Out In STL

Ron Pope has spent more than two decades writing songs about the complicated moments that make us human. On September 8, that journey came alive onstage at City Winery St. Louis. From the moment Pope took the stage, there was an unmistakable energy in the room. He moved easily between heartfelt songs, stories and humor, creating the kind of connection that made the audience feel less like spectators and more like part of the evening.

Sixty-two percent of American adults want to be their own boss. Anthony Slaughter was one of them — until he actually did it. His current 
obsession? Freedom. Anthony Slaughter on the cover of our Obsession Issue. Cover design by Evan Sult. Photo by Geoff Story. Styling and assistance by Shane Cherry You might know Slaughter from his presence on TVs from St. Louis to San Francisco during his 17-year career in meteorology.

It’s not entirely incorrect to say that Steven Louis Brawley is obsessed with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. “Obsession,” though, undersells the rigor and dedication he brings to the task of cataloging and contextualizing her history. His business card bears an iconic pink pillbox hat, but Brawley’s no mere fanboy.

Banana Ball has transformed baseball into something faster, stranger and considerably more fun—and the Savannah Bananas have built a phenomenon around it. Ahead of their St. Louis appearance, we talked with head coach Tyler Gillium about bringing Banana Ball to Busch Stadium, the moments that go wildly off-script, and why the organization believes baseball can still surprise us. The Savanah Bananas Rehearsal.

Lucy Couture’s notes-app calendar is booked out for months. Sometimes she has multiple shows on one day – and this isn’t even her main gig. Weston – the man behind Lucy’s voluptuous blonde wig – is a preschool teacher by day. Lucy got into drag on a dare. While in the professional cast of a Kinky Boots near Chicago, “all the gay little dancer boys did a drag show, and we were all rotted.” But Lucy was hooked. She started small.

I started paying attention to national politics fifty years ago, in Mrs. Griggs’ sixth-grade social studies class at Potosi Middle School during the bicentennial year when Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter battled it out for the presidency. International events came into focus with the capture of American hostages in Iran in 1979. A decade later, I finished teacher training and began my (as of this fall) 36-year career in education, primarily as a history and government teacher.

We are deeply saddened to share the news that our beloved sales director, Cathleen “Cat” Criswell, has passed away at her home. Cat was an indispensable pillar of the St. Louis media landscape. She dedicated two decades of her career to the Riverfront Times, serving from 2004 until the publication’s sale in 2024. During her remarkable tenure, she brought the community together by organizing massive, highly successful signature events, including United We Brunch.

Twenty-five years later, the room is still open. On August 14, 2001, a young singer-songwriter from Sedona, Arizona, released an album that would become one of the defining pop-rock records of its generation. That album was The Spirit Room. Before the major-label success came “Broken Bracelet,” Branch’s independent 2000 release on Twin Dragon Records, an early glimpse into the songwriting that would eventually capture the attention of Maverick Records (the label co-founded and owned by Madonna).

“If it ain’t spit, it ain’t love.” There probably isn’t a better way to introduce Peaches—the unapologetic provocateur, performance artist and electro-punk icon who has spent more than two decades turning sexuality, gender, identity and freedom into an art form. On September 14, 2026, Peaches brings her No Lube So Rude Tour to The Sovereign in St. Louis, promising an evening that is anything but ordinary. Peaches has never been interested in playing it safe.

Long before St. Louis had an organized LGBTQ motorcycle scene, before women riders had a place in groups such as Dykes on Bikes, Betty D. Neeley was already riding. Neeley, turning 90 this month, began riding motorcycles in 1949, at an age when a teenage girl taking to the streets on a motorcycle was anything but conventional.