October 29, 2022

Title: TRAVEL TV

Constructor: Brooke Husic

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

SAINT VINCENT (17A: Caribbean island called Yurumein by the Garifuna)

MOUNT VESUVIUS (35A: Gulf of Naples volcano)

WEST VIRGINIA (53A: "Take Me Home, Country Roads" state)

Theme synopsis: Each of the three theme answers is a place (one could TRAVEL to) whose two words are linked by the letters TV.

And now a word from our constructor: 

Brooke: my favorite clues are 20a, 29a, 66a (which is supposed to be a little wink at the theme), 38d, and 50d (hi mikkel!). i was really happy to include TEMS, MNEK, and Lucille Clifton in this puzzle. as someone who has lived abroad for years (cf. 39d) it was meaningful to me to clue WEST VIRGINIA with reference to "country roads," which i've probably heard more outside of than inside of US. i also recommend this atlantic article on the song's significance.
also, i'm so excited to be working with Sally at the midi branch of AVCX in 2023! congrats Sally :) :)

Things I learned:

• TEMS (7A: "Free Mind" singer) TEMS is a Nigerian singer and songwriter who was featured on Wizkid's 2020 song, "Essence." (I have written about that song.) "Free Mind" is a song from TEMS's debut EP, For Broken Ears, released in September 2020. The song reached number one on Billboard's U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart.
• MNEK (57A: British dance-pop artist with the 2018 album "Language") MNEK is a British singer  and songwriter whose stage name is a gramogram of his surname, Emenike. (A gramogram is a letter or group of letters that can be pronounced as words.) Language was MNEK's debut album.
• ATLAS (50D: The New Agents of ___ (all-Asian superhero team)) The New Agents of Atlas are a team of superheroes featured in Marvel Comics. The team includes Jimmy Woo, Brawn (aka Amadeus Cho), Silk (aka Cindy Moon), Shang-Chi, Luna Snow (aka Seol Hee), Crescent (aka Dan Bi), Sword Master (aka Lin Lie), Aero (aka Lei Ling), Wave (aka Pearl Pangan), and White Fox (aka Ami Han). I recommend this interview with comic book writer, Greg Pak.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• HE'S (67A: "___ a Good Guy" (Marvelettes song)) "HE'S a Good Guy (Yes He Is))" is a 1964 song by The Marvelettes.
• TRAIL CLOSED (1D: Disappointing notice on a hike) On our various hiking adventures, my husband and I have encountered TRAIL CLOSED signs a number of times, and it is disappointing! One notable time I remember is when we were hiking in Glacier National Park seven years ago. We encountered a sign informing us the TRAIL was CLOSED due to "bear danger," and we later learned a mother bear and her two cubs had been spotted near the trail. We obeyed the sign, even though my husband has always wanted to see a bear in the wild... I have always said I wouldn't mind seeing a bear from the car. (This fall, my husband got his wish, but that's a story for another day.)

  

  TRAIL CLOSED due to bear danger

  
  
• ISN'T (3D: "If This ___ Love" (Jennifer Hudson song)) "If This ISN'T Love" was released in 2009.
• HAIR LOVE (12D: 2019 short film about a little girl and her curls) I have written about "HAIR LOVE" before, but I like to link to it anytime it's in the puzzle, because watching it is always seven minutes well spent.
• IS A (38D: "the earth ___ living thing" (Lucille Clifton poem)) You can read Lucille Clifton's poem, "the earth IS A living thing" on Poets.org.

Geography review:

• SAINT VINCENT (17A: Caribbean island called Yurumein by the Garifuna) SAINT VINCENT is a volcanic island located in the Caribbean Sea. It is the largest island of the country SAINT VINCENT and the Grenadines, and is home to the country's capital, Kingstown. The Garifuna people originated from SAINT VINCENT, and are descendants of Arawak, Kalinago, and Afro-Caribbean people. As the clue informs us, in the Garifuna language, the island of SAINT VINCENT is known as Yurumein.
• MOUNT VESUVIUS (35A: Gulf of Naples volcano) MOUNT VESUVIUS is a volcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Italy, about 5 miles east of the city of Naples. An eruption of MOUNT VESUVIUS in 79 AD was one of the deadliest in European history. It destroyed the Roman city of Pompeii, as well as several other cities. Most of what we know about that eruption comes from letters that Pliny the Younger wrote. MOUNT VESUVIUS continues to be active, and is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the number of people living near it.
• DES (39A: ___ Moines) DES Moines is the capital of my state, Iowa. I'll be visiting DES Moines tomorrow, as a matter of fact, as my husband are going to see "Fiddler on the Roof" at the DES Moines Civic Center.
• WEST VIRGINIA (53A: "Take Me Home, Country Roads" state) "Take Me Home, Country Roads" is a 1971 song by John Denver. As soon as I read this clue, the opening lines of the song popped into my head," Almost heaven, WEST VIRGINIA / Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River..." People used to tell my husband he looked like John Denver. Now that it has been 25 years since John Denver died, not as many people say that. Now people tell him he looks like Stephen King!

  

  Happy Birthday, Randy!

  Here's a photo of my husband...you can make your own decision. To me, of course, he just looks like Randy, and today is his birthday! I've included Willow in the photo, because today is also National Cat Day.
• EST (66A: VT time zone) Vermont (VT) is located in the New England region of the United States, and observes Eastern Standard Time. Nice choice of Vermont for this clue since its abbreviation is TV backwards!

After wandering aimlessly yesterday, today we have some specific TRAVEL destinations! And what a trip it is, too, from the island of SAINT VINCENT to MOUNT VESUVIUS to WEST VIRGINIA. I also liked the answers ASTERISK and INDULGENCES. Thank you, Brooke, for this puzzle, which was a delightful way to start my Saturday. 

One more thing: As Brooke mentioned in her notes, I have joined the Lil AVCX editing team for the upcoming year. Lil AVCX is the midi branch of AVCX. I am honored to be a part of this group, and looking forward to this new adventure! Not to worry, I will be continuing to blog about the USA Today puzzle every day (you can't get rid of me that easily).