2 westword.com WESTWORD JULY 4-10, 2024 | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 5 SPARKS ARE FLYING A Denver-owned fi reworks shop goes to war with Wyoming. BY HANNAH METZGER 10 AGAINST THE ODDS Colorado comedy legend Chris Fonseca is the subject of a new documentary. BY TONI TRESCA 13 TASTE TEST Everything we tried at Colorado’s fi rst Buc-ee’s. BY CATIE CHESHIRE 17 RELUCTANT ROCK STAR Nathaniel Rateliff discusses the Night Sweats’ new music ahead of his annual Red Rocks show. BY JUSTIN CRIADO 10 Culture 13 Cafe 17 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 20 26 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 26 ASK A STONER ......................................... 28 VOLUME 47 NUMBER 45 JULY 4-10, 2024 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun Editorial Operations Manager Jane R. 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ILLUSTRATION BY PIERCE MURPHY “THE NEXT BIG THING,” MICHAEL ROBERTS, JUNE 27 T V O R N O T T V It’s about freaking time Kyle Clark gets some attention. Excellent work again from Michael Roberts. Were I the CEO of CBS News — and why not? — I would hire Clark for 60 Minutes in a New York minute. Jeffrey Miller Denver Personally, my life is gonna go on with or without Kyle Clark. That being said, anyone willing to leave a steaming turd on that half- witted, gold-plated phony, derp Lauren “I’ll trade a handy for a GED” Boebert’s forehead is a pretty solid human in my book. Mattie Bicknell Denver Dude needs to moderate the presidential debate, for sure. Make sure people actually answer the questions they are asked instead of just going on and on about whatever ran- dom stuff they want to. Nathan Miller Denver As someone in my twenties, I would love to watch Next or passionate, interesting journalism. But fresh local news programs won’t convince me to pay seventy bucks a month for cable just to watch one channel. If 9News is worried about their ratings, they should try getting with the times. Grant Weimer Denver Kyle is one of the most competent journal- ists we have today. He examines all sides of the story in a very intelligent and informed pro- cess. We are so lucky to have Kyle in Denver! Roxanne Knutson Denver The guy is such a narcissist — absolutely full of himself. Can’t stand him. Not to men- tion, he completely infuses his personal views on what should be unbiased news. Whether it’s outright statements or con- descending nods or sarcastic tones — yes, Kyle, we get it, you’re a liberal. Cocky and abrasive and has been so outright rude to Kathy Sabine, it’s ridiculous. But controversy sells, so his program lives on. Al Lamp Denver He’s got skills most would not use and has a keen sense of when sumpin’ smells! He would make a terrifi c debate moderator on a larger platform. He’s not keen on taking any blathering BS from the opposite microphone. Get ’em, Tiger. Richard Ramsey Denver Kyle Clark is a mouthpiece for the cor- porate media and an embarrassment to the state of Colorado. Any resistance he gets toward the bashing of citizens concerned with the current issues Colorado is facing, particularly the Denver metro area, is im- mediately fl ed from, as he objectively knows nothing of substance. He’s good friends with Jimmy Kimmel, which says enough as it is. Down with the corporate media and their spineless henchmen. Nick Spiess Highlands Ranch I love that Kyle is going viral for his de- bate moderating skills. We’re lucky to have a journalist like Kyle in Denver. Sarah Hopkins Denver Admired? Says who? A biased hack who needs to be shown the door so real journalists can get to work off whatever his salary is. An embarrassment to the legacy of KUSA. A bet- ter tribute would be to the hardworking vids of KUSA and their National Press Photog- raphers Association awards for excellence in storytelling. Write an article about that. Audrey Strong Dallas He is the best!! I love his humor and his ability to take on his detractors with ease. Love Next! Suzanne Lively Denver
