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JESSE DAVIS Editor SHARA CLARK Managing Editor JACKSON BAKER, BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Senior Editors TOBY SELLS Associate Editor CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor ALEX GREENE Music Editor SAMUEL X. CICCI, MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers ABIGAIL MORICI Copy Editor, Calendar Editor LORNA FIELD, RANDY HASPEL, RICHARD MURFF, FRANK MURTAUGH, MEGHAN STUTHARD Contributing Columnists AIMEE STIEGEMEYER, SHARON BROWN Grizzlies Reporters ANDREA FENISE Fashion Editor KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher

OUR 1741ST ISSUE 07.07.22 Archie waved me over to the pastry case. He sort of crouched down on my level — I was 11 or so at the time and quite a bit shorter than the tanned, mullet-sporting man my mom was dating — and he spoke in something approaching a loud stage whisper. For Archie, that was as close to being incognito as it got. His voice was a boom with a ragged edge. He wore a small gold hoop in his ear, was perpetually clad in a hoodie and shorts, glowed with an incandescent suntan, rode a motorcycle, and had strong opinions about everything. Whispering was not his style. “Watch this,” he said, as he stuffed a dozen or so cookies in the front pocket of his hoodie. Stealing isn’t really stealing if it’s food and you need it, he explained. And if you were stealing from someone who could afford to eat the cost. It’s best to steal things that are hard to inventory — bakery items don’t have barcodes, and you don’t really look too conspicuous grabbing things from the serve-yourself section of the store. As long as you act cool, you’re not likely to get caught. That was my first brush with crime. My mother’s boyfriend (at the time) taught me how to steal food from big grocery store chains. I was a Good Kid though, the kind who never really wanted to make trouble, so of course I was completely petrified. It felt as though someone threw a switch and aimed three or four spotlights at me. Sweat prickled on my brow and the back of my neck. My skin flushed. My back went rigid, and all my movements were strangely stiff. In short, I was a caricature of conspicuousness. I felt sure that someone had seen, that — as foolish as it might sound — everyone knew. The cookies in Archie’s hoodie pocket might as well have cast a cartoonishly green radioactive glow. At any moment, I was sure a plainclothes detective would grab me by the arm and steer me into the store’s interrogation chamber. Of course, none of that happened. Archie and my mom paid for a few items at the register, we strolled out the automatic door, and Archie offered my younger sister and me a fistful of stolen cookies. If memory serves, I declined. As protégés go, I was off to a rotten start. Not long after that, my mom decided it was too onerous a task to keep hiding her drug use from me and enlisted me as a sort of partner-in-cover-up, if not an actual partner-in-crime. Though she eventually made the leap to stronger stuff, at the time it was just marijuana, so no big deal. (Though, of course, I was again petrified. Gasp! “Reefer madness! In my own home?!”) Now, I often wonder if my mother ever would have dabbled in more dangerous drugs if there weren’t such a stigma associated with them. If she felt like she could have gotten help without being arrested or fired or shamed. If, maybe, it was a little easier for a waitress at a diner to feed and house her kids. If there were more readily accessible services to help single mothers, victims of abuse, people with chronic illness — all categories she falls into. In other words, if we viewed crime, which is, after all, a social construct, a little differently. If we spent our resources on prevention, instead of protection and punishment. This has been much on my mind of late. Maybe because crime has been a hot topic in the Shelby County District Attorney race. Maybe it’s because of the Jan. 6th hearings, detailing some of the most brazen crimes ever committed. High crimes, treason, that the “law and order” crowd seem, well, more or less okay with. I suppose that has something to do with what we consider crime. When asked to visualize an illegal activity, imagining theft might be the first thing to come to mind. That could be because property is so tangible. Or because gains from social spending would take years or even a generation to show clear results. Hard to campaign on that, I suppose. Maybe it just pays to keep people focused away from crime committed on a larger scale. It can be seen in our national priorities, in our bloated police budgets. It doesn’t seem in keeping with the way society has changed to continue this way, to view criminals and crime as a force of nature, something that just occurs. I’m biased, of course, but it seems like we’ve thrown dollars at “protection” for decades with little to show for it. “Tough on crime” sounds good on the surface, or is at least straightforward and easy to digest, but if it worked, wouldn’t we have seen NEWS & OPINION THE FLY-BY - 4 results by now? Call me a bleeding heart, NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 6 a liberal looney tune, but I can’t help but POLITICS - 8 wonder what the world would look like if AT LARGE - 9 we stopped viewing our fellow citizens as COVER STORY dangers against which we need protection, “REINVENTING MEMPHIS” if instead we saw crime as evidence of a BY CHRIS MCCOY - 10 WE RECOMMEND - 14 social system out of balance. It would take MUSIC - 15 a massive shift in how we view the world, CALENDAR - 16 not to mention how cities draw up their FOOD - 18 budgets. It would be a difficult, lengthy FILM - 20 process. CL ASSIFIEDS - 22 But maybe it would be worth it. LAST WORD - 23 Jesse Davis jesse@memphisflyer.com

THE

fly-by

MEMernet Memphis on the internet. TWEET OF THE WEEK “Zoos are really insane as hell. Ain’t no way a polar bear supposed to be in Memphis, Tennessee,” tweeted @galeonsworld last week. VAN LIFE

POSTED TO NEXTDOOR BY V&E GREENLINE

Last week three people stole a minivan and attempted to drive it across the V&E Greenline bridge. They didn’t make it far. The bridge is fine, Greenline officials said on Nextdoor last week. But the handrail is not. Damage from a collision with the van will likely cost $5,000, they said. “Unfortunately, while this particular incident is unusual, we have seen more and more motorized vehicles using the trail for criminal and recreational purposes,” Greenline officials said.

July 7-13, 2022

“NO ONE EASY ANSWER”

POSTED TO TWITTER BY THE TENNESSEE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) apologized for the many alerts that buzzed the phones of Tennesseans at all hours last week. “We know it’s been a frustrating morning for many of you,” the TBI tweeted. “Same here, TBH.” Why? “There is no one easy answer,” the TBI said in a statement. The agency doesn’t send the alerts, a partner does. The alerts also vary across cell providers, change with movements across the state, change with powering a phone on and off, signal strength, wifi availability, and more.

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Questions, Answers + Attitude Edited by Toby Sells

W E E K T H AT WA S By Flyer staff

Jobs, MLGW Bills, & a ‘Mystery Church’ Jobs back at pre-pandemic levels, hot summer equals bigger bills, and a Cooper-Young development. JOBS REPORT The number of jobs in Memphis may have dropped slightly in May, but the figure still remains at one of its highest levels in decades. According to a May 2022 jobs brief by the Greater Memphis Chamber’s Center for Economic Competitiveness, the Greater Memphis region saw a 0.2 percent (1,800 jobs) drop in the number of employed people after record highs in March and April, due to uncertainty over inflation and the national economy. But the total number of jobs in Greater MemPHOTO: (LEFT) ANT ROZETSKY | UNSPLASH; (RIGHT) LILY BEAR TRAVERSE phis currently stands at MLGW electricity bills to increase; Cooper-Young church to be transformed into a house. 659,600, which is 0.25 percent higher than prepandemic levels. And the current market is still higher than the previous COOPER-YOUNG MYSTERY CHURCH record set in February 2020, with an estimated 657,900 jobs. An abandoned Cooper-Young church could get a new life as a The report also detailed job growth by industry. Conhouse if it meets the approval of city officials later this month. The old stone church sits at 775 Tanglewood, tucked struction continues to surge, as it leads regional recovery at away in an off-the-beaten-path part of the Midtown neigh10.67 percent growth over March 2020, followed by trade/ borhood between York and Elzey. transportation/utilities (7.3 percent) and business services Memphis-based developer Griffin Elkington Invest(6.5 percent). ments LLC hopes to renovate the abandoned structure. Per the report, small drops for information, financial activities, and other services are likely byproducts of inflation. The company plans for the building to be a house with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, a dining room, However, the education and health industries continue to see and a kitchen. their recovery lag behind other sectors, with employment The company is seeking approval for the project from the standing at 6.6 percent below pre-pandemic numbers. Memphis Landmarks Commission in an application filed in June. Leaders of that board are slated to hear the case and MLGW: GET READY FOR HIGHER BILLS make a decision on it at its next regular meeting on July Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) customers can ex28th. Comments from the public to be included in the hearpect their electricity bill to rise “substantially“ this summer, ing are accepted until July 22nd. Send comments to the utility said Thursday, June 30th. margot.payne@memphistn.gov. MLGW said customers can expect their electric bills to Few details can be gleaned from the project’s application. rise by 20 percent to 40 percent on average, depending on The outside would apparently be fixed up and the inside consumption. This could translate to bills rising by $30 to gutted to make way for the new rooms. $60 per month. According to information from the Shelby County Reg“The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and utility ister of Deeds, the old church was sold in 2020 by Ceylon industries across the globe are experiencing fuel-market Mooney to M-Town Properties for $85,000. M-Town sold challenges in the face of high natural gas and coal prices, the church and another lot close to it to Elkington in March summer supply concerns, and an increase in electricity de2022 for $165,000. mand,” reads a statement from MLGW. “Due to increasing TVA fuel rates combined with increasing summer electricity consumption, MLGW customers will see summer electric Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for fuller versions of bills increase substantially.” these stories and more local news.

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The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Crossword ACROSS

34 Maker of Team USA swimsuits

1 “Caught you!” 7 Rapidly increase in size 15 Britain, Spain or France, once 16 Shrub used to make tea 17 Bachelorette party attendee

37 Nada 38 Comic strip opossum 39 *Fight imaginary enemies 42 “Such a shame!”

63 Captain Ahab, e.g. 65 “Regrettably, it’s true” 66 Coleridge’s “The ___ Harp” 67 Get wasted 68 Commoners’ superiors

24 28

44 “For sure!”

25 29

45 Deep desire

48 54

57 61

50 58 63

59 64

PUZZLE BY TIMOTHY POLIN

34 Bit of training accompanying “Sit!” and “Speak!” 35 Stack (up) 36 Verve 37 Diarist Anaïs 38 Home to this puzzle’s featured structure, as hinted at by the starts of the answers to the starred clues 40 Improvise, with “it”

41 Gin rummy combo 46 ___ reason 47 1960s muscle car 48 Former colony that’s a gambling mecca 49 Supermodel and actress Kate 51 Shire of “Rocky” 52 Total bargain 53 Exaggerated accounts 54 Dustup

55 Surfing aid 56 Raison d’___ 58 Wide-mouthed jug 61 Tribute that may be urned? 62 Nonprofit grp. that works with the Defense Department 64 “Boo-___!”

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

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Brett Healy headed to competitive eating’s “Super Bowl.”

No. 1107

43 Clearance item holder

DOWN 1 Sired 2 So-called “fifth taste” 46 Ashen 19 Author Kingsley 3 Tricky bowling 47 Occasion to situation 20 Under the dress up weather 4 *Bettors’ aids 48 Intestines’ locale 5 ___ of Good 22 Faculty heads 50 Airheaded Feelings 23 Mormon’s 6 New York’s Katz’s, 54 Hard effort, donation for one metaphorically 25 Got ready to run? 7 Burn with water 57 “The Cask of 28 Woman’s 8 Indian flatbread Amontillado” name that’s an writer 9 “U can’t b anagram of a serious!” 59 “Toodle-oo!” European native 10 Joined with a 60 *Baseball throw torch 30 Stylish, ’60s-style that might thwart 11 Not be colorfast a squeeze play 31 All the rage 12 ___ Romeo ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE 13 Meaning of “Simba” in U N P A I D S P A U G L I S Swahili P O O R M E C A L P O I N T 14 Film director D U K E O F K E N T E E N S Y ___ von Trier A G E S Y I N E O N S 21 Grassy expanse T A R O T S T A R K N A K E D 24 Source of E T S A H S V E E H A L O medieval Norse poetry I C E S A G E E T A L F O U N T A I N S O F W A Y N E 26 Declaration made while anteing up A T T A T N U T F E D W R E N M A C B E E P A S 27 “What’d I say?!” N O S Y P A R K E R P S A L M 29 Halfway decent C O P A R A T A S E A 31 Fit to be B R E A D B A N N E R Y E A R canonized L A S S I I D S C O H O S T 32 Eye hungrily T Y P E A C O T H O I S T S 33 Throw out 18 *Seek surreptitiously

Eat Up

Edited by Will Shortz 1

CITY REPORTER B y To b y S e l l s

#PBodyRoof peabodymemphis.com

rett Healy, a Memphian via New Jersey, was set to compete Monday in Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest. Going into the contest, Healy was ranked 19th in Major League Eating and had 72 food challenge wins under his belt. Getting to the “Super Bowl” of eating competitions was tough, Healy said, calling it a “bloody road.” He fell “agonizingly short” in the Coney Island qualifiers in Miami and St. Louis. We caught up with Healy before the big hot dog-eating contest to talk about training, going pro, and how you feel after a competition. Results of the contest were unknown as of press time.— Toby Sells Memphis Flyer: How did you get started? Brett Healy: I did a small burger challenge at a pub near where I used to work. I won the challenge, and physically I felt terrible but mentally I felt amazing and it was exciting. What’s the bridge between this being a hobby and then going pro? The thing that vaulted me was the [Breakaway Running and Bardog Tavern] meatball-eating contest. My first time doing that meatball-eating contest, I broke the record that they’ve had for that. Then, [Bardog owner Aldo Dean] actually wanted to sponsor me. I did some contests with Major League Eating later that year. Then, Bardog sponsored me to go to some of these Nathan’s hot dog qualifiers. I lost several of them by a very, very close margin. Then, in August 2019, I finally won a qualifier in Des Moines, Iowa, and that qualified me

PHOTO: MAJOR LEAGUE EATING YOUTUBE

Brett Healy for the 2020 Nathan’s Fourth of July contest. Obviously, the world went upside down for a couple of years after that. So, I’m glad I’m finally actually getting to punch my ticket to the big show here. What’s your strategy? I eat the hot dogs first. I dunk the bun in — I actually don’t use water. I put a flavor enhancer into it. So I’ll do lemon or blue raspberry flavor. The hot dogs go in first and then you’re putting in that disgusting wet bun — it’s just so much easier to eat fast. How do you train? I used to use solids and fluids. I’d eat eight to 10 pounds of watermelon and then chug half a gallon of fluid after that. These days my training sessions usually look like … I’ll chug between 1.5 gallons to 1.75 gallons of fluid, just let that stretch my stomach. How big of a deal is the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest? This is the pinnacle, the apex, the Super Bowl of competitive eating. So, this is extremely exciting that I’m getting to represent Memphis on the biggest stage. Not too many people know about all the other eating contests and the circuit that Major League Eating has throughout the year. But they know the Nathan’s Fourth of July contest. How do you feel after a contest like this? Oh, absolutely awful. If you’re not walking away from the table feeling like absolute garbage, you didn’t push yourself.

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POLITICS By Jackson Baker

Trial Run A forum for DA candidates suggests steep polarities in the electorate. The forum for District Attorney General candidates, held last week at St. Andrew’s AME Church in South Memphis, may well have signified everything worth knowing about the status and likely future arc of that race. The event, sponsored by the Black Clergy Collaborative, turned out a large and animated African-American crowd, leavened along one side of the capacious church auditorium by a tightly packed and highly energized group of whites. Both contingents signaled early on that they intended to be vocal in support of their preferred candidates. Black attendees were, in the aggregate, solidly for Democratic DA candidate Steve Mulroy, a fact which they made evident with some frequency — applauding his points and, upon occasion, rising from their seats. This was countered at appropriate intervals by coordinated, equally highdecibel, applause on behalf of incumbent Republican DA Amy Weirich by the whites, who looked to be Republican activists in the main. A series of well-prepared questions on topics relevant to the DA’s office were asked of the candidates by Commercial Appeal columnist Tonyaa Weathersbee, and both Weirich, who more often than not found herself in the position of having to answer first, and Mulroy, who contrived to be in the doubtless more comfortable role of responder, were on their game. That word “game” is no accident. The event in many ways resembled an athletic contest, with the crowd divided as indicated into two discrete and robust rooting sections. There was a “prelim” of sorts, with Shelby County Election Commissioner Bennie Smith giving attendees some practical instruction on the county’s extensively transformed precinct structure. Then, after giving extraordinarily well-researched biographies of the candidates, moderator Weathersbee had advised the contestants, sitting side by side at the same table, to “shake hands but don’t come out fighting.” It was indeed a fight, however, grimly polite in presentation but containing several reminders of the two contestants’ highly combative TV commercials — ones in which Mulroy was portrayed as a dangerous radical

intent on defunding the police and letting criminals loose and Weirich was depicted as a Trumpian incompetent incapable of dealing with the evermounting rise of violent crime under her tenure. Both portraits were caricatures, of course. The two candidates each formulated well-considered positions. Weirich, presenting herself as primarily concerned with victims of crime, boasted “alternative programs that we have created in the last 10 years — programs designed to keep people from getting into the criminal justice system to begin with and keep them from coming back to the system.” She defended her policy of remanding juveniles committing such crimes as murder and rape to Criminal Court, expressed satisfaction in the state legislature’s passage of a “truth-in-sentencing” law, and emphasized the threat of repeat offenders. Mulroy made the case for bail reform, slammed “truth-in-sentencing” on grounds that it undermined rehabilitation efforts and scuttled the parole system, and advocated for postconviction reviews, as well as for more extensive use of DNA evidence. Both candidates were discreet when asked whether they would prosecute cases under the state’s new anti-abortion law, though Mulroy was willing to say such prosecutions would be matters of “low priority” while Weirich considered the issue, sans cases at hand, to be hypothetical. Mulroy pressed Weirich on what he said were “racial disparities” in her office and countered one Weirich claim by saying, “The office never sees prison sentences for nonviolent offenders or for low-level offenders? Tell that to Pam Moses.” This was the celebrated case which saw activist Moses briefly sentenced to a six-year prison term for registering to vote while still under probation for a felony conviction. Weirich responded that the sentence came not from her but from the presiding judge, that she had offered Moses a misdemeanor plea deal with no more time than she’d already served in jail, and that she’d ultimately declined to renew the case, once it was dismissed. Moses herself was on hand and made a point of continually heckling Weirich. All in all, the forum could be seen as a metaphor for an electoral contest, which has aroused intense passions on both sides of a divided community.

A T L A R G E B y B r u c e Va n W y n g a r d e n

Triggered Facing the reality of the Roe v. Wade decision.

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m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Dakota Governor Kristi Noem went on national television Sunday, mostly to fluff Donald Trump in hopes of enhancing her vice-presidential ambitions for 2024. But moderator Dana Bash had the poor taste to perform journalism and confront Noem with the case of the Ohio girl. It didn’t go well for Noem, who shuffled and deflected and avoided answering the question for several minutes. Which answered the question. Former Vice President Mike Pence came out of hiding long enough to speak the GOP’s fetal-attraction fever dream out loud, calling for a national ban on abortion, because God hates abortion — and also little girls, I guess. Have any of these people ever actually known a 10-year-old girl? At 10, a little girl is in fourth or fifth grade. Fourth or fifth grade. Let it sink in. Think about a 10-year-old girl you know or have known — their innocence, their joy, their spirit. If they get pregnant, it is by definiPHOTO: © MIKEPHOTOS | DREAMSTIME.COM tion because they were Demonstration in Melbourne, Florida, raped. It doesn’t matter if after Roe v. Wade was overturned. it was an uncle, a brother, a father, or a random evil The Ohio case has become somestranger. An innocent child was the thing of a flash point for the abortion victim of a brutal, heinous crime. And debate. A sampling of commentary on now the law of the land in more than social media: half of these dis-united states is (or “My heart absolutely BREAKS for soon will be) that that child deserves to that child but who are we to question be punished. what God is doing?” The emphasis on child-rape and in“God has a plan and a purpose for cest is helpful in illustrating the horrid everything, and it’s not our place to try absurdity of the SCOTUS ruling, but and take matters into our own hands no the most important thing to recogmatter how badly the situation hurts.” nize is that the right to privacy and “Every life is precious in His sight.” bodily autonomy for half the American Others see it differently: population has been taken away. A “Why did God create the doctors 10th-grader, a mother of three with an and medicines that allow her to have a ectopic pregnancy, a 40-year-old rape safe abortion?” victim — all will be legally mandated to “Why is God’s will behind the rape carry their pregnancy to term in much and Satan’s will behind the abortion?” of the U.S. Their faith doesn’t matter “If everything is God’s will and she — Jews, Muslims, Agnostics, Episcohas an abortion, isn’t that abortion then palians, Methodists, Flying Spaghetti also God’s will?” Monster worshippers. What matters is And on it went and on it goes. that American women are now required Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves to adhere to a pseudo-religious tenet declared June to be “Sanctity of Life held by 13 percent of the country’s Month” in celebration of SCOTUS’ adults. A tiny minority has spent years overturning of Roe v. Wade. Missisworking on packing the Supreme Court sippi, it should be noted, has the highest for the express purpose of overturning infant and fetal mortality rates in the Roe v. Wade. They have succeeded. They U.S. and the lowest life expectancy, so have taken away an American woman’s Reeves is totally on-brand with his proright to decide what’s best for her body. life bilge. It’s time to rage, folks. It’s time to And, to demonstrate that it’s not just get triggered and get organized and Southerners who can utter evangeliget loud. In a free country — in a real cal garbage with a straight face, South democracy — this cannot stand.

NEWS & OPINION

o, it’s likely you read about the 10-year-old rape victim who couldn’t get an abortion in Ohio. The story came to light shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24th. Ohio’s six-week “trigger ban” came into effect three days later and prohibited the child from getting an abortion in her home state. Her pediatrician called a colleague in nearby Indiana and arranged for the traumatized child-abuse victim to have an abortion there. (Indiana legislators have since indicated they will pass an abortion ban in an upcoming special session.)

REINVENTING MEMPHIS COVER STORY By Chris McCoy

ENJOY A CITY STAYCATION WITH FRESH FACES AND OLD FAVORITES.

July 7-13, 2022

ctober 5, 2021, is a day Brett Batterson will never forget. That’s when Come From Away opened at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Memphis, marking the return to live performance after 18 months of pandemic shutdown. “That opening night is one of the greatest nights I’ve ever experienced in my career,” says Batterson, the Orpheum’s president and CEO. “Everybody was so excited to be there, and the audience was just so grateful for Broadway to be back in the Orpheum. The cast was excited to perform for people. It was like a magic stew of emotions that was just wonderful.” When Jesus Christ Superstar opened 10 on June 28th, it marked the belated end

of the star-crossed season that began in March 2020. “It feels really good to have what we call the pandemic season behind us, and we start our new season in just a few weeks with My Fair Lady, followed by To Kill a Mockingbird.” Located at the western edge of Beale Street, the century-old theater has witnessed a lot of changes Downtown, but nothing like the last few years. It has been a time of both growth and tragedy. “I think Downtown Memphis is starting to see the resurgence, the coming out of the plague. If you come down here on a Friday or Saturday night, there are people everywhere. I don’t think we’ve seen the return of all the office workers that we need for the restaurants to have a lunch crowd, but on a weekend night, there’s a lot of people down here.”

Batterson sees the crowds as a continuation of positive trends the pandemic interrupted. “When I first arrived in Memphis six and a half years ago, I think Memphis was just at the tail end of the low self-esteem problem that Memphis has suffered from since the assassination of Dr. King. Shortly after I arrived, people started making plans and talking about how great of a city it is. Nashville is a tourist trap while Memphis retains its soul and authenticity. That’s the big change I’ve seen — Memphis is proud of itself again, as it should be.” DOWNTOWN DELIGHTS The Orpheum was once a movie palace owned by Memphis-based Malco Theatres. Just a short hop down Front Street, Malco’s newest

movie palace is the Powerhouse, a seven-screen multiplex built around a historic structure which once provided steam power for next door’s Central Station. On Saturdays, the Powerhouse’s parking lot plays host to the Downtown Memphis Farmers Market. Sergio Brown is one of the dozens of vendors who gather under the T-shaped shelter every week to hawk their locally produced wares. His company, Earthworm Plants, is based across the river in West Memphis. “We just started, so this is our first year here in Memphis,” he says. “The support we’ve gotten from Downtown has been amazing. When people from other states come here, they’re just amazed at what we do.” Earthworm Plants is part of a wave of new businesses that have opened

PHOTOS: (LEFT) MATTHEW MURPHY, EVAN ZIMMERMAN - MURPHYMADE / (ABOVE, BELOW) CHRIS MCCOY / (RIGHT) COURTESY MBG

Left: Jesus Christ Superstar rocks the Orpheum as the last show of the “pandemic” season. Above: The Orpheum is about to dance into its next season in late July with My Fair Lady, followed by To Kill a Mockingbird. Right: A larger-than-life Red Queen plays her twisted game of croquet at the Memphis Botanic Garden.

in the pandemic era. A few blocks to the east is South Point Grocery, the latest venture by Castle Retail’s Rick James, which filled a need created by Downtown’s growing population. But South Point’s biggest draw is the sandwich counter, run by Josh McLane. Like many people in Memphis, McLane is a man of many hustles. He’s a well-known comedian and drummer in the punk-folk duo Heels. (Their new album, Pop Songs for a Dying Planet, will be released in October.) His sandwich skills first got attention when he manned the kitchen at the Hi Tone music venue. “Unlike other people, when I’m hammered and make a sandwich at 3 in the morning, I write it down,” he says. At lunch time, there’s a steady stream of foot traffic coming through

the door for McLane’s creations. “I genuinely get a kick out of being able to say, ‘Come see us for lunch, and I will get you outta here in five minutes, unless we have a giant line — and even then, it’s gonna take 10, tops.’” McLane says the wave of new businesses was born of necessity. “That first year of Covid, everybody started opening something, either because you had nothing to do or you had no money coming in. And after that first year, everybody who wasn’t good at it or didn’t have a good enough sustaining idea got weeded out and everybody else just kept going.” Good Fortune Co. is a new eatery that has been earning raves Downtown. Co-owner Sarah Cai lived in Collierville until she was 13, when her father was sent to China to open

a new FedEx hub. “I’m from here, and I always wanted to come back,” she says. “We had been paying attention to restaurants in the area and what was popular. There was really nothing like this kind of cuisine, and from what I could tell, there was nobody who could bring the kind of experience that we have had, traveling and working abroad in different places.” All of the food at Good Fortune Co. is made by hand. “The kimchi is important to me,” Cai says. “It’s something I’ve always made on my own because when you buy it, it just doesn’t taste the same. The whole [restaurant] concept stemmed from scratchmade noodles that have always been a huge part of my food. Dumplings are my food love, my passion. I’ve been making them since I was a kid

with my family. They had to be on the menu. I knew I wanted it to be Asian, but influenced by a lot of different regions, not necessarily Chinese or Japanese. My background is really mixed. My mom’s Malaysian and my dad’s Chinese. I’ve traveled all around Southeast Asia, so I’ve been inspired by a lot of different flavors. What I wanted to showcase here is the fusion of those authentic flavors. The food itself is kind of Asian-American — like myself. “I’ve been able to come back and rediscover the city as an adult. It’s a totally different experience. Memphis is really cool! I’ve lived in China, Austria, Europe. I’ve traveled all around the world, and Memphis is one of the most authentic cities I’ve ever been in. continued on page 12

COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Below: Jessica Hunt tends bar at the artsy and new Inkwell.

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It’s gritty, but it’s all part of the charm — it’s just a genuine place. I’m really happy to be able to be a part of this world now.” NEW GROWTH She’s 19 feet tall, weighs 15,110 pounds, and her dress is made from 6,507 plants. The Red Queen is the most spectacular creation of “Alice’s Adventures at the Garden,” the largerthan-life new exhibit at the Memphis Botanic Garden. The living statuary of the timeless characters from Alice In Wonderland, like the Cheshire Cat, the Queen’s chessboard full of soldiers, and Alice herself, originated at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Alice and her companions have made a big splash, says Olivia Wall, MBG’s director of marketing. But the exhibit is just one of the new features at the 96-acre garden. “We have gone through a lot of transformation,” she says. “We are just finishing up a capital campaign that was focused on campus modernizations, so part of that, like the visitor center, was completely redone in 2022. It’s been a lot of change and a lot of transformation for the better. We are always focused on our mission, which is connecting people with plants. How can we best do that?” The Alice figures are made from steel armatures and given color and shape by plants and flowers. In the summer heat, it can take 90 minutes just to water the Red Queen. Other artists were invited to participate. “We have these renditions of the White Rabbit around the grounds that local artists created,” Wall says. There are also interactive elements. “It’s classic literature, so we have quotes from the book around to help put it into context. Kids can have their own imaginary tea party. They can pretend to be the March Hare or the Mad Hatter.” Wall came to Memphis in 2014 to get her master’s degree from Memphis College of Art. The Cooper-Young resident says she’s a “Midtowner

through and through.” Midtown has been the focus of intense development in the pandemic era, with new apartment complexes springing up everywhere. “They’re called ‘five-over-ones,’” says F. Grant Whittle. “They’re the apartment buildings like they’ve got on McLean and Madison. They are built with concrete on the first floor and then stick on the upper floors. They’re easily put up. They’re not hideous, and they’re not beautiful, but just getting apartments in place for people to live is important right now.” Whittle and his husband Jimmy Hoxie recently opened The Ginger’s Bread & Co. on Union Avenue. “Jimmy was working at City & State making pastries, and they didn’t need him anymore because they didn’t have many customers. At the same time, a man moved out of a duplex we owned and I said, ‘Jimmy, why don’t you go over there and start baking? We can sell your stuff online.’ And so, that’s what we’ve been doing since the beginning of the pandemic. Then, I was let go from my job. I needed something to do. So we sold the duplex, and we used the money to open this place.” Since they opened earlier this summer, bread, cookies, and cheesecake have been flying off the shelves. “I think that this little part of Union is ripe for renewal and regrowth,” Whittle says. “I really like Cameo, which is a bar that just opened at Union and McLean. I can walk there in five minutes. They’re still getting their sea legs. They’re trying to do a good product there, and the food is not too bad.” Midtown remains a cultural center. The history of Memphis music is enshrined on Beale, but the present and future lives in places like The Lamplighter, B-Side, and Hi Tone. The reopened Minglewood Hall is once again hosting national touring acts. In the Crosstown Concourse, the Green Room offers intimate live music experiences, and the 400-seat Crosstown Theater recently put on a blockbuster show by electronic music

PHOTO: CHRIS MCCOY

pioneers Kraftwerk. Not far from the towering Concourse is Black Lodge. The movie mecca began life more than two decades ago as a tiny CooperYoung video store. Now, it not only boasts one of the largest DVD and Blu-ray collections in America, but also a state-of-the-art sound system and multiple projection screens. “We’re proud to be serving a full menu of food as well as a full bar,” says Lodge founder Matt Martin. “Come in and check out some of our signature cocktails and dishes designed by our chef and co-owner James Blair. We are pleased to finally offer a full nightclub experience to Midtown Memphis. We’ve got great EDM shows, great bands, movie screenings, burlesque and drag shows, comedy, and video game tournaments — and our AC is amazing!” Another Midtown dream realized is Inkwell. The popular Edge District bar was founded by Memphis artist Ben Colar. “The concept was to create a super dope cocktail bar where people could just kind of be themselves,” says bartender Jessica Hunt. “It’s Blackowned, so Ben wanted to show the city that there are Black bartenders that can do really good craft cocktails.” The relaxed vibe is maintained via cocktails like the Sir Isaac Washington, a complex, rum-based, summery drink. “It’s always a breath of fresh air to come in here and work around people I love,” says Hunt. “Plus, I get to meet so many cool, artsy people!” MUSIC FOR THE MASSES “Memphis’ identity is its musical history,” says the Orpheum’s Batterson. “Our tourism is music tourism. There may be some Broadway fans, or the timing may be right so that we’ve got Bonnie Raitt or Bob Dylan at the Orpheum, but most of the tourists are music people who want to hang out on Beale Street, go to Graceland, go to the Stax Museum, go to Sun Studio. “I think we have some real gems in our museum system, from the National Civil Rights Museum to the Brooks and the Dixon and MoSH. An hour at

Sun Studio is probably one of the most important hours you can spend in Memphis — that and going to Stax and seeing Isaac Hayes’ gold-plated car! “I am shocked at how many Memphians have told me they’ve never been to Graceland. To me, you’ve got to go once. If you never go back, that’s up to you. But you’ve got to go once. How could you have this huge, international tourist attraction in your city and not ever go? I don’t get that.” With Elvis, the spectacular new biopic from Australian director Baz Luhrmann, the King of Rock-and-Roll is once again topping the box office. After earning a 12-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, Luhrmann and his stars, including Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, made their American debut at the Guest House at Graceland. “It’s something that younger people don’t understand,” said Luhrmann to a packed house. “They know they’re very interested in this film because they’re very interested in instant fame. You can get on TikTok and have 20 million followers the next day, and you’re famous. But when Elvis came along, the teenager had just been invented. The idea of young people with money was a new idea. There was no precedent for someone driving a truck one minute and being a millionaire and the most famous man on the planet the next.” As he stood on stage with Elvis’ wife Priscilla Presley, daughter Lisa Marie, and granddaughter, actor/ director Riley Keough, Hanks, who plays Elvis’ infamous manager Col. Tom Parker, recounted the welcome they had received. “We visited the home of the King last night. It is a place that is, I think, as hallowed as any president’s home, as any museum dedicated to a particular type of art. What’s unique about it is, it is so firmly stamped with the name Presley, and it would not have existed were it not for the city of Memphis and the genius of a one-of-a-kind artist who, more than anybody else in music or any sort of presentational art, deserves the moniker of the singular word ‘King.’”

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PHOTO: TONY ISBELL

By Abigail Morici

Adam Remsen as Guy

After a pandemic-prompted hiatus, Quark Theatre is back and ready to start its fourth season with Wakey, Wakey by Will Eno. This is not the first time Quark is putting on Wakey, Wakey, having performed it back in October 2019, but, as Quark co-founder Adam Remsen says, “A lot of it seems a lot more personally relevant. It’s such a layered script. And counting both of the productions we’ve done, I’ve probably gone through that script a hundred times now, and I continue to find new things that I have not noticed before.” The play opens with a presumably terminally ill Guy, rousing from a nap and asking, “Is it now? I thought I had more time.” For the next hour of the play, Remsen, who will reprise his part as the protagonist, explains, “It’s this sort of meandering monologue, where he talks about all different things — a lot about love and life and death. Though, that makes it sounds very serious, and it’s a very funny play. For something that deals with such heavy subjects, I’m always amazed at how lightly it keeps moving along. It’s so well-written.” Interestingly, the playwright Will Eno went beyond providing the script, Remsen says. “When we did the show for the first time, we applied for the rights and we got them and got an email that Will likes to be personally involved in productions of his play.” So the group emailed with Eno, asking questions and receiving long, detailed, and personable responses. “It’s unheard of. I have literally never heard of another playwright doing that,” Remsen continues. “There were some points in the play that were confusing, and it helped us kind of figure out what was going on with those and what we were going to do. He was also very clear … that he understands that every production is different and the goal is to make this your production. “It’s such a personal play, and it actually specifies in the script that when the play ends that in the lobby there are food and snacks and drinks provided and everyone should come out in the lobby including the cast and have a little small reception or party.” This intimacy, Remsen adds, will also be afforded in the size of the space being lent by Germantown Community Theatre. “It’s a small theater; it’s a hundred seats. … We want people to be as close as possible to the stage.” As such, this play is within Quark’s affinity for simple, nuanced performances. “[Co-founder and director Tony Isbell] and I enjoy theater that takes out anything extraneous,” Remsen says, “where it’s just the actors, a script, and an audience. … We stick to fairly small shows, fairly new shows usually, and the kind of shows that we do are the kind no one is going to do in Memphis if we don’t do them.” Wakey, Wakey will run through July 17th, Thursday-Sunday, but Quark isn’t stopping there this season. Unlike seasons past, this season will have four productions, not two. Up next is What Happens to Hope at the End of the Evening, which Quark put on in March 2020, having to cancel its run after two performances. WAKEY, WAKEY, GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE, 3037 FOREST HILL IRENE ROAD, OPENS JULY 7, 8 P.M., $20.

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES July 7th - 13th Rotunda Projects: Monika Gryzmala Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, on view through January 9 Explore this site-specific work made by Monika Gryzmala. The dynamic installation plays with your sense of scale by presenting a line drawing as immense and immersive — a drawing we can walk into. Miles and miles of black tape cascade, pool, revolve, and scribble to activate walls, columns, and most dramatically, voids in the space. The work oscillates between two and three dimensions as lines connect and amass in ways that range from delicate to dense. Monika Gryzmala, a Polish artist based in Berlin, is a contemporary sculpture, drawing, and installation artist whose work takes twodimensional drawing and explodes it into three-dimensions.

Rocky Horror Memphis featuring Absent Friends The Evergreen Theatre, Friday, July 8, 11:30 p.m., $10 See the Memphis Rocky Horror and shadow cast Absent Friends as they bring you a reason to love this cult classic! Costumes, props, callbacks, they’ve got it all! For you virgins out there, the classic film, starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Meatloaf, and Barry Bostwick, is the longestrunning theatrical release in film history. The evening starts with a live pre-show and surprises including a costume contest and special entertainment to get the party going. Audience participation is strongly encouraged and so are any costumes. Oh, and you can throw stuff ! Prop bags are available for $5 each.

Gooch Park Block Party and Pool Mural Dedication Gooch Park, Saturday, July 9, 10 a.m. Join UrbanArt Commission and the HUG Neighborhood Park friends in celebrating the official unveiling and dedication of Jamond Bullock’s (@alivepaint) brand-new mural “Slice.” There will be music, snow cones, and pool time. Summerween Black Lodge, Saturday, July 9, 9 p.m., $10 Break out your creepiest outfits and cosplay, and get ready for some tricks and treats. It’s time for Summerween, the Lodge’s annual midsummer Halloween horror dance party — a night of drinks, devils, and dancing, of music, mischief, and monster-mashing! DJ sets all night, horror video photobooth, and special Halloween treats and cocktails.

MUSIC By Michael Donahue

Making Their Mark Switches is young and hungry.

PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE

Brennan Williams, John Pera, Joey Eddins, and Gavin Richards That’s where you have an audience no matter where you go. Memphis has a bunch of different scenes for a bunch of different music. “When I saw kids my age playing in bands to pretty decent-sized crowds and a lot of my friends were going to them, I really wanted to start playing shows like this.” Richards began writing songs as a freshman. “Everything changes going from middle school to high school. It brings a lot of things and emotions on you and you need an expressive outlet for it. “I was first dipping my toes into water as a songwriter, but I kind of didn’t know where to go with it. Ideas would

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come up and I would write them down and nothing would ever come from it.” They now have six originals. Richards wrote music and lyrics to “Castle,” their most popular song. “This girl gave me a Silly Bandz in the shape of a castle. I pretty much made it about that.” Asked what sets Switches apart, Williams says, “I think it’s our energy. For sure. We’re all friends. And we got chemistry with each other. And we cooperate really well.” “I love that it’s raw punk and it’s so fun to play,” Eddins says. The big picture for Switches? “We’re just kind of playing it by ear right now,” Richards says. “Playing shows. Having fun around Memphis. Maybe some trips to Nashville or something like that. So, nothing too crazy — world domination or something like that.”

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play shows like them.’” Richards got serious about music and wanted to play shows. But, he says, everybody except Eddins, who joined after they formed Switches, is from Germantown. “In Germantown, there are not really any music venues to play at. “We didn’t know how to get our sound out there, to get us playing music to any crowd of some sort.” That changed after he began driving and discovered “there’s stuff to do everywhere” in Memphis. “Especially for young people like us. “I could go pretty much where I felt like going. A lot of local shows. I started seeing a lot of the music scenes there, and that changed the game entirely.” After discovering Hi Tone and Lamplighter Lounge, Richards thought, “We can play here.” “Memphis was the place to go.

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

and name inspirations come from everywhere. Take Switches. “I came up with the name Switches actually at 3 in the morning when I was in my room asleep and my lights were still on and I did not want to get up and flip the switch to turn it off,” says bass player Gavin Richards, 17. “A lot of people think it has some really deep meaning when it doesn’t at all.” Switches, a punk/grunge band that also includes guitarist/lead singer John Pera, 18; guitarist Brennan Williams, 17; and drummer Joey Eddins, 17, formed March 5th. The group played its first big-name club, Hi Tone, July 1st. Like older bands, Switches members are writing, rehearsing, thinking about recording, and dealing with nervousness on stage. But Switches is fresh. It’s hungry. “I didn’t start singing until this year,” Pera says. “We were all like, ‘Who’s going to do it?’ I was like, ‘I guess I can.’ I’d never done it before. I usually play guitar and stuff. “It was kind of hard, but you kind of get used to it. I’d go in my car and yell a lot so it wouldn’t hurt as much. Singing along to the radio. At first, I would almost cough up a lung after trying to get through it. It was like I was about to pass out. I still do that a little bit, but only at the end of the show.” Richards got his first guitar five years ago. “YouTube videos were my teacher,” he says. He and Williams got into Green Day at 13. “They sounded so different from what was on the radio. Powerful. Just a different sound.” They watched Green Day’s 1992 videos.“They were pretty young. Like 16 and 17. And we were like, ‘We could do that. We could be just like them,

CALENDAR of EVENTS:

July 7 - 13

ART AN D S P EC I A L E X H I B ITS

“Another Dimension: Digital Art in Memphis”

Exhibition exploring the rise of mainstream interest in digital art and NFTs. Through Sept. 11. MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

“Charcoal Portraits by Anita Biriya”

Exhibition of charcoal portrait drawings by artist Anita Biriya from Herat, Afghanistan. Through July 18. BUCKMAN ARTS CENTER AT ST. MARY’S SCHOOL

“Fragments”

Exhibition of work by Chuck Johnson exploring the often conflicted relationship between the decorative traditions in geometric patterns found in other cultures and Western modernism. Through July 10. L ROSS GALLERY

“From Artisans to Artists: African American Metal Workers in Memphis” Exhibition that traces the role of Black metal workers from Central and West Africa to modern-day Memphis. Through Sept. 11. METAL MUSEUM

“Isaac Hayes: Black Moses Gives Back”

An engaging exhibition that showcases Hayes’ unique dashikis collection and his humanitarian work in Ghana. Through July 31. MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY

“Many Mansions”

An exhibition of Nancy Cheairs’ single work comprised of 50 canvases. Through July 16. TOPS GALLERY: MADISON AVENUE PARK

“Memphis Proud: The Resilience of a Southern LGBTQ+ Community”

Explore the history and culture of Memphis’ LGBTQ+ community. Through Sept. 26. MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY

cannabis plays a role in our physical and mental healing. $30. Friday, July 8, 7-9 p.m.

“Michael Ngo Exhibition”

L.A.-based fashion and pop culture designer Michael Ngo is known for creating one-ofa-kind pieces that celebrate freedom, sexuality, and strength. Through Sept. 30.

WORK & PLAY STUDIO

C O M E DY

D’Lai

$60. Thursday, July 7, 8 p.m., 7:30 p.m.; Friday, July 8, 10 p.m.; Saturday, July 9, 7:30 p.m., 10 p.m.; Sunday, July 10, 8 p.m.

ART MUSEUM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS (AMUM)

“Nothing Ever Goes Unseen”

CHUCKLES COMEDY HOUSE

Shaped by his family history, John Roberts’ paintings and drawings express the extraordinary within everyday environments in this exhibit. Through July 31.

“So You Got Jokes” Comedy Show

Get ready to laugh while these young performers do their best stand-up comedy. $15. Saturday, July 9, 6 p.m.

DAVID LUSK GALLERY

“Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement”

Exhibition of artifacts and images that shed light on important milestones of gay rights history. Through Sept. 26. MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY

“Sculptures & Small Objects”

Exhibition based around sculpture, object making, and 3D work by Black makers. Through July 9. TONE

“Solidarity Now! 1968 Poor People’s Campaign”

Exhibition that explores the little-known history of the multicultural movement to address poverty and social justice in the nation. Through July 31. NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM

“Spoiled”

Group exhibition exploring pleasure — the ways we seek it, the ways we bar ourselves from experiencing it, and the ways we contextualize it. Viewer discretion is advised. Through July 16. TONE

“Sweet 16”

Each of the Dixon’s 16 gallery spaces will feature an independent, Dixon-organized exhibition. Through July 10. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

July 7-13, 2022

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com. DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENTS LISTING, VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.

THE COMEDY JUNT

The artists featured in “The Art of Science” exhibition at Crosstown Arts took inspiration from the work of area researchers and clinicians. On view through September 4. “The Art of Science”

Over 30 local artists will present a piece of art inspired by the work of area researchers and clinicians, which will also be on display alongside the works of art. Through Sept. 4. CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE

“Thomas Campbell: Corollary”

Exhibition of work by fifthgeneration steelworker Thomas Campbell. Through July 17. METAL MUSEUM

“Ugly”

Exhibition of work by Anderson Goin, Genevieve Farr, Heather Howle, Zack Orsborn, Georgia Peeler, and Hank Smith. Private viewings by appointment only. Through July 8. MEDICINE FACTORY

ART HAPPE N I NGS

Gooch Park Block Party and Pool Mural Dedication

Join UrbanArt Commission and the HUG Neighborhood Park Friends to celebrate the official unveiling and dedication of Jamond Bullock’s

brand-new mural. Enjoy music, snow cones, and pool time. Saturday, July 9, 10 a.m. GOOCH PARK

Merge Memphis Serving Women Art Benefit

An exhibit benefiting Merge Memphis, a safe refuge for women seeking a plan for the future. Saturday, July 9, 1-4 p.m. THE MID-SOUTH ART GALLERY

“Nothing Ever Goes Unseen” Open House and Artist Talk

Shaped by his family history, John Roberts’ paintings and drawings express the extraordinary within everyday environments in this exhibit. Saturday, July 9, noon-3 p.m. DAVID LUSK GALLERY

“The Natural World” Opening Reception

Opening reception for exhibition of work by Libby Anderson. Sunday, July 10, 3-4:30 p.m. MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

“Ugly” Closing Night

Exhibition of work by Anderson Goin, Genevieve Farr, Heather Howle, Zack

Orsborn, Georgia Peeler, and Hank Smith. Private viewings by appointment only. Saturday, July 9, 6-9 p.m.

Memphis Street Dog Round Up

Several rescue groups are looking to find doggies new homes. Saturday, July 9, 8 a.m. ELWOOD’S SHACK

MEDICINE FACTORY

FAM I LY

B O O K EVE NTS

Librarians at Laundromats

Meet the Author: Mark Greaney

Novel welcomes NYT-bestselling author Mark Greaney to celebrate the launch of Armored. Saturday, July 9, 2 p.m. NOVEL

Bring your kids any time between 10 and noon to listen to stories and sing songs with some of Memphis’ amazing librarians! Saturday, July 9, 10 a.m.-noon. SUDS LAUNDRY

Mud-pie Mondays

C LAS S / WO R KS H O P

Adult Education: Wonderland Toadstools

Students will be guided through the toadstool-making process and then will have the opportunity to make and color up to six spectacular fungi of their own. $43-$55. Sunday, July 10, 2-4 p.m. MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Crystals, Cards, & Cannabis 102

A deep dive into the world of crystals, how we can incorporate card divination into intuitive practices, and where

Children can dig in and craft their own mud-pie using natural materials. Monday, July 11, 10 a.m.-noon. MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

River Quest: Memphis Harbor Sampling

River Quest explorers, get ready for some citizen science fun with Memphis River Parks and Sonia Holmes from Memphis Storm Water. Start your day with free, family-friendly water testing activities. Saturday, July 9, 9-10 a.m. RIVER GARDEN

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C A L E N D A R : J U LY 7 - 1 3

Join Joe Bob and spend a fast-and-furious two hours with America’s drive-in movie critic as he uses over 200 clips and stills to review the history of rednecks in America as told through the classics. $40. Thursday, July 7, 6:30-10:30 p.m. CROSSTOWN THEATER

ET 40th Anniversary Screening

Forty years ago, Steven Spielberg terrified and delighted so many of us with ET, and he also made Reese’s Pieces super profitable finally. Free. Saturday, July 9, 6:30-8:30 p.m. BLACK LODGE

Overton Square Summer Movie Series: Lawrence of Arabia Free popcorn provided. Thursday, July 7, 8:30 p.m. OVERTON SQUARE

People on Sunday with Live Score by Kelvin Walters

This effervescent, sunlit silent, about a handful of city dwellers enjoying a weekend outing, offers a rare glimpse of Weimarera Berlin. Presented with a live score from Kelvin Walters. $5. Friday, July 8, 7:30-10 p.m. CROSSTOWN THEATER

FO O D AN D D R I N K

Canoes + Cocktails

Experience an unrivaled sunset with a guided evening paddle on Hyde Lake, followed by cocktails and snacks. Friday, July 8, 7:15-9:45 p.m. SHELBY FARMS PARK

Succulent Teacup Planting Party (21+)

Plant your own unique succulent dish garden! All supplies will be provided, including plants, pots, soil, and decorative gravel. Bring your own beverage to enjoy while creating! $35-$45. Friday, July 8, 6-7:30 p.m. MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

The Chef Showdown

Ten chefs will compete live in front of the audience. $50. Saturday, July 9, 1:30-6:30 p.m. OVERTON PARK

H EA LTH A N D F I TN ES S

P E R FO R M I N G ARTS

S PO R TS

Group Meditation

Circus Bezerkus!

Barbie Wyre is excited to bring to you an event full of aweinspiring talent! And in heels! $10-$25. Thursday, July 7, 7 p.m.

901 FC vs. Phoenix Rising FC

Join intuitive guide, teacher, and author Michele Sammons for a free guided meditation session in the formal gardens on Wednesday mornings. All levels are welcome! Wednesday, July 13, 8:30-9:15 a.m.

BLACK LODGE

Dazzle Saturdays

Dazzle Saturdays, every second Saturday, are here to bring you only the best, brightest, and most beautiful of high drag. Saturday, July 9, 10:30 p.m.

OVERTON PARK

Living Life Deliberately: Mindfulness Meditation in Daily Life

DRU’S BAR

This class focuses on how you can practice meditation in ways that foster your ability to live deliberately, paying attention to what matters. Friday, July 8, noon-12:30 p.m.

LollapaDRUSa 2.0

Lip-sync smackdown. Single elimination tournament. Winner receives $500. Friday, July 8, 9 p.m. DRU’S BAR

CHURCH HEALTH

Rocky Horror Memphis featuring Absent Friends

Lunchtime Meditations with Karla Ingram

See the Memphis Rocky Horror and “Absent Friends” as they bring you a reason to love this cult classic! The evening starts with live pre-show surprises and entertainment. $10. Friday, July 8, 11:30 p.m.

Make time for yourself each week and explore a variety of meditation practices designed to help you find balance and reduce stress. Free. Friday, July 8, noon-12:30 p.m. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

THE EVERGREEN THEATRE

Maximo Fitness Launch

The Masked Singer Live

Join the Kroc Center for its July Fitness Launch, showcasing new programming in classes and offering premium classes at no cost. Saturday, July 9, 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

FOX’s hit TV series The Masked Singer is coming to Memphis. Friday, July 8, 8 p.m. ORPHEUM THEATRE

KROC CENTER

S P EC IA L EVE NTS

Open Water Swims + Clinics

Cars & Coffee “On the Edge”

Open water swims and swim clinic sessions are open to a wide range of skill levels. Sunday, July 10, 6:30-10:30 a.m. SHELBY FARMS PARK

The Brooks’ latest exhibition explores digital art and NFTs created by local artists. On view through September 11.

Pilates in the Park

Bring your own mat, towel, and water bottle, and meet in front of the Visitor’s Center. Call 901-255-0606 to RSVP your spot. Free. Tuesday, July 12, 5:30-6:30 p.m. SHELBY FARMS PARK

Pilates in the Park

Bring your mats, plenty of water, and plenty of friends out to Shelby Farms Park for a summer of pilates! Classes are perfect for the novice to the professional. Free. Tuesday, July 12, 5:30-6:30 p.m. SHELBY FARMS PARK

Sunset Yoga Downtown

All ages and experience levels are welcome for the free yoga

class with instructor Bridget Sisney. Sunday, July 10, 5:306:30 p.m. FOURTH BLUFF PARK

Tai Chi

Relieve stress and increase flexibility by participating in Tai Chi classes led by a certified instructor. Wednesday, July 13, 3-4 p.m. SHELBY FARMS PARK

Taijiquan

This Chinese martial art promotes relaxation, improves balance, and provides noimpact aerobic benefits. Ages 16 and older. Free. Saturday, July 9, 10:30-11:30 a.m. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Twilight Yoga and Pilates You will feel the entire body burn in this fun, low-impact workout. Free. Monday, July 11, 5:30-6:30 p.m. OVERTON PARK SHELL

Yoga

This all-levels yoga class is perfect for people new to yoga or for students who want to reconnect with their fundamentals. Free. Saturday, July 9, 9-10 a.m. SHELBY FARMS PARK

Yoga with Laura Gray McCann

Strengthen your yoga practice and enjoy the health benefits of light exercise with a certified yoga instructor. If weather permits, yoga will take place in the gardens. Thursday, July 7, 6-6:45 p.m. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Join Mid-South car enthusiasts in the historic Edge District. Coffee available to all participants at the Edge Cafe and half-price admission to the museum. Free. Saturday, July 9, 9 a.m.-noon. EDGE MOTOR MUSEUM

Summerween

Break out your creepiest outfits and cosplay, and get ready for some tricks and treats at Black Lodge’s annual midsummer Halloween horror dance party, a night of drinks, music, and mischief. $10. Saturday, July 9, 9 p.m. BLACK LODGE

Twilight Thursdays

Saturday, July 9, 7:30 p.m. AUTOZONE PARK

T H EAT E R

A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline

A theatrical tribute to the country and pop icon, Patsy Cline, as seen through the eyes and heart of a local radio disc jockey in Patsy’s hometown of Winchester, Virginia. Through July 17. PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE

Shanktown

There’s a patriarch whose power is waning fast, a questionable friend, an estranged son, and a clinging daughter. Like an ancient Greek tragedy with modern-day laughs, “Shanktown” is an emotional processing arena that holds the potential to everything from hate to hope. Friday, July 8-July 24. THEATREWORKS

Sisterly Too: A “Framily” Affair

Centers on the outcome of five friends meeting and forming a sisterhood as love, marital bliss, devastation, divorce, child loss, and betrayal take full control of their circle. $45-$65. Friday, July 8, 7 p.m. CANNON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Wakey, Wakey

The New York Times calls Wakey, Wakey a “glowingly dark, profoundly moving” work. It’s a funny, sad, tragic, comic examination of the many ways a life can run its course. $20. Thursday, July 7-July 17. GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE

TO U R S

Backstage Experience Tour

The Shell is opening up the Green Rooms for a guided tour that will take you from its 1936 beginnings all the way to the present. $15. Monday, July 11, 2-3 p.m.

MBG will be open late for dog-friendly hours with food trucks and curious cocktails, plus special guests, vendors, performances, and more. Thursday, July 7, 5-8 p.m.

OVERTON PARK SHELL

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Tours at Two

Meet in the Catmur Foyer for a tour of a current exhibition with a Dixon docent or staff member. Sunday, July 10, 2-3 p.m.

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An Evening with Joe Bob Briggs: “How Rednecks Saved Hollywood”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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FOOD By Michael Donahue

Simply Delicious Jonathan Mah serves tasty fare at SideStreet Burgers.

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t’s like Jonathan Mah had to become a restaurant owner. Mah, 42, owner of SideStreet Burgers in Olive Branch, Mississippi, spent most of his life in restaurants. “My dad started a restaurant probably when I was 10 or 11,” Mah says. “His first restaurant was Cafe Arcadia in the Collierville town square. It had steaks, and they had a buffet where they did some Southern food.” His parents at one time ran two restaurants simultaneously. “My mom had her Cafe Magnolia in Olive Branch. My dad did his in Horn Lake, Evan’s Cafe. Both on Goodman Road. “I had to work all the time after school in the restaurants. Cooking, cleaning — you name it, I had to do it. It wasn’t always that fun to me at the time, but that was my background. We liked to eat, and my parents had restaurants. So, when I went to college, it was the only thing that felt comfortable.” Mah majored in hotelrestaurant management at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. His parents cooked at home, says Mah, who was born in Greenville, Mississippi. “My mom did quite a bit and my dad usually grilled out. Being a Chinese family, my grandmother lived with us for many years. So, she was stir-frying and cooking a lot, as well. “We didn’t have the typical breakfast you grow up eating, cereal and things like that. We had dumplings for breakfast. And we put a little bit of soy sauce and sesame oil in our hot oatmeal.” But his parents didn’t serve Chinese food at their restaurants. “For some reason they just didn’t cook it. They cooked Southern food.” His mother served “peach cobbler and her amazing brisket. Mashed potatoes and gravy. Fresh fried okra. And my dad did something similar on his side of town, but just in his own style.” Mah went for hamburgers instead of Asian when he opened SideStreet Burgers May 12, 2012. His dad gave him the building. “I was confined by a small budget and the small building. I said, ‘Well, you know what? Let’s just keep it simple. Start with burgers and potatoes.’ A good Angus burger we hand-patted and red potatoes.” Mah added other items, including the Fat Panda — “Korean marinated beef tenderloin” — the Mother Clucker chicken

sandwich, Jake’s Chicken Nachos, Blackened Mahi Fish Tacos, and the Whatchu Talkin’ Bout patty melt.” They offer other hamburgers, but The Street Burger is their signature. “We take cheddar cheese and slice it daily. So, it’s right off a cheddar loaf, probably a quarter-inch thick of cheese, and [add] a little garlic mayo.” Five years ago, Mah and Derric Curran, owner of Mississippi Ale House, which is next door, teamed up. “That’s a craft ale house. They brew their own beers and get other beers from Mississippi.” SideStreet Burgers doesn’t offer inhouse dining. “Customers pick up their food and they go over to the Ale House and drink beer and listen to live music.” Mah also added his OB Pizza Co. inside Mississippi Ale House. “Hand-tossed pizzas cooked on pizza stone. Fun pizzas

PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE

Jonathan Mah like our White Castle Pizza, Fat Panda Philly, and Taco Pizza.” Also at that restaurant, he says, “We have amazing whole wings marinated in hot chili oil and tossed in wing sauce. We call them Kung Fu Wings.” Mah finally broke the chain and added hints of Chinese cuisine at SideStreet Burgers. “I always try to infuse a little Asian into my meat.” He prepares Chinese food on occasion as “ghost pop-ups,” which people can order on his Facebook page. But Asian food isn’t what his customers want at SideStreet Burgers. Or other items Mah tried, including a “wedge salad with some really good blue cheese” and a “curried chicken wrap.” “If they sell, we keep it on as long as we can go. If it doesn’t, we move on to something else and bring our customers another taste of something else we’ve created.” SideStreet Burgers is at 9199 MS-178 in Olive Branch; (901) 596-4749.

Artists’ Talk: Art in the Digital Age

With: Karl Erickson, Coe Lapossy, and Sarai Payne

July 15, 6 p.m. Reception | 6:30 p.m. Program Free and open to the public at the Brooks

NFTs: Beyond Boom or Bust Kenneth Wayne Alexander, 'Tower of Babel' (still), 2021, Digital Collage, Courtesy of the artist

With: Kenneth Wayne Alexander, Anthony Sims, and Tam Gryn July 16, 2 p.m. Free with museum admission at the Brooks

Wednesday: 10 a.m. – 8p.m. (Free) Thursday - Friday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. BrooksMuseum.org Sunday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Open in Overton Park

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Open

Kenneth Wayne Alexander - Karl Erickson - Coe Lapossy - Sarai Payne - Anthony Sims

Digital Art in Memphis

Another Dimension: Kenneth Wayne Alexander, 'Tower of Babel' (still), 2021, Digital Collage, Courtesy of the artist

June 24 - Sept. 11

Exhibition Programs:

FILM By Chris McCoy

Thriving at the Drive-In Joe Bob Briggs’ Drive-In Jamboree finds treasure in trash cinema.

PHOTO: COURTESY JOE BOB’S DRIVE-IN JAMBOREE

Joe Bob Briggs’ Drive-In Jamboree comes to Memphis. the 1980s did so by specializing in the kind of shocking exploitation films that couldn’t get on a screen anywhere else. For Briggs, this is true cinema, and more mainstream fare or art films are mere “indoor bullstuff.” Since 2018, Briggs has been a fixture on Shudder, the streaming service devoted to horror, with his new show The Last Drive-in. This weekend, July 8th-10th, Briggs comes to Memphis for the second annual Joe-Bob’s Drive-In Jamboree. “I love Tennessee, and I love Memphis,” Briggs says. “It’s the city of great music, great festivals, great barbecue, and the most hospitable people in the world.”

The Bluff City is also home to one of the biggest and most successful drive-in theaters in the world. Unlike many other theaters of its kind, the Malco Summer Drive-In survived the expensive conversion to digital projection thanks to the investment of the locally based theater chain’s then-president and drive-in aficionado Jimmy Tashie. That investment paid off big time during the coronavirus pandemic, when the surviving driveins were the only places where an audience could safely watch movies together. Last year’s drive-in fest was held at the Mahoning Drive-In in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. It was such

July 7-13, 2022

ne man’s trash is another man’s treasure. No one feels the truth of that old saw like Joe Bob Briggs. Born John Bloom in Dallas, Texas, he has been celebrating low-budget horror, sci-fi, kung fu, and just plain weird films for decades. He holds a journalism degree from Vanderbilt University and adopted his nom de plume in the mid-’80s while writing humorous reviews of exploitation and grind-house films for Texas Monthly. From 1986 to 1996, he hosted Joe Bob’s Drive-In Theater on The Movie Channel, where he perfected his public persona. The films he featured every week were as viscerally thrilling as they were cheaply made. And if the plots were stupid or the acting subpar, well, all the better. On both the original show and his subsequent stint on TNT’s MonsterVision, Briggs rated films on how many scenes of badassery they contained. If, for example, a crazed killer used a pair of shears on his victim, Briggs would dub it as an incident of “scissor-fu.” The movies he championed were always associated with drive-in theater culture. The first drive-in opened in New Jersey in 1933, and the concept quickly spread across the country. During their peak popularity in the 1950s, drive-ins catered to families by adding playgrounds and featuring mostly kid-friendly offerings. But lowbudget, independent filmmakers who produced more outré fare often found it easier to book their films in rural drive-ins rather than movie palaces in the urban core. During the 1970s, gas price shocks and the rise of home video took a toll on drive-in culture, and many of the theaters that survived into

A Very Tasteful Food Blog 20

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a big success that this year’s edition had to move to bigger digs. “We were bulging at the seams,” says Briggs. “When they called it the drive-in Woodstock, that included the mud! It was a wonderful event, but there were so many fans who tried to buy tickets and couldn’t get in. We’re adding screens, adding capacity, and adding a convention element in the daytime. And I couldn’t be happier about partnering with Malco Theatres, people who have been exhibiting movies all over the South for 107 years.” The weekend starts in Midtown on Thursday at Crosstown Theater with Briggs presenting his one-man show

FILM By Chris McCoy

Joe Bob Briggs celebrates low-budget horror, sci-fi, kung fu, and just plain weird films. “How Rednecks Saved Hollywood,” with more than 200 clips of scenes tracing the evolution of the redneck stereotype from Thunder Road (a pioneering carchase movie from 1958 starring Robert Mitchum as a Tennessee bootlegger running from the law) to Deliverance, Smokey and the Bandit, and Forrest Gump. The three-day drive-in culture convention will be held at the Hilton Memphis, with dozens of vendors and special guests. On Friday night, the

Malco Summer Drive-In will host a cast and crew reunion for Halloween III: Season of the Witch — a film Briggs has long criticized because it doesn’t feature franchise villain Michael Myers. Then, on Saturday, Briggs and his crew will stage a live version of his Shudder show with a secret double-feature of blood-splattering exploitation goodness. On Sunday, Briggs will host the World Drive-In Movie Festival, featuring 10 indie productions that carry on the gonzo traditions of the drive-in. Briggs will present the filmmakers, who were chosen from hundreds of entries, with the Hubbie Award — a trophy made from an engraved Chevy hubcap. Tickets to individual events and VIP passes for the entire festival are available at joebobsjamboree.com.

Memphis Parent wants to highlight the region’s top student-athletes. Know a rising sports star?

NOMINATE your favorite athlete at memphisparent.com/playbook

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Gift Cards & Gourmet Popcorn from www.malco.com or in the Malco app

*Student-athlete nominees must be in middle or high school.

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T H E L A S T WO R D B y Fr a n k M u r t a u g h

The Catcher and I Connections run long and deep between the writer and a soon-to-retire Cardinals legend.

Yadier Molina

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I’m left to celebrate our favorite team for Dad as opposed to with him.

PHOTO: TAKA YANAGIMOTO/ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

THE LAST WORD

My father and I shared an inning of baseball with Yadier Molina. It was the top of the ninth inning, actually, near the end of Game 3 of the 2004 World Series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. That game — played on October 26, 2004 — began with hope and optimism for Cardinal fans like Dad and myself, even with the Boston Red Sox up two games. The first World Series game in St. Louis in 17 years had luminaries in the stands — Dad’s hero, Stan Musial, threw out the first pitch to another Cardinals legend, Bob Gibson — and boys spending time with their fathers, now both men. Molina began the 2004 season with the Memphis Redbirds but, after merely 37 games at Triple-A, got his call to the big leagues. He spent the better part of five months backing up Cardinal catcher Mike Matheny. But the 22-year-old Molina entered Game 3 of the Fall Classic as a defensive replacement and would actually start Game 4 for St. Louis. The Cardinals, you surely know, lost both games and were swept by the “destiny” Red Sox, ending an 86-year drought for the American League franchise. Dad and I watched Game 4 from my living room here in Memphis, not far from the Central Gardens neighborhood where Dad grew up. It wasn’t a happy night, but we’d made it to the World Series(!) together, and surely the Cardinals would get ’em next year. My dad, alas, was gone before the 2005 World Series. He died suddenly and at an age (63) I see as younger with every passing year. The Cardinals won the World Series in 2006 (and again in 2011). Dad was with me for those championships, but not in the way I’d prefer, either at Busch Stadium or in my living room. I’m left to celebrate our favorite team for Dad as opposed to with him. His granddaughters have played a considerable role in this endeavor. But one player — only one — has been with us (“us” being the Cardinals) ever since Game 3 of the 2004 World Series: Yadier Molina. For more than 2,000 games now — and the most playoff games of any man in National League history — there’s been a single player who my dad would find familiar were he able to visit for a single ballgame. This is the singular bond I’ve shared with Yadier Molina since my dad died almost 17 years ago. And it’s why I’m having some emotional difficulty facing Molina’s retirement when this Cardinals season — his 19th with the franchise — comes to an end. The emotions aren’t all sad. There’s far more to celebrate about Yadier Molina’s career with the Cardinals — he’s played for only one team with a losing record — than regret. The ratio is absurd. He has been a distinctive character on top of his talents as a nine-time Gold Glove winner and owner of more than 2,000 hits. My daughter Sofia says he’s the only athlete she knows who has a smile that melts you like a teddy bear along with a glare that could drop a professional wrestler to his knees. Would you rather hug Yadi or join him for an alley fight? I met Molina briefly before a Cardinals exhibition game at AutoZone Park in 2015. He hit a home run during another exhibition game two years later, on my mother-in-law’s birthday, with my mother-in-law in the stands. Those were not easy planets to align in late March. But it’s a Yadi Moment my father would appreciate. In the near future, a statue of Yadier Molina will be unveiled outside Busch Stadium, not far from the statue of Rogers Hornsby that Dad and I saw unveiled in 2000. I’ll pose for pictures in front of Yadi’s replica, and always with a smile. I’ll pose with my wife. I’ll pose with my daughters (one now a student at Saint Louis University). And I’ll pose in front of that statue with my dad. He and Yadi know each other well. Frank Murtaugh is the managing editor of Memphis magazine. He writes “From My Seat” and “Tiger Blue” for the Flyer.

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