(AAN) Family by Monica Leas He Answer? New Orleans

2006 ConventionDaily Saturday|6.17.06 Little Rock, Ark. All in the (AAN) Family By Monica Leas he answer? New Orleans. The questions came from former Gambit Weekly editor TMichael Tisserand, who emceed an unusually sober Alt- Weekly Awards lunch Friday afternoon. “When I got the call to host this year’s awards, my first thought was, ‘Is AAN in so much financial trouble that they can no longer afford Dan Savage’s speaker fees?’” said Tisserand, fully clothed in the tux Gambit publisher Margo DuBos bought him when he started with the paper about eight years ago. “This is like a make-a-wish moment for me,” he said of the opportunity to crack jokes in front of a crowd while sporting his purple and pink polka-dotted bowtie. Tisserand’s more sincere comments came a little later when he thanked the association’s members for their support after Hurricane Katrina scattered some Gambit staffers across the globe and left others to piece life back together in New Or- leans. Tisserand enjoys his “I always believed AAN was a family, but only in that harbors- ‘make-a-wish moment’ longstanding-grudges-that-would-make-no-sense-to-an-outsider kind of way,” said Tisserand, who had sold his New Orleans home two days earlier have to take you in. Thank you.” and stopped in Little To show his gratitude, Tisserand offered Mardi Gras beads, Rock en route to his fried peach pies from Hubig’s, a six-pack of Abita Restoration new home in Evanston, Ale and “Make Levees not War” stickers to those who jumped in Ill. “When you helped re- quickest with answers to his brain-crunching trivia questions. move financial worries And although the luncheon ensued sans stripteases or sneak- for Gambit employees er shots this year, there were at least a couple tawdry moments during the profoundly — like the flash of a busty pink puppet who appeared topless on unsettling weeks right an award-winning cover for Las Vegas Weekly. after the flood, you “I know I’m going to have a bad dream about that one to- truly lived up to Rob- night,” Tisserand said. ert Frost’s definition of In the, ahem, flesh, Byron Beck of Willamette Week and Cary home — that when you Stemle of Louisville Eccentric Observer also bared their chests, have to go there, they sporting only suit coats and borrowed bowties. Their walk-on Willamette Week’s roles, an opportunity declined by several other editors, came with only a little arm-twisting from Tisserand. Byron Beck didn’t “Now he owes me big time,” Stemle said after recovering get the memo: No from his bare-chested exploit. “This is why I went into print — so male strippers at I wouldn’t have to do this.” this year’s lunch. For the List of Winners, See P. 3 Bill Clinton’s Arkansas By Max Brantley s a young general assignment reporter, one of my first “scoops” came in 1974. A young University of Arkansas Alaw professor was going to announce a bid for Congress against Republican John Paul Hammerschmidt. The law prof lost that race for Congress. But he won quite a few more. His success wasn’t surprising. I knew Bill Clinton was a competitor. I’d seen him play fierce softball and a mean game of charades when my future wife was his colleague on the law school faculty. I knew he had charisma. My mother, the lifelong Republican, became a Clintonite on her first meeting in 1980. I could also tell you that you always had to listen very carefully to Bill Clinton. The word “parse” wasn’t in heavy use in the early 1980s, when Bill Clinton was governor and I was city editor of the Arkansas Gazette. But after more than a few disagreements on whether our reporters had sufficiently captured the nuance of one of his pronouncements, we decided to tape everything he said. Like most Southern liberals, I was conflicted about Bill Clinton. In general elections, particularly, he was clearly preferable to the alternative. But his “third way” politics often disappointed idealists like me. By the time he was the Democratic nominee for president, I was editor of a new alternative weekly, the Arkansas Times. Being generally supportive of Bill Clinton amounted to an alternative media viewpoint in Little Rock. The dominant daily newspaper had little good to say about him -- then and still. This issue of the Arkansas Times -- from May 7, 1992 -- was There’s no doubt his campaign and our coverage -- one of our also the first after the Times switched to a weekly newspaper reporters wrote one of the early Clinton biographies -- helped from a monthly magazine. build the reader base we enjoy today. The Clinton presidency reaped a whirlwind for Arkansas. A It’s hard for me to separate the personal from the political. special counsel investigation introduced Arkies to the heat of Bill Clinton appointed my wife to a judgeship in 1986. As the TV camera, the imperfection of big-name journalists and president, he gave my daughter’s college singing group a the vicious partisanship of modern politics, not to mention White House tour and a late-night Oval Office bull session. some punishing legal bills and jail terms. It seemed so He gave the Arkansas Times his last interview as president, personal to us. We knew the president and first lady as Bill and a quick chat in an airplane hangar on his farewell fly-around. Hillary. Others making headlines included Webb and Bruce and Thanks to him, I was invited over the years to write pieces for Vince and Kaki. It was good reading, that’s for sure. newspapers around the world. Knowing Bill Clinton, I think he’d What do we have to show for it today, besides memories? probably forgive me if he ever came across the one I wrote for A huge presidential library, for one thing, its parking lot filled a newspaper in The Hague. Presuming he can read Dutch. with cars from all over. They bring people of all political stripes, drawn by a man who remains one of the world’s most Max Brantley is editor of the Arkansas Times. compelling personalities. Keynote and Program Update 463!!! The second block of seminars will start 15 AAN thanks each and every one of minutes early, at 11:30 a.m., and end at 12:45 the 463 people who have shared p.m. Those attending the Keynote Lunch this year’s Convention with us. We should proceed directly to the Wally Allen hope you’ve all enjoyed it. See you Ballroom of the Statehouse Convention next year in Portland! Center to be seated by 1 p.m. President Clinton will speak first. 2 And The Winners Are ... Arts Criticism Cartoons Small 3 or fewer newspapers First: “Playing with the Passion,” “At- First: “The HR Department” tachment Disorder” and “Going Down in Ed Harrington History in Flames” Second: “BEK” Steven G. Kellman, San Antonio Current Bruce Eric Kaplan Second: “Desires vs. Duties,” “De-Evolu- Third: “Image Control by Mr. Fish” Column - Political tion, Albee Style” and “Down, Home” Dwayne Booth Byron Woods, Independent Weekly Small Third: “Private Texas,” “Grand Theft 4 or more newspapers First: “Poli Psy” History” and “Feeling Negative” First: “Mild Abandon” Judith Levine, Seven Days Elaine Wolff, E.J. Pettinger San Antonio Current Second: Donna Ladd, Jackson Free Honorable Mention: “Drastic Roman- Second: “Tom the Dancing Bug” Press tic,” “Evil’s Puppets” and “Raven’s Son” Ruben Bolling Third: Andrew Wheat, The Texas Ob- Michael Bowen, Third: “This Modern World” Pacific Northwest server Inlander Tom Tomorrow Honorable Mention: “Politics and Other Mistakes” Large Column Al Diamon, Portland Phoenix First: “Blown Opportunity,” “Lost in the Stars” and “Pulling Punch Lines” Small Large Jim Ridley, Nashville Scene First: Miriam Axel-Lute, Metroland First: “Commie Girl” Second: “Africa Screams,” “Diary of a Second: Bruce George Wingate, Rebecca Schoenkopf, OC Weekly Mad White Woman” and “Chow Fun” Fairfield County Weekly Second: “Citizen Servatius” Kristian Lin, Fort Worth Weekly Third: Steve Schneider, Orlando Weekly Tara Servatius, Creative Loafing Third: “Objects of Scorn,” “Memory Honorable Mention (tie): Dusty (Charlotte) Pictures” and “Poise II Men” Rhodes, Illinois Times Third (tie): C.J. Janovy, The Pitch Jeffry Cudlin, Washington City Paper Honorable Mention (tie): Derek Third (tie): “Potter’s Field” Honorable Mention: “Gender Jennings, Independent Weekly Chris Potter, Pittsburgh City Paper Benders?,” “Dante, Dude” and “The Honorable Mention: Robin Meyers, Many, the One, and the Two” Large Oklahoma Gazette Jeffrey Gantz, Boston Phoenix First: “Ask a Mexican!” Gustavo Arellano, OC Weekly Cover Design Arts Feature Second: “Social Studies” Vincent Williams, Baltimore City Paper Small Third: “The Dubliner” Small First: Jeffrey Bland, Style Weekly First: “Panic Attack” Katie Haegele, Philadelphia Weekly Second: David Jayne, David Robert and David Lee Simmons, Honorable Mention: Patricia Calhoun, Gambit Weekly Sandra Hoover, Reno News & Review Second: “Diamonds and Rusty” Westword Third: Agnes Carrera, Michael Germana Paula Routly, Seven Days and Dan Santat, Pasadena Weekly Third: “Lush Be a Lady” Honorable Mention: Matt Ansoorian, Gillian Fassel, San Antonio Current Bill Kienzel, Tanner Goldbeck and Bran- Honorable Mention: “Lunatic Fringe” den Aroyan, Santa Barbara Independent Owen Holmes, Folio Weekly Large Large First: Benjamen Purvis, Las Vegas First: “Roboscalper” Weekly David Downs, East Bay Express Second: Tom Carlson, Riverfront Times Second (tie): “Big Cheese” Third: Derrick Rainey, SF Weekly Jimmy Magahern, Phoenix New Times Honorable Mention: Nathan Paolinelli Second (tie): “Unfinished Symphony” and Jeff Drew, Weekly Alibi Malcolm Gay, Riverfront Times Third: “Tough Love for the Arts” Ed Harrington’s “The HR Department” Roger Downey, Seattle Weekly took First Place in Cartoons that appear See AltWeekly Awards, P.

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