Samantha Cullen-Fry

Educator, activist and mother, Samantha Cullen-Fry of the Narragansett tribe works tirelessly advocating for her people and the Indigenous community as a whole. In her role at Tomaquag Museum in Exeter, Fry organizes civic engagements, communicates important issues with the press and ensures that the state’s original inhabitants have the equity they deserve in the conversations that matter. Recently, this URI graduate worked with Motif magazine and Emmy Award-winning Cree singer- songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie on a film project at the Smithsonian.

“Samantha’s humble passion and willingness to offer an educated firsthand voice is instrumental for the preservation of our past and a platform for our youth to carry out for the next seven generations,” explains Maija Hill, also of the Narragansett. “Her genuine desire to ensure Indigenous truth flood and remain flowing throughout all nations will ensure our culture is not muted, diluted or deleted!”

You can visit Fry and learn more her work, and the work of the Narragansett community as a whole by going to the Tomaquag Museum at 390 Summit Rd, Exeter, on Wednesdays from 10am to 5pm, and Saturdays, 10am to 2pm.

Gary Glassman

Behind every piece of monumental filmmaking lurks a creative genius quietly spurring the vision along. In the case of internationally acclaimed documentarian Gary Glassman’s work, it is a humble, unassuming genius who gives everything and takes nothing in return. Add to that an eye for a shot and a knack for storytelling, and you’ve got a modern-day virtuoso. This recipe for success has led Glassman all over the world, equipping him to undertake all manner of investigative reporting. His most recent work, the widely lauded PBS series “Native America,” is soon to return for a second run. He has also assisted and mentored numerous RI filmmakers and documentarians.

Massachusetts-based filmmaker Dennis Allen is a contemporary of Glassman’s who, over the years, has risen to similar giddy heights. Looking across the water from the Bay State, Allen commented, “Gary is one of those gifted television producers who can blend revealing insight and engaging information with the kind of entertaining style and sensibility that brings great stories to life. It’s the reason his work has received rave reviews and is seen on the most respected television networks like PBS, History Channel and Discovery Channel.”

Luckily for us, Glassman is right here in the Ocean State and operates out of his studio, Providence Pictures. So, You Want a Real Party? These summer powwow events should be on your calendar

Looking for an authentic New England experience this summer? The warm months are powwow season in Indian Country, and with open-to-the-public Indigenous events happening across the southern part of the region, there’s never been a better time to get in touch with the cultures of the country’s Native people. But finding the right event can be tricky; here are the ones you want to attend.

98th Annual Mashpee Wampanoag Powwow July 5 – 7

You can choose yet another red, white and blue hot dogs and firework fest this July 4 weekend, or you could do something interesting. With dancers and singers from across the continent, food from myriad vendors and fireball after sunset (imagine rugby … but on fire), this is the only place to be during the Independence Day celebrations. You won’t have a better experience this summer. Arrive after 1pm.

Mashpee Wampanoag Powwow Grounds, 483 Great Neck Road South Mashpee, Mass

344th Narragansett Indian Tribe’s August Meeting and Powwow, August 10 – 11 The oldest recorded powwow in North America, this one has special meaning and the importance can be felt in every aspect of the occasion. Visitors can enjoy traditional Narragansett cuisine, browse Native jewelry, and be entertained by music and traditional dancing, particularly from the Eastern Woodlands. A distinctly Rhode Island Indigenous affair. Arrive after 1pm

Indian Church Grounds (off Rt. 2) in Charlestown

2019 Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Schemitzun, August 24 – 25

Schemitzun, the Feast of Green Corn and Dance, honors Mantoo (Creator), by celebrating the harvest, family, ancestors and veterans. Attracting artists, singers and dancers from all over North America, Schmeitzun is one of the biggest powwows in the country. Arrive after 1pm.

Mashantucket Reservation 110 Pequot Trail Mashantucket, Conn

Sealed with a Kiss: Introducing Ninny Nothin’, the Lips of Providence Even as a child, Johnny stood out as the goofy one who took chances, always wanting to entertain, to make people laugh and smile. When this flamboyant young performer discovered the world of drag at the age of 26, it was clear that this was the platform upon which Johnny could entertain on a broader scale. From this revelation was born Ninny Nothin’, a tireless and selfless giver of joy whose scatterbrained yet quick-witted personality has been loved by audiences as diverse as Newport brunches, the Dark Lady and Amazon Prime. I met with Ninny on the set of her latest movie, Strapped for Danger 2 to learn what it means to be the “Lips of Providence” and what’s next for this cherished daughter of Rhode Island.

Amadeus Finlay (Motif): From Newport to the heart of Providence, how does it feel to be one of Rhode Island’s most celebrated drag artists?

Ninny Nothin’: To be recognized at all is an honor! I’ve found that throughout my years performing as Ninny and really making her a fully conceptualized character, the key is to have fun and do what makes you happy. I like to make people happy! For me, I think a lot of my success has stemmed from being kind to people. Knowing that it wasn’t just my talents or a crazy look that got me where I am humbled me. So basically, this fool is humbled to be where I am and recognized for what I do.

AF: Let’s dig a little deeper. There’s a lot going on in the name Ninny Nothin’. What sentiments does her name encapsulate?

NN: When I first wanted to try out drag, I knew I had to have a name, but picking the name was the hardest for me because I wanted it to represent the character I wanted to create. I love a good brand. And every strong brand has a name that’ll reflect what the brand stands for. I remember I was on set for the feature film Accidental Incest and my good friend and director playfully called me a “ninny.” Now I had heard the term before, but upon further pondering about the word and what it meant to be called a “ninny,” I jumped on it. The word brought me to the recurring character type of the clown/fool from Shakespeare’s work, portrayed as less than intelligent but always the ones with the most knowledge and the sharpest tongues and usually the most likable. Also, I wanted to reclaim a word that I know others would use in a derogatory way. By calling myself Ninny, I was making it a powerful thing and it was used in a way to remind myself that being a fool isn’t a bad thing. For a little bit I was just referred to as Ninny without a last name. I wanted to be like Cher haha — in my own world where I was cool enough to not require one. So, people kept asking me my last name and I would always reply with a laugh, “It’s Nothin!” And that’s how the name Ninny Nothin’ came to be.

AF: You’re known as the Lips of Providence. Why did you focus on that particular element of Ninny’s personality?

NN: All my life I’ve been involved in acting. I started off in plays then quickly went to film and then found a happy medium of both. My strongest points are always performing and emotion. When I first started doing drag, I knew those were my strong points as well. Now makeup was a whole different story … I will say that while I don’t consider myself a makeup artist, my makeup game has improved considerably! But starting out I was a makeup mess and lips were always something that scared me. When I started drawing on lips, I kept on trying to play with different shapes. The problem was that every time I tried, I would mess up my lips. So, I just kept on making my lips bigger every time to hide the mistakes. I didn’t see anything wrong with my crazy big lips — if anything I loved them because I felt different than everyone else. I remember some people would poke fun about the size or tell me that the size was unrealistic and I should make them smaller. It was until an established queen, Pulp, current reigning Miss Gay RI, looked at me one day and said, “I love your look. Your lips especially. Never change.” This was such a moment for me. For those of you who don’t know Pulp, she is Providence’s bearded queen. Now, I am so happy they became a signature for Ninny, because I wanted to stand for something with my drag. And a mouth is made up of lips and lips allow words to flow … so why not be known for a big set of lips ready to verbally stand for something?

AF: When we first met, you were working with the star-studded Trailer Park Girls. What are the rest of the gang up to, and when will we see you all together again?

NN: My girls! I can tell you right now I would not be where I am today with those queens! The Trailer Park Girls (consisting of Neoki Feytal, Kelly Square, Ally P. Sha and Naomi Chomsky) have not only gotten me through some tough times, but have pushed me to grow not only as a queen but as a person. As far as shows go, we have them all over! We’re focusing on cabaret-style drag shows at the moment, with brunches, nightclub hosting and all sorts of fun coming over the summer. Keep an eye out!

AF: Let’s talk a little about Pride. How does Providence Pride compare to the rest of the country and/or world, and how do you see it growing?

NN: I’ve always said for such a small state we have such huge heart. To me that’ll make any place stand out no matter how small it is. People expect there to be such power in bigger more populated places, but Rhode Island, Providence especially, is heard. As far as growth goes — each year you we not only get more passionate, but it seems as though there’s more acceptance. Not just in Providence though — Newport started doing their own Pride last year!

AF: We’ve spoken before about the emotional toll your career and life has had at times. Tell us about your journey of realization and acceptance. NN: How much time do I have? As Johnny I’m a very emotional person. This journey as Ninny has allowed me to embrace my backbone and stand up for myself and what I believe in. It’s interesting that someone can find themselves through exploring not only a different character, but a character they created. When I first started drag, I felt invincible. No one knew Johnny, they just saw Ninny running around in diapers or playing in traffic. It wasn’t until I started to go out more and meet people out of drag that my two worlds collided. For a while, I was scared and didn’t know how to handle it. People knew that Johnny was the crazy person behind the lips. But the beauty in being discovered as Johnny was that people didn’t treat me any different. I then realized that I was accepted for just being me, whether in drag or not. Having been afraid to fully be the crazy that Ninny is for basically my entire life, all that dissipated. I now go day to day with this piece of advice: Be yourself in all areas of life. Let people see the true you. They deserve it and so do you!

AF: Finally, Hollywood! You’re now also a movie star; tell us more about Strapped for Danger and whatever else may be on the silverscreened horizon.

NN: I do like to consider myself an A-list movie star when it comes to Rhodywood! I’ve been fortunate enough to have starred in 10 full-length feature films, the latest one, Strapped for Danger (available on Amazon Prime!), being my first drag role! As of right now I’m finishing up filming a gay horror slasher film called Death Drop Gorgeous, which has been an absolute dream of mine being a lover of both horror films and drag. Once that wraps, I’ll be headed into production for Strapped for Danger 2: The Streakquel!

Unsavory Tastes: Give a thought to history before placing your order On the afternoon of March 15, 1999, Northern Irish lawyer Rosemary Nelson reversed her silver BMW out of the driveway alongside the house where she lived with her husband and three children and headed toward Belfast. She did not get far. Moments later, Nelson braked at the foot of the hill on which her home stood, activating an explosive device that had been planted the previous night by Loyalist paramilitaries (terrorists who wish to see Northern Ireland remain under British control). Badly wounded but still breathing, Nelson hung on for two and a half excruciating hours as the life slowly drained from her body, yet another victim of an Irish car bomb splattered across the bloody streets of Ulster.

On the evening of April 12, 2019, a few weeks after the 20th anniversary of Nelson’s murder, this writer was at a hibachi restaurant in Warwick. At the bar were four white baby boomers, blue collar workers loudly sharing the brash confidence that particular generation likes the whole world to witness. One after the other after the other called for the bartender to make Irish Car Bombs, a notably Semtex-free cocktail available at most watering holes in the nation, before improvising other suggestions of their own: Kamikaze Krashland, Injun Ginocide, Queer Beer. Irked, and true to form, I politely, but firmly, challenged the tirade, focusing on the one area I could truly speak to: the Irish car bomb. I was born and raised in Belfast, but explaining this and the reality to the boomers was quickly lost. I was all but chased from the establishment when I drew a comparison between ordering an Irish Car Bomb and calling a cocktail a Twin Towers — context lost in a star-spangled rage of reactionary patriotism.

But the car bomb isn’t alone. One of the most famous is the widely held – if contested – assertion that the word “jimmies,” New England slang for chocolate sprinkles, derives from the Jim in Jim Crow. And even if the term isn’t based on a racist truth, a generational divide certainly exists with regard to its usage. At the tail end of last summer’s ice cream season, I overheard a late teen admonish her father for asking for jimmies at Newport Creamery, only to be joined in private, mumbled support by three other individuals standing in line. Times are a-changing when it comes to ice cream lingo.

But not, it seems, when it comes to alcoholic beverages named “in honor” – as one of the boomers put it – of Ireland. There is a second culprit lurking among the taps of your favorite local dive bar, the “black and tan” of Guinness and pale ale fame. Granted, this may sound like an innocuous reflection on the color of the drink, but the name black and tan comes from the nickname for a British Special Forces unit that terrorized civilians – see rape, murder, arson – during the Irish War of Independence. And that’s the last thing you want in your mouth on a Friday evening in Dublin.

So, let’s, I implore you, move away from misrepresentations of horror and neglect in the shape of everyday foodstuffs. For if we muddy the waters and forget the origins of idioms and words, we get disconnected from the reality of history, and that is a terrifying place to be.

Grin and Bear It! Using a sharpened deerbone needle, Indigenous tattoo artists of Southern New England create permanent tattoos with ink created from finely crushed hardwood charcoal. Artists rub the skin with bear oil before beginning the process. Opinion: The Writing on the Wall: Graffiti is the voice of the people and erasure is political censorship

UVF murals on the Shankhill Road in Belfast

It can be difficult to accurately gauge the temperament of a nation or group of people, and while we often rely on numerical data to guide us to a reasonable point of understanding, Benjamin Disraeli’s assertion that there are lies, damned lies, and statistics carries more meaning than it might otherwise suggest. Humans express emotions through emotional mediums, finding comfort and meaning in words, drawings and other creative media. Arguably, one of the most impassioned reflections of social attitudes can be found in graffiti, and humans have been practicing the art for millennia.

It has been effective, too, allowing people to spread political messages, express frustration and create art through an almost entirely uninhibited medium. But it is also wonderfully insightful for those who study it. Take, for example, the runes inscribed by a Norse mercenary in the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul; not only does this simple scribble — “Halfdan was here” — indicate the range of Viking influence and reach, but allows for a tantalizing glance into the everyday life of someone who lived through that tumultuous era. Halfdan may not have been the most inspired tagger, but provocative and political graffiti — such as the works of individuals like Banksy — carry a different weight and message. Uncompromising and proudly so, such artwork is among the most uncensored demonstrations of thought that society produces. Look no further than the powerful – and often horrifying – graffiti art plastered across gable end walls of Belfast in Northern Ireland, hammering home messages in a way that no news report could ever hope to achieve.

Ammar Abo Bakr

But graffiti carries a stigma, and with that stigma comes the asserted right of councils and government agencies to erase and restrict its place in the public eye. Citing vandalism, graffiti rarely lasts long unless placed in an undesirable or difficult-to-reach location, causing those who wish to practice the art to head further underground. Not only does this cause a significant health and safety risk for those involved – individuals who actively seek the challenge being a different matter – but limits the opportunity for expression, and that is a problem. For if the words are political commentaries that challenge those in power, as they often are, erasing those words amounts to censorship, which is very dangerous indeed.

Ammar Abo Bakr is a fine art professor and graffiti artist from Cairo. “I liked how the walls were like a newspaper,” he explained. “People wrote things like, ‘Don’t go down this street, there are thugs down here.’” But Bakr comes from a land of turmoil, and during the dark days of revolution in 2011, he took graffiti as a means of political protest to a whole new level. And that is because Bakr’s commentary was hard-hitting while also managing to be thoughtful and inoffensive, a particularly tricky combination for disgruntled politicos to challenge. But challenge they did, and down came the artwork. Undeterred, Bakr and his fellow artists upped their production, getting to a point where they were painting live as protests and events unfolded around them. The message was simple, and Bakr wrote it out for everyone to see, “Erase even more, you cowardly regime. Erase and I will draw again.”

Bakr may not have caused the downfall of the Mubarak government, but his graffiti was an influential part of what happened on the streets. And given that the Mubarak regime had been in power in Egypt for 29 brutal years, it does make you pause and consider just how influential graffiti really is, and why those in power find it such a threat. Still Here: The story behind the woman on the wall

It is said that a picture is worth 1,000 words, but in the case of the “Still Here” mural in downtown Providence, the paint adorned on the east wall of 32 Custom House Street speaks to 10,000 years of cultural continuity and dogged adaptability in the face of six centuries of genocide. Lynsea Montanari, 24, overlooks the Providence River as a symbolic representation of the present and future of RI’s original inhabitants, the Narragansett. I spoke with Montanari to learn what the mural means to her and to the Indigenous community as a whole.

Amadeus Finlay (Motif): How does it feel to be the face of a celebrated mural in downtown Providence?

Lynsea Montanari: People will compliment me on the mural, but I am just “in there”; the mural is meant to be a representation of an entire community that still exists. And when people do come up and talk to me about it, many of whom I have not had a prior encounter with, it shows that it is making an impact, and that makes for a topical conversation. In that way, the mural is great for what it represents for the Indigenous community, as well as what it means for the Indigenous people in the present day. I am surprised they put me on the mural at all, but what is most important – visually – for me is that I am an Indigenous person in modern day clothing, rather than just in regalia which we only wear for short periods of time during the year.

AF: So, what does the artwork mean to you, and why is it important? Are there symbolic elements that we should pay closer attention to?

LM: The idea was to capture our community and create a piece that wasn’t about me, but something our community can be proud of and represent us as we are today. If there were two Indigenous people in their regalia, community wouldn’t see us in the present, it would leave us in the past as that is what people associate with the people. Which means we provoke a conversation and a dialogue in itself without saying a word.

Some of the choices made in what to include were very deliberate. We talked about some changes in the original layout of the mural, and that the modern dress that I am wearing should include subtle touches of our culture. People consider “tribal prints” as Indigenous, but that is a generalization. Eastern woodlands peoples like the Narragansett are known for our floral work, and so I have a floral skirt with a number of different designs representing my family, and my earrings were beaded by a community member, Quai Perry. So, in that way, not only was I carrying my family, but my community. These touches are important. We are known for earrings made from Quahog shells, but instead we chose the beaded earrings that they are becoming a cultural norm across Indian Country today, rather than in history.

You’ll also see a photograph of Princes Redwing right at the center of the image. We knew she was going to be the first person on the mural, even before I was chosen, that was a no-brainer. And that is because Princess Redwing was a strong Indigenous educator, and the Indigenous community and the wider Rhode Island community always talk about how good a person she was. She helped to found Tomaquag Museum and was a believer in activism through education. It really is an honor to have her on the mural. Even when we opened the mural, someone none of us knew came up and exclaimed, “Princess Redwing!” or people who come to the museum who remember her from a school visit. She really was, and is, instrumental to who we are today.

AF: Do you feel Rhode Island supports and nurtures Narragansett culture, or is there more to do? And if so, what?

LM: As a rule, I don’t like generalizations; as individuals, there are people who would like to do more both in Rhode Island as well as across the country. But America, as a whole, needs a psychological change on how it deals Lynsea Montanari in front of the incomplete “Still Here” with matters such as Indigeneity, race and traditional cultures. Many Rhode Islanders are well- intentioned, but they’ve been taught what they “know” about Indigenous people by what they hear in pop culture, what they’ve been taught by miseducation. People are still shocked to hear that Native people still exist in Rhode Island. You’ve all met Indigenous people, but you didn’t recognize us. So, the mural brings the awareness that we still exist, that we are here and that we aren’t confined to the western reservation systems.

In the case of the Narragansett, we were excluded from a very early point in colonial history, and in larger textbooks we only get a handful of mentions. We speak about wars in American history, but Indigenous people have represented the country more per capita than any other community. So why aren’t we in those conversations? If a commitment to understanding Indigenous people truly exists, it is time to acknowledge the real history; failing to do so simply places a cultural divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities not only in the past, but in the present by how people are being taught to see us. Most importantly of all, Indigenous people should be included in all aspects of education, not just the historical record. We were here before America, and we still remain.

Bringing things into the present, we never experienced land ownership, but the fact that we are being charged to access our waterways by current state government has to stop. It is unacceptable. You’ve taken our land and we don’t get it back – got it. But minimally, we shouldn’t be charged by the state to have access to our tribal homeland. It comes down to local matters such as those who can afford a beach pass in Narragansett, the very town that has taken the name of our people!

And part of this new way of thinking about the land is because we were assimilated by American culture, and people are surprised that we do things that are part of this way of life. But being surprised that we aren’t stuck in the past in itself erases part of our history, as it disconnects from how our culture was stripped through colonization and we were forced to evolve. All cultures evolve; it’s crazy to think we would not. Think about this: There was a time when it was illegal for us to speak our language! When our people had to experience that trauma, it was impossible not to be impacted by American culture. Let’s look at the hot-button topic of the Washington “Redskins”; there is a difference between offensive and oppressive. For instance, “The Chiefs “and “The Braves” are crass, but Redskins is another story. It comes from the scalping of Indigenous people for bounty money, with the “red” skin of the scalp lock being how the individual was identified. Some like it because it is a little bit of representation, something to cling on to. And that is why the mural is important. Here is a visual statement, a representation that the community can get behind and be proud of.

Because we are so often an afterthought. We are often written about through archives and good- intended research, but individuals aren’t considered at the forefront. I’m in the City Hall archives, and they don’t really have anything about Indigenous people, so researchers continue to write the same non- inclusive narrative that is written over and over again. And then they tell us, “You’re welcome,” without properly representing people. Also, Indigenous people are not representatives for the entire community; taking the token Native person into a scenario does not help us. The everyday person should not be dragged out and asked to defend complex, multilayered issues. It is simply unfair, and rather than act as a voice, are manipulated into tools to further a larger, cynical non-Indigenous agenda.

And all this understanding must begin in the school systems, but even today students are not being taught how to acknowledge Indigenous people, thus creating and perpetuating the cycle. They are taught about the Holocaust, but not the massacre of 95% of the original inhabitants of North America. So, it is not the individual we need to consider, but the realignment of how people see us as a whole. Which means if you’re reading this article, and these points are resonating with you, take this as the starting point and let’s grow the discussion from there.

AF: Finally, with all eyes resting on you as the young Indigenous girl on the mural, what plans do you have to harness that intrigue and translate it into support for the Narragansett people as a whole?

LM: My thing is empowerment. I want to help people succeed in the community. If people have a vision for the culture, let’s make those things accessible to them. I am currently attending a tribal youth initiative, and my goal is to get it set up in a way that is going to be beneficial for future generations. It’s not for me to tell people what we need to do, but to stay behind the scenes and help people find their own.

Building my own foundations, I am currently attending College Unbound and getting my bachelor’s in organizational leadership and change, focusing on project work on Indigenous empowerment. I intentionally kept it broad because empowerment and leadership encompass many different things. For example, being at Party City and seeing somebody lift the “Indian costume” and having that conversation, or getting involved in language reclamation projects. Our language was stripped from us, and while I don’t want to say we don’t have it in our culture, different individuals have different levels of knowledge of our cultural language. Whether it is just through traditional names or using what they have with their families. At this point most of us are not speaking with fluency. Which is my personal goal trying to bring fluency back to our community.

When I go to visit my cousin working in Cumberland Farms I would always say, “Asco weequasín,” hello in Narragansett. He never would respond, but I kept saying it as he we wasn’t at a point where he was speaking the language every day. As I said different families hold different traditions. But one day, I heard a voice calling to me That is empowerment, and it is happening today. The Indigenous voice must be heard in 2019 and beyond. And that is because I’ve been in a room where I am the only Indigenous person, and when I leave, the representation is gone; we don’t have a place anywhere where we are the majority culture. I didn’t realize how much it impacted me until I went to a Native college, and it was the first time I surrounded by exclusively Indigenous people. Sure, there are small reservations, and even today the government is actively trying to take those away.

But it all comes down to education. There’s not a lot of good online information, so I encourage people to stop by Tomaquag Museum. That is where Narragansett people go to learn about the community, so go on down and gain some exclusive information from a cultural hub that welcomes all researchers and those who want to learn.

The X-Files, Improv Comedy and Finger- Puppets: A rollicking conversation with Lone Gunman, Dean Haglund

Dean Haglund at Sophia’s in Warwick

“X-Files” star, celebrated improv comedian and international man of mystery, Dean Haglund really has cracked the meaning of life. Best known for portraying Ringo Langly, one of the Lone Gunmen in “The X-Files,” Haglund has not rested on his esteemed laurels, and has built a career – and a reputation – that spreads from Edinburgh to Adelaide. Haglund and I met in a dimly lit hotel bar in Warwick and dived into what it means to be a native of Manitoba masquerading as a Michigander (and how he almost missed out on the role of this life).

Amadeus Finlay (Motif): So, Dean, why are you here in Rhode Island?

Dean Haglund: I am doing the convention, called X-Files United. It’s the first fan-run X-Files convention, and you know fans, they love to get together and celebrate what they enjoy, so this is great. I just moved back to the Midwest; my better half got promoted in the corporate culture, headquarters in Detroit, so suddenly I am the Midwest X-Files guy, so I am the cheapest to fly out! But it transpires that the organizers didn’t know that, they were just fans of the Lone Gunman, so they reached out to me first. I thought they went down, down, down the list until they came to me!

AF: Never! Everyone wants a bit of Dean. What they did was get you first and then worry about Gillian Anderson. I mean, who’s Gillian Anderson? DH: “Yes,” they said. “We need Dean!” But also, Gillian is in London and that’s an expensive flight, plus she’s doing West End plays. She did Streetcar Named Desire and just finished All About Eve¸ so she’s ripping it up over there. But I knew Gillian as a young actress in her first big TV role, and there were scenes we did when she was nervous or doing actory things like writing in her script, and stuff like that. But now, to see her do things like Miss Haversham in Great Expectations… did you see that?! Fucking hell… I saw her at San Diego Comiccon, and said that Haversham is usually portrayed a crazy shut-in, but she does this ephemeral, floaty character. Exceptional! And now she is going to play Margaret Thatcher in The Crown… did you hear this?

AF: No… Can we print that? Is that an exclusive?

DH: Oh, of course. And no, it’s not an exclusive. Gillian didn’t email me and say, “Hi Dean, be sure to let Motif know that I am Margaret Thatcher.” I read it somewhere, so sorry, it’s not an exclusive.

AF: Let’s hope it’s the first time it’s been published in RI; nobody will know! Nobody’s even heard of Thatcher.

DH: Well, when I got picked up at the airport I said, “This is my first time in Rhode Island,” and the driver said, “Don’t worry about that, nobody even knows where Rhode Island is!” Who doesn’t know Rhode Island?! I knew Seth MacFarlane came from here, he’s a local lad, and Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe. I’ve even got an Edgar Allen Poe finger-puppet, complete with a magnet, so when you’re not performing your Edgar Allen Poe finger-puppet show, you can stick him on your fridge!

AF: Sure, everyone does that; it’s a frequent occurrence! While in the kitchen, stick your finger in Edgar Allen Poe… right?

DH: Absolutely! My Hot Pockets take a minute and thirty seconds, so I have to amuse myself! “I am now going to recite The Raven to a captivated audience of a blue Doberman puppy and a disgruntled black cat!”

AF: Well this is marvelous. We should make a show; you and me sitting at a bar chatting nonsense. But anyway … you’re living in the States again; what are you getting up to? Back to the acting, back to the comedy?

DH: Well, I’m doing improv comedy and I am teaching. But that was a brutal winter, and the nights when I was meant to teach a workshop I just said, “Wait ‘til spring!” Our furnace was on 24 hours a day, and the house never got above 60 degrees. Ice was forming on the inside of our bedroom window, we were buying insulation and jamming it in between the joists. I mean, L.A., I lived there for 15 years, we never saw ice. And then Australia, they put their parka on when its 45 degrees! Before that I was in Vancouver, and we only got snow once a year. So when a polar vortex comes down it’s unbearable. But anyway! There’s the Go Comedy! Improv Theater in Ferndale at 9th and Woodward, I’ll be performing there, also the Ant Theatre in Hamtramck, opened by Keegan-Michael Key.

AF: So, the big one… let’s talk about “The X-Files.” What was that like?

DH: Yes, let’s! Let’s talk about “The X-Files.” Thirteen seasons expanding over 22 years. It’s the gift that keeps on giving! But I am always impressed when somebody recognizes me. Those glasses were fake – the hair was real – but now I have neither! Anyway, when I auditioned my agent said, “Bah, aliens and the FBI, whatever,” because back then Vancouver was known for the day players, shows like “Street Justice” and “21 Jump Street,” so he just shrugged his shoulders and went, “How good can that possibly be?” Totally rubbish! So, I went to the audition and didn’t really care! I had been performing 10 nights a week at Vancouver TheatreSports(TM) League, and that was super successful, so all I thought was, “What do I care if I’m an extra in a crap show?” And the Gunmen were only meant to be in one episode, ergh…

So, I go in, meet Bruce Harwood for the first time and ask who was playing the other weird guy, and was told, “He’s the first assistant director.” And I think, “Ah fuck, how shitty is this show where they’re casting the assistant director to play a part?” It’s a cold morning, we’re in a bank, it’s unheated, they’ve built this crazy set, and that’s the first time I met David Duchovny, just another actor blowing through town. And then, Gillian Anderson, and David says, “I’ve heard this is your first TV show.” I had heard David had done some other shows, but I didn’t bother to research them. Anyway, we do our takes, get some close-ups, and we were out there before lunch.

But I had friends who were real-life computer nerds working on Unix, and at a party a while later they told me I was blowing up on a thing called the alt.tv.x-files newsgroup. So, they tell me, “Do read news Lone Gunman,” and whoosh! It’s all about me! It’s global! And it took my breath away.

AF: From your birthplace in Manitoba, to living in Australia, Detroit and Vancouver, finally ending up here in Rhody, you’ve traveled the world! Do you enjoy the jet setting lifestyle?

DH: I do! And bless “The X-Files” for that! Because it shows up in 169 countries across the world. And interestingly enough, as you would expect, it is done in German, and a young German actor, Benjamin Völz, was voicing Mulder for the TV show. But when the movies came out, some business people doing business things wanted to find a more “established” actor to take the part. So, I was asked to take part in a petition to keep him in the role, and I was more than happy to help. In the end, I believe Benjamin was kept on because the fans associated him with the character, and “X-Files” fans have such a beautiful passion for what they love and care about. And that is the reason why I am here in Rhode Island. Our fans are just incredible.

Opinion: The Hysteria of Deception: Explaining the unfounded fear of cannabis in American society

The Oglala holy man, Black Elk, once observed that the desire to attain wealth makes white men go crazy and that some would do almost anything to achieve a financial upper hand. In this instance, Black Elk spoke of gold miners flooding into the Black Hills of South Dakota, but the observations of this revered spiritual leader were more profound and widely applicable than even he might have realized. The demonization of cannabis in the United States is the direct result of calculated deception and the deliberate spread of misinformation by timber and oil companies feeling a pinch in their pockets, and it made us all go crazy as a result.

It all began in 1916 when the USDA reported that hemp, the fibers attained from the stalk of the cannabis plant, produces four times more paper per acre than trees. This was big news. Timber had been on the ascendency over the 19th century, with oil recently becoming a cash crop in the Great Plains, but the United States had been founded on hemp during the two centuries prior. The first recorded use of hemp in the colonies was in 1632, when the Virginia Assembly directed every planter, “as soone as he may, provide seede of flaxe and hempe and sowe the same.” Massachusetts and Connecticut followed suit, and by the early 18th century, hemp was being cultivated throughout the eastern seaboard. In Kentucky in 1810, farmers were selling hemp for $330 per ton, with vast amounts crossing the ocean to European ports. Even George Washington and Thomas Jefferson raised the crop.

Fast forward to the early 20th century, and while hemp has lost its place, the memories of its potential lived on. This concerned timber and oil companies, and realizing that the logic of hemp providing environmentally friendly products at a fraction of the cost would create an unassailable adversary, the gangster mentality set in, and those at the top embarked on a campaign of fear, deception and hysteria to ensure that cannabis was – temporarily at least – demonized across the country.

Fortunately for the fat cats, they had a platform (albeit one relatively unknown by the everyday citizen) upon which to place their scaremongering. Following a half-century of bootleg peddling and quackery by traveling “physicians,” in 1906 Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act requiring that certain drugs, including cannabis, be labeled with contents. This was followed by a wave of legislation aimed at restricting all narcotic sales to pharmacies with doctor’s prescriptions. All fairly sensible stuff. But then the hysteria kicked in. State after state began passing bills restricting the sale of “habit-forming substances” (except tobacco, of course — it was too valuable), and with that, cannabis became a hot topic. Into the mix stepped the timber and oil companies, and the smear campaign began.

It worked, too. By publicly associating cannabis with hemp and focusing misguided attention on the psychoactive element of the plant, the American consciousness reacted with terrible ferocity. In 1931, Texas passed life sentences in prison for possession of the substance. And so, it continued, through the reefer madness hysteria of the late 1930s and early 1940s, all the way to the feverish prison penalties of the 1950s and 1960s.

And why? Because hemp is better than wood and oil as a practical substance, and those in charge fear it. Trees need up to 50 years of growth before they can be used to make paper; hemp can be cultivated within 100 days. Hemp also lasts longer and can be recycled three more times than conventional 8.5 x 11. As for the oil companies, methanol is a competitive alternative to gasoline, and can readily be extracted from the hemp plant, yielding up to 10,000 liters per acre harvested. Furthermore, hemp fuel is biodegradable and does not create sulfur dioxide when burned.

Black Elk died in 1950, but not before he had seen the world around him warp into an unrecognizable wasteland not his own. On a lesser scale, the world of hemp was also cynically manipulated by negative intent, with countless lives ruined by draconian laws spun as the policing of cannabis.

But at least the industry has an opportunity that Black Elk did not. To see it all change back.