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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2008 > June > 13 > Entry
Ayo says ATL music scene a hit all across world
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’re pleased to report that the Buzz over in Germany about the Atlanta music scene is, well, mostly flattering.
At least according to Germany’s folk-soul singer-songwriter Ayo.
Days before her appearance Sunday at Sugar Hill (with local singer Heston) at Underground Atlanta downtown, Ayo rang us from just outside Cologne to talk about why our fair city was an important stop as she promotes her debut (“Joyful”) in the U.S.
“So many important artists come from Atlanta now, it may be good just to drink the water there,” she joked. “Seriously, OutKast is from Atlanta, yes? I love OutKast. When it comes to hip-hop, they’re the best. And T.I. is there as well, correct? He’s very good. But when I came there with Babyface [for a show at the Cobb Energy Centre in December] all of the talk was that he had to stay in his house for some reason.”
Buzz then informed Ayo that she was correct. At the time, you may recall that rapper/actor T.I. was under house arrest on felony gun charges.
Before she hung up, Ayo (pronounced I-yo) added that when she was last in Atlanta “we went to a bar/restaurant that I believe was supposed to be Puff Daddy’s” [Justin’s] … and what a great place to shop. Was it Saks [Fifth Avenue], I believe? Loved it! I really hope Atlanta embraces me as I enjoyed it.”
Buzz is hopeful that no one will fill her in on our current water woes while she’s in town …
HEALTH-CONSCIOUS COOKOUT PLANNED
It certainly ranks among the most unconventional cookout invitations ever posted on MySpace.com. But if all goes according to the plan, Wednesday night’s dinner and discussion thrown by AID Atlanta organizers could also be one of the healthiest. Between the hamburgers and hot dogs, the city’s nonprofit devoted to battling and preventing HIV/AIDS is inviting young people to engage in a frank discussion about unprotected sex.
“It’s a criticism that we’ve heard for a while now,” program trainer Justin Ziegler said. “That as HIV/AIDS has spread to other demographics over the years, we’ve gotten away from educating young gay men about the disease. With events like this, we’re hoping to do some needed outreach in the community outside our doors.”
As drug cocktails prolong lives, Ziegler says the safe-sex message has been lost among young people. “Over 50 percent of the new infections are in people under 25. We wouldn’t have been talking about this 10 years ago. But things have changed. I’m 27, and I’ve never personally had a close friend who’s died of HIV. I’m not alone. That’s why this program is so important. We’re not judging whether anything is right or wrong. We’re hoping to educate and discuss in hopefully a fun atmosphere.”
So do casual cookouts centering on such a sensitive subject really work?
“In the past, our turnouts have been great,” Ziegler said. “There’s one thing I can tell you about the gay community: We all love to talk to each other about our business!”
The June 18 cookout starts at 6 p.m. above the meadow in Piedmont Park facing Monroe Drive.
For info: 404-870-7763 or MySpace.com/poolatlanta.
COOTER AND ‘THE PROMISED LAND’
We’re never going to accuse former U.S. Congressman Ben Jones of having a fragile liver. The former Georgia politician figures he drank 43,000 beers, 2,000 jugs of whiskey, wine, gin and vodka, and smoked pounds of pot in the 20 years he was out of control.
“I’d wake up in jails just wondering how I got there. Vomit on my shoes and blood on my shirt,” the 66-year-old “Dukes of Hazzard” actor told AP Radio in a recent interview.
Jones had to hit rock bottom before things could get better. That happened on Sept. 26, 1977. “I really was literally dying and I knew it,” he said. “I was in this free-fall, five-week drunk and I felt indescribable terror.”
With the help of a friend, he quit drinking cold turkey.
“A year later,” he said, “I walked into an audition and was cast in what was to become one of the greatest television shows in the history of entertainment.” That was “The Dukes of Hazzard.” Jones would play the wisecracking mechanic Cooter on the popular TV series from 1979 to 1985.
In 1988, Jones was elected to Congress as a Democrat. Considering what he’d gone through, it was an emotional moment being sworn in.
“That all seemed dreamlike to me,” he said. “That’s when it hit me, what a blessing I had been given and I just started crying.”
Jones lost his bid for a third term in 1992 after Georgia’s districts were redrawn.
He’s written about his ups and downs in his autobiography, “Redneck Boy in the Promised Land” (Harmony).
“My life is not a story about falling down,” he said, “it’s a story about getting up. I think people could relate to that and they could relate to alcoholism and all that behavior that goes with it because it’s a common disease.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Bob McGrath (“Sesame Street”) is 76. Magician Siegfried of Siegfried and Roy is 69. Actor Malcolm McDowell is 65. Actor Richard Thomas is 57. Comedian Tim Allen (“Home Improvement”) is 55. Actress Ally Sheedy is 46. Singer-guitarist Rivers Cuomo of Weezer is 38. Actor Steve-O (“Jackass”) is 34. Actresses Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen are 22.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It’s great for the sex life. It just makes you a lot more creative. So you have fun, and as a woman you’re just so round and full.”
— Actress Angelina Jolie in the new Entertainment Weekly. Jolie is expecting twins with partner Brad Pitt in August.
Contributing: Sonia Murray and news services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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