June 1, 2022

Title: ON THE ROCKS

Constructors: Mark Valdez & Enrique Henestroza Anguiano

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

QUEER SPACE (3D: Lesbian bar or GSA meeting, e.g.)

CAMP CLASSIC (18D: Kitschy cult film)

HAPPY PRIDE (30A: June greeting to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community)

Theme synopsis: The last word of each vertical theme answer can precede the word ROCK: SPACE ROCK, CLASSIC ROCK, and PRIDE ROCK.

And now a word from our constructors:

Mark: It was such a joy to collaborate with Enrique on this puzzle to kick off Pride Month! As in all my puzzles, I love to sprinkle in some queer culture so I was thrilled to include 15A, 17A, 3D, and 52D. So, cheers to a Pride 2022 with a margarita "ON THE ROCKS" and a 30-Down to everyone!

Enrique: I really loved joining up with Mark to form a 20-Across for this puzzle, and I'm thrilled that we were able to find a theme set that adds a full Pride layer on top of the base theme! Aside from all the fun queer culture entries and clues, I also really enjoyed adding 35D and 61A into the mix. Happy solving!

Things I learned:

• PGA (41A: Cameron Champ's org.) Cameron Champ is a professional golfer, and therefore, his organization (org.) is the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA).

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• RUPAUL (15A:  Drag queen with the hit "Kitty Girl") "Kitty Girl" is a song from RUPAUL's 2017 album, American. The album's release coincided with the ninth season of RUPAUL's Drag Race.
• ERIC (17A: "Will and Grace" star McCormack) Will and Grace is a TV sitcom centered on best friends Will Truman (played by ERIC McCormack) and Grace Addler (played by Debra Messing). Will is a gay man and a successful corporate lawyer. Grace is a straight woman and an interior designer. The two became friends in college, and are roommates throughout most of the show.
• DREAM TEAM (20A: Squad of total rock stars) It's only been a few days since we saw DREAM TEAM in the puzzle, and at the time I commented that it was too bad the puzzle wasn't a collaborative construction. Well, here we are... a puzzle constructed by the DREAM TEAM of Mark and Enrique! I also really like the clue here, with "rock stars" giving a nod to the ON THE ROCKS theme.
• HAS (30A: "Rumour ___ It" (Adele tune)) and HERE (52D: "Mamma Mia! ___ We Go Again") I have paired these answers together, because thanks to this puzzle, "Rumour HAS It" and the songs from the movie, Mamma Mia! HERE We Go Again are battling to become my earworm for the day. Also, these are two great examples of using song and movie titles to add interest to common words in a puzzle.
• CORI (59A: Missouri representative Bush) The Missouri district that CORI Bush represents includes all of the city of St. Louis, and most of northern St. Louis county. CORI Bush is the first Black woman from Missouri to serve in the House of Representative.
• ERA (66A: The "E" in BCE) BCE stands for Before the Common ERA. BCE and its counterpart, CE (Common ERA) are alternatives to the BC (before Christ) and AD (anno Domini) notations.
• CLEMSON (4D: South Carolina university) CLEMSON University, located in CLEMSON, South Carolina, was founded in 1889. CLEMSON alumni include the Director of the NASA Johnson Space Center, Vanessa E. Wyche, and Olympic medalist, Brianna Rollins McNeal.
• ARTIST (21D: Kehinde Wiley, e.g.) Kehinde Wiley is a portrait painter. He is known especially for his paintings of Black people. You may recognize Kehinde Wiley as the ARTIST that painted Barack Obama's presidential portrait.
• HAPPY PRIDE (30A: June greeting to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community) A perfect theme answer for today!
• SEX (32D: "The Last Taboo" topic) The Last Taboo is a 2013 documentary by Alexander Freeman. The film follows the SEX lives of people with physical disabilities. In an interview about The Last Taboo, Alexander Freeman - who has cerebral palsy and is one of the subjects of the documentary - says, "We might be in a chair, but everything still works...Everyone deserves to be touched."
• KAMALA (35D: ___ Khan aka Ms. Marvel) KAMALA Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, is a Marvel Comics superhero, and Marvel's first Muslim character to headline her own comic. KAMALA Khan is a Pakistani American teenager with shapeshifting abilities.
• ALIVE ("Being ___" (Sondheim hit)) "Being ALIVE" is a song from Stephen Sondheim's musical, Company. I was excited to see this clue/answer. A revival of Company is currently playing on Broadway (with a change of the lead character's gender from male to female), and my husband and I have tickets to see it this Friday! 
• LAS (58D: "Estas son ___ mananitas...") "Las Mañanitas" is a traditional Mexican birthday song, and the song begins, "Estas son LAS mañanitas..." ("These are the mornings...")

Geography review:

• CST (34A: Edinburg, TX time zone) Edinburg is the county seat of Hidalgo County in south central Texas. Even if you aren't familiar with Edinburg, given that the clue tells us it's in Texas (TX), you'd be pretty safe guessing it observes Central Standard Time (CST). Most of the state of Texas is in the Central Time Zone - everywhere except the two westernmost counties in the state. El Paso County and Hudspeth County are in the Mountain Time Zone. Part of Culberson Country (the third-most western county) near Guadalupe Mountains National Park unofficially observes Mountain Time. (And that may be more than you ever wanted to know about time zones in Texas!)

When we saw a Zhouqin Burnikel-constructed puzzle on Monday instead of Wednesday when her puzzles usually run, I wondered if the change was making way for a PRIDE-related puzzle to run today. I was right, and what a great puzzle it is! I loved this set of LGBTQIA+-related theme answers, especially the apt HAPPY PRIDE. I also appreciate that Mark and Enrique were able to include so much QUEER culture in the puzzle. In addition to the answers I've already highlighted, I enjoyed WILD CARDS, OPACITY, AERIAL, and TRIVIA, as well as ACROSS (47A: Direction of a spreadsheet row) that was appropriately an ACROSS answer. Thank you, Mark and Enrique, for this puzzle that was a fabulous way to begin my Wednesday, and my June. HAPPY PRIDE, everyone!