4 JUNE 5-11, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 17 ROCK AND BLUES Big Head Todd and the Monsters celebrates forty years on Colorado’s best stage. BY EMILY FERGUSON 6 DID HITLER OWN LAND IN COLORADO? Some claim he inherited fi fteen sections of cattle country in Cheyenne County. Others say that’s bull. BY MICHAEL ROBERTS 8 “DIVINE” INTERVENTION Before cancer kills James Welch, a psilocybin clinical trial has showed him how to live. BY BRENDAN JOEL KELLEY 12 A WESTERN WOMAN “I really want it to feel like a fancy campfi re, telling this folklore in an intimate way.” BY KRISTEN FIORE 14 A PLACE OF ONE’S OWN As Pride Month gets underway, queer-owned hospitality businesses are more important than ever. BY HELEN XU 12 Culture 14 Cafe 17 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 20 24 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 24 ASK A STONER ......................................... 24 VOLUME 48 NUMBER 41 JUNE 5-11, 2025 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun News Editor Thomas Mitchell Food and Drink Editor Molly Martin Interim Food and Drink Editor Gil Asakawa Music Editor Emily Ferguson Culture Editor Kristen Fiore Social Media Editor Katrina Leibee Staff Writers Catie Cheshire, Brendan Joel Kelley, Bennito L. 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ILLUSTRATION BY MONIKA SWIDERSKI “HAS DENVER GONE TO THE DOGS?,” THOMAS MITCHELL, MAY 29 N O W A L K I N T H E B A R K I dream of a dog-free (poop-free) Denver. A sweeter dream would be to be rid of the more culpable and more despicable party – the dog owner. Recently, a beautiful afternoon on a LoDo café patio was cut short by a canine leviathan lifting his leg and creating a pond by my table. Another patron’s dog exploded violently at each passing dog. Everyone on the patio vacated. Except for the dog owners. Dog laws are frequently not enforced. On my trips to Whole Foods, I always no- tice about a half dozen leashed dogs in the store, some sporting an imitation service-dog halter. And every day I see dogs in establish- ments where food is served. Dogs and scooters. We downtowners wonder if the city can ever be retrieved from its new owners. Scott Newell Denver No kidding. I go into a brewery for a beer and l feel like l am in a doggie daycare that has a bar in it. Cindy Weeks Moe Littleton I own a dog that I love, but I still think people are a bit crazy with the dog stuff here. There, I said it. Anthony Rosborough Denver The beauty of dogs (and cats) is that they die before they are old enough to go to col- lege. Much cheaper than children. Dave Barnes Denver People have stopped dating and use dogs as their companions now. Charlie Bernie Denver I’d prefer a dog over a human. Better stress reliever and they’re way more loyal. Walt Sobchak Thornton The dogs and their owners have gotten so insufferable. I can’t even walk down the street without getting dirty looks when I try to avoid them. I’m also tired of going to restaurants and breweries and having to worry about whether the bartender touched someone’s fi lthy dog and then handled my food or drinks. It seems like a lot of dog people really are using them as a replacement for a relation- ship with a human because “people suck.” Maybe it’s you, not everyone else. Scott Frisby Denver “DID YOU KNOW THIS WOMAN?,” HANNAH METZGER, MAY 22 D A N G E R O U S L I A I S O N Loved Hannah Metzger’s story about the “blonde tigress.” More true crime, please. Lacy Morton Denver Sentenced to 199 years and the title “the Most Dangerous Woman Alive” as an ac- complice to murder? Seems kind of harsh by today’s standards. Heck, I know several women who are more dangerous than that out walking free. William A. Harris, Jr. Denver “FUNDS AND GAMES,” KRISTEN FIORE, MAY 22 H A V I N G F U N D S Y E T ? What Trump has done to the NEA and local arts organizations is a crime. Sandra Sparks Denver These cuts have a rich and apathetic history since the turn of this century, under attack with an emphasis since 2005 here in Colorado. Only by running perennial cam- paigns do we keep the arts in the dialogues. With the state high for participation in the nation, SCFD can still unite Colorado. Every county can be part of a consortium that can vote in arts advocates. Paul Noel Fiorino Denver
