2 westword.com WESTWORD JANUARY 16-22, 2025 | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 8 TAKING STOCK The National Western is on the mooove, and a visit there proves that Denver is still a cowtown. In a good way. 5 THE TAMING OF THE CRUDE Joe Oltmann says he’s changing Conservative Daily. But can the podcast really change its spots? BY BRENDAN JOEL KELLEY 10 UNDER THE COVERS The Spicy Librarian is about to open a new chapter for bookstores. BY JASON HELLER 12 MORNING GLORY A traditional Chinese breakfast is being served in an unexpected place. BY HELEN XU 15 SYNTHESIS OF SOUND Denver artist RUMTUM is blending visual art with his music in a six- month project. BY HYDE CHRASTINA 10 Culture 12 Cafe 15 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 16 22 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 22 ASK A STONER ......................................... 22 VOLUME 48 NUMBER 21 JANUARY 16-22, 2025 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun Editorial Operations Manager Jane R. Le News Editor Thomas Mitchell Culture Editor Emily Ferguson Food and Drink Editor Molly Martin Social Media Editor Katrina Leibee Staff Writers Catie Cheshire, Jason Heller, Bennito L. 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PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRISTIAN HUNDLEY “25 PEOPLE TO WATCH (AND WATCH OUT FOR) IN 2025,” WESTWORD STAFF, JANUARY 2 W A T C H O U T ! I appreciated your annual “People to Watch” issue. Things around here are not as rosy as they were in years past, but it will do us no good to ignore people like Aurora City Coun- cilwoman Danielle Jurinsky or RTD director Debra Johnson or Colorado Republican Party chair Dave Williams. Although very different, they all have put the metro area on the road to disaster. I’m counting on West- word to keep an eye on these three and other dangerous characters in the coming year. And thank you for including so many positive people to watch, too. I am fasci- nated by artist/musician Gregg Deal, and I’m particularly interested in what Bill Mosher can do for downtown, because I’ve seen no other hopeful signs from the Johnston administration. Kim Rogers Denver I’m no longer gonna be quiet. On Thurs- day, January 9, I went to a town hall meet- ing in Aurora, and Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky was there. I had to go; I wanted to be in her presence. I wanted to feel a real person, a real true Coloradan. I’m not from here; I’m from New York and have been here since 1998. I’m used to “realness.” Council- woman Danielle Jurinsky reminds me of a 1980s Jersey Girl, Bon Jovi “Living on a Prayer” style. She’s real. Meanwhile, “they” were talking about the future of “Aurora, Colorado.” I got sick, nervous, paranoid, scared and totally elimi- nated. I was sitting among upper-middle- class homeowners who felt lost and I’m sure more confused. These are concerned people who need answers. There are no answers. The answers these homeowners seek are answers they didn’t meet. At all. “They” talked about the future of Aurora; the future did not include “them.” I hear different shit. Denver/Aurora. Over! Rexx Garvin Aurora My husband, along with ninety other RTD employees, was laid off during COVID. He was basically told to bug off, and there were no attempts to rehire him — or anyone else, for that matter. When I see “Lady Boss” Debra Johnson making even more than Kim Day (Denver International Airport) made, I am simply fried. I can’t believe that she is considered a fully successful manager. Did she ever bring any of those ninety people back? There was never a process to apply. My husband was told he could apply for his old job, but the job was never bid, and there were plenty of positions he could have done. I just say this because waste, fraud and abuse is what RTD is all about. Kim Day managed the third-busiest airport in the U.S. and was recognized throughout the country for her leadership; she was respected by managers throughout the aviation industry. Lady Boss is an insult to women everywhere who work. Carlee Cellar Formerly of Denver “WHET YOUR APPETITE,” MOLLY MARTIN, JANUARY 9 G E T T I N G F O R K E D Does Denver really need more restaurants? Why don’t we patronize the ones we already have? That way, maybe we can save some. Larry Dunn Denver This is getting all too common in town: so many great longtime establishments closing or moving to the ’burbs. Jared Wolf Denver This is happening in every major city in the U.S. It has nothing to do with raising minimum wage. It’s almost like we just got out of a pandemic and we’re still feeling it. If this is about raising minimum wage, how come this is happening in New Orleans, Orlando, San Francisco, Dallas, and Hous- ton, too? Brett Moye Denver
