Memphis Flyer - 4/8/2021

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OUR 1676TH ISSUE • 04.08.21

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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, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers JESSE DAVIS Copy Editor, Staff Writer JULIE RAY Calendar Editor LORNA FIELD, RANDY HASPEL, RICHARD MURFF, FRANK MURTAUGH, MEGHAN STUTHARD Contributing Columnists AIMEE STIEGEMEYER, SHARON BROWN Grizzlies Reporters ANDREA FENISE Fashion Editor KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher

OUR 1676TH ISSUE 04.08.21 This may seem unlikely to readers of this column who are still clinging to the golf slacks of the former president and write me uncharitable emails, but I actually do research these weekly missives. I copy links to relevant or interesting articles into a “column fodder” folder on my desktop; I save interesting emails; I even look up stuff.

I also reread my Twitter feed, which isn’t exactly research, but sometimes it can capture the zeitgeist of a particular week. To wit: Editor & Publisher posted a story last Thursday about how their publisher had pulled off a stunning deal to buy all 1,100 Gannett newspapers, including The Commercial Appeal. Whoa!

I read through the first couple graphs rapidly, slowing to reread only when I got to this part: “The new Operations Center is to be located about two miles northwest of Lebanon, Kansas, the geographic center of the contiguous United States. Newton will be recruiting retired NASCAR drivers to get the newspapers into each individual market within 72-hours of printing, which is, on average, two-days faster than currently being provided by most Gannett properties.”

Then I remembered the date: April 1st. Got me.

That same day, County Mayor Lee Harris issued a tweet urging all of us to get a COVID vaccine, citing the emergence of a highly contagious and deadlier Brazilian variant, which is definitely no joke. I’m a month post-vaccination and feeling somewhat bulletproof, though I still wear a mask in public. There’s no better feeling, right now. Seriously, if you’re sentient enough to be reading this and haven’t started the process of getting the vaccine, there’s really no excuse left, except “I’m an idiot.”

Later in the week, a Twitter debate broke out about which state had the absolute worst trifecta of governor and senators. Top contenders were Texas (Abbot, Cornyn, Cruz); Missouri (Parson, Hawley, Blunt); Florida Laurie Cardoza-Moore (DeSantis, Scott, Rubio); Mississippi (Reeves, Hyde-Smith, Wicker); Alabama (Ivey, Shelby, Tuberville); and Tennessee (Lee, Blackburn, Hagerty). South Dakota (Noem, Thune, Rounds) also got some mention, to be fair, but the South truly owned this competition. So proud!

Speaking of pride, there were lots of tweets about the Tennessee legislature’s appointing Laurie Cardoza-Moore, an anti-Muslim, anti-BLM, 9/11 truther, vax-hoaxer, and allaround nutball to the state Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission, which, among other things, selects the textbooks used in Tennessee’s public schools.

Memphis Senator Raumesh Akbari interviewed the candidate on the Senate floor, picking apart her past lunacy and concluding, after questioning: “I cannot think of someone who is more uniquely unqualified to be in this position.” Senator Brian Kelsey, the ever-reliable GOP tool from Germantown, pooh-poohed the idea that Cardoza-Moore would be a problem, because, well, he’s Brian Kelsey.

Our legislators and governor also bum-rushed through an open-carry law that will allow any mouth-breathing crackpot to take a gun pretty much anywhere his tiny penis tells him to go. The law was opposed by all major law-enforcement organizations, attorneys general groups, and the vast majority of Tennessee voters. After the law’s passage, Governor Bill Lee made a quick call to the NRA to thank them for their support, making it pretty clear whose opinion matters to him. I really hope I live long enough to see these shameless GOP hacks get sent packing.

But it wasn’t all bad news. There were tweets about how the Memphis Fire Department, community advocate groups, and MATA set up a vaccination center for the area’s homeless, and inoculated dozens of folks who are living in the most N E WS & O P I N I O N vulnerable of circumstances. Good for THE FLY-BY - 4 them. And for us.

NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 6 What else? I met a friend inside an acPOLITICS - 6 tual restaurant for dinner for the first time FINANCIAL FEATURE - 8 in almost 13 months. We had steaks and COVER STORY “RADIO FREE MEMPHIS” split a bottle of Bordeaux and bitched and

BY ALEX GREENE - 10 told the usual stories, and for a couple of WE RECOMMEND - 14 hours, life seemed normal again — except MUSIC - 15 for our longtime bartender saying we were CALENDAR - 16 starting to sound like the two old guys in FOOD - 18 the balcony in The Muppets.

FILM - 20 Tough crowd. Tough year.

C LAS S I F I E D S - 21 Bruce VanWyngarden LAST WORD - 23 brucev@memphisflyer.com

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THE

fly-by

MEMernet A roundup of Memphis on the World Wide Web. TWE ET O F TH E WE E K “You can’t explain ‘why’ you are cis.

So, you shouldn’t need to understand why trans people are trans to know we deserve rights.” J. Dylan Sandifer (@jdylan901) G H OSTLAN D?

POSTED TO REDDIT BY R/THESTRADA

Reddit user r/thestrada posted a photo of himself at Graceland last week. “Ghostly faces in the window behind me at Graceland, October 2011,” he wrote. “Didn’t notice this until years later.”

April 8-14, 2021

STEAL O F A D EAL

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POSTED ANONYMOUSLY TO CRAIGSLIST

Somebody from Collierville wants to sell you an autographed DC Talk tape for $800. The poster said the “authentic” cover, case, and cassette of the Christian rap/rock band was selling for $1,176 on eBay. K R O G E R I N’ Nextdoor user Helen Perkins said she spoke with the Kroger district manager about the much-bashed Union Kroger. The manager has a plan to make it “a whole new store” with long lines to be a “thing of the past.”

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Questions, Answers + Attitude Edited by Toby Sells

W E E K T H AT W A S

By Flyer staff

Drake, Water Park, & Black Business Drake Hall returns, a $140M Tunica project, and new leadership at the Black Business Association.

MAS S VA X S ITE Last week, White House officials announced a federally run massvaccination site would open this week at the Pipkin Building.

The Memphis site is one of three such sites to open this week, Andy Slavitt, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in a briefing Wednesday morning.

Other sites will open next week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Greenbelt, Maryland.

DALE AND ASSOCIATES; MARK YATES PHOTOGRAPHY; SIAM PUKKATO| DREAMSTIME.COM; COURTESY DRAKE HALL Each of these sites will be able to administer 3,000 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine each day, Slavitt said. They are also the first federally run mass-vaccinations sites in each of their respective states.

These are among the 25 massvaccination sites opened by the Clockwise from top left: Proposed Tunica resort; Ernest Strickland new CEO of the federal government. Together, Black Business Association of Memphis; Drake Hall returns to the airwaves these sites can administer 95,000 doses of the vaccine each day, Business Association of Memphis (BBA) last week and brings Slavitt said. with him this message: “If we get this right, Memphis is a difSlavitt said the sites are to accelerate the vaccine program ferent city — a competitive city.” and to “reach the communities that have been most hurt by Strickland has been serving with the Greater Memphis the pandemic.”

Chamber’s senior leadership team, most recently as senior vice president of workforce development. In his new position, HAR R AH’S $140M G LOW U P which he assumed on Thursday, April 1st, Strickland will overA convention center, hotel, water park, and youth sports see the 47-year-old nonprofit that has a mission of empowercomplex are planned in Robinsonville, Mississippi, in a $140 ing entrepreneurship and improving business and growth million project in Tunica County. opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses.

The project will redevelop the former Harrah’s Tunica Resort, which closed in 2014. It will feature two separate hotel D R AK E R ETU R N S towers totaling 1,168 guest rooms, a 50,000 square-foot conLongtime Memphis radio icon Drake Hall returned to the vention center, a 20-acre waterpark, a youth sports complex, Memphis airwaves last week on FM 87.7, a Flinn Broadcastan 18,000 square-foot spa and salon, a 100-acre private lake ing outlet. In addition to the Drake Hall Memphis Radio Show, with fishing and boating opportunities, a 37,000 square-foot Hall’s partnership with the station will include podcasts, vidadult fun center, a sporting clay and hunting center on 750 eo, email marketing, social media content, app/web features, acres, an RV park with 200 spaces, an 18-hole golf course 24/7 streaming of two broadcasts (The Drake Hall Radio Show being renovated by Rees Jones, and a boardwalk with dining, and The Best Rock & Roll Ever Made), plus live events. retail, and live music entertainment venues, .

“It’s a thrill to be given a blank canvas to create a rock radio The project is expected to be completed in late summer station that focuses on the six decades of the best rock-and-roll 2022. Developers expect it will employ more than 650 people. ever made, not just the 300 songs that ‘test well,’” Hall said.

STR I C K LAN D N EW B BA C EO Ernest Strickland was named president and CEO of the Black

Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.

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

Textbook Example An anti-Muslim insurrectionist wants pick your child’s textbooks.

Laurie Cardoza-Moore moves closer to the Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission.

In a June YouTube video called “The REAL Agenda Behind Black Lives Matter EXPOSED,” she claims the “Marxist/ Leninist/anti-Semitic movement” is trying to remove Christian “anything” from society.

She has also founded Proclaiming Justice to the Nations (PJTN), a group that fights anti-Semitism, reviews textbooks, and more. The group blasts “misguided and propaganda-laced

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1619 Project and Black Lives Matter curriculum.” In a Tennessean opinion piece, she claimed she sent her children to school believing they were getting a “wholesome American education.” Then, one day, she discovered a Williamson County textbook “that appeared to justify a Palestinian suicide bombing.”

“I discovered that here in the Buckle of the Bible Belt, our textbooks were working against us,” Cardoza-Moore wrote. “Our children were being spoonfed a politicized anti-Judeo-Christian agenda pushed by foreign interest groups — with little to stop them.”

During a Senate hearing last week, Cardoza-Moore said she has not reviewed any textbooks or curricula in Tennessee, though such work is a main focus of her Tennessee nonprofit.

Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) asked Cardoza-Moore during the hearing last week about a textbook review from her group that suggested al-Qaeda was not behind the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

“This is a highly contested (per architects and engineers for 9/11 Truth, and demolition experts) argument,” reads the PJTN review. “There is ample evidence that refutes the ‘official’ story of what was perpetrated that day.”

Cardoza-Moore was not familiar with this suggestion in the report and said she would not have said al-Qaeda was not behind the attacks.

“This person has peddled hate, antiMuslim rhetoric, and a conspiracy theory about what happened on 9/11, the most tragic event in the United States where 3,000 people died,” Akbari said.

“To have someone who has such poor judgement on our textbook commission — that reviews books and determines what our students learn — is an insult to people across this state.”

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NEWS & OPINION

A mosque-fighting, anti-Black Lives Matter, vaccine-hoaxer, insurrectionist, and, perhaps, 9/11-truther from Franklin got one step closer to picking your child’s textbooks last week.

The state Senate Education Committee approved Laurie Cardoza-Moore for a position on the state’s Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission. The Franklin resident was nominated to sit on the board by House Speaker Rep. Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville).

Cardoza-Moore came to the public eye in 2010 when she publicly fought against the construction of a mosque in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, claiming it was a terrorist training camp.

In a now-removed tweet in December, she asked “will you join me in D.C. to defend our constitutional republic?

This is it! If we lose our constitutional republic, we will lose it!”

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Dems and GOP battle over Election Commission, reappraisal schedule, and Germantown/SCS schools.

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The Shelby County Election Commission is seemingly due to have more of a partisan divide after the county’s Democratic delegation in the legislature cast votes over the weekend to provide the party’s two allotted members for the new commission term.

Renominated is Democratic member Bennie Smith, a dedicated party activist, especially on what have been hotly contested voting-machine issues. Out is Democrat Anthony Tate, who has voted with the commission’s three Republicans often enough to annoy a goodly number of his party mates. Nominated instead, is lawyer Kendra Lee, who has been active in the party’s voter-protection efforts and was a prominent supporter of Elizabeth Warren in last year’s Democratic presidential primary. She is policy manager for the Equity Alliance, a nonprofit voter advocacy group.

Other candidates for a Democratic position on the commission were Curtis Johnson, Jake Brown, and Henri Brooks, a former member of the state House of Representatives and the Shelby County Commission.

Meanwhile, the county’s three-member Republican contingent on the Election Commission is unchanged, members Brent Taylor, Steve Stamson, and Frank Uhlhorn having been renominated weeks ago for new terms by the GOP’s Shelby delegation. The five nominated members of the commission must be approved by the state Election Commission, a process that is usually a formality.

• Also taking on partisan dimensions is the issue of whether Shelby County should conduct property reappraisals at two-year intervals rather than the current four-year intervals. Requesting the change is Shelby County Assessor Melvin Burgess, a former Democratic member of the county commission, which will decide the matter.

Reportedly, the commission’s Democrats favor the proposal, and the Republi-

cans do not. At its meeting last Thursday night, the executive committee of the Shelby County Republican Party voted unanimously to oppose the proposal, endorsing a statement that the change is unnecessary and “would increase the size and cost of government, would create additional irritation for taxpayers, and would likely result in higher taxes for many.”

The committee dispatched its point of view on the party’s email network in the form of a linked petition, stating, “Do you want your property reappraised every two years instead of every four years?

Please sign the petition and email the Democratic County Commissioners and let them know that you do not support the change.”

What follows is a list of the official email addresses of the eight Democratic members of the County Commission: Eddie Jones, Michael Whaley, Willie Brooks, Tami Sawyer, Mickell Lowery, Edmund Ford Jr., Reginald Milton, and Van Turner.

• In the fallout of the 2013 city/county school merger and subsequent THE EQUITY de-merger, three schools ALLIANCE Kendra Lee that lie geographically within the city limits of Germantown ended up in the Shelby County Schools district. All three schools — Germantown Elementary School, Germantown Middle School, and Germantown High School — have a majority of students from areas outside Germantown.

But ever since, there has been a desire in Germantown circles to reincorporate these schools into the Germantown system. Now that sentiment has taken the form of proposed legislation in the General Assembly. House Bill 917/Senate Bill 898, sponsored by Representative Mark White (R-Memphis) and Senator John Stevens (R-Huntington), would make it illegal for one district to operate schools that geographically are located in another district, in effect, transferring “the three Gs,” as they are commonly referred to in Germantown, to the jurisdiction of that suburban city’s school district. The legislation was due for consideration in both chambers on Wednesday, April 7th.

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southeastfinancial.org southeastfinancial.org | 901-751-9351 | 901-751-9351

f you’re like many Americans, the pandemic probably did a number on your personal finances.

Maybe you took on debt to make ends meet or let your spending get out of hand to satisfy your Amazon addiction while bored at home. (I certainly got to be on a first-name basis with my Amazon drivers over the last year.) With tax refunds starting to hit bank accounts along with stimulus checks, things are beginning to look up, and maybe you are wondering what to do with this newfound wealth.

One option might be to give your monthly budget some breathing room and get out of debt for good. The question is: How? Which debt dragon should you slay first?

You may have heard about a method called the debt snowball, popularized by author and personal finance pundit Dave Ramsey. It focuses on paying the debts with the smallest balances off first.

Because personal finance is a lot more personal than finance, this method is quite popular because you get quick mental wins that might encourage you to keep going.

The method that makes the most sense from a math standpoint might be the debt avalanche (snowball … avalanche … get it?). This is where you rank your debts by the highest interest rate first and start chipping away. This method will save you the most money overall, but you might get discouraged by the feeling that you’re not making headway fast enough.

A third option is not as well-known but is my personal favorite. It comes from a little-known book called Killing Sacred Cows by Garrett B. Gunderson.

As a certified financial planner professional, I do not agree with most of the book — for example, he calls the 401(k) a hoax — but I do think that this method of debt elimination is solid.

With this method, you calculate something called a cash flow index for each of your consumer debts

based on just two numbers, the total balance and the minimum monthly payment. To get each debt’s cash flow index, divide the total balance by the minimum monthly payment.

You then start paying off the debt with the smallest cash flow index first, while continuing to make minimum payments on your other debts. The advantage of this strategy is it attacks the debt that will have the largest positive effect on your monthly cash flow first, which means that your monthly cash flow improves in the shortest time possible.

Any one of these methods can work to tackle your debt, though they all have advantages and drawbacks. If you want to pay the least amount of interest, the debt avalanche will work for you. If you feel like you aren’t getting anywhere with your debt, the debt snowball might be your best bet. If your monthly budget is feeling a little tight, the cash flow index method might work for you.

If you are still having trouble deciding or have a specific situation that is more complex, do not be afraid to talk to a financial professional to get the help you need. Your monthly budget will thank you — though maybe not your Amazon driver.

A.J. Kratz, CFA, CFP, is a Financial Advisor at Telarray, a Memphis-based wealth management firm.

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As the copy editor for the Memphis Flyer, I spend a fair amount of time just looking things up. So I can’t help but notice how many news sources are behind a paywall. Just like us, they have bills to pay, of course, so I understand. You’ve got to make money somehow. Still, I believe that people have a fundamental right to information about their communities.

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n an individual level, we need to know what’s going on in our communities to make good decisions for ourselves and our families. As a society, we need an informed populace in order to make wise choices for ourselves as a collective. In that sense, the Flyer provides a necessary community resource. Jackson Baker writes indisputably vital candidate coverage in the lead-up to local elections. Toby Sells keeps tabs on all the local news. And none of that is locked away behind a paywall.

Sure, when you see my byline in the Flyer (I write as well as proofread), I’m not likely to be reporting that kind of hard news. Books, music, art — that’s my beat. But I think that being engaged with your community means being aware of both civic and cultural happenings. It’s important to keep up with the politics and policies, and with the art and events. Besides, engaging with others’ stories encourages empathy and imagination. I like to think it makes us better and more creative problem solvers. And it’s my way of supporting the Flyer folks who do report the hard news.

It takes the whole package — the news, reviews, and advertisers — to make the Flyer what it is. And I like to think there’s something here every week (and every day online) for everyone. I love being a part of the cultural conversation in Memphis, and I love being a Frequent Flyer and a member of the Flyer team.

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COVER STORY BY ALEX GREENE

Radio Free Memphis!

How did one city get four non-commercial stations?

April 8-14, 2021

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f you enjoy any sort of music or news that’s slightly off the beaten path, you may ultimately have a bit of Scotch tape to thank for its availability on the radio. Back in 1967, when President Lyndon Johnson was about to sign the Public Broadcasting Act into law, the language was being debated up to the last minute, including the use of the word “radio.” In Listener Supported: The Culture and History of Public Radio, author Jack Mitchell describes how the words “and radio” had been removed from the document only days before heading to Johnson’s desk. At the last minute, the bill’s author used tape to add the two words back in, thus laying the foundation for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, including National Public Radio and its nearly 50-year legacy of local affiliates.

Not long after that, in the mid-1970s, there was an explosion of independent, listener-supported community stations.

And since then, public (NPR-affiliated) and community (volunteer) radio stations have offered the best alternatives to commercial music and news radio. For all the touting of “choices” offered by market-driven institutions, commercial broadcasting can take on a dispiriting sameness. As brilliant as pop culture may be at times, let’s face it: A city’s creative life depends on art that rises above the demographic- and market-driven ethos of commercial media.

Memphis might have been very different if nonprofit radio had not taken root here.

But take root it did, and now the city boasts four non-commercial stations that are driven and supported by their listeners.

April is an especially auspicious time to honor that legacy, it being the month when two of our most venerable stations were founded. Here’s a look at the state of noncommercial Memphis radio today.

WKNO (91.1 FM): The Mother of Mid-South Public Radio “In April of next year, the station’s going to be 50 years old,” says Darel Snodgrass, director of radio at WKNO-FM. “We went on in April of ’72, which was only like three 10 months after NPR was formed. The only program they had was All Things Consid-

ered, so all the rest of the time was filled with classical music.”

As Snodgrass points out, that twin commitment to both news and music has defined WKNO ever since. “There are not many stations that do what we do anymore, that have programming that mixes news and classical music. Most stations have added HD channels and split it, with all news on one and all classical on the other. There are only about five or six stations in the country that do what we do, and mix them. It makes us kind of unique.”

Though one might imagine that a kind of homogeneity pervades NPR stations across the country, there’s actually a lot of diversity among them. For one, stations differ radically in the degree to which they weave local news into the content of national programs. Snodgrass is justifiably proud of WKNO’s commitment to Mid-South news.

“Doing local news is hard. It’s a lot of work, and we’ve got people now who do wonderful

We can use that freedom to respond to things. If it’s a gloomy, rainy day, we can play something uplifting.We can react to things both locally and nationally, which a lot of people just don’t get to do. It’s kind of amazing, honestly.”

Kacky Walton, the station’s music coordinator and other music host, agrees.

“You can respond to events,” she says.

“The best example was after September 11, 2001. We just had news for I don’t know how many days. But when we finally went back to music, there was still that feeling of sadness, and you had to be really mindful of playing something with the appropriate mood to it. It was difficult, but at the same time, I discovered a lot of music that I hadn’t really played before.”

This was especially true as the lockdown conditions of the pandemic set in last year.

Radio took on a new importance in people’s lives. “In hard times, radio gives you a sense of community,” Snodgrass says. “We heard a lot from folks who were listening to a lot of classical music. They may have previously been going to their jobs every day. Now they’re at home, listening to classical music, because it’s a haven, it’s a refuge. It provides a sense of security and continuity. These are pieces that have been around, in some cases, for hundreds of years. And they’re still there.”

COURTESY OF DAREL SNODGRASS

Darel Snodgrass and Kacky Walton show off their NPR temporary tattoos. work. That’s one of the things I’ve been so pleased with over the last 10 years: the growth in our local news reporting.”

But it’s no surprise that the onetime music major and current music host is even more proud of the station’s commitment to his preferred art. As he explains, it is not just music in the abstract, but music as curated by devoted DJs in real time.

“This [NPR] station is unique in that we individually program our own shows.

We pick our own music. This just doesn’t happen anymore. Even other classical music stations have a program director who’s telling them what to play. And of course commercial stations are all heavily programmed, mostly from New York and Los Angeles. So Kacky [Walton] and I consider ourselves to be extremely lucky.

WEVL (89.9 FM): The Pioneer Spirit WKNO was one of the first affiliates to join the NPR family, benefiting from the largess of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, but not long after its launch, there arose an alternative take on nonprofit radio in the heart of Midtown. In fact, for many years, it was only in Midtown, because the station’s 10-watt broadcast couldn’t reach any farther.

“I think I came to the station in 1978, two years after it went on the air,” recalls Judy Dorsey, the longtime station manager for WEVL. “I was strictly a volunteer. I was just interested in it. I’d read about it in the paper and couldn’t believe we had something like this in Memphis. Granted, it was only 10 watts. You could only hear it in certain areas of Midtown. But just the fact that it was there and people were doing this was very exciting to me. And when I first went down to the house where it was located, I knew,

PHOTO BY ANTWOINE MCCLELLAN | AJM IMAGES

Bryson Whitney ‘Here’s my people. I found ’em.’”

That esprit de corps fueled much of the counterculture, of course, including the little station that could. “There were a lot of what you might call hippies and assorted musicians. They were drawn to it almost immediately. And curious people like me, people who liked oddball music that wasn’t being heard.” As with the hippies that started the Memphis Country Blues Festival, there was an inclusiveness to the WEVL volunteers’ ethos that lent itself to diversity.

“I remember the first time I heard a live performance on the air,” Dorsey recalls.

“I think it was [local blues legends] the Fieldstones. They played live on there several times, because we had connections with them. And they had what they called a Blues-a-thon. And I remember opening the door and there was Rufus Thomas up at the top of the stairs, doing the Funky Chicken!

“That was the first night that Dee ‘Cap’n Pete’ Henderson ever came to the station.

He lived way over in Box Town, and had gone to Radio Shack and bought a big ol’ antenna, and stuck it up on his roof, just so he could hear the Blues-a-thon, because he’d read about it in The Commercial Appeal.

Then he called the DJ on the air and the guy told him, ‘Come on down here! You know more about this stuff than I do!’ So he came down.” That encounter led to the late Cap’n Pete becoming one of the station’s

PHOTO BY KAREN PULFER FOCHT

Judy Dorsey preeminent blues DJs, whose shows are still rebroadcast to this day.

Homemade antennas and chance encounters capture the spirit of WEVL well, which has become a local institution on the strength of its do-it-yourself attitude.

It persisted even as the station outgrew its original wattage in 1986. “Our first transmitter building, when we went back on the air in ’86, was all built with donated materials and volunteer labor. I don’t think we paid for anything out there,” says Dorsey.

The same personal commitment, and reliance on local pledges, has helped WEVL weather the cycles of funding and attrition.

The Carter years were a good time to begin.

“You had a lot of little 10-watt stations starting up at the same time as WEVL. A lot of them were born in that part of the 1970s.

We’re charter members of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters — we were some of the first people to join it. Our first station manager and program director were getting paid through grant

WYPL (89.3): Serving the Underserved, Dishing Out Memphis Magic Though WEVL’s original 10 watts may have been rather weak, a station now using one of the region’s most powerful transmitters had even more humble beginnings. “We are now a 100,000-watt station, covering a 75-mile radius from the tower in West Memphis. That tower was actually donated to the library in 1997, and its power and size is a bit of overkill, but that’s the situation we’re in.” So reflects Tommy Warren, broadcast manager for WYPL, the station based in the basement of the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library.

Yet the station still retains its original mission of offering the vision-impaired and others readings of current newspapers, magazines, and books — one of only two such stations in the country. “It started out in 1978 as a ham radio kind of situation,” says Warren. “I am only the second radio manager here since then. Before me, there was a manager who was himself visionimpaired. He organized volunteers, and they’d sit in a little booth and read, and you had to have a ham radio at home to pick it up. It operated like that for about 15 years.”

When Warren came on board, he added an element to the readings by tapping into the huge digital archive of Memphis music in the library system. That has seen its audience increase dramatically, especially overseas, where the station can be heard online.

“We started doing all the music shows five or six years ago. Now we’re bringing in DJs like Randy Haspel and Lahna Deering and Barbara Blue. People who actually play Memphis music also come in here and produce shows.”

The new emphasis on music has made WYPL a real player on the community radio scene, although they, unlike the other stations mentioned here, do not depend on public donations. “Because we’re paid for by the city of Memphis, we feel there’s an obligation that we have to live up to.

Especially through COVID. When there are emergencies, people turn to over-the-air radio for their first source of information.”

WYXR (91.7 FM): The New Kids on the Block Yet another player in the nonprofit world of the airwaves arrived right in the middle of the pandemic lockdown last year, but the timing does not appear to have slowed its roll. Its frequency was already familiar to Memphians, having been where the University of Memphis’ station, WUMR, had lived on the dial for decades. But sometime in 2019, the U of M decided the jazz-only format and station management needed a change of course.

Robby Grant, executive director of WYXR, describes the process as an evolution of goals. “The University of Memphis knew they wanted to do something different with the radio station. They had an existing continued on page 12 COURTESY OF TOMMY WARREN

Marcella’s Memphis Soul Stew hostess Marcella Simien

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

money from the federal government, and when the grant money ran out, that’s when they left. There were all kinds of different grants in those days. When all that stopped, that was a bad time. It was Reagan, he ruined everything. That was sort of a dark era, because we didn’t have any money to pay anybody. There was a period where it was strictly volunteers. It was a bit chaotic.”

But sometimes you can make chaos work for you, as WEVL’s longevity bears out.

Today, they carry on much as before, still using the homemade record shelves made years ago, the epitome of listener-supported radio, with last year’s mid-pandemic pledge drive being one of the station’s most successful ever.

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continued from page 11 relationship with the Daily Memphian, and reached out to them, but the folks at the Daily Memphian said, ‘We don’t want to run an entire radio station.’ So they approached the Crosstown Concourse. The U of M wanted to get more connected with the community, so this was another way for them to reach outside of their campus. It made sense for it to be a partnership.”

For Grant, who has a background in software and web development, a crucial element was also making the most of digital technology to archive every show put on the air, which community stations in other cities have implemented. But once that infrastructure was in place, the shows themselves had to be created. (Including Flyer Radio, a show produced by Flyer staff featuring news, interviews, and Memphis music, and airing every Friday at noon.)

“They brought me in,” he says, “and I brought in Jay B [program director Jared Boyd] soon thereafter to really shape the programming. I had some ideas. I knew free-form radio allows a lot of flexibility for the community to be involved. I wanted some talk programming. I felt like that was missing. There’s some talk programming on a national level, but I thought there was a way to elevate more of the community talk.

The Daily Memphian has their news part of it. So I was working on the nuts and bolts, bringing that together, getting agreements in place. When Jay B came on, we hit the ground running with the programming.

We built on our networks, along with the applications process, to find DJs.” By the time of their debut broadcast on October 5th of last year, they had 70 volunteer DJs, arguably with a greater programming diversity than any other station in the country. But it felt a bit like a minefield. As Boyd explains, “Frankly, moving from WUMR’s jazz-lover focus to a new format, a free-form radio station,

PHOTO BY JAMIE HARMON

Jared “Jay B” Boyd, Shelby McCall, and Robby Grant was going to be a hard change for a lot of people, no matter what our content was.

We were taking something away from the community that was extremely needed, in some people’s eyes. And that can be rough.”

Nonetheless, Boyd was determined to raise the stakes of the diverse programming.

“People may not expect to hear community radio in Memphis, in the South, that has a space for hip-hop, house music, or punk. But the reality of Memphis is that those people are as much if not more representative of our community than the genres most people think of when they consider community radio. So how and why could we be representative of the community if we’re not representative of those people?

“And there are still places where we haven’t been able to find the right person, who understands what we do, and can present to their segment of the community.

Like the Latinx community. But also the Vietnamese community and the Chinese and Japanese and Ethiopian and Somalian and Kenyan communities. There’s tons of cultures who pair their origins with the identity of being American and being a Memphian. But there are only 24 hours in a day, so we have to be creative about how to bring everybody on.”

Though there are more ambitious plans ahead, Boyd feels that the mix WYXR has settled on passes one key test, perhaps the toughest test of all: “The feedback we’ve been getting is that people don’t know how to explain what we do, except that it just feels and sounds like Memphis,” he says. “I wanted to lead with that.”

Editor’s Note: This month, WKNO, WEVL, and WYXR all have their seasonal pledge drives. We urge you to tune in and give generously.

COMMUTE BY CARPOOL OR VANPOOL FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.SHELBYTNHEALTH.COM

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

MASK UP TO BE SAFE.

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steppin’ out (& stayin’ in)

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

Sibling Act

COURTESY OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CONSULTING

By Julie Ray

“Blue” photograph by Sanford Gore

Sibling rivalry takes a back seat as brother and sister, Kat and Sanford Gore, work together to present a pop-up art show at the Medicine Factory in Downtown’s South Main Arts District.

Though the Gores share a familial familiarity, they have two distinctive styles.

Kat is a well-known painter. A graduate of Memphis College of Art, her work has been a favorite of interior designers, has shown in commercial galleries, and graced a Memphis in May poster. Kat’s style is markedly her own, whether a particular piece is whimsical or pensive. She uses muted color and imagery that may be bold or subtle, coupled with the occasional bit of mixed media. Her fans are always left to wonder what is coming with the next body of work.

Sanford is a bit more enigmatic, lower profile, exploring and creating quietly. Using a near-ancient wet glass technique and a modern camera, his photographic images are haunting or exuberant or both.

Show curator and producer Ken Hall, of Civic Engagement Consulting, says he is thrilled to be working with Kat again after coming out of isolation and months of quarantine.

“We worked on a show together about three years ago, which was a great success,” Hall says. “Her new body of work is really dynamic and exciting. Additionally, the pairing of siblings’ artworks in this show offers a dimension of depth, illustrating individual talents, which are synergistic in the gallery space. After limited social interaction, we will find that many artists have taken advantage of this time to create with more introspection and inspiration than ever.”

ARTIST RECEPTION FOR “GORE + GORE,” MEDICINE FACTORY, 85 W. VIRGINIA, SATURDAY, APR. 10, 10 A.M.-NOON, FREE.

April 8-14, 2021

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES April 8th - 14th

DO GOOD. BETTER.

901.726.5725 momentumnonprofit.org 14

We help Mid-South nonprofits succeed.

Resident Artist Talks Online from Crosstown Concourse, crosstownarts.org, Thursday, Apr. 9, 6 p.m., free Crosstown Arts resident artists Sepideh Dashti, Joann Self Selvidge, and Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo will present artist talks in a virtual event via Zoom.

30 Days of Opera: Drive-Thru Aria Opera Memphis, 6745 Wolf River, Sunday, Apr. 11, 2-4 p.m., free Enjoy a virtual festival of opera this year with safe, socially distanced events, including a performance this Sunday and an additional drivethrough performance on Saturday, Apr. 24.

Time Warp Drive-In presents Alfred Hitchcock: Master of the Thriller Malco Summer 4 Drive-In, 5310 Summer, Saturday, Apr. 10, 7:30 p.m., $10 Celebrate some of Hitchcock’s most famous thrillers under the stars, in your car. Featured films include Psycho, Vertigo, and Dial M for Murder.

Music on the Square: “Caged” Overton Square, 2001 Madison, Sunday, Apr. 11, 3 p.m., free with registration Artist fellows will perform a live outdoor performance featuring a live premiere of “Caged.” Composer Brian Nabors will attend and give an exclusive introduction of his work.

Reader Meet Writer: Stacy D. Flood Online from Novel, novelmemphis.com, Tuesday, Apr. 13, 6 p.m., free with registration Seattle-area playwright and author talks about his debut work of prose, a stark and poignant Southern Gothic novella, The Salt Fields, via Zoom.

Mississippi Speed Record Online from Mississippi River Network, 1mississippi.org, Wednesday, Apr. 14, 5 p.m., free with registration A four-person team will attempt to break the Guinness World Record canoeing the entire 2,300 miles of the Mississippi River (eight days, four hours, and 51 minutes). Learn about the river, record, logistics, and preparation via Zoom.

MUSIC By Michael Donahue

Why Stop Now? Veteran Memphis hip-hop artist M.C. Mack on life, music — and video games.

Okay, gamers, here’s a fact you might not know: One of the songs on Grand Theft Auto V is by veteran Memphis rapper M.C. Mack. “In 2017, I got a call from a guy who was interested in taking my song, ‘EZ Come, EZ Go,’” Mack says. “He originally wanted to do a loop — a mixed tape with some of my older songs. ‘EZ Come, EZ Go’ was a previous release from a Chapters of tha Mack for Life album that came out in 2001. And next thing you know, this song was on Grand Theft Auto for PlayStation 4 and Xbox.”

The game, which has sold more than 140 million copies, is the second highest-selling video game of all time.

It’s on Frank Ocean’s radio station on the game, Mack says. “Each time someone plays the video game or it’s on the radio station, it counts as a stream. So my Spotify numbers are up to three million. I still receive my royalties for each stream it’s on because I own the song outright.”

And, he says, “The younger generation thinks it’s a brandnew song, but it was recorded in 1995 and released on my CD in 2001.

“Back in the day, if you played video games, you didn’t hear rap music. It’s really cool how hip-hop has really grown with the video games.”

When he heard about his song being on the game, Mack

was working on his new album, Pure Ana Vol. 6: The Grand Finale, which featured his hit single, “Sumptin’ Down.’’ “It was my first song that I got full rotation on here in Memphis,” he says.

That two-disc album features “everybody from Skinny Pimp to Frayser Boy, Gangsta Boo, Lil Chad, Al Kapone, and Gangsta Pat,” says Mack, who describes it as his “best album yet.”

“Sumptin’ Down,” which was getting radio play in Memphis two summers ago, was recently picked up by Chicago radio stations, Mack says. “The album still has some juice in it, even though it was released almost two years ago.”

One of his songs (“It’s Whatever Down South,” from Mack’s Kamakaze Timez Up album) was featured on the Starz network’s P-Valley series. Former Memphian and noted playwright Katori Hall is one of the producers of the show.

As a native Memphian, Mack says he couldn’t help but be musical. “It’s always been in my family. It came up from my uncle playing trumpet for Al Green, from my dad, my aunties being in the church choir, and me being a percussionist in the church, playing drum machine. It’s in the blood.”

Mack, who began writing raps in the 6th grade, and

his group, BGP (Black Gangsta Posse/ Mack Side), participated in talent shows in high school. At Raleigh Egypt High, where he attended, he was voted “Most Talented.”

After high school, Mack linked up with rapper Juicy J and began performing at clubs. He sold his own cassette tapes and says “Letz Make a Stain” was his first song that “really got out here in the Memphis scene.”

Mack later signed with Profit Entertainment and was featured on albums by Gangsta Boo and Project Pat before bringing out Kamakaze Timez Up and starting his own label, Kami Kaze Inc. Since 2000, he’s been releasing his “Pure Ana” series of albums, which feature Memphis hip-hop artists.

The albums opened up other doors, including an online merchandise shop — M.C. Mack Store — where he sells hoodies, jerseys, hats, beanies, and posters.

Mack says he’s about to bring out a duo album with one of his artists, Kano. Other artists in his camp include Mac-Yo and Lia Monroe.

Mack says he’s constantly working. “I always feel the more work you put out, you’re going to see a reward. God blesses us if we’re really diligent and believe in what we’re doing.

Music has always been my passion. I’m going to do this till I’m gone. There are no limits to what you can do. You just go hard at it. I keep my ears to the street. This is what I do. Why stop now?”

The Jazz Masters Series By Lisa NobumotoTM

JOE HOTT

APRIL 17 – 7:30P.M. Joe Hott plays a blend of retrobluegrass, traditional country, gospel & Appalachian music. His 6-foot frame makes you think Hank Williams, Sr. Joe is a treasure on today’s music scene!

Paintings by Dolores Justus paired with Wood turned vessels by Gene Sparling Through April 17th

ENJOY A SOCIALLY DISTANCED LIVE PERFORMANCE

• As approved by Shelby County Health, well-being of all is our priority.

• Temp check on entrance.

• Staff & patrons must wear masks.

• BPACC electrostatically cleaned before every show.

• Limited capacity with socially distanced seating.

TICKETS @ BPACC.ORG

Box Office 901.385.5588 / Hours 10A.M to 2P.M.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Trombonist, arranger Garnett Brown was born in Memphis Tennessee January 31, 1936. His mother Delia, born in Kentucky, his father in Mississippi who worked as a railroad switchman. Garnett attended Hamilton High with pianists Harold Mabern Jr. and Booker Little who attended Manassas, hanging out with Frank Strozier and George Coleman. Majoring in music education at Arkansas Agricultural Mechanical and Normal leaving Memphis in 1957, he went on to play with music greats Billy Higgins, Teddy Edwards, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis, Walter Benton, Chick Corea, Larry Gales, Joe Farrell. Also, The Richard Pryor Show, Roots, Gilligan’s Island, A Soldier’s Story, and Sammy Davis Jr’s. Show.

He received BMI’s Jazz Pioneer Award, the American Music Recognition Award, and many more.

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

Jazz Trombonist Garnett Brown

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CALENDAR of EVENTS:

April 8 - 14

T H EAT E R

A R TI S T R EC E PT I O N S

DeSoto Family Theatre

Medicine Factory

Legally Blonde the Musical, Jr., follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes, snobbery, and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. landerscenter.com. $15. Thurs., April 8, 7 p.m., Fri., April 9, 7 p.m., Sat., April 10, 2 & 7 p.m., and Sun., April 11, 2 p.m.

5205 AIRWAYS (662-280-6546).

Germantown Community Theatre

Pride and Prejudice, bold, surprising, boisterous, and timely for a new era. Explores the absurdities and thrills of finding your perfect (or imperfect) match in life. $70 flex pack/ 4 tickets. Through April 11.

3037 FOREST HILL-IRENE (453-7447).

Hattiloo Theatre

The Women of Color Monologues, featuring monologues written and performed by Ruby Bright, Judy Maina, Beverly Sakauye, Maritza Davila, Mahal Burr, and Yancy Villa-Calvo. hattiloo.org. Ongoing.

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. of a Revolution,” by Impressionism painters. Through May 9.

“Signs and Wonders,” by Brittney Boyd Bullock. April 11-June 20.

Artist reception for “Gore + Gore,” exhibition of paintings and photography by sister and brother, Kat and Sanford Gore.

Fri., April 9, 5:30-7:30 p.m., and Sat., April 10, 10 a.m.-noon.

4339 PARK (761-5250).

L Ross Gallery

“Natural Ground,” exhibition of landscape paintings by Dolores Justus and wood-turned vessels

by Gene Sparling. Through April 17.

85 W. VIRGINIA (581-5815).

Memphis Botanic Garden

Artist reception for Bartlett Member Showcase, exhibition featuring work in oils, acrylics, pours, alcohol ink, photography, digital, and more

by Association members of all skill levels and experience. Sun., April 11, 2-4 p.m.

750 CHERRY (636-4100).

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

MSA Songwriter Showdown

Who will be crowned as the 2021 Songwriter of the year? $10. Thurs., April 8, 7 p.m.

THE HALLORAN CENTRE, 225 S. MAIN (525-3000).

37 S. COOPER (502-3486).

5040 SANDERLIN (767-2200).

Medicine Factory

Brian Nabors’ “Caged” performed by Iris Orchestra at Overton Square, Sunday, April 11th, at 3 p.m.

Resident Artist Talks

Artists include Sepideh Dashti, Joann Self Selvidge, and Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo, via Zoom.

Thurs., April 8, 6 p.m.

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE, CROSSTOWNMEMPHIS.COM.

ONGOI NG ART

2021 Projects

“Assessments,” exhibition of work by Maritza Davila and Carl E. Moore. Through April 9.

55 S. MAIN.

Binder Projects

“A Flowering,” exhibition of work from artists who are working through the lens of nature. binderprojects.com.

Through April 30.

“Bright Lites,” exhibition by Jim

Buchman, Roger Allan Cleaves, Nancy Cheairs, Phil Donohue, Taylor Loftin, Whitney Lorenze, and others. Through April 30.

74 FLICKER (634-1698).

David Lusk Gallery

“Wonderstruck,” exhibition of new paintings by Beth Edwards.

Through May 1.

97 TILLMAN (767-3800).

The Dixon Gallery & Gardens

“America’s Impressionism: Echoes

“Gore + Gore,” exhibition of paintings and photography by sister and brother, Kat and Sanford Gore. April 9-17.

85 W. VIRGINIA (581-5815).

Memphis Botanic Garden

Bartlett Member Showcase, exhibition featuring works by Association members. Through April 30.

750 CHERRY (636-4100).

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art “Arts of Global Africa,” exhibition of historic and contemporary works. Through June 21.

1934 POPLAR (544-6209).

Join The Nation

APR

01

JUN

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April 8-14, 2021

24

MAY

LICHTERMAN WWW.MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG

16

Starts April 16th at Lichterman Nature Center

CALENDAR: APRIL 8 - 14

374 METAL MUSEUM DR. (774-6380).

Mid-South Artist Gallery “4Sights,” exhibition of American and European artists, plus award-winning artists presenting their debut creations of 2021. Through April 30.

2945 SHELBY (409-8705).

OPERA

30 Days of Opera

Participate in the virtual version of this annual festival.

Participate in virtual events, drive thru arias, and more.

Free. Through April 30.

OPERA MEMPHIS, 6745 WOLF RIVER (257-3100), OPERAMEMPHIS.ORG.

DAN C E

Guess Who I Saw Today?: A Tribute to Nancy Wilson

The music of jazz singer Nancy Wilson, portrayed by Lisa Nobumoto. $25. Fri., April 9, 7:30 p.m.

BUCKMAN ARTS CENTER AT ST. MARY’S SCHOOL, 60 N. PERKINS EXT. (537-1483).

C O M E DY

Chuckles Comedy Club

Desi Banks, $30-$50. Fri.-Sat., Apr. 9-10, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Next Top Comic, $10-$25.

Wed., April 14, 7:30 p.m.

1700 DEXTER.

P O ET RY/ S PO K E N WO R D

Germantown Performing Arts Center

Winning poetry entries will be imprinted on sidewalks throughout the city. gpacweb.com. Free with registration. Sun., April 11, 2-4 p.m.

1801 EXETER (751-7500).

L E CT U R E / S P EAK E R

Author Talk and Q&A with Beth Kalb Bess Kalb will dis-

“Assessments”

by Maritza Davila and Carl E. Moore at 2021 Projects, through April 9th

cuss and read Nobody Will Tell You This But Me via Zoom.

Free with registration. Tues., April 13, 7 p.m.

JCCMEMPHIS.ORG.

Author Talk and Q&A with Kenneth Sterns

Author discusses The Conflict Over the Conflict. Free with registration. Sun., April 11, noon.

JCCMEMPHIS.ORG.

Michael Novarese: Fashioning American Glamour from Memphis to Los Angeles Presentations on topic by Julie Pierotti and Martha R. Robinson. Free. Wed., April 14, noon.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS, 4339 PARK (761-5250).

Reader Meet Writer: Clay McLeod Chapman

Author discusses Whisper Down the Lane: A Novel via Zoom. Free with registration.

Thurs., April 8, 6 p.m.

TO U R S

Bicycle Tour of Elmwood Cemetery

Bike through the past during a fun-filled history tour taken from your bicycle. $10. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Through May 29.

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

E X PO S/ SA L E S

Graceland and The Guest House at Graceland Hiring Event Graceland is looking for candidates to fill dozens of full- and part-time jobs. Tues., April 13, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

GRACELAND, 3717 ELVIS PRESLEY (332-3322), GRACELAND.COM.

S PO R TS / F IT N E S S

Glide Rides

Free. Saturdays, 10:30 a.m.

Through April 24.

NOVEL, 387 PERKINS EXT. (9225526), NOVELMEMPHIS.COM.

SOUTH MEMPHIS FARMERS MARKET, CORNER OF MISSISSIPPI BOULEVARD AND S. PARKWAY EAST, THEWORKSCDC.ORG.

Reader Meet Writer: Stacy D. Flood

Memphis Grizzlies vs.

Chicago Bulls

Author discusses The Salt Fields via Zoom. Free with registration.

Tues., April 13, 6 p.m.

NOVEL, 387 PERKINS EXT. (9225526), NOVELMEMPHIS.COM.

Talk at Two: Q&A with Ross King

Bestselling author of Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies will talk about the Impressionist painters’ work. Sun., April 11, 2 p.m.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS, 4339 PARK (761-5250), DIXON.ORG.

Mon., April 12, 8 p.m.

FEDEXFORUM, 191 BEALE.

Memphis Grizzlies vs.

Dallas Mavericks Wed., April 14, 8:30 p.m.

FEDEXFORUM, 191 BEALE.

Memphis Grizzlies vs.

Indiana Pacers

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Sun., April 11, 7 p.m.

FEDEXFORUM, 191 BEALE.

M E ETI NGS

As We Are

A social support group for trans/gnc people of color over the age of 18. Second Thursday of every month, 6 p.m.

OUTMEMPHIS: THE LGBTQ CENTER OF THE MID-SOUTH, 892 S. COOPER (278-6422), OUTMEMPHIS.ORG.

Transform your life

and our city.

S P E C IA L E V E N TS .

Family Night: Aladdin with Josh Threlkeld

Includes live music, drinks on the First Horizon Foundation Plaza, and movie.

Fri., April 9, 6-8:30 p.m.

GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, 1801 EXETER (7517500), GPACWEB.COM.

Music on the Square: “Caged”

Artist fellows will perform a live premiere of “Caged.” Composer Brian Nabors will give an exclusive introduction of his work. Free with registration.

Sun., April 11, 3 p.m.

OVERTON SQUARE, 2101 MADISON.

Volunteer. Find year-round opportunities to serve. Learn more about poverty, hunger, and homelessness in our community.

Give. See how you can help support highimpact programs.

Visit community.mifa.org

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

“Measured Making: The 150mm Challenge,” exhibition of a selection of 150 metal objects.

Through July 3.

“Tributaries: Andrew Meers,” exhibition that recognizes emerging and mid-career artists in the metals field. April 10July 17.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Metal Museum

17

FOOD By Michael Donahue

Bigger is Better Stan’s Big Biscuit is on a roll.

OPEN NEW HOURS: Monday-Saturday 11AM to 8PM, Sunday 1PM to 7PM GREAT GIFTS FOR THE GIVER AND THE GIFTED 410 North Cleveland, Memphis, TN 38104 901-728-9004 • info@oothoons.com • www.oothoons.com

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April 8-14, 2021

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S

tan’s Big Biscuit food truck started as a little idea. “It just fell in my lap, really,” says owner Stan Cothren.

It began when he and a friend were at a pub in Yachats, Oregon. “This lady heard me talking and asked where I was from,” says Cothren, 58. “She couldn’t figure out my accent. I said, ‘Well, I’m from Memphis.’ She goes, ‘Okay. So, you do barbecue down there.’”

That took Cothren by surprise. “Usually, everybody asks me about Elvis, and you get tired of that.” Then, the woman says, “Have you ever thought about doing biscuits instead of just barbecue?” She said she was a “trained biscuit judge” for biscuit competitions they did in the area.

Cothren thought about doing a food truck specializing in breakfast. “There was nobody except gas stations that really had a quick in-and-out breakfast [aside from] normal drive-throughs. So I said, ‘I’ll try it.

If it doesn’t work, so what?’”

He bought a secondhand food truck and ordered equipment. The woman at the pub had given him a biscuit recipe. “A friend of mine worked for me, and we started working it back and forth. Next thing you know, we had a real versatile biscuit you could do multiple things with.”

Cothren’s biscuits are “Northern-type biscuits. Not a Southern biscuit, not a ‘cathead biscuit.’ It’s not what you’d find at a drive-through or at any restaurant. It’s a much breadier biscuit. Nothing fancy in it, just self-rising flour. We have to let it rise a couple of times.”

He describes the taste as “sweet, salty.” A “Southern-type biscuit” is “just regular, round, crumbly, doughy, hardshell biscuits.”

Stan’s Big Biscuit originally opened in the Memphis Food Truck Park. “Food truck people are more than willing to help you out and give you little hints and tell you things,” he says. His girlfriend, Dina Capizzi, began posting on social media about the truck.

The four-inch square biscuits served resemble “a big hamburger.” Customers order whatever they want inside: “Sausage, egg, and cheese; bacon, egg, and cheese; smoked bologna and cheese.” There’s also an openfaced chicken biscuit with gravy.

For their cinnamon biscuit bites, the biscuits are cut “like little bread slices” and covered with icing. “They’re made fresh

while you wait,” Cothren says.

A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Cothren didn’t grow up cooking, but he loved to eat. “I grew up on a farm, so if you put it in front of me, I pretty much ate it.”

Cothren, who worked at an Italian restaurant/college bar after high school and at a barbecue restaurant while attending Arkansas Institute of Technology, liked the idea of owning a restaurant, but, he says, “I was a computer person getting a computer degree.”

Cothren opened a CD Warehouse in Denton, Texas, and was approached by an investor who wanted him to open a store in another city. “My dad was like, ‘Go to Memphis. It’s a pretty good, steady city.’

I thought, ‘I’d probably do well there as anywhere. And it’s not too far away from family.’ I went to Memphis. I love it, obviously. I’ve been here 28 years.”

PHOTO BY JEFF HOWELL

Stan Cothren Cothren, who closed his business — which he’d renamed Replays and had converted to a used CD/video game store — now works the truck around town from 8 to 11 a.m. every day except Sundays and Mondays. Eventually, he’d like to open for dinner. “We’re just trying to figure out nighttime comfort food using a biscuit.”

Cothren thought about opening a brickand-mortar, but, he says, “People are nicer to you on a food trailer than in a restaurant. We’re working on a trailer, making food right in front of you. They see you in the window.”

And, he says, “You’re not stuck in the same place. You still have to make a living, but it’s different. If you burn a batch of biscuits, you just start over.”

Check “Stan’s Big Biscuit” on Facebook to see where the food truck will be each day.

Meet staff and leadership of area camps and learn more about summer enrichment programs for your child at this

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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

fun and safe event!

19

FILM By Chris McCoy

Fight of the Century Godzilla vs. Kong delivers the ultimate kaiju smackdown.

I

April 8-14, 2021

’m not gonna front. Godzilla vs. Kong had me hooked from the opening scene, where King Kong wakes up in the Skull Island jungle and scratches his ass like Steve McQueen in Bullitt.

Maybe the monster movie is an outdated form.

Certainly, kaiju films are an acquired taste — or maybe appreciation of the inherent artistry of giant monsters pummeling each other just requires a closer contact with your inner middle schooler than many are comfortable with. Me? I’m not a sports fan, and never got into wrestling. Kaiju battles scratch that itch for me.

I did see Jerry Lawler wrestle in person once at a Coliseum Coalition event. He was years past his prime, but the grace and power of his movements were still compelling. It helped me understand the appeal of wrestling.

If, as I wrote in my review of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla is the Cary Grant of kaiju, then King Kong is the Jerry Lawler of titans. He is the OG kaiju, making his debut in 1933. The thing you have to understand about Kong is that he’s not the villain of the story. Like Lawler, he has the occasional heel turn, but at heart, he’s a working-class face ape. Kong was just chilling with his family of worshippers on Skull Island, hurting only

the occasional sacrificial victim, when Carl Denham arrives on the scene with a tanker ship full of knockout gas and a Broadway contract. The destruction he laid upon New York City was richly deserved.

Those scenes on Skull Island, where King Kong fought an array of dinosaurs, were the genesis of the kaiju.

Filmed 90 years ago, they still look miraculous today.

But the most remarkable thing about King Kong is the depth of emotion stop motion animator Willis O’Brien was able to wring from a wire frame armature covered in rabbit fur and foam rubber. You always know what Kong is feeling, and what his motivations are. One look in the big guy’s eyes and you know he would never hurt Fay Wray.

Ishiro Honda’s haunting Gojira, made 20 years and a world war later, is Kong’s indirect descendant.

Unlike the entirely artificial Kong, Godzilla was a guy in a rubber suit smashing up model train sets. On a deeper level, Kong symbolizes our fear of our colonial adventures returning for revenge, but Godzilla is our punishment for the arrogance of the atomic bomb. Where Kong was emo, Godzilla was an impassive force of nature, beautiful and terrible.

He’s gonna smash up your city for reasons you can’t

On the left, a giant radioactive lizard creature. On the right, a humongous ape with a strong right hook.

Who’s fit to wear the crown of the King of Monsters? possibly understand, and you can’t do anything about it except hope he gets bored before he makes it to your house. In their first onscreen matchup, 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla, the King of the Monsters gets second billing, but steals the show, thanks to the mask of the Kong costume being less expressive than O’Brien’s stop motion creation.

In Godzilla vs. Kong, the billing is reversed, but this time, Kong steals the show. Director Adam Wingard, a veteran low-budget horror helmer, has studied Honda, O’Brien, and the greatest monster maker of all, Ray Harryhausen, creating a shrine to his creatures big enough to accept all worshippers. In Kong’s case, it’s a literal shrine, located deep within the Hollow Earth, where he keeps his axe collection.

Wingard and his writing team, including Thor: Ragnarok’s Eric Pearson, are conversant in the fringiest pseudoscience, which they put in the mouth of conspiracy obsessed podcaster Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry, charmingly frantic). Stuff like “plot” and

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EMPLOYMENT language. Villain Demian Bichir meets a satisfying comeuppance.

Godzilla vs. Kong’s twin set pieces top just about anything else in the genre since Honda’s swan song, Terror of Mechagodzilla. The first, set in midocean with Kong using a carrier battle group as stepping stones, is startlingly original. The second, set among the neon towers of Hong Kong, throws Mechagodzilla into the mix. As usual, real evil is a human construct. The kaiju are here to put us in our place.

Godzilla vs. Kong is in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.

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“logic” have always been secondary considerations in films where a giant lizard fights a smog monster. Godzilla vs. Kong at least tries to construct a coherent universe where a dinosaur with atomic fire breath takes on an axewielding ape. The humans are at least inoffensive. Wingard unleashes Millie Bobby Brown’s charisma as Madison, daughter of Monarch scientist Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler) turned Godzilla whisperer. Kong’s connection to humanity is through Jia (Kaylee Hottle), a young deaf girl from Skull Island who communicates with her friend via sign

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

FILM By Chris McCoy

21

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T H E L A S T W O R D B y To b y S e l l s

A Year in the Numbers

THE LAST WORD

COVID-19 has flooded reporters with daily data and I’ve been swimming in it for a year.

Nearly every single day, I’ve watched my inbox for an email from either Joan Carr, public information officer for the Shelby County Health Department, or, more recently, Chip Washington, the public information officer of the department’s COVID-19 Response Team. They became daily pen pals, and I looked forward to hearing from them, though they had no idea I did. I am just one of dozens of reporters and officials on a daily email blast.

These emails come at around 10:30 a.m. They come with such a regularity that once I wrote to Daily Memphian reporter Omer Yusuf when one hadn’t come by noon, worried I’d been booted from the list. (I hadn’t.) There have been slight changes in the ways this data has been delivered since March 2020. But I know the rhythm well enough to know that the updated data on demographics and geography (what I call the “data dump”) comes on Thursday and the new weekly average test positivity rate comes on Friday.

Early on, I just published the health department’s stark black-and-white data graphic, a grim report card. It was the rawest presentation of information describing a virus that The daily COVID numbers from Friday, March 26th seemed to have no mercy. But those numbers didn’t show context. A frightfully high new daily case count did not tell you about all the people who had recovered and how many people were actually infected at that moment.

So, eventually, I made an infographic — a dashboard of information. It was colorful but it wasn’t intended to distract from the harsh realities of COVID-19 battering Shelby County on a daily basis. The colors were meant only to contrast data points, giving a clear picture of the situation as it stood each day.

Nearly every day I worked with that infographic and those numbers like a craftsman might work with leather and thread. Once, I got an email from an alt-weekly reporter at Charleston’s City Paper who wanted to build an infographic for her paper. She said mine was “beautiful” — and that’s high praise as far as nerdy newspaper infographics go. But I built ours hoping only to give our readers information at a glance. I hoped that would help them feel more in control in a situation that seemed to threaten to burn out of control at any moment.

And that’s what “doing the numbers” provided me for a year during this pandemic. I get nervous on an airplane because I can’t see out the front windows. Reporting on these numbers every day helped me to better expect the turbulence of this virus. With them, I could better predict when a new health directive would bring further restrictions or a loosening of rules and, maybe, the length of the pandemic.

With the numbers, I could watch government policy turn into physical reality. Business restrictions were so painful to watch that I couldn’t imagine bearing them, though I knew many who did. Mandates on masks changed us all. But I watched as they — and many other changes — would change these numbers and, thus, our COVID-19 situation in Shelby County. The policy nerd in me was fascinated while the citizen in me was annoyed, flummoxed, and sometimes angry.

These were never just numbers to me. They’re people, my people, Memphians and Shelby Countians. A healthcare worker friend told me early on about being with COVID patients as they died, usually alone, in the ICU. It was like burning up from the inside, the person told me.

I’ve thought about that when I’ve reported every single death since March 2020. It weighs on me and brings a dense gravity to a situation that deserves it.

As I write this, 1,570 people in Shelby County have died from COVID-19, a virus and a death risk that did not exist here a year ago.

If that doesn’t sound like a lot of people to you (it’s 1.7 percent of all COVID cases here as of Friday), gather that number of people in your mind and put them on the floor of the FedExForum, put them on the Peabody’s rooftop patio, put them in Minglewood Hall, put them in your backyard. It’s a lot of people — each of them someone’s parent or grandparent or spouse or child.

I’ve used the past tense when referring to “the numbers” here. That’s because, as of this week, we’re going to stop reporting them every weekday, as we have since March 2020, though we’ll still do a weekly wrap-up. This is not because the pandemic is over, far from it. We do it because the data has stabilized for now and readers don’t seem to need that daily dose of control. But rest assured I’ll keep my eye on these numbers every day and if news is there, I’ll be there, too.

Toby Sells is associate editor of the Flyer.

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

Riding the ups and downs of daily COVID-19 data.

23

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Radians Amphitheater

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