“Cheap is small and not too steep/
But best of all, cheap is cheap/
Circumstance has forced my hand/
To be a cut-price person in a low-budget land”
—The Kinks, “Low Budget”
With inflation eating into our paychecks, the lyrics of The Kink’s classic “Low Budget” keep echoing in my head. We’re all looking to scrimp and save where we can, so this week, we present some of the best Happy Hour specials you’ll find around our City of Gastronomy. Our intrepid crew somehow found the time to hit up various bars to find some of the best food and drink you can get for a discount. We’re not saying these are the best—there are many, many fine establishments who didn’t make our list—but you won’t go wrong if you hit up one of these joints in the late afternoon or early evening. Bon appétit and all that.
This week, we also welcome back to our pages Linda Ray, who penned our Laughing Stock column focused on local comedy until the pandemic struck. As you’ll see in Linda’s column, there’s a lot of comedy going on these days. Get out and enjoy a laugh—we could all use a few these days.
Elsewhere in this week’s issue: Managing editor Jeff Gardner talks with the local scientists who have captured an image of the black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy; columnist Tom Danehy muses on the future of nuclear energy; arts writer Margaret Regan takes in the new show of work by photographer Kate Breakey at Barrio Viejo’s Etherton Gallery; calendar editor Emily Dieckman tells you where to have fun this week; XOXO columnist Xavier Omar Otero lets you know where to rock; Tucson Weedly columnist tells you why cannabis isn’t likely to become legal on the federal level anytime soon; and we’ve got plenty more scattered around our pages.
Finally, an apology to Jay Rochlin, who shared his photos of Tom Miller for last week’s cover story. While we got Jay’s credit on Page 3, we accidentally left if off the interior package that included an excerpt from Miller’s most recent book. Jay is an extraordinary writer, photographer and artist; keep an eye out for his recent children’s book, Will You Be My Desert Friend? It’s a wonderful book full of illustrations of our local flora and fauna. My kids both love it (and while they are eternal delight, they are not always easy to please).
Jim Nintzel
Executive Editor
Hear Nintz talk about all the cool stuff happening in Tucson at 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays during the World-Famous Frank Show on KLPX, 96.1 FM.
This article appears in May 19-25, 2022.
Inflation isn’t eating into our paychecks. The rich people are. Whoopi Goldberg said if they pay more taxes inflation would go away.
There is an economic illiterate for you.
Inflation. Clearly you must know how it works to remark “rich people” are paying for your salary. So either they pay taxes or employ people. Can’t do all of it. But if they stopped giving out free paychecks, unemployment, we wouldn’t have the inflation so high. But we have to make up for the free, as free has no value.