Shakes and Power Meals.
Not valid with, any other offer.
1591 S. Lumpkin St. (Next to Marble Slab)
706*613*2600
We U have
indergro
it What brings kids to swing nowadays
is just knowing that they're going to go out
and have a good time for a couple of hours
and hot worry about... no bumping and grind
ing, no violence, and you're going to meet
genuinely, best way to say it is, good people,"
says DJ, comic artist, promoter and man-
about-town Bugg—"Uncle Bugg" to some. He
provided the above ringing endorsement when
asked by Flagpole why people care about a
movement that experienced a popularity peak
in the 1930s, then enjoyed 15 more minutes
of pop-culture relevance during the turn of
this century. Finding a local home for swing
enthusiasts hasn't been easy. Bar owners
generally prefer events that draw a drink
ing crowd, and the swing set, for the most
part, rarely drink while dancing. "What gave
swing the momentum to stay alive as long as
it did was Murphy [Wolford] and Tasty World,
because if it wasn't for Murphy we would not,
swing would not be where it's at."
This fall Bugg, through his own Daddi-0
Productions, looks to enhance the experience
during a series of Swing Nights he's host
ing at the Melting Point. The goal: provide
a sophisticated, supper-club environment to
swing dancers looking to have a meal, dance,
then retire to the pub for a pint and a laugh.
Bugg, who will DJ the events, ensures there's
something for everyone—whether you're a
purist that demands Benny Goodman or one
of the "kids that've heard that stuff a hundred
times."
"They're still young, so you're gonna throw
in something different like Outkast or Trick
Daddy, and then you bring it back with some
neo-swing... and you will get some of the big
gest surprises. Like, you'll get people expect
ing a certain thing, then I'm coming at them
with Linkin Park, and you've got kids dancing
to Linkin Park," Bugg gushes. "Swing is dance,
and that's it."
Recently, the appealing aspects that drew
Bugg to Athens nearly two decades ago began
to dissipate, so he moved an inch east on
the map to raise his family and open Daddy's
House. In quaint and quiet Comer, GA, the
Swing Night impresario stands proudly on
the dusty ground floor looking up in a fledg
ling downtown scene that makes him feel
like Athens once did. "Athens is becoming
too commercial, and everybody's getting so
watered down. There are a lot of artists here
[in Comer], Poetry, painters, artists—this
town is just waiting to«
to Waitand see."
Bugg allows that the business lacks a
model conventionally speaking, and instead
dials into the realm of our collective uncon
scious. Yes, there will be local music, obscure
movies, jewelry and Mountain Dew, but the
universe (read: patrons who frequent the
multi-use space) will determine the merchan
dise and media offered. The store will evolve
to remain vital and essential, catering to the
changing needs of the denizens of Comer/curi
ous Athenians and those just passing through
on Highway 72—a novel idea indeed. It's not
hard to imagine like-minded artistic entrepre
neurial types leasing space to sell everything
from vintage threads to folk art. Daddy's
House will become a space where kids and
adult kids loiter, in the most positive sense.
Think Agora meets Junkman's Daughter with a
booze-free bar offering an assortment of car
bonated and caffeinated elixirs.
"If it's a bunch of Christian kids that want
to meet here on Wednesdays, then we'll cater
to them. We want this to be an open spot
for everybody to enjoy. World of Warcraft,
Christians—if the Buddhist monks happen
to be in town and want to be here, we're not
opposed to anyone. Everyone has something
to offer," shares Bugg.
In a sense, the refreshingly unorthodox
business model that Bugg espouses reflects
that of Tasty World's Murphy Wolford as
well. In the past, Tasty World has fearlessly
accepted all comers, taken risks and provided
quarters to otherwise homeless niches. Daddy's
House has the potential to become the retail
equivalent. "As long as our bills are paid here .
and our landlord Joey [Tatum], who owns
the Manhattan, is cool with how things are
going with us, we will be here as long as we
can. We'll keep it going; and I'm not big on
poetry, but if I have a bunch of cool kids that
want to come and do poetry night... acoustic
acts... noise.projects that aren't gonna hurt
my neighbors. Yeah, I'm going to be a niche
for anybody that wants to—comics, music,
noise—whatever."
David Eduardo
WHAT: Swing Night with Bugg
WHERE: The Melting Point
WHEN: Monday, Aug. 24,7 p.m.
HOW MUCH: $5
v : )
20 FLAGPOLE.COM • AUGUST 19,2009
CHARLES-RYAN BARBER