2 westword.com WESTWORD JUNE 22-28, 2023 | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 5 THE LAST LAUGH Michael Floorwax is still off the air...but now he’s talking about why. BY MICHAEL ROBERTS 12 LOVE CONNECTION Uchneligans Productions’ dating series was born from a true queer Denver love story. BY CLEO MIRZA 15 LIONS AND TIGERS AND PIZZA Oh, my! The Denver Zoo adds a local touch to its food program. BY ABIGAIL BLISS 19 TURN IT UP Lost Relics may just be the loudest band in Denver. BY JUSTIN CRIADO 12 Culture 15 Cafe 19 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 22 30 Marijuana TOKE OF THE TOWN ................................ 30 ASK A STONER ......................................... 32 STRAIN GANG .......................................... 34 VOLUME 46 NUMBER 43 JUNE 22-28, 2023 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun Editorial Operations Manager Jane R. Le News Editor Chris Perez Culture Editor Emily Ferguson Food and Drink Editor Molly Martin Cannabis Editor Thomas Mitchell Social Media Editor Katrina Leibee Staff Writers Catie Cheshire, Bennito L. 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Peri- odicals postage paid in Denver. Domestic subscriptions may be purchased for $100/year or $50/six months. Postmaster: Send address changes to Westword, P.O. Box 5970, Denver CO 80217. Mailing address: P.O. Box 5970, Denver, CO 80217 Street address: 1278 Lincoln Street, Denver, CO 80203 For retail or classifi ed advertising, call: 303-296-7744 For general information, call: 303-296-7744 For Editorial, email: [email protected] Editor’s Note: The June 15 issue of West- word was on the press the night of June 12, when the Denver Nuggets won the NBA championship and people celebrated in the streets — until shots rang out in the 2000 block of Market Street around 12:30 a.m. June 13 and ten people were injured, with two suspects now in custody. After that, the online version of “Night Moves” — our cover story that chronicles the efforts of the 87 Foundation, headquartered at 1962 Market Street, to push for a night mayor to oversee Denver’s nighttime economy — was updated to include the incident that happened just up the street, as well as a statement from mayor-elect Mike Johnston. “NIGHT MOVES,” CATIE CHESHIRE, JUNE 15 N I G H T M A Y O R O R N I G H T M A R E ? I was fascinated by the story about possibly creating a night mayor position to oversee Denver’s entertainment districts and bars and other nighttime businesses. I’ve always enjoyed going out in LoDo and, more recently, RiNo, and have never had any problems. But I know that other people think it is dangerous. It’s time for the city to prove once and for all that downtown is not only safe, but a great place to go. Heather Ross Denver A night mayor couldn’t do a worse job than the Denver Police Department did during last July’s shooting incident. Unless the might mayor is armed, that is, and just shoots people like the DPD did. Joe Hackett Denver A “vibrant” Denver? I’ll settle for a safe Denver. Vincent Pascale Jr. Denver Ironic that after the Denver Nuggets win, there was a shooting just a block away from where the Larimer Beer Hall shooting was last year, and a block away from the El Chapultepec building. And that was with a lot of cops there already, supposedly to control the crowd and keep people safe. Could a night mayor have stopped that shooting? Vic White Denver More proof that nothing good happens after midnight when drunks are involved. Thankfully, no one lost their lives. Jaclyn Mirren Instagram It had nothing to do with the celebration. It was a drug deal gone bad that unfortu- nately innocent bystanders got caught up in. Reba Clasz Instagram That area is already a mess on regular weekends, and the city should have planned for the potential of the chaos to erupt that night. Ashley Garrett Instagram I’ll survive by staying home. Backstory: I’m from Chicago and saw the Bulls’ fi rst championship and the Bears’ Super Bowl parade. I had seen enough to know it would be crazy. Erik B. Davis Denver Thanks to Westword for reporting in more detail than many of the other news outlets in Denver. Terri Slancik Denver I’ve lived in Colorado/Denver on and off since the 1970s. Denver is turning into a place that I don’t recognize anymore…so much crime and homelessness, and tearing down the buildings that are interesting to construct generic apartments and strip malls. And traffi c jams. Denver is turning into a generic city… it’s quite sad. Jan Murray Denver ON THE COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY EVAN SEMÓN LETTERS T O T H E E D I T O R YOU CAN COMMENT ON ANY STORY AT WESTWORD.COM; SEND LETTERS TO [email protected] Don’t miss a word! The stories in this print edition are just a fraction of the pieces we publish every week on westword.com. 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