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Some of you may recall from my rst o cial editor’s letter a couple years ago, or from our “meet the team” ads with sta headshots and bios, that I name-dropped the place where I spotted a Memphis Flyer for the rst time. A Desoto County (Mississippi) resident, I was still a student, with a passion for writing and sights set on a journalism degree. My other passion was music — not playing it (too impatient), but listening and dissecting. (My original goal was to write for Rolling Stone magazine — two birds and all.) e only things I really knew of Memphis then were Libertyland (Mid-South Fair nights were the best) and the numerous thri shops along parts of Airways and Getwell (the only routes I’d take to cross the state line because the interstate was especially scary for a young Shara).
SHARA CLARK
Editor-in-Chief
ABIGAIL MORICI
Managing Editor
JACKSON BAKER, BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN
Senior Editors
TOBY SELLS
Associate Editor
KAILYNN JOHNSON News Reporter
CHRIS MCCOY
Film and TV Editor
ALEX GREENE Music Editor
MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers
GENE GARD, EMILY GUENTHER, COCO JUNE, PATRICIA LOCKHART, FRANK MURTAUGH
Contributing Columnists
SHARON BROWN, AIMEE STIEGEMEYER Grizzlies Reporters
CARRIE BEASLEY
Senior Art Director
CHRISTOPHER MYERS
Advertising Art Director
NEIL WILLIAMS Graphic Designer
KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE, SHAUNE MCGHEE, PATRICK PACHECO Senior Account Executives
CHET HASTINGS
Warehouse and Delivery Manager
JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution
KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher
THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 memphisflyer.com
CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC.
ANNA TRAVERSE FOGLE Chief Executive O cer
LYNN SPARAGOWSKI Controller/Circulation Manager
JEFFREY GOLDBERG Chief Revenue Officer
MARGIE NEAL Chief Operating Officer
KRISTIN PAWLOWSKI Digital Services Director
Back then, in the early 2000s, there was a little music shop — Disc-O-Tech — in Southaven, a few blocks away from my job at a local dry cleaners. Many days, before or a er my shi , I’d stop in to browse new releases or dig for used copies of albums I hadn’t yet acquired. My tastes were all over the place those days, o en in uenced by friends, MTV, or the radio. And I loved to explore songs with the windows down and car speakers at full blast. So that little shop was a regular destination in my weekly routine. Over a few years, I lled many CD booklets with classic and obscure tunes, thanks almost solely to that store.
It helped that the proprietor Tom “Tomcatt” Stephens was cool as a cucumber and always greeted me with a smile. We’d come to know each other, as regulars and shop owners do. During those visits, Tomcatt would tell me about new inventory, ask about my current musical interests and if I had recommendations for albums to order. e fact that a Flyer rack sat at the entrance was then a mere bonus to my music trips. But soon it became habit for me to stop by even if I didn’t have enough money le from my measly paycheck to buy anything. Each Wednesday, like clockwork, I’d pop in to grab the new issue, excited to read my horoscope and the music coverage, to browse the many events happening in “the big city.” And, of course, to chat with Tom for a few. He knew a lot about music, and I was eager to know more. He’d ask me about school, and I’d keep him apprised. We became Facebook friends, and even though I paid fewer and fewer visits to Disc-OTech as college took over and I eventually moved to Memphis, we kept in touch. Tom was so proud of me when I announced I’d landed an internship with the Flyer. And later, when I wrote for Memphis Magazine. And especially when I became Flyer editor. e last time I went by, we talked and talked, catching up on life stu . I le with some ’90s movie soundtracks and an armload of used DVDs. My sister had gone with me. He posted on my Facebook page a day or two later how nice it was to see me and meet Shelly. Nearly 20 years a er we rst crossed paths, just as genuine and pleasant as ever. I’m sharing this now because Tomcatt passed away in late July. My heart sank as it would with the loss of a close friend — because Tom, his presence, and that store were a huge part of my life. All the music I found through him shaped the person I am today. As did the copies of the Flyer I picked up there. ankfully, as they say, the show will go on at Disc-O-Tech, with new owners and a new name. Be sure to visit them at 1650 Mississippi Valley Blvd. in Southaven a er the November 1st reopening to help carry on Tom’s legacy and love of music. Rock on, Tomcatt!
“Tom ‘Tomcatt’ Stephens loved entering sweepstakes contests, scavenging estate sales, streaming ‘eagle cams,’ driving his Miata on winding roads, enjoying his favorite Silver Queen corn with “maters,” and watching an odd variety of television shows, but music of all genres was his true passion and legacy to our community. A Celebration of Everlasting Life to honor Tomcatt’s memory will be held on Sunday, October 27th, from 2 to 6 p.m. at Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. A brief service at 2:15 p.m. will kick o the commemorative festivities.”
Shara Clark shara@memphis yer.com
PHOTO: COURTESY MAGGIE CONWAY Muck Sticky with Tom and wife Maggie
THE fly-by
MEM ernet
Memphis on the internet.
BOLD
POSTED TO X BY @GETRIGHT3200
A perfect companion to our cannabis cover, MrDoRight brazenly displayed his nuggy wares over on X last week. “Look at this shit,” he croons in a looped video. Prices ran from $650 for a half pound down to $40 for a quarter.
Respect the hustle but hocking the green (and illegal) gold so publicly seems a risky business.
COMIC
CONTASTIC
“#ComicCon2024 was a SMASHING SUCCESS!”
Memphis Public Libraries said on X over the weekend.
“Be sure to check out our photos and videos from the fun!”
POSTED TO X BY
BOWL BOUND
POSTED TO X BY MEMPHIS
e University of Memphis Tiger football team quali ed for a bowl game this year (for the 11th year in a row) a er its win over North Texas last weekend. #gtg
{CITY REPORTER
By Kailynn Johnson
Questions, Answers + Attitude
Edited by Toby Sells
Northside Transformation
Project is “largest private sector investment in a low-income Black neighborhood in the city of Memphis.”
Residents can expect to move into Northside Square, a renovation of the historic Northside High School, in 2026.
e Works Inc., along with ComCap Partners, Memphis Mayor Paul Young, and regional president of First Horizon Bank Louis “Bo” Allen Jr., gathered at the lawn of the former high school last week to celebrate the nancial closing of the development.
Northside High was closed in 2016 due to low enrollment. Ofcials contribute this to “population loss and disinvestment,” yet they are hopeful that the project will bring new life to the Klondike neighborhood, which is one of the oldest African-American communities in the city. O cials said this represents the “largest private sector investment in a low-income Black neighborhood in the city of Memphis.”
O cials gathered at the lawn of the former Northside High School to celebrate the nancial closing of the Northside Square development.
it also invites newcomers to create a “vibrant” atmosphere.
“ e 270,000-square-foot building is currently being transformed into a community hub that includes o ce space; education, healthcare, food, and beverage services; and community events and programming on the basement level and oors one and two, while the third oor will consist of 42 a ordable residential units,” e Works said in a statement.
e Works acquired the property in 2021 and immediately began environmental remediation. In November 2023, they entered the nancial closing stage of the project.
Quincy Jones, director of programs and special projects at e Works, said this contributes to a larger initiative known as “Moving Klondike Forward.” is serves as an effort for community development, while also preserving the historical signi cance of the site.
Roshun Austin, The Works’ president/CEO, added that the city has a “dearth” of affordable housing. While she noted this as a national problem as well, she said Memphis needs about 40,000 affordable housing units to address its shortfall.
“We have opportunities throughout the Klondike neighborhood to provide housing for people, so we’re not displacing those who live here,” Austin added.
She went on to say that not only does this serve as a way to encourage those who have le the neighborhood to come back,
“We’re really focused on this a ordable population that Memphis needs to serve and do a better job of serving,” Austin said.
e mayor also expressed his enthusiasm for the innovative project, as it will also provide workforce development and training, literacy advocacy, arts programming, and more.
Young said Northside Square will be an opportunity to bring a ordable housing to the neighborhood. He said residents in the neighborhood not only deserve housing accommodations but also “high-quality” ones.
“It’s amazing to see an asset that was closed down in 2016 now being revitalized to be a hub of activity for this community,” Young said. “ is Northside Project is going to draw upon the principles of Memphis 3.0.”
Young said Ashley Cash, director of housing and community development, led an investment of $2 million from the a ordable housing trust fund for the new units as well. is contributes to the $81 million budget, with other funding sources including New Markets Tax Credit equity, conventional debt, and “$48 million in sponsor’s equity using private philanthropic dollars.”
Archie Willis III, founder and president of ComCap Partners, said the project will have one- and two-bedroom units, designed by Aaron Patrick Architects. Willis said they will be lo -style and hopes that the design, paired with a ordability, will attract new and younger residents to the neighborhood.
FOOTBALL
PHOTO: KAILYNN JOHNSON
Discipline Blocked {
e ruling represents a rare victory for reproductive right advocates in Tennessee.
Athree-judge panel ruled last week that the limited emergency healthcare exceptions outlined in Tennessee’s near-total abortion ban are so vague that doctors have a legitimate fear of prosecution or professional discipline for performing medically necessary abortions.
e Chancery Court panel temporarily blocked the state’s medical board from disciplining doctors for providing emergency abortions but declined to block criminal prosecution of physicians, saying it lacked the authority to do so.
e ruling also outlined four speci c pregnancy-related conditions that qualify as “medical necessity” exceptions
to the state’s abortion ban, noting the “confusion and lack of consensus within the Tennessee medical community on the circumstances requiring necessary health- and life-saving abortion care.”
“ e evidence presented underscores how serious, di cult, and complex these issues are and raises signi cant questions as to whether the Medical Necessity Exception is sufciently narrow to serve a compelling state interest,” the court ruled, invoking the legal standard of review to determine the constitutionality of a law. To meet the standard the law must be essential and not overly broad.
Attorneys with the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents the
doctors and women who led suit, did not immediately respond to a request for comment late last week.
In an emailed statement, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti asserted Tennessee law is already consistent with the panel’s ruling.
e law “allows pregnant women to receive all necessary care to address serious health risks,” the statement said. “ e Court’s limited injunction order mirrors that understanding. We all agree that doctors should save lives and protect their patients. We will con-
Doctors try to get Gov. Bill Lee’s attention in 2022.
By Anita Wadhwani, Tennessee Lookout
tinue to defend the law enacted by the people’s elected representatives.”
e ruling represents a rare victory for reproductive right advocates in Tennessee, which has one of the strictest abortion bans in the nation, with no exception for rape, incest, or severe fetal anomalies.
e lawsuit was led last year by two doctors and a total of seven women denied emergency abortion care, some who joined the lawsuit a er it was initiated.
e panel concluded the women’s fundamental rights are violated when they are denied abortions in health emergencies.
“Because Plainti Patients were denied necessary abortion care, they su ered severe risks to their life and health, including death, infection, severe bleeding, and potential loss of fertility,” they said.
“Plainti Patients’ right to life is a fundamental right,” the ruling said.
e court, in an e ort to clarify what it characterized as the vague language of the law, also ruled the following serious medical conditions constitute emergency exceptions to the state’s abortion ban. ey are:
• Previable preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM)
• Inevitable abortion, de ned as dilation of the cervix prior to viability of the pregnancy, either by preterm labor or cervical insu ciency
• Fatal fetal diagnoses that lead to maternal health conditions, such as severe preeclampsia and mirror syndrome associated with fetal hydrops
• Fatal fetal diagnoses leading to an infection that will result in uterine rupture or potential loss of fertility
Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonpro t news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
PHOTO: JOHN PARTIPILLO, TENNESSEE LOOKOUT
POLITICS By Jackson Baker
A Deepening Divide
A new survey tells a disturbing tale about race and poverty in Memphis and Shelby County.
A local study of poverty rates in Memphis and Shelby County conrms what most people, local and otherwise, probably already suppose to be the case.
e incidence of poverty is higher in the city proper than in the county as a whole, and both Memphis and Shelby County have a higher rate of poverty than does Tennessee, while the state itself has a higher incidence of poverty than pertains in the nation.
e study, entitled 2024 Memphis Poverty Fact Sheet, was prepared by local analysts Elena Delavega and Gregory M. Blumenthal, a husband-and-wife team who undertake annual statistical reports on the incidence of poverty.
If there is a surprise in the study, based on 2020 census gures, it is that poverty rates for non-Hispanic whites are higher in Tennessee at large than in the United States, Shelby County, and the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) of Memphis. is might seem to suggest a rising a uence gap between the state’s white residents and its Black and brown residents. It also has implications concerning the e ects of out-migration from the Memphis area.
Poverty in Memphis and Shelby County has increased since last year, the authors nd. “ is is true for most groups, including children and minorities, but not for whites in Memphis or Shelby County,” they say. “Poverty for non-Hispanic whites has fallen since 2022. It also appears that the population size of non-Hispanic whites in the city of Memphis has dropped more than for other groups, suggesting that those non-Hispanic whites who le were those in poverty.”
It is “not a surprise,” say the authors, that the poverty rate among minorities is higher than among whites. Indeed, they nd that structural disparities based on race seem to have accelerated in 2023. “[ ese] disparities remain and will require deliberate e orts to dismantle. Solving poverty will require regional solutions and regional investments.”
One possible explanation for what seems to be a deepening divide locally is that the labor market in Memphis tends to consist of unskilled workers in the warehouse industry. “ e lack of comprehensive, e ective, and e cient public transportation also makes progress against poverty quite di cult,” the authors say.
“An additional problem has been that
of external rms acquiring Memphis housing stock and renting it to Memphians at in ated prices, which makes it almost impossible for local families to a ord housing.”
Finally, say the authors, “ e divide between the city and the county, as evidenced by the racial and geographical di erences in poverty, tends to deprive the city of Memphis of the funds it needs to support the region.”
Apropos the racial divide, the authors note that while Memphis ranks second in overall poverty and rst in child poverty among large MSAs (urbanized areas with populations greater than 1,000,000) and second in overall poverty and child poverty among cities with over 500,000 population, it ranks signi cantly better when only whites are included.
Ranked only by its white population, Memphis is positioned signi cantly lower in the list, ranking 25th among 54 large MSAs (populations greater than 1,000,000) and 61st among 114 MSAs with populations greater than 500,000.
Ominously, the authors conclude that while the long-term poverty trend provides evidence of the structural nature of poverty in Memphis, ve-year trend graphs suggest that disparities are increasing along racial lines.
• Meanwhile, on the eve of the pending presidential election, an equally fraught nding comes from a new poll by the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy. e survey, conducted from September 20th to 23rd, based on responses from 1,030 adults across the nation, concludes that most Americans think that democracy is in danger.
More than 50 percent of Americans think that our democracy is “under attack” in the run-up to the election.
e Unity Poll is meant to o er “regular snapshots of Americans’ sense of national political unity and their faith in the country’s democratic institutions,” according to Vanderbilt professor John Geer.
PHOTO: COURTESY DELAVEGA AND BLUMENTHAL Poverty as a percentage of population
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AT LARGE By Bruce VanWyngarden
Weekend at Donnie’s
A campaign comedy of the absurd.
You probably saw that weird Trump rally last week. I mean, they’re all weird, but I’m talking about the one where a couple of people in the crowd fainted and the candidate decided that rather than answering any more questions, he would spin some sweet tunes from his personally curated rally playlist.
For the next 39 minutes, Trump stood and swayed on stage, occasionally waving or pointing, but mostly just swaying, apparently blissed out by hearing Elvis’ “An American Trilogy” and other tunes from his playlist for the 10,000th time. It was bizarre.
As I watched clips of the rally, I was struck by the dilemma of those stuck onstage with the former president. They couldn’t leave, so they had to pretend like what was happening was not weird. They shuffled awkwardly, whispered to each other, waved desultorily, shuffled some more. Event MC Kristi Noem bounced around in cheerleader mode for a while, pointing, clapping, making the “YMCA” song gestures, trying to pretend it was normal. It must have been exhausting for all of them.
that Bernie isn’t dead, just really drunk and stoned. And yeah, it’s as stupid as it sounds. But I think that’s what Trump’s campaign handlers are trying to do during the campaign’s final weeks: sustain the illusion that their man is okay by keeping him upright and limiting his appearances to pep rallies and friendly media. They know Trump is losing sentience with each passing day, but they’ll worry about that after he wins. And that’s a terrifying thought.
The one helpful thing that Trump accomplished during his first term was to demonstrate the flaws in our system, the first of which is that a president can just ignore the law, especially if he or she is enabled by a compliant majority in either house of Congress or a politicized Department of Justice. So, we owe him thanks for that, I guess.
And because of Trump, we learned the hard way that our democracy is only as good and decent as the president we elect to run it. A president who decides to disregard the established traditions, and even the law (Emoluments Clause, anyone?), can get away with it. The U.S. attorney general, for example, was intended by the Constitution to be the peoples’ steward of justice, a person who would tell the president the truth and stand up for the rule of law. After a couple of false starts, Trump found Bill Barr, an AG who would do his bidding like a Mafia capo. “You want an investigation quashed? No problem, Boss. This guy Epstein bothering you?”
And it didn’t stop with the Justice Department. The Education Department was run by a woman who made millions in privatized education. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was turned into a propaganda agency, forced to bury or alter scientific data to suit the president’s Covid-19 agenda.
I read an opinion piece that compared the scene to Hans Christian Andersen’s folktale, The Emperor’s New Clothes, in which no one in the emperor’s entourage has the courage to tell their boss that he’s walking around naked in public. That certainly works as an analogy, but for me the rally evoked Weekend at Bernie’s vibes.
If you have somehow managed to avoid encountering that movie classic from 1989, let me summarize: Two young insurance company executives discover their mob-connected boss Bernie is dead after arriving early at his house in the Hamptons for a big weekend party. Convinced that the police would think they murdered him, the employees spend the weekend trying to sustain the illusion for party-goers
The Treasury, Energy, and Interior departments were run by lobbyists in the pocket of those they were supposed to be regulating. Even the military was politicized, with top generals replaced if they questioned or refused to bend to Trump’s unconstitutional whims: “We can’t bomb Mexico, sir. And no, we’re not going to ‘nuke a hurricane.’”
I could go on. Looking back at Trump’s first term is real nightmare fuel, but imagining the decisions this barely cognizant man could make in a second term with handlers such as Stephen Miller, Steve Bannon, Roger Stone, and the Trump children calling the shots? That would not be a playlist any decent American would want to listen to.
Grind Time
Will both atonement and vengeance drive the Grizzlies’ e orts this year?
Injuries and frustrations plagued the Memphis Grizzlies for most of the 2023–2024 season, beginning with standout point guard Ja Morant’s 25-game ban. Even a er making a triumphant return, Morant was sidelined with a season-ending shoulder surgery that limited him to playing just nine games.
Coming o two seasons when they were near the top of the Western Conference, this young club was humbled and nished near the bottom of the standings.
By the time the regular season ended, Memphis had most of its roster on the injured list. ey took on a record number of 10-day contracts to have the minimally allowed number of available players and relied heavily on the players on two-way contracts. No team in NBA history has employed more players and starting lineups than the Grizzlies last season.
e departure of Steven Adams to the Houston Rockets and the minimal playing time that backup Brandon Clarke had in the previous season a er undergoing Achilles tendon surgery le the Grizzlies in dire need of a competent big man heading into the o season.
With the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NBA dra , the Grizzlies acquired 7’4” Purdue center Zach Edey, who addressed a gap in the team’s roster. e remainder of the league is in for some terrifying hours if Edey’s preseason dominance continues into the regular season and beyond.
Along with Edey, the Grizzlies selected small forward Jaylen Wells with the 39th pick in the dra . As the lone Grizzlies player to reach double digits in ve preseason games, Wells was a shining example of the team’s potential on both ends of the oor.
A er Derrick Rose asked to be waived and subsequently retired from the league, another roster spot became available. As a result, Scotty Pippen Jr.’s two-way contract was converted to a standard multiyear deal while Yuki Kawamura went from having an Exhibit 10 contract to having a two-way o er.
New Beginnings
Will both atonement and vengeance drive the Grizzlies’ e orts this year?
e Grizzlies will be considered underdogs to begin the season due to recency bias in the national media’s expected rankings. at
being said, it’s for the best because that’s where this squad excels.
“We know who we are; we know what we’re capable of. It’s just about going out there and doing it now,” Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane said during media day.
e previous two seasons prove that Memphis can in ict havoc at the top of the Western Conference when healthy, so fans should see last season’s dismal record as more of an outlier than anything else. ey have the ability to get back on track in the standings. It may not be returning to the second seed, but it de nitely will be an improvement over the previous position in last year’s campaign.
With former Defensive Players of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. and Marcus Smart plus defensive menace Vince Williams Jr., this organization has a strong defensive foundation. Memphis was 12th in the NBA in defensive rating last season, despite their entire season being a train wreck.
Solid role players, including threepoint shooters and young, adaptable talent, complement the club’s depth that is already strong thanks to Bane, Jackson Jr., and its spark Morant.
Forward GG Jackson II, who made a meteoric rise to prominence last season at the tender age of 19, is someone the Grizzlies are keeping their ngers crossed for. He was the game-changer in a doomed season and earned himself a standard contract. With 6’9”, highly athletic Jackson II on the court, it provides the team dynamic options, particularly in half-court sets. Last season, fans didn’t get to witness Jackson II and Morant develop a connection on
the court.
Since Jackson II is still healing from foot surgery, we should expect to see him start the season sometime in December, so we will need to exercise patience till we witness his and Morant’s synergy.
e Grizzlies need to get back to their brand of basketball. When Memphis was the Western Conference runner-up in 2021–22 and 2022–23, they averaged more points in the paint than any other team in the league. ey had the worst point di erential and placed 13th in the Western Conference a season ago.
e squad now is looking to boast a more dynamic o ensive game thanks to Taylor Jenkins and his reorganized coaching sta . Last year, Memphis’ o ensive rating was the worst in the league.
Edey and Morant’s pick-and-rolls will feed families this season. Edey’s t into the starting center position will allow Jackson Jr. to play at the four, where he excels.
Making a deep run in the playo s is within reach if Memphis can avoid signi cant injuries this upcoming season.
12 Is Back
Given that the NBA is known as a “what have you done for me lately” league, some may have forgotten about Morant’s presence on the court.
“A happy Ja is a scary Ja,” according to Morant, who made the bold proclamation during last month’s media day.
Morant showed ashes of his dominance in the last preseason game this past Friday. In 25 minutes of play, Morant ended with 17 points and six
PHOTOS: WES HALE
(le ) Ja Morant (12) and Yuki Kawamura dance at the Memphis Grizzlies open practice on October 6th at FedExForum.
(right) Scotty Pippen Jr. shoots the ball during warm-ups before the preseason game against the Charlotte Hornets at FedExForum on October 10th.
assists in the preseason nale. He called his performance light and implied a secret weapon will be seen in the season opener in Utah.
e South Carolina native was thrilled to return to FedExForum a er injury, citing fans as his driving force and motivation to perform. It was his rst time playing before the home crowd since January 3, 2024.
In 2022–23, his last complete season (61 games), he played 31.9 minutes per game and averaged 26.2 points, 8.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals.
He understands that his availability is crucial to the Grizzlies’ success, so he’s been making an e ort to avoid injuries and o -the-court issues like those that nearly derailed his career. e two-time All-Star is still one of the league’s most exciting players, and he will make sure the league remembers who he is.
By Toby Sells
Ge ing Real … Real High
Cand Tennessee still ain’t ready for it.
ing real consequences (like jail time) running afoul of real laws. Real law enforcement o cials do real work to simultaneously follow state and federal rules that o en con ict. All of it, for now, runs easily into real gray territory as all of the players navigate a foggy system for a product once only the punch line of bad Willie Nelson jokes. Foggy? Take this statement, for example: Ice is legal in Tennessee; water is illegal.
is confusing analogy was the simplest way the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) could describe a serious cannabis law-and-evidence situation back in August. at situation may have the realest consequences. Some in Tennessee have been wrongly thrown into a tangled thorn bush of law and science, state’s rights versus federal law. Customers here bought a cannabis product made legal by the legislature in 2023. But the product became illegal (chemically speaking) while in the customer’s possession or a er it was taken by police. But neither questions of science nor jurisdiction were likely on that cannabis customer’s mind as they sat in a dingy jail cell for following what they thought was Tennessee law.
is real-world scenario has proven one of the hardest turns in Tennessee’s
zigzag e orts to create and nurture a safe and legal cannabis marketplace
here since 2018. With its hard-line refusal to make cannabis legal for recreational use (as 24 states have done with more likely to come) or to create a legal marketplace for medical use (as 38 states have done), Tennessee nds itself in that legal/scienti c thorn bush, splitting hairs with customers’ freedom in the balance.
from its list of the worst drugs. at move would likely change things dramatically in Tennessee, from consideration of a medical cannabis program to outright recreational use
across the state. Until then, Tennessee lawmakers, consumers, businesses, and law enforcement o cials operate in gray areas that could go quickly black and white, depending on who’s asking.
But Tennessee is certainly not alone as it tangles with hemp-derived THC products or their marketplace. e U.S. Congress created these — and their many issues — when it made hemp legal on the federal level. Some have said the intent was the plant itself, not the many “intoxicating” substances scientists have been able to pull from the .3 percent of THC hidden inside legal hemp plants.
To some lawmakers, these products and their marketplace were “unintentional” and they’re working to close the “loophole.” Other states, like Georgia, have moved to allow the products but ban big product categories, like smokeable ower and THCA. Of course, other states, like Colorado, have made all marijuana products legal but closely regulated and richly taxed. All of these things are happening while the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
at’s just what happened to George Worden in Middle Tennessee in 2019.
Unapologetic about “unreliability”
Worden, of Gallatin, bought nine grams of a hemp product (a plant material, likely ower) at a local cannabis store. Stopped by police, they tested his purchase. One test was negative, the other inconclusive. e local district attorney general sent Worden’s stu o to the TBI.
Worden refused to admit wrongdoing or take a plea deal. He took the charge to court. ere, the TBI’s report said his hemp contained more than 1 percent of delta-9 THC, and a TBI chemist testi ed in court that it was “marijuana.” In 2020, Worden was convicted, ned $1,500, and sentenced to 60 days in jail. He paid up and served
his time. Still, the blemish on his crimi-
nal record remained.
In February of this year, Worden’s attorney got a shocking phone call from the Sumner County District Attorney General’s o ce. e TBI admitted its testing method may have raised the levels of THC in Worden’s legally purchased hemp. e DA there wanted to reverse Worden’s conviction.
“Considering this new information about the potential for unreliability in the TBI’s THC testing process at the time of the investigation, combined with the doubts raised in the trial proof regarding inconclusive eld test results, the evidence in this case does not support the defendant’s conviction beyond a reasonable doubt,” wrote Sumner County Criminal Court Judge Dee David Gay in the order vacating Worden’s conviction.
Later in 2024, the TBI told the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference about changes in their cannabis testing methods. e changes could overturn some convictions, like Worden’s, and suggested the DAs review some recent cannabis cases. With that, Worden’s conviction may have been the rst case overturned with the new information. But it likely won’t be the last.
Yet you won’t hear TBI Director David Rausch admitting problems with his agency’s testing. Nor will you hear him give an apology to anyone — like Worden — who may have spent time
behind bars because of TBI tests.
“I have no apologies because I don’t have anything that I need to apologize for,” Rausch told reporters in August as word about THC testing issues began to surface. “We owe no apologies based on what we do because there is no aw in the e ort that we have put forward.”
In fact, Rausch said, “I take o ense” to some of the “in ammatory statements made” about his agency and its testing. He said, “Our testing is solid.” However, in that same news conference Mike Lyttle, the assistant director for the TBI’s Forensic Services Division, admitted, “We don’t have instruments in place right now to tell the di erence between THCA and THC.” While the TBI is now spending around $600,000 for equipment to do the tests, they send about 1,000 THCA samples o to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) for testing in those cases.
Rausch said his team only provides results and data. Anything beyond that — possession charges in Worden’s case — are completely up to DAs. Further, when the Tennessee General Assembly changed hemp laws last year, his o ce interpreted them in-house. With that, they changed from reporting the amounts of delta-9 and began reporting it all as total THC. en in the news conference, Rausch sort of threw up his hands at the minutiae.
“Remember, federally, this plant is still illegal, right?” Rausch said. “It doesn’t matter if you call it hemp. You call it whatever you want to call it. Federally, it’s still an illegal product.”
It was clear Rausch wants that simple, hard line on cannabis back in Tennessee. He said the bureau’s position is that all cannabis should be illegal once more here, and said con dently that there’s a “legislative x” for it. However, he said he does not lobby the legislature but would work with them to “clarify” the situation, noting that “making it illegal again would also be clarifying.”
“Not totally wiped out”
But making it illegal again would also wipe out a hemp-derived cannabis market in Tennessee roughly valued at more than $208 million over the last 12 months. In that time, the 6-percent tax on hemp-derived retail products has yielded $12.5 million in Tennessee tax revenues, according to Kelley Mathis Hess, CEO of the Tennessee Grower’s Coalition (TGC).
New rules from the TDA wouldn’t go that far. But they would ban THCA products, mostly smokeable, raw, hemp flower products. If those rules are implemented, “that segment of the industry is over,” Hess said, noting that the segment can count as much as 70 to 80 percent of an individual retailer’s sales.
“If the state does implement these rules, the people that lose are small businesses, consumers, and the state itself with the generated tax revenues,” she said. “Because it’s federally legal, I can still go online and order it from Florida, Texas, Oregon, New York — wherever it’s legal — and ship it here. A lot of people will probably just go back to the black market, get back on opioids, or something else.”
State lawmakers passed regulations on cannabis last year and put the TDA in charge of managing the program. is meant that agriculture o cials — not lawmakers — have made decisions about the future of the cannabis market here, including the one that could possibly ban smokeable THCA products.
For now, TGC has led its major grievances with the state on the new rules, hoping for some exibility, some relief. If the state won’t budge and bans smokeable THCA, the group has two months to le a lawsuit.
However, Hess said she hopes it doesn’t come to that. e industry has been exible, following three di erent sets of rules in a matter of eight months. But right now, the industry is “in limbo.”
“It’s new and we expect it to get bigger,” Hess said. “We just want the opportunity to mature, and continue, and not be totally wiped out.”
The Georgia experience
Georgia’s cannabis industry was dealt a massive blow from state lawmakers this year and, yes, it could be a sign of what’s to come in Tennessee.
e two states look similar when it comes to cannabis laws and approaches to the industry. Full recreational cannabis use is illegal in Georgia, like it is here. A limited number of patients can use medical cannabis oils there as here. However, state lawmakers in Georgia have allowed for certain cities — like Atlanta, Savannah, and Athens — to decriminalize cannabis possession for personal use. Meanwhile, Tennessee lawmakers overrode a Memphis City Council move to do the same here back in 2016.
Both states began to wrangle with a burgeoning cannabis industry that arose a er the signing of the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized hemp that contained small amounts of psychoactive substances. Industries in both states grew to see the familiar, green cannabis leaf appear in myriad shop windows. Industry groups arose in both, too, to lobby lawmakers and protect the business interests of cannabis growers and retailers.
Tennessee and Georgia also both decided to put cannabis regulation under the control of their departments of agriculture. e move has le some seemingly minute details in the hands
of bureaucrats instead of lawmakers. In Tennessee, this is done even though those details can, maybe, make or break the bottom lines of businesses in a state that loves to say how business-friendly it is.
At the beginning of the year, Georgia lawmakers sought to regulate the state’s cannabis industry. e House, Senate, and governor approved the Georgia Hemp Farming Act, a set of regulations for age restrictions, labeling guidelines, testing protocols, licensing, and more everyday matters for so many industries.
But the Georgia law outright banned smokeable products and THCA. e legal reasons for that go back to the idea of THC amounts rising when these products are heated. e real reason, though, is likely because it gets you high and Jesus doesn’t like that very much (nor does the liquor lobby, conspiracy theories say). But that’s not how lawmakers said it.
“Here in Georgia, the safety of our residents is top priority, especially that of our children and young people,” said Governor Brian Kemp in a statement. “Consumable hemp products are dangerous to minors and unregulated hemp products are a danger to all Georgians.”
So the state enacted some commonsense regulations and then completely removed two whole product categories — not just products — from store shelves. Imagine the state government telling a bookstore they couldn’t carry non ction or magazines anymore. Why? Well, we just don’t like them and we’re protecting our community. at ban began on October 1st.
State o cials said they’d give retailers a 90-day grace period to sell their remaining stock of now-illegal products. In the beginning, o cials said they’d focus on educating the public. But a September statement from Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper gave a di erent vibe.
“ e laws regarding under 21 sales and the sale of raw ower products are very straightforward and will be strictly enforced by our Law Enforcement and Hemp Program Divisions as well as other state and local law enforcement starting October 1st,” Harper said in a statement.
e Georgia Medical Cannabis Society said the new law was passed with “legislative sleight of hand” away from public comment and transparency. It’s also just bad for business.
“At its core, [the new law] presents a labyrinth of compliance hurdles that
threaten to ensnare the unassuming farmer, processor, retailer, and consumer alike,” reads a LinkedIn post from Yolanda Bennett, operations manager for the society. “From elds of uncertainty for our farmers, ensnared by increased compliance costs and regulatory burdens, to processors caught in the cross re of heightened testing and licensing expenses, the bill casts a long shadow of operational and nancial strain.
“Retailers and dispensaries, once bustling hubs of community and healing, now face a constricted market, hemmed in by zoning restrictions and naming conventions that sti e their identity and outreach. At the end of this domino e ect stand the consumers, bearing the brunt of increased product costs and reduced accessibility, their hands tied by the invisible chains of regulatory excess.”
e news had some Georgians scrambling. A number of Reddit posts in recent weeks have some saying they stocked up on their favorite ower or pre-rolls. Others said they planned to buy THCA products from online retailers in other states and have them dropshipped through a Georgia retailer — a move that is totally legal, they said.
Some were going to just quit cannabis but would miss it. Some suggested other hemp-derived cannabinoids like delta-8 or delta-9. Others suggested getting a medical cannabis card, which could grant them access to buy low THC oil. ese products contain less than 5 percent THC. Some were just going to call up their trusty illegal weed mane.
Again, this scenario could be a look into Tennessee’s crystal ball. Legalizing any intoxicating cannabis substance has been a bitter pill for state GOP lawmakers, no matter if cannabis supports agriculture and commerce, Tennessee’s o cial state motto.
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PHOTO:
continued from page 11
HEY YA’LL IT’S PANSY PLANTING TIME
the current Farm Bill, not waiting on any move from the DEA. is move would close the “loophole” that was “unintentionally” created in the 2018 Farm Bill that allowed hemp to be legalized, said U.S. Rep. John Rose (TN-6).
But should it, like Georgia, ban these perception-altering products, it will hardly be alone. New laws in Virginia had some retailers saying they could wipe out 90 percent of the products on their shelves. In August, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed an executive order outlawing all intoxicating hemp products. But the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services had to walk that one back, saying it would once again allow the sale of “psychoactive cannabis products” and instead it would focus on “misbranded” cannabis products.
“Hemp is a product that requires and demands the correct guidelines, and if we do not provide these guidelines, we are threatening the safety of Americans,” Rose said during a House Committee on Agriculture meeting in May. “ is amendment draws the much-needed line between the naturally occurring plant and adjacent particles, and the enhancing synthetic additives combined with the plant and placed on store shelves.”
Fed moves
Tennessee’s hard line on cannabis could end if the feds reclassify it, which would decriminalize it. at move is underway. While many here celebrate the light at the end of what’s has been a very long tunnel, GOP lawmakers are trying to dim those hopes.
e DEA announced this year would begin the process to remove cannabis from its list of the worst drugs. e public comment period in this move ended this summer. In those comments is a letter of opposition from several members of Congress, including U.S. Rep. David Kusto (TN-8) and Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty. Among other things, the letter says the DEA was “not properly consulted” on the move, which suggests they were pushed into the change (allegedly by the Biden administration, though it’s never mentioned directly).
e letter says not enough is yet known about marijuana to loosen its laws. e lawmakers point to several studies claiming to prove that the drug raises rates of schizophrenia in young men, psychosis, anxiety, cognitive failures, adverse respiratory events, cancer, cardiovascular outcomes, and gastrointestinal disorders.
Sexual dysfunction was twice as high in men who used marijuana, they said of another study. ey said marijuana use is responsible for more car crashes, violent behavior, alcohol use among veterans su ering PTSD, and a spike in emergency room visits, especially by young Black men.
“It is clear that this proposed rule was not properly researched, circumvented the DEA, and is merely responding to the popularity of marijuana and not the actual science,” reads the letter.
Yet another GOP-led move would ban all hemp-derived products — all of them — from
Not all Republicans want to ban the products, however. During that same meeting, U.S. Rep. Jim Baird (IN-4) said he’d vote no on the measure because “farmers around the country have invested their time and treasure over the last six years to develop a domestic supply chain of hemp and hemp products.”
e Senate version of the Farm Bill has not yet been released, though Democrats and Republicans alike have oated ideas to regulate the “intoxicating” hemp market, estimated to be worth around $30 billion in the U.S. last year.
So, what’s a Tennessee cannabis consumer to do?
“Be smart consumers,” said TBI director David Rausch. But also, “If you want marijuana, go buy it.” As far as legal hemp products purchased legally, Rausch advised consumers to:
1. Keep your receipt from the store. at will go a long way to convince a cop during a pullover stop that the cannabis ower you bought is supposed to be legal.
2. As you drive or transport it home, keep your product in its original packaging, unopened. If you’re carrying legal stu in a baggie in which police are used to seeing illegal stu , you could run into a legal challenge.
3. As you’re driving, keep everything in your front seat, in plain view of an o cer. is way it doesn’t look like you’re hiding anything.
4. Remember there is a chance of buying a product marked legal by a store, that may turn out to be illegal. You might not know until the police, the TBI, or the TDA test it.
steppin’ out
We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews
Sink Your Teeth In
By Abigail Morici
Ready your garlic, sharpen your stakes, and replenish your Holy Water stock because Ballet Memphis is kicking o its 38th season with Dracula this weekend.
Inspired by Bram Stoker’s novel, Ballet Memphis’ performance features original choreography by artistic director Steven McMahon, with original music, set design by Beowulf Borritt and Nate Bertone, and costumes by Hogan McLaughlin. is will be the second time Dracula hits the stage with Ballet Memphis, having premiered back in 2022 to great fanfare.
“ e community response to it last time was just fantastic,” says Ballet Memphis president and CEO Gretchen Wollert McLennon. “We thought we’d be bringing it back in three or four years, but we had such a great community response to it that we brought it back only two years later.”
Dracula, it turns out, translates perfectly to ballet. “You take a story like Dracula, which already has so much emotion behind it,” Wollert McLennon says, “and you just can imagine that a story that has that much depth to it, the opportunity then to explore it physically as artists and dancers really just takes that story to another level, right? So we’re feeling it. We’re seeing it in ways that allow Bram Stoker’s classic story to really come alive.
“Our sets and costumes are intentionally very simple so that the performance really immerses you in the thrill of the story of Dracula, and the dread and expectation that the story builds is really resonant in our work.”
e production is less than two hours, and attendees are encouraged to vamp it up by wearing a Halloween costume. e performance is not recommended for guests 12 and under.
Up next on Ballet Memphis’ schedule, though, is e Nutcracker, a 40-year, family-friendly tradition for the company. “Everyone loves e Nutcracker,” says Wollert McLennon, “and we love bringing it to the community because it brings families together. Sometimes the only time people experience dance in their lives is that moment when their parents took them, their grandmother took them, their neighbor took them. And so we know how important it is to everyone at this time of year; it’s really a centerpiece of everyone’s holiday tradition.”
Last year, Ballet Memphis introduced new costumes and set designs, plus a few new Memphis elements to the story, and the company will continue with these changes this December.
In February, Ballet Memphis will perform its Winter Mix, which will be a mixed repertory of contemporary and balletic dance, and in April comes the company’s Angels in the Architecture, a double bill of works by master choreographers and composers. For more information on the upcoming season and to purchase tickets, visit balletmemphis.org.
ORPHEUM THEATRE, 203 S. MAIN, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25-26, 7:30 P.M. | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2 P.M., $16-$91.
VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES October 24th - 20th
Record Swap & Zine Fest
Crosstown Concourse, 1350 Concourse Ave., Saturday, October 26, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., free
Calling all music lovers, record collectors, zinesters, artists, punks, poets, and weirdos! Memphis Listening Lab’s Record Swap and Crosstown Arts’ ninth annual Zine Fest are teaming up for one awesome event. Shop for records, CDs, and more. Memphis Listening Lab will have a variety of music-related merch and memorabilia on the rst oor of the Central Atrium, plus WYXR tees and radio station merch.
Head to the second oor to browse zines created by local makers and take part in a free zine-making table. Local artist Erica Qualy will lead zine-making demos from 1 to 3 p.m. Haven’t made a zine before? No problem! Just bring your ideas and get creative.
I AM: Breaking the Silence on Mental Health
Museum of Science & History, 3050 Central Ave., Saturday, October 26, 2:30-4 p.m., free
Join lmmakers Jessica Chaney and Amanda Willoughby for a screening of their documentary I AM: Breaking the Silence on Mental Health, spotlighting the stories of Black women working toward their own mental wellness while facing depression, anxiety, and other challenges. WKNO-PBS, Museum of Science and History, and Not Your Ordinary Films have joined forces to host this free screening.
Following the lm will be a panel discussion with the lmmakers and documentary participants, moderated by Kayla Myers.
RSVP at wkno.org/iam/screening.
On Friday, October 25th, at 7:30 p.m., WKNO/Channel 10 will broadcast this locally-made documentary.
A Magical Night at Overton Park
Overton Park Formal Gardens, 1928 Poplar Ave., Saturday, October 26, 6-9 p.m., $200
Join Overton Park Conservancy (OPC) for a garden gala honoring individuals, corporations, and organizations who embody and upli the conservancy’s mission through volunteerism, activism, and leadership. is year, OPC will honor outgoing executive director Tina Sullivan’s 12 years of transformative leadership with cocktails, great food, music, and a festive park atmosphere.
Expect live music by Ensemble X, food and drinks, a beautiful evening in the park, and many more surprises in Sullivan’s honor.
Purchase tickets at overtonpark.org.
DRACULA,
PHOTO: ZIGGY MACK Ballet Memphis’ Dracula
MUSIC By Alex Greene
Transformations
e reimagined Iris Collective hits its stride with the return of Memphian Randall Goosby.
O
ver two years ago, we reported that the beloved Iris Orchestra, facing an uncertain future, had transformed itself. Local fans of classical music will recall the orchestra’s unique brief since 2000: to bring a roster of virtuosos from around the world to Memphis for a few select concerts every year, and thus have them mingle with local host families and otherwise engage the community. And while their more than two decades of such concerts and engagement had been brilliant, a er Covid it seemed that model was nancially unsustainable.
But, it turned out, the players’ passion for the music and for Memphis prevailed, as the Iris Orchestra became the Iris Collective. Founder and conductor Michael Stern said at the time, “ e musicians themselves grouped together, committed to the idea that they simply would not let Iris go away. It was absolutely musician-driven. And Iris will continue on. It’s going to have a di erent feel. I will be less involved, and it will be an amalgam of ensembles, chamber music, orchestra concerts, and new ways of imagining community engagement.”
It was not a far leap for a group that had, from the beginning, committed itself to being “an ensemble for the 21st century — exible, nonhierarchical, and passionate about the highest
standards of performance.” Yet, as an even less hierarchical collective, Iris was now charting a new course. How has the group fared since the dramatic restructuring?
Judging by the upcoming performance at the Germantown Performing Arts Center on Saturday, November 2nd, featuring the rising star violinist and former Memphian Randall Goosby, with Michael Stern back to conduct the orchestra, Iris is thriving more than ever. Indeed, it’s appropriate that the program is titled Transformations, for it is proof positive that the ensemble’s metamorphosis has been complete. ose violet Iris petals have become wings, a butter y shed of its chrysalis and ready to y higher.
As executive director Rebecca Arendt says of the concert, “It’s a beautiful example of how we’ve evolved. Orchestral concerts were such a huge part of Iris Orchestra, obviously, but they’re not a focal point in Iris Collective. We love to do them. We’re really excited about the show coming up, but what we’re really excited about is to use it as an opportunity to showcase the importance of music education in our community. e week leading up to it, Randall Goosby will be here all week, working with the students that we work with every day. He’ll be in the classrooms with us. He’ll be working a er school with them, and then a number of them will be joining
us on the stage for one of our pieces.” at piece will be Adoration, by a composer who’s only been getting her due in this century, Florence Price. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, she moved to Chicago due to Jim Crow and became a part of the Chicago Black Renaissance, and, though celebrated at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, her work “fail[ed] to enter the canon; a large quantity of her music came perilously close to obliteration,” as Alex Ross wrote in e New Yorker in 2018. Yet as more ensembles have made a course correction to embrace composers of color, that has changed, and Price’s work has gained a higher pro le. “Adoration is really beautiful,” says Arendt. “Randall plays it o en. And there are a lot of iterations of it, so a number of our students have actually played it as an orchestral piece, just within their own programming that they do in schools. So to be able to come together to play it with professional musicians, with Randall as a soloist, with Michael Stern conducting, gives them a beautiful taste of what it’s like to be a professional musician with something that’s familiar to them already.”
performed all around the city while he was in high school.”
It certainly won’t be lost on those students that Goosby, the star soloist of the evening, was one of their own only 10 years ago. “He went to Arlington High School,” notes Arendt. “I don’t believe he ever studied with an Iris teacher, but a number of our Iris musicians have worked with the same teachers that he’s worked with. Still, he is a product of Memphis. He
Goosby also echoes the kind of community engagement on which the Iris Collective thrives. He’s deeply involved with several nonpro ts, such as Project: Music Heals Us, Concerts in Motion, and the U.K.-based Music Masters organization, which provides teaching, grants, and performance opportunities to young musicians. He’ll be carrying on such work in the week leading up to the concert as he makes special appearances in Iris’ educational programs, complementing the ongoing music instruction e orts of Iris artist fellows Gabriela Fogo and Roberta dos Santos. e centerpiece of the November 2nd performance by Goosby, Stern, and the Iris Collective will surely be Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, a foundational work in that instrument’s repertoire, opening with a striking solo violin passage that was unconventional for its time. But the players will also perform Emotive Transformations, a 2018 piece by James Lee III, and the folk-infused masterpiece Variaciones Concertante by Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera, which features a virtuosic movement for violin, Variazione in modo di Moto perpetuo. Yet Goosby’s star turn in this piece will be complemented with passages that highlight other musicians as well. at, says Arendt, perfectly captures the Iris ethos. “It’s a piece that exemplies what we think Iris Collective is all about because each variation highlights a di erent instrument within the orchestra. e collective wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for our musicians, so I love the fact that the concert ends by celebrating them. For us, the collective is really about many voices coming together for a single purpose, and that’s to make Memphis a great place to live and a great place to connect.”
PHOTO: KAUPO KIKKAS Randall Goosby
PHOTO: COURTESY IRIS COLLECTIVE
Iris artist fellows Gabriela Fogo and Roberta dos Santos
SAT 11.9.24 10AM-4PM
Mndsgn
AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule
October 24 - 30
Dance of the Dead With Anna Rose Baker, Jupiter Jones, A&M. 21+. ursday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m. HI TONE
Friday, Oct. 25, 9 p.m.
EIGHT & SAND
Songwriter Nights: Mary Hatley, Lucie Tiger and Lauren Freebird
Friday, Oct. 25, 7-9 p.m.
SOUTH MAIN SOUNDS
Fisk Jubilee Singers
$35. ursday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m.
BUCKMAN PERFORMING ARTS
CENTER
The University of Memphis Symphony Orchestra presents “Whimsy”
ursday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m.
UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS
Van Duren
ursday, Oct. 24, 6:308:30 p.m.
MORTIMER’S
Acid Mothers Temple
With Spirit Mother, Delta Stardust. Tuesday, Oct. 29, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Aquanet
Friday, Oct. 25, 10 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Area 51
Saturday, Oct. 26, 9 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Avid Violin
With Kitty Dearing & the Dagnabbits. $10. Wednesday, Oct. 30, 7:30-10:30 p.m. B-SIDE
Basketcase
Saturday, Oct. 26, 5 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Boney James: Slow Burn Tour
All ages. $62.50. Wednesday, Oct. 30, 8-10 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween
Classics
e Beale Street Quartet plays music inspired by Halloween under the glow of candlelight.
$29.63. Friday, Oct. 25, 6:3010 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Chris Maxwell
With Ambassador Parsley. Friday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m. BAR DKDC
Coco Moody’s Halloween Show Friday, Oct. 25, 9 p.m. B-SIDE
Daikaiju With Riskey Whispers, BVRNBVBYBVRN. Wednesday, Oct. 30, 9 p.m. GROWLERS
Ravefurrest Memphis 2.0
With Demi end, Hardcore Harlequin, Kittenhouse, Crispy, DJ Wholefoods, DJ Wildog. Friday, Oct. 25, 9 p.m. GROWLERS
David Collins Acoustic
Septet
Tuesday, Oct. 29, 8 p.m.
B-SIDE
Halloween Party with Bluff City Bandits
Friday, Oct. 25, 6 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Jeremy Stanfill Listening Event
Includes a live performance.
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 6 p.m.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
Jesse Wilcox
With Walt Phelan. Friday, Oct. 25, 9 p.m. BAR DKDC
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe with Zach Person
Saturday, Oct. 26, 8 p.m.
RAILGARTEN
Landslide (Fleetwood Mac Tribute)
Sunday, Oct. 27, 7 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Lawrence Matthews Friday, Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Lina Beach
Saturday, Oct. 26, 8 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Lucky 7 Brass Band
Saturday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m.
RAILGARTEN
Memphist Festival With Cold Hard Steel, Christworm, Seeing Hell A.D., Pressed, Decoration Policy. Friday, Oct. 25, 6 p.m. | Saturday, Oct. 26, 5 p.m.
HI TONE
My Skin Is Wax Wirh Yvng $ick, WHIT3CORSET, General Labor. ursday, Oct. 24, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Prince Daddy & The Hyena
With Ben Quad, Cli diver, Heart to Gold. Monday, Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m.
GROWLERS
Rachel Maxann ursday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m.
RAILGARTEN
PHOTO: COURTESY LAWRENCE MATTHEWS
Lawrence Matthews
Ryan Kidd & the Kobras Record Release
With Big Clown, Blu City Vice, Wesley & the Boys. Friday, Oct. 25, 8 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Skull Family
With HEELS, Wailing Banshees. 21+. ursday, Oct. 24, 10 p.m.
HI TONE
Sound Journey: Mike
Tamburo and Sean
Murphy
$25. Sunday, Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Sounds of Memphis: TEHKAL
ursday, Oct. 24, 6-8 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Steelwaves
Sunday, Oct. 27, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Uz Jsme Doma
With Snorkler. 21+. Sunday, Oct. 27, 9 p.m.
HI TONE
Vaneese Thomas
Saturday, Oct. 26, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
-X-
$39.45. ursday, Oct. 24, 8-10 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Zarr Halloween Party
With Walt Phelan. Saturday, Oct. 26, 9 p.m.
B-SIDE
Dale Watson
Friday, Oct. 25, 8 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Kelly Hunt
ursday, Oct. 24, 8 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Songs of the Riverbluff Clan
With Jimmy Davis, Richard Ford, Bill Yearwood, David Pierce, Brady Howle. Sunday, Oct. 27, 3 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Turnstyles
$9. ursday, Oct. 24, 6:308 p.m.
THE GROVE AT GERMANTOWN
PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Concordia College Orchestra Concert
Free. Sunday, Oct. 27, 7 p.m.
ST. GEORGE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Richard Wilson
ursday, Oct. 24, 11:30
a.m.-2 p.m. | Friday, Oct. 25, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. | Sunday, Oct. 27, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
JACKIE MAE’S PLACE
Based on Grimm’s Fairy Tales, a young girl is locked away to spin straw into gold. To escape, she enlists help of magical companions, plus the elf – Rumpelstiltskin. Filled with upbeat songs, vim & vigor!
The staff at Twin Oaks Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home takes great pride in caring for our families, and has made a commitment to provide you with a beautiful, lasting tribute to your loved one. Honoring your loved one is our top priority, and part of that is assisting you deal with grief during this difficult time.
Everyone’s needs are different, and for that reason, families can entrust their loved one’s wishes to our staff. We have a wide range of resources to support you not only today, but in the weeks and months to come. Here, everyone is welcome.
CALENDAR of EVENTS: October 24 - 30
ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS
“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 & Emotion”: Watercolors by Carol Caughey
Caughey paints “with arbitrary colors, lines, or shapes — whatever seems appropriate” to the mood of the moment. rough Oct. 30.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Andrea Morales: “Roll Down Like Water”
Featuring 65 photographs spanning a decade of work by the Memphis-based PeruvianAmerican photographer. rough Jan. 31.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
“Beyond the Surface”: The Art of Handmade Paper, Part I
Featuring handmade paper creations showcasing a variety of techniques that expand our understanding of the medium, created at Dieu Donne, a leading arts organization in New York. rough Dec. 15.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Billy Renkl: “Corporal Gestures” Renkl works with vintage and antique paper. “It is almost like a body, the way that it ages, gets scarred, bears the marks of what has happened to it, who has owned it, and how they used it,” he says. rough Nov. 16.
DAVID LUSK GALLERY
“Bracelets, Bangles, and Cuffs: 1948-2024”
A remarkable collection of contemporary bracelets. rough Nov. 17.
METAL MUSEUM
Huger Foote: “Two Rivers”
“You can feel the tension of a mysterious hidden story, one that keeps emerging and vanishing.” — Bernardo Bertolucci. rough Nov. 16.
DAVID LUSK GALLERY
Kevin A. Williams: “Native Son” Williams is one of the most celebrated figurative storytellers of this era. Through Dec. 15.
HYATT CENTRIC
“Manor in Mourning” Exhibit
Featuring over 100 19th century mourning artifacts, like mourning attire, prints, hair jewelry, and more will be displayed. rough Oct. 31
DAVIES MANOR HISTORIC SITE
PHOTO: COURTESY DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Anna Hood, the Dixon’s guest artisteducator, gives a lecture next Wednesday, October 30th.
Master Metalsmith
Preston Jackson: “A Hidden Culture” is exhibition “reveals history that has been buried, forgotten, or deemed unimportant by society.” rough Jan. 26.
METAL MUSEUM
“Meeting Room”: The Six Points Artists
Featuring six artists — Sharon Havelka, Mary Jo Karimnia, Paula Kovarik, Carrol McTyre, Jennifer Sargent, Mary K. VanGieson — at the Bornblum Library. rough Nov. 27.
SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
“Pissarro to Picasso”: Masterworks from the Kirkland Family Collection anks to the generosity of the Kirkland family of Los Angeles, enjoy 18 art treasures from the family’s collection. Sundays 1-5 p.m., TuesdaySaturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; ird ursdays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Mondays. rough Jan. 26.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Preston Jackson: Tales of the River City e massive outdoor metalwork features narrative vignettes from Jackson’s family history near the Mississippi River. rough Jan. 26.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Sayali Abhyankar:
“Dhara (Mother Earth)”
Sayali Abhyankar’s acrylic paintings feature vibrant colors and patterns based on two traditional Indian folk art styles. rough Nov. 27.
MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY
Southern Heritage Classic Exhibit
e story of Fred Jones Jr., founder of the Southern Heritage Classic. rough Feb. 28.
NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
Summer Art Garden:
“Creatures of Paradise”
An environment lled with vibrant and whimsical beings. rough Oct. 26.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
ART HAPPENINGS
Paul Edelstein: “Through the Years”
A retrospective collection of pieces from various stages of Edelstein’s career. Friday, Oct. 25, 5-7 p.m.
ANF ARCHITECTS
Pumpkin Decorating Contest
Enter your carved or decorated pumpkin for a chance to win a cash prize. Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE
HISTORY
BOOK EVENTS
Mark Cooper: Six Secrets for Delivering Impossible Projects
Learn how to nd your impossible project, avoid getting
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.
Fire Cider Workshop and Foraging Course
Learn how to connect with nature through foraging and growing your own seasonal plants. Sunday, Oct. 27, 1:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
From Studio To Stereo
An immersive workshop that explores the journey of music from the recording studio to your stereo system. Saturday, Oct. 26, 1 p.m.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
Pilobolus: The Human Alphabet Workshop
A free, playful, productive, and fast-paced workshop designed for families. Saturday, Oct. 26, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
COMEDY
dragged into a death march, build and nurture your team, identify your most crucial teammate, and lead your team to nal delivery. 18+. Tuesday, Oct. 29, 6 p.m.
NOVEL
The Book Mixer
Get ready for a lit night at e Book Mixer. $10/general admission. Sunday, Oct. 27, 5-8 p.m.
THE COVE
CLASS / WORKSHOP
Autumnal Ceramic Candle Holder Workshop with Elaina Spoon Cra unique pieces to brighten your fall evenings. $45/ general admission. ursday, Oct. 24, 6-8 p.m.
ARROW CREATIVE
Enameling on Copper
Explore how to apply glass powder to copper pieces to add color to your metalwork for jewelry or sculpture. All materials and tools are provided. $100. Sunday, Oct. 27, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
PHOTO: COURTESY MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN Master metalsmith
Preston Jackson’s massive sculptural panel, Tales of the River City
Help further the care, support, and research e orts of the Alzheimer’s Association. Saturday, Oct. 26, 8 a.m. SHELBY FARMS PARK
DANCE
Collage Dance Presents: Firebird
A bold reimagining of e Firebird, set in Africa’s mythical forest of Tokoloshe. Friday, Oct. 25, 11 a.m. | Saturday, Oct. 26 and Sunday, Oct. 27, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
CANNON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Dracula
Steven McMahon’s take on the classic. Friday, Oct. 25, 7:309:30 p.m. | Saturday, Oct. 26, 7:30-9:30 p.m. | Sunday, Oct. 27, 2-4 p.m. THE ORPHEUM
Dusty Slay: The Night Shift Tour
Friday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Saturday Night
Showcase is underground comedy show cracks smiles, shakes heads, and causes uproarious laughter. $15. Saturday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m.
MEMPHIS CLOVER CLUB
COMMUNITY
A Magical Night at Overton Park
Party to honor outgoing executive director Tina Sullivan. $200/individual ticket. Saturday, Oct. 26, 6-9 p.m. OVERTON PARK
Boo! Does Lead Scare You?
A free community event. Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
ORANGE MOUND COMMUNITY CENTER
Super SaturdayOfrendas
Make ofrendas for Día de los Muertos. Free. Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART Walk to End Alzheimer’s
EXPO/SALES
Friends of the Library Fall Book Sale
With books, vinyl, magazines, sheet music, T-shirts, totes. Free. ursday, Oct. 24, 3-7 p.m. | Friday, Oct. 25, 10 a.m.5 p.m. | Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. | Sunday, Oct. 27, 11 a.m.
BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY
Holiday Market
More than 200 merchants will gather for three days of holiday fun and shopping. Friday, Oct. 25, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. | Saturday, Oct. 26, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. | Sunday, Oct. 27, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL
Memphis Comic Expo e largest comic creatorfocused convention in the Mid-South. Sunday, Oct. 27, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
RENASANT CONVENTION CENTER
FAMILY
901KidsFest 2024
901KidsFest celebrates all things kids. Kidpreneurs, kid authors, kid performers, and more. Free. Saturday, Oct. 26, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. ARROW CREATIVE
Halloween
Spooktacular: Masters of Disguise
Make a mask and get a glowin-the-dark tattoo. Enjoy Spooky Science sessions, face painting, Halloween candy, a scavenger hunt, and more. $3/ members, $5/nonmembers.
Sunday, Oct. 27, noon-4 p.m.
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF MEMPHIS
MoSH STEAM Fest Days
Discovery carts will be stationed throughout the museum featuring STEAM activities on microscopes, light and color, nutrition, and physics. ursday, Oct. 24 | Friday, Oct. 25, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
MEMPHIS MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY
Soul-O-Ween Free Family Day
Enter a costume contest, enjoy “Trunk or Treat” in the parking lot, Halloween-themed crafts and activities, and more. Live music from Soul CNXN. Free. Saturday, Oct. 26, 1-5 p.m.
STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC
Terrifying Tales: Three Scary Stories of Collierville
A candlelit reading of three terrifying tales from our region’s haunted past. Plus, a limited quantity of creepy art kits will be available. 13+. Tuesday, Oct. 29, 6:30 p.m.
MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY
Trick or Treat Story Time at Novel Miss Sarah Hunter will be reading books about Halloween. Wear a costume, enjoy a not-sospooky story, and take home a special Halloween treat. For children up to 5 years. Saturday, Oct. 26, 10:30 a.m.
NOVEL
Zoo Boo
Now with dinosaurs! Dress in your best costumes and enjoy trick or treating at Candy Lane, Monster Zoo, Frankenstein’s Blacklight Disco, and an interactive Mad Scientist Lab! Friday, Oct. 25, 6 p.m. | Saturday, Oct. 26, 6 p.m. | Sunday, Oct. 27, 6 p.m.
MEMPHIS ZOO
FESTIVAL
Chêne Film Festival
Featuring performances by Jordan Davis and Tucker Wetmore. $40/GA. Saturday, Oct. 26, 2 p.m.
RADIANS AMPHITHEATER AT MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Eat This Book Festival: International Edition!
Celebrate the library’s food resources and the international flavors that permeate our city. Saturday, Oct. 26, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
COSSITT LIBRARY
Lausanne Collegiate School Fall Carnival
Fall Carnival is open to the community and offers activities for all ages. This is an exciting 60-plus year tradition at Lausanne! $10/adult ticket, $25/child (2-17) ticket. Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
LAUSANNE COLLEGIATE SCHOOL
Levi’s Spooky Fest
The Levi Library’s fifth annual Spooky Fest. Saturday, Oct. 26, 1-4 p.m.
LEVI LIBRARY
Memphis Tequila Festival
Kick off Halloweekend at Memphis Tequila Festival. $55/general admission, $99/VIP. Friday, Oct. 25, 6-9 p.m. THE KENT
The Official Halloween Bar CrawlMemphis - 7th Annual
The ultimate Halloween Bar Crawl, where the spooky spirit and good times collide. $14.03.
Saturday, Oct. 26, 4-11:45 p.m.
ATOMIC ROSE
FILM
Creature from the Black Lagoon
The Fright-Tober Halloween film series brings you the 1954 classic directed by Jack Arnold. Saturday, Oct. 26, 2:30 p.m.
CROSSTOWN THEATER
Häxan - With Live Score by Alex Greene & the Rolling Head Orchestra
Indie Memphis commissioned Alex Greene to score this 1922 Swedish classic, a vivid dramatization of witchcraft through history. Seeing the film with Greene’s jazzy, theremin-heavy music played live is a stunning experience. $20.
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
I AM: Breaking the Silence on Mental Health
WKNO and filmmakers Jessica Chaney and Amanda Willoughby present this documentary on mental health in the African-American community. Saturday, Oct. 26, 2:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY
Dusty
The Evil Dead Next in the Fright-Tober Halloween film series:
An ancient book called the Necronomicon unleashes demonic forces that possess and terrorize a group of friends. Saturday, Oct. 26, 6:30 p.m.
CROSSTOWN THEATER
FOOD AND DRINK
Zootoberfest
LECTURE
Munch and Learn: Looking to the Future with Anna Hood
Hear from the Dixon’s guest artist-educator. Free. Wednesday, Oct. 30, noon-1 p.m. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Featuring local breweries and a commemorative beer stein. Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. |
Sunday, Oct. 27, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
MEMPHIS ZOO
Pearce Shakespeare Lectures: How Plays Teach Us to See With Adhaar Desai (Bard College), “Fair is Foul, and Foul is Fair,” and Wendy Beth Hyman (Oberlin College), “Theater as Portal.” Thursday, Oct. 24, 6 p.m.
RHODES COLLEGE
PERFORMING ARTS
The Queen’s Regency Ball: A 19th Century Soulful Murder Mystery
An immersive event with a dinner, performances, music, and a mystery to solve. $75. Sunday, Oct. 27, 3 p.m.
HALLORAN CENTRE
Variations on a Theme: The Tell Tale Heart and Other Tunes to Terrify
A new series of intimate, curated evenings of music from across opera, musical theater, and vocal
music in all its forms. Sunday, Oct. 27, 3 p.m.
OPERA MEMPHIS
THEATER
Moulin Rouge! The Musical Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life. $33-$134. Tuesday, Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m. | Wednesday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.
ORPHEUM THEATRE
Newsies
Set in turn-of-the century New York City, this musical is the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of a band of teenaged “newsies.” Friday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m. | Saturday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m. | Sunday, Oct. 27, 2 p.m. | Tuesday, Oct. 29, 6:30 p.m.
HARRELL THEATRE
Rumpelstiltskin
When a young girl is locked away until she spins straw into gold, she turns to some unlikely help, in this adaptation from The Panto Company USA. $20, $15/youth. Saturday, Oct. 26, 2 p.m.
BARTLETT PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
The Smell of the Kill
A dark comedy where real housewives are tempted to let their husbands … go! $26/adults, $21/seniors 60+, $16/student/teacher, $16/ military, $10/sensory friendly. Friday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Oct. 26, 7:30-9:30 p.m. | Sunday, Oct. 27, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE
on
Colorful circles
Ronan of “Lady Bird”
Elicited with difficulty
Some mortgage adjustments, in brief
Run, old-style
Skeletons in the closet, so to speak
To be, overseas
Tighten (up)
Money holder
Swimmer Ian who won three gold medals in the 2000 Olympics
Collegiate basketball competition, for short
Like Natalie Portman, by birth
It ended during the Napoleonic Wars: Abbr. 45 Kind of switch 47 Label owned by Sony Music
Good earth
Formerly
Its second ed. contains about 59 million words
Miss the mark
1% alternative
Like many radios 57 A long way off 60 Common sign-off
61 Source of the word “kiwi”
62 River draining 11 countries
63 8:00-9:00 p.m. in prime time, e.g.
64 Deduce 65 Down in the dumps
66 Go down, in a way
67 Like many A.T.M.s
68 Primetime ___
1 Western Conference player, informally
2 Shapiro of public radio
3 World AIDS Day mo.
4 More eccentric 5 Soothing succulents
6 1986 #1 Starship hit with the lyric “I’ll never find another girl like you”
7 Third-person pronoun
8 Parenthesized comments
9 Food truck offering, maybe 10 Figure, as a sum
It may be read to the rowdy
Sheet music abbr.
Hit CBS series with three spinoffs
Spill the ___ (dish out gossip)
Line on a leaf
Holder of many cones
Like some cuisines
2008 movie starring Michael Sheen and Frank Langella
Information on a ticket
Light on one’s feet
We Saw You.
with MICHAEL DONAHUE
Artists from Argentina, Mexico, and Canada were among the 100 artists who created murals at this year’s Paint Memphis, which was held October 12th at Lamar Avenue and Willett Street.
“Paint Memphis is a nonpro t organization that gives art access to everyone by bringing art to the streets,” says executive director Karen Golightly. is was the second time artists painted walls and buildings in the Lamar-Willett area. It’s the 10th year the event has been held. “ ey just get better and better,” Golighty says “ e art is amazing.”
People strolled up and down the streets watching and chatting with the artists, some of whom have participated in the event for many years, doing their thing.
Some artists painted portraits, including large likenesses of Elvis, Project Pat, and Marcella Simien.
Also, Golightly adds, “We have all these businesses that donate. It really takes a whole community to make it happen. So I’m thrilled.”
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE above: Frank Rouse, Dennis Bauser, and Ria Burns-Wilder with dogs Ruddier and Flynn Rider circle: Karen Golightly below: (le to right) Dalton Barnum, Lindsey Witting Barnum, and Becky Barnum; Rich Ayers; Craoner
above: Norm4eva circle: TygerB
below: (le to right) Jose Valverde; Preacher
bottom: Dr. Je and KC Warren
right row: (top to bottom) Hannah Webb; Andres Arauz, Renee Hodges, and Aidan Scruggs; Jaxson Riehl, Tree Riehl, and Omery Manirakiza
OVERDOSE CARRY NARCAN
•Restaurants/Bars/Clubs
memphisprevention.org
By Coco June
The Mousetrap
Bruce Hu man directs the Agatha Christie classic at eatre Memphis.
Longtime Memphis thespian Bruce Hu man saw his directorial debut last weekend with the opening of Agatha Christie’s e Mousetrap at eatre Memphis. Anyone familiar with Christie’s work will understand why this play is a tting choice for October. Macabre and suspenseful, e Mousetrap is a multi-faceted character study with an array of roles any actor would die for — which is apt, as this play is also, of course, a good old-fashioned whodunit murder mystery.
e Mousetrap opens as so many of Christie’s great works do, with establishing a setting where a group of eccentric strangers are inevitably thrown together with no escape in sight. In this case, the story takes place in the out-of-the-way Monkswell Manor, just opened by newlyweds Mollie and Giles Ralston, played by Taylor Ragan and Kinon Keplinger, respectively. e manor’s grand opening is thrown o by several unexpected arrivals, rst of a snowstorm, and then of a man who embodies the very de nition of “eccentric,” one Mr. Paravacini, played by Tony Isbell. e other guests come in one by one, and as the audience is introduced to the colorful cast, it quickly becomes evident that every one of them has something to hide.
It is revealed that a murder has taken place, that of one unfortunate Maureen Lyon, and as the play goes on, we realize the mysterious Ms. Lyon was connected to several of Monkswell Manor’s guests. Almost immediately it becomes clear that the audience shouldn’t just be trying to puzzle out who the murderer is — we’re also meant to gure out who the next victims are. eatrical history bu s may know that Christie was always rather annoyed with theater critics who revealed the endings of her plays; therefore, in honor of her memory I will attempt to not give too much away. is play is one that, in typical Christie fashion, turns the mystery inside out and on its head before the curtain falls. Whether it’s too easy to gure out or not isn’t really the point; the fun of this show is in watching the cast esh out the campy, over-the-top characters.
A er all, if a dramatic period-piece murder mystery isn’t the place for outrageously hyperbolic caricatures, then what is? Franklin Koch’s performance as the outlandish, free-spirited Christopher Wren feels as comfortably threadbare as a favorite T-shirt. Koch
obviously knows this character through and through, and you’ll feel like you do, too. Meanwhile, Susan Brindley’s depiction of Mrs. Boyle is just as familiar, but as a character we all love to hate. Anyone in the audience who’s worked in any kind of service industry will enjoy watching multiple characters clap back at this 1950s version of a “Karen.” e entire company seems to be working together with the precision of a well-oiled machine.
Snow is mentioned o en enough to almost be considered another character altogether, and as is common in many suspense stories, it acts not only as a tangible way of keeping the players isolated, but also as a metaphor — they’re hemmed in, physically and mentally.
e cold also implies a certain stasis. Many of these characters are frozen in mindset, kept in place by horrors of the past or by their inability, deliberate or not, to grow up. My one issue with this play is the somewhat dated use of mental illness as a scapegoat. e societal embrace of both true crime and mental health in recent years has, I think, made modern audiences more aware of the fact that millions of people su er complex trauma or have mental health issues and don’t commit any crimes as a result, let alone murder. I’m aware I might be unfairly evaluating this 20th century work through a 21st century lens, but it would feel disingenuous not to at least point out such antiquated thinking.
Despite that, the play is undeniably entertaining. e Mousetrap has been staged almost uninterruptedly since the ’50s for a reason — it’s a classic. Whether you’re the type who enjoys trying to tease out twist endings as you watch or whether you’d rather be kept guessing, this murder mystery is lled with such quality performances as to keep anyone entertained.
e Mousetrap runs at eatre Memphis through October 27th.
PHOTO: CARLA MCDONALD
FOOD By Michael Donahue
Back in the Ladle
A
nn Barnes says her sister, Susan Overton, used to ask her every morning, “What are you doing sitting in your blue chair?”
Overton was tired of watching Barnes sitting in the blue chair in the living room and working crossword puzzles.
e only blue her sister probably wanted to see was the bleu cheesesteak sandwich Barnes served at her Just for Lunch restaurant in Chickasaw Oaks.
e words struck home for Barnes, who had been retired from the restaurant and catering business for almost 10 years. Barnes, who felt like “an old racehorse out to pasture,” thought, “Well, hell. at’s what I am doing. Sitting in the blue chair.”
So, she decided to get back to work instead of “sitting here doing nothing.”
She’s now owner of Corinne’s Very Special Catering, where she makes her signature dishes, including beef Wellington and homemade rolls, as well as new items, including her charcuterie displays and craw sh étou ée. Her business, named a er her late mother Corinne Batson, is “a full-time big catering company” that she operates out of Memphis Kitchen Co-Op.
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Barnes moved to Memphis in 1967. She began doing cooking jobs “years and years ago in the ’70s for the people who would let me.”
One of them was her next door neighbor, who asked her to make something for a party. Barnes made coquilles Saint Jacques, which she still makes today. Her criteria? e food has to look pretty and taste good. “If it doesn’t look pretty and taste good, I wouldn’t serve it.”
Barnes got the idea to open her rst restaurant a er Overton opened her Very Special Tea Room in Little Rock, Arkansas. She took the menu items from her sister’s restaurant and opened Just for Lunch at 4730 Poplar in 1981.
One of Overton’s friends, who ate at Just for Lunch, told Overton, “Susan, somebody stole your restaurant. ey’re serving your mu ns. ey’re using your china. Baskets with fresh owers on the table.”
“Legally, anybody else would have had to pay something. I had an easymade blueprint. Tea room chicken salad, ham salad, egg and olive, aspic, rolls, tiny mu ns, fancy desserts.”
And, she says, “ ey evolved into my recipes. But the core menu was my sister’s.”
Her rst Just for Lunch restaurant was an immediate success. “We lled
up every day. I was so grateful.”
She concurrently ran Just for Lunch Catering.
Barnes moved the Just for Lunch restaurant to 4720 Spottswood Avenue in 1999.
Finally, in 2008, she moved it to 3092 Poplar Avenue. “Right before the housing market collapse, I borrowed a ton of money and moved to Chickasaw Oaks.”
e restaurant at her new location wasn’t exactly like her previous Just for Lunch restaurants. “I kind of expanded it to a little more sophisticated menu. Like we had specials of the day.”
Items included the bleu cheesesteak sandwich, oysters Benedict, and Mediterranean or “lamb” burgers.
She closed the Just for Lunch in Chickasaw Oaks in 2016. “I was tired.”
And she closed her catering business. “ irty- ve years is a long time.”
Barnes catered her rst job in about eight years a er she got out of the blue chair. She contacted the person in charge of Feast on the Farm, the Agricenter International fundraiser held last August, and said, “I’m a caterer. How do I participate?”
ey asked her what she wanted to do. Barnes replied, “Cucumber soup with toasted almonds and cheese biscuits.”
When Barnes was told, “Would it throw you if I told you it was for 600 people?”, she said she had cooked for 4,000 people.
She followed that event with a catering job for the 30th anniversary of e Cadre, which is “such a beautiful old building. Banks had such fabulous lob-
bies. Now it’s an event center and it has been for 30 years. I’d done one of the rst events there. Not the rst.”
Whether it’s classic party fare or something unusual such as blackened salmon with apricot glaze or rum cream pie with Myer’s dark rum, Barnes helps customers plan the perfect menu for their occasions.
She makes everything from “upscale wedding/bar and bat mitzvah special occasion food” to “something as small as a family reunion. From soup to nuts. I’d say fried chicken to caviar.”
Barnes is happy to be back. “I want to make people happy with wonderful food. And that’s magical to me. at’s my goal. And I can. And I will.”
To reach Barnes, call 901-489-7812 or go to corinnesveryspecialcatering.com.
Ann Barnes returns to the catering business.
PHOTOS: COURTESY ANN BARNES
Ann Barnes cooks just about anything for Corinne’s Very Special Catering.
History of Halloween
e holiday’s origins are closely tied to Samhain.
Halloween is a magical time of year for many people. It’s a time when we can let some of our inhibitions go temporarily. Halloween allows all of us to confront our fears in a controlled way via scary costumes and haunted attractions. Secular Halloween is fun, but there is a spiritual history behind the holiday. Many pagans and witches still observe the rituals and meanings behind it.
For the Celts, who lived during the Iron Age in what is now Ireland, Scotland, the U.K., and other parts of Northern Europe, Samhain (pronounced saa-win) marked the end of summer and kicked o the Celtic new year. Ushering in a new year signaled a time of both death and rebirth, something that was doubly symbolic because it coincided with the end of a bountiful harvest season and the beginning of a cold and dark winter.
Samhain is one of the eight sabbats celebrated by Wiccans and other pagan religious groups. Pagans recognize a seasonal calendar known as the Wheel of the Year, based on the agricultural cycle of the U.K. e Wheel of the Year honors the blessings and changes of each season and acknowledges that the year has two halves — a light half (spring/summer) and a dark (half autumn/winter).
Since welcoming little one, life expanded while my world contracted
More complexity, less time
Every day I advocate for my baby whether it’s at daycare or the doctor’s office
And every day, I push off one thing my own health
Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer of new moms, with risks can last for months post-partum So, I’m taking action and starting the conversation, with not just my doctor, but with other moms I know, too
Because not only do I want to be a great mom I want to be a mom for a very long time
Samhain (like Beltane) was when the “doorways” to the Otherworld opened, allowing supernatural beings and souls of the dead to come into our world. While Beltane was a summer festival for the living, Samhain was o en considered a festival for the dead.
e origins of Halloween are so closely tied to Samhain, it would be easy to say that your Halloween celebrations are much like Samhain celebrations. ere’s lots of overlap, but one of the biggest di erences between them is intention and reverence.
Many Wiccans will perform a Samhain ritual close to October 31st — the date we have standardized as Samhain/ Halloween. Samhain rituals typically honor deities associated with death and rebirth from various cultures, calling out to our ancestors and honoring them or leaving them o erings. Some people put up an ancestor altar at this time.
We recognize Samhain as the third and nal harvest festival. e rst is Lughnasadh at the beginning of August. Lughnasadh celebrates the harvest of grains and the last of the summer fruits and vegetables. It is fondly called the bread holiday. e second is Mabon. Mabon is celebrated on the autumn equinox and is a time of balance, thanksgiving, and celebrating the harvest of the last of the fall fruits and vegetables. Some consider Mabon to be Witches’ anksgiving.
Samhain is the nal harvest of the fall season. is would have been a time when our ancestors brought in any remaining grains and vegetables from the elds and slaughtered animals to supply meat for the upcoming winter. Special bon res were lit, which were deemed to have protective and cleansing powers.
e animal harvest at Samhain may be one of the reasons that death is associated with it. However, nature grows dormant now, which is likely another reason we associate death with this time of year.
According to Irish mythology,
is sacred.
Halloween is the commercialized version of a religious holiday, giving it a slightly di erent energy from the origins of Samhain. Many Wiccans and pagans enjoy Halloween as a part of Samhain. Some of us will decorate our homes or workspaces with seasonal decor. We carve pumpkins, go to corn mazes and haunted houses, and buy a ridiculous amount of candy. We may likely end up in a costume at a party, eating and drinking with our community — much like our ancestors. We can do all of these fun and exciting things for Halloween, so long as we understand that when we begin the religious portion of our seasonal rites, we must do that part with reverence and intention. Halloween is fun. Samhain is sacred.
Emily Guenther is a co-owner of e Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.
PHOTO: BRENKEE | PIXABAY Halloween is fun. Samhain
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Secrets and hidden agendas have been preventing you from getting an accurate picture of what’s actually happening. But you now have the power to uncover them. I hope you will also consider the following bold moves: 1. Seek insights that could be the key to your future sexiness. 2. Change an aspect of your life you’ve always wanted to change but have never been able to. 3. Find out how far you can safely go in exploring the undersides of things. 4. Help your allies in ways that will ultimately inspire them to help you.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): From the early 1910s to the late 1920s, silent films were the only kind of films that were made. The proper technology wasn’t available to pair sounds with images. “Talking pictures,” or “talkies,” finally came into prominence in the 1930s. Sadly, the majority of silent films, some of which were fine works of art, were poorly preserved or only exist now in second- or third-generation copies. I’m meditating on this situation as a metaphor for your life, Taurus. Are there parts of your history that seem lost, erased, or unavailable? The coming weeks will be an excellent time to try to recover them. Remembering and reviving your past can be a potent healing agent.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): An old proverb tells us, “You must run toward the future and catch it. It is not coming to meet you, but is fleeing from you, escaping into the unknown.” This adage isn’t true for you at all right now, Gemini. In fact, the future is dashing toward you from all directions. It is not shy or evasive, but is eager to embrace you and is full of welcoming energy. How should you respond? I recommend you make yourself very grounded. Root yourself firmly in an understanding of who you are and what you want. Show the future clearly which parts of it you really want and which parts are uninteresting to you.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Early in his musical career, Cancerian innovator Harry Partch played traditional instruments and composed a regular string quartet. But by age 29, he was inventing and building novel instruments that had never before been used. Among the materials he used in constructing his Zymo-Xyl, Eucal Blossom, and Chromelodeon were tree branches, light bulbs, and wine bottles. I’m inviting you to enter into a Harry Partch phase of your cycle, Cancerian. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to express your unique genius — whether that’s in your art, your business, your personal life, or any other sphere where you love to express your authentic self.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Life’s unpredictable flow will bring you interesting new blessings if you revamp your fundamen-
Rob Brezsny
tals. Listen closely, Leo, because this is a subtle turn of events: A whole slew of good fortune will arrive if you joyfully initiate creative shifts in your approaches to talking, walking, exercising, eating, sleeping, meditating, and having fun. These aren’t necessarily earth-shaking transformations. They may be as delicate and nuanced as the following: 1. adding amusing words to your vocabulary; 2. playfully hopping and skipping as you stroll along; 3. sampling new cuisines; 4. keeping a notebook or recorder by your bed to capture your dreams; 5. trying novel ways to open your mind and heart; 6. seeking fresh pleasures that surprise you.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In an old Irish folk tale, the fairies give a queen a crystal cauldron with special properties. If anyone speaks three falsehoods in its presence, it cracks into three fragments. If someone utters three hearty truths while standing near it, the three pieces unite again. According to my metaphorical reading of your current destiny, Virgo, you are now in the vicinity of the broken cauldron. You have expressed one restorative truth, and need to proclaim two more. Be gently brave and bold as you provide the healing words.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Let’s review the highlights of the recent months. First, you expanded your perspective, blew your mind, and raised your consciousness. That was fabulous! Next, you wandered around half-dazed and thoroughly enchanted, pleased with your new freedom and spaciousness. That, too, was fantastic! Then, you luxuriously indulged in the sheer enjoyment of your whimsical explorations and experimentations. Again, that was marvelous! Now you’re ready to spend time integrating all the teachings and epiphanies that have surged into your life in recent months. This might be less exciting, but it’s equally important.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): My horoscopes are directed toward individuals, not groups. Yet it’s impossible to provide oracles about your personal destiny without considering the collective influences that affect you. Every day, you are impacted by the culture you live in. For instance, you encounter news media that present propaganda as information and regard cynicism as a sign of intellectual vigor. You live on a planet where the climate is rapidly changing, endangering your stability and security. You are not a narrow-minded bigot who doles out hatred toward those who are unlike you, but you may have to deal with such people. I bring this to your attention, Sagittarius, because now is an excellent time to take an inventory of the world’s negative influences — and initiate aggressive measures to protect yourself from them. Even further, I hope you will cultivate
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
As a teenager, I loved the music of Jefferson Airplane. I recall sitting on the couch in my New Jersey home and listening to their albums over and over again. Years later, I was performing on stage at a San Francisco nightclub with my band, World Entertainment War. In the audience was Paul Kantner, a founding member of Jefferson Airplane. After the show, he came backstage and introduced himself. He said he wanted his current band, Jefferson Starship, to cover two of my band’s songs on his future album. Which he did. I suspect you will soon experience a comparable version of my story, Scorpio. Your past will show up bearing a gift for your future. A seed planted long ago will finally blossom.
and embody positive alternatives.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I suspect you will be extra attractive, appealing, and engaging in the coming weeks. You may also be especially convincing, influential, and inspirational. What do you plan to do with all this potency? How will you wield your flair? Here’s what I hope: You will dispense blessings everywhere you go. You will nurture the collective health and highest good of groups and communities you are part of. PS: In unexpected ways, being unselfish will generate wonderful selfish benefits.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Do you fantasize about being a masterful manager of your world? Have you imagined the joy of being the supreme sovereign of your holy destiny? Do you love the idea of rebelling against anyone who imagines they have the right to tell you what you should do and who you are? If you answered yes to those questions, I have excellent news, Aquarius: You are now primed to take exciting steps to further the goals I described. Here’s a helpful tip: Rededicate yourself to the fulfillment of your two deepest desires. Swear an oath to that intention.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The Liberation Season is here. How can you take maximum advantage of the emancipatory energies? Here are suggestions: 1. Plan adventures to frontier zones. 2. Sing and dance in the wilderness. 3. Experiment with fun and pleasure that are outside your usual repertoire. 4. Investigate what it would mean for you to be on the vanguard of your field. 5. Expand your understandings of sexuality. 6. Venture out on a pilgrimage. 7. Give yourself permission to fantasize extravagantly. 8. Consider engaging in a smart gamble. 9. Ramble, wander, and explore.
FILM By Chris McCoy
Halloween Comes but Once a Year
Indie slasher phenomenon Terri er 3 will put you in the holiday mood.
Those who know me, or read my column, have heard me go on and on about how the biggest problem in Hollywood today is executive incompetence. e heads of today’s major studios are so far removed from the product they’re producing, and so focused on boosting stock prices to juice their performance-based bonuses, that they miss obvious plays. e latest case in point is the month of October. e spooky season puts people in the mood for horror lms. But the majors have missed the boat. First, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which couldn’t get more Halloween-themed, premiered the rst week of September. Second, Robert Eggers of e Witch fame’s latest lm is a remake of Nosferatu, a silent, German Expressionist lm that was one of the earliest to bear the horror label. Universal scheduled its release on Christmas Day.
Instead of a high-art horror ick aimed straight at the zeitgeist, this October we got Joker: Folie à Deux, an
epic disaster which will lose Warner Brothers a whopping $200 million. To add insult to injury, it’s not even the best evil clown movie of the year. at title will go to Terri er 3, an indie lm produced and released entirely outside of the Hollywood machine. It’s so indie, they didn’t even submit it for a rating.
e Terri er series is written and directed by Damien Leone. e rst lm, which introduced David Howard ornton as Art e Clown, cost $55,000, most of which was raised by a crowdfunding campaign. In 2022, Terri er 2 upped the stakes to $250,000, introduced former stuntwoman Lauren LaVera as cosplaying nal girl Sienna Shaw, and caught the imagination of horror heads to the tune of $15.7 million. For Terri er 3, the budget has expanded to a whopping $2 million. at’s 100 times less than Joker’s budget, by the way. Af-
ter its second weekend of wide release, it has grossed $41 million.
But enough business talk, how is it? Well, it’s disgusting, and I mean that in a good way. Ironically, it’s set at Christmas, ve years a er Sienna killed Art with a magic, demon-killing sword. But it takes more than a mere decapitation to keep a bad clown down. Art’s
headless body reanimates and kills a cop (Stephen Co eld Jr.), then reunites with Victoria (Samantha Sca di), a victim from the rst installment who is now possessed by a demon known as the Little Pale Girl. A er the pair recuperate by hanging out in a haunted house for ve years, they are disturbed by a pair of workers scouting the house
PHOTO: COURTESY CINEVERSE
David Howard ornton as Art the Clown
for demolition. Needless to say, it does not go well for them.
After gathering explosives, knives, guns, hammers, rats, and liquid nitrogen, Art and Victoria go off in search of Sienna, the one that got away. She’s getting out of the psych ward for the third time to spend Christmas with her Aunt Jess (Margaret Anne Florence), Uncle Greg (Bryce Johnson), and lovable but sneaky cousin Gabbie (Antonella Rose). They visit Jonathan (Elliott Fullam), Sienna’s younger brother who is dealing with his own PTSD while navigating his first year of college.
Leone hits all the beats of a classic slasher, and then some. The sound design can only be described as “juicy.” David Howard Thornton is absolutely terrifying as the wordless Art, a possessed undead
clown (and worse, a mime) who experiences a high degree of job satisfaction. Amid the rivers of blood and viscera, there is winking humor. Art takes public transportation to his slaughter-fest, and nobody blinks an eye. A pair of true crime obsessed podcasters are convinced that Sienna is the prime suspect in the Miles County Clown Massacre, only to learn the hard way how wrong they were.
Terrifier 3 is a meat-and-potatoes horror flick that the majors seem incapable of making, and audiences are rewarding it. Who knew that people want to see horror at Halloween? Everyone but Hollywood.
Terrifier 3
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THE LAST WORD By
Frank Murtaugh
Captain Chaos
e Trump phenomenon is about breaking things. at’s the hook.
For me, Donald J. Trump died as a public gure in November 2015, the day he mocked a reporter for a physical disability. During a campaign rally. No one that morally bankrupt — clearly with an empathy tank running on empty — belongs in a CEO’s o ce, much less the White House. Everything that’s happened around Trump over the nine years since has been kicking a dead horse. And there’s not room on this page to review the impeachments (multiple), indictments (multiple), and improprieties (myriad) that make Trump the most dangerous candidate for president in this country’s history.
Yet here we are. A lying, racist felon is the best the Republican Party can do. And if seven “battleground” states shake down in Trump’s electoral-college favor, the 45th president of the United States will become the 47th. Should he win, make note, Donald Trump will be inaugurated on Martin Luther King Day next January. inking back to the public mocking of that reporter, such a coincidence is unsettling and appalling to consider.
e question that keeps me in twists: Why? In the age of #MeToo, how has a man like Trump managed not to get canceled? What kind of standard do men see in him? And how can a solitary woman consider him an agent for their interests? e closest I’ve come to an answer: ey love to break things.
Millions of Americans today don’t just dislike organized federal government, they resent it. e three branches our founding fathers drew up create a structure that has, in the minds of millions, restricted their freedoms instead of creating those freedoms in the rst place. (Challenge a Trump supporter to name the three branches. It’s a cringe-worthy bar trick.) A er generations of one Democrat a er another, then one Republican a er another, simply steering the federal ship forward — fair weather or foul — millions of Americans want that ship at least rocked, if not sunk. Donald Trump is Captain Chaos. (My apologies to the late Dom DeLuise and a very fun character in e Cannonball Run.)
The trouble with chaos in our system, though, is that people get hurt. And people die. Whether it’s outlawing abortion, dividing immigrant families at the border, or slicing FEMA funding, human beings get caught in Trump’s ongoing performance art. (Ask the Republican nominee what FEMA stands for and wait for the head tilt.) And when he takes the lies up a notch — “They’re eating the dogs!” — human beings become targets for hate and violence. Those millions of Americans supporting Trump feel they’ve been targeted long enough. It’s time to target them Time to target others . And yes, it’s pure racism. If you deny the notion that you’re racist, but you support a racist candidate for public office, guess what?
In the age of #MeToo, how has a man like Trump managed not to get canceled?
What would happen in a second Trump presidency? I have a prediction: Within a year of resuming o ce, Trump would step down or “retire.” (He’d never use the word “resign.” at suggests quitting, and he’s no loser.) is is a man who was incompetent on his best day as president and now shows decline in his faculties and whatever might have passed for mental acuity. Sharks, batteries, and Pennsylvania windmills. ose behind Project 2025 will nd a way to make President Vance America’s new problem. Stormy seas be damned.
I remain a believer in decency, and I feel like our better instincts as a people will prevail. But over the last nine years I’ve learned how long, in fact, it will take to achieve that form of normalcy, how challenging it is to go from “us” and “them” to “we.” A con man managed to convert a political party into a cult, here in 21st century America. Until a liar’s again called a liar, tension will be part of this country’s political oxygen. And yes, so will chaos. Frank Murtaugh is the managing editor of Memphis Magazine. He writes the columns “From My Seat” and “Tiger Blue” for the Flyer
PHOTO: GINTS IVUSKANS | DREAMSTIME.COM
Donald J. Trump
