The Unreality of Reality

“Nickelodeon wasn’t there to educate you,” former Double Dare host Marc Summers says just before a three-decade-old clip of the network’s trademark green goo douses Steven Spielberg. “We were there to have fun, to get slimed, to be entertained.” For the filmmakers behind ID and Max’s, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, an interview with Summers was essential. As the only adult in the room to get it during the golden age of Nick, he’s the authoritative source on the network, the cable-based parent for the millennial generation.

So, it’s quite odd when Summers disappears from the 5-part docuseries a half hour in. Directors Emma Schwartz and Mary Robertson make it seem as if he’s just so disgusted by the phallic imagery of a clip featuring Ariana Grande trying to juice a potato with her hands from her juggernaut 2013 show Sam & Cat that he had nothing else to say. 

However, Summers revealed the real reason shortly after the show went viral late last month: he felt ambushed—the mark of a bait and switch meant to sully his persona and that of the cable station that rocketed him to fame. Of course, Schwartz and Robertson categorically denied the allegation. Their intent was sterling.

Nickelodeon may not be there to educate us, but filmmakers like the minds behind Quiet on Set see it as their bounden duty. And, like the majority of crime shows and salacious docs with the primary intent of driving a wedge between us and our nostalgia, they must obliterate notions of truth and context to have any shot at dominating the pop-culture conversation.

🪶 Going Native During the public comment period during Tuesday’s Metro Council meeting, several speakers stepped forward to offer their perspectives on the East Bank development deal — specifically, those who want to recognize the Cumberland River Bank as indigenous ground.

“For the record, I’m opposed to the East Bank deal because of the lack of provision for an indigenous park in the East Bank plans,” explained Albert Bender, chairman of the Native American Indian Coalition in Tennessee.

Following Bender’s testimony, Jennifer Wang, a member of Tennessee’s environmental council and director at New Energy Nexus, stepped up to the mic. Though Wang moved from California to Nashville four years ago, she offered her two cents on Imagine Nashville’s survey, which supposedly revealed that Nashvillians “feel like Nashville is more for newcomers, rather than for natives.”

Her solution, as a newcomer, was to shine a light on the natives— meaning the “original stewards of the land.” Wang not only supports renaming the park, she’s also in favor of taking things a step further, asking the council to honor Native Americans by “incorporating their voices into decisions that are made about the land.” 

According to the Native History Association, there are no historical records concerning Native American presence in the Nashville area from 1450 to the late 1600's. The Shawnee established villages along the Cumberland River in 1689, leaving in 1745. The association writes on its website that claims that Indians weren’t present in the Middle Cumberland area until the first settlers arrived is a misconception. MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

🍸 Chemtrail at the Country Club You might remember a few weeks back when the media portrayed the Republican supermajority as knuckle-dragging, feces-flicking brutes by ridiculing their support of the so-called Chemtrails Bill. Sen. Steve Southerland (R-Morristown) and Rep. Monty Fritts (R-Kingston) introduced the bill, which would ban the release of chemicals into the atmosphere “with the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of the sunlight.” It passed the House and Senate and now sits on the governor’s desk awaiting his signature. Critics called it “nonsense,” embarrassing, etc. 

As it turns out, the bill was more level-headed than its critics will ever give it credit for. In Dubai, massive flooding followed after the heaviest rainfall in the area in 75 years. Some speculated that cloud seeding had something to do with the sudden downpour. A flurry of outlets then rushed to declare that cloud seeding had nothing to do with it, citing, instead… wait for it… climate change. DAVIS HUNT

👁️👁️ My eyes are bleeding Speaking of environmental hazards, yesterday the mayor's office announced that NDOT has upgraded 6,000 streetlights with new LED fixtures. "Upgrading our streetlight fixtures to a smarter, more sustainable, and longer-lasting option will provide public safety, economic, and environmental benefits for years to come," O’Connell said in a statement. I feel like an alien spacecraft is boring into my brain whenever I cross LED lights at night. I'm probably not alone on this front. Who wants white light at night? DAVIS HUNT

🃏 The Joke’s On Who? “Don’t send me chain emails without telling me what district you live in. I will delete it,” Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda posted on X on April 1st. “I stand by the letters I signed.” Though the sentiment was posted on April Fool’s, it was hard to tell what she was referring to or if the post was serious.

A reply shed a bit more light on the situation. “You signed [Councilmember Zulfat Suara’s] letter supporting an antisemitic movement,” wrote one user. “Do you stand by that?” Below the reply was a letter from council members to Vanderbilt, requesting that the university  “repeal the suspensions and drop the criminal charges” for students involved with last month’s infamous protest for Palestine. The “peaceful protest” wasn’t just revealed to be a tad violent, it also became the butt of several online jokes after one of the female activists called the police because she couldn’t change her tampon. MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

DEVELOPMENT

• Nashville restaurateurs save 'the art of the meat-n-three culture' with reopening of Cal’s Country Kitchen (NBJ)
• California firm bolsters Nashville portfolio with $52M buy (NBJ)
• Council OKs zoning needed for Publix project (Post)

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.

TONIGHT

🎸 Rickshaw Billie's Burger Patrol @ The Basement, 9p, $19.27, Info
+ heavy stoner-rock from Texas

🪕 Iron Horse @ Station Inn, 9p, $25, Info

🪕 The Cowpokes @ Acme Feed & Seed, 12p, Free, Info

🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info

🎸 Kelly’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info

✸ WEEKLY FILM RUNDOWN: April 19-25

The latest releases and special screenings hitting Music City this week. For a complete list of upcoming releases, check out our 2024 Film Guide. 

Sasquatch Sunset Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg lead a quartet of Bigfeet through the woods of the Pacific Northwest in an astonishingly original, dialogue-free movie that’s equal parts hilarious, repulsive, and heartbreaking. A once-in-a-lifetime viewing experience. Now playing at AMC Thoroughbred 20, Regal Green Hills 16, and Regal Hollywood 27.

Abigail Radio Silence, the directing duo behind Ready or Not and the last two Screams, turn their attention to a child vampire ballerina fighting back against her kidnappers. It should pack the same fresh and jokey punch as its predecessors. It’ll also probably be Melissa Barrera’s last movie. Now playing in theaters. 

The Beast Léa Seydoux stars in this drama about rogue AI that perceives human emotions as a threat wreaking havoc. It took a while for this one to find a distributor after its festival debut last year, but that probably means it’s really good. Now playing at The Belcourt

The Tuba Thieves A hard-of-hearing documentarian investigates a series of tuba thefts in Southern California, their impact on local high school bands, and the nature of sound itself. Now playing in theaters.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare Guy Ritchie bridges the cockeyed irreverence of Snatch with his newfound love of war movies in this men-on-a-mission flick about a ragtag group of antiheroes striking Hitler’s forces behind enemy lines. With Ritchie’s trademark machismo ensemble cast that includes Henry Cavill, Henry Golding, Cary Elwes, and Alan Ritchson. Could be the best of its kind since Inglourious Basterds. Now playing in theaters.