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Rare Bird
Matt Koperniak’s story is distinctive (and developing). p9
PHOTO: WES HALE
Nubia Yasin and Eillo
Two new artists on the Unapologetic roster make their live debut. p17
PHOTO: JC HENDRIX
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MEM ernet
Memphis on the internet.
MUSK WATCH
Instagram bot @elonmusksjet tracks Elon Musk’s jet and logged a quick visit here Sunday evening, likely checking in on the mysterious goings-on at xAI’s new supercomputer.
POSTED TO INSTAGRAM
Not mysterious, however, were the details of the ight, according to the bot: 1,025 gallons of jet fuel used, at a cost of about $5,742, and 11 tons of CO2 emissions.
(H/t to u/phoebetoes on Reddit)
LAST LODGE
“Literally every freak in Memphis is at Black Lodge tonight,” wrote Flyer lm and TV editor Chris McCoy of the venue’s nal event Saturday.
SPICY
Memphis Police Department arrested a 15-year-old male last week on charges of vandalism between $2,500 and $10,000. e alleged “Spicy” tagger was proli c in the I-240/ Poplar area. He even taunted the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), which had apparently covered his previous tags, with the message, “ x for your service TDOT,” and a heart.
{WEEK THAT WAS
By Flyer staff
Questions, Answers + Attitude
Edited by Toby Sells
Ford, Trolleys, & Drones
Truck production paused until 2027, MATA pauses rail service, and U of M wins big Navy grants.
LIZA STADIUM
e University of Memphis announced plans to build a new stadium for its soccer and track-and- eld teams. Liza Wellford Fletcher Stadium will be named in honor of the St. Mary’s Episcopal School teacher who was abducted and murdered while on an early-morning run in September 2022. A 2006 graduate of Hutchison School, Fletcher played soccer for two seasons at the U of M and was a member of the 2007 team that won the rst of 14 conference championships for the program under coach Brooks Monaghan.
TROLLEY DOWN
e Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) suspended trolley service as they prepare to nalize their budget. is decision shed light on potential service and employment cuts as the agency works to scale back spending in hopes of providing its board with a balanced budget.
O cials discovered a trolley brake issue which resulted in a “costly” recommendation from the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). e agency opted to temporarily suspend the service rather than “making that spend right now.” As a result, 18 employees have been laid o . e maintenance team remains in place, as MATA said they hope to bring the trolley back.
NEW LICENSE
e Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security issued the new driver’s licenses last Monday. e colorful new cards feature a stylized version of Tennessee’s historic state capitol building and state ag. However, the driver’s photo is in black and white.
FORD PAUSES
PRODUCTION
5,800 jobs. Tennessee lawmakers approved nearly $1 billion for the $5.6 billion project three years ago.
A spokesperson said Ford remains con dent it will meet requirements set in that incentives deal.
MURLEY HELMS OVERTON PARK
Kaci Murley was named the new executive director of the Overton Park Conservancy. is announcement comes a er Tina Sullivan stepped down from the role this summer.
BLACK PHILANTHROPY MONTH
e Community Foundation of Greater Memphis celebrated Black Philanthropy Month by joining a nationwide campaign dedicated to supporting Black-led nonpro ts in the city. Give 8/28 Day encouraged people to donate money to Black organizations in hopes of addressing the funding disparities they face.
U OF M DRONE RESEARCH
Production of Ford Motor Company’s electric next-generation pickup truck at its new West Tennessee plant will be delayed until 2027, the company announced last Wednesday.
Construction on the new campus continues, and the Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center where the truck will be manufactured still plans to employ 3,000 workers, a Ford spokesperson con rmed. e campus’ battery plant — a joint venture between Ford and SK — will make up the remaining jobs needed to ful ll Ford’s promise that the campus would create
e University of Memphis secured a $9.2 million contract from the U.S. Navy to design and construct a cutting-edge facility on Presidents Island aimed at developing and testing drones capable of performing under adverse weather conditions. An additional $21.2 million in Navy funding over two years will develop a wind wall with variable air ow patterns for testing aerial drones.
Tennessee Lookout contributed to this report.
Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.
PHOTO (ABOVE): COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS
U of M to build new stadium named in honor of Liza Wellford Fletcher
PHOTO (BELOW): COURTESY TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY & HOMELAND SECURITY
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{ENVIRONMENT
By Toby Sells
TVA Rate Hike
Groups frustrated over lack of transparency, spending on fossil fuel power.
Environmental groups blasted a rate increase for electricity from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) last week.
e TVA board approved a 5.25 percent rate hike during its meeting last ursday in Florence, Alabama. e move is expected to raise nearly $500 million for TVA. e agency said the average residential bill in its coverage area last year was about $138. e new increase will translate to about an additional $4.35 each month.
“We recognize that people don’t pay rates, they pay bills, and that matters,” said Je Lyash, president and chief executive o cer of TVA. “We know this is a kitchen table issue for many families across our region. At TVA, we don’t like price increases any more than you do, and that’s why we continually work to reduce expenses by hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
“We have done everything possible to absorb costs as we invest in the reliability of our existing plants, construct new generation to keep up with growth, and maximize solar to produce more carbon-free energy,” Lyash added.
mation compared to ‘private’ utilities,” said SACE executive director Stephen Smith. “It’s highly unusual for a utility the size of TVA to issue a rate increase with zero independent review. is is a broken process, and every ratepayer in the Tennessee Valley is literally paying the price.”
SACE said it could “only guess” at what is driving “TVA’s current nancial woes.” And it had a guess: “the largest build-out of fossil gas in the country in a decade,” pointing to new projects for fossil gas pipelines and power plants. is also drew the ire of Gaby SarriTobar, energy justice campaigner at the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity.
e increase came almost exactly one year a er the TVA board approved a 4.5 percent rate increase. at increase was expected to add $3.50 to customers’ monthly bills and was needed to improve e ciency and add 30 percent of new power load to the grid, TVA said at the time.
However, the total 9.75 percent rate increase gure was by design, environmental groups said. If the agency raised rates by 10 percent in a ve-year span, that would have triggered re-negotiations with local power suppliers, like Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW).
Knoxville-based Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) o cials said they were frustrated by the lack of public information and input on the rate increase.
“Only in an Orwellian world of misinformation do we see our nation’s largest ‘public’ power utility pass a massive rate increase while providing the public the least amount of infor-
“It’s outrageous that TVA is raising rates again to pay for more dirty fossilfuel plants and pipelines,” Sarri-Tobar said in a statement. “ e country’s largest public utility is planning to build more methane gas capacity this decade than any other utility, defying its duty to be a clean-energy role model.
“By approving this rate hike, the TVA board is responsible for making life-saving power more una ordable for millions of people, as our climate spins out of control.”
A 4 percent electric rate increase from MLGW began in January. It was the rst of three annual increases to “fund continuing infrastructure improvements which will enhance the reliability and resiliency of the local electric grid.” Customers can expect their bills to — at least — increase each year for 2025 and 2026. It was not immediately clear how TVA’s new rate hike would impact MLGW’s scheduled increases.
PHOTO: TVA
TVA raised rates last year, too.
By Bruce VanWyngarden
Faith and Camo
Are we seeing a changing of the guard?
Italian political thinker Antonio Gramsci’s definition of a crisis was, “when the old is dead and the new cannot be born.” Those of us living in the United States are in the midst of finding out whether the new can be born (in November), and whether the old is really dead. A crisis? I’d say so.
One thing is certain: Representatives of the old are having real issues with the potential changes in the wind that were evidenced at the recent Democratic National Convention. Venerable conservative Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan wrote: “They stole traditional Republican themes (faith, patriotism) and claimed them as their own.”
Former Fox News commentator and Newsmax host Eric Bolling raged: “We’re losing the race! We’re losing the presidency. … The enthusiasm level on the left is overwhelming. They’re trying to say Democrats are the patriots! They’re wearing camo hats with Harris’ name on it! Camo! That’s ours!”
Democrats as patriots? How can this be? And camo? Really? How dare they! Camo can’t be woke, can it?
Representatives of the old are having real issues with the potential changes in the wind …
It’s easy to understand the GOP’s pain. For decades — at least since Richard Nixon’s presidency — the Republicans have claimed the mantle of patriotism and the title of “real Americans,” wrapping themselves in the flag, Christianity, country music, family values, and military strength. “America: Love It or Leave It” was their mantra. Guns, flags, the cross, and camo clothes were their primary fashion accessories.
It worked for more than 50 years, from Nixon on through the administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and even through the Obama years, when the nation’s first Black president was accused of being born in Africa, which, to Republicans, is as un-American as you can get. Donald Trump, of course, has literally wrapped himself in the American flag on several occasions.
That’s why seeing 20,000 “Demoncrats” in Chicago waving little American flags had to have driven them nuts, not to mention the sight of that Harris/Walz camo
hat on the heads of hundreds of delegates, the Nashville sounds of Jason Isbell and The Chicks, the nightly invocation of prayers, the pledges to defend our NATO allies militarily and stand up to Putin in Ukraine. It was all turf formerly claimed by the GOP.
But you can hardly blame Kamala Harris and the Democrats for moving in. The house was empty and Republicans left the door wide open by abandoning — or twisting beyond recognition — their foundational principles. And it all started with Trump, for whom there are no principles, foundational or otherwise, only transactional exchanges. The party has been following his lead since 2015.
Republicans exchanged the American flag for the countless variations of Trump flags flown at rallies, and from MAGA pickups, boats, and front porches. “I pledge allegiance to Donald Trump” being the implied new credo. Family values? See: Trump, Donald. Religion? See: Nationalist, Christian. Country music? See: Rock, Kid. Strong military defense? See: Putin, Vladimir, a murderous despot now openly supported by Trump and his acolytes, including Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, most Fox News hosts, Speaker Mike Johnson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and dozens of other GOP senators and congressmen.
The party that once put forth a strong, conservative platform every four years, now has a platform of “whatever Trump says today,” no matter how idiotic or deranged. The party that once spent millions on an election ground game and ad buys in swing states now spends a large percentage of those dollars on Trump’s defense funds and lawyer bills.
The recent polling has been swinging Harris’ way and Trump’s campaign strategists have been urging him to “talk policy” instead of using his rally speeches to air his many grievances, hurl personal insults at his opponents, and brag about his looks. Trump counters that Harris has no policies and has ignored several of the issues he has raised, including the low-flow shower-head crisis, the boat battery vs. sharks controversy, and the problem of solar-powered airplanes that crash when the sun’s not shining. Furthermore, he says, Harris has not had the courage to take a stance on the late, great Hannibal Lecter. And she has the nerve to say Trump is “an unserious man.” What chutzpah!
At any rate, here is where we find ourselves — on the very edge of the approaching hurricane, waiting to learn the course of its final path, waiting to learn the fate of our nation, waiting to discover if the new can be born.
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POLITICS By Jackson Baker
Name-Checking 2026
Who might be running in the next major cycle?
Politics is like any professional sport you could name in that new rosters, new seasons, and new players are undergoing formation and preparation even as current contests are grinding to a conclusion.
To be speci c, there is a ferment of activity in Shelby County right now, aimed at the elections of 2026. Two positions in particular already have potential candidates looking at them seriously and making plans.
e positions are those for Shelby County mayor, where current Mayor Lee Harris will be completing his term-limited time in o ce, and the 9th District congressional seat, held against all comers by incumbent Democrat Steve Cohen since his election there in 2006.
County mayor: At least six Democrats are looking seriously at the idea of seeking what will be an open seat. (Note: ere may well be Republicans eyeing it as well, but, the county’s demographic imbalance being what it is, the GOP is as fundamentally handicapped in seeking local o ce as Democrats are in attempting to crack the Republican supermajority statewide.)
Melvin Burgess, the current assessor, is known to be contemplating a run for county mayor. He’s been thinking out loud about it since his time serving on the county commission from 2010 to 2018.
His experience in o ce and genial personality, coupled with the lingering resonance with voters of his father, Melvin Burgess Sr., an erstwhile police chief, give him a leg up.
Harold Collins, the current CAO for Shelby County Government and former city councilman and candidate for city mayor, has acknowledged the likelihood of a race for county mayor and is all but announced.
J.W. Gibson, the mega-developer and former county commissioner who ran for Memphis mayor last year, is holding meetand-greets with an eye toward a county mayor’s race.
JB Smiley Jr., the erstwhile gubernatorial hopeful now serving as chair of the Memphis City Council, is being somewhat coy about it but has convinced friends he’ll seek the county mayor’s job as a logical stepping-stone from his present power position.
Mickell Lowery is the son of Myron Lowery, a former well-known local city councilman who served a temporary term as Memphis mayor. Having successfully
acquitted a term as county commission chair, the younger Lowery is considered ripe for advancement.
Heidi Kuhn, the current Criminal Court clerk, is known to be actively preparing a race for county mayor, one based both on her activist conduct of her present job and her highly saleable personal qualities.
• e outlook for the 9th District congressional seat is somewhat di erent, in that the seat won’t be open unless the present long-term incumbent, Democrat Steve Cohen, chooses to vacate it.
ere is no current indication that Cohen is so minded, and his record of responsiveness to this majority-Black district, along with his unbroken string of successes against a string of name challengers make a direct challenge to Cohen almost prohibitively di cult.
Yet potential candidates are in the wings. Most obvious is current County Mayor Harris, whose prior legislative service on the city council and in the state Senate, where he was Democratic leader, whetted his appetite for such a job. His credentials have meanwhile been enhanced by strong service as an activist mayor.
Another prospect is District 86 state Representative Justin J. Pearson, whose strong activism and oratorical prowess, freshly demonstrated at the just concluded DNC, suit him for a rise in the political ranks.
And yet another prospect, if an open race should develop, is state Senator Raumesh Akbari, unique as a Democratic legislator who enjoys wide respect across political lines and has something of a national reputation as well.
PHOTO: COURTESY DAVID UPTON Lee Harris with friend at last week’s DNC
SPORTS By Frank Murtaugh
Rare Bird
Matt Koperniak’s story is distinctive (and developing).
Ihave interviewed professional baseball players for more than two decades. ere are talented players who, honestly, aren’t that interesting away from the diamond. ey’re good ballplayers, and baseball is what they know. ere are also very interesting baseball players who aren’t all that talented. Now and then, though, you nd yourself in the home team’s dugout at AutoZone Park with a very good baseball player who has a very interesting story to share. Like the Memphis Redbirds’ top hitter this season, outelder Matt Koperniak.
at story? It began on February 8, 1998, when Koperniak was born in London. (Koperniak played for Great Britain in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.) “My dad was in the military,” explains Koperniak. “He was in Italy for a bit, then England. But I have no memories of that time.” Matt and his family moved back to the States — to Adams, Massachusetts — before his third birthday.
Koperniak played collegiately at
Division III Trinity College in Connecticut, part of the New England Small College Athletic Conference. He hit .394 as a junior in 2019, but beating up on the likes of Tu s and Wesleyan doesn’t typically catch the eye of major-league scouts. When the coronavirus pandemic wiped out his senior season, Koperniak received an extra year of eligibility but, having graduated with a degree in biology, he chose to sign as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals.
“I’ve always loved baseball,” says Koperniak, “and it’s helped me get places, including a good school. My advisor — agent now — was able to get me into pro ball, so here we are.” He played in a few showcases as well as the New England Collegiate Baseball League, enough to convince a Cardinal scout he was worth that free agent o er.
e Redbirds hosted Memphis Red Sox Night on August 10th, the home team taking the eld in commemorative uniforms honoring the Blu City’s Negro Leagues team of the 1930s and
’40s. Luken Baker (the franchise’s all-time home run leader) and Jordan Walker (the team’s top-ranked prospect) each slammed home runs in a Memphis win over Gwinnett, but by the nal out it had become Matt Koperniak Night at AutoZone Park. He drilled a home run, a triple, and a single, falling merely a double shy of hitting for the cycle. It was perfectly Koperniak: Outstanding baseball blended into others’ eye-catching heroics.
“It’s trying to do the little things right,” he emphasizes, “and being a competitor. e Cardinals do a great job of getting us to play well-rounded baseball. Everybody has the same mindset: How can I help win the next game? You gotta stay in attack mode to be productive.”
Koperniak is batting .309 with 17 home runs and leads the International
League with 125 hits. He plays both corner out elds with equal grace, always hitting the cuto man and hardly ever fooled on a ball hit shallow or deep. It’s sound, fundamental baseball, the kind older fans like to describe as “the Cardinal Way.” Koperniak credits current Cardinals Paul Goldschmidt and Brendan Donovan with setting the standard for daily attention to all those “little things” that get a player to the big leagues and, importantly, keep him there.
ere has been ux in the Cardinals’ out eld for several years, no player sticking for longer than three or four years. Will Matt Koperniak get a chance to roam that precious green at Busch Stadium? For now, he prepares by staying in what he calls “attack mode” every trip to the plate. And if he does get to St. Louis, Koperniak will become only the 64th NESCAC grad to don a big-league uniform (much fewer with biology degrees). He’s living a distinctive life, writing a unique story, one fundamental act at a time.
PHOTO: WES HALE
Matt Koperniak
AFTERMATH AND PROLOGUE
The conventions are over. What happens now?
COVER STORY By Jackson Baker and Chris Davis
Editor’s note: Our political columnist Jackson Baker and former Flyer writer Chris Davis traveled to Chicago, Illinois, last week for the Democratic National Convention from Monday, August 19th, to ursday, August 22nd. For this story, Baker and Davis re ect on their experiences, giving light to the everchanging political landscape.
CHICAGO — Let the record show that the second major-party convention of 2024 ended as the rst one had — with a rm conviction on the part of its cadres that victory in the November general election was, if not inevitable, then likely. And if not that, at least possible. at circumstance, ideal from the vantage point of a suspenseful showdown and a spirited turnout, depended largely on events that occurred between the two, the Republican gathering in Milwaukee in mid-July and the Democrats’ a month later.
ose events began with the withdrawal from the race of Democratic President Joe Biden, whose evident in rmities had been amply signaled in an early debate with former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee. ey continued with the substitution of Democratic nominee of Vice President Kamala Harris, as close to her party’s
line as Biden had been and vastly more dynamic and appealing in espousing it.
In between these events had come what appeared to be an emotional unraveling of contestant Trump, who was largely reduced to unloosing poorly formulated insults at his new opponent, including one which, manifestly absurdly, claimed he was the better-looking of the two.
Harris had, with impressive speed and e ciency, managed to still most doubts about herself as campaigner and party avatar within her party ranks, and she had bolstered her position with her choice of a running mate, the unassuming but engagingly folksy governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, a former high-school football coach progressive enough to have been faculty advisor for a “gay-straight alliance” at his school.
e Democrats’ changing of the guard would be relatively seamless. On night one of the convention, Biden, transparently grieving, would take his demotion with gravel-voiced acceptance and would be rewarded with prearranged chants of “We love Joe” and ritual hugs from wife, family, and Kamala. All would liken him to George Washington, obscuring the look of archetypal sacri ce.
erea er the money rolled in, the polls responded, and it was all a rush to celebrate Kamala as the rst Black
woman, rst Asian, rst woman of color (pick one) to be nominated for president of the United States, the consecrators came forth — the old Lion Bill in his subdued approving wheeze, the Obamas, “Do something,” “Tell Trump this is one of those Black jobs,” and the formal roll call to nominate her became a collage of carnivals, all more Dionysian than Apollonian. Coach Walz came in with gridiron metaphors: “A eld goal down in
the fourth quarter,” “Let’s roll.”
Kamala had every reason to smile, and her ever-beaming face became mask, then masque. It was on. e entertainers arrived, Stevie Wonder sighting higher ground and Oprah Winfrey inging her arms in wide embrace.
On the last night, it was all Kamala. And she delivered, lashing the fundamentally unserious Trump as the serious threat he was, tying him to the retrograde Project 2025 with its rolling back of American freedoms and vowing, “We’ll never go back!”
She would go on to touch all the bases: a woman’s right to bodily autonomy, tax cuts for the middle class, freedom to read, solidarity with our NATO allies, confronting Big Pharma, retarding pursuing in ation, and overhauling immigration policy, protecting the border while creating a path to citizenship. ere was one less developed point — just what to do about the Israel-Gaza war, other than to seek a cease re and the return of hostages taken by Hamas. e much-ballyhooed protest of Gaza war policy — seriously overseen by squadrons of Chicago’s nest — turned out to be more pro forma than profound. Passing through the midst of the chanters of an evening, I heard one voice out on its periphery, more prevalent than the rest,
PHOTO: DAVID UPTON Kamala Harris a er acceptance address
PHOTO: CHRIS DAVIS
and that turned out to belong to a solitary sentinel denouncing things of this world.
A Christian soldier, as it were, passing out literature extolling a world to come — one even more remote than one in which Palestinians might achieve what they and their supporters could regard as full justice.
If there was a serious issue that never made it to the rostrum of either convention in 2024, it was anything resembling a major re-evaluation of the nation’s Middle East policy.
Kamala, it seemed, was able to nesse the issue on a talking point pledging support for Israel’s right to defend itself coupled with hopes for eventual selfdetermination for Palestinians.
at this might be seen as progress was a statement in and of itself.
Among the Democrats taking part one day in a roo op celebration for the Tennessee delegation atop one of Chicago’s several new Downtown skyscrapers were Joseph Walters and Brenda Speer of Speerit Hill Farm of Lynnville. A secondmarriage couple, they were, in retirement age, looking to the Harris-Walz team and its attempted evocation of joy as a revival of their political hopes.
ese had been lapsed now for a neargeneration, since, Walters remembers, the time of Obama, when a presidential victory in the nation at large became, paradoxically, a signal for the white South, including Tennessee, to forswear its Democratic Party heritage.
ese were the years when Memphis’ Jim Kyle, now a Shelby County chancellor and then the Democrats’ leader in the Tennessee state Senate and a potential heir to the mantle of lieutenant governor, began a campaign for governor in 2010, only to discover that “all the yellow-dog Democrats had become yellow-dog Republicans”
“I was so disappointed,” Speer, still a mainstay of party activity in rural Middle Tennessee, such as it is, says of that time, when her neighbors began deserting the Democratic legacy in droves.
It may be impossible now, and for some time yet, for Democrats to challenge the Republican supermajority in Tennessee for power in the state at large.
Yet the building blocks would seem to be emerging in the ranks of determined Democrats like Sarah Freeman of the Germantown Democratic Club, a candidate this year for the 8th District congressional seat now held by Republican David Kusto . Freeman won out in what was an old-fashioned multi-candidate freefor-all in the Democratic primary, and she was accompanied at the convention by her own videographer documentarian.
ere was Lee Harris, the Shelby County mayor who was on hand for ongoing policy talks with peers from local governments elsewhere, and there was rst-term Memphis Mayor Paul Young, who declared to his fellow Tennesseans, “People in the hood … don’t care about our conventions. ey just want things to
e protestors called for action not just for Palestine but for other nations, like the Philippines, whose leader is in e gy above with Harris and Biden.
change. And so as we leave here, I want us to take this energy and turn it into action.”
And there was Justin J. Pearson, the oracle of change to come, the galvanizing gure of the campaign to save South Memphis from a potentially hazardous oil pipeline and later a key member of the Tennessee ree, who shamed the state’s GOP leadership for its inaction on gun safety. And still later Pearson, the District 86 state representative, would become an accomplished fundraiser and all-purpose benefactor of progressive causes he deemed meritorious or necessary. And their apostle, as in the following words delivered to the Tennessee delegation on the last morning of the convention:
“We’ve got to be red up when we have somebody who’s been convicted of 34 felonies running against the most quali ed person ever to run for president of these United States, Vice President Kamala D. Harris.
“We’ve got to be red up for such a time and moment as this, where we are seeing the rights of women being taken. We’ve got to be red up when the gun
con ned to the Tennessee delegation. e nation at large has not yet heard him. But they will. ey will.
Meanwhile, there is the following: a priceless musing on the subject at hand from my colleague on this mission and a strong right arm indeed, Chris Davis. — Jackson Baker
A new audacity: Hopeful Democrats leave Chicago full of ght, but questions linger e rebellion started, like they do, with a normal request from the back of the bus: “Can we please just get o and walk to United Center?” e question, voiced by some unidenti ed patriot, who only wanted to get to the Democratic National Convention in time to hear President Joe Biden speak, set o a rumble of interest. Problem was, a small but determined group of demonstrators had broken away from the bulk of Monday’s pro-Palestinian protests in Union Park and breached the DNC’s security perimeter.
e occupation was brief and peaceful but it ended in arrests, confusion, and a lengthy lockdown of the perimeter that stranded a milelong convoy of buses, carrying DNC guests from their Downtown hotels to the venue. e stuck Democrats were getting restless, but they weren’t getting mad; they were ready to do something.
A genial police o cer, assigned to guard the shuttle carrying delegates and guests to the venue in Chicago’s Near West Side neighborhood, didn’t want anybody taking any unnecessary risks: Stick to the plan and the bus will get everybody there, eventually. Ex-military and petite, the o cer was wrapped in Kevlar, strapped with tactical gear, and gi ed with an evident air for theatrical performance.
violence epidemic continues to plague our communities because the Tennessee Firearms Association and the National Ri e Association seem to have bought our politicians into a level of complacency and cowardice that is demeaning and degrading and hurting us.
“We’ve got to be red up when our civil rights are being attacked on every side, and this Supreme Court acts much more like a MAGA-extremist Republican Party than it should.
“We have to be red up in this moment to preserve and protect and defend the democratic constitutional experiment that our ancestors marched for, that our ancestors died for, that our ancestors built through many dangers, toils, and snares. We’ve got to be red up in this moment. In Tennessee and in America, we’ve got to be red up. …
“We are Democrats. We are Democrats.”
at was Pearson just getting warmed up. For his stirring summation, see him in a fresh video at the Memphis Flyer YouTube channel. Pearson’s oratory was
She told riders they needed to stay on the bus because modern protesters wear gloves treated with caustic chemicals so they can burn cops just by grabbing them.
e o cer said she thought other guests from other buses had already attempted to walk and they’d gotten into ghts with protesters or something like that. She said it was better for everybody to stay on a bus that wasn’t going anywhere than risk running into any of that.
Before the smiling o cer could nish her cautionary fairytales, somebody in the middle of the bus found footage of the breach on TikTok. “I think I’m gonna walk,” they said. “ e protesters aren’t wrong,” someone else said to a buzz of general agreement, and people began to stand up and move toward the front of the bus. By this time doors to the other stalled buses were swinging open and Democrats poured out into the street: evidence of similar, simultaneous rebellions within the stalled convoy.
“If you really want to get o the
continued on page 12
PHOTO: CHRIS DAVIS
PHOTO: JACKSON BAKER
Justin J. Pearson with the Tennessee delegation
PHOTO: CHRIS DAVIS Pro-Palestine protestors marched in Chicago.
bus, I can’t stop you,” the o cer said, as Democrats started getting o the bus en masse and trudging like a welldressed zombie horde toward the fenced perimeter. Only those with mobility issues, and people who despise walking were le to ride. ey would, as the police o cer assured, arrive in time to see the president speak. ree-and-a-half hours later the last of the stuck passengers disembarked at the United Center.
is feels like a metaphor for something. Maybe a metaphor for everything. In any case, I got o the bus and walked to a happy hour event hosted by Grow Progress, an organization who “use[s] science and empathy” to build more persuasive political messages. ey persuaded me to enjoy several drinks, and I arrived in the arena somewhat later than the stranded bus riders, but in a much better mood.
Hillary Clinton was speaking. I could see her on the hallway monitors, as I made my way to a media-friendly space, and I could hear the crowd chanting, “Lock him up.”
It was a beautiful rst day for the DNC. e sun was high and bright but a steady wind turned larger, handmade signs into sails, billowing and blowing around some of the protesters gathering in Union Park to demonstrate on behalf of the people of Palestine.
ese random acts of slapstick were a stark counterpoint to an event more sincere than sizable. Organizers had predicted a turnout of 20,000 or more and a credulous media, convinced 2024 was the new 1968, transformed those hopeful numbers into big, scary headlines. But taking every lazy argument into account, 2024 only resembles 1968 the way a cloud might resemble Grandma. You can see her sweet smile and that weird growth on her neck so clearly up there in the sky, but no matter how much that Grandma-shaped cloud reminds you of a simpler, happier time, it’s a cloud and won’t be baking cookies for your birthday. By the 2 p.m. start time, hundreds of pre-printed picket signs remained spread across the lawn, uncollected. It seemed unlikely that the protest would attract even a quarter of its projected numbers.
A big reason 2024 wasn’t like 1968 is the fact that Democrats weren’t engaged in a contentious ght to choose their candidate. is certainly could have happened and even typically levelheaded pundits like Ezra Klein fantasized an open or brokered convention, rationalizing that the Democratic Party could only be perfected and puri ed by walking through a re certain to burn bridges and destroy alliances. But that never happened. Biden selected his Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him, just as she would should he ever become unable to ful ll the duties of o ce, and to everybody’s surprise, the Democrats,
a coalition party rarely able to agree on anything, got fully on board with a candidate voters hadn’t much liked the one time she ran for the nomination.
’68 was a rough ride for America. We lost MLK and Bobby Kennedy to assassins who didn’t miss. Conscripted American soldiers were dying in Vietnam, the Civil Rights Movement and American youth counterculture were in their fullest blossom, and the angry, young protesters who made their stand in Chicago truly believed the pressure they built there might determine who’d be picked to lead the Democratic ticket. Inside the convention, things were equally fraught with many delegates shouting, “No! No!” when Hubert Humphrey, who’d backed Johnson’s escalation of con ict in Vietnam, secured the party’s nomination.
’68 is also the year when Alabama Governor George Wallace, a right-wing extremist hellbent on denying either party an electoral majority, broke with the Democratic Party to make his own run at the White House, taking a big chunk of the “forget Hell!” South with him. Outside of President Biden choosing not to seek reelection and American involvement in a foreign civil war, 1968 and 2024 couldn’t be more dissimilar.
Even President Biden, in his emotional address to the DNC said, without reservation, “ ose protesters out in the street have a point.” Only, he didn’t stop there, while he was ahead. “A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides,” he concluded, glossing over the disproportionate carnage that’s led to charges of war crimes and accusations of genocide against Israel, and to normal complaints from the back of the bus.
In 2004 America held its rst post9/11 political conventions, and as it’s so frequently stated, a er that infamous date, “everything changed.” Manhattan locked down when the Republican National Convention landed in town.
e National Guard greeted the bridge-and-tunnel crowd with barricades and heavier arms, while a militarized police force took to the streets, throwing up barricades faster than protesters could pour into the city. New York arrested more than 1,800 people over four days, including kids, media, and bystanders. Detainees were taken to a makeshi detention camp called Pier 57, but described as, “Guantanamo on the Hudson.” More than 300 protesters were arrested by militarized police in St. Paul, Minnesota, on the rst day of the RNC in 2008, and similar numbers were arrested each subsequent day during that convention. America’s misadventures in Iraq were still on the ballot and the whole world was experiencing massive economic collapse. Protest was heavy and the police response was disproportionate.
America was still at war during the 2016 conventions, but the public wasn’t activated to the same degree. Protest diminished and, for the Democrats, it was
almost exclusively an internal squabble. Although senator and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders was giving Clinton his full-throated support, his disappointed supporters refused to let go of his lost candidacy. ey turned out in force to protest by taping their mouths shut, and slamming against the perimeter barricades, where they were summarily arrested by militarized police.
I mention all of this protest history because one of the notable changes in both Milwaukee and Chicago compared to past conventions is how di erently they were policed. Recent police raids clearing pro-Palestine encampments in Chicago encouraged our talking heads to dream harder about the ghost of Mayor Daley and a 1968 redux. But Chicago’s old-school head-busting police aren’t who showed up to serve and protect at the DNC. Bicycle cops and police wearing their everyday uniforms circled Union Park, where the bulk of the convention’s protests originated, to observe like an audience prepared for something other than the very worst.
Riot cops did get busy for a short time on Tuesday, when a fringe protest led by groups like Behind Enemy Lines and Samidoun (vocally supportive of Hamas’ October 7th attack against Israel) got out of hand. During that one action, police made 50 of 74 total arrests spread across four days of mostly peaceful public demonstration. It’s not a perfect example, but this is progress.
So what year is it again, if not 1968? When I heard the chants of “Lock him up,” I was rocketed back to the 2016 RNC, when Hillary’s emails were big news and chants of “Lock her up” shook Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Now that Trump’s a convicted felon 34 times over, the irony is too delicious, and I wanted to enjoy watching the former senator from New York and failed presidential contender enjoy her moment. But no matter how perfectly poetic, or deserved, hearing a mob calling
for the incarceration of their immediate political rival is somehow no less chilling now than it was eight years ago.
But what do I know? Nielsen ratings for the DNC’s rst night demolished the RNC’s opening by a margin of 29 percent and, against the usual trend, the Democrats increased viewership each night. It’s interesting to consider how only a month ago serious commentators watching the RNC’s opening night contemplated the possibility of a oncein-a-generation political realignment favoring the GOP. It’s helpful to remember how the Democrats’ increased viewership, though in the millions, might be accounted for within the biggest blue areas and re ect no electoral college advantage whatsoever. It’s important to know that almost four times as many people tuned in to watch the DNC in 1968, when real Americans watched TV, goddammit.
Critics of the 2024 convention have astutely recognized that it was largely about feelings, and feelings aren’t a plan. True enough, but politics is made out of feelings. In recent cycles, anger, fear, hope, grief, grievance, and a host of other feelings have driven voters to the polls, why not bet on joy, for a change? Policy is key, but as Al Gore will surely tell you, if you lead with it, they put you in a lockbox. What else can I say about the Democrats’ superb execution at the United Center that won’t have been said a thousand times already by the time anybody reads this article? Has anybody else noted how even the venue’s name seemed to announce party goals every time it was spoken? A united center is literally what I saw in Chicago. e only thing that might bring normie America together harder than the unrehearsed display of love Tim Walz’s son Gus showed for his dad is the near-universal revulsion evinced when the weirdo tried to mock him for it. e 2024 convention was a credible, joyful attempt by Democrats to reclaim ideas long ago hijacked by the right: ideas like family values, patriotism, and … well … “normal.”
In the ght against Trump, J.D. Vance, and the whole Project 2025 gang, it currently looks like the only thing still dividing Democrats is Palestine. Vice President Harris’ near- awless closing night speech promised a di erent approach. With its rhetoric about Palestinian self-determination, she also promised to give Israel everything it needs in the meantime.
Activists demanding disinvestment and an arms embargo remain unconvinced and uncommitted. For them, the D-bus is stalled, all they are hearing from the cop up front is fairytales, and the threat of getting o and walking is real. So the big question going into the homestretch of this, the latest most important election of our lifetime: Will the Center hold, or will we elect Nixon? — Chris Davis
PHOTO: CHRIS DAVIS e protests were more sincere than sizable.
2024 Educators of Excellence
New Memphis announces this year’s top teachers.
Great leadership is needed in every corner of our community — from the boardroom to the classroom. Educators are essential leaders as their impact and investment is critical to our city’s future success. In response to a gap in citywide investment in educators, New Memphis, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to develop, activate, and retain talent in the city, created the annual Educators of Excellence Award in 2018. Each year, distinguished educator applications are reviewed and the five exceptional honorees receive a $1,500 award made possible in partnership with the Crews Family Foundation.
“As a former educator myself, I always love hearing the stories of educators and seeing the unique perspective they bring,” says Erin Wendell, New Memphis director of educator and collegian programs. “Reading our Educators of Excellence applications annually brings me joy and reinvigorates my commitment to serve teachers in Memphis. While I wish we had endless resources to recognize everyone doing great work in classrooms across
Memphis, I’m grateful to highlight these five incredible educators this year. None of them are in it for glory, and yet they all deserve our praise. I hope our community takes time to learn these winners’ stories and feels inspired to show some love to other educators in our city.”
It’s paramount to recognize the contribution of our best educators, to learn from their experiences, and to support them in their growth. eir work is transformational to students, fellow educators, and Memphis as a whole. With a new school year kicking o , New Memphis unveiled their 2024 Educators of Excellence Award honorees at a co-branded Spillit Center Stage event on August 22nd, focused on educator voices to the theme of “Marathon, Not a Sprint.” Learn more about the 2024 New Memphis Educators of Excellence below and get to know previous award winners at newmemphis.org.
Devon Harkins, Primary Lead Teacher at Libertas School of Memphis Devon (she/her) is currently a primary lead Montessori teacher at Libertas School of Memphis. She came to Memphis through Teach for
America in 2016 and has been in the classroom teaching kindergarten and pre-K ever since. Devon received her Montessori credentials in 2022 and now is a trainer herself with Libertas’ own Montessori teacher training program.
Elisabeth Bogart Black, sixth grade social studies teacher at Grizzlies Prep Charter School
Elisabeth (she/her) is in her eighth year of teaching social studies in Memphis. Currently working at Grizzlies Prep Charter School, she serves as grade level lead, debate coach, and a mentor teacher for the Memphis Teacher Residency. Elisabeth is a 2022 Barbara Rosser Hyde award winner and her debate team are reigning Metro Memphis Urban Debate League Champions. She received her bachelor of arts in history at McGill University and her master’s of education at Johns Hopkins University.
LaDerrick Williams, seventh grade science teacher at Freedom Preparatory Academy - Whitehaven Middle School at Brownlee LaDerrick (he/him) is currently
a seventh grade science teacher at Freedom Preparatory Academy - Whitehaven Middle School at Brownlee and serves as the science department lead, sixth and seventh grade science content writer, and mentor teacher for the Memphis area Man Up Teacher Fellowship. He received his bachelor of science in biology & pre-medicine from the University of Arkansas at Pine Blu , his master’s of education in secondary education through Relay Graduate School of Education, and is currently in his fourth year attending Liberty University as a candidate for doctor of education in educational leadership. LaDerrick has 17 years of service in education and has participated in various professional cohorts such as Memphis Teaching Fellows, KIPP Teacher Leader program, and Relay Graduate School of Education, where he served as an assistant professor of practice immediately a er his graduation in 2017.
Paige Kusmec, fourth grade ELA teacher at Compass Berclair Paige (she/her) teaches fourth grade at Compass Berclair and is in her third year teaching in Memphis. She specializes in teaching multilingual learners
and has previously taught rst, second, fourth, and h grade multilingual learner students. She serves as a mentor teacher for the Memphis Teacher Residency and has obtained her master’s degree in urban education from Union University. She is a proud alumna of the New Memphis Stride cohort.
Taylor Price, ninth grade English teacher at Memphis East High School
Taylor (she/her) teaches English and AP African American studies at East High School and is in her third year of teaching. A proud Memphis native, she is an alumna of Bellevue Middle School and Middle College High School. She is currently the English language arts (ELA) master teacher for East High and serves as a mentor teacher for Memphis Teacher Residency. She holds a master’s degree in urban education from Union University, is a New Memphis Stride alumna, and is currently earning her master’s certi cation as a reading specialist with Memphis Literacy Institute and Christian Brothers University.
Devon Harkins
Taylor Price Paige Kusmec
LaDerrick Williams
Elisabeth Bogart Black
PHOTOS: COURTESY NEW MEMPHIS AND LONDONZ EYE PHOTOGRAPHY
steppin’ out
We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews
Healthier 901 Fest
By Abigail Morici
For the past year, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) has been challenging Memphians and people across the Mid-South to lose one million pounds as a community within three years through the Healthier 901 initiative. So far, 6,828 pounds have been lost by those who have joined through the Healthier 901 app. is Saturday to celebrate the initiative’s rst year and push for more success, MLH will host its second annual Healthier 901 Fest on Saturday at Shelby Farms Park. “Everyone is so excited,” says April Wilson, one of Healthier 901’s associates. “We have made it even better this year.”
is year’s fest will have live cooking demos by Kelly English and other local celebrity chefs, giveaways, live music, and food trucks. ere will also be tness classes throughout the day including tai chi, yoga, meditation, hip-hop, jazzercise, aerobics, and more.
“ is year, we really want people to nd their t,” says Sarah Farley, Le Bonheur’s communications specialist. “We’re having the Find Your Fit Zone this year with about 20 di erent vendors who will be on site with various tness activities. So you can try it out and see if you like it, and then work with that vendor for a longer term to explore whatever that exercise or activity is. ere’s a million ways to get active. You don’t have to go to go to the gym; you don’t have to walk on a treadmill.”
ere’ll also be the Le Bonheur Family Zone, which will have pickleball courts, hula hoops, bungee trampolines, a rock wall, a ninja tower, and educational activities. Both Wilson and Farley recommend downloading the Healthier 901 app before attending the fest to get enrolled into the ra es for special giveaways.
e app and Healthier 901’s website will also have more information about ongoing programming throughout the year. Wilson, for instance, speaks of working with businesses, churches, and schools. “ e things that we’re doing out there in the community are really bringing everyone together,” she says. “And what I can see just from outside looking in, people are really enjoying learning about health and just being active. If you’re moving constantly every day on a daily basis, of course, you’re gonna see pounds drop, but your overall goal is to be healthy.”
P.M., FREE.
VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES August 29th - September 4th
WYXR Pull-Up
Crosstown Concourse, 1350 Concourse Avenue, ursday, August 29, 6-8 p.m.
“ e Pull-Up” is WYXR’s laid-back open-house gathering, an evening of good energy, sips, and a special musical performance by rising Americana pop star Cyrena Wages.
Finish Liza’s Run
1695 Central Ave., Friday, August 30, 4 a.m., free is run honors Liza Fletcher, with a goal to reclaim the safety of all runners, at all hours. is course is 8.2 miles. Each mile will be marked so participants can manage their distance if they choose to modify.
Memphis Police and Memphis Fire Department presence, course marshals, and road closures will be in place. All are welcome. Sign up at tinyurl.com/yc4k2vyu.
WLOK Stone Soul Picnic
e Coronet, 5770 Shelby Oaks Drive, Saturday, August 31, noon-7 p.m. What’s fresh, free, and fun even a er 49 years? e WLOK Stone Soul Picnic, which has become a Memphis tradition with a mix of gospel tunes and modern R&B.
It’s nonstop entertainment with giveaways, kids’ activities, and food trucks. roughout the day, top musical groups will perform, including headliner e Canton Spirituals, an award-winning gospel group that pioneered the mixing of traditional gospel with modern R&B.
e musical lineup: Deborah Barnes (12:05 p.m.), Memphis Youth Arts Initiative (12:20 p.m.), Memphis Baptist Ministerial Chorus (12:35 p.m.), Cedric King & Restoration (1 p.m.), Tamara Knox (1:25 p.m.), e Mellowtones (1:45 p.m.), Patrick Hollis & United (2:15 p.m.), Vincent arp
& Kenosis (2:40 p.m.), Roney Strong & the Strong Family (3:15 p.m.), Josh Bracy & Power Anointed (3:50 p.m.), e Sensational Wells Brothers (4:25 p.m.), e Echoaires (5 p.m.), and e Canton Spirituals (5:35 p.m.).
e WLOK Stone Soul Picnic is a tribute to music-loving Memphians and their support for WLOK, the city’s rst Black-owned radio station and Memphis’ only Black-owned FM station.
901 Day • Beale St. x Shell on Wheels Beale Street, Sunday, September 1, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
e 2024 edition of 901 Day promises to be an extraordinary event, with local organizations JustMyMemphis, Choose901, and Unapologetic Memphis joining forces with Memphis jookin’ phenom Ladia Yates to create a daylong celebration that truly captures the essence of the city.
HEALTHIER 901 FEST, SHELBY FARMS PARK, SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 10 A.M.-2
PHOTO: COURTESY MLH
Try out a tness class at Healthier 901 Fest.
MUSIC By Alex Greene
Nubia Yasin and Eillo
Two new artists on the Unapologetic roster make their live debut.
You might think you know Unapologetic. How could a Memphis music fan not know the likes of Cameron Bethany, AWFM, and PreauXX — or producers like C Major, Kid Maestro, and IMAKEMADBEATS? And yet there’s always more simmering below the collective’s surface than what its public-facing (or face-masking) side reveals. For example, at 10 p.m. this Friday, August 30th, at Bar DKDC, some talent whose faces may seem new to Unapologetic fans will top the bill. And yet, paradoxically, they’ve been involved in the organization’s background for years, part of what’s always “simmering below the surface” there.
Take Nubia Yasin, whose rst appearance on an Unapologetic release was in 2019, contributing to the track “Eve & Delilah” on the collective’s showcase album, Stuntarious, Vol. 4. It’s telling that her contribution to that track was, as she notes, “the poem at the end,” a spoken word passage, for that has been what her most public work has been centered on ever since … until now. Moreover, her writing has been un inchingly political, from her poetry to her more overtly activist work, including a stint as “chief storyteller” for the Black arts nonpro t Tone and her 2020 TEDx talk on gentri cation. As she told Memphis Magazine in 2021, “Because I’m a Black woman, all the intersections that I exist in don’t allow me to be apolitical.” And her response to politics, and much of the world, has always been through the written word, which “informs everything,” as she said in 2021. “I’m multidisciplinary for sure. I do visual art, I do installation work, I do lm, but the writing portion informs all of it. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know how to read. And I’ve been writing since I had the motor skills to hold a pencil.”
And yet, ironically, her writing originally went hand in hand with her voice. “I was actually a songwriter before I was a poet,” she says now, “and I stepped away from singing because
somewhere along the journey it just started feeling too audacious. Like, there’s something really bold about opening up and singing. So I stopped doing it when I was in my early teens, and pivoted more towards poetry because I felt more con dent in that. It wasn’t until 2022 or 2023 when I worked as IMAKEMADBEATS’ assistant for a year, and I was just surrounded by music all day, every day, that my urge to do it just got bigger than my shame about not being perfect at it.”
Returning to music brought things full circle, in a sense. “When I was a kid, my rst dream ever was to be a singer. I did choir, all those things. But I have a pretty unorthodox voice — it’s pretty deep for a woman vocalist. As I got older and deeper, I felt really, really insecure for a really long time about my singing. But over time I got prouder of how di erent I sound, and now I’m in a place where I’m really excited to share that with the world.”
Working with “MAD,”
Unapologetic’s founder and key producer, directly informed her return to singing, as the tracks that will be playing under her at Bar DKDC were collaboratively created by the two of them. e nal product might surprise casual Unapologetic fans, its reference points being more indie rock than hip hop. In truth, the label has always been eclectic, from Aaron James to Cameron Bethany, with many releases trading heavily on the poetry and wit of the lyrics. Yet Yasin follows her own star, her musings owing over meandering melodies that might suggest e Smiths — if fronted by Nina Simone — or equally unpredictable destinations.
Speaking of long traditions at Unapologetic, Eillo rst showed up on my radar during my 2018 group interview at their old studio, when IMAKEMADBEATS quipped, “this young guy, 16 years old, he’s actually the son of Quinn McGowan, who is part of Iron Mic Coalition. He’s an intern here, and he’s amazingly talented.” By the following year, he was performing on the Stuntarious, Vol. 4 group project and was even name-checked in that album’s recurring comic book-like narration, where an arch villain decries, “And this child, Eillo, has continued to outwit
you!”
Today, Eillo laughs at that moment and the talent who played the villain. “ at was my dad on the vocal,” he chuckles. “He would be a super dope voice actor.”
Over ve years later, Eillo is no longer the “child,” having proven himself on countless contributions to recording sessions. In 2021, he was listed, with MAD, as coproducer of “Depression and Redemption” on MAD Songs, Vol. 1. Later, the multi-instrumental parts he brought to Aaron James’ Nobody Really Makes Love Anymore were key elements of that album’s musicality, and his other ourishes, like the jazz piano outro to PreauXX’s “Regret” in 2022, could be breathtaking.
It all has owed from Eillo’s ngers, who grew up in a creative, musical world. Not only is his father an especially savvy rapper; he drums and is a comic artist. His recently departed mother, Adrian Liggins, was a selftaught pianist and a well-respected soul singer under the stage name Mahogany. “She was an amazing singer songwriter,” Eillo says of her now, and credits much of his musicality to her support over the years.
“My urge to do it just got bigger than my shame about not being perfect at it.”
is Friday, that musicality will be on full display as an attraction in its own right. “I want to do all the things that I love about music,” Eillo con des. “So I’m going to be doing some raps, doing some singing, some original songs, and doing some, just, playing — just playing and building a vibe. I’m a huge believer in having the music speak for itself. I’m not the best with words, like talking to people and stu like that. But when it comes to music, that’s the stu that I want to speak for me. I guess it’s the purest way I can express myself.”
PHOTO: (ABOVE) JC HENDRIX Eillo
PHOTO: (CIRCLE) A.C. BULLARD Nubia Yasin
AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule August 29 - September 4
Brimstone Jones
Friday, Aug. 30, 8 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Earl “The Pearl” Banks
ursday, Aug. 29, 7 p.m. |
Saturday, Aug. 31, 8 p.m. |
Tuesday, Sept. 3, 7 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Eric Hughes
ursday, Aug. 29, 7 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Flic’s Pics Band
Led by the legendary Leroy “Flic” Hodges of Hi Rhythm.
Saturday, Aug. 31, 4 p.m. |
Sunday, Sept. 1, 4 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
FreeWorld
Friday, Aug. 30, 8 p.m. |
Saturday, Aug. 31, 8 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Soul St. Mojo
Wednesday, Sept. 4, 7 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
The B.B. King’s Blues Club Allstar Band
Friday, Aug. 30, 8 p.m. |
Saturday, Aug. 31, 8 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
Vince Johnson
Monday, Sept. 2, 7 p.m. |
Tuesday, Sept. 3, 7 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
DJ Unsung Hero
Jon Keegin is a Memphis native and an obsessed record digger who spins soul, funk, disco, boogie, gospel, psych, and garage. Saturday, Aug. 31, 9 p.m.
EIGHT & SAND
Legendary DJ Scratch (EPMD, Redman)
Grammy winner DJ Scratch’s career spans over 30 years, from joining EPMD in the ’80s to working with Busta Rhymes, H.E.R., and Wu-Tang Clan, he’s now opening for Beyoncé. Friday, Aug. 30, 9 p.m.-2 a.m.
CENTRAL STATION HOTEL
Live at the Tracks: Elevation Memphis
ursday, Aug. 29, 6:30 p.m.
EIGHT & SAND
The Kick Back
DJ Devin Steel heads up his annual throw-down with a live band and multiple DJs.
Saturday, Aug. 31, 6-11 p.m.
CAROLINA WATERSHED
Wendell Wells is singer/songwriter/ cartoonist is also a congressional candidate.
Sunday, Sept. 1, 9 p.m.
WESTY’S
Elmo and the Shades
With the great Eddie Harrison on vocals and keys. Free.
Wednesday, Sept. 4, 7 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
John Williams & the A440 Band
ursday, Aug. 29, 8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Relentless Breeze
A summer jamboree to celebrate Labor Day weekend, lled with delicious deals on brews, fantastic company, and the city’s best yacht rock.
Saturday, Aug. 31, 6 p.m.
HAMPLINE BREWING
The Fast Mothers Album Release Show
Saturday, Aug. 31, 8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Van Duren e singer/songwriter, a pioneer of indie pop in Memphis, performs solo. ursday, Aug. 29, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
MORTIMER’S
901 Fest at Railgarten
Featuring John Nemeth (7 p.m.), Terrance Simien (9 p.m.), and DJ Witnesse (10:30 p.m.) on Friday, Aug. 30 | Showboats ( 4 p.m.), Lucky 7 Brass Band (6 p.m.), Dead Soldiers (8:30 p.m.), DJ Qemist (10 p.m.) on Saturday, Aug. 31 | e Wilkins Sisters (2 p.m.), Talibah Sa ya (4:30 p.m.), and Marcella Simien (6:30 p.m.) on Sunday, Sept. 1. RAILGARTEN
Almost Famous
Saturday, Aug. 31, 9 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Anthony Q: The “Try Loving Me” Tour
With Tyke T, Ashley Ave, Soulful Skonie, Meme the Goat, PMRNB, eyneedweez, KL, Mikey Christian, Lashonte Pop, Ray Reney, Prestige, Big Trip. Host: Mak of Memphis, DJ @ itsmagicQ. $25-$50. Sunday, Sept. 1, 6 p.m. GROWLERS
Basketcase
Saturday, Aug. 31, 5 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
BOOF
With Banales, Macrophonics [Small Room-Downstairs]. Wednesday, Sept. 4, 8 p.m. HI TONE
Breeze Cayolle & New Orleans
Cayolle’s rich and soulful saxophone style evokes the jazz, blues, and R&B of his hometown, New Orleans.
Tuesday, Sept. 3, 6 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Candlelight: A Tribute to Beyoncé e music of Beyoncé played by the Beale Street Quartet under the gentle glow of candlelight.
$32.38. Friday, Aug. 30, 5:306:45 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Candlelight: Neo-Soul Favorites
e music of Prince, Childish Gambino, and others played by the Beale Street Quartet under the gentle glow of candlelight. $32.38. Friday, Aug. 30, 8:30-10 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Carlos Ecos Band
Friday, Aug. 30, 6 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Cheyenne Marrs Record Release Show
With Deaf Revival, Aquarian Blood, HEELS. Friday, Aug. 30, 8 p.m.
B-SIDE
Coco & the Hitmen ursday, Aug. 29, 8 p.m.
RAILGARTEN
Da M Town Band
Wednesday, Sept. 4, 6 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Devil Train
Bluegrass, roots, country, Delta, and ski e. ursday, Aug. 29, 10 p.m.
Guitarist Restivo leads one of the city’s nest jazz quartets. Sunday, Sept. 1, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Labor Day with Sid Monday, Sept. 2, 9 p.m.
B-SIDE
Ladrones
In the downstairs room. Friday, Aug. 30, 9 p.m.
HI TONE
Laura Jane Grace & The Mississippi Medicals With Catbite, Taylor Hollingsworth. Wednesday, Sept. 4, 8 p.m.
GROWLERS
Louder Than Bombs (Tribute to The Smiths) Sunday, Sept. 1, 9 p.m.
B-SIDE
Marcus Scott Electrifying. Soulful. Compelling. ese three words exemplify the sound of “Memphis Soul Man” Marcus Scott: a world-class soul singer. $25. Saturday, Aug. 31, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Matthew Sweet e Orion Free Concert Series and Memphis Power Pop present a mini festival including Matthew Sweet, e Sonny Wilsons, and Abe Partridge. Saturday, Aug. 31, 5-9 p.m.
OVERTON PARK SHELL
MonoNeon
e Orion Free Concert Series presents the hometown bassist and experimental musician. Friday, Aug. 30, 7 p.m.
OVERTON PARK SHELL
Nubia Yasin and Eillo
Kid Maestro will be presiding DJ as two fresh faces from Unapologetic step up. Friday, Aug. 30, 7 p.m.
BAR DKDC
OMB Peezy
In the upstairs room. Friday, Aug. 30, 9 p.m.
HI TONE
Prevention With Innervision, Calamity. Human Shield [Small RoomDownstairs]. Sunday, Sept. 1, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Reba Russell Band
Reba has toured the world and has released eight albums independently. Friday, Aug. 30, 7:30 p.m.
Room-Downstairs]. Saturday, Aug. 31, 8 p.m. HI TONE
Your Academy With 40 Watt Moon, Lately David. Power pop pros preside over an a er-party for the Matthew Sweet concert at the Overton Park Shell. Saturday, Aug. 31, 9 p.m. B-SIDE
Rock the Boat
ursday, Aug. 29, 7 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Sanctuary of Shadows Presents: Gothique
With DJ Midnight, DJ Plastic Citizen. Saturday, Aug. 31, 10 p.m.
GROWLERS
Screamer
With e Last Monarchs of Fall, Je rey Alan Jones [Small Room-Downstairs]. ursday, Aug. 29, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Seize & Desist
A Hooligans for the Homeless Sock Drive. With Fairy Spit, Polly Popjoy, Richard Douglas Jones, Kate Lucas. [Small Room-Downstairs]. Monday, Sept. 2, 7 p.m.
HI TONE
Selfgod With East Ov Eden, Deathspiral of Inherited Su ering. All ages. Tuesday, Sept. 3, 8 p.m.
GROWLERS
Steve Hopper Monday, Sept. 2, 6 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Symmetry Jazz
Gary Topper’s all star jazz ensemble plays both standards and his unique originals.
Wednesday, Sept. 4, 8 p.m. B-SIDE
The Pull-Up Hallway Open House with Cyrena Wages
Visit MLL and its Crosstown Concourse neighbors — WYXR, Dragon y Collective, and Amurica Photo Studio — for this semi-annual hallway open house. ursday, Aug. 29, 6-8 p.m.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
Thursday
With ’68, Jim Ward. All ages. $35, $40/DOS. Friday, Aug. 30, 7:30 p.m.
GROWLERS
Vinyl Happy Hour
With Guest DJs every Friday. Friday, Aug. 30, 3-5 p.m.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
Walrus
Friday, Aug. 30, 10 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Woodsage
With Melanfolly, e
Whipersnappers [Small
Angelina David Saturday, Aug. 31, 7 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Scott H. Biram
With Ben Abney. Friday, Aug. 30, 7 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Swing Soirée with Will Sexton
A show for the school skippers, hookie players, self made millionaires, retirees, and anyone else free to enjoy their ursday. Free. ursday, Aug. 29, 4-6 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Delta Fair and Music Festival
A week’s worth of national and regional acts, also with local favorites like Landslide, Indigo Ave., Rowdy Franks, Magnolia Butter y, and Life Explicit. Visit deltafest.com for the complete lineup. Friday, Aug. 30-Sept. 8. AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL
Memphis Blues Society Weekly Jam
Hosted by Jackie Flora & Friends. ursday, Aug. 29, 7:30 p.m.
ROCKHOUSE LIVE
Richard Wilson Soulful Jazz and Bossanova
Live and smooth jazz-in ected electric guitar and singing by this soulful Brit. ursday, Aug. 29, noon-2 p.m. | Friday, Aug. 30, noon-2 p.m.
JACKIE MAE’S PLACE
Singer Songwriter
Sundays
Enjoy some of the areas best local musicians every Sunday. Sunday, Sept. 1, 4-6 p.m.
MEDDLESOME BREWING COMPANY
The Sounds of Brazil
A lunchbreak concert with Iris Collective’s 2024/2025 Artist Fellows, Gabriela Fogo on violin and Roberta dos Santos on cello, who bring a variety of instruments to present music from their home country of Brazil. Friday, Aug. 30, noon-1 p.m.
GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE
Friday, September 20th, 6-9pm
FedEx Event Center at Shelby Farms Park
BLUE NOTE DISTILLERY | OLD DOMINICK DISTILLERY| BULLEIT | CROWN ROYAL GEORGE DICKEL | JOHNNIE WALKER | FOUR ROSES | RABBI T HOLE | THE SETUP NELSON’S GREENBRIER DISTILLERY | MIDDLE WEST SPIRITS | BUSTER’S BUTCHER THE GENRE | HEIRLOOM CATERING | BELLTOWER COFFEE | and more!
CALENDAR of EVENTS: Aug. 29 - Sept. 4
ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS
2023 Wilson Fellowship Artists
e Dixon’s partnership with the town of Wilson, Arkansas, awarded residencies to artists Danny Broadway, Claire Hardy, ad Lee, and John Ruskey. rough Sept. 29.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“All Rise: Memphis Bar Association at 150”
rough arresting objects and powerful images, the exhibition showcases the Memphis Bar Association’s historical signi cance and continuing relevance. rough Nov. 10.
MEMPHIS MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY
“An Artist’s Eye and Emotion:” Watercolors by Carol Caughey Caughey paints “with arbitrary colors, lines, or shapes — whatever seems appropriate” to the mood of the moment.
Saturday, Aug. 31-Oct. 30.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Anna Parker: “The Beauty of Pointillism”
Each painting resonates with the meticulous arrangement of dots, circles, and strokes. rough Aug. 29.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
“Bracelets, Bangles, and Cuffs: 1948-2024”
A remarkable collection of contemporary bracelets. rough Nov. 17.
METAL MUSEUM
“Branching Out”
Discover intricate connections between students, teachers, and casting communities, which branch out much like a family tree. rough Sept. 8.
METAL MUSEUM
“Building Inspector”
A group exhibition showcasing the work of six local artists: Leanna Carey, Nicholas Lowery, Franklin Doggrell, Maddie McGhee, Noah Miller, and Miles Bryant. Weekdays only. rough Sept. 17.
ANF ARCHITECTS
Corkey Sinks’ “ABZ2”: Artists’ Books, Prints, and Zines
A sequel to a 2018 exhibition curated by Sinks featuring works from the curator’s personal collection, spotlighting contemporary approaches to print media with an emphasis on self-publishing. rough Oct. 4.
BEVERLY + SAM ROSS GALLERY
Emmett Havens: “A New Art History”
Works that “provoke thought and conversation by giving the viewer an opportunity to see their own vision within my work,” as the artist says of his abstracts. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. rough Sept. 30.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
“Health in Enamel” emes of health, healing, and spirituality crystallize with a survey of current enamel holdings in the Metal Museum’s permanent collection. rough Sept. 29.
METAL MUSEUM
“Imagine:” Works by Suzanne Evans and Connie Lampen
Individually, Suzanne Evans and Connie Lampen have participated in numerous exhibits and charity events, and both are members of the Memphis/Germantown Art League, Artists’ Link, and the Bartlett Art Association. Free. Tuesday, Sept. 3, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. | Wednesday, Sept. 4, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
WKNO DIGITAL MEDIA CENTER
“Mission: Astronaut”
Get a taste of life as an astronaut, using skills like engineering, physics, teamwork, and fun. rough Sept. 2.
MEMPHIS MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY
“On Paper!”
An interactive exhibition celebrating the versatility and beauty of paper as a material initiating creativity and innovation. rough Sept. 29.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“Rest, Play, Repeat”
Ariel Dannielle (Atlanta, GA) and Alexis Pye (Houston, TX) portray Black lives and experiences that move beyond the burdens of history and struggle, celebrating moments of pleasure and joy. rough Sept. 21.
SHEET CAKE
“Southern/Modern: 1913-1955”
“Southern/Modern” seeks to encourage new admiration for the region’s rich cultural heritage through paintings, drawings, and prints. Free. rough Sept. 29.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Summer Art Garden:
“Creatures of Paradise”
Memphis-based duo Banana Plastik present an environment lled with vibrant and whimsical beings. rough Oct. 26.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
“The Hughes Art Show”
Features the work of three Memphis-native siblings — Dr. Allen Hughes, Anne Hughes Sayle, and Jane Hughes Coble. Saturday, Aug. 31-Sept. 29.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Works by Heather Jones Native to Memphis, Jones creates delight-driven works using bold colors, lines, and unassuming imagery. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. rough Aug. 29.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
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 EVENT LISTINGS, SCAN THE QR CODE OR VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.
ART HAPPENINGS
Embustero: Tenuous
Memories with Richard Lou
As a Chicano artist, the consistent themes Lou has explored are white privilege and the subjugation of his community by the dominant culture. Wednesday, Sept. 4, noon-1 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Super SaturdayWatercolor Abstractions Celebrating watercolors at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Free. Saturday, Aug. 31, 10 a.m.-noon.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
CLASS / WORKSHOP
A Day of Tasters: Blacksmithing
Learn the fundamental forging processes including bending, twisting, tapering, hot-cutting, and nishing. Students should expect to leave with a small functional item. $40. Saturday, Aug. 31, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
METAL MUSEUM
A Day of Tasters:
Casting
Make a cast aluminum name tag using foundry casting techniques. $40. Saturday, Aug. 31, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
METAL MUSEUM
Applying for Admission to Art Festivals
Free class for artists: how, where, what, and why. Free. Saturday, Aug. 31, 1-3 p.m.
ASSISI FOUNDATION
PHOTO: COURTESY METAL MUSEUM
Make a cast aluminum name tag with foundry casting techniques.
FESTIVAL
901 Days in the Ravine Beer, music, food, shopping and more to celebrate the city Free. Friday, Aug. 30-Sept. 1. MEMPHIS MADE BREWING - DOWNTOWN
901 Day on Broad Ave
Spend some time on Broad Ave. celebrating our city. Saturday, Aug. 31, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. BROAD AVENUE ARTS DISTRICT
Delta Fair and Music Festival
With live music, theme days, petting zoo, children’s parades, livestock shows, cra demos, pageants, competitions, and art contests. Friday, Aug. 30Sept. 8.
AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL
The BFF Cookout Festival
Enjoy delicious food, live music, and fun activities in a day of community and celebration. $19.89/general admission (early bird), $24.77/general admission, $44.95/one VIP admission, include two adult drinks. Sunday, Sept. 1, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
TOM LEE PARK
Healthier 901 Fest
Homeschool Discovery
Programming that complements your homeschool curriculum, with hands-on activities and discovery stations that focus on botany, history, ecosystems, and trees. Bring a picnic lunch! $8. ursday, Aug. 29, 10 a.m.-noon
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Paper Weaving with Sarah Nowlin
Explore color theory and texture to create original pieces. Must attend all four classes, every Tuesday in September. Free for 65+. Tuesday, Sept. 3, 1 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
COMEDY
Comedy Open Mic
Hosted by John Miller. $10. Tuesday, Sept. 3, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Saturday Night Showcase is underground comedy show cracks smiles, shakes heads, and causes uproarious laughter. $15. Saturday, Aug. 31, 7 p.m.
MEMPHIS CLOVER CLUB
COMMUNITY
Artist Meet & Greet: The Memphis Art Salon Learn about opportunities to showcase your work, connect with other creatives, and get involved at the Memphis Art Salon. Wednesday, Sept. 4, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
The Mystic Live at the Green Room e Mystic is hosted by a rotating panel including Rabbi Micah Greenstein, Dr. Scott Morris, Rev. Joshua Narcisse, Dr. Rev. Lillian Lammers, and Kirk Whalum. Tuesday, Sept. 3, 6-7 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
EXPO/SALES
End of All Art: Book Pop-Up e second art book pop-up bookstore event at Sheet Cake Gallery. Saturday, Aug. 31, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
SHEET CAKE
Electric Tiger Market Halloween is coming, and the Hell-iday season is coming right a er. So get spooky, get weird, and do some shopping! With arts and cra s vendors and a costume contest. Free.
Saturday, Aug. 31, 7 p.m. HI TONE
Love for the Streets Car Show
Young Dolph’s protégé Key Glock and renowned radio host DJ Envy show o the eet of cars owned by Dolph, Glock, and Envy; other car enthusiasts also display their nest automobiles. One ticket buyer will win a brand-new Tesla Model Y, custom-painted in “Glock Yellow.” Monday, Sept. 2, noon-5 p.m.
RENASANT CONVENTION CENTER
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare hosts the 2nd annual Healthier 901 Fest, a family-friendly free event for the community to celebrate health and wellness in the Mid-South. Saturday, Aug. 31, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
FILM
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger
$5. ursday, Aug. 29, 7 p.m.
CROSSTOWN THEATER
Salad Days: Movie Screening, Q&A with Scott Crawford
A documentary about the D.C. punk scene in the 1980s, featuring Ian MacKaye, Henry Rollins, urston Moore, Fred Armisen, and others. [Big Room]. $20. Sunday, Sept. 1, 1 p.m.
HI TONE
Sight & Sound Presents: Daniel Live!
An original production, Daniel, goes from the big stage to the big screen. Friday, Aug. 30, 6 p.m. | Saturday, Aug. 31, 2 p.m. | Sunday, Sept. 1, 2 p.m. | Monday, Sept. 2, 2 p.m. | Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2 p.m.
MALCO PARADISO CINEMA GRILL & IMAX
Space: The New Frontier 2D
From self-assembling habitats, commercial space stations, and rockets without fuel to the Lunar Gateway to deep space. rough May 23, 2025.
MEMPHIS MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY
FOOD AND DRINK
Canoes + Cocktails
A guided sunset paddle on the lake followed by specialty cocktails provided by Old Dominick, snacks from Cheffie’s, yard games, and music. 21+. Friday, Aug. 30, 7 p.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Celtic Crossing Whiskey Pairing Dinner
A whiskey pairing dinner hosted by in-house whiskey connoisseur DJ Naylor. $80/general . Thursday, Aug. 29, 7-9 p.m.
CELTIC CROSSING
Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market
A weekly outdoor market featuring local farmers (no resellers), artisans, and live music. Saturday, Aug. 31, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
Food Truck Fridays
An event series at Caption by Hyatt, featuring delicious eats from local favorites and live music. Free. Friday, Aug. 30, 6-8 p.m.
CAPTION BY HYATT
Memphis Farmers Market
A weekly outdoor market featuring local farmers and artisans, live music, and fun activities. Saturday, Aug. 31, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
MEMPHIS FARMERS MARKET
Whet Thursdays: Elvis!
With DJ 1 Love spinning Elvis, the Stick Em food truck serving kabobs and more, and drinks from The Tipsy Tumbler. Thursday, Aug. 29, 5-8 p.m.
METAL MUSEUM
HEALTH AND FITNESS
Get Outside! Fitness - Adult Yoga
This Vinyasa style yoga class is dedicated to creating a balanced mind, body, and spirit.
Saturday, Aug. 31, 9 a.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Slow Your Roll | Saturday Morning Meditation
A serene start to your Saturday with some morning mindfulness, led by the experienced mindfulness educator Greg Graber. Free. Saturday, Aug. 31, 8-8:30 a.m.
CHICKASAW GARDENS PARK
Tai Chi
Instructor Marjean teaches gentle moves that will strengthen and calm body, mind, and soul. Thursday, Aug. 29, 7 a.m.
OVERTON PARK
Yoga on the River Candace guides your yoga journey beside the Mississippi. Free. Tuesday, Sept. 3, 6-7 p.m.
RIVER GARDEN
LECTURE
Science Cafe: Bee Ecology and Diversity
Kate LeCroy presents a case study of mason bees to see the drivers of bee decline in action, and discusses how community scientists can monitor bee health and diversity. Tuesday, Sept. 3, 5:30 p.m.
ABE GOODMAN GOLF CLUBHOUSE
SPECIAL EVENTS
Adult Pinewood Derby - Midsouth Derby and Ales
Race like kids … drink like adults. Wednesday, Sept. 4, 6 p.m.
WISEACRE BREWERY
Memphis Stamp Club
The Memphis Stamp Club meets the first Tuesday of each month. Visit MemphisStampClub. org for details. Tuesday, Sept. 3, 6-8 p.m. UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS ART AND COMMUNICATION BUILDING
Morrighan’s Bluff, Amtgard of Memphis
Meet Saturdays at noon for a medieval/fantasy live action roleplay game. Join the adventure! Saturday, Aug. 31, noon.
W. J. FREEMAN PARK
Reiki and Soundbath
Reiki is an ancient healing technique that originated in Japan. $60. Sunday, Sept. 1, 3-4:30 p.m.
Walk. Run. Make a difference. Monday, Sept. 2, 9:30 a.m.
THE HALLORAN CENTRE
THEATER
Coconut Cake
When Eddie Lee’s wife Iris, joins him in retirement, the truth about his “ladies’ man” ways resurfaces. Through Sept. 8.
HATTILOO THEATRE
Grease
Danny and the new good girl to Rydell High, Sandy, try to reignite their summer romance among the interest and turmoil of the rest of the high school gang. Thursdays-Saturdays, 7:30-9 p.m. | Sundays, 2-4 p.m. Through Sept. 8.
LOHREY THEATRE
PHOTO: COURTESY THE ARTIST Corkey Sinks, Book of Hours III, 2018, zine (staple-bound laser print on paper)
No, En Mi Casa NO
Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group presenta la obra teatral, No, en mi casa no. $20/general admission. Friday, Aug. 30, 8-10 p.m. | Saturday, Aug. 31, 8-10 p.m. | Sunday, Sept. 1, 3-5 p.m. THEATREWORKS @ THE SQUARE
Crossword
1 Clueless 6 After the ___ (when to leave a phone message) 10 [Bzzt!]
13 Some Dairy Queen orders 14 Frequent Andrew Wyeth model 15 Palindromic woman’s name 16 Affected adversely, physically or psychologically
Oil installation 19 Some Siouans
20 Part to play 21 Runaway bestselling Apple products of the 2000s
23 Pince-___ (style of glasses) 24 ___ Godiva
25 Part of the upper deck? 26 Utopian
Naked
Like an orange tan, say
Content of a bog
Western tribe member 36 Military operation that might last for months
38 Got chicken, say
39 Largest moon of Saturn
41 Org. with a Form 1040
42 Modern acronym for “seize the day”
44 Play mates?
45 Supply with updated parts
47 A puzzling direction
50 Asleep
51 “Listen!,” quaintly
Aerodynamic
57 Website with crowdsourced reviews
58 Lip
59 Bagel go-with
60 Bringer of rain
63 The Cardinals, on scoreboards
64 Creator of a logical “razor”
65 Bird in the flycatcher family
66 Favorite
67 Sport, as a sport coat
68 Touches down DOWN
1 When a play’s plot is set in motion
2 Honked
3 *Bo-o-o-ring event 4 Comics exclamations
5 Happy ___ clam
6 *Go order a drink
7 Fashion magazine with more than 40 international editions
8 Psyche part 9 *Flop sweat producer
10 The “x” in Euler’s Identity — eiπ + 1 = x
11 Gung-ho
12 Jumping pieces in a classic wooden puzzle
14 Car part called a bonnet in England
17 Slight vestige
22 According to 24 *Scoffing
Ride the Cyclone: the Musical
The regional premiere of this wildly popular musical so new, inventive, exciting, and morbidly delightful … full of laughter and tears … Certain to entertain and remind you that life is just a ride. $10/sensory friendly performance, $26/adults, $16/ student/teacher, $21/seniors 60+. Friday, Aug. 30, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Aug. 31, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, Sept. 1, 2:30 p.m.
GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE
Waitress
Jenna, a skilled pie maker and waitress, finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage and a small town. Encouraged by her unique group of fellow waitresses and devoted customers, Jenna discovers the one thing she’s been lacking — courage. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. | Sundays, 2 p.m. Through Sept. 15.
PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE
TOURS
Haunted Pub Crawl
Visit three local bars for ghost stories, dark history, and tales of the paranormal. Friday, Aug. 30, 7:30-10 p.m.
THE BROOM CLOSET
The Original Memphis Brew Bus
A Saturday afternoon trip into the amazing Memphis craft brewing scene. $59. Saturday, Aug. 31, 2-5:30 p.m. THE BROOM CLOSET
Edited by Will Shortz No. 0312
PUZZLE BY JULES MARKEY
We Saw You.
with MICHAEL DONAHUE
More art is in the eyes of the beholders, thanks to Cynthia Ham. Ham, who became the new owner of Palladio last December, instituted monthly shows featuring local artists. She opened her first exhibit, which will be on view through August, with a “Meet the Artists” reception, held August 15th at Palladio Interiors & Garden at 2215 Central Avenue (at South Cox). This month’s artists are Jay Crum, Kong Wee Pang, Carl E. Moore, and Amy Hutcheson. “They were the first four to be shown since I took over,” Ham says. “And I plan to have other shows featuring high-quality Memphis artists.”
As far as she knows, this hasn’t been done previously at Palladio, says Ham. “This, to my knowledge, is a new approach of featuring artists.
“I am going to use some work from the show to keep on hand in case anybody wants to look at their work when they come in,” she adds. “Even though the show itself is coming down, we’ll have at least two pieces of their work there on a longer term.”
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE
above: Mikayla Jordan, Cynthia Ham, and Minnie (the dog) below: (le to right) Jay Crum; Amy Hutcheson; Kong Wee Pang; Carl E. Moore bottom le : Fannie, Robbie, and Michael Weinberg
We Saw You.
with MICHAEL DONAHUE
Guests arrived in shorts and FedEx caps to “Party on the Green,” the fourthannual bash thrown by Alex and Rick Gardner during the FedEx St. Jude Championship at their home on the 15th green at TPC Southwind.
e St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital connection happened when they began using Evite Online Invitations for the party, says Rick, president of FremontWright, which owns architectural and engineering rms around the country. Evite has “a great system where you can just link to a charity of your choice,” Rick says. So, donating to St. Jude was a “no-brainer.” is year, they decided to “make it a true bene t for St. Jude” instead of just donating money online. Alex was “actually in communication with people at St. Jude that are involved with the tournament and they helped out with banners and pop-ups in the house.”
About 150 people attended. “I don’t think there’s anybody who hasn’t known someone who has a child that had to go to St. Jude,” Alex says. e party “spread a lot of good cheer.”
MICHAEL DONAHUE above: (le to right) Justin Harness and Lexi Brazeal; Marsha and Mark Anthony; Micheal Bush and Charles Chandler below: (le to right) Michael Bi and Madison Spence; Alex and Rick Gardner; Veronica Gomez and Justin Gallagher; Liliana McKenna and Hunter Parker bottom row: Nuphet Insixiengmay, Abbey Burgett, Michael Gardner, and Corinne Gardner
PHOTOS:
BOOKS By Alex Greene
Mississippi Hippie
Willy
journey into humanity.
ur nation has a distinct literary tradition, which some dub the American bildungsroman, that delves into the provincial life of a protagonist in his or her youth, then reveals, layer by layer, the mind-opening encounters by which the narrator learns of the wider world, thereby transcending provincialism and achieving a kind of worldly wisdom. And such books, often loosely autobiographical, can, by way of setting the scene for the protagonist’s eventual escape, offer rich and nuanced portraits of the smalltown milieu in which they were raised. Writings as disparate as Thomas Wolfe’s Look Homeward, Angel and Woody Guthrie’s Bound for Glory paint indelible portraits of daily existence in small towns.
story he wrote in 1984. His father has been returned to the home where Bearden, then 10, was being raised by his mother. “What until now had been the complacent, resigned look of an alcoholic had turned wild and frantic as if some demon inhabited his skinny 130-pound frame.” As the father is unceremoniously dumped into a bed, the stage is set for Bearden’s early years and the chaotic family life he endured.
Now, local author, filmmaker, musician, and photographer Willy Bearden has produced such a work about his hometown of Rolling Fork in his semifictionalized memoir, Mississippi Hippie: A Life in 49 Pieces. And, in its segmented, episodic telling, it reads like another great fragmented bildungsroman, Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio — but with a laconic Southern drawl.
Like Anderson’s masterpiece, Bearden’s memoir is, as he notes in the first sentence, “a work of literature.” And yet he’s committed to telling the story of his life. “Memory has its own story to tell,” he writes. “But I have done my best to make it tell a truthful story.”
Bearden has an artist’s commitment to truth-telling, and, as becomes clear over the course of his youthful epiphanies, that unflinching honesty served him well in his quest for a life of some significance. As the Tennessee Williams quote beginning the book states, “No one is ever free until they tell the truth about themselves and the life into which they’ve been cast.”
For Bearden, that starts with a long, hard look at his father. This being a somewhat conversational read, though, it takes him a while to settle on the opening scene. First, he tells the reader of his curious habit, at the age of 11, of listing everyone he’d known who had died. It marks a vivid through-line to the book itself, written in his 70s, filling that same need.
But, as reflected upon by the author decades later, it’s a thoughtful portrait of such chaos. That’s true of any of the local characters young Bearden interacts with, as the stories skip back and forth in time, often hinting at Bearden’s development as a thinker and a questioner later in life. For, while he wasn’t a great student and didn’t really learn to read until after he was 10, he was doggedly curious and reflective. The folk songs his brother played him jolted him into imagining other values and life ways, and the growing counterculture of the ’60s only confirmed those humanistic values, even if he met some sketchy characters along the way. That in turn served him well as he ventured out into the world (hitchhiking widely from 1969-1976) and greeted all he met with a mixture of Sherwood Anderson’s keen observational eye and Woody Guthrie’s everyman approachability.
Then, skipping ahead in time, Bearden confronts the idea of “woke” culture, a descendant of the “hippie” culture that Bearden threw himself into as a teen in the ’60s. And, as he writes, “I am proud of my hippie roots,” yet such pride comes after long years of confronting the very un-hippie culture of Rolling Fork.
The book really gets started when, after such preambles, Bearden unearths a short
That hopeful, clear-eyed, and even bawdy approach to the world rings out from every page of this book, and it’s still heard in Bearden’s current work as a historian, filmmaker, and raconteur. Knowing that Bearden became a key player in Memphis’ progressive community helps make sense of what he passed through to get there, from the unsavory drunks to the homespun wisdom of Rolling Fork’s working people. Seeing the poverty and racism of his hometown didn’t give him a permanent scowl. Rather, it only made him more determined to keep searching, just over the flat Delta horizon, for some kind of redemption.
Burke’s Book Store will host a reading and book signing by Willy Bearden on Thursday, September 5, at 6 p.m.
Bearden’s
By Michael Donahue
Come Together, Right Now
Su ’s brings a di erent touch.
W
hat makes Su ’s Mediterranean Grill & Bar di erent?
For one thing, in addition to Mediterranean food, Su ’s also sells Persian food.
And, as far as I know, it’s the only Memphis (or maybe anywhere else) restaurant making and serving roseavored and sa ron- avored ice cream.
ey also serve fabulous Shawarma Nachos. I don’t know anybody else doing this.
What’s more, they feature live belly dance shows from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday.
I recently visited the beautiful, comfortable restaurant, with a wonderful, spacious front porch seating area, owned by Rabiya and her husband Sardar Fahad Ali Khan, as well as Ra q Devji and Badruddin Kheraj, at 7609 Poplar Pike in Germantown. I tried an array of appetizers, entrees, and, of course, the desserts, which I couldn’t get enough of.
And I got to meet their children, Sardar Adam Khan, 7, an aspiring soccer player, and Alizay Fahad Ali Khan, 10, an aspiring lawyer.
Rabiya was born in Pakistan and Ali was born and raised in Dubai, which is where they met. In 2017, they moved to Memphis, where Ali has family. Ali became an investor in gas stations and liquor stores.
A er Rabiya began hosting parties featuring her cuisine for groups of sometimes 300 people, including business and family friends, Ali said they should open a restaurant.
eir business partners, Devji and Kheraj, have more than ve decades of experience in the restaurant and retail industries in multiple states and overseas, Rabiya says.
ey bought the Casablanca restaurant, which was at the current location, then changed the name to Su ’s two years later. “Su ” is a mystical, spiritual word that means “bringing all types of people, races, and religions together,” Rabiya says.
She and Ali enjoy traveling. “Traveling to 16, 17 countries around the world, you do get a taste of a lot of different cuisines. And you do get an idea of what people are looking for.”
ey decided to add some Persian dishes to their extensive menu because they didn’t know of any other place in Memphis selling that type of food. Persian food includes ingredients that “are famous in all the areas of the Mediterranean region.” ese include sumac,
za’atar, turmeric, sa ron, and yogurt.
eir Persian dishes include Mirza Ghasemi, a dip made of roasted eggplant and tomatoes. ey also serve Persian koobideh dishes, including “Su ’s Koobideh Chicken” and “Su ’s Koobideh Beef,” both served with saffron and rice.
Describing what makes it “koobideh,” Ali says, “We grind the meat and marinate it. When you hit the meat with a hammer, it’s a di erent kind of grinding, not the machine grinding.”
“We marinate it with onion, parsley, and di erent Mediterranean spices,” Rabiya adds. “And then we put it on these metal skewers and chill it in the cooler for ve or six hours before it’s ready be cooked and served.”
en there’s my favorite: the Persian ice cream sandwiches, which Rabiya says she and Ali created. “We make those two di erent types of ice cream in house: sa ron and rose,” she says.
“Rose petals are an integral part of Persian cuisine and part of the Persian culture as well.”
e rose ice cream is “slightly on the sweet side. It’s as good as having a dried rose.”
Both ice creams are “basically threads of avors,” she says. “We extract the rose petal and then fuse it in our ice cream. And these are edible rose owers. Saf-
MICHAEL DONAHUE (clockwise from bottom le ) Red Carpet cocktail; Rabiya and Sardar Fahad Ali Khan; Aditya Uppalapati, Shreya Challa, and Nitish Manthri; Su ’s Special Mix Grill
fron, on the other hand, is also a spice that comes from a ower. And in order to enhance its avor, we dip it in milk for some time and then use the sa ron owers in our ice cream base.”
Instead of cookies, the ice cream is sandwiched between two wafers.
We began the meal with the “Su ’s Mezzo” appetizer. e large one. It features hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, grape leaves, and tabbouleh with pita. e nachos, another Khan creation, include nacho chips made in house with veggies, cheese, sour cream, and choice of meat. I could make a meal out of this. It’s incredibly delicious.
For the entree, we had the “Su ’s Special Mix Grill,” which includes chicken and lamb kebabs, as well as chicken and beef koobideh.
is lavish dish serves two, Rabiya says, but I think you can squeeze in at least another person.
It’s served with rice, hummus, vegetables, naan, and, as the menu states, “our ery sauce.” I tried the sauce and it is ery. ey make all their sauces, including mild and garlic sauce.
Su ’s also features fusion dishes, including the Mediterranean Pizza and the Chicken Alfredo. “It doesn’t taste like traditional food,” Ali says.
eir house-made cocktails include Rabiya’s favorite, “Red Carpet, which
is made with Pearl pomegranate vodka and Stirrings pomegranate liqueur.”
e Khans introduced people to Persian food by giving out samples, Rabiya says. ey got the word out “slowly and steadily with word of mouth. And people started talking about it.”
ey “did a lot of marketing” on Google, Facebook, and Instagram.”
And the couple did cocktail hours, where they also served food. “People got familiar with new items that they enjoyed. eir taste buds loved it. Everybody loved it. It was a win-win for everybody.”
ey’ve catered corporate events for businesses, including FedEx, and hospitals. “And now we have a party hall located in the same building upstairs. People can host events: birthdays, wedding receptions, graduation parties.”
e Khans have made a lot of new friends with their restaurant customers. “We see them,” Rabiya says. “We’re happy. We dine with them. ey invite us to the table to sit and talk.”
And, as Ali says, people who come to Su ’s Mediterranean Grill & Bar have “found the hidden gem.”
PHOTO:
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
The Tech Revolution
At Crescent Regional Hospital near Dallas, Texas, patients are for the first time in the U.S. consulting with doctors via hologram, ABC News reported on June 26. The technology, designed by Dutch company Holoconnects, features a life-sized 3D image of the doctor in real time. Raji Kumar, the hospital’s CEO, said the technology will reduce doctors’ travel time between hospitals and clinics. “They can just hop into the studio to have the consult,” she said. She hopes to expand the program to rural hospitals in the area. [ABC News, 6/26/2024]
How Hot Is It?
It’s so hot … Abe Lincoln’s legs are falling off. A 6-foot-tall wax replica of the sculpture of our 16th president inside the Lincoln Memorial is succumbing to the extreme temperatures in Washington, D.C., the Washington Post reported on June 24. The statue was placed on the campus of Garrison Elementary School in February with the idea of drawing attention to the Civil War and its aftermath. But as the heat dome settled over the capital, he started melting. “The idea was that the ambient temperature, unless it got to 140 degrees, wouldn’t melt the sculpture,” said artist Sandy Williams IV of Richmond, Virginia. But “even his poor legs are starting to come unglued,” said Melissa Krull, 41, who lives nearby. Lincoln’s head lolled so far backward that the nonprofit that commissioned the work removed it, with plans to restore it to its perch when temps moderated. [Washington Post, 6/24/2024]
Least Competent Criminal
Kelsey Lynn Schnetzler, 34, of Salisbury, Missouri, was charged with stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of lottery tickets from her employer, Casey’s General Store, KTVO-TV reported. Schnetzler’s home-court MO may have been what got her nicked: Every evening during her shift, she told police, she would put a cup over the camera in the store and unlock the safe where the tickets were stored. Her burglaries took place between October 2023 and March 2024; the 36 lottery books she stole were valued at $24,000. She cashed winning tickets
in at Casey’s and other locations. She was charged with felony stealing. [KTVO, 6/20/2024]
Pay No Attention to
the Body in the Backseat
On the morning of June 22, after Margot Lewis, 32, of North Liberty, Iowa, crashed her car in Olmsted County, Minnesota, police arrived at the scene, the Des Moines Register reported. There they discovered the dead body of 35-year-old Liara Tsai of Minneapolis in the back seat. Tsai was “wrapped in a bedsheet, a blanket, a futon-style mattress, and a tarp,” court documents said. Police said Tsai also had a “large wound on the right side of the neck around the carotid artery.” The medical examiner determined that Tsai’s injuries were not related to the motor vehicle accident. Lewis was arrested for interference with a dead body; her unconditional bond was set at $1 million. [Des Moines Register, 6/26/2024]
Ewwwwwwwww!
The CBC reported on June 18 that conditions at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, have deteriorated so drastically that inmates are literally sharing cells — and more — with rats. Inmate Devon Fitzpatrick told an interviewer that he woke up one morning to the feeling of something moving in the crotch of his pants; when he reached down, he found a rat had given birth there. “Stuff like that happens on a regular basis,” he said of the Victorian-era facility. “They climb on the tables, they climb up the pipes and the wires. They’re everywhere.” He said he’s been bitten about 20 times. Fitzpatrick also described other dehumanizing conditions at the prison; the government has said it’s working with a company to build a new prison, but no improvements have been made in the meantime. [CBC, 6/18/2024]
Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Although there are over 7,000 varieties of apples, your grocery store probably offers no more than 15. But you shouldn’t feel deprived. Having 15 alternatives is magnificent. In fact, most of us do better in dealing with a modicum of choices rather than an extravagant abundance. This is true not just about apples but also about most things. I mention this, Aries, because now is an excellent time to pare down your options in regard to all your resources and influences. You will function best if you’re not overwhelmed with possibilities. You will thrive as you experiment with the principle that less is more.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus comedian Jerry Seinfeld, now 70 years old, has testified, “As a child, the only clear thought I had was ‘get candy.’” I encourage you to be equally single-minded in the near future, Taurus. Not necessarily about candy — but about goodies that appeal to your inner child as well as your inner teenager and inner adult. You are authorized by cosmic forces to go in quest of experiences that tickle your bliss.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I’m not saying I would refuse to hire a Gemini person to housesit while I’m on vacation. You folks probably wouldn’t let my houseplants die, allow raccoons to sneak in and steal food, or leave piles of unwashed dishes in the sink. On the other hand, I’m not entirely confident you would take impeccable care of my home in every little way. But wait! Everything I just said does not apply to you now. My analysis of the omens suggests you will have a high aptitude for the domestic arts in the coming weeks. You will be more likely than usual to take good care of my home — and your own home, too. It’s a good time to redecorate and freshen up the vibe.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): These days, you are even smarter and more perceptive than usual. The deep intelligence of your higher self is pouring into your conscious awareness with extra intensity. That’s a good thing, right? Yes, mostly. But there may be a downside: You could be hyper-aware of people whose thinking is mediocre and whose discernment is substandard. That could be frustrating, though it also puts you in a good position to correct mistakes those people make. As you wield the healing power of your wisdom, heed these words from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: “Misunderstandings and lethargy produce more wrong in the world than deceit and malice do.”
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had an older sister, born under the sign of Leo. Her nickname was Nannerl. During their childhoods, she was as much a musical prodigy as he. Supervised by their father, they toured Europe per-
By Rob Brezsny
forming together, playing harpsichord and piano. Nannerl periodically got top billing, and some critics regarded her as the superior talent. But misfortune struck when her parents decided it was unseemly for her, as a female, to continue her development as a genius. She was forcibly retired so she could learn the arts of housekeeping and prepare for marriage and children. Your assignment in the coming months, Leo, is to rebel against any influence that tempts you to tamp down your gifts and specialties. Assert your sovereignty. Identify what you do best, and do it more and better than you ever have before.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Many people living in the Napo province of Ecuador enjoy eating a dish called ukuy, which is a Kichwa word for large ants. This is not an exotic meal for them. They may cook the ukuy or simply eat the creatures alive. If you travel to Napo anytime soon, Libra, I urge you to sample the ukuy. According to my reading of the astrological omens, such an experiment is in alignment with the kinds of experiences you Libras should be seeking: outside your usual habits, beyond your typical expectations, and in amused rebellion against your customary way of doing things.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The theory of karma suggests that all our actions, good and bad and in-between, send ripples out into the world. These ripples eventually circle back to us, ensuring we experience events that mirror our original actions. If we lie and cheat, we will be lied to and cheated on. If we give generously and speak kindly about other people, we will be the recipient of generosity and kind words. I bring this up, Scorpio, because I believe you will soon harvest a slew of good karma that you have set in motion through your generosity and kindness. It may sometimes seem as if you’re getting more benevolence than you deserve, but in my estimation, it’s all well-earned.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I encourage you to buy yourself fun presents that give you a feisty boost. Why? Because I want you to bring an innovative, startingfresh spirit into the ripening projects you are working on. Your attitude and approach could become too serious unless you infuse them with the spunky energy of an excitable kid. Gift suggestions: new music that makes you feel wild, new jewelry or clothes that make you feel daring, new tools that raise your confidence, and new information that stirs your creativity.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): On a Tuesday in August in 2012 — one full Jupiter cycle ago — a Capricorn friend of mine called in sick to his job as a marketing specialist. He never returned. Instead, after enjoying a week off to relax, he began working to become a dance in-
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): When an infant giraffe leaves its mother’s womb, it falls six feet to the ground. I suspect that when you are reborn sometime soon, Virgo, a milder and more genial jolt will occur. It may even be quite rousing and inspirational — not rudely bumpy at all. By the way, the plunge of the baby giraffe snaps its umbilical cord and stimulates the creature to take its initial breaths — getting it ready to begin its life journey. I suspect your genial jolt will bring comparable benefits.
structor. After six months, he was teaching novice students. Three years later, he was proficient enough to teach advanced students, and five years later, he was an expert. I am not advising you, Capricorn, to quit your job and launch your own quixotic quest for supremely gratifying work. But if you were ever going to start taking small steps towards that goal, now would be a good time. It’s also a favorable phase to improve the way your current job works for you.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Three years ago, an Indonesian man celebrated his marriage to a rice cooker, which is a kitchen accessory. Khoirul Anam wore his finest clothes while his new spouse donned a white veil. In photos posted on social media, the happy couple are shown hugging and kissing. Now might also be a favorable time for you to wed your fortunes more closely with a valuable resource — though there’s no need to perform literal nuptials. What material thing helps bring out the best in you? If there is no such thing, now would be a good time to get it.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): For many years, I didn’t earn enough money to pay taxes. I was indigent. Fortunately, social programs provided me with food and some medical care. In recent years, though, I have had a better cash flow. I regularly send the U.S. government a share of my income. I wish they would spend all my tax contributions to help people in need. Alas, just 42 percent of my taxes pay for acts of kindness to my fellow humans, while 24 percent goes to funding the biggest military machine on earth. Maybe someday, there will be an option to allocate my tax donations exactly as I want. In this spirit, Pisces, I invite you to take inventory of the gifts and blessings you dole out. Now is a good time to correct any dubious priorities. Take steps to ensure that your generosity is going where it’s most needed and appreciated. What kind of giving makes you feel best?
FILM By Chris McCoy
Island of Lost Souls
Super-rich predators bend reality in Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut Blink Twice
Have you ever thought, “If I ever get super rich, I’m going to buy my own island. I’ll live there and do as I please.” I sure have! Hell, Sartre said, is other people. Why not get away from it all and start a new country where I can do stu the right way for once?
But there are two levels of wealth: Fuck You Money, which is enough money to quit my job and never have to work again; and Fuck Everybody Money, which is enough money to create my own reality. e latter may sound nice in theory, but in practice, it tends to drive people insane. e examples are numerous. ere’s Henry Ford, the man who perfected mass production, who fell into a psychic morass of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Howard Hughes, aviation entrepreneur and Hollywood studio head, lived out his last days as a paranoid obsessive compulsive locked in a Las Vegas penthouse. John McAfee, the cybersecurity pioneer who brought antivirus so ware to the masses, retreated to an armed compound in Belize where he had sex with whales (consensual, he claimed) before dying while in prison on a murder charge. And then there’s Elon Musk, who is … doing whatever the hell that is.
If it seems like there’s more crazy rich people these days, that’s because there are. In the 21st century, wealth has become more concentrated than at any time since the Gilded Age of the late 19th century. at means more people who can only handle Fuck You Money now have Fuck Everybody Money. And we’re all su ering for it, one Twitter (excuse me, X) post at a time.
For some people, these oligarchs are more than just annoying. Take the developers at Twitter who lost their jobs because Musk thought he knew better than them and wanted to look like a big man. Or the passengers who imploded with the Titan submersible. Or the girls Je rey Epstein tra cked into sex slavery for his well-heeled list of clients and friends. Maybe the right to riches is like the right to bear arms. Packing a pistol for personal protection is one thing; building an atomic bomb in your garage is another. ese issues are very much on the mind of Zoë Kravitz, writer and director of Blink Twice. Kravitz is an accomplished actress, who gave one of the standout performances in Mad Max: Fury Road and shone in HBO’s Big Little Lies. She started work on her debut lm in 2017, at the height of the #MeToo movement and Je rey Epstein’s nal scandals. ere’s a lot of Epstein in Slater King (Channing Tatum), the tech magnate whose largely
Channing Tatum (right) is a billionaire who lures Naomi Ackie (above) and others to his private island.
unde ned business has made him Fuck Everybody Money.
When we rst meet Frida (Naomi Ackie), she’s cyberstalking King in the place where most cyberstalking occurs: on the toilet. e news clips and videos she scrolls through claim that Slater has been rehabilitated from whatever horrible scandal he was implicated in and has found himself through therapy. at’s enough for Frida, who, with her roommate Jess (Alia Shawkat), is working the King Foundation banquet that night as a cater waiter. Last year, he made eye contact with her, so this year, maybe she can get some more personal attention from the billionaire. Frida and Jess smuggle in some cocktail dresses to change into, in an attempt to get into the more exclusive parts of the party. Lo and behold, it works! Frida hits it o with Slater, and Jess catches the attention of his friend Vic (Christian Slater). e night goes so well, Slater invites them to a long weekend on his private island, all expenses paid. No need to return to your apartment for your toothbrush, he’s got everything you’ll need.
Slater’s island lives up to the hype. Free clothes, free perfume, champagne brunch every day, and a virtual bu et of drugs. e partygoers include Cody (Simon Rex), the chef; Sarah (Adria Arjona), star of the reality show Hot Survivor Babes; Stacy (Geena Davis), Slater’s xer; Heather (Trew Mullen), who rolls fat blunts; and Rich (Kyle MacLachlan), Slater’s therapist. A er a couple of days of partying, the girls fall into a party haze brought on by Slater’s proprietary mix of psilocybin and MDMA. e only downside is that the island is infested with venomous snakes. at feeling of dreadful foreboding is probably just the paranoia from all the bud.
Or maybe not. One morning, Jess disappears, and no one but Frida seems to remember she was even there. Sarah doesn’t remember where she got those bruises. Even Lucas (Levon Hawke), the
cryptocurrency himbo, is waking up with unexplained black eyes. Frida has to gure out what’s going on, and how to save herself, between snake venom shooters and bright blue skin-care masks.
Kravitz gets a lot right in her directorial debut. Her cast is relaxed and having fun. It’s always good to see Geena Davis working, and who can fault a movie where Haley Joel Osment gets a penis drawn on his forehead in sharpie? Kravitz has been watching Jordan Peele’s high-concept horrors, and while Blink Twice lacks the crystalline perfection of Get Out, it learns all the right lessons. Kravitz’ stylish visuals, sly humor, and satirical sense hold much promise for her lmmaking future. I’m excited to see what she does next.
Blink Twice Now playing Multiple locations
Our critic picks the best films in theaters.
AfrAId
John Cho and Katherine Waterston star as a suburban couple who are chosen to test a new AI home assistant. At first AIA makes their lives a little easier by learning their habits and taking care of routine tasks. But as the AI learns and grows, it becomes more and more controlling until the family fears for their lives. Sound familiar? Chris Weitz (American Pie, Twilight: New Moon) directs.
Slingshot
Casey Affleck stars as John, an astronaut on a multi-year space mission to Titan, the moon of Saturn. To conserve enough food and air to get there, the crew must sleep in shifts for 90 days at a time. But
John notices every time he wakes up for his shift, something seems to have gone awry. Will the ship make it through its crucial slingshot maneuver past Jupiter? Also starring Laurence Fishburne as the ship’s captain.
1992
Set during the April 1992 Rodney King uprising in Los Angeles, this film follows two families whose lives unexpectedly intersect. The first is Mercer (Tyrese Gibson) who is trying to patch things up with his son while surviving the escalating street violence. The second is Riggin (Scott Eastwood), who is also trying to patch up his relationship with his son. His method is to plan an elaborate heist at Mercer’s workplace. These two father-son bonding strategies will collide on one fateful night.
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memphisprevention.org
THE LAST WORD
By Robert C. Koehler
Countering the DNC
Attending a Gaza vigil during DNC: “Our country has the power to be a leader of peace.”
e Democratic National Convention was happening here in Chicago — my city — and I sat frozen at my desk, staring at my computer. Earlier in my life, yeah, I’d have gone down to the United Center, linked arms with the sane and outraged, joined the cry: Stop funding genocide!
Instead, here I was, gawking at the event’s opening ceremony of day two: A pastor delivers a public prayer, at one point saying we should treat all humans “as sacred creations of the Almighty.” Huh? Is he serious? Does he really mean this? e word “sacredness” has been let loose, joined by “God.” Someone sings the national anthem. e delegates recite the good ol’ Pledge of Allegiance, their hands ceremoniously pressed against their hearts. en “God Bless America” lls the hall.
e message I hear, quietly hovering behind the words, is this: Democrats are as patriotic as Republicans! Democrats are as religious as Republicans! We can put on a good show too — our clichés are fantastic.
Ceremony can matter, but when it’s basically just a curtain hiding reality … God help us all. I felt squeezed by fury and frustration. Oh, the platitudes of peace. I shut o my computer and decided, I’m gonna do it. Earlier I had received an email from the American Friends Service Committee, inviting me to an interfaith “Remember Gaza” vigil, happening that night at Montrose Harbor, a few miles from where I live. Suddenly I felt called to be there, at this “interfaith vigil to honor those who have been killed in the genocide in Gaza, to highlight the urgent need for a permanent cease re, and an end to U.S. weapons sales to Israel.”
e speakers would be Jewish, Muslim, Christian, as well as people who had lost loved ones in Gaza. And it would be taking place in the wake of the Biden administration’s latest approval of $20 billion in arms sales to Israel — you know, the reality the DNC event was hiding behind its curtain of faith and patriotism. I had to do something besides sit and stew. Attending a vigil on Lake Michigan at least seemed doable. Would it “solve” anything? Uh … maybe not, but I had to make my opposition to my country’s policy physically apparent, or so I heard my conscience scream from some deep inner place. e tricky part about this is that I’m an old klutz, with achy legs and a disintegrating ability to retain balance. Simply heading o to a lakefront vigil ain’t what it used to be. I brought my cane and drove to Montrose Harbor. Fortunately, I le an hour early, just in case I ran into unexpected di culties, which happened immediately. I’d forgotten how complex the area was and wound up parking nowhere near the actual site of the vigil. e park area was full of people: several volleyball games going on, families enjoying themselves. Music was playing. But nothing looked like a vigil in the process of organizing itself. I started fearing that the event had been canceled. I asked the hostess at a lakefront restaurant if she knew where the vigil was and she had no idea what I was talking about. Uh-oh …
By then I had been hobbling around for a mile or so, which (I hate to say it) is a lot more walking than I normally do. I felt exhausted. Grudgingly, I decided to leave — and then I saw a woman holding a Palestinian ag, directing tra c. Big wow. is was it! “ e vigil is about 500 yards from here,” she told me, “down a curving walkway.” I kept hobbling. A short while later, a caring couple who were heading to the vigil stopped their car and gave me a ride the rest of the way.
I had made it. ings were just about to start. ere may have been as many as 200 people sitting along the concrete steps facing the beach. e sun was setting, the sky was a beautiful reddish blue, the dark waves swooshed into shore.
“Our souls are tired,” a speaker lamented, and another speaker reminded us that the ground we were sitting on, this very moment, had been Hopi, Ojibway, Potawatomi homeland … forcibly taken through genocide. “ ink of the many untold stories of genocide that happened right here on this land.” at set the tone — for the poetry and grief and mourning, mixed with the sunset and the waves.
One speaker declared: “Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, we call upon you to remember the people of Gaza! Our country has the power to be a leader of peace. We want to vote for candidates that are pro-peace. Please give us that choice.”
In a di erent context, such words might seem trivial, easily shrugged o . But in that moment, they seemed not only deeply felt but real — as real as the wind that swept across the beach and stirred the waves.
A day later — what? I know that such words amount to virtually nothing by themselves. ey only resonate when they are spoken in a context of commitment, plans, and action, a la the civil rights movement. For now, as the DNC continues, I hear them not simply as a cry of hope but as an emerging certainty, the struggle for which will not stop.
Robert Koehler (koehlercw@gmail.com), syndicated by PeaceVoice, is a Chicago award-winning journalist and editor. He is the author of Courage Grows Strong at the Wound and his newly released album of recorded poetry and art work Soul Fragments
PHOTO: RAFAEL BEN ARI | DREAMSTIME.COM
Decrying America’s complicity in the death of 40,000 Palestinians
