Metro Pulse/Cover/10th Anniversary Issue

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Insights
Joe Sullivan reflects on Metro Pulse's 10th Anniversary

Snarls
Scott McNutt listens to Metro Pulse's readers

Secret History
Jack Neely unlocks the mysteries of Metro Pulse mage Ian Blackburn

How Old Are You Now?
We asked some people what they thought about Metro Pulse turning ten

Through a Glass, Drunkly
A lot of people have worked at Metro Pulse over the past 10 years. Here's what some of them have to say about it.

Which Way Did They Go?
Metro Pulse alumni are scattered far and wide. And they never write us.

A Brief History of Metro Pulse
The 10-year timeline

Out of Context
Random bits of wheat and chaff from Metro Pulse, 1991-2001

Faces and Names
The Metro Pulse staff, 2001 edition (or the ones we could round up for photos, anyway)

Metro Pulse alumni are scattered far and wide. And they never write us.

A big part of what made Metro Pulse's 10-year surviving/thriving possible—not to mention so damned impressive—is the roster of folks, from slickly-coifed ad reps to free-spirited earth-tone-clad production designers to cranky and mercurially talented writers, who contributed to our fine publication over the last decade, either as dedicated full-timers or free-lance aces. But when we tried to make a list of everyone whose creativity and perspiration once enabled our publication (and who subsequently departed for other, probably more lucrative climes), we realized that a comprehensive run-down of our former associates would be darned near impossible.

So with apologies to all the very cool people who we've left out, the following is a where-are-they-now update of the careers of a few of the most notable and interesting folks who've come and gone at MP central since 1990.

Chris Barrett—genteel staff writer, '94 to '97—Perhaps the most sensitive and thoughtful of all past and present Metro scribes, this former Michigander was a wonderfully personable, easy-going fellow and a good writer—a good writer who at some moments became a great one, penning thoughts and phrases so sweet the rest of us just marveled, wondering where in the hell his muse was coming from. Now living in Berryville, Va. with his wife Mollie (a caterer whose clients are primarily rock stars), we hear Chris is doing lots of free-lance work, including scripts for sundry cable TV shows.

Kimberly Jones Bell—kindly ad rep, '97 to 2001—The girl described by some as "the nicest person ever to work for Metro Pulse," Kim was the quintessential utility player on our advertising staff, working no less than three different jobs in that department. When she left in 2001, she accepted a marketing/promotions job with the nearby Bijou Theatre. And we're all glad she didn't go too far away. Plus, she still shoots photos for us. Nice photos, too.

Jared Coffin—temperamental art designer, '91 to '95—MP's first art designer left in 1995 to become art director at the weekly Dallas Observer. That didn't last too long however, and Coffin is now rumored to be back in Knoxville working as a senior art and design director for a New Orleans-based web design firm. When questioned, Coffin would only respond "Right now, I'm eating a fish sandwich."

Hillari Dowdle-writer and free-lancer extraordinaire, Bonnie Appetit's alter ego—Hillari was a mainstay of MP from the early days. Significant Other of stalwart editor Coury Turczyn, she was the magazine's famed and reviled restaurant reviewer, a free-lance contributor, and also a full-time staff writer for a time. She left in 2000 to take a position as editor as the Birmingham-based Cooking Light.

Lee Gardner—talented yet maligned staff writer, '93 to '95—Having suffered possibly the most cutting riposte in the history of MP crank mail (a grouchy reader referred to Lee's prose as "hyper, yet flaccid"), Gardner eventually left in a mumbling daze, and took a job as music editor of Baltimore's weekly City Paper. Despite the apparent trauma, Lee has since won an impressive number of alternative-journalism awards, and still contributes an occasional freelance review to MP.

Allison Glock—stalwart free-lancer—This former Whittle Communications employee and downtown YMCA jazzercise instructor—whose several contributions to Metro Pulse included a strikingly ominous 1992 cover-story profile of football coach Johnny Majors—went on to become GQ magazine's oft-quoted sex columnist "Dr. Sooth." She's also pursuing her second-greatest interest, sports, and last year, her story, "Touch of Knievel" was included in Dick Schaap's The Best American Sports Writing 2000.

Martha James—"improbably leggy" art director, '97 to 2000—Martha ably replaced original art director Laura Atkinson. She left us three years later to take a short-lived position with Moxley Carmichael (don't ask), followed by a post as designer for the Digital Image Group. She's currently taking dance lessons.

Tracy Jones—longtime MP book critic—Tracy Jones published her first Harlequin Romance novel, The Fiance Thief (under the pseudonym Tracy South) in 1997 and moved with her husband, Bob, to Beaufort, S.C. Where she continues to believe in love—or at least to write about it. Tracy's later books include Maddie's Millionaire and Frisky Business.

Jay Nations—Herculean ad rep, '95 to '98—After putting Metro Pulse on the radar screen of innumerable Knoxville businesses, Jay left in '98 to enter the world of private enterprise. He has since worked in textiles and found a profitable niche selling collectibles on something called the Internet.

Rand Pearson—founding publisher, '91 to '96—The young man often credited as the unofficial "godfather" of Metro Pulse, founding Pulser Pearson left for a general manager's position at the Reno News and Review in '96, and is now at Diablo Publications in San Francisco, where he serves as director of business development.

Shelly Ridenour—quintessential music editor and calendar girl, '92 to '98—A crucial element of MP's early development (and its journalistic identity) the very young and talented Ms. Ridenour left us in '98 for an alternative weekly in Chicago, and is now an editor at Nylon, a (young) women's magazine based in Manhattan.

Coury Turczyn—tireless editor, movie guru, and MP backbone, '91 to 2000—All that Metro Pulse is today, it has Coury to thank (or blame) for it. The editor/writer/babysitter devoted nine long years of his life to crafting this little magazine before leaving town last year when Significant Sweetie Hillari Dowdle secured her editorial position with Cooking Light. Coury's byline can still occasionally be seen within these pages, on a freelance basis.

Timothy Winkler—iconographer, whom we still credit for the department illustrations he made for MP so long ago—now lives in Kent, Ohio, where he still works on his quirky illustrative style which has found a market in the national alternative press and dabbles in science fiction. His story, "The Red Wilderness," was recently published in the sci-fi zine, Dark Planet.

Honor Roll
Here are even more people who have played important roles in Metro Pulse's development.

SALES AND BUSINESS:

James Raxter, misunderstood ad manager
Carla Perkins, our first overworked business manager
Betty Caughron, our second overworked business manager
Judy Rone, our third overworked business manager
Regina Williamson, over-educated receptionist
Rosie Gibson, rosy receptionist
Betty (Boop) Franklin, stellar assistant office manager
Charlotte Klasson, sales majordomo
Eve Mynatt, classified sales doyenne
Stephanie Moyers, sharp-witted sales rep
Justin Sinkovich, punk rock sales rep
Andy Gill, sales rep; only Citadel grad in MP history
Scott Hamstead, way-cool sales daddy-o
Louise Coombe Mosrie, ad sales maven
Miranda Bridges Clark, model salesperson
Lake Speed, able ad assistant
Mike Kuczmarkski, hemp-laden sales rep
Leslie Buxbaum, nordic sales rep
Suzanne Clabough, groovy sales rep
David Moore, preppy rep
Marty Gray, lamé assistant
Amy Wagner, yet another rock 'n' roll rep
Molly Curlin, model/saleschica
Leslie Bond, big-game account exec
Gina Fassel, cool chic rep
Rick Meier, big daddy sales rep
Kevin Byrne, lawyer-in-waiting sales rep

EDITORIAL:

Aaron Jay, super shutterbug
Greg Howard, music critic
Charles DeBevoise, photographer of the unusual
V. C. Fuqua, Knox gourmand
Harold Duckett, meandering music critic
Jon Wallace, punk rock copy editor
Brooks Clark, sporty sports writer
John Mayer, neo-noir cartoonist
Janet Tate, special reporter
Rick Tate, food guy
David O'Brien, editorial cartoonist
James Moody, original gonzo
Peggy Hambright, delightful illustrator
Benny Smith, first-ever music writer
Paul Lewis, fanboy reporter
Randall Brown, scenester
Mike McGonigal, music muser
Todd Schott, editorial cartoonist
Christian Lange, arts writer
Cristie Thuren, music writer
Chet Flippo, rock 'n' roll writer of note
Bruce Cole, photographer
Val Pendergrast, super intern, writer
Steve Jones, photographer
Bill Dockery, editor and pontificator
Carolyn Fretz, writer, now schoolteacher
Kim Cressel, write stuffer
Jennifer Worth, worthy writer
David Madison, urban explorer
Phillip Rhodes, undercover food critic

PRODUCTION AND MISC:

Wendy Smith, MIS/futon expert
Laura Atkinson, production goddess
Daniel Moore, production assistant #1
Brian Wilson, production assistant #2
Chris Leather, designer extraordinaire
Dugan Broadhurst, designer extraordinaire, utility in- outfielder
Valerie Downes, designer extraordinaire, AT hiker
Nicole Greuel, delightful designer
Ana Reinert, production assistant
Joey Heath, designer and softball star

And countless freelance writers and photographers who worked for peanuts, not to mention many interns who worked here just for the heck of it.