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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
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Business Unusual
A tale of two priorities at Memphis Area Transit Authority.
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Remixed
Larray Curry takes over as the Memphis Angel in New Ballet’s NutRemix p14
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Honey of a Deal
Advertising exec Patrick Collins makes and sells honey as owner of Ol’ Cappy’s Bee Products. p24
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MEM ernet
Memphis on the internet.
DAMMIT GANNET
Most by now expect small errors in e Commercial Appeal, knowing how much of it is produced out of Memphis. But when the paper got the University of Memphis sports mascot wrong in a headline … there were strong feelings.
KROGER’S DILL?
Kroger made a big dill about National Pickle Day last week, enough so that some worried their social media had been hacked.
LAS TOXICAS?
For the second time this year, Memphis Reddit users wondered just what in the heck happens inside the Las Toxicas … bar? club? restaurant? … on Summer at I-240.
Some of the answers included a “Hooteras” (a “Mexican-style Hooters place,” according to u/LadPro), a dance hall, strip club, bar, and a “thinly veiled brothel,” said u/alex32593.
A Google video (above) from March apparently shows the Las Toxicas dance oor in full swing.
Questions, Answers + Attitude
Edited by Toby Sells
{WEEK THAT WAS
By Flyer staff
Education, 901 FC, & an ‘Eyesore’
Lee pushes on schools, the soccer team leaves, and demolition is set for old hotel.
LEE BACKS TRUMP
Governor Bill Lee said last week that he’d welcome closing the U.S. Department of Education under Presidentelect Donald Trump’s administration, adding that states can do a better job of deciding how to spend federal dollars on students.
“I believe that Tennessee would be more capable than the federal government of designing a strategy for spending federal dollars in Tennessee,” Lee told reporters when asked about the prospect.
“We know Tennessee. We know our children. We know the needs here much better than a bureaucracy in Washington, D.C., does,” Lee said.
TEACHERS SCOFF AT LEE’S ‘BRIBE’
Governor Lee, who’s trying again to enact his statewide private school voucher plan, is hoping to win over critics and skeptics with a $2,000 bonus for public school teachers. But many educators who would be eligible for the extra cash are dismissing it as a diversion tactic.
Downtown, but more work needs to be done at the park. ough allocated a $5 million infusion of cash from the city to get the park into Major League Baseball compliance, the team said the park needs new “seating, painting, bathroom renovations, and concrete repairs, among others.”
UTHSC TO DEMOLISH ‘EYESORE’
Some are calling Lee’s bonus o er an attempted bribe, or “hush money,” as he seeks to expand policies that provide public funding for students to attend private schools. Others say it’s insulting to teaching professionals who have spent their careers advocating for their students, and for more funding to support them.
“It’s a one-time bonus that’s basically asking us to sell out our public schools,” said Liz Marable, a longtime Memphis educator who is currently president of the United Education Association of Shelby County. “But we are not for sale.”
901 FC LEAVES, REDBIRDS STAY
e Memphis Redbirds organization said 901 FC’s departure from AutoZone Park last week has “no impact on the Memphis Redbird’s current tenure” but says work is needed on AutoZone Park.
e soccer club o cially announced it will leave Memphis for Santa Barbara, California. e team is leaving because the city did not secure it a soccer stadium.
e Redbirds, which manages AutoZone Park for the city, said they were “saddened” by the news. ey will stay
A multi-million-dollar glow-up is underway at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) campus in a plan that includes the $19.4 million demolition of a much-criticized, abandoned hotel on Madison.
Executive vice chancellor and chief operating o cer Raaj Kurapati said that “everybody gets excited about every time we speak about” the demolition of the abandoned Holiday Inn tower at Madison and Pauline. He said it was an “eyesore” and the school is “ nally” moving forward with it. Work is expected to get underway next month and conclude in summer 2026.
TBI TO TEST SEWAGE FOR DRUGS
e Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is proposing a $3 million pilot project to test sewage from Knoxville-area high schools, college dorms, and other locations for illicit drugs, Director David Rausch said last week. e tests are meant to nd concentrations of drug use in certain areas.
Tennessee Lookout contributed to this report. Chalkbeat Tennessee contributed to this report. Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.
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Redbirds push for park updates; TBI will test sewage for drugs; Governor Lee welcomes the closing of the U.S. Department of Education while facing criticism for his school voucher plan.
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Sued for Guns {
CITY REPORTER
By Toby Sells
A new suit calls the city’s gun referenda an “insubordinate violation of state law.”
As promised, Gun Owners of America (GOA) and others sued the city of Memphis to block gun-control referenda items from ever becoming law. e referenda passed by an overwhelming majority of voters. e gun rights groups promised a lawsuit on the ballot referenda before the election. It led the lawsuit in Circuit Court in Memphis last Wednesday.
e suit’s core argument is that the Memphis City Council, who put the questions on the November ballot, did so “in blatant contravention of Tennessee’s preemption law.” With this, the measures are “invalid and void.”
e GOA joined the suit with Memphian Ty Timmerman, the Gun Owners Foundation, and the Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA). Timmerman is a member of the GOA and the TFA. e suit says he carries a handgun for protection in the city and in his vehicle with no permit, which is legal under the state’s permitless carry law. e suit also notes that he owns a number of semiautomatic ri es, including an AR-15.
Timmerman, the suit says, wants to keep carrying his handguns and collect more semiautomatic ri es. e GOA argues Timmerman will be “adversely a ected” by the city’s proposed guncontrol rules.
“We are eager to fight back.”
“Tennessee has one of the strongest preemption laws in the nation, and the very reason it exists is to prevent radical anti-gun cities from enacting the very sort of draconian policies Memphis just ‘adopted,’” said Erich
Pratt, GOA’s senior vice president. “We are hopeful that Tennessee courts will quickly block this insubordinate violation of state law.”
City council chairman JB Smiley Jr. said none of the agencies who sued are from Memphis, called the lawsuit “short-sighted and “ill-conceived,” and said it is “not against the city of Memphis, but against the people who call it home.” At best, the GOA’s opposition is based on “ awed” logic, he said. At worst, the suit could lead to “record-breaking homicides.”
“Opposition to gun reform, and consequently this lawsuit, is deadly, dangerous, and disrespectful to the people of Memphis, whom this will directly
impact long a er these out-of-state entities leave,” Smiley said in a statement posted to X last ursday. “But, here’s what I know: When you come against the people of the 901 and when you try to silence our voice, we stand up and defend our neighbors and our values every single time. We must continue [to] take a stand against anything that would stand in our way of achieving that.”
Along with the suit, the GOA posted a YouTube video titled, “We’re Suing Memphis.” It shows Smiley saying that should the city be sued, “in the words of our attorney [Allan] Wade, ‘Tell them to bring it on. We’ll ght about it in court.’” e video then shows a photo of Memphis Police Department
Chief Cerelyn Davis set to funky music, and video of Bill Hader dancing and making faces cut from a Saturday Night Live sketch.
“Memphis voters overwhelmingly chose to strip their fellow citizens of their fundamental rights, and now city o cials, knowing full well these ordinances will patently violate Tennessee law, are planning to implement them,” said Chris Stone, GOA’s director of state and local a airs. “ is is unacceptable, and we are eager to ght back.”
e suit seeks the blocking of enforcement of the ordinances, a statement making the rules invalid, and damages, court costs, and legal fees.
PHOTO: GUN OWNERS OF AMERICA e group posted an “in-your-face” style video on ling the suit.
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POLITICS By Jackson Baker
The Bleat Goes On
Even in victory, the “stop-the-steal” folks are still at it.
If, in the a ermath of a decisive (if narrow) victory for Donald Trump in the just concluded presidential election, anybody expected Republican-minded folks to put aside their “stop-the-steal” concerns from 2020, that was a premature hope.
It turns out that numerous believers in a stolen 2020 election still believe in it, and a fairly signi cant controversy regarding the matter continues to fester on social media.
One local believer is former Shelby County Republican chairman Lee Mills, who has carried on a brisk online conversation about it on Facebook.
“Now that it’s o cially over,” Mills wrote on his page last week, “can we revisit 2020 for a moment?”
Whereupon he reproduced a dubiously sourced bar graph that’s been making the rounds in MAGA circles.
Crude and simplistic, employing blue and red bars, respectively, to indicate Democratic and Republican vote totals, it purports to compare the results for both parties in the presidential elections of 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024. Strikingly, it seems to show the Democratic vote holding to virtually identical levels in 2012, 2016, and 2024, while the Republican vote is represented graphically as steadily rising through the respective campaign years, nally out-distancing the Democratic vote total this year.
“A big factor was the sudden expansion of mail-in voting, which went from 21 percent in 2016 to 46 percent in 2020.
“Here’s the issue: A lot of these changes were made by unelected ofcials, bypassing the state legislatures. When you change the rules to allow massive non-in-person voting [sic], it opens the door for fraud to run rampant.
“While this doesn’t at-out prove fraud, it de nitely raises red ags about how secure the process was with all these last-minute changes.”
Response on Facebook was forthcoming. William Albert Mannecke agreed: “ ey learned to cheat on an industrial level.”
As did Ellen Ferrara. “ ey stole 2020, 100 percent.”
PHOTO: ZEROHEDGE
A widely disputed graph posted by Lee Mills
Randy Higdon probed a little further: “We will nd out he [presumably Trump] won all 50 states. Only states she [Kamala Harris] won were ones that didn’t require voter ID. en this goes back to 2020. Many, many heads are gonna roll.”
e year 2020 is seen as an anomaly, with the blue bar representing the Democratic vote vaulting high above the red bar representing the GOP presidential total. Both bars show an increase over previous years.
e blue bar is depicted as coming back to “normal” for 2024. e red bar is somewhat lower as well.
Mills feels emboldened to comment: “ is is a rhetorical question, but who can explain this anomaly?”
And he supplies some numbers, after a fashion. “So l’m not misconstrued by the Trump haters: e 2020 election saw a huge turnout spike — 159 million people voted, with Democrats getting nearly 80 million votes, which is a massive 23% jump from previous years. Statistically, that’s a total outlier.
But a demurrer would come from Cole Perry, a local statistician with both solidly Republican bona des and a wellearned reputation for accurate analyses of election results: “Harris is going to end up with somewhere near 76.5 million votes, and Trump will end up [with] close to 78.5 million. at’s almost exactly the same total turnout as 2020. If they really did cheat in 2020, why did they suddenly forget how to do it?”
A telling point. Another one is this, apropos the e ects, such as it was, of write-in votes, which were disparaged by a suspicious Trump in 2020, the Covid year, but actively encouraged by him for his supporters in 2024. at might be as good an explanation as any for the supposed “anomaly” of the 2020 electoral outcome.
Voucher Bill
Public education is under assault.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, who never lets a chance to try to steer public funding to private schools pass him by, is having a good week. State Senate and House majority leaders led identical bills to create “Education Freedom Scholarships” that would give $7,075 in public funding for a private education to 20,000 Tennessee students, beginning in the fall of 2025. e plan would grow in scope in subsequent years.
e bill has been opposed by the state’s large city school systems and by legislators in many rural districts, where there are o en no private school options, and where getting adequate funding for public schools is o en di cult. e voucher bill is also opposed by the vast majority of the state’s public school teachers.
will use it for tuition fees for little Bradley’s third-grade year at Hillbilly Bible Kollege.
Lee and the GOP have been ghting for vouchers to become law for years, and this time around, given the upcoming change in the White House, they might have the juice to pull it o . If the last election proved anything, it is that the average American is anything but well-informed and well-educated. One of the most googled questions on Election Day was, “Did Joe Biden drop out?” Lawd, help us.
Here are a few numbers to ponder (and weep over): 21 percent of adults in the U.S. are illiterate; 54 percent of adults have a literacy below 6th grade level; 45 million read below a 5th grade level; 44 percent of American adults do not read a book in a year. So yeah, let’s x that by cutting public school funding and giving people money to send their kids to private schools. My parents weren’t rich, but I grew up privileged. Only we didn’t call it privilege back then because it was so ordinary. In the small Midwestern town where we lived, everybody I knew — Black, white, brown, poor, middle-class, or wealthy — went to the same public schools and attended the town’s single public high school.
at’s bad enough, but later in the week, Voucher Bill (see what I did there?) got more good news. In case you haven’t been paying attention, GOP luminaries of all stripes are now urging the abolishment of the federal Department of Education. See, that way, supporters say, the money from the feds would come directly into the state’s co ers, to be dispensed under the supervision of, well, Bill Lee. Shocker, right? It should come as no surprise that Lee is all for killing the education department.
“We know Tennessee. We know our children,” Lee said. “We know the needs here much better than a bureaucracy in Washington, D.C., does.”
No you don’t, Bill. What you know how to do — and what you have tried to do for years — is slide public tax dollars into the co ers of private education rms that will then grease the palms of pols such as yourself. If you cared about Tennessee’s children, you wouldn’t want to funnel our tax dollars to well-o Tennesseans who
It was a great equalizer, and kids learned — sometimes the hard way — not to get too snooty. I’m not so naive as to think that my Black classmates didn’t su er negative experiences that were beyond the experiences I had, but we did all manage to get along. And we all had the same opportunity to learn with the same teachers, using the same facilities in the same classrooms, no matter a family’s income level. at is a great and powerful thing about public education — it’s an equalizer. But it needs to be funded and nourished. An investment in educating our youth is one of the best possible uses of our tax dollars. Instead of destroying the Department of Education, we should be funding it better and putting it in the hands of someone with creative ideas to support teachers and inspire students.
I’m not holding my breath, though. I’d put the odds at 50-50 that the Education Department survives the coming administration. And if it does, given the clown-car level of cabinet appointments thus far, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Trump appointed the My Pillow guy to the job.
PHOTO: CDC | UNSPLASH
Public education, at its core, should be an equalizer.
A tale of two priorities at Memphis Area Transit Authority. Business Unusual
When we spoke to the Memphis Area Transit Authority’s interim CEO Bacarra Mauldin in August, she called the state of a airs at MATA “business unusual.” is summer, Mauldin and her team were in the process of nalizing the budget for Fiscal Year 2025 (F25). ey had promised their board they would present a balanced nancial plan a er it was announced that the agency was in a $60 million de cit. e balanced budget, with plans for bus route suspensions and more than 200 layo s, was unanimously passed, and would only further a rm Mauldin’s con dence in her own assessment of the current climate as “business unusual.”
“It’s not everyday that you have your whole board replaced at once,” Mauldin says now, re ecting on the most recent move made by Memphis Mayor Paul Young.“I trust Mayor Young, we’ve partnered, and he has a vision for how he wants this to go. He sent a clear message
that he wants things to change — and we intend for them to change — and I support his vision,” Mauldin says.
Young made the move to replace the entire MATA Board of Commissioners in October, following a dra report from transportation consulting rm TransPro.
e 117-page recommendation — which one city council member called “scathing” — summarizes recommendations for the agency and analyzes bus usage, ridership, and on-time performance, among other things. Its purpose was to highlight the pressing challenges the agency faced and call for urgent action.
TransPro conducted its analysis from August 19th to October 11th — during which time the board passed the budget without questions. is proved to be a point of concern for TransPro when evaluating MATA. “Existing MATA board fails to provide reasonable oversight,” the report said. “Just a month ago the MATA board unanimously adopted a budget with no questions … for a scal year that
started more than 100 days prior.”
e consulting rm found only 26 percent of the community believed in the agency’s ability to e ciently handle public funds. In order to gain the public’s trust regarding management of funds, they recommended the entire board be replaced.
“ e MATA board as currently constituted should be replaced with new members who will take seriously their responsibility to act as the policy and oversight entity of the agency,” the report said. “New board members should be trained on expectations and responsibilities.”
Mayor Young’s decision exempli ed his intentions to start a “clean slate” at the transit authority, which had been at the center of controversy and public discourse for months.
In the Interim
In February, Mauldin was named interim CEO following the retirement of former MATA CEO Gary Rosenfeld. Her appointment came a few months a er the
agency opted to nix their controversial 2023 proposed winter service changes. ese changes were proposed as a way to enhance the agency’s on-time performance and e ciency. is included stopping service a er 7 p.m. and suspending numerous routes. A er hearing from the public at both board and public meetings, as well as from state leaders such as Justin J. Pearson, the board of commissioners opted to keep service as usual.
MATA touted these adjustments as a way to give the public more reliable service, by addressing their shortage of mechanics and bus repair backlog. At the time, o cials said they were missing 20 percent of all of their scheduled trips.
Mauldin took over as interim CEO in the a ermath, and one of the rst things she did in her o cial capacity was retain the services of an external CFO, Hamish Davidson of J.S. Held LLC. According to Mauldin, MATA had not previously had a CFO — a crucial position in stabilizing the organization’s nancials.
PHOTOS: COURTESY MATA
e new MATA board members pose for a group picture following their Oath of O ce ceremony at City Hall on November 15, 2024.
Shortly a er publicly announcing that the agency had been operating in a de cit, o cials presented their budget proposal to the Memphis City Council, who has historically been the agency’s primary source of operating funds. e council allocated more $30 million to the agency for FY25. During this time, they also said they would be more involved in MATA’s budget moving forward. O cials instantly began their process of re ning the budget. Mauldin said their largest expense was wages and fringe bene ts.
In the summer, Mauldin admitted that if they were still operating in the way they had been previously, they would require a budget of $85 million; instead, she proposed a dra budget of $67 million. With this dra proposal, Mauldin acknowledged there would be cuts that would impact routes, sta , and other factors. She added that these changes would “hurt,” yet they would provide the agency with a “solid sustainable foundation” on which to thrive.
e interim CEO also said they had not been able to identify funding for their current operating system, which had caused them to make the proposed cuts. According to MATA, they would also be streamlining sta ng and vendor costs as they prepared to submit the nal budget for approval.
Days before the agency presented their balanced nancials, o cials announced they would be suspending trolley services, a er discovering a brake issue which resulted in a “costly recommendation” from the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). MATA opted to “temporarily suspend the service as opposed to making that spend” at the time. Eighteen employees were laid o as a result. e new budget, which included a plan to lay o more than 200 employees and suspend several ridership routes, was approved by the former MATA board at a meeting that same week.
While the new board of commissioners voted to delay the proposed changes until February 2025, several problems have been le unanswered.
In analyzing these problems, many commentators note that these aren’t the result of one administration. Bennett Foster, executive director of Memphis For All, says most of these problems come as a result of previous leadership and people who “lack imagination.”
“Frankly, these white men who have been running MATA and running our city for the past eight years, they not only lack imagination for what MATA could be, but they also lack political will to do anything
about it because of who MATA serves,”
Foster says. “Black, working-class Memphians are not getting the services they need because of the people in charge and the people those leaders were serving.”
Foster says Mauldin has the “imagination and power to bring in people — both federally and statewide — to help progress the agency forward and bring in revenue.” But barriers remain in getting past these issues.
“Nobody wants to take blame for what happened, and politicians want to point the nger at management and management can’t really respond because [Mauldin] doesn’t know where they kept the receipts — it’s not her fault,” Foster
the agency for not asking for help in their budget crisis.
O cials reported they had been operating in an unrestricted budget de cit for the last 10 years, which also caused Cooper-Sutton to call out the board of commissioners, saying they should “share in accountability for the agency’s nancial burdens.” Mauldin said the board did not know the state of a airs, and when she was given full visibility over their nances, she shared the information with the board.
“I know that it’s unbelievable,” Mauldin said. “I know that it’s unacceptable, but we have done everything in our power to bring this in-line so that we could provide the service this city needs and deserves.”
says. “Of course as soon as a Black woman takes over it’s like, ‘Okay, now we need to hold you accountable.’”
A Two-Fold Discussion
Conversations about MATA seem to fall in two di erent categories — evaluation of leadership and funding solutions — with many of the conversations intersecting. Groups such as the Memphis Bus Riders Union and Citizens for Better Service say these cuts sent the wrong message to riders and drivers, and that the changes sent a message that “[the board] was in favor of service cuts and layo s.” Sammie Hunter, co-chair of the Memphis Bus Riders Union, was quoted as saying the budget was enough of a reason for Mayor Paul Young to “clean house.”
Further criticism of the administration and the board stemmed from a September city council presentation by the agency.
Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-Sutton said Mauldin had been “gi ed an issue from her predecessors” and condemned
But there’s another side — funding — and that doesn’t solely rest on the shoulders of the agency. Much of the public discourse about MATA sheds light on the turbulence, but people like Foster say this doesn’t help procure additional funding.
“ e people who are going to be impacted by these conversations are people that actually ride the bus,” Foster says. “It’s being used as an excuse to not take action and protect MATA from crumbling. Protect these riders — it should be talked about as a service, not [to talk about] these people who are in charge. Are we going to save MATA? People are thinking about the management — no, think about the riders. Are you willing to do what it takes to make sure they don’t experience an end to their bus routes?”
L. Rochelle Hubbard depends on MATA’s services for her day-to-day activities, with no part of her life that isn’t impacted by reliance on transit. Hubbard says she doesn’t feel like ridership is a priority in decision-making.
“It comes across that we’re at the bottom when decisions are made,” Hubbard says.
She adds that she’s thankful for advocacy groups such as Better Transit for a Better Memphis who have helped amplify their voices, but she can’t help but feel that, although the agency hears their riders, “very little is done.” Still, Hubbard hopes that the new board, who she says has members that represent the voices of riders, will bring new change.
“Keep the riders at the forefront of this ght to establish a better transit for better Memphis,” Hubbard says.
Cardell Orrin, executive director of Stand for Children, says, in his advocacy work, public transit has consistently been among the top issues people have talked about, by both community members and elected o cials.
“We’ve had studies that show how things could be better for people to access jobs, healthcare, food, education, workforce development — almost anything you can think of could get better if we had a better transit system,” Orrin says. “We’ve created a transit system of necessity. Only people who have to ride transit for the most part ride it, even though a lot of people we hear from would like to ride public transit, whether it be for convenience or the environment … but we can’t rely on an ill-functioning and an ill-funded system.”
Ridership has plummeted as a result of Covid-19, playing a major factor in the state of transit, Mauldin said in a previous conversation. Agencies are also in the a ermath of Covid-19 relief funds running out.“ at really propelled the state of nancial instability for transit agencies across the country, large and small,” Mauldin said.
Mauldin says the agency’s debt has been growing due to the increased cost of doing business, decreased ridership, and at funding. O cials say funding also impacts on-time performance.
With the city being the agency’s primary funding source, many people such as Foster say the city shares the responsibility of maintaining transit service. Yet, Foster says, the agency seems to have not been a priority in current and previous administrations.
Fuel to Move Faster
ese months of turmoil reached a climax when Memphis Mayor Paul Young said he was looking to start a “clean slate” by replacing all members
Bacarra Mauldin hugs a MATA rider moments before a February 2024 event honoring the late MATA leader, William Hudson.
of MATA’s board of commissioners following the release of the draft report from TransPro.
The analysis indicated that public transportation has its share of financial challenges — which MATA officials have continuously noted, citing the role of funding shortfalls in their budget woes. However, TransPro said MATA’s challenges “are further amplified by a lack of focus on the daily needs of customers, poor financial management and oversight, and the pursuit of major projects that are straining the limited staff and fiscal resources of the authority.”
While many people have applauded the report — as it led to a change in board leadership — it isn’t without flaws. Orrin, for example, says people have problems with public transit and where the money is going. But, he says, the report fails to provide context for how public transit is funded locally as opposed to other cities.
“I affirm that people are concerned about having adequate public transit. I think working back from that, the cause is not necessarily what they relate there about whether [it’s funding] being put toward these bigger projects, because the challenge of making that kind of connection is that the bigger projects they list are supposed to make transit better.”
One example Orrin refers to is MATA’s Memphis Innovation Corridor, the first bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Memphis. BRT is commended as representing the future of public transit, as a bus route that operates like a rail line with 31 stops along the way.
Mauldin says they have not made any decisions to scale back from the project at this time, as they also value the contributions from federal partners such as Congressman Steve Cohen and the Federal Transit Administration.
“The BRT project is the core of the mobility system,” Mauldin explains. “We’re continuing to work with Mayor Young and his administration to see that project through at this point.”
She adds that the report also indicates making a new operation system a priority, a recommendation they are following.
“Overall, the report didn’t reveal anything we didn’t already know,” Mauldin says. “Things were already underway, so it’s good to have that report to validate some of that. We’re using that report as fuel to move us a little faster in that direction that we were going. We’re well aware of some of the problems that existed, but again, those problems didn’t start on February 1st when I became the interim. We definitely are working very hard — from the moment I took over — to try to rectify as many of those as neces-
sary, but the fundamental issue for all of that is a lack of funding. We just don’t have the dedicated funding.”
What’s Next?
Mauldin’s recent appointment as interim CEO comes after being at the agency for three and a half years. Though this year has had its share of controversy and setbacks, Mauldin views it as a valuable step forward in elevating public conversations around transit.
“Public transportation is more of a conversation today than it was when I first got here,” Mauldin says. “People are truly giving it the time and attention that it’s really needed for quite a long time. The fact that we’re talking about it means we’re on the right path to truly fixing it because we all know this community really needs and deserves quality transit.”
Currently, MATA is working on a financial plan to bring the trolleys back, with Mauldin saying they expect to bring something to the board “very soon.”
In evaluating the TransPro report, Mauldin says they are taking a “hard look” and working with Young on solutions, but there are a lot of things the report showed that they already knew.
Moving forward, MATA is looking to work with city, state, and federal partners to get more funding, while also working with community groups and riders. And Mauldin says they’re not running from accountability.
“We’re not happy about the state of the transit authority right now and the service we provide,” she says. “We’re working every day, all day, half of the night even, trying to make service better, and I’m actually very proud of our team and what we’ve been able to accomplish so far along the journey.”
In the midst of chaos and discourse, Mauldin says she doesn’t want the work of the operators to get overlooked. While there is work to be done, she says the resilience and commitment of her team is important to address.
“The story of MATA is going to be a story of resilience,” Mauldin says. “We’re going to be the comeback kids. I believe that with all of the attention, all of the interest and development of our system, we’re going to be better on the other side because of this.”
Foster says they’re hopeful about Mauldin and her administration, saying they agree with who should take priority in decisions — the riders.
“I like her. I like the new board,” Foster says. “That’s promising, that’s giving me hope, and I do think what we saw in Nashville with the transit referendum is kind of sending a signal that people want public transit. People want that service, so I think we should prepare for something similar. We can put that on the ballot in 2026 and try to get some dedicated revenue.”
starts with us.
steppin’ out
We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews
Remixed
By Abigail Morici
New Ballet Ensemble’s NutRemix returns to the stage this weekend, bringing its take on Tchaikovsky’s e Nutcracker. With a story set on Beale Street, this performance, presented by Nike, blends ballet, hip-hop, amenco, Memphis jookin, and West African dance. For it, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Big Band puts a fresh spin on the original score, mixing in Duke Ellington’s and Booker T. and the M.G.’s classics. Since its conception in 2002, the show has become a beloved tradition for Memphis, but this year a newcomer — Larray Curry — will take to the stage as the Memphis Angel.
For those not familiar with e Nutcracker, the Memphis Angel is a character unique to NutRemix and a role originated by the famous street dancer, Memphis’ Lil Buck. “I’m lling some big shoes in a way,” Curry says of Buck, once his mentor. “Buck is very artistic, and we kind of come from the same background. To be able to portray his artistry that he set the bar for, it’s a blessing.”
Yet even with such a high bar, Curry’s con dent about taking on the role. A er all, he’s been dancing since he was 13 years old, when he rst saw his cousin imitate Michael Jackson’s signature moonwalk. “I’m originally from Gary, Indiana, which is the same place where Michael Jackson was from,” Curry says. “My grandma’s house is right next to Michael Jackson’s childhood home. … I fell in love with how Michael Jackson moved, and then it led me to watching other dancers. Once I moved to Memphis, I got brought into the jookin world, and then I started to meet people like Lil Buck and Ladia Yates and a lot of the Memphis street dancers.”
Eventually, he joined the L.Y.E. Academy, a competitive dance team; worked with rappers like NLE Choppa and Lil Baby; and later toured with Lil Buck’s Memphis Jookin: e Show, Powered by Nike. “ at opportunity led me here at New Ballet,” he says. His NutRemix role is “like the narrator in the show,” he says. “ e Angel is a person who brings peace to the chaos, and I’ve had the opportunity to choreograph pieces in the show, to be able to give the story a new interpretation.” e role is also a chance for Curry to elevate the status of jookin to the other dance forms featured in the show, and to be an example for younger audience members, like his students who take his hip-hop and jookin classes at New Ballet. “Being able to teach and inspire and motivate as a positive gure, it brings me so much ful llment,” he says. “I really enjoy serving the youth and showing them the ropes, opening their minds. Once I started to dance, it really opened me up, and my con dence began to skyrocket.”
Who’s Holiday!
Circuit Playhouse, 51 S. Cooper, Friday, Novemer 22-December 22, $25/general admission, $20/senior citizens, military, and rst responders
Prepare for a riotously funny and heartwarming adults-only comedy, where Cindy Lou Who takes center stage to recount the Christmas Eve she met the Grinch and the unexpected twists her life has taken since.
Performances will run Thursday through Saturday with an 8 p.m. curtain, and Sunday with a 7 p.m. curtain. Pay-what-you-can performance tickets go on sale on Sunday, November 24th, and the performance is Sunday, December 1st.
Visit playhouseonthesquare.org or reach out to the box o ce at 901726-4656 for more information.
In the meantime, Curry looks forward to seeing the NutRemix come together as student dancers perform alongside professionals. “We work so hard,” he says, “morning to night, seven days a week. I’m very excited to show the new interpretation of the Memphis Angel, too.”
NUTREMIX, CANNON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, 255 N. MAIN ST., SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 5:30 P.M. | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2:30 P.M., $29-$64. chaos,
Starry Bazaar
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, 1934 Poplar Avenue, Saturday, November 23, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., free Step into the festive spirit and celebrate the opening of the Brooks’ Winter Art Garden at the Starry Bazaar. is enchanting event transforms the museum into a winter wonderland lled with local artisans, handcra ed goods, and unique treasures.
Stroll through beautifully decorated stalls o ering a curated selection of gi s, from handmade jewelry and artwork to festive decorations and gourmet treats. Enjoy music, warm beverages, and holiday-themed activities for the whole family.
For the museum’s inaugural Winter Art Garden, Memphisbased artist Greely Myatt uses found objects to create Starry, Starry — an illuminated starscape on the museum’s plaza.
Nikki Glaser: Alive and Unwell Tour
Orpheum eatre, 203 S. Main St., Saturday, November 23, 7 p.m., $39.75-$69.75
For nearly two decades at clubs across the country, and as the host of three hit podcasts, Nikki Glaser has honed her shockingly honest, no-holds barred style, solidifying herself as one of the funniest voices in comedy today.
Following the success of her Critics Choice Award-nominated HBO stand-up special, Good Clean Filth, Glaser recently premiered her highly anticipated second HBO comedy special, Someday You’ll Die. In it, Glaser dives into a wide range of topics including why she doesn’t want kids, the harsh realities of aging, her sexual fantasies, and plans for her own death — all in her hilarious, unapologetic, and brutally honest style.
VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES November 21st - 27th
PHOTO (BELOW): COURTESY NEW BALLET ENSEMBLE Larray Curry
MUSIC By Alex Greene
For the Love of Lelia
Marcella Simien takes us into the world of her family’s past.
The rst words of Marcella Simien’s new album, To Bend to the Will of a Dream at’s Being Fullled, are the perfect introduction to the journey that awaits listeners: “May I heal this family bloodline, forwards and backwards through time.” It’s an incantation of sorts, delivered with a devotional energy that sets the tone for what’s to come. Musically, it’s a departure from Simien’s previous recorded work by way of its minimalism, her main accompaniment for this song being a piano, so evocative of New Orleans and Louisiana. at region, of course, is where the Simiens have been for generations, and where any journey into the singer’s family bloodline must take her.
But while that’s zydeco country (her father Terrance being one of the most celebrated artists of that genre), this is not a zydeco album. Nor is it “swamp soul,” as the rootsy-yet-eclectic sound of Marcella Simien’s band has come to be called. For this most personal of journeys, she’s playing nearly all the instruments, cra ing a setting in a kind of synthetic world-building, evoking the sweep of generations with the sweep of electronic lters.
Simiens. I spent so much of my time around them there, where our family goes as far back as the early 1700s, when they settled on that land.” Simien recalls imagining Lelia when visiting the old family house, where “there was this old photo of her when she was 15, taken on the day she got married. And you can see this beautiful Creole woman with long, dark hair, and these hands of hers reminded me of my hands. I would just stare at that picture, and I think she became a deeper part of me, beyond the DNA.”
With the new sound comes a new performance style, as Simien will unveil on Saturday, November 23rd, at O the Walls Arts. “Yvonne [Bobo] built this structure out of metal,” Simien says, “with a screen on the front, and Graham [Burks] will be projecting visuals on this cylinder. It’s gonna be this really interesting experience for the audience, something new.”
Yet the electronic approach itself is not especially new to Simien. “I don’t even know where to begin with my love for synths, from Kra werk to Gary Numan to Gorillaz,” she says. “I always wanted to explore that more. en we nally invested in a Korg recently.” With the new album, that investment has come to fruition, but in a subtle way. is sculpted audio universe doesn’t wear its synths and drum machines on its sleeve, yet it doesn’t shy away from them, either.
Other, rootsier sounds do make an
appearance. Speaking of a song honoring her late great-grandmother, Simien says, “With the song ‘Lelia’ in particular, which was the guiding light for the whole idea, I intentionally used instruments that Lelia would have heard in her life and in the 1930s, when she was young and building her family.” Lelia is a centerpiece of the album, and the track bearing her name begins with the sounds of crickets in a eld at night, then Simien saying, “Recently I’ve been writing with my great-grandmother.” Indeed, listening to the album, it feels as though Lelia is sitting in the room with us, though Simien never met her. Nor did her father, Lelia having died when he was an infant. Yet Simien felt a deep bond with her father’s grandmother, and the small town where she helped raise him. “I spent a lot of time in Mallet, Louisiana, a very small community outside of Opelousas,” she says. “And I feel this deep, deep connection to the
Paradoxically, the rst word of “Lelia” is “hydrated,” probably not a word used much in Mallet back in the day. Yet that’s also a clue to the power Simien nds in her family past: She came to it through her yogic practice, as a source of strength when she herself was navigating some dark days of her own. It was a time when she struggled with pharmacological dependence. “A er a decade of being prescribed Adderall,” she con des, “I decided to get o it. It’s been over three years now, and I don’t miss it at all, but it was scary because I really didn’t trust myself for so much of my 20s, you know?”
rough the struggle, Lelia and others in her family lore were guiding lights. “I started to think about just how challenging her life was,” Simien says. “Giving birth to 15 children, living o the land, making your own stu , and building a life with next to nothing — I couldn’t comprehend it, but I always thought, ‘If she could handle that, I can handle whatever I’m going through.’ She was tough, and it showed me that there’s so much I can learn from these women. And I want to honor them any way that I can.”
PHOTO: JENNY MAX Marcella Simien
AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule November 21 - 27
Blind Mississippi Morris
ursday, Nov. 21, 7 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Earl “The Pearl” Banks
Tuesday, Nov. 26, 7 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Eric Hughes
ursday, Nov. 21, 7 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Flic’s Pics Band
Led by the legendary Leroy “Flic” Hodges of Hi Rhythm.
Saturday, Nov. 23, 4 p.m. |
Sunday, Nov. 24, 3 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
FreeWorld
Friday, Nov. 22, 8 p.m. |
Saturday, Nov. 23, 8 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
FreeWorld
Sunday, Nov. 24, 6 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Memphis Soul Factory
ursday, Nov. 21, 3:30 p.m. |
Sunday, Nov. 24, 7 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
Rockin’ 88’s
Monday, Nov. 25, 7 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Soul St. Mojo
Wednesday, Nov. 27, 7 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
The B.B. King’s Blues Club Allstar Band
Friday, Nov. 22, 8 p.m. |
Saturday, Nov. 23, 8 p.m. |
Monday, Nov. 25, 7 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
Vince Johnson
Monday, Nov. 25, 7 p.m. |
Tuesday, Nov. 26, 7 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Area 51
Saturday, Nov. 23, 9 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Memphis Funk N Horns
Saturday, Nov. 23, 8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Midnight Marauder
A bi-monthly gathering that nurtures a community of innovative producers, instrumental artists, and fans alike, where creativity ourishes through performance and open-aux sessions. Saturday, Nov. 23, 7-10 p.m.
MEMPHIS MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY
The Deb Jam Band
Featuring Debbie Jamison.
Free. Tuesday, Nov. 26, 6 p.m.
DJ Hush
Friday, Nov. 22, 9 p.m.
EIGHT & SAND
Future-Everything
Strooly and TEHKAL, who head the Future-Everything label, play some of the best deep house and future vibes coming out of Memphis. Saturday, Nov. 23, 9 p.m.
EIGHT & SAND
Justin Timberlake –Forget Tomorrow World Tour
Renowned musician, actor, and entertainer Justin Timberlake returns to his hometown. Saturday, Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m.
FEDEXFORUM
Live & Local Music
Live and local music, every Wednesday night on the all-weather patio. Wednesday, Nov. 27, 7-10 p.m.
The Rake’s Progress Opera Memphis takes on Stravinsky’s 1951 masterpiece. Friday, Nov. 22, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, Nov. 24, 3 p.m.
SCHEIDT PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
The ShotGunBillys
Friday, Nov. 22, 8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Van Duren
A pioneer of indie pop in Memphis. ursday, Nov. 21, 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Wednesday, Nov. 27, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
MORTIMER’S
Zazerac Soul Jazz Trio Friday, Nov. 22, 9 p.m.
BOG & BARLEY
Above Jupiter
Gen Zers with a real knack for original art pop. ursday, Nov. 21, 8 p.m.
RAILGARTEN
Ariel Reign & Aybil WiMM presents two singer/ songwriters who will mesmerize you with their blend of indie-soul, R&B, gospel, and ’60s pop. See them at B-Side, or stream it from B-Side’s Facebook page. Monday, Nov. 25, 7:30-10:30 p.m.
BSIDE
Camron Marquéz
With Superstarswish, Ricky Davaine. 21+. Wednesday, Nov. 27, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Candlelight: Coldplay & Imagine Dragons Rediscover the music of Coldplay and Imagine Dragons, performed by the Beale Street Quartet under the gentle glow of candlelight. $29.63. Friday, Nov. 22, 8:4510 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Connor Kelly & The Time Warp
With Anna Rose Baker. Saturday, Nov. 23, 8 p.m.
GROWLERS
Corey Lou
Friday, Nov. 22, 8 p.m.
RAILGARTEN
Crooked Deil
With Jombi, Zoe Domenguez. Saturday, Nov. 23, 9 p.m.
B-SIDE
Cyrena Wages
Friendsgiving Wednesday, Nov. 27, 7 p.m.
B-SIDE
Devil Train
Bluegrass, roots, country, Delta, and ski e. ursday, Nov. 21, 10 p.m.
B-SIDE
Hunter Peebles & The Moonlighters
With San Salida, Snake Sutras. Sunday, Nov. 24, 6 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Jason D. Williams
Wednesday, Nov. 27, 7 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Jay Jones Band
Sunday, Nov. 24, 7 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Joe Restivo 4 Guitarist Joe Restivo leads one of the city’s nest jazz quartets. Sunday, Nov. 24, 11 a.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Kidd G
Friday, Nov. 22, 9 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Landslide (Fleetwood Mac Tribute)
Saturday, Nov. 23, 5 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Marvel Years
ursday, Nov. 21, 8 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Memphis Reggae Fall Vibration
With DJ Static, Selekta Farmer. Sunday, Nov. 24, 7:30 p.m.
B-SIDE
Move Through EP Release Show
With Joybomb, Ghosty, Gloom. Friday, Nov. 22, 9 p.m.
B-SIDE
Mufasa & Friends
Friday, Nov. 22, 9 p.m.
HI TONE
Play Some Skynyrd (Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute)
Friday, Nov. 22, 6 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Salo Pallini
Instrumental prog-Latin space country music. With Al Gamble. Tuesday, Nov. 26, 8 p.m.
B-SIDE
Silver Broncos
With the Tallahatchies. Friday, Nov. 22, 8 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Snuki
With Slolerner, DJ Mikey. Saturday, Nov. 23, 8 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Dean Z’s Ultimate Elvis Christmas
Dean Z sings your favorite Elvis holiday hits with his high-energy 11-piece band and the beautiful Dynamite Singers. $32/reserved seating. Saturday, Nov. 23, 7 p.m.
GRACELAND SOUNDSTAGE
K.C. Cameron
Saturday, Nov. 23, 3:30 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Rachel is Kozi With Everdeens, Speck Joliet. Saturday, Nov. 23, 7 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Rice Drewery Collective feat. Donna Hansom With Shara Layne and Sky King of the Honeysuckle South Trio. Tuesday, Nov. 26, 7 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Sunday Happenin’ Hoedown with Jimmy Davis, Mark Edgar Stuart, and Jed Zimmerman
Sunday, Nov. 24, 3-6 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Sounds of Memphis:
Steve Lee and Friends
A relaxing, smooth jazz happy hour experience courtesy of the Memphis Jazz Workshop. $12/general admission.
ursday, Nov. 21, 6-8 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Swingtime Explosion Big Band
Monday, Nov. 25, 6 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Telehope
With Michael Williams. Tuesday, Nov. 26, 8 p.m.
GROWLERS
ThunderGun Album
Release Party
With Pan De Muerto, e Narrows. Friday, Nov. 22, 8 p.m.
With guest DJs every Friday. Friday, Nov. 22, 3-5 p.m.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
Willis
Willis seeks to elicit pure and honest emotion with their genre-bending sound. $22.85. Sunday, Nov. 24, 8-10 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
A Rockin’ Memphis Christmas Concert
A holiday-themed tribute to the musicians that made Memphis music legendary at Graceland. $32/reserved seating. Friday, Nov. 22, 7 p.m.
GRACELAND SOUNDSTAGE
The Pretty Boys Sunday, Nov. 24, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S SOUTHAVEN
Will Stewart With Kyle Kimbrell, Jesse Wilcox. Friday, Nov. 22, 8 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
A Chapel Hart Christmas
A special Christmas show, lled with original and traditional holiday songs along with the group’s signature upbeat country music. $40. Friday, Nov. 22 and Saturday, Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m.
BARTLETT PERFORMING ARTS AND CONFERENCE CENTER
GPAC Youth Symphony Program Fall Concert: Grounded
Featuring the Mozart String Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Mendelssohn String Orchestra, the GYSO String Quartets, and the Youth Symphony Orchestra. Sunday, Nov. 24, 4-6 p.m.
Enjoy some of the area’s best local musicians every Sunday. Sunday, Nov. 24, 4-6 p.m.
MEDDLESOME BREWING COMPANY
The Bugaloos’ Anniversary Party
Sunday, Nov. 24, 3 p.m.
HUEY’S CORDOVA
PHOTO: JUSTIN FOX BURKS Above Jupiter
CALENDAR of EVENTS: November 21 - 27
ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS
Alexandra Baker: “Healing Through Color”
e St. Mary’s graduate has been celebrated for her visionary, abstract expressionism. rough Dec. 16.
BUCKMAN ARTS CENTER AT ST. MARY’S SCHOOL
“All Aboard: The Railroad in American Art, 1840 - 1955” is exhibition examines the o en-symbiotic relationship between painters in the United States and the passenger and freight trains that populated cities, towns, and countrysides across the nation. rough Jan. 26.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“ANA•LOG” – Lester Merriweather e gestural treatment of layered and excavated surfaces here pays homage to the experimental processes of the mid-’60s developer tool works by the late Jack Whitten. rough Jan. 19
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
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
“A River I Loved”Maysey Craddock
Works that examine the dualities and mysteries of nature and relationships to space and time, through saturated earth tones and translucent elemental layers. rough Dec. 21
DAVID LUSK GALLERY
Artists’ Link Winter Art
Show
Artists’ Link, a nonpro t group of over 150 visual artists, announces its annual Winter Art Show. rough Nov. 24.
ST. GEORGE’S ART GALLERY AT ST. GEORGE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
“Ascension”: The Art of Haylstorm e Memphis Art Salon is thrilled to announce an extraordinary art exhibit titled “Ascension,” featuring the mesmerizing works of the visionary artist, Haylee Hearn, a ectionately known as Haylstorm. rough Nov. 26.
MEMPHIS ART SALON AT MINGLEWOOD HALL
“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
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.
Scott A. Carter:
“Energy States”
Memphis artist, educator, curator, and musician Scott A. Carter makes objects and environments that exist somewhere in the spaces between sculpture, architecture, design, and sound. rough Jan. 19.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“Size Matters” – Alex
Paulus
A series focused on the juxtaposition of small gures within expansive landscapes, alongside large-scale portraits depicting gures from the artist’s childhood. rough Jan. 19.
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
Southern Heritage Classic Exhibit
Celebrating 35 years of an HBCU Memphis tradition, the exhibition tells the story of Fred Jones Jr., the founder of the Southern Heritage Classic. rough Feb. 28.
NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
“Still” – Michelle Fair
Carol Adamec Exhibit:
“In a Japanese Garden”
An exhibit of owers, kimonos, and gardens in oil on canvas and acrylic gouache on rice paper and panel. rough Dec. 30.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Gallery 1091 November
Exhibit
WKNO Channel 10, in partnership with Creative Aging of the Mid-South, presents “Connected rough Art – A Leonardo da Vinci Inspired Exhibit.” rough Nov. 27.
WKNO-TV/FM
Justin Bowles: “Green Fountain”
An ecstatic rendering of a fantastical garden, Bowles’ garden depicts a pool surrounded by animals and plants and crystal rock formations depicted in three intricate collage works. rough Feb. 16.
TOPS GALLERY: MADISON AVENUE PARK
Kevin A. Williams:
“Native Son” Williams is one of the most celebrated gurative storytellers of this era, with his collection of paintings being the most widely circulated urban ne art series in the world.
rough Dec. 15.
HYATT CENTRIC
MadameFraankie:
“Intertwine” New mixed-media works that invite the artist’s family into her photographic practice.
rough Dec. 13. BEVERLY + SAM ROSS GALLERY
PHOTO: COURTESY DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
e Dixon Gallery & Gardens screens the documentary Girl Rising, which helped fuel a global movement for girls’ education, this ursday.
Master Metalsmith
Preston Jackson: “A Hidden Culture”
Honoring the Metal Museum’s 38th Master Metalsmith, this exhibition “reveals history that has been buried, forgotten, or deemed unimportant by society.” rough Jan. 26.
METAL MUSEUM
“LC150+ Memphis”
An exhibit focused on work of Swiss-born architect and city planner Le Corbusier, showcasing 150 models of his work, including built and unbuilt projects. rough Nov. 22.
ART MUSEUM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS (AMUM)
“Meeting Room:” The 6 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
“Natural Histories: 400 Years of Scientific Illustration” Showcasing hidden gems and unique masterworks from the American Museum of Natural History’s rare book collection. rough Jan. 26
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“Pissarro to Picasso:” Masterworks from the Kirkland Family Collection anks to the generosity of the Kirkland family of Los Angeles, visitors to the Dixon will be able to enjoy 18 art treasures from the family’s collection. rough Jan. 26.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“Pompeii: The Exhibition” In a media-rich, object-based immersive experience, discover the bustling commercial port and strategic military and trading center that was Pompeii before Mount Vesuvius erupted. rough April 13.
GRACELAND EXHIBITION CENTER
Preston Jackson: Tales of the River Cities Tales of the River Cities, by artist Preston Jackson, features narrative vignettes that speak to Jackson’s family history near the Mississippi River. rough Jan. 26.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Sayali Abhyankar:
“Dhara (Mother Earth)” Inspired by the beauty of nature, Sayali Abhyankar’s acrylic paintings feature vibrant colors and intricate patterns based in two traditional Indian folk art styles. rough Nov. 27.
MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY
Figures and landscapes conjuring ideas of solitude and loneliness, that also explore the meditative aspects of painting. rough Jan. 19.
HopeWorks’ Staging Hope: The Wizard of Oz Kick o the holiday season with your family on the yellow brick road to help build a better Memphis. $45/general admission, $75/VIP. Saturday, Nov. 23, 2 p.m.
PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE
Memphis Potters’ Guild Holiday Show and Sale: Opening Reception
Meet the artists and browse the most comprehensive collection of handmade ceramic wares in the Memphis area. Friday, Nov. 22, 5-8 p.m.
ST. ANNE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Starry Bazaar at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Step into the festive spirit and celebrate the opening of the Winter Art Garden at the Starry Bazaar hosted at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Saturday, Nov. 23, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
PHOTO: COURTESY MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART Artists of all levels can practice and increase their skills drawing the human form at the Brooks’ gure drawing class.
continued from page 17
“The Funny Pages” Art Show with MidSouth Cartoonists Association at GCT
See the shows, buy the art, meet the artists — it’s a great time to shop for art for all your gift-giving needs.
Multiple opportunities to engage with MSCA and GCT over the next two months. Through Jan. 17
GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY
THEATRE
BOOK EVENTS
Hal Kitchings: DogGone, It Hurts
A 30-day devotional for people grieving lost dogs.
“Grieving over your dog — a part of your family — is real,” Kitchings says. Monday, Nov. 25, 6 p.m.
NOVEL
CLASS / WORKSHOP
Cocktail Chronicles
A monthly bartending class with sips through time.
Thursday, Nov. 21, 7-8 p.m.
BAR HUSTLE AT ARRIVE MEMPHIS
Figure Drawing ClassLong Pose
Figure drawing is back by popular demand. Artists of all levels can practice and increase their skills drawing the human form in this class.
Sunday, Nov. 24, 2-4 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Hobby Kick-Start: Growing Daffodils in the Garden and Containers
Molly Hampton and Robert Hollingsworth explain the different divisions of daffodils and how to plant them. Attendees will plant a container of daffodil bulbs to take home. $25. Thursday, Nov. 21, 6-8 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Lunchtime Meditations
Looking for something relaxing to do to clear your mind and improve your overall health? Visit the Dixon for free meditation sessions every Friday. Friday, Nov. 22, noon-12:45 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Making Colorful
Chainmaille Ornaments
Create gorgeous chainmaille pieces using a variety of weaves that are perfect for ornaments, package decorations, or even jewelry. Saturday, Nov. 23, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Memphis Jazz Workshop Winter Intensive 2024
An exclusive, immersive experience designed for advanced high school jazz musicians. This five-day program will give students the opportunity to hone their skills and play with other musicians. Friday, Nov. 22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE COM -
MUNITY COLLEGE
Project WET (Water Education Today) Workshop
An interdisciplinary water education program featuring classroom-proven, hands-on learning activities. Participants receive a copy of The Project WET 2.0 Activity Guide. Tuesday, Nov. 26, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Queer & Allied Theatre Troupe
An LGBTQ+Allied theater group for young people ages 14-21. Thursday, Nov. 21, 5 p.m.
PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE
COMEDY
Hoppy Hour Comedy at Hampline Brewing
Entirely free, this comedy showcase features local/ regional comedians bringing their A-game to an intimate and lively crowd. Enjoy tasty Hampline brews while sharing laughs with fellow Memphians. Friday, Nov. 22, 7:30-9 p.m.
HAMPLINE BREWING
Nikki Glaser - Alive and Unwell Tour
For nearly two decades at clubs, as the host of three hit podcasts, and on HBO, Nikki Glaser has honed her shockingly honest, no-holds barred style of comedy.
Saturday, Nov. 23, 7 p.m.
ORPHEUM THEATRE
Open Mic Comedy Night
Hosted by John Miller [Big Room-Upstairs]. Tuesday, Nov. 26, 8 p.m. HI TONE
Saturday Night Showcase
This underground comedy show, hosted by Tylon Monger, boasts a diverse and interesting lineup each week that cracks smiles, shakes heads, and causes uproarious laughter. $15. Saturday, Nov. 23, 7 p.m.
MEMPHIS CLOVER CLUB
COMMUNITY
Cordelia’s Market Soup Saturdays for First Responders
First responders eat free, and kids get hot cocoa on the house. Saturday, Nov. 23, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
CORDELIA’S MARKET
DANCE
Beginner Salsa Class
Put more sizzle in your week!
$70. Tuesday, Nov. 26, 6 p.m.
CAT’S BALLROOM
New Ballet Ensemble & School NutRemix
New Ballet’s NutRemix is an electrifying and innovative production that takes the entire family on a captivating journey with a story set on Memphis’ iconic Beale Street.
Saturday, Nov. 23, 5:30 p.m. |
Sunday, Nov. 24, 2:30 p.m.
CANNON CENTER FOR THE PER -
FORMING ARTS
CALENDAR: NOVEMBER 21 - 27
I Read That Movie: Nomadland
Viewing the film based on the 2017 nonfiction book Nomadlland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, written by Columbia Journalism School adjunct professor Jessica Bruder. Saturday, Nov. 23, 2-5 p.m.
BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY
Scrooged
In this modern take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Frank Cross is a wildly successful television executive with cold ambition and a curmudgeonly nature. Saturday, Nov. 23, 4:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY
Spanish Cinema Now: Love & Revolution (Te estoy amando locamente)
EXPO/SALES
Gifts of Green
A seasonal shop open in the visitors center through the end of the year, with tropical and unusual plants, stylish pots, and other botanical novelties to make the perfect gift. Through Dec. 30.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Holiday Bazaar
Shop 100+ local artists and makers this holiday season
Friday, Nov. 15, 10 a.m.
ARROW CREATIVE
Memphis Arts Collective Holiday Market
Over 30 Memphis artists showcasing their art work in pottery, glass, jewelry, metal, fabric/fiber, mixed media, photography. Silent auction to benefit Miracle League of Memphis. 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
GATTAS PLAZA
Memphis Oddity & Curiosities Market
All-ages event with the oddest of oddities and the most curious of curiosities. Free.
Saturday, Nov. 23, 4 p.m.
HI TONE
FAMILY
Girl ScOUTINGS at the Garden
Girl ScOUTINGS: seasonal self-guided activity stations to support badge requirements. With 30 specialty gardens over 96 acres, your scout will learn botany basics and environmental lessons.
Sunday, Nov. 24, 2-4 p.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Mini Masters (ages 2-4)
Introduce your little ones to the arts and nature with crafts, movement, and more. $8.
Tuesday, Nov. 26, 10:30 a.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
OUTMemphis PRYSM
Silent Disco Silent Disco for LGBTQ+ youth and allies. 12-17 years old. Free. Saturday, Nov. 23, 5-8 p.m.
TBA TO REGISTRANTS
COURTESY GRACELAND
Through 150 artifacts, “Pompeii: The Exhibition” tells the tale of a city hidden from view and forgotten for centuries.
Story Time
Enjoy stories, songs, art activities, and creative play that connect with Collierville history. Friday, Nov. 22, 10:30 a.m.
MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY
Story Time at Novel
Recommended for children up to 5 years, Story Time at Novel includes songs and stories, featuring brand-new books in addition to wellloved favorites. Saturday, Nov. 23, 10:30 a.m. | Wednesday, Nov. 27, 10:30 a.m.
NOVEL
Super Saturday - New Years Stars
A workshop inspired by the Winter Art Garden, designed by Memphis artist Greely Myatt. Make stars like Myatt and then write your resolutions on them. Free. Saturday, Nov. 23, 10 a.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
FESTIVAL
32nd Annual St. Louis Church Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair
Shop over 100 unique arts and crafts booths and visit Rudolph’s Cafe for a delicious lunch. Admission and parking are free. Saturday, Nov. 23, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC CHURCH
FILM
Elf
A free screening in the Chimes Square courtyard on Trimble Place. Blankets and folding chairs welcome; no outside alcoholic beverages, please. Free. Thursday, Nov. 21, 7 p.m.
OVERTON SQUARE Girl Rising: A Documentary Film Screening
Nine unforgettable girls overcoming nearly insurmountable odds to achieve their dreams. Directed by Richard E. Robbins, the film spawned a global nonprofit of the same name. Free. Thursday, Nov. 21, 6 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
A cheekily combative comedy about a dedicated mother who, after her son’s coming out, decides to fight for LGBTQ rights. In Spanish with English subtitles. Free. Thursday, Nov. 21, 6-7:45 p.m.
A holiday brunch with live entertainment. Saturday, November 23. $70/general admission. Saturday, Nov. 23, 10-11:30 a.m.
THE GUEST HOUSE AT GRACELAND
MALTED 2024
Celebrate your dark (beer) side. Free. Saturday, Nov. 23, 1-10 p.m.
MEMPHIS MADE BREWING (DOWNTOWN - THE RAVINE)
Methodist Healthcare Luncheon Featuring Dennis Quaid Renowned actor, musician, and healthcare advocate Dennis Quaid will share his experiences working in the entertainment industry and as a healthcare advocate.
$150. Friday, Nov. 22, 11:30 a.m. THE PEABODY HOTEL
HEALTH AND FITNESS
Slow Your Roll | Saturday Morning Meditation
A serene start to your Saturday with some morning mindfulness, led by the experienced mindfulness educator Greg Graber. Free. Saturday, Nov. 23, 8-8:30 a.m.
CHICKASAW GARDENS PARK
Taijiquan with Milan Vigil
Led by Milan Vigil, this Chinese martial art promotes relaxation, improves balance, and provides no-impact
PHOTO: COURTESY MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
This week’s Super Saturday at the Brooks is inspired by the Winter Art Garden, designed by Memphis-based artist Greely Myatt.
Strengthen your yoga practice and enjoy the health benefits of light exercise with yoga instructor Laura Gray McCann. Free. Thursday, Nov. 21, 6-6:45 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
PERFORMING ARTS
Monday Night Poetry Set by Perform901
An immersive celebration of the written word, where the beauty of language comes alive. Monday, Nov. 25, 7:30 p.m.
HI TONE
“Sweet Tea Sundays”
Featuring a tea dance and show. Sunday, Nov. 24, 3-6 p.m.
DRU’S PLACE
The Grand Rainbow Rumble Winners of this season’s challenges! Hosted by Moth Moth Moth and Season 3 champion Fauxbia. 18+. $15. Friday, Nov. 22, 9 p.m.
HI TONE
SPECIAL EVENTS
Friday Night Lasers: The Wall (Pink Floyd)
A light and music extravaganza at the AutoZone Dome Sharpe Planetarium. Friday, Nov. 22, 7 p.m.
MEMPHIS MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY
Grind City Brewing Tournament Series Board to Beers is hosting a series of easy to learn and play games at Grind City Brewing Company. Games are free to play. First through third place will take home house cash for Grind City. Sunday, Nov. 24, 1:30-5 p.m.
GRIND CITY BREWING CO.
Starry Nights
The spirit of the season comes to life with dazzling displays featuring millions of lights. Festive fun is in store for kids and kids at heart at this drive-through holiday event. $38-$200. Tuesday, Nov. 26-Dec 29.
SHELBY FARMS
The Enchanted Forest Festival of Trees
A benefit for Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital that fills the Pink Palace Mezzanine with beautifully decorated trees as teddy bears beckon, trains chug, elves work, and penguins play in the snow. Through Dec. 29.
MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND HISTORY AT THE PINK PALACE
SPORTS
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Detroit Pistons
Cheer on the Grizzlies! Wednesday, Nov. 27, 7 p.m. | Wednesday, Nov. 27, 7 p.m.
FEDEXFORUM
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Portland Trailblazers
Cheer on the Grizzlies! Monday, Nov. 25, 7 p.m.
FEDEXFORUM
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Cheer on the Grizzlies! Monday, Nov. 25, 7 p.m.
FEDEXFORUM
Memphis Hustle vs. Okalhoma City
Blue
The G-League Affiliate of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies calls the Landers Center home. See the next generation of NBA stars. Tuesday, Nov. 26, 7 p.m.
LANDERS CENTER
Memphis Hustle vs. Osceola Magic
The G-League Affiliate of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies calls the Landers Center home. See the next generation of NBA stars. Friday, Nov. 22, 7 p.m.
LANDERS CENTER
Memphis Hustle vs. Texas Legends
The G-League Affiliate of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies calls the Landers Center home. See the next generation of NBA stars! Saturday, Nov. 23, 7 p.m.
LANDERS CENTER
Race: BuffaGLO Run
Family-friendly 2.25-mile fun run is the kickoff to Starry Nights. Dress in fluorescent gear and get ready to GLO. This race will be untimed, strollers are welcome, and dogs are allowed onleash. Tuesday, Nov. 26, 8 a.m.
SHELBY FARMS
Run Santa Run Memphis - Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K Run/Walk Christmas-themed race featuring a half marathon, 10K, and 5K with holiday music, sweets, and a live Santa Claus. $50/general admission. Sunday, Nov. 24, 8-11:30 a.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Trogon Fighting Alliance
Join Trogon Fighting Alliance for an epic night of MMA fights. $47.75. Saturday, Nov. 23, 6-8 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 23, 6 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Turkey Trails - Memphis, TN
The annual Turkey Trails 5k/10k! A fun, Thanksgiving-themed event that is perfect for the whole family. $18.83. Sunday, Nov. 24, 8-11 a.m.
OVERTON BARK PARK
THEATER
Another Christmas Temptation
Don’t miss Patrice Lovely and Tony Hightower in an inspiring and hilarious stage play. $40/
general admission, $60/VIP. Friday, Nov. 22, 7-10 p.m.
REDEEMING LIFE MINISTRIES
Junie B. Jones: Toothless Wonder
Junie B. Jones is losing her first tooth and didn’t get invited to Jim’s birthday. Will she get an invite, and what happens when her tooth falls out? Find out in this fun adventure! $25/single ticket. Saturday, Nov. 23, 2-4 p.m. | Sunday, Nov. 24, 2-4 p.m.
CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE
Peter Pan
This high-flying musical has been thrilling audiences of all ages for close to 70 years and is now being brought back to life in a new adaptation by celebrated playwright Larissa FastHorse, directed by Emmy Award winner Lonny Price and choreography by Lorin Latarro. $29-$140. Tuesday, Nov. 26-Dec. 1.
ORPHEUM THEATRE
The Wizard of Oz Swept to the enchanting land of Oz by a tornado, Dorothy Gale teams up with a Scarecrow, a Tin Woodsman, and a Cowardly Lion to find the Wizard. Friday, Nov. 22, 7 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 23, 2 p.m. | Sunday, Nov. 24, 2 p.m.
PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE
Who’s Holiday!
A riotously funny and heartwarming adults-only comedy, where Cindy Lou Who recounts the
Christmas Eve she met the Grinch. Friday, Nov. 22-Dec. 22.
CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE
TOURS
Graceland Christmas Tours
Enjoy the beauty of Elvis Presley’s Graceland decorated for the holidays. Through Dec. 23.
GRACELAND MANSION
Greenway Arboretum Stroll
Activities coordinator Jim Gafford leads a guided leisure walk along a one-mile loop trail on the Greenway East section of the Wolf River Greenway. Sunday, Nov. 24, 3-4:30 p.m.
WOLF RIVER GREENWAY EAST
Haunted Pub Crawl
Visit three local bars for ghost stories, dark history, and tales of the paranormal. Friday, Nov. 22, 7:30-10 p.m.
THE BROOM CLOSET
The Original Memphis Brew Bus
The Memphis Brew Bus is a Saturday afternoon trip into the amazing Memphis craft brewing scene. Visit three local breweries for tours, talks with the brewers, and of course beer. $59. Saturday, Nov. 23, 2-5:30 p.m. THE BROOM CLOSET
ACROSS
1 *Like carols and cantatas
5 Breathing room
10 Put a limit on
13 Mayberry moppet of 1960s TV
14 Tissue layers
15 “What ___ we here?”
16 *Grand Prix locale
18 Country west of Afghanistan
19 Ambient music pioneer Brian
20 Used a doorbell
21 Scarecrow’s desire in “The Wizard of Oz”
22 Canadian gas brand
24 *“You’re beautiful,” in Paris
27 Words of commitment
29 Seasickness, e.g.
30 Moon ___ (apt anagram of ASTRONOMER)
33 Tax ID
34 Stat for cleanup hitters
37 *“Yay for us!”
39 *Uma of “Kill Bill”
42 “Groovy!”
43 Where Slovakia and Slovenia are: Abbr.
45 Herbs with licorice-flavored seeds
46 Rustic shelter
49 One of the Kennedys
50 *Friend of Robin Hood
53 Bulletproof garment
56 Many, casually
57 Toy in windy weather
59 Original N.Y.C. subway line
61 Move like mud
62 Start of the baseball season … or what the start of each starred clue is?
65 Lines on a road map: Abbr.
66 Cappuccino cousin
67 Fraction of a bushel
68 Half-___ (do in a perfunctory way)
69 Gave medicine
70 *Fill to excess DOWN
1 A handful of 2 Slightly ahead
3 Spanish boys
4 Figure out
5 Pet lover’s org.
6 Nursery buy
7 Pellet projectors
8 Cartoon collectible
9 That: Sp.
10 Sources of urban noise pollution
11 Be useful
Kunta
Point in the right direction
Inits. in some personals, once
PUZZLE BY ZHOUQIN BURNIKEL
We Saw You.
with MICHAEL DONAHUE
About 4,000 to 5,000 people attended this year’s Cra s & Dra s, which was held November 9th at Crosstown Concourse and hosted by the Memphis Flyer and Crosstown Arts.
And, this year, the event was held completely inside, instead of half outside and half in.
“First time we’ve ever done it completely indoors because of the weather,” says event manager Molly Willmott. “It was a roaring success.”
About 85 curated artists, makers, and cra ers took part in the event.
As for the dra s, Willmott says, “We partner with Eagle Distributing. ey give us a list of the most interesting and creative beers on tap at this moment. ey do this for each of these events.”
e brews include some local and some regional, Willmott says.
“ e whole point of the event is to showcase the best local and Mid-South artists and makers and give them a venue to promote themselves and showcase their wares. And still stay true to the Memphis Flyer’s mission, which is to make Memphis a better place to live. Elevating and sharing people doing great things.”
above:
circle: Dylan Haskins below: (le to right) Bob Fournier and Jack Fournier; Montie Doss and Erika Montesi; Connor Trahan and Abigail Morici; Allison McCommon bottom right: Sage, Sheila, and Rogers Sanders
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE
Justyn Ward, Larry King, Daverix Cleaves, Zykel Pirtle
above: Max McClusky, Rain Wright, and Olive Stevens below: (le to right) Alex Mariencheck, Kayleigh Mitchell, Katie and Judson Black; Robby Grant and Steve Selvidge; Sara Moseley and Frank McLallen; Shayla Purifoy and Fish Moges right row: (top and below) Anna Marie Cooper and Chad Evans; Aubre Patterson, Adelyn Barton, and Sophie Lindley bottom le : Diana and Jody Stephens
BOOKS By Alex Greene
We Are All Drifters
A new group biography tells the tale of a band that lived like family.
he Continental Drifters were a band whose lineup alone would turn heads. Though members came and went over the decade or so of their existence, the personnel settled to include Peter Holsapple of the dB’s, Mark Walton of the Dream Syndicate, Vicki Peterson of the Bangles, Susan Cowsill of The Cowsills, and, most notably for Memphians, Robert Maché, the journeyman guitarist who played with Steve Wynn for years and now lives here, often seen playing with his wife Candace in Dan Montgomery’s band, or touring with Dayna Kurtz. Yet despite their collective pedigrees, they never quite “made it” in terms of sales or record deals, perhaps because all involved found the “supergroup” tag repulsive. That’s one of the few things they all could agree on, as is made clear in Sean Kelly’s new book, White Noise & Lightning: The Continental Drifters Story (Cool Dog Sound), which traces the group from before they coalesced until after they’d broken up. One strength of the book is that all living former members embraced this chance to speak freely and tell their story. And Holsapple is particularly blunt about the “supergroup” tag.
“We were hell-bent on not seeming like this purported busman’s holiday,” he tells Kelly. “We were so irked by that description that it was this sort of ‘sometime supergroup.’ It was like, ‘Fuck. You really are just not getting it, are you? This is a band.’”
he and friends Mark Walton and Gary Eaton were rooming together in what they called the “Batch Pad” (at a time when native Memphian David Catching was also in their orbit), and, sharing similar tastes, formed a band that also included guitarist Ray Ganucheau and keyboardist Dan McGough. By 1991, the newly formed Continental Drifters had taken up a Tuesday night residence at Raji’s, which soon became a scene unto itself.
That was a bit of a paradox at the time. As Greg Allen, who went on to found Omnivore Recordings with fellow Raji’s patron Cheryl Pawelski, tells Kelly, “There was no real scene in L.A. It’s not like it was the power-pop era or the new wave era or what have you. It was just a lot of whatever. The kind of void that the Drifters filled, especially with the shows happening every week — that was its own scene.”
That latter point also comes through loud and clear, as Kelly delves into the complex, Fleetwood Mac-level entanglements between the members that, despite making relations fraught at times, also sealed the family-like bond between them. And that bond seems to have been, in retrospect, a key to the group’s sound, a brand of roots-infused alt-rock with a strong focus on harmonies and songwriting that might today be labeled “Americana” but had no such pigeonhole in the ’90s.
Indeed, the book deftly conjures up the spirit of that era in Los Angeles, where the group began. The respected session drummer and producer Carlo Nuccio, who appropriated the band’s moniker from a group of the same name he’d played with in his native New Orleans, was a focal point, sparked by his relocation to L.A. and his talent for gathering like-minded souls around him. Eventually,
The Raji’s residency nevertheless became legendary to those who participated, setting the aesthetic tone for all of the Drifters’ subsequent years: keeping things loose, inspired, and very much at the service of the songs more than any identifiable “sound” that could be marketed. The many rock veterans in and out of the band preferred to do as they pleased, rather than bow to the demands of a producer or label. Ultimately, as new members like Holsapple and Cowsill (eventually wed, then divorced), Peterson, or Maché joined the group, the group’s aesthetic, impervious to fickle fashion, carried on. This held true when they migrated piecemeal to New Orleans in the mid-’90s, destined to be as celebrated there as they had been in L.A.
Kelly’s book weaves this web of relationships into a tale driven by his love of the music. Prospective readers should revisit the group’s records before diving into this meandering tale: They are what make the vagaries of friendship, dating, marriage, divorce, and substance abuse among the members so compelling. Moreover, it was by remaining staunchly eclectic that the band defined its place in (or not in) the music industry. Being outsiders who were nonetheless revered by their fans defined the lives of all involved, as they all rejected grandstanding musicianship in favor of playing to the songs. And that approach, whether in L.A. or New Orleans, is why their records (and friendships) have endured.
FOOD By Michael Donahue
Honey of a Deal
Advertising exec Patrick Collins makes and sells honey as owner of Ol’ Cappy’s Bee Products.
atrick Collins is COO at Morris Marketing Group. at’s where he wears business casual and suits.
He’s also the owner of Ol’ Cappy’s Bee Products. at’s where he wears protective clothing, including a jacket with a hood and canvas pants.
Collins, 49, sells his locally-made honey as well as his products made from beeswax. On the weekends, he cranks up his 1985 Ford 150 and tootles down to Coldwater, Mississippi, with all his beekeeping supplies in the back.
And, yes, he’s been stung “many, many times,” Collins says, adding, “ ey don’t really want to sting you, but they do it for protection.”
He got into beekeeping about six years ago a er he heard stories from a client who keeps bees at his RV park. “I got really interested in it,” he says.
Collins went to a meeting of the Memphis Area Beekeepers Association at Agricenter International. “It’s a half day and they teach you everything you need to know about beekeeping.”
He was amazed to nd about 250 people at the meeting. “I thought it would be me and three old guys. Instead, it was an auditorium full of people.”
Collins was one of the winners in the drawing for a beehive, which was given away at the end of the meeting. ey also gave him bees. “You get a box of bees, a small hive. It’s ready to go.”
And those bees lay eggs. “And you end up with 30,000 bees.”
Collins now owns 25 hives, which he keeps on land he owns in Coldwater. “I go down there at least once a week. Usually on weekends.”
He spent hours online “reading about bees and watching videos about how people keep bees and things.”
Collins also learned from “the bees themselves.”
“ ey’re doing their own thing and you’re going to learn whether you want to or not. You have to learn how to manage them or they’ll all leave.”
Collins was fascinated by the di erent avor pro les of local honey. “You can almost really taste the oral notes of it. And the other thing is it changes throughout the seasons. We have a spring, summer, and fall harvest. And the color and the avor changes with each harvest.”
Spring honey is “really light and really yellow.” Fall is “very robust.” And summer is “really oral, but it is a little more delicate than the fall.”
ere is no “winter” honey per se. But bees still make honey in the winter. ey remain in the hive “to keep the colony warm during the winter. No matter what the temperature is outside, inside it’s 90 degrees.”
Bees keep that temperature warm by staying in a cluster and vibrating their bodies. ey won’t leave the hive until the outside temperature reaches 55 degrees.
A native of Tupelo, Mississippi, Collins wasn’t originally a fan of honey. “I did not like honey growing up. It just wasn’t good to me. It was probably a matter of a real
fall honey. Or sometimes when honey is processed, some people use heat in that process and that can change the avor.”
Collins liked honey for the rst time when he tried some local honey about six years ago. Now, he says, “I eat honey three times a day. I mainly eat it as dessert. And I use it with yogurt, peanut butter, and apples. at’s what I eat twice a day for lunch and dinner. In the morning, cottage cheese, berries and honey.”
He doesn’t cook with honey, but he does make “no-bake power balls that use honey.” ey’re made with honey, oats, chocolate, and peanut butter. “You can’t get better than that.”
Local honey is made from the pollen from local fauna within a 50 mile area, so
the honey Collins sells would be considered local honey in Memphis. “Our beehives are on the backside of Arkabutla, which is a protected forest area. So it’s wild. Lots of wild vines and owers and trees. e bulk of the honey comes from trees. But owers, too. Trees produce larger plants, which produce large amounts of honey.”
When his beehives grew to about 10 or 15, Collins knew he had to come up with a name for his honey because he needed to start selling it. “ at’s when the honey really started owing in. I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat it or give it all away.”
He produced 55 pounds of honey at his rst big harvest four years ago. “ is year, I harvested over 2,000 pounds of honey.”
In addition to his regular honey, Collins sells a balm and a salve made out of beeswax. He also sells a creamy, spreadable honey.
Ol’ Cappy’s Bee Products is a family business, Collins says. He and his son Reed bottle honey, and his wife Jill bags and helps with the deliveries. His honey products are now available at Berryhill Farm and Mrs. Hippie Eats in Hernando, Mississippi. ey’re also available on his website olcappy.com. “We deliver it to your house for free,” he says. “We just drop it o at your front door like Amazon.”
Asked who Ol’ Cappy is, Collins says, “ at’s me.”
“I love nicknames. And I have given myself nicknames over the years, going back to elementary school and junior high.”
Collins loved the name of the wrestler Porkchop Cash a er he became a big wrestling fan as a 6-year-old.“You can pick any kind of meat and put another stupid word with it and that can be your name. Your favorite color. e street you grew up on. So, I adopted ‘Captain Porkchop.’”
e nickname was shortened to “Captain” when Collins was a server at the old Bhan ai restaurant.
A 16-ounce bottle of his honey sells for $14, but keeping bees and selling honey and honey-based products is a hobby, Collins says. “If you don’t want to pay the price for the products, then I’m happy to eat the product myself. I’m kind of selling you my stash.”
PHOTO: (TOP) ANNA GRACE PALMER | MORRIS MARKETING GROUP; (ABOVE) COURTESY PATRICK COLLINS Patrick Collins with his products and beehives
By Emily Guenther
A Holiday Retrograde
Forewarned is forearmed when it comes to Mercury retrograde.
In my last column about the Odin’s Eye asteroid, I listed all the planets and asteroids in retrograde. Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Jupiter, and Chiron, respectively. We can now add Mercury to that list. Mercury retroshade has begun. Can you tell?
Retroshade is what astrologers and astrology enthusiasts call the two-week period leading up to and following a Mercury retrograde, where the planet is slowly moving back into its “normal” position. Mercury is the fastest moving planet in our solar system and goes retrograde three to four times a year. e retroshade period can bring clarity and nality to circumstances, but it can also be harsh. Some say that during this time, people may be more irritable, unfocused, or prone to misunderstandings and con icts.
Mercury went retrograde in August and took a backward spin through the astrological signs of Virgo and Leo. is time, it will happen in the sign of Sagittarius. And this Mercury retrograde will be the last one for this year. We’ll take all the reprieves we can get. Our upcoming retrograde o cially begins on November 26th and lasts until December 15th. However, we still have the retroshade a er it’s over, making the e ects last until January 3rd.
e ects of this Mercury retrograde more than others, but retrogrades a ect us all. With Mercury retrograding in the sign of Sagittarius, you might nd it di cult to move forward on your higher-minded goals due to mix-ups, slowdowns, or simply a lack of mental momentum. If you are doing any anksgiving traveling or planning trips for later in the season, you’ll want to triple-check your itineraries and leave wiggle room for delays, as Mercury retrograde is especially likely to interfere with transportation and timing while it’s in this worldly and wanderlusty sign. ese are not new concerns when it comes to Mercury retrograde. Anytime we have one, we need to be mindful of communication, plans, and technology. For the last Mercury retrograde of 2024, the biggest complication is the timing. e retrograde kicks o just before anksgiving and will butt up against the Yuletide holidays — the busiest time of year.
Mercury
has begun. Can you tell?
Mercury is thought to rule over our communication, travel, and commerce. When it is in retrograde, we can o en expect miscommunication, disagreements because of miscommunication, hiccups with travel plans, and inconveniences with technology. Retrogrades, especially Mercury retrogrades, o en throw speed bumps in our way to make us slow down, re ect, and readjust for the next phase. Sagittarius, one of the zodiac’s re signs, is thought to be a bit of a free spirit. is sign is known to be passionate and energetic while being open-minded, curious, loyal, honest, and enjoying travel. ose with prominent Sagittarius placements in their chart are likely to feel the
Forewarned is forearmed, and that is always the best advice when it comes to a Mercury retrograde. Don’t wait until the last minute to buy your anksgiving food. e demand is already going to be higher than usual for certain grocery items, so don’t make things more complicated by waiting too late. Talk with your loved ones about a gi budget, and try to keep the spending to a reasonable level. Many of us love buying presents for our loved ones and seeing their joy when they get something nice or something they really wanted. We can still give meaningful gi s without breaking the bank or splurging on that one really expensive gi .
With Mercury retrograding through Sagittarius, we might feel more generous this season with our gi giving. Sagittarius is all about loyalty, style, and being free, which can get us into enough trouble during the holidays without Mercury interfering. Just be mindful of your budget (you’re going to have to pay the credit card bills soon) and try to have a bit of restraint while shopping. Because we are dealing with this ery Sagittarius energy, don’t overcommit to holiday plans. Sagittarius makes everything seem like fun, but we can’t reasonably do it all.
As usual, Mercury retrograde is a time to slow down, be patient and understanding, and appreciate what you have.
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: PIXABAY
retroshade
By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
A Load of Bologna
U.S. Customs and Border Protection shuts down smuggling attempts on a daily basis, but what its officers caught on Sept. 23 at the Presidio, Texas, port of entry wasn’t the usual contraband. While inspecting a vehicle being driven into the U.S., CBP personnel discovered 748 pounds of Mexican bologna. The New York Post reported that 40 rolls of the deli meat were hidden in a number of suitcases throughout the vehicle. CBP Presidio Port director Benito Reyes Jr. said in a news release that “the concern with pork products is that they have the potential to introduce foreign animal diseases that can have devastating effects to the U.S. economy and to our agriculture industry.” The driver, an American citizen, was issued a $1,000 civil penalty; the bologna was destroyed per USDA regulations.
[WHAM-13, 9/28/2024]
Kung Faux Panda
As the old saying goes, if it (sorta) looks like a panda, but walks, barks, and pants like a dog … it’s a dog. Canoe.com reported that a Chinese zoo in the southern Guangdong province has admitted what many had already guessed: that its “pandas” were actually dogs with their fur painted. Some zoo visitors used social media to share photos and videos of the critters doing very un-pandalike things, such as panting, barking, and wagging long tails. Commenters had a field day: “It’s a PANdog,” one wrote, while another called it “the Temu version of a panda.” Once the posts went viral, zoo officials admitted they had painted two chow chow dogs. Some visitors have since demanded refunds.
[Canoe.com, 9/20/24]
Single-Engine Drama
• En route from Nebraska to Oregon on Sept. 21, a single-engine plane made an emergency landing on Highway 25 north of Cheyenne, Wyoming, Cowboy State Daily reported. Levi and Kelsi Dutton, who were traveling south on the highway when the plane landed in front of them, offered assistance to the pilot, who identified himself as Steve. The pilot calmly inspected the plane’s fuel line before announcing, “I got the tools right here. I’ll just open it up,
figure out what’s going on, and get her fixed.” After making the repair, Steve hopped back aboard the plane and, as the Duttons stopped traffic to free up a runway space, taxied south and took off for Cheyenne Regional Airport, where he could do a more thorough inspection. [Cowboy State Daily, 9/21/24]
• Another single-engine plane made news on Sept. 17 when, shortly after taking off from Myrtle Beach International Airport in South Carolina, a door fell off and landed in the yard of a vacant home, WBMF News reported. The pilot and passenger on board were unharmed. Witness Wendy Hodges, who lives next door to the vacant house, hurried home after learning of the incident, and found the intact door in the neighbor’s yard. “It was definitely really lucky that there was no damage or no one was hurt,” said Hodges. “As a matter of fact, there’s a plane flying right now, but I will certainly make sure I start looking up.” [WBMF, 9/18/24]
Missed Their Exit?
WSVN in Miami reported on Sept. 21 that an SUV fell from an overpass on I-95, crashing through a fence below and narrowly missing a bystander — and miraculously, both driver and passenger walked away, apparently unscathed. Those nearby rushed to help, including Mariah Lewis, who offered a knife from her glove box to aid in cutting the driver and passenger out of their seatbelts. “It’s just by the grace of God that the people lived, because I don’t understand how you fall from that high and [live],” she said. Both occupants were checked by paramedics, and the driver was taken to a local trauma center for observation. “It was bad, but it could have been worse,” Lewis said. “I was just telling my daughter I’m so grateful. You’ve got to be grateful for life.” [WSVN, 9/21/24
Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Award-winning Aries filmmaker Quentin Tarantino was born and raised in the U.S. But he has said, “I don’t make movies for America. I make movies for planet Earth.” I applaud his expansive perspective and recommend you cultivate your own version of it in the coming weeks. You will generate good fortune for yourself as you enlarge your audience, your range of influences, and your sphere of activity. It will be an excellent time to transcend previous notions of who you are and what your life’s assignments are. The frontiers are calling you to open your mind wider than ever as you leap to the next higher octave of your destiny.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Earth knows no desolation. She smells regeneration in the moist breath of decay.” Author George Meredith said that, and now I’m conveying it to you. Why? Because you’re entering a phase when you will have maximum power to ensure that decay leads to regeneration. My advice: Instead of trying to repress your awareness of what’s decomposing, tune into it energetically. The sooner you embrace the challenging but interesting work to be done, the faster and more effective the redemption will be. Here’s your battle cry: Turn rot into splendor!
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Mercury will be your slippery but sticky companion in the coming weeks, Gemini. Whether or not you believe he is a literal god who abides in the spiritual realm, I trust you will acknowledge that he is a vivid archetype. He symbolizes forces that facilitate communication and promote connection. Since he is constantly traveling and conversing, he also represents boundarycrossing and thresholds. I encourage you to summon his assistance whenever you want to lubricate links and foster combinations. He can help you unify disparate influences and strengthen your network of allies.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Utility poles and telephones poles may seem to be indestructible towers, but they have a limited life span. A prime factor in their gradual demise is woodpeckers. The birds drill holes that over time weaken the wood. Their handiwork allows moisture to seep in, causing rot, and creates access points for small animals to burrow in and cause further disintegration. I bring this to your attention because I want to encourage you to launch a woodpecker-like campaign against any seemingly impregnable structures that oppress and restrict you. It might take a while to undermine their power to interfere with your life, but now is an excellent time to begin.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): As an American, I’m jealous of how many festivals the Japanese people celebrate. By some estimates,
Rob Brezsny
there are over 100,000 events every year — an average of 274 per day! They may feature music, theater, dancing, entertainment, karaoke, sumo matches, games, delicious food, colorful costumes, spiritual observances, and parades of floats and shrines. If you are a Japanese Leo, you’re in luck. The astrological indicators suggest that in the coming months, you should take extra advantage of your culture’s revels, parties, and social merriment. If you’re not in Japan, do your best to fulfill your cosmic mandate to frolic and carouse. Start as soon as possible!
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The Flintstones was an animated TV comedy show broadcast in the U.S. from 1960 to 1966. It was colossally silly and wildly popular. It portrayed cavemen and cavewomen living suburban lives in the Stone Age with dinosaurs as pets and cars made of wood and rocks. The chirpy theme song for the show was stolen from a piano sonata written by the classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven. In the coming weeks, Virgo, I invite you to steadily carry out the opposite of that conversion. Transform what’s daft or preposterous into what’s elegant and meaningful. Change superficial approaches into righteous devotions. Move away from trifling diversions and toward passionate magnificence.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Even if you’re not a professional writer, I invite you to compose three lyrical messages in the coming days. One will be a psalm of appreciation for a person who enchants your imagination and inspires you to be your best self. Another will be a hymn of praise that you address to yourself — a gorgeous, expansive boast or an outpouring of gratitude for the marvel and mystery of you. The third salutation will be an address to a higher power, whether that’s God, Goddess, Nature, your Guardian Angel, Higher Self, or Life itself. If you can find it in your brave, wild heart to sing or chant these exaltations, you will place yourself in close alignment with cosmic rhythms. (PS: In general, now is a fantastic time to identify what you love and express your feelings for what you love.)
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The Greek term pharmakon has a complicated set of meanings: scapegoat, poison, remedy, and recipe. According to my astrological analysis, all of these could soon be operative in your life. One surprise is that a metaphoric “poison” you are exposed to may ultimately serve as a remedy. Another curiosity is that a scapegoat may reveal a potent recipe for redemptive transformation. A further possibility: You will discover a new recipe for a very fine remedy. I’m not certain exactly how the whole story will unfold, but I’m betting the net effect will be a lot of healing.
SAGITTARIUS
(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The Museum of Broken Relationships is in Zagreb, Croatia. It collects castaway objects left behind after intimate relationships have collapsed. Among its treasures are love letters, wedding rings, jars of bitter tears, stuffed animals, feather-filled quilts, and matching sweaters. Inspired by this sad spectacle, I invite you to create a very different shrine in your home: one that’s dedicated to wonderful memories from times of successful togetherness. Making this ritual gesture of hope and positivity will prepare you well for the potential relationship growth available for you in the coming months.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): It’s the Soul Retrieval phase of your longterm cycle, Capricorn. Have there been people, either alive or dead, who wounded or pirated parts of your treasured essence? Have you experienced painful events that weakened your connection to your inner riches? The coming weeks will be an excellent time to undertake meditations in which you carry out repair and restoration. You will summon curative agents whenever you reclaim lost and missing fragments of your soul. Be aggressive in seeking helpers who can synergize your own efforts.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The Wistaria Vine in Sierra Madre, California, is the world’s biggest blooming plant. Spread over an acre, it weighs 250 tons and teems with over 1.5 million blossoms. I propose we regard it as your inspirational symbol for the coming months. Why? I expect you will be more abundantly creative and generative than maybe ever before. Your vitality will overflow. Your vigor will be delightfully lavish and profound. Homework: Start planning how you will wield and manage all that lushness.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Piscean playwright and songwriter Robert Lopez is the only person to have won all four of the following awards more than once: Oscars, Tonys, Emmys, and Grammys. He was also the youngest person to have won all four. I propose we make him your inspirational role model in the coming weeks and months. According to my astrological analysis, you are primed to ascend to new levels of accomplishment in your chosen field — and to be acknowledged for your success. Think big! Then think even bigger.
FILM By Chris McCoy
The Russians Are Coming
A stripper falls in love with an oligarch’s son in Sean Baker’s Anora
Sean Baker has a thing for sex workers. e ercely independent director’s 2015 breakthrough work Tangerine followed Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez), a transgender sex worker who just got out of prison and is ready to take revenge on her cheating boyfriend. In his next lm, e Florida Project, a stripper named Halley (Bria Vinaite) loses her job for refusing to have sex with clients and is thrown into extreme poverty with her 6-year-old daughter. Baker’s 2021 lm Red Rocket starred Simon Rex as Mikey “Saber” Davies, a down-on-his luck porn star who returns to his Texas hometown, looking for a way to get back on top.
In this venture, Baker has created his latest and greatest sex worker character yet, Anora “Ani” Mikheeva. Played by Mikey Madison, whose breakthrough role was as Manson Family murderer Susan Atkins in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Ani is a stripper in a high-end Manhattan gentleman’s club called HQ. She lives with her sister in Brighton Beach, where her Russian immigrant grandmother taught her the language of the home country. ose Russian language skills come in handy when her boss tells her to look a er a high roller named Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn).
moment Ani meets Vanya, her carefully constructed stripper facade starts to crumble. Vanya is too good to be true. He’s a 21-year-old college student who never goes to class with a seemingly unlimited supply of money. When she realizes he really digs her, she naturally decides to get busy exploiting him for all he’s worth, performing “forbidden” acts in the private room as the money rains down. When he asks her for a private session, she says yes. When she arrives at
drugs, and Vanya’s disarming, boyish look. For her $10K week, they could just lounge around the house and get freaky, but instead, Vanya loads up his friends into a private jet and they head to Las Vegas, where they can get “the good ketamine.” It is there that Ani, and the audience, get their rst taste of who Vanya really is. ey are greeted at the door of the luxury hotel and casino by the manager, who assures Vanya that he can have his usual suite as soon as they’re
from pool to party to IV hangover bar and back again. Ani never wants the party to end, and when one morning Vanya professes his love for her and asks her to marry him so he can become a citizen and escape from the clutches of his dysfunctional wealthy family, she says yes. Since they’re already conveniently in Vegas, the happy couple tie the knot in a wedding chapel on the Strip. e bride wore blue jeans and a bustier.
his home, she’s taken aback. is skinny kid lives in a waterfront mansion with gorgeous views of the city. e private sessions go so well, he invites her to his
I love lms about work, particularly ones about the di erences between the masks we wear in the public personae we bring to the workplace and who we think we really are. at dichotomy is never greater than for a sex worker. From the
New Year’s Eve party. e mansion is lit up and lled to brim with well-heeled young revelers and disco lights. As the party is still raging, they retire to his bedroom, where he asks for a week of her time in exchange for $10,000 cash.
What’s a girl to do but say yes?
Ani is dazzled by the money, the
Mark Eydelshteyn and Mikey Madison star as an oligarch’s son and his stripper bride.
nished kicking out the guests who are staying there now. Vanya, it turns out, is Ivan Zakharov, the son of a ruthless Russian oligarch (Aleksei Serebryakov) with ties to Russian organized crime in America.
e trip plays out like a fever dream of wealth, as the boisterous friends oat
Just as Ani’s mask totally slips away, their honeymoon is interrupted when Vanya’s parents get wind of the nuptials. ey task Toros (frequent Baker collaborator Karren Karagulian), a Russian Orthodox priest/ gangland xer, with arranging an annulment. He sends two goons, Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan) and Igor (Yura Borisov), to get to the bottom of the situation. eir arrival at the mansion is a 20-minute tour de force of queasy slapstick which veers from the hilarious to the horrifying. e world Baker builds is at once exotic and all too real. Madison is absolutely perfect as a Cinderella who gets a glimpse of ultimate upward mobility, only to have it all crash down around her in a urry of broken glass, baseball bats, and trashed SUVs. Anora is a gorgeous lm that walks the line between screwball comedy and tragedy. Only someone with mad skills like Sean Baker can choose to do both.
Anora is showing at Malco Paradiso and Studio on the Square through ursday, November 21st.
Our critic picks the best films in theaters.
Wicked
At long last, the blockbuster musical hits the big screen. Tony and Grammy Award Winner Cynthia Erivo stars as Elphaba, the green-skinned girl who enrolls in Shiz University to learn magic. There, the outsider befriends Galinda (Ariana Grande), a popular student who has had everything in life handed to her. The two friends are fated to become enemies, as the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North. Jeff Goldblum co-stars as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Gladiator II
Ridley Scott revisits Rome in this sequel, which comes 24 years after the original made Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix
household names. Paul Mescal stars as Lucius “Hanno” Verus, a refugee from Roman Imperial politics living in exile in North Africa. When General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) invades his land, Hanno is captured and sent to fight in the arena as a gladiator. Denzel Washington co-stars as Macrinus, Hanno’s cruel master who has ambitions to take over all of Rome.
Heretic
Two Mormon missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), knock on the door of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant, in top form), a reclusive Englishman who turns out to be much more than just a normal nonbeliever. A Quiet Place writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods co-direct this hit A24 horror film.
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THE
LAST
WORD
By Alice Faye Duncan
Say ‘Thank You’
Gratitude, like love, requires action.
Dear friend, I am writing to you from my native city and home, Memphis, Tennessee. It is an easy Sunday morning complete with blue skies and sunshine. e temperature is a balmy 70 degrees. Will it remain easy? Not sure. As I write, the U.S. presidential election is two days away. To stay hopeful in this season of rampant misinformation and uncivilized politics, my steady focus is on “thanksgiving.” Despite the rising cost of food and the outcome of the election, I trust that Americans who believe in democracy will still rise up this November to prepare joyful fellowships of feasting for family, friends, and the unhoused. No matter who wins on November 5th, I am believing that no one will steal or kill our spirt of gratitude for what remains good, generous, and kind. Remember the marching activists during the American Civil Rights Movement?
ey sang, “Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around!” is must be our battle cry. In our homes and on the job, we must vow to be active expressions of gratefulness, even if we stand alone doing so.
When I was a small child, I saw the power of gratitude modeled in the life of my godmother, Lucile Brazil ompson, a valued employee at the local Buckman Laboratories. Whenever I gave Mama ’Cile a gi , she would mail a thank you note that was stamped and addressed to me. It was exciting to receive her travel postcards and thank-you notes because mail in my name made me feel grown and her words of gratitude made me feel appreciated. I loved to share gi s with Mama ’Cile because ultimately, I received the gi of a thank you note.
Before I could spell well or write cursive letters, my mother Earline Duncan made me compose handwritten thank you cards when I received personal gi s. As a small child, I enjoyed receiving the cards, but I did not enjoy writing them. I would cry loudly, “Mama! I wanna use the telephone.”
A quick call on one of those big black rotary phones did not suit my godmother’s standard of decorum and a phone call was not Earline Duncan’s favorite expression of gratitude, either. My mother would scold me and say, “When somebody takes precious time to buy you a gi , you should take precious time to write them a note.” I would grumble and push through the task, making sure to write complete sentences in my large block letters.
Composing personalized thank-you notes with gel pens and USPS Black Heritage Stamps is now a lifelong habit for me. No gi exchange is complete on my part until I have formally expressed my gratitude with a card and postage stamp. She is dead now but to my mother’s point, when a person spends money or time to o er me a kindness, I think it is good manners to reciprocate the sacri ce and serve them joy with a written acknowledgement that is more engaging and lasting than a quick text, phone call, or silence.
No gift exchange is complete on my part until I have formally expressed my gratitude with a card and postage stamp.
In the tradition of Mama ’Cile and Earline Duncan, I encourage people to purchase greeting cards and postage before they need them. Keep a stash of stationery and stamps on deck especially during the winter holidays when there is a constant surge of giving and receiving gi s. In this way, you will be poised to make your thankful expressions promptly. e challenge to stop your routine and go buy stamps or cards will not exist. is idea of gratitude brings me back to the election. By the time you receive this missive from me, America will have a new president. And most likely, you will be planning your anksgiving gathering or attending one. Despite the election outcome, think about the good in life that remains and allow thoughts of gratitude to ll your heart with hope.
Gratitude, like love, requires action. erefore, make expressions of “thanks-giving” a constant part of your days. Refuse silence, discouragement, and giving-up. Acknowledge your blessings in thoughts, words, and deeds. Gratitude elevates the mood. It is a winning attitude. Say thank you. Alice Faye Duncan writes for children. She is the author of 14 books including I Gotta Sing, Yellow Dog Blues, and Traveling Shoes. Her website is alicefayeduncan.com.
PHOTO: COURTESY ALICE FAYE DUNCAN
A young Alice always looked forward to postcards from Mama ’Cile.
MY HEALTH is
our health
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.
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