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CONTENTS

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

OUR 1663RD ISSUE 01.07.21 As we enter what portends to be the week in which we will see the final death throes of Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the American presidential election, an early candidate has emerged for Time magazine’s 2021 Person of the Year. That would be an unassuming political functionary named Bradford Jay Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state.

Raffensperger, a lifelong Republican, was the recipient of a phone call on Saturday from our clearly demented president, who spent the better part of an hour spewing rumors, conspiracy theories, and blatant lies, all the while haranguing, threatening, and begging the secretary of state to just, you know, change the state’s election results. What’s the harm?

“C’mon, fellas,” the president finally whined, “I just need 11,780 votes.” It was a line straight out of Goodfellas, the closing argument of a mob boss. Just cheat a little for me, or it might not go well for you.

It turned out that Raffensperger, a Trump voter and supporter, had a spine. He was the little Dutch boy with his finger in the dike, the last line of defense against a would-be autocrat determined to overturn a free and fair election based on no evidence whatsoever, only a desperate, overweening desire to stay in power.

At long last, and not a moment too soon, Donald J. Trump encountered a Republican with enough integrity, with enough sand in his craw, to simply say no to the president’s ludicrous kabuki horror show. “Your data is wrong,” Raffensperger said. By which he meant, your “data” comes from fools on Parler and OANN. You are the emperor but you have no clothes.

After the phone call, Trump was unhappy, so he went on Twitter and blasted Raffensperger, accusing him of not answering questions, of being untruthful. And once again, Trump was rebuffed by a single man with the stones to call his bluff.

Turns out that the secretary of state had receipts: A tape of the entire phone call was released to the media so Americans could judge for themselves who was telling the truth, and who was not.

Trump supporters immediately got the vapors, gasping at the audacity of Raffensperger releasing a tape to prove he wasn’t a liar. A gentlemen, the Trumpers wheedled, simply doesn’t do such things. It was a bit like complaining that Captain Sullenberger forgot to put on his turn signal before landing a crippled passenger jet in the middle of the Hudson River.

So what’s left of the Republican party after Duh Furor leaves in two weeks?

You’ve got your never-Trumpers (Republicans who never drank the Orange-Aid).

Then there are “concerned and troubled” Republicans, including Senators Susan Collins, Ben Sasse, Lisa Murkowski, and Mitt Romney, who aren’t all in for Trump, but who don’t speak against him without checking the wind. Next are the Trump panderers, those making the cynical political calculation to go along with whatever insanity Trump pulls out of his butt just to keep the magical “base” on their side.

These are the folks who will stand up in the Senate and in Congress this week and proclaim that the election is “tainted,” while showing no evidence to support any of it. This group includes Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn and fellow Trumpspawn from hell, Senator-elect Bill Hagerty.

So what’s left after that? Nothing but “the base,” the potpourri of antiabortionists, evangelicals, billionaires, gun-rights nuts, assorted racists and white supremacists, and millions of pissed-off caucasians who love Donald Trump because he tells them their lives are screwed-up only because other people (Black and brown and Chinese) are screwing them.

When Trump leaves office, how does this disparate bowl of fruits and nuts and cynical creeps ever reassemble itself into a national political party? I don’t think it does. The GOP has let itself become a personality cult. When Trump goes, it will splinter into a pile of pickup sticks. They have nothing in common but Trump, who in 2024 — if he’s alive and/or not in prison — has no chance of winning the presidency again. It wasn’t even close this time. He lost by seven million votes, and his old white base is dying off.

It’s more likely that the former president will keep doing what he’s N E WS & O P I N I O N done all his life: get media attention by THE FLY-BY - 4 spewing whatever outrageous thoughts NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 6 float to the top of his withering cortex; POLITICS - 8 find suckers to grift and prop him up; SPORTS - 9 and play golf as much as possible.

COVER STORY After Trump leaves, the Republicans “NEW YEAR, NEW YOU” will wake up like the wasted partiers

BY FLYER STAFF - 10 WE RECOMMEND - 14 in the morning-after scene of The MUSIC - 15 Hangover, wondering what happened, CALENDAR - 16 why there’s a chicken on the floor, FOOD - 18 where that inflatable sex doll came from FILM - 20 — and what to do about that tiger in C L AS S I F I E D S - 21 the bathroom.

LAST WORD - 23 Bruce VanWyngarden brucev@memphisflyer.com

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Edited by Toby Sells

S TAT E W AT C H B y To b y S e l l s

A roundup of Memphis on the World Wide Web.

Pa r i s t o Te n n e s s e e

WH O TO FO LLOW

Report: Rejoining climate accord could save thousands of lives here, and billions of dollars.

Still want to know what TikTok is all about (but are afraid to ask)?

Follow Memphian @kingthagman.

He spoofs other TikTok videos, dances, lip syncs, drinks, hangs with friends, and does it all with an effortless hilarity.

F R AM PTO N V. LE E

Peter Frampton (yes, that one) took on Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in a tweet last month, asking, “What possible reason could you have at this point to not issue a mask mandate? This is beyond serious!”

We’re still wondering, too.

January 7-13, 2021

F R I E N D S I N LOW P R I C ES

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Questions, Answers + Attitude

Bold Nextdoor user Isabel Coulter recently listed country music megastar Garth Brooks for sale. The singer was listed for $12, down from the $20 Coulter was asking previously.

Tennessee could save thousands of lives and billions of dollars if the U.S. would rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change, according to a study released late last year.

President Donald Trump removed the U.S. from the agreement in 2017. He argued the agreement would undermine the U.S. economy and the country would only rejoin under negotiated terms that were fair “to the United States, its businesses, its workers, its people, its taxpayers.” President-elect Joe Biden promised in November to rejoin the agreement.

A new report from a Duke University researcher shows the benefits of rejoining the agreement for Tennessee. Dr. Drew Shindell, Nicholas Distinguished Professor of Earth Sciences at Duke, presented Tennessee and national findings to a federal House committee in August.

“The United States can save lives, reduce illnesses, and save trillions of dollars by acting now on its own — at a local, state, regional, and national level — to eliminate the primary impacts of fossil-fuel pollution,” reads the report. “Over the next decade and beyond, eliminating fossil fuel combustion in this state and others and in coordination with the rest of the world will benefit Americans enormously while bringing the United States closer to the climate targets in the Paris Agreement.”

Findings from the report were released in December by Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Nashville) and many Nashville-based environmental groups.

“I am confident President-elect Biden will keep his promise and the U.S. will rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement in 2021,” Cooper said in a statement. “It was reckless and irresponsible to leave the agreement and we will be spending decades trying to reverse the impact on our climate.”

Shindell’s research shows nine adverse impacts of climate change on public health: It worsens air pollution. It causes longer and more intense allergy seasons. It promotes the spread of dangerous diseases such as dengue fever and West Nile virus. It increases the risks of contracting food and waterborne diarrheal disease. It threatens food security by impairing crop quality and output. It triggers stress-related disorders and increases the incidence of mental health problems.

It causes precipitation extremes, like lethal floods and dangerous droughts. It produces extreme heat events that cause deaths from heat stroke and cardiovascular

and respiratory disease. It increases the frequency and intensity of wildfires, resulting in fatalities and increased hospitalizations from smoke exposure.

Joining the agreement would yield health benefits by reducing air pollutants and limiting the number of extreme heat days, according to the report.

For Tennessee, a cooler climate could mean avoiding 79,000 premature deaths over the next 50 years, avoiding about 69,000 emergency room visits and hospitalizations for cardiovascular and respiratory disease, avoiding 23,000 childhood bronchitis cases, avoiding more than 3.9 million lost workdays, and avoiding nearly 48 percent of premature deaths in 10 years. Shindell said the economic value of these health benefits would be $630 billion.

Last year, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee told reporters he was unsure whether or not climate change was real, according to The Tennessean.

“I wish I were scientifically smart enough to know the reasons for climate change, and I don’t,” Lee said.

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NEWS & OPINION

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For Release Monday, September 10, 2018

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Crossword ACROSS 1 Snake charmer’s snake 6 Smile from ear to ear 10 Preceder of “two, three, four” 13 Geographer’s reference 14 Middle-earth area under the Misty Mountains 15 Volcanic debris 16 Union representative 18 Pi follower 19 Car-pool lane designation 20 Manning manning the Giants’ backfield 21 Mature 23 Louisiana Purchase region from 1838 to 1846 28 Savory taste of MSG 30 Lends a hand

31 Seize, as formerly held land 33 Samovar 34 “Mr. Robot” network 37 What’s found hidden inside 16-, 23-, 47- and 59-Across 41 A&E, in D.C.?

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67 ___ Technica, website with gadget news 68 “Holy Toledo!”

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36 “Raiders of the Lost Ark” menaces

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January 7-13, 2021

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to meet the expected charging gap through 2025,” reads the ICCT report.

Only about 13,000 electric vehicles Drew Frye, program manager 36 37for (EVs) drive the roads of the Tennessee TVA’s Electric Vehicles EVolution Valley, according to the Tennessee Val- initiative, said on TVA’s website that ley Authority (TVA). The39 public power other barriers to EV adoption 40 in the agency made a key move late last year valley include lack of support from hoping to increase that figure, a move state and local governments and local that earned TVA applause utilities, the availability of electric 42from an 43 environmental group. cars, and consumer awareness about In mid-November, the TVA board EVs in general.

45 rate 46is looking at what we should 47 approved a new commercial “TVA structure just for EV charging stations. do to minimize or remove each of The vote was intended to support the these barriers,” Frye said. “We’ll start 51 52at the 53 expansion of EV charging infrastrucby establishing policies that look ture across the region, removing a big EV rate as a unique and separate class, barrier for consumers to, perhaps, buy and creating a new, economic, stable 54 55 56 more EVs. rate for those building charging57 staThat barrier is commonly called tions — something we can do quickly “range anxiety.” It’s the worry that an in our role as regulator.”

60 EV’s battery will run out59 before the Carving out a commercial rate owner makes their destination or finds for EV charging stations will “allow another charging station. Now, nearly TVA’s 153 local power companies to 80 Tennessee cities have 62 charging easily provide fast charging and63 the stations, according to ChargeHub. possibility of private companies to Memphis has 113 charging stations, resell power at the fast chargers they and 52 of them (46 percent) offer free own and operate.” TVA said the move CARLA MICHAELS AND M charging. Nashville hasPUZZLE 325 stations,BY ANDREA opens the door to the development of Knoxville has 107, and Chattanooga more rapid-charging stations across has 101, according to the website. the TVA’s service area. A more-robust About 320,000 new electric cars network of charging stations is hoped were sold in the U.S. in 2019, accordto quell consumer concerns about ing to a report from the International range anxiety, “giving access to fast Council on Clean Transportation charging when and where they need it (ICCT), making the country the third- while on the road,” TVA said. largest EV market in the world. Half of The Sierra Club announced its those vehicles were sold in California. support of TVA’s move on charging Memphis sales accounted for about stations.

0.5 percent of the total. Charging “Electrifying transportation is a key infrastructure remains a barrier but is strategy for many cities and counties improving, according to the report. to make progress toward their public “With the average compounded an- health and clean energy goals,” said nual growth rate at 30 percent across Dennis Lynch, the Memphis-based the 50 metropolitan areas, charging chair of the Tennessee chapter’s transinfrastructure deployment is in line portation committee.

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PUZZLE BY ALEX EATON-SALNERS

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A TVA move may put more electric vehicles on the road.

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POLITICS By Jackson Baker

Roland vs. Kustoff?

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January 7-13, 2021

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Before the current believers regard the presidential contest week is finished, — now two full months past — as still we’ll have an acbeing in the live, contestable stage and, curate head count as Roland does, use such locutions as of how many mem- “if Biden wins,” as though the issue bers of Congress were still in doubt. choose to cast a And Roland has made it clear, going vote against coninto this week, that he regards Kustoff ’s firming the election commitment to a Trump continuance of Joe Biden and, conversely, in favor of to be in doubt, asking in one posted the pretense of Donald Trump that he is text: “Is David Kustoff part of the Sursomehow entitled to remain as president render Caucus wing of the Republican — if not indefinitely, than certainly for the Party?” And suggesting the answer next four years. in another, which overlaps Kustoff ’s Nobody has any doubts that among image with that of 9th District Demothese loyalists will be David Kustoff, the cratic Congressman Steve Cohen. arch-conservative Congressman from All of this is in the absence of any deTennessee’s 8th district and one of the clared intent on Kustoff ’s part that he will state’s earliest break with the known Trump other long-term enthusiasts.

Trump loyalists Well, almost and vote this nobody. As of week to accept the middle of the evidence of the week, with triumph for the Trump’s minions Biden-Harris Roland (left); Kustoff (right) in Congress ticket. prepared to So what else, put their votes where their professed what wonders, might be fueling Roland’s outrage is, Terry Roland, the former suspicion? Asked point-blank if he might county commissioner from Millingbe interested in challenging Kustoff for ton and an ur-Trumper nonpareil, the the 8th District seat, Roland declared, sponsor in fact of Trump’s earliest rally “I’m thinking about it.” in these parts in 2016, has been nursing On the surface, this would seem to serious doubts indeed about Kustoff ’s be a forbidding undertaking. As the willingness to keep the faith. incumbent in the 8th, Kustoff has twice Roland has for some time been won re-election easily since overcombombarding people on his online neting George Flinn in a stout challenge works with expressions of doubt that for the seat in 2016. Kustoff ’s strength Kustoff will follow through this week in that first race was overwhelmingly in on a key action on Trump’s behalf, the East Memphis part of the district. a vote in Congress objecting to the On the strength of heavy advertising recording of the votes of Electoral Colin the 14 mostly rural counties of the lege members from the 50 states, show- sprawling West Tennessee district, ing Biden with a commanding total of Flinn ran him close elsewhere.

306 votes — well over the threshold of Roland, who maintains, “I have a 272 votes required to elect a president. house and farm in Tipton County that’s The hardcore members of Donald already in the 8th and I’m kin to everyTrump’s loyalist bloc not only don’t one,” thinks he can do better than Flinn accept that arithmetic, they do not bedid in those rural outreaches, and he lieve the repeated reassurances of elecalso thinks there’s a good chance before tion commissions and tribunals and 2022 that in a post-census reapporvarious courts that, in fact, their man tionment the legislature might return has lost and Biden is president-elect.

Millington and north Shelby County to They believe instead that the recent the 8th district, where those precincts presidential election was conducted in were a decade ago. an atmosphere of such unrestricted, A Roland-Kustoff race is still in the if as yet unproven, cheating on behalf realm of the hypothetical, and most of the Democrats that the election observers doubt that Kustoff will evince needs to be rerun, at least in several even the smallest sign of falling off the key battleground states — Wisconsin, Trump wagon this week, but a contest beMichigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia tween the two of them, should it develop, among them. could still reveal fissures in area RepubliIn fact, these hardcore Trump true can ranks.

JACKSON BAKER

Possible battle brewing over who loves Donald Trump the most.

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Four Questions

Who are these Memphis Tigers and what’s their potential?

What does Tiger Nation think of this team?

Related question: Would a FedExForum crowd ever boo a Hardaway-coached team? We won’t find out this winter, not with the Tigers’ home barn virtually empty for pandemic reasons. But looking back at the team’s collapse over the final four minutes against Tulsa on December 21st, it’s not hard to imagine that being an uncomfortable walk off the court for Hardaway and his players if 15,000 fans had paid for a seat to watch. It’s one thing to lose two out of three games in South Dakota. Quite another to cough up a win against a team that utterly embarrassed you (by 40 points) last February.

Judging by social media, Memphis fans are getting restless. The choppy, low-scoring games, the myriad lineups

Is there a must-see game remaining on the Tigers’ schedule?

Circle February 14th and March 6th (or 7th) on your calendar. An upset of Houston — currently the AAC’s gold standard — would be a significant notch on Hardaway’s belt. The teams meet in Texas on Valentine’s Day, then in Memphis for the season finale. (The date hasn’t been finalized yet.)

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Who are these Tigers?

What should expectations be for this team?

This question is related to the structure of the 2021 NCAA tournament, presuming there is one. (If you think you know the format — in the time of coronavirus — take a breath. March is a long way from now.) Will the field be expanded? Will the field be contracted for “bubble play” in a single location? Will conference tournaments be a factor?

It would seem a top-three finish in the AAC would be a reasonable bar for this team to reach. They were picked by the coaches to finish second (behind only Houston) after back-to-back fifth-place finishes in Hardaway’s first two seasons on the bench. The Cougars have separated themselves, rising to fifth in the national rankings, though Tulsa also proved to be thorny for the league favorites. SMU won its first six games before falling to Houston Sunday night. Wichita State? Memphis needs to be better than two or three of these programs, and in year three of the Hardaway era, that’s not a big ask.

With a new year upon us, perhaps the Tigers can turn that proverbial corner and make hopes for madness in March a little less questionable.

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JOE MURPHY

Who is the Tigers’ Alpha?

In Penny Hardaway’s first year as head coach, Jeremiah Martin became only the fifth Tiger to score 700 points in a single season. (Hardaway himself was the second.) Last season, freshman Precious Achiuwa filled the void left by James Wiseman and earned American Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors. But this year? Who is the man?

A basketball team with four or five go-to players is a team without a go-to player.

Five players have led the Tigers in scoring in at least one game, with sophomores D.J. Jeffries and Landers Nolley each leading in three. Another sophomore, Boogie Ellis, scored 24 points in the Tigers’ opening game — the team’s second highest total of the season — but doesn’t even start. Jeffries may be the most talented player on the roster, and Nolley has ACC credentials (from his season at Virginia Tech). But based on a tiny sample size of three games, DeAndre Williams may end up the face of this team. (The Evansville transfer missed the first seven games awaiting NCAA clearance.) An Alpha must want the ball not just in a game’s closing seconds, but every minute he’s on the floor. Williams appears to have a fire in his belly this program desperately needs.

Hardaway incorporates (as he must, still searching for a rotation that won’t cough up games like the one against Tulsa), the feeling a Top-25 ranking is becoming a pipe dream under the watch of a man who has been vocal about top-five aspirations.

None of these worries will survive a nice, lengthy winning streak. Five games, maybe six or seven. The day will come when FedExForum is again packed on game night. If Hardaway’s team is going to suffer growing pains, this may be the season for it.

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en games into a bizarre, rhythm-free basketball season, the Memphis Tigers have raised as many questions as they’ve answered. Here are four, with attempts at defogging the view.

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January 7-13, 2021

TAKE TIME TO MAKE TIME FOR MUSIC

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As 2020 was in its final throes, I spoke with Steve Selvidge, guitar-slinger extraordinaire, and he observed: “With technology these days, streaming music is daytime whatever, just put on something that’s rockin’, get the dishes done. But for me, vinyl is the nighttime thing. It’s the

kids have gone to bed, decompressing, and talking about the events of the day, and what are we gonna put on?”

What indeed? Of course, Steve is a fellow performer, and we’re known for taking time to make time for music. But music is so omnipresent these days that, for most people, it’s strangely devalued.

We have the power to soundtrack every moment, and many of us do. But a soundtrack is designed to play second fiddle to moving images, to washing dishes or to that endless scroll. I fall prey to that mindset myself.

To break out of that matrix, I make a conscious effort to settle into a space by the hi-fi and just listen. No devices, no flickering screens. Just me, the lamplight, and the sounds of my favorite players. If you take the trouble to make it happen, with a streamed playlist, a CD, or — still the best — a vinyl long-player, you will find spaces opening in your imagination that render all the anxious scrolling meaningless, so much chaff in the wind. Meanwhile, the beats, harmonies, and melodies, given their proper time and space, can resonate with nuanced emotions deep within. They are heavy, they are solid, they are sound.

— Alex Greene

MOVE MORE

It’s too damn cold outside right now for the lovely walks I enjoyed so much last spring and summer, which kept me sane in the throes of The No-Good, Horrible Year. Until we get longer days and first blooms and that warm kiss of the season change, we can find new and different ways to move more.

I’ve never been much of a gym person, but I have quite the collection of Tae Bo DVDs. You know, the taekwondo-inspired workout that was huge in the ’90s, hosted by master motivator Billy Blanks. I have very much enjoyed working out solo in my own home through the years, and it was

especially beneficial over the course of 2020 — for both physical and mental health. I dropped some pounds and gained some sweet serotonin boosts.

You probably don’t have a Tae Bo collection, but there are tons of free workouts available online via YouTube and Facebook and Instagram live.

Kroc Center of Memphis, YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South, and the Downtown Memphis Commission are just a few of the local sources for free virtual workout sessions (yoga, boot camp, barre, kickboxing, and more).

Tune in and get your body movin’ — it’ll feel real good, I promise.

— Shara Clark

ALEX GREENE

I don’t know how much more excited we can be to say goodbye forever to 2020. Here we are, in a brand-new year — all shiny and sparkly and brimming with potential. The Flyer staffers have some ideas on ways to grow and thrive in 2021. Here, we offer them up for your consideration.

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Ways to be your best self in 2021.

He who hesitates is lost, goes the saying, and that holds for she and it as well. Lost or not, the perpetrator of procrastination is certainly destined to fall behind, and only rarely is this strategically useful.

While Shakespeare’s immortal antihero Hamlet mulled over several other existential dilemmas in the famous “to be or not to be” soliloquy, certainly the issue of timely and forceful action was paramount. Avenging his old man was only secondary; the real point at issue was that Denmark was by rights his own kingdom-to-be; all he had to do was work up a sweat, commit to a risk or two, and take it away from Claudius the usurper. But he balked, and paid for it.

Rarely do our own timidities and postponements confront matters of such pitch and moment. But they sting all the same. The floor stays unswept; the book remains unwritten or unread; the romantic opportunity evaporates; the dream job, sans your completed application, goes to somebody else. T.S., buddy. Pick up the damned broom!

There are both disadvantages and advantages to our cybernetic age. But one of the latter is the ready accessibility of D.I.Y. instructions online — governing almost the entire range of needful actions you’ve been putting off. Surely you’ve already discovered that waiting for somebody else to do it for you is either futile or too expensive. And one thing leads to another: The habit of successful initiatives orders the mind for more of the same. Before you know it, you’re self-reliant. It ain’t Denmark, but it’s something! — Jackson Baker

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GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME

In the immortal words of Troy Bolton, you gotta “get’cha head in the game.”

The best way to jump into the new year after the horror show that was 2020 is to have some fun, blow off some steam, and inject some gamesmanship into your rotation.

Start by checking out some organized sports (when it’s safe to do so, of course).

Socialize and get a workout in at the same time by signing up for a local soccer league, or harkening back to your high school P.E. days with some Thursday night kickball action. There are plenty of options out there, and if sports aren’t your thing, there are plenty of casual and beginner leagues to sign up with (for now, tennis makes for a great social distancing sport).

Looking to keep things indoors? Set up a weekly board game night to stay connected, and hone that competitive edge. Outwit your friends in a game of Settler of Catan, hoard all the wealth in Monopoly, or make things personal in a chess duel. With a little bit of ingenuity, it’s easy enough to set something up over Zoom.

And if that’s not enough, head over to the digital frontier. Video gaming is a great way to stay engaged with far away, out of town, or just plain unavailable friends, and there are lots of options even if you don’t want to invest in expensive equipment. Try out some Jackbox Games over the phone for a casual opener, or engage in Clue-like, murder mystery shenanigans in Among Us. But if you have the equipment, there’s no substitute for the catharsis of crushing your closest confidants in an intense round of Mario Kart. They probably deserved it, anyway.

— Samuel X. Cicci

TOTAL REBOOT

It’s time for a reboot of self. This upcoming year is well-situated to accommodate a mental initializing (exorcizing) and a physical revamp (exercising). But all this better/healthier blather of resolve is nothing without a nice systemic overhaul. The promise of a new year is only fulfilled when changes include not only what’s gained, but what’s axed.

It’s vexing, for example, when a shiny up-to-the-minute laptop is acquired and then the end user migrates everything from the old drive to the new. No. Have patience and take time to evict the clutter. Those unreadable files from the previous millennium will likely not reveal deep thoughts or

significant histories.

Understand that I am not really talking about computers here. This is the ultimate inside job, the better nature cultivating patience, saying “no” kindly to the insistent voices in culture, refining gratitude, paying attention, caring thoroughly. Also, updating passwords and deleting what’s in the Trash queue.

I’m inspired to reboot because, since SCS started instructing at home a few months ago, my first-grade granddaughter has been coming by three days a week with tablet in hand to work the class. It’s eye-opening.

She grasps things with alacrity and makes astonishing observations. These sessions are a priority, for her sake of course, but especially for me. And I want more, which means eliminating distractions elsewhere.

So it is a change of priorities, not a revolution. More of a change in administration, if you will. The quotidian stays in place — I am not restless. But I’m done with being in a hurry. And I bet the wife and kids are gonna love it! Maybe. — Jon W. Sparks

TAKE MENTAL HEALTH SERIOUSLY

There was a second, parallel pandemic in 2020. Depression and anxiety rates spiked alongside COVID cases. The numbers are striking.

“COVID-19 and Life Stressors

Impact on Mental Health,” a study published last September by the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that the number of people reporting depressive symptoms tripled from April 2019 to April 2020.

Later studies would find that was the year’s happiest point; a CDC survey in late July showed a whopping 41 percent of respondents were depressed.

Correspondingly, the suicide rate is up (although it’s unclear at this point by how much) and more than 81,000 people died of drug overdoses between May 2019 and May 2020, a new record.

If 2020 was the year you learned to take hand washing seriously, 2021 should be the year you learn to take your mental health seriously. With everything that’s happening, if you aren’t anxious, you aren’t paying attention. Unplug occasionally — our messed-up world is still going to be there, even if you log off Twitter for a couple of days. Exercise, like yoga or running/walking, can help take the edge off, and also improve your sleep habits.

If your anxiety is spiking, mixing with depression, and interfering with your functioning, know you’re not alone.

The first line of defense is talk therapy, so find a therapist who can help turn things around. From there, they can help you find other medical interventions, if needed. If you’re in the darkest of places, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is (800) 273-8255. For Spanish speakers, it’s (888) 628-9454.

Even if you’re not depressed and anxious, watch out for your friends, neighbors, and family. If someone close to you is withdrawing or showing signs of strain, reach out to them. Tell them they’re not alone. — Chris McCoy

LEARN TO COOK

Before the pandemic, my kitchen skills included baking a killer country ham and yeast rolls from scratch, and making the cream sauce and hollandaise from the old Justine’s restaurant.

But none of these were something I’d whip up for a quick dinner. continued on page 12

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MICHAEL DONAHUE

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continued from page 11 My box of recipes I’d collected for decades wasn’t a lot of help, either.

Recipes included Thomas Jefferson Ice Cream, Huckleberry Cobbler, and 14Day Sweet Pickles.

So, when everything was locked down, I had to quickly get acquainted with my kitchen because I’d eaten just about all of my meals except for breakfast at restaurants for years.

I began with pasta, which I mixed with chicken and fish. Then I got into different types of vinegar and spices. I steamed beets for the first time.

I realized there are so many things I’ve never done in the kitchen.

I’ve branched out to different recipes. If you look around, you might find an old cookbook at your house. I have a few of my Mom’s. But you can find everything you want — recipes and videos — online. My favorite quote from a recent story on baker Sara Embrey, was when she said, “Thank goodness my mother taught me to read.

So I know how to read a recipe.”

Best of all, you can call a friend or relative who knows how to cook. I’ve found they’re more than happy to help you. — Michael Donahue

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LEARN TO LIVE OUTSIDE

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The safest place to be during this pandemic we’re experiencing is outside.

Which is easy and natural when you’re taking a jog or biking or walking your hound. But not so much if you just want to sit around and visit with your friends and family. Indoor gatherings can be dangerous. And if you’re not moving, hanging around outdoors in the winter can get chilly. That’s why you might want to consider creating an outdoor living space — a “room” with lots of fresh air.

It’s not that difficult. All you need

BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN

January 7-13, 2021

REUSE

form of recycling. Why not pivot for the time being?

My grandmother was the master of reuse. Every other month or so, my mother went to her home and threw out all the old Cool Whip containers and such in her kitchen cabinets and replaced them with Tupperware. This went on for years. The Tupperware remained untouched and the reused containers were back.

One day, near the end of my grandmother’s days, I visited her. On the bedside table was a Cool Whip container with “cookies” written on the top in my mother’s handwriting.

My four-foot-tall, 80-pound, 95-year-old grandmother had raised three families; my grandfather’s younger siblings when their mother died, her own, and an uncle’s three kids when their mother died. She was the first child in her family born in the United States. She lived through the depression with immigrant parents.

Her mother never learned English.

Waste was not an option.

It took her a while, but she finally taught my mother this lesson. I think this is a lesson that I’ll take into 2021.

Especially since things might be tough for a while. Maybe one day I can pass the lesson to my nieces and nephews.

The same ones who recently threw away a perfectly good chair that I curbshopped from their home. It’s not quite ready for the landfill yet. And neither are my Cool Whip containers.

— Julie Ray

coil heaters, electric oil-filled radiators, or propane fueled towers, like the ones restaurants use. Find the option that best fits your space and budget, and you’re ready for company — the host with a great outdoor living room.

— Bruce VanWyngarden

JESSE DAVIS

READ MORE

is a porch or patio or backyard space with places for people to sit and a heat source (or two). And it wouldn’t hurt to have a barrier against the wind, which can be as simple as the side of your house.

Any kind of deck chairs or camp chairs or outdoor furniture will work for seating. As for heat? There are many kinds of portable firepits available; just add wood and voila! Instant campfire.

But firepits can be hazardous on a wooden surface or even in a small yard in the city, so if you’re setting up an outdoor space on your deck or porch, I’d suggest purchasing a portable heater of some sort. Options include electric

Last year I was given a stack of 12 books with the challenge to read one a month. For this challenge, the only rules my godmother — who, since I was little, has given me enough books to fill a small library — gave me was to finish at least one book a month and to read only one book a month. I would be lying if I said I thought the rules were a good idea. I’m an avid reader and plow through a couple of books a month, so the thought that I would be limited to one per month felt wrong.

But then I sat down to read.

For the first two months I was skeptical. I wanted to read more, and I came close to picking up another book and walking away. But then the world shut down. And as I found myself sitting in my apartment looking for things to do, the time that I spent reading and reflecting became more and more impactful. In the time that I needed it most, I found inspiration, escape, and hope in the pages of books.

So for the new year, take the time to stop and read. — Matthew J. Harris

DON’T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME

At least until June or July. I feel like I’m cheating a bit here, taking the most obvious option, but if there’s one thing Tennesseans need to do better in 2021, it’s practice social distancing. As I write these words, we’re the national hotspot for new coronavirus cases per population.

True, the numbers from Memphis and Shelby County reliably show that we’re usually best in the state at slowing the spread of the disease, though we can always aim to be better. The good news is that the end is in sight. Even now, frontline healthcare workers are being vaccinated. But it will be a while, likely spring or summer ’21, before the general population is in line for those sweet, sweet shoulder jabs.

So let me be the one to say let’s all keep our cool, at least until the summer.

Of course, I’m not talking to the people who have to expose themselves at work, who’ve borne the brunt of this pandemic.

I’ve had so many jobs where I had to physically be somewhere to make a pizza or move a few hundred packages, so I recognize that it’s a privilege to be able to work from home.

And I’m not talking out of one side of my mouth while I party it up in private.

I’ve had exactly one friend over one time, and I set up chairs nine feet apart in the backyard. We drank and caught up. It wasn’t exactly the same as porch beers after band practice, but I was happy for

the company anyway. Then we got a little too much company, when my neighbor ran over, maskless, and tried to high-five us both. Maybe it’s a low bar, Memphis, but just don’t be that guy. At least until July. — Jesse Davis

QUIT TALKING SHIT AND COMMIT

Want to lose weight? Want to get a new job? Want to start that YouTube channel?

You can do all these things. Only you stand in your way. But you have to quit talking shit and commit.

C’mon folks, I’m no guru and I ain’t trying to be one. I don’t have the answers, especially in 2021. But I do know one thing. If you want change, you have to do it. No one is going to do it for you. No one is even going to give you a roadmap.

Take a breath this year and clean off your mental worktable. Pull out that goal and plop it down. Yes, it looks daunting sitting there, but remember other people (people not as smart as you) have done it before. You can do this. You will do this. Commit.

Find out what it takes (you probably know already) and take your first step.

It’ll be weird and probably hard and it’ll make a mess of your regularly scheduled program. This is called “stepping outside your comfort zone,” and that’s where the magic happens, baby.

Look a’there! You got the hard part out of the way. Take the next step and the next 100 steps. — Toby Sells

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steppin’ out (& stayin’ in)

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

We Saw You. with

MICHAEL DONAHUE

memphisflyer.com/blogs/WeSawYou

By Julie Ray

A little less conversation and a whole lotta shakin’ is in order for the 86th birthday of Elvis Presley. It’s now or never, because tickets are going fast.

Some events are sold out, but fans can still score tickets to Elvis Unplugged starring Dean Z. The popular Elvis Week musician will present an evening of Elvis music live at the Graceland Soundstage. This acoustic experience will feature songs ranging from Elvis’ biggest hits to some of his fan-favorite songs.

With 200,000 square feet of Elvis exhibits and attractions, guests can spread out. All-new interactive experiences opened in August, including a virtual dress-up (like Elvis), an interactive golf cart ride, and Dean Z’s personal favorite — interactive LED dance floor trivia.

“This might be my new favorite thing right here at Elvis Presley’s Graceland,” says Dean Z as he demonstrates his moves on the interactive trivia dance floor.

Take the Birthday Bash or Hidden Graceland Tour with vice president of archives and exhibitions, Angie Marchese, and Tom Brown, YouTube series host for Gates of Graceland.

Betty Harper, a licensed Elvis Presley artist who has drawn more than 20,000 images of the King of Rock-and-Roll, will be in The Guest House at Graceland gift shop daily from 1 to 4 p.m. Stop in and view the art from her collection.

As always, free walk-up visits to the Meditation Garden from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. on the mornings of January 8th through 10th will be available.

ELVIS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION, GRACELAND, 3717 ELVIS PRESLEY, THURSDAY-SATURDAY, JAN. 7-9, FREE-$79.

January 7-13, 2021

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES January 7th - 13th

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Opening Reception for “In Conversation” David Lusk Gallery, 97 Tillman, Friday, Jan. 8, 6 p.m., free An exhibition of woodcuts from 1960-1975 by modernist Ted Faiers will kick off the new year at the gallery in remembrance of a time before COVID. Artist Reception for Jeff Scott Jay Etkin Gallery, 942 Cooper, Saturday, Jan. 9, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., free Featuring a flag series installation of nine paintings, acrylic on linen, and a cinematic series photographed using a vintage Leica camera and Kodak 35mm film stock by Jeff Scott.

Journey to Justice Online from National Civil Rights Museum, civilrightsmuseum.org, Saturday, Jan. 9, 1 p.m., free with registration A virtual symposium in partnership with Just City, #JourneyToJustice, to highlight critical criminal justice reform. Featuring panel discussions, a keynote by Brittany K. Barnett, and more.

Reader Meet Writer: Allan Gurganus Online at novelmemphis.com, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 4 p.m., free with registration Author discusses The Uncollected Stories of Allan Gurganus, nine classic tales offering characters antic and tragic, charting the human condition, via Zoom.

MLK Day of Service Speaker: James Edward Mills Online from Wolf River Conservancy, wolfriver.org, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 6:30 p.m., free Adventurer and author of The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors addresses the lack of minority populations who seek recreation, adventure, and solace in our wilderness spaces to kick off MLK Days of service.

Winter Spotlight Series Episode 4: Digital Season Reveal Online from Playhouse on the Square, playhouseonthesquare.org, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 4 p.m., free Tune in to hear what small cast productions are planned for you digitally this spring. Register through Zoom or watch on the Playhouse Facebook page.

FACEBOOK/ELVIS PRESLEY’S GRACELAND

86 Candles

Memorializing the Little Rock Nine through jazz.

A

s 2020 settled into its longest nights last month, one bright spot was an online video concert by a septet stacked with Memphis-affiliated players. As virtual concerts go, it was notable both for its technical clarity and for mixing compositional craft, spontaneity, joy, and gravitas in equal measure. That made it a fitting capstone presentation of a work that has been evolving in various iterations over years: No Tears Suite, composed by onetime Memphian Christopher Parker and Memphis native Kelley Hurt, now married and residing in Little Rock.

Though the couple met in Memphis, living in Arkansas had everything to do with the creation of No Tears Suite, a musical meditation on the Little Rock Nine, the Black students who courageously defied the state’s segregationists and walked into Little Rock Central High School after a monthlong standoff in 1957. Speaking in 2019 to the Oxford American, which commissioned the piece, Parker said, “It was a hometown kind of thing. I grew up here, and all my life, whenever you bring up Central High and 1957, either the conversation is going to be negative or people don’t want to have that conversation. And yet we were one of the first states to force integration. … We should be celebrating what happened

then, but that also means you have to acknowledge that huge parts of our community were racists who wanted to tear nine kids limb from limb.”

Hurt saw the historical moment through a more regional lens. “I grew up in Memphis,” she told the magazine, “and that city holds a lot of weight. The assassination of Dr. King is something that changed the city forever, the way people interacted with each other, and especially the music. Coming from there to Little Rock, you start to wonder, do all cities have this kind of weight?”

Whatever its provenance, that weight is felt in the lyrics she brought to the composition, based largely on Melba Pattillo Beals’ memoir Warriors Don’t Cry. Hurt’s recital of the students’ and others’ names and biographies in “Roll Call” carries both heaviness and beauty, especially when accompanied by the very heavy band, which includes, in the latest version, percussionist Brian Blade, bassist Roland Guerin, tenor saxophonist Bobby LaVell, trumpeter Marc Franklin, and alto saxophonist Chad Fowler, along with Parker on piano and Hurt on vocals.

The sensitivity of the players makes the piece a worthy inheritor of a vital, often overlooked tradition of jazz that addresses the civil rights movement, such as Sonny Rollins’ “Freedom Suite” (1958) and the album We Insist!

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

No Tears Suite

and Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite (1960). In walking a fine line between a composed piece and the audacity of free improvisation, No Tears Suite dredges up the turbulent passions of America’s racism and as such serves as a kind of exorcism. But, as Hurt noted in 2019, it also embodies more positive emotions. “We treat it more as a celebration than as something terrible that happened. It’s a celebration of those young people that had the courage to bring attention to themselves. That’s a hard decision to make when you’re a kid.”

That may best be expressed in the nearly euphoric “Don’t Cry (Warrior’s Song),” with its hard-swinging, slamming chords and intricate unison horn lines, as Hurt sings, “Don’t cry, sister, don’t cry, don’t let them see you shed a tear. Beaten and bruised, yeah, you refused. There are no cowards here.” It’s cathartic, and some of that lies in the composition itself. It can be heard in other versions of the suite, such as its premiere on the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site in 2017, the studio recording from the same year (released on Mahakala Music last September), or the 2019 expanded arrangement with members of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.

But an additional layer of celebration arose from the particular day on which the online concert was recorded: November 7, 2020. “We started recording this directly after the networks called the presidential race for Biden,” says saxophonist Chad Fowler. “Nobody mentioned politics, but I felt like there was a calm that came over us all and was reflected in the music.”

No Tears Suite can be viewed at youtube.com/user/oxfordamerican.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

MUSIC By Alex Greene

15

CALENDAR of EVENTS:

January 7 - 13

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com or P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101.

DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY.

Jay Etkin Gallery

T H EAT E R

“Revealed,” exhibition of photographs and drawings by Czech outsider artist Miroslav Tichy. Through Jan. 16.

Jeff Scott, exhibition of multimedia works. Jan. 9-Feb. 8.

Hattiloo Theatre

A Holiday Cabaret, celebrate the season with a blend of music, jokes, and stories to get you in the mood for the holidays. hattiloo.org.

Free. Ongoing, 7 p.m.

Sarafina!, past production about human rights in the 21st century, written by Mbongeni Ngema. Ongoing.

God’s Trombone, enjoy the original production of inspirational sermons by African-American preachers reimagined as poetry, reverberating with the musicality of spirituals. Free. Ongoing.

Iola’s Southern Fields, enjoy an online past performance drawn from the writings of Ida B. Wells. Free. Ongoing.

From the Frontlines of COVID-19, online series that spotlights healthcare workers who share emotional insight of their critical work as they care for those who have been impacted by the virus. hattiloo.org. Free. Ongoing.

37 S. COOPER (502-3486).

942 COOPER (550-0064).

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

Artist of the Year Award Presentation at Mid-South Artist Gallery, Saturday, January 9th, 2-4 p.m.

Theatre Memphis

Online on Stage, a Theatre Memphis Facebook group that serves as a clearinghouse for performers wanting to share their talents. Featuring storytime, readings, or performance art. Ongoing.

630 PERKINS EXT. (682-8323).

The Orpheum

Orpheum Virtual Engagement, join Orpheum staff, artists, and students for activities, interviews, and more on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Visit website for more information. Ongoing.

203 S. MAIN (525-3000).

Playhouse on the Square

Playhouse on the Square at Home, a series of digital content through POTS website and social media platforms. View past performances, engage in quizzes, enjoy digital playwriting, and more. Free. Ongoing.

Winter Spotlight Series Episode 4: Digital Season Reveal, quality productions via streaming service. Tune in to hear what small cast productions are planned for you digitally this spring. Register through Zoom or watch on Facebook. playhouseonthesquare.org.

Wed., Jan. 13, 4 p.m.

David Lusk Gallery

Opening reception for “In Conversation,” exhibition of woodcuts by modernist Ted Faiers. Fri., Jan. 8, 6 p.m.

97 TILLMAN (767-3800).

Jay Etkin Gallery

Artist reception for Jeff Scott, exhibition of multimedia works.

Sat., Jan. 9, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

942 COOPER (550-0064).

OTH E R A R T HA P P E N I N G S

Arrow Creative Online Store

All sales benefit local creatives.

Shop locally made jewelry, candles, greeting cards, soaps, and more. Ongoing.

ARROW CREATIVE, 2535 BROAD, ARROWCREATIVE.ORG.

Order your book today benefiting local artists and journalism. $35. Ongoing.

Clough-Hanson Gallery

Reception and Award Presentation for Artist of the Year Sat., Jan. 9, 2-4 p.m.

MID-SOUTH ARTIST GALLERY, 2945 SHELBY (409-8705).

ONGOI NG ART

Art Museum at the University of Memphis (AMUM)

“Africa: Art of a Continent,” exhibition of African art from the Martha and Robert Fogelman collection. Ongoing.

“IEAA Ancient Egyptian Collection,” exhibition of Egyptian antiquities ranging from 3800 B.C.E. to 700 C.E. from the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology collection. Ongoing.

142 COMMUNICATION & FINE ARTS BUILDING (678-2224).

ArtsMemphis

“Unfolding: The Next Chapter in Memphis,” exhibition of visual art by local Memphis

“Quarantine Couple,” exhibition of work by Lacy Mitcham Veteto and Gregory Allen Smith.

Curated by Ben Aquila. Visit Facebook page to view virtually. rhodes.edu. Ongoing.

“Second Life, Third Life,” exhibition of work by Meredith Potter, Melissa Wilkinson, and Emily C. Thomas. Curated by Roland Donnelly-Bullington. Ongoing.

“Interiors: A Study of Domestic Quarantine,” exhibition of work

by Paula Kovarik and Sophia Mason. Curated by Jenna Gilley.

Ongoing. “playground,” exhibition of work

by Elizabeth Alley and Susan Maakestad. Curated by Dresden Timco. Ongoing.

“Home is Where the Art Is,” exhibition of work by Nick Peña, Ryan Steed, and Nancy Cheairs.

Curated by Julia Conway.

Ongoing.

“Eyesolation: Seeing and Looking in Quarantine,” exhibition of work by Melissa Dunn, Alexander Paulus, Emily C. Thomas, Mary K. VanGieson. Curated by Katie Clark. Ongoing.

“Landscapes in Isolation,” exhibi-

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January 7-13, 2021

66 S. COOPER (726-4656).

A R TI S T R EC E P TI O N S

artists, curated by Kenneth Wayne Alexander. artsmemphis.org. Ongoing.

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tion of work by Clare Johnson, Maysey Craddock, and Susan Maakestad. Curated by Caroline Koch. Ongoing.

“All by Myself,” exhibition of work by Jesse Butcher and Emily C. Thomas. Curated by Marlo Morales. Ongoing.

RHODES COLLEGE, 2000 N. PARKWAY (843-3000).

David Lusk Gallery

“In Conversation,” exhibition of woodcuts by modernist Ted Faiers. Through Feb. 6.

97 TILLMAN (767-3800).

The Dixon Gallery & Gardens

“Illuminating the Word: The Saint John’s Bible,” exhibition of the first handwritten Bible that interprets and illustrates scripture from a contemporary perspective. Through Jan. 10.

“Learning to be Astonished,” exhibition of impressionistic landscapes created during the COVID-19 pandemic by Jimpsie Ayres. Jan. 10-April 4.

4339 PARK (761-5250).

Eclectic Eye

“Recent Still Lifes,” exhibition of recent work by Christina Huntington. Through Jan. 10.

242 S. COOPER (276-3937).

“Arts of Global Africa,” exhibition of historic and contemporary works in a range of different media presenting an expansive vision of Africa’s artistry. Through June 21.

“Power and Absence: Women in Europe,” exhibition explores the representation of women in Europe from around 1500 to 1680. Ongoing.

“Drawing Memory: Essence of Memphis,” exhibition of works inspired by nsibidi, a sacred means of communication among male secret societies in southeastern Nigeria by Victor Ekpuk. Ongoing.

1934 POPLAR (544-6209).

Memphis College of Art

“Intrepidly Yours,” exhibition of Spring 2020 BFA work by last graduating class. mca2020bfa.com. Through Feb. 28.

1930 POPLAR (272-5100).

Metal Museum

“Tributaries: Ben Dory,” exhibition of works paying homage to traditional granulation, an ancient and intricate technique of fusing primarily gold spheres. Through April 3.

374 METAL MUSEUM DR. (774-6380).

B O O KS I G N I N G S

Novel at Home: Ed Tarkington with Margaret Renkl

Author discusses The Fortunate Ones in conversation with guest author and contributing opinion writer for The New York Times via Zoom. Free with registration. Sat., Jan. 9, 4 p.m.

NOVEL, 387 PERKINS EXT. (922-5526), NOVELMEMPHIS.COM.

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NOVEL, 387 PERKINS EXT. (922-5526), NOVELMEMPHIS.COM.

Reader Meet Writer: Rachel Hawkins

Author discusses The Wife Upstairs: A Novel via Zoom.

Free with registration. Thurs., Jan. 7, 6 p.m.

NOVEL, 387 PERKINS EXT. (922-5526), NOVELMEMPHIS.COM.

L ECT U R E / S P EAK E R

Journey to Justice

A virtual symposium, #JourneyToJustice, to highlight critical criminal justice reform.

Featuring panel discussions, a keynote by Brittany K. Barnett, and more. Free with registration. Sat., Jan. 9, 1 p.m.

NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM, 450 MULBERRY (521-9699), CIVILRIGHTSMUSEUM.ORG.

“Meanwhile in Memphis”

Tune into WYXR 91.7 FM where Anna Mullins Ellis and Christy Mullen provide a weekly window into ways Memphians are solving problems, looking forward, and successfully shaping the community. Tuesdays, 8 a.m.

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE, 1350 CONCOURSE, WYXR.ORG.

MLK Day of Service Speaker: James Edward Mills, The Adventure Gap MLK Day service projects launch, featuring an exciting program by adventurer and author James Edward Mills.

Free. Wed., Jan. 13, 6:30 p.m.

WOLFRIVER.ORG.

TO U R S

Ghost Walk

Explore the macabre and dark history of Downtown Memphis. $20. Fridays-Sundays, 8 p.m.

THE BROOM CLOSET, 546 S. MAIN (497-9486), HISTORICALHAUNTSMEMPHIS.COM.

Metal Museum Audio Tour

Explore the newly updated Sculpture Garden and accompanying audio tour while adhering to safe social distancing. PWYC. Ongoing, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

METAL MUSEUM, 374 METAL MUSEUM DR. (774-6380).

Old Forest Hike

Walking tour of the region’s only urban old-growth forest. Second Saturday of every month, 10 a.m.

OVERTON PARK, OFF POPLAR (276-1387).

Tours for Very Small Groups

Elmwood Cemetery’s staff is ready to take you and your very small group on a tour in groups of nine. Masks required. $5. Ongoing, 10 a.m.

ELMWOOD CEMETERY, 824 S. DUDLEY (774-3212).

S P E C IA L E V E N TS

Winter Bridal Show

Christmas Tree Recycling

Featuring games, music, prizes, fashions, vendors, samples, seminars, and more.

Free with registration. Sun., Jan. 10, 1-5 p.m.

WHISPERING WOODS HOTEL AND CONVENTION CENTER, 11200 GOODMAN, OLIVE BRANCH, MS (662-893-6369), MEMPHISBRIDALSHOW.COM.

S P O R TS / F I TN ES S

Beginners Yoga Series

Amy Hutcheson hosts this six-week beginners yoga series focusing on proper alignment, breathwork, and safe movement. In-studio or virtual options are available. $75 - $120. Wed., Jan. 13, 6:45-7:45 p.m.

DOWNTOWN YOGA, 515 S. MAIN (690-6806), DOWNTOWNYOGAMEMPHIS.COM.

Envision Core Essentials Class

All-bodyweight, socially distant, high-energy workout accommodating all levels.

Free. Tuesdays, 5:30-6 p.m.

Through Jan. 26.

MEMPHIS PARK, FRONT AND MADISON (521-8117), ENVISION.FIT.

Horseback Riding Lessons

Private lessons available for ages 6 and older, beginner to intermediate. English, Western, and pleasure/trail. $50 per lesson. Ongoing.

PONY DREAM FARMS RIDING SCHOOL, 11241 HOLLY SPRINGS, HERNANDO, MS (827-2429).

Run Run Rudolph Virtual 5K Run Walk

Register, run or walk at your own pace, and submit your results to earn your medal and bragging rights. $29-$39.

Through Jan. 9.

THEVIRTUALRUNCHALLENGE.COM.

Virtual Training & Group Fitness

YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South offers workouts for anyone to try at home.

Workouts include yoga, barre, exercises for active older adults, and Les Mills training. Visit website to join.

Free. Ongoing.

YMCAMEMPHIS.ORG.

M E ETI NGS

Churches from the Presbytery of the Mid-South: Sunday Worship Livestream

Combined livestream worship. Visit website for more information and livestream link. Sun., 11 a.m.

IDLEWILDCHURCH.ORG.

Virtual-T

Weekly Zoom gathering for anyone 18+ who identifies as a member of the trans or GNC community. For login information, email ahauptman@outmemphis.org.

Tuesdays, 6 p.m.

OUTMEMPHIS.ORG.

Drop Christmas trees off in the big parking lot in front of the ShowPlace Arena. Look for the signs pointing the way.

Through Jan. 11.

AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL, 7777 WALNUT GROVE (757-7777).

Outdoor Scavenger Hunts

Choose an outdoor familyfriendly scavenger hunt.

A portion of the proceeds benefit HopeKids. $13-$40.

Ongoing.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS, SEE WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION, LETSROAM.COM.

Women’s Waterfowl Weekend

See the sunrise from a duck blind, enjoy breakfast inbetween calling ducks, and network with other ladies who love the outdoors. Ranger Warren Douglas and Alisha Weber will guide this experience. $300. Fri.-Sat., Jan. 8-9.

REELFOOT LAKE STATE PARK, 2595 HWY 21 E., TNSTATEPARKS.ORG.

H O L I DAY E V E N TS

Elvis Birthday Celebration

Celebrate Elvis’ Birthday with the annual Elvis Birthday Proclamation Ceremony and other events. Thur.-Sun., Jan. 7-10.

GRACELAND, 3717 ELVIS PRESLEY (332-3322).

FOOD & DR I N K E V E N TS

Science of Beer Pick 6

Pick up a card from participating breweries or download from the museum website.

Visit breweries and get your card stamped to enjoy free museum admission between January 16 and February 28.

MEMPHIS PINK PALACE MUSEUM, 3050 CENTRAL (636-2362), MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG.

Virtual Cooking Classes with Kelly English

Cook with Chef Kelly English of Restaurant Iris, Second Line, and Fino’s during this four-class for one lump sum special event via Zoom. $100.

Tuesdays, 7 p.m. Through Jan. 26.

IRISETC.COM.

FI LM

Indie Memphis Movie Club

Weekly virtual screening opportunities, plus online Q&As on Tuesday evenings between programmers and special guests. Visit website for more information and schedule. Ongoing.

INDIEMEMPHIS.ORG.

Oxford Virtual Film Festival

Presentation includes 24hour rental period and filmmaker Q&A. New releases until the end of the year. $10, $40-$175 virtual passes.

Ongoing.

OXFORDFILMFEST.COM.

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

Author discusses The Uncollected Stories of Allan Gurganus via Zoom. Free with registration. Tues., Jan. 12, 4 p.m.

E X P OS / S A LES

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Reader Meet Writer: Allan Gurganus

17

FOOD By Michael Donahue

LOCAL RESTAURANTS.

January 7-13, 2021

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Armando Gagliano pays homage to childhood dishes.

E

choes of the past drift Rouladen, a Christmas tradition through Ecco on at their home, is “essentially a sirloin Overton Park in the steak that you pound the hell out of form of tantalizing with a mallet till it’s really thin. You aromas. Executive chef brush Dijon mustard on it and line it Armando Gagliano with bacon and thinly sliced yellow occasionally features his take on Italian onions. You roll the whole thing up and German dishes his mom, Ecco like a fruit roll and either tie it off or owner Sabine Bachmann, served when use toothpicks, then sear that in a large he was growing up. pan. After it’s browned on all sides, “I’ll do all the stuff she used to cook take it out, and in the same pan put for me and my brothers,” Gagliano carrots, onions, celery and cook those says. “Some of them have been on the down until they’re soft. menu as my take on the dish. I’ll change it up just a little bit, but I Rouladen always try to incorporate things that I remember growing up that my mom fed us. Put it on there as close to what my mom used to serve us.”

Rouladen, a German dish his mother, who is German, made for them, will be a special January 8th and 9th at Ecco. The family-inspired dish also will be available throughout January at Libro, where Gagliano is executive chef and his brother, Mario Gagliano, is head chef.

Growing up, Gagliano and his brothers ate more pasta than potatoes.

“Then you’re going to hit it with “My mom mainly cooked us Italian food red wine. However much you want to ’cause German food is always braised use. You deglaze all those vegetables meats and potatoes and onions. in chicken or beef stock. Preferably, “We didn’t have a lot of money beef stock since that’s what you’re growing up, so we probably ate pasta cooking. Bring that to a boil. You five nights a week. It’s so cheap. It’s one return the seared rouladen that you set of the best things somebody can eat.” to the side back in the pot and reset They served Mama’s Pasta, a the temperature to a very low simmer. “spicy Southern bacon pasta,” as a Then after about two hours, they’re springtime/summer special at Ecco. done. And you can let them go longer It’s “like a South American dish mixed if you want them more tender. with Italian pasta. It’s bacon that “You take them out. And all the she rendered. She chopped up the vegetables and wines and juices it was rendered bacon with tomato sauce. cooking in, throw that in a blender.

And she’d usually put in a little hot Blend it up really well and then press sugar, hot sauce, and garlic. It was a it through a sieve or a colander. Those spicy marinara, but instead of using juices are the gravy. With the vegetables, ground pork or something like that, it it’s already thick enough. My mom was bacon.” would always boil some potatoes to Spaghetti puttanesca is a childhood go with them. You over-boil them till dish that also shows up at Ecco. they’re really soft. [We use] baby new “That’s a very old Southern coast potatoes. Put them whole on the plate recipe. There are different variations and mash them. Put the rouladen on of it, but it primarily consists of garlic, top of those mashed potatoes, and the capers, kalamata olives, anchovies, and gravy goes over all of it. then some sort of whole or diced-up “It’s a very rustic dish. Rouladen tomatoes, or tomato purée. We use and gravy. It’s a German pot roast tomato purée. It’s what the fishermen kind of deal.”

Ecco on Overton Park is at 1585 would get to eat after they came back Overton Park; (901) 410-8200. Libro into the docks after being out in the is at Novel bookstore at 387 Perkins Mediterranean fishing. They would use Extended; (901) 922-5526. anchovies to make this dish.”

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Pulling together is what we do.

19

FILM By Chris McCoy

Almost Heaven Soul is the right film for our moment of doubt.

A

You got soul — 22 (Tina Fey) and Joe (Jamie Foxx) search for what makes life worth living in Soul.

Joe nails the audition and gets the job of his dreams, but as he’s walking home, the worst happens. Director Pete Docter stages Joe’s unexpected death as an escalating series of gags, perfectly demonstrating the multiple tonal tightropes walked by this strange, wonderful film.

When Joe realizes he’s on that stairway to the Great Beyond, he rebels and leaps off. It’s not fair that he died just hours before the big break he’s waited and worked for all his life. But instead of floating back to Earth, he ends up in the waiting room for unborn spirits known as the Great Before.

There, he becomes a mentor to 22 (Tina Fey), a soul who has never passed the test that would allow

it to transmogrify into a body, and frankly, is not very interested in doing so. With Foxx and Fey providing stellar voice performances, Soul becomes a body-switching, odd-couple comedy between a soul who wants to return to life but can’t and one who must be convinced life is worth living.

Visually, this is another Pixar masterpiece.

Its vision of New York City teems with life. In a genre notorious for busy, quickly cut images and loud sounds designed to bully the senses of young viewers into paying attention, Soul’s moments of reverie, where Joe and 22 come to appreciate the beauty of the world as it is, stand out as near miraculous. Scenes of Joe’s inner life as he plays

January 7-13, 2021

Matter of Life and Death is a beloved 1946 film by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, who also made such classics as The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus. Known in the states as Stairway to Heaven, it stars David Niven as an RAF pilot returning from a mission who crashes just short of the English coast. Niven escapes death due to a celestial clerical error, but when the supernatural bureaucracy comes to collect his soul for the afterlife, he appeals for more time in front of a heavenly court comprised of historical figures.

Niven, who was immensely popular in England due to his service as a commando during the war and his starring role as a Spitfire test pilot in the propaganda film The First of the Few, eventually wins a new lease on life because his post-crash romance with Kim Hunter sways a jury of his dead peers.

The film touched a nerve in postwar Britain, where so many were grieving lost loved ones, and is remembered for its mixture of color and black and white and the iconic image of Niven climbing an infinitely long staircase stretching into heaven’s clouds.

Soul, the latest film from Pixar animation, uses the image of the celestial staircase as a jumpingoff point — literally. Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx) is a middle school band teacher who hasn’t given up his dream of playing jazz piano. He finally gets tenure at his New York public school, which is a relief to his demanding mother (Phylicia Rashad). But just as he has resigned himself to his fate (which is, to be fair, reasonably comfortable and rewarding), his friend Curley (Questlove) calls him with an opportunity. The famous jazz saxophonist Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett) needs keys, and if Joe gets down to the club right now, Curley can get him an audition.

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FILM By Chris McCoy the piano recall Disney’s masterpiece, Fantasia. The supernatural landscapes of the Great Beyond are even more striking. The guardians of the spirit world (all of whom are inexplicably named “Jerry”) are Cubist line drawings come to life.

Docter, who shares director credit with One Night in Miami writer Kemp Powers, has been behind Pixar’s best mid-period films, Up and Inside Out. Soul is a very different animal, but all of Docter’s films share central, existential concerns. What does it mean to live a good life? Why should we care about others? Sure, the answer to “what is the meaning of life?” usually turns out to be some version of “the friends we met along the way,” but maybe that’s a cliché

for a reason. Former Pixar head John Lasseter said all Pixar films are rooted in the story of the company itself: A character ventures out into a new world and, thanks to the help of his friends and family, learns to appreciate themselves and their world. Joe is the first Black Pixar character to go on that journey, and he ultimately learns that no life spent in pursuit of art is wasted. Just as A Matter of Life and Death came at exactly the moment when postwar audiences were asking “was it all worth it?,” Soul delivers a beautiful and much-needed message in a time when loss has upended the lives of so many.

Soul is streaming on Disney+.

EMPLOYMENT

LEGAL NOTICE

IT/COMPUTER

AUTO AUCTION The following vehicle will be sold at auction by IMPORT AUTO SERVICE on 01/22/21, 1963 Austin Healey 3000, VIN# HBJ7L22655 belonging to George Jones. 901-324-2644

SR. SYSTEMS ENGINEER (CloudOps) needed at AutoZone in Memphis, TN. Must have a Bach degree in Comp Sci or related & 5 yrs exp including: Production exp w/ cloud computing technology, PAAS, container orchestration, CI/ CD, desired state configuration management; DevOps exp including Site Reliability Engineering & building on-demand environments using CloudOps; Utilizing Cloud Foundry, BOSH, Concourse, Linux, Python, VMWare, AWS, Azure; Using Infrastructure-as-Code. Fax resumes to DeAngelo Sears at 901-495-8207.

EOE.

EMPLOYMENT COPELAND SERVICES, L.L.C. Hiring Armed State Licensed Officers/ Unarmed Officers Three Shifts Available Same Day Interview 2165 Spicer Cove, Suite 1 Memphis, Tennessee 38134.

Call 901-258-5872 or 901-818-3187 Interview in Professional Attire

SYSTEMS ENGINEER (DEVOPS) needed at AutoZone in Memphis, TN. Must have Bach degree inComp Sci or related & 5 yrs exp including: Web Services, JVM, JMS, Spring Boot, Object-Oriented Design principles; ITIL process-Incident, Problem & Change management; Building workflows for CI/CD integrations using Jenkins; Using 1 of the following ticketing & collaboration tools: JIRA, HP-ALM, Version One, Helpdesk, or ServiceNow; Using 1 of the following Service monitoring tools: Dynatrace, App Dynamics, Matlock, Splunk, or SiteScope; UNIX & Linux infrastructure; Java, Oracle, SQL, Agile methodology; Payment Gateway services & Credit Card processing. Fax resumes to DeAngelo Sears at 901495-8207. EOE.

HOSPITALITY/ RESTAURANT

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EMPLOYMENT • REAL ESTATE • SERVICES IT DIRECTOR (ECOMMERCE) needed at AutoZone in Memphis, TN. Must have Bach degree in Comp Sci, Computer Information Systems

or related and a minimum of 10 yrs of technical/architectural leadership exp. Must have a minimum of 5 yrs exp including: Utilizing ATG &

Overton Place Communities Overton Place Communities Studios,1 1 2 bedroom Studios, && 2 BR apartments, apartments, duplexes, and duplexes, and houses are homes are Now Available NOW AVAILABLE for occupancy! for occupancy!

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THE LAST WORD By Jesse Davis

The Year of Magical Thinking

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

My girlfriend Sydnie and I have a tradition, picked up from a time one of my bands played an unpaid gig at a New Year’s Eve party half a decade or so ago. In a scene that’s increasingly hard to imagine now, roughly 10 months into this pandemic, the band and partygoers crammed into local filmmaker/illustrator/ personality Mike McCarthy’s attic amid low-budget movie props and spinner racks of underground comic books, for the entirety of the mercifully short set. We were so close to each other and not a mask in sight! Those were the days.

After the set, McCarthy bade everyone grab a suitcase — or guitar case — for a countdown-to-midnight promenade around the block. Our host claimed that the walk was a New Orleans tradition that guaranteed prosperity in the coming year. Since it was so weird and whimsical — and since I made a little more money playing music the next year — I decided Can our hopes for the the tradition was both charming and effective, and I made year fit in a suitcase? up my mind to adopt it. So, every New Year’s Eve just before midnight, Sydnie and I grab suitcases and champagne and jog around the block listening to fireworks and car horns.

That is, until NYE 2019.

Syd was in Idaho visiting family. Though I had been on the first leg of the trip with her, I hopped on a flight back to Memphis right after Christmas, so we made do with a midnight phone call. “So we skip a year. What’s the worst that can happen,” I probably thought to myself, “a global pandemic and the emergence of latent autocratic sentiment in the Republican Party? Gimme a break!” Now, I’m not taking credit for all of 2020, but Syd and I made damn sure we walked around the block this year. But did you? Did you wear your lucky underpants? Did we all eat enough black-eyed peas and collard greens to turn this thing around?

It sounds pretty crazy when typed out in black and white, which is how I’ve felt for most of the past nine or 10 months, as people, whether ironically or honestly, shook their fists and cursed 2020. I’m pretty sure 2020 didn’t close rural hospitals or sow anti-science sentiments in Tennessee. Though it’s not the year, I do think many of the travesties of 2020 have a common root. Namely, that we don’t want to face facts. In fact, there’s an alternate fact for every scenario! Australia and California were aflame, not because of climate change, but thanks to improper sweeping of the forest floors. Black Lives Matter protesters weren’t exercising their constitutional right to protest to demand fair treatment from law enforcement, they were anarchists agitating to bring down the state. Maybe 352,000 Americans have died because of COVID, or maybe it’s a Democratic plot to tarnish Trump’s spotless record. And, boy howdy, without Democratic interference and baseless witch hunts, nothing could have brought down our Fearless Leader!

This choose-your-own-adventure approach to history has gotten out of hand, and we in Tennessee are among the worst offenders in a nation of conspiracy theorists. It’s why our COVID numbers are so high, why our leaders don’t feel they have to do much of anything to protect or serve us. Governor Bill Lee can wash his hands and sidestep any responsibility for combating the coronavirus as long as his office keeps sending out emails about how hard he’s praying.

Senator Marsha Blackburn and incoming Senator Bill Hagerty can vote against our basic economic needs as long as they steadfastly refuse to accept the reality that President Trump lost the election more than two months ago, instead, persisting with baseless claims of election fraud.

I had hoped 2021 would be the year when I would write a little less about disinformation and conspiracy theories in this space. I even had a downright hopeful column about overcoming distance written and ready to go. But that was before a suicide bomber blew up an RV and parts of downtown Nashville near the AT&T building, apparently because he believed conspiracies about 5G internet. That was before The Washington Post released an audio file of the president of the United States pressuring Georgia’s secretary of state to “find” votes, like a scene out of the cheapest, clumsiest Goodfellas knockoff.

We can’t just tally and retally votes until we achieve a result we like. Neither can we contain a disease by ignoring it, or put off combating climate change until it’s convenient for shareholders. Some things can’t be spun.

Will 2021 be yet another year of magical thinking, of hanging our hopes on black-eyed peas and New Year’s traditions and conspiracy theories? Or will we finally, mercifully, admit that many of our problems are of our own making — and, thus, within our ability to change?

Jesse Davis is the Flyer copy editor and book editor.

THE LAST WORD

JESSE DAVIS

How many black-eyed peas do we have to eat to save 2021?

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