Memphis Flyer 5/28/20

FRESH STORIES DAILY AT MEMPHISFLYER.COM COOKING & CROONING P18 • GHOST RIVER’S ZIPPIN PIPPIN P19 • WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS P20

OUR 1631ST ISSUE

05.28.20

FREE

The Music Issue Music in the Time of Corona

CORDOVA I N T E R N A T I O N A L

FARMER’S MARKET

THE BEST PRICES May 28-June 3, 2020

in PRODUCE, MEAT and SEAFOOD in the Mid-South!

2

Open everyday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

1150 N. Germantown Parkway, Cordova, TN 38016 901.417.8407 •

CARRIE O’GUIN Advertising Operations Manager/ Distribution Manager JERRY D. SWIFT Advertising Director Emeritus KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE Senior Account Executives MICHELLE MUSOLF Account Executive JASMINE GARNER Advertising Coordinator DESHAUNE MCGHEE Classified Advertising Manager ROBBIE FRENCH Warehouse and Delivery Manager JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 memphisflyer.com CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC. ANNA TRAVERSE FOGLE Chief Executive Officer ASHLEY HAEGER Controller JEFFREY GOLDBERG Chief Revenue Officer BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Editorial Director KRISTIN PAWLOWSKI Digital Services Director MOLLY WILLMOTT Special Events Director TABITHA WADKINS Events Coordinator LYNN SPARAGOWSKI Circulation and Accounting Manager KALENA MATTHEWS Marketing Coordinator

National Newspaper Association

Association of Alternative Newsmedia

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

CARRIE BEASLEY Senior Art Director CHRISTOPHER MYERS Advertising Art Director BRYAN ROLLINS Graphic Designer

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

OUR 1631ST ISSUE 05.28.20 The little girl stands shyly in front of her beaming parents. She is holding a sign that reads, “Take Off Your Mask Because God’s Got You Covered!” The picture was all over social media last weekend, as were videos of protesters hanging the governor of Kentucky in effigy, a television reporter getting hassled and manhandled in Minnesota as he covered a protest by those wanting a local bar to be opened, and a massive, bumping pool party at the Lake of the Ozarks, apparently featuring a guest appearance by hip-hop artists Sodom and Gomorrah.

It was all just more media fodder, more bullets being fired in the viral culture war over COVID-19 between the two major American tribes: the Whoa-Nows and the Phugits.

The Whoa-Nows, as we know, are a cautious people.

They favor the wearing of masks and social distancing.

They generally avoid large gatherings and believe in taking a slow, measured approach to reopening the American economy, based on medical data, scientific research, and the experiences of other countries around the globe. Do not attempt to get closer than six feet to a Whoa-Now. Their ancestral rivals, the Phugits, say the crisis is overblown, the death rate is miniscule and only affects the weak, and it’s time to stop living in fear. The Phugits are over it.

They believe the COVID scare is a hoax designed to destroy America and that masks are for wussies (read, Whoa-Nows).

They say open the bars, open the malls. Time to party! God’s got us covered, y’all!

Last weekend, as the Whoa-Nows mostly hunkered in their home encampments, venturing out in masks only to buy food (and maybe booze), members of the Phugit tribe took the occasion of Memorial Day to celebrate the country’s glorious victory over COVID, gathering in massive tribal groups at lakes, beaches, bars, and clubs. There was drinking and dancing — and hooting and hugging and humping. Victory was sweet!

The nominal leader of the Phugits, Chief Tweetzalot, took the occasion to play golf, accuse TV host Joe Scarborough of murder, make fun of Joe Biden for wearing a mask, and bully the governor of North Carolina. And it was good. Huzzah!

Considering the 14-day incubation period for COVID-19, we should have a pretty definitive idea of which tribe’s version of reality is closer to the truth in a couple of weeks. Will it just go away, as the Phugits are saying? Are we really out of the woods? Or are we going to have to shut things down again and start all over because of a new surge of infections? We’ll see. Until then, I’m avoiding members of the Phugit tribe like, well, the plague.

Which means, like most of my Whoa-Now brothers and sisters, I’ve been spending a lot of quiet time doing quiet things. For starters, our garden is weedless. Really weedless. And I’ve got guitar calluses on my fingertips again for the first time in years. The old Gibson even got new strings last week. My finger-picking has picked up nicely. In other art news, I’m creating a lovely collection of red wax sculptures from Babybel cheese packaging.

All my clothes are really clean. And quite dry. And folded. My yard is mowed — and edged. I’ve never edged my yard before. Very satisfying. Last weekend, we power-washed the driveway. Also very satisfying. Looking forward to taking on the front walk soon. It’s good to have dreams.

In the evenings, my wife and I are exploring the deep end of the streaming programs pool, including watching six 10-episode seasons of Bosch in about two weeks. And The Great is really great. Huzzah! Also, we’re discovering, lots of programs are not great. At all. Sometimes we watch them all the way through, just to make sure.

I’ve also been spending way too much time coming up with answers to this game: Ruin a Band’s Name by Changing One Letter. My best ones so far include Alice in Chairs, The Belch Boys, Guns R’ Roses, Prance, Stye, Iggy Poo, and Green Dad. Your mileage may vary.

And I keep returning to that photo of the little girl whose parents have convinced her that God will protect her no N E WS & O P I N I O N matter what, even if she ignores medical THE FLY-BY - 4 advice. Do they let her wear a seatbelt?

NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 5 POLITICS - 6 And why does her mother wear glasses, COVER STORY since it was God who apparently gave “THE MUSIC ISSUE” her crappy eyesight? So many questions.

BY ALEX GREENE - 8 So much chaos. So much anger and WE RECOMMEND - 14 confusion in this country. When will it CALENDAR - 16 end? Is there an end?

FOOD - 18 It’s enough to make you want to BREWS - 19 join the Phugits and hit the Lake of TV - 20 the Ozarks.

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

3

THE

fly-by

MEMernet A roundup of Memphis on the World Wide Web. IT’S G O N NA HAP P E N

{

Questions, Answers + Attitude Edited by Toby Sells

W E E K T H AT W A S

By Flyer staff

Phase II, Tom Lee, and Opioids

Shelby County loosens up, Tom Lee plan unveiled, and officials address spike in overdoses.

P HAS E I I Shelby County entered into Phase II of the Back to Business plan last week, allowing for more businesses to reopen and for some already-opened businesses to increase capacity. The phase is set to last two weeks.

POSTED TO REDDIT BY U/MAGNIFICENTMEMER

M O R GAN & M O R GAN

Posted to YouTube by user Downhill way back in 2016, the Morgan & Morgan video rises spectacularly from the ether when you least expect it (and maybe need it most).

Here’s a sample since you can’t play it on paper: “Morgan & Morgan Morgan & Morgan Morgan & Morgan Morgan & Morgan Morgan & Morgan Morgan & Morgan Morgan & Morgan …” Look up this classic today.

May 28-June 3, 2020

POSTED TO REDDIT BY U/SMARTPREFERENCE

4

YES. Jason Horn said on Nextdoor last week, “Makes me sad to see vandalism and tagging at Overton Park.”

POSTED TO NEXTDOOR BY JASON HORN

S U R G E P R OJ E CTI O N The Shelby County COVID-19 Joint Task Force said a new predictive model shows a surge of COVID-19 patients going to the hospital is now expected between November 15th and November 30th.

The model said the surge here could have between 450 to 600 patients seeking hospital care at once.

National and state models have predicted the surge would occur in early May or later this summer. If the new projections are correct, it’s proof that Shelby Countians have “flattened the curve,” pushing the surge into the future.

Clockwise from top left: Memphis Area Transit Authority, a revitalized riverfront at Tom Lee Park, new COVID SMS system, Memphis in May’s Beale Street Music Fest, opioid overdoses, and Shelby County schools will likely reopen with a hybrid model

JAI L S U IT A new federal suit was filed against the office of the Shelby County Sheriff seeking emergency action on behalf of inmates currently infected or under threat of “severe injury or death” as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Filed last week jointly by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee; the American Civil Liberties Union; Just City; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; and attorneys Brice Timmons and Steve Mulroy, the suit is a federal class action lawsuit.

M E D IA PARTN E R S H I P The Memphis Flyer is working with media colleagues at MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, High Ground News, and Chalkbeat Tennessee to serve as a community resource.

Understanding that many in the Memphis area, particularly more vulnerable Memphians, have questions and concerns about managing the practical aspects of COVID-19, the media collaborative has launched an SMS (text messaging) system to serve as a guide to food, jobs, housing, health, safety, schools, and more.

PAR K U NVE I LE D Shade, small hills, paths through forests, a cafe with a porch, a covered space for recreation, a new entry plaza, a canopy walk, and more are in store for the now-flat, wide-open Tom Lee Park after a $60 million renovation planned to begin this fall.

E P I D E M I C I N A PAN D E M I C Officials said last week that the opioid epidemic is continuing to plague the community in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that since March 15th, there have been 700 overdoses resulting in 102 deaths.

M E M P H I S I N M AY Memphis in May (MIM) officials announced Tuesday, May 19th, that all three of its major events will be held in the riverfront park next year (2021).

MATA P LAN S The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) will receive a $2.5 million investment from the county that will go toward implementing parts of the Transit Vision plan.

MATA is planning to use the funds to implement a demand-response system in the entertainment district and the Westwood/Boxtown area, a mini-transit station near Third and Brooks, and an investment in the Bus Rapid Transit project.

O P E N I N G S C H O O LS Schools here will likely use a hybrid model combined of in-person and distance learning when the school year starts in the fall, Shelby County Schools (SCS) officials said last week.

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

For Release Mon

The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Saturday, August 11, 2018

Crossword

Park Rank

Crossword ACROSS

Memphis scores high on total park average, but low overall.

ACROSS

1 7

15 16

Loud, as a radio 1 Reamer What stars do

18 20 21

54

How dishes are usually sold Martial arts holds that are hard to escape President Bartlet on “The West Wing” One waiting for the captain?

Invites out for

Repeatedly hit Some petroleum Play out, as events “I wanna hear everything” Pioneer in steam engines Complete coverage?

Early people who used a base-20 numerical system Sorrowful cries Rapper ___ Rhymes What closes on Sundays?

Cut Fun bit of trivia

33

34

35 36 40

55

56 57

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

14

68

9

10

11

69

15

16

17

18

19

21

22

24

25

27

28

32

33

36

8

No. 0707

37

20 23

70

26

34

38

29

71

35

39

“… or ___!”

Engine additiv since 1954 Far from extravagant Consider to be 12

13

30

31

___-Bakr, longtime 40 41 adviser to 42 Muhammad 42 43 44 45 46 2 Any member of 47 48 49 Saul’s tribe, in 45 the Bible 50 51 52 53 46 3 Close friend of 47 Hamilton, in 54 55 “Hamilton” 48 56 57 4 Fighter of Ferocious Flea in 1960s PUZZLE BY RYAN MCCARTY cartoons 50 5 Hamilton and 21 Zayn formerly 43 Man of the 30 Spot in the 3-Down, in of One Direction cloth third balcony, “Hamilton” say 23 “___ chance!”

44 Moves at a 6 Quashes TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE 31 Trespassing crawl?

25 Bud and defamation 7 “Absolutely inducted into P A T R A E J E C T unacceptable!”

46 Mexican bread Cooperstown in 37 Chemical E S E A T M U N R O 2017 8 Cartoonist Kelly compounds R L A C E A S T I N 48 Art ___ in so-called 26 Belts 9 Breed E S E S I T S B Y hospital smell 49 Goya subject W E E T T A L K 10 Travel from site 28 Performs some light surgery?

38 Poisons to site?

A P O I L I S N T 51 Alley-oop S T R E N D I E R 11 Screwballs starter 29 Loss of a sound 39 1994 Jim at the start I N T H E M I D D L E Carrey comedy 12 Calculus of a word, as 53 Tennyson’s “You T A K E K I L L S calculation “opossum” to Ask Me, Why, 42 2007 #1 Alicia N O B H O N E Y S “possum” ___ Ill at Ease” Keys album 13 Multi-time E A S O N I N G W.N.B.A. AllM S T A N I B M Star ___ Delle Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past Donne E S T A T E T R E E puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

R V O C A T I O N S 15 Be a homebody Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

Y U M P T E E N T H 19 Mary Jane 41

1

DOWN

Computer cras investigator, informally 2 Where Waikiki Beach is 3 Exceed, as one’s bounds 4 See 31-Down 5 “Ah, now that’ clear” 6 Coffee choice before bed 7 Cape Cod resort town 8 It’s thin on top of Everest 9 Hair goo 10 Serpent’s warning 11 Parodies 12 Route map Support our advertisers—they make it possible.

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE start A B L memphis A R E flyer |T memphisfl W I N Kyer.com L E 13 “Finally!”

B E A T O N S H A L E O I L 18 Blueprint deta U N F O L D T A L K T O M E 22 Package for a model plane J A M E S W A T T S K I N M A Y A S A Y S B U S T A 24 Shed door feature A M E N S C I S S O R L I T T L E K N O W N F A C T 26 River that passes throug I T T A L Y N I N P H O Lake Geneva K E E P S I T T O G E T H E R H E G O A T S H E A T 27 1970s TV’s “Welcome A P S E S B I O P E R P S Back, ___” S A W N D A N K M E M E S 901-361-1403 28 Like Little Iwww.edharrisjewelry.com D I O L E C T A S A S E T Bo-Peep’s A R M L O C K S J O S I A H sheep5 M E S S B O Y A S K S T O 29 Brief swim 22 23 24 25 27

ANSWER

per 100,000 residents. Recreation and senior centers rank in the highest percentile with .9 centers per 20,000 people.

Finally, in the access category, Memphis scored the lowest — 17 out of 100, dropping three points from last year.

Accessibility is determined by the percentage of the population living within a 10-minute walk or a half mile of a park.

Here, 46 percent of residents live within that proximity to a park. The national average is 55 percent.

The report also breaks down accessibility based on demographics. It found that more low-income households here are within a 10-minute walk of a park than both middle- and high-income households. Only 17,378 middle-income households, compared to 54,554 lowincome households, are located within a 10-minute walk of a park.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland is one of more than 260 mayors across the country who have joined the Trust for Public Land’s 10 Minute Walk campaign. Organized in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association and the Urban Land Institute, the campaign aims to bring a park within a 10-minute walk to every household in the country by 2050. The campaign urges mayors to adopt longterm strategies to improve equitable access to quality parks.

The report lists five ideal quartermile-radius areas for new parks here.

Those locations are near the intersections of Getwell and New Willow, Kirby and Mt. Moriah, Goodlett and Winchester, Perkins and Winchester, and Macon and Jackson.

or

52

Edited by Will Shortz

Classy articles of neckwear Wrist exercise at a candy factory?

Highest point in an orbit Region Swizzle stick Fame Chest exercise at a vintner’s?

Itching desire Small whirlpool What a relaxed soldier is at One of four for a grand slam, in brief Face on a fiver What the exercise regimen in 17-, 25-, 37- and 51-Across is worth?

Traditional Father’s Day gift Wise sayings

C A I N

L I N O

I A M S O

C R E P T

C L A P

H E R A

E O S L T E D S E C I A E T I T O E R A S T H M O S T

1

Love getting the Flyer for free?

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

OVERTON PARK CONSERVANCY/FACEBOOK

17

Overton Park (above) is one of Memphis’ 194 parks, which were rated by the Trust for Public Land.

___ Tech (former forprofit school) Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Raisman “Children of the Albatross” author Vietnamese soup Doesn’t snap Billies Packing ___ They may have stained-glass windows Playbill bit Police line?

Cut Internet in-jokes that have gone viral, in modern lingo Individual’s unique use of language

37 wrench 5 Danglers on luggage 11 Cruise amenity DOWN43 14 Where icicles 44 may hang 45 15 World ___ (October event) 49 16 Center of a 51 poker table 17 Arm exercise at 54 a dairy farm?

55 19 Engine 56 lubricant 20 “Ben-___” 58 21 Fruit in a holiday gift box 22 Hawaiian coffee 61 region 62 23 Any boat 25 Shoulder exercise at a cutlery store?

29 Clip, as a coupon 66 32 Jeers 33 Currier and ___ 67 14

Out of the country’s 100 largest cities, Memphis ranks 88 when it comes to parks, according to one group’s annual report on the country’s best park systems.

The Trust for Public Land nonprofit ranks parks in the country’s 100 most populous cities based on accessibility, investment, acreage, and amenities.

Memphis’ park system, comprising 194 parks, dropped one spot on the list from last year, but is still up three points from the 91st ranking Memphis received in 2018.

Memphis’ highest score was in acreage, where it earned 57 out of 100. That number is calculated based on median park size and the percentage of the city’s land dedicated to parks.

The median size of parks here is 10 acres, nearly twice the national average of 5.2 acres. But only 5 percent of the land is used for parks and recreation, while the national median is 15 percent.

Memphis scored significantly lower in the investment category, with 38 out of 100. That score is based on the amount of public and nonprofit spending that goes toward parks, as well as the number of hours volunteers invest in parks.

Memphis invested $76 per capita. For comparison, Minneapolis, which scored a perfect 100 in the investment category, spent $318 per capita.

Lower still, is Memphis’ amenity score — 25 out of 100. The group awards points in this category based on the availability of six key park amenities. The amenities include basketball hoops, off-leash dog parks, playgrounds, recreation and senior centers, restrooms, and splash pads.

Based on the report, there are 2.9 basketball hoops, 1.8 playgrounds, and .1 restrooms in parks per 10,000 residents.

There are .5 splash pads and .6 dog parks

32

34

NEWS & OPINION

{

CITY REPORTER

By Maya Smith

GOOD SELECTION OF ANNUALS, TROPICALS, HYDRANGEAS AZALEAS, HOSTAS, FERNS, FLOWERING PERENNIALS STILL AVAILABLE

FERTILOME PLANT FOODS * ROSE FOOD * TREE & SHRUB FOOD * AZALEA CAMELLIA GARDENIA FOOD * CLASSIC SLOW RELEASE LAWN FOOD

$5.00 OFF FERTI • LOME PLANT FOODS SIZE 16 LBS. OR LARGER EXPIRES 6-15-20

NOT VALID WITH OTHER OFFERS OR PRIOR PURCHASES

2 Locations: 4763 Poplar at Colonial • 767-6743 | 12061 Hwy 64 • 867-2283 DanWestOnline.com

NEEDLE EXCHANGE ANONYMOUS & CONFIDENTIAL May 28-June 3, 2020

28 N CLAYBROOK ST, MEMPHIS, TN 38104

EVERY WEDNESDAY • 1-3PM 3628 Summer Ave, MEMPHIS, TN 38122

EVERY WEDNESDAY • 6:30-8:30PM WHAT WE OFFER

• Clean needles • Naloxone (Narcan) education and distribution • Safe disposal of used needles • Onsite treatment referral (optional) • Education

QUESTIONS? CALL US:901-484-1132 6

@SAFEPOINT.SSP

POLITICS By Jackson Baker

The Virus and the Vote Tennessee gets a passing grade for medical prep, but problems with jails and voting land it in court.

Tennessee has come in for criticism for its responses to the coronavirus pandemic, but at least one organization, having surveyed 50 states, rates the Volunteer State as not having done all that shabby. The personal finance website WalletHub ranks Tennessee fourth-best overall in how well its health infrastructure was prepared going into the pandemic.

In specific areas, WalletHub rates Tennessee as follows: • 20th – Public Healthcare Spending per Capita • 14th – Number of Hospital Beds per Capita • 30th – Epidemiology Workforce per Capita • 11th – Emergency Centers and Services per Capita • 2nd – Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Beds per Capita That’s the (relatively) good news. A pair of ongoing lawsuits, each of which was scheduled for a key moment in court this week, suggests that other issues are not nearly so salutary.

A preliminary hearing was set for this Wednesday in the courtroom of federal District Judge Sheryl Lipman on a new suit filed against the office of the Shelby County sheriff, seeking emergency action on behalf of inmates currently infected or under threat of “severe injury or death” as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Filed last week jointly by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee; the American Civil Liberties Union; Just City; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind; Wharton & Garrison LLP; and attorneys Brice Timmons and Steve Mulroy, the suit is a federal class action that seeks the release of those prisoners deemed non-dangerous.

The suit “asks for identification of medically vulnerable individuals held at the jail and the immediate release of vulnerable people, most immediately those who are detained solely on the basis of their inability to satisfy a financial condition of pretrial release, or solely on the basis of a technical violation of probation or parole unless the county demonstrates that an individual poses a flight or safety risk.”

The suit alleges that, “as of April 30, 192 people at the jail had tested positive for COVID-19, and one jail employee had died.” It further notes that “[s]tatewide, the greatest number of deaths from the virus have occurred in Shelby County” and that,

according to the latest reports, “86 percent of inmates at the Shelby County Jail were there pretrial.”

Alleging that the sheriff’s office is violating the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act, the suit cautions that “an outbreak at the jail would spread widely in the community, draining the Memphis area of limited resources to fight the pandemic.”

See Viewpoint at memphisflyer.com

by State Representative G.A. Hardaway (D-Memphis), chair of the Tennessee Caucus of Black Legislators, for more perspective on the jail as a “petri dish” for the COVID virus.

• The coronavirus outbreak is the main reason also for another suit, due for a hearing Thursday in the court of Chancellor Ellen Lyle in Nashville. This one, filed recently by Memphis lawyers Steve Mulroy and Jake Brown for the ad hoc group Up the Vote 901, cites the pandemic as a reason to extend the right of absentee voting to all registered Tennessee voters — a request so far denied by state officials.

A parallel suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee may, at Judge Lyle’s discretion, be folded into the original suit, and yet a third suit to the same end has been filed by the NAACP in another jurisdiction.

In a brief presented to the Court, State Attorney General Herb Slatery made several arguments against the proposed action, citing “numerous barriers” to rapid implementation of statewide absentee voting, including alleged costs of millions of dollars and “opportunities for error” indicated in the experiences of other states.

Tennessee is not the only arena where the right to vote by mail is at stake. After Michigan and Nevada sent applications for absentee voting to all registered voters, President Trump threatened those states with the loss of federal funding. The president claims the process of widespread voting by mail invites open fraud, though he himself recently voted absentee in Florida, and Republican states like Ohio have conducted elections by mail without incident. In any case, evidence of such fraud through absentee voting has proved hard to come by.

In the face of the pandemic, 11 of the 16 states that limit who can vote by absentee ballot have eased their election rules this year to permit expanded absentee voting in upcoming elections.

THIS WEEK AT

FOOD DELIVERY SERVICE SAUCY CHICKEN:

saucychickenmemphis.com/s/order 901-203-3838

GLOBAL CAFÉ:

globalcafememphis.com/onlineorders

CURB MARKET: 901-543-6880

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE is launching a new local food delivery option for midtown and downtown Memphis.

Concourse now offers free food delivery to your doorstep from the Concourse restaurants that remain open for delivery and pick-up — Curb Market (including groceries and prepared meals), Global Café, and Saucy Chicken. For now, delivery is offered within a 4-mile radius of Concourse between the hours of 11:30-7:30. To order, simply contact the restaurants or market direclty, order and pay (via phone for Curb; online for Global and Saucy), and our staff will deliver your order as soon as it’s ready.

On FRIDAY, MAY 29 at 6:30 pm, join us on the Crosstown Arts Facebook page for the full concert video premiere of...

DON LIFTED with BLUESHIFT ENSEMBLE performing in THE GREEN ROOM at CROSSTOWN ARTS

Visual, musical, and performance artist LAWRENCE MATTHEWS, also known as DON LIFTED, transformed The Green Room in this November 2019 performance, which featured sculptural video installations and music from his albums Alero and Contour.

With special guests Blueshift Ensemble.

Sign up for the Crosstown Arts newsletter at crosstownarts.org to stay updated on future video premieres, as well as artist Q&As, virtual events, and more!

CROSSTOWNCONCOURSE.COM/EVENTS

NEWS & OPINION

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

The video will also be available at crosstownarts.org after the premiere.

7

Amy LaVere and Will Sexton

The Music Issue C OVE R STO RY BY ALE X G R E E N E

Music in the Time of Corona

May 28-June 3, 2020

WITH SHELTER-IN-PLACE

still the most responsible policy for all of us, a lot of people are imagining that the once-thriving music scene in Memphis is withering on the vine. But a lot of people would be wrong.

Casting a wide net for signs of life recently, I’ve reeled in a full haul of ways that local musicians are rising to the challenge of making their art accessible, and, in some cases, even making a little money. Though their income sources have shrunk, musicians are honoring their best impulses to simply get their art out there.

There wouldn’t be a Flyer Music Issue without music. And, without question, the music and musicians are still there, working their craft, helping all of us cope — and with a new sense of connection and hope.

Players and Payers, Now Online!

We all know about live-streamed shows by now, of course. It’s become 8 the new normal, and with our weekly online listings in The Flow, the Flyer

has attempted to acknowledge and promote the practice. But it’s tricky to keep up with all the action. In the past week alone, we listed nearly three dozen separate streaming events, and we know we didn’t cover all of them. (Musicians, send us your announcements!) Several of these were virtual festivals with a dozen artists or more, all coordinating their homebound performances through a central hub. All told, these artists’ commitment to both social distancing and social unity (and, let’s face it, self-promotion) has been impressive.

Thanks to the internet, perhaps we can have our cake and eat it too?

Nationally, live-streaming has had its ups and downs. The data-crunching company Chartmetric released a study earlier this month stating that: “The U.S. Top 100 YouTube artists surged during lockdown, but as daily infections continued to rise, that demand failed to keep pace, perhaps because consumers turned to other non-music content or other sources of entertainment as the reality of sheltering in place indefinitely started to set in.”

That leaves aside the question of why viewership should correlate in any way with the infection rate. Once you’re in place, either you’re prone to watch live music or you’re not. And of course, national data on “the top 100 artists” has almost nothing to do with the local scene, which celebrates independent artists in all their forms.

By all indications, live-streamed music events are on the rise in Memphis.

(The first edition of The Flow only listed two dozen events.)

And many are reaping some sorely needed financial rewards for their livestreamed efforts. Mark Edgar Stuart, who has done four such online events, was taken aback at the response. “The first two I did, I was like ‘Wow, I’ve never made that at a gig before!’ There might be something to this web show business, you know? This might carry on once COVID-19 is over.”

Most of Stuart’s events have taken the classic “man with guitar lives here” approach, where he plays for viewers from a chair in his home. But he’s been inspired by others who strive to lend their live events more panache. “I love seeing how people are getting creative

with it. Graham Winchester, doing a show in the bathtub! I saw Jesse James Davis do one a few weeks ago. He had his backing beats happening and it looked cool. I was like, ‘Yeah, kudos.’”

Striving for an original approach is on many performers’ minds. A Weirdo From Memphis, aka AWFM, says his plans for live events have been steadily evolving. “I decided to fall back until I can make it special. I don’t know if you’ve just logged on to Instagram on a random Friday night and seen like 12 Live bubbles across the screen? It used to be kinda like an exciting anomaly.

‘Whoa, somebody’s on Live, what are they gonna be doing?’ And now it’s like everybody has their own live TV show. Which is sometimes just them sitting there. People think that what they do is special, and they think that they’re standing out but don’t really zoom out and see the picture and see that you’re really just walking in the same direction as everybody. So I’d rather make sure, when I do pop on Live, it’s a thing to get excited about because I’m doing something different.

I’ve really spent some time figuring out what that was supposed to be for

me. And I have the answer now, and everything I need to do it is on its way to being in my hands. If you’re not really about the artistic experience, it’s like a microwave. I’m trying to put some food in the oven!”

Fellow Unapologetic rapper PreauXX keeps his IG Live events fresh with the inherent spontaneity of freestyle, at which he excels.

“Whenever I want to get some stuff out, I just go on IG Live for 30 to 40 minutes and just freestyle over beats.

And whoever joins in my Live will give me a beat or give me a topic, and I just rap for 40 mintues, just for the hell of it.”

Of course, not everyone can rap extemporaneously with such aplomb, especially if your forte is making beats. But Unapologetic producer C Major has taken to the live internet anyway, via the beat battles hosted by a St. Louis-based group called Fresh Produce. As their web page (freshproducestl.com) explains, “Eight beatsmiths compete head to head in a tournament style bracket battle consisting of three rounds. Each producer is given at least one minute

Producer C Major of Unapologetic

per round to impress the five judges, which include former winners from multiple beat battles, DJs, tastemakers from around the area, and the difference maker, The Crowd.”

As C Major points out, “It’s a whole experience, with interviews, clips of videos in between the beats. And the people in on the session can vote on whose beat they rock with the most.

They’ve got a championship round on May 27th that I’m gonna be on again.”

But C Major also points out another avenue for internet-based music, one he’s only now discovering: online gaming. “I’ve seen some crazy shit. They have whole festivals on Minecraft, which is ridiculous. There are bands, not even playing live, but with pre-recorded stuff they’re doing with their characters in Minecraft, and they’ve got a sea of people watching, just all characters on a computer.

It’s crazy! You can be in the world of Minecraft and walk into a building and there will be a flyer and everything.

And at a certain time, you go into a venue, and they’re just in there, the little blocks with guitars and shit. A drummer and shit. And your character

is there with other characters. I’ve got two little boys, and they’re really into that world. So me and them stayed up one day and watched that. It’s crazy how creative people can be.

“Seeing that level of creativity just got me thinking,” he continues, “I can’t just hop on Live with my phone now.

I mean, that’s cool, too. It has a level of personal-ness that you want, but at the same time, these people are out there, like they’ve been waiting for this moment.”

“My technology will shine now!” chimes in AWFM with a mad cackle.

Like so many of us (and like my own interview with them), the Unapologetic crew has also kept up their collaborative momentum with Zoom meetings, as they plan their next moves. “Every Wednesday, we have a big Zoom meeting with 12 to 15 people,” C Major explains. “It used to be a lot of planning and business, and we still do a lot of that. But now, I really cherish the time to just tell people what’s going on with me, and listen to what’s going on with them. It’s almost like therapy.”

PreauXX nods in agreement,

adding, “Them kumbaya sessions are so soulfully needed.”

Another, more public version of stoking the creative fires has been pioneered by singer/songwriter Cory Branan, whose response to being a shut-in was to launch a homemade talk show, UMM, with his favorite fellow songsmiths. Episodes go live on Instagram every Wednesday, then remain archived on his YouTube channel. With such guests on the split-screen as Amanda Shires, Jason Isbell, Ben Nichols, and Frank Turner, it’s a veritable who’s who of today’s songwriting legends, and Branan’s queries reflect his own poetic approach to the craft: “You said when you finish a song, you’re like a sleepwalker who wakes up holding a bloody knife, surrounded by corpses,” he quips to Frank Turner, who responds, “I can still remember it being on the brain for a good few months, and then one day it’s finished …”

Other musicians are taking livestreamed shows to another level, albeit with careful social distancing continued on page 10

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

A Weirdo From Memphis aka AWFM

9

A PLACE TO BE YOURSELF!

PreauXX

GYNECOLOGY

& INTRODUCING

OUR NEW CONCIERGE WELLNESS PROGRAM

TRANSGENDER CARE HORMONE OPTIMIZATION AESTHETICS

FOCUSED ON CREATING AN

continued from page 9

INDIVIDUALIZED PLAN TO HELP YOU GET FIT, HEALTHY, ENERGETIC & GORGEOUS

May 28-June 3, 2020

DR. SUSAN LACY MD, FACOG

1407 UNION AVE., SUITE 1401 MEMPHIS, TN 38104 (901) 701-1777 • MOREGYN.COM

New In Store — Oils from Weeping Willow Witchery

More than 100 different herbs in stock!

Memphis-Made Hand Sanitizer and Cloth Masks on Sale Now!

10

Buy In-Store or Order Online and Pick Up Curbside or have it delivered by USPS! Mon-Wed 11am-7pm • Closed Thursdays Friday and Saturday 11am-8pm • Sunday 1pm-6pm 410 North Cleveland, Memphis, TN 38104 • 901-287-9102 info@oothoons.com • www.oothoons.com

in place. After all, many of us wish the drummer was always forced to stay six feet away. (ba-dum-bum!)

Amy LaVere and Will Sexton, living together in matrimonial bliss, began their Thursday “Love Stream” shows on Facebook simply enough as a duo, but now have stepped out on their porch for some shows, inviting bandmates to play along from a safe distance.

And now, almost as an outgrowth of this internet community, actual live music, in front of real people, is beginning to take form in unpredictable ways. When the Joe Restivo 4 held an impromptu concert on drummer Tom Lonardo’s porch last Wednesday, with social distancing in place, it attracted a small crowd, wellspaced, up and down the street.

But Mark Edgar Stuart may have the best, and strangest, example of this. As he explains, “Three weeks ago, I did a show for a bunch of pontoon boats. I had a superfan out in Eudora, Mississippi, who lives in a lake community, and he was like, ‘Dude, will you do a concert? I’m gonna promote it to the rest of the lake, and we’re gonna have all the pontoons come out to the dock and you can play.’ I was on a dock with a PA, nobody around me. And it was a listening crowd. You could smell the joints being passed around. It was fun!

It was about 18 boats, maybe 50 or 60 people watching. They were all six feet apart.”

Venues Hunker Down

Such wacky alternatives do make players and fans alike a bit wistful about actual music venues. But, looking for signs of hope that we’ll one day have music in clubs again, I need turn no further than the sounds of hammers swinging down the street. As all the world shelters in place, B-Side Bar is giving its stage a makeover. “We had to raise it up a few inches to fit

these new subwoofers under there,” says co-owner Brad Boswell. And they’re not the only ones making the most of the downtime.

“We’re just trying to get things that we never get done when we’re just blowing and going like we do,” says Jason Ralph of the Blues City Cafe.

“When you’re as busy as we are all the time, you don’t have a chance to do a lot of the things that you want.

So we’re trying to take advantage of this unfortunate break we’re having.

Like redoing the kitchen floor, things like that.”

Owners and managers of music venues throughout the city are nervously pondering the day when people can congregate once more.

Yet no one is sure what conditions need to be met for that to happen.

Some plan to follow the authorities’ lead. “Everything will be based on CDC and what they put out, and what local government puts out,” says Ralph. “What I really don’t want is to make that happen and then have to close again.”

Yet some feel even an official goahead may not be enough. “We’re not gonna open up just because the governor says it’s okay, you know?” says Boswell. “We’re just gonna play it by ear. It’s possible we’ll start out doing live-stream shows first, before we fully open. But we’re not even discussing it yet at this point.”

Brett Batterson, president and CEO of the Orpheum Theatre Group, thinks smaller venues will have an advantage.

“I think the smaller venues like Halloran Centre will open first. Gradually we’ll get to a point where the Orpheum will reopen.” Meanwhile, they’re hosting home-recorded performances in their Memphis Songwriters Series, regular live-streamed events on Facebook every Saturday.

Most see reopening as a mirror image of how they shut down. Boswell notes that B-Side was one of the first to shut down, and may be among the continued on page 12

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ARTISAN Due to the current Covid crisis we've postponed this year's Memphis Crafts & Drafts: Spring Shop event that was originally scheduled for May 2020 in midtown Memphis, and we're showcasing the great work of our selected local crafters and artisans on our Memphis Crafts & Drafts website and social channels.

Be sure to check Memphis Crafts & Drafts out on Facebook and Instagram for special discounts and pricing, straight from our artists and just for Crafts & Drafts fans and followers!

HOSTED BY

2020 CRAFts & DRAFTS: Spring Shop Artists and Makers AmaviHouse ARCHd b.Sartain C. M. Farris Fine Art Caitlyn Ann Connolly

ColsCrafts Deanna Hamsley Artwork Estes Designs Hannah Spiegleman Illustration

Heart Over Hand Jessica Mahan Art Lacey Myers Art Lauren Brook Leah Sweet Ceramics

@MEMPHISCRAFTSANDDRAFTS

Leslie Ponder Studios MEK Design Memphis Metals, Malas, and More Midtown Bramble

Mobius Theory New Harbert Candles Paper & Clay Paper, Cloth & Glass Pettijohn Textiles Paper, Cloth & Glass Pettijohn Textile Pretty Useful C Tangle Tree Arts TDtangent\ Thistle & Bee Enterprises Whitney Winkl

Pretty Useful Co. Tangle Tree Arts TDtangents Thistle & Bee Enterprises Whitney Winkler

MEMPHISCRAFTSANDDRAFTS.COM

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

100% of all Spring Shop sales go directly to the makers - and we encourage you to Shop Local, Buy Local, Eat Local, Read Local, and Choose Local - whenever you can!

11

continued from page 10

PAY IT FORWARD & GET PAID Seeking Blood & Cell Donors Support important medical research focused on fighting

Laying Down Tracks

life-threatening diseases.

Make a big difference for patients seeking new hope.

Qualified donors are compensated for their time — from $50 to several hundred dollars depending on the study.

901-252-3434

researchchampions.com

FREE RENT

May 28-June 3, 2020

ASK US HOW

While we await such changes, musicians soldier on, and records — the other side of the musical coin — are continuing to be made, by hook or by crook. Since the quarantine era, there’s been a flowering of tracks swapped via the internet. While many producers and engineers have found the explosion of home recording gear to be a mixed blessing (pun intended), in times like these, such home rigs are keeping many of them busy. Since shelter-in-place began, countless players have gone back to finish tracks, often inviting colleagues to add overdubs in their own home studios, to then assemble later into a final mix.

As usual, the Unapologetic collective is ahead of the curve.

Nothing as clunky as email is needed.

As C Major explains, “We’ve actually got it set up to where the whole ProTools folder is on Dropbox, so whenever you record [in your home studio], I’m getting the updated session immediately. And I’ll go in and tweak stuff. So we’re basically kind of in the same studio, just over the internet. We just adapted that way. Dropbox updates in real time.

So if anyone makes any change to the session, it’s gonna show up on mine.”

Mark Edgar Stuart — via virtual remote control · Apartment Style Living

· No Long Term Lease

· Fully Furnished

· We’re Pet Friendly

· FREE Utilities & Cable TV

· Siegel Rewards Program

W E E K LY & M O N T H LY R AT E S

12

last to open again, perhaps starting with only live-streamed shows.

Blues City Cafe first phased out bands, then allowed dining customers at half-capacity for more distancing, then offered only takeout before closing completely. Ralph thinks featuring live bands will be the last phase of reopening, but even that will take some adjustment. “A lot of people don’t realize, it’s gonna look a lot different, regardless,” he says.

“Even once we’re going 100 percent, as busy as we are on Beale Street, it’s not gonna be like it was any time soon.”

Others take a hybrid approach, stepping carefully into the city’s professional studios, armed with masks and sterilizer. Calling me from Delta-Sonic Sound, the studio run

by Big Legal Mess producer Bruce Watson, Mark Edgar Stuart gives an on-the-scene report. “Will is in the tracking room, wearing a mask. I’ve been wearing a mask all day and am now outside. Bruce has been wiping down the headphones and all that kinda business.”

A similar scene, with even more players, was in place at the famed Royal Studios two weeks ago, when Michael Graber invited his favorite players to record new material — composed during his days and nights as a shut-in — with Boo Mitchell at the helm. “A lot of musicians who are usually busy with gigs or on the road were able to join in on the sessions,” he explains. “So we planned to go in and properly distance and record. And we ended up, in two days, recording 24 original songs. Some of these songs are strange compositions. We’d use traditional bluegrass instrumentation on some, but then we were throwing in dulcimers, harmoniums, bouzoukis, six-part harmonies, that kind of stuff.

So it got pretty wild.”

Though everyone wore masks, hosting so many players at once proved challenging, and Graber sounds a cautionary note: “It was really, really hard to sing. I ended up taking my mask off. As did some of the other background singers. We tried to keep distanced. We were very conscious the whole first 12-hour day. But by the end of the second day, we were getting tired, people were rushing to the food when we had it out. The longer we went, the more the challenge it was to hold up those standards. It’s just what it is. It was a microcosm of what’s gonna happen as we re-enter society.

First we’re very cognizant, and then we slowly let our guard down.”

901.245.2672

7380 Stage Rd. Bartlett, TN 38133 | www.siegelselect.com

AWFM says, “When we create, it’s really on top of each other, kinda like a family vibe, but that’s not the wisest thing to do right now.

Especially with everybody going back home to their families. ’Cause you can be like, ‘I’m good,’ but not realize that you’re a carrier of it and take it to somebody who’s less equipped to deal with it. That would be pretty devastating. I’ve seen people that have accidentally killed their parents or grandparents, just by having a mild case of it. They had already been existing in the house for two weeks, and really messed things up. So we haven’t created face-to-face in a minute. It’s a lot to lose, man.”

Musicians and nonmusicians alike struggle with such contradictory impulses these days: to be safe, to protect others, but at the same time, to create, to collaborate, to commune.

Perhaps the Unapologetic approach can benefit all of us.

Says PreauXX, “For all of us, it’s been a survivor’s mentality.

You can either lounge around or you can adapt.”

NIVA

More than two months ago, Growlers hosted metal bands Weedeater and The Goddamn Gallows during what would become the venue’s final show before it was forced to temporarily shut its doors due to stay-at-home orders caused by COVID-19.

Within that period, Growlers has seen a loss of tens of thousands of dollars, and with a definite reopening date unknown at this time, that loss could add up to be much more.

Growlers has since begun offering takeout food and has applied for and received loans from the Small Business Administration (SBA). But according to Mike Glenn, managing partner and national talent buyer for the venue, that’s not going to be enough to keep them afloat until they can reopen.

“We have a great landlord in Yong Rhee, so he’s been helping in regards to rent,” he says. “But there’s utilities, certain taxes, etc. We are accruing a debt load, as are all venues.”

Nearly a month ago, Glenn caught wind of independent venues throughout the country joining a group called the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) who have been seeking to rally support from state representatives and from U.S. congressional leaders to provide additional federal aid for venues.

“Dayna Frank, [owner of First Avenue in Minneapolis and president of NIVA], is a friend of mine, and I heard rumblings of her and a few other indies starting this,” says Glenn. “So, being in this business my entire life, this was something important to me. We don’t have billions like Live Nation or AEG. So I’m very passionate about standing for indie venues and promoters.”

NIVA, which comprises more than 1,600 independent venues throughout the country like Minglewood Hall, Exit/In in Nashville, and the Troubadour in Los Angeles, has issued a letter to the U.S. Congress asking legislators for further assistance to help keep overhead charges and taxes paid until

they can present shows again.

In the letter addressed to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the collective asked that the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program be revised to increase the program’s loan cap and extend the program until all the affected businesses can resume operations at full capacity. They also asked for other modes of assistance, including establishing a business recovery grant fund, granting various forms of tax relief, and extending unemployment insurance to contract workers and artists who wouldn’t normally receive benefits.

Glenn has worked closely with Chris Cobb, owner of Exit/ In, contacting Tennessee Representatives Steve Cohen and Jim Cooper, as well as Senators Lamar Alexander and Marsha Blackburn, to ask for their support.

“The conversations with them have been very promising,” says Glenn. “All have supported the efforts.”

Last week, there was progress on the local level when the Shelby County Commission approved an amendment to the 2021 fiscal year budget that would allot $100,000 to assist local venues like Growlers, Minglewood Hall, and Levitt Shell with rental and employee assistance.

“I’ve only heard of a few other cities in the country doing that,” says Glenn. “So it’s wonderful having great local leadership who support the arts.”

According to Glenn, this is a good starting resource for venues in Memphis to be able to stay on their feet until they are able to put on shows again.

“We just want to get back to what we love, putting on events for people to have a great time,” he says. “But we also want to be safe about it. There’s just something about a room full of people vibing together that can’t be replicated with other options. So, hopefully, we’ll get back to that sooner than later. The people are the reason I’m in the business in the first place.” — Julia Baker

Savings

Checking

Home

Auto

fecca.com | 901.344.2500

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

You deliver to our families, we deliver for yours.

13

steppin’ out (& stayin’ in)

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

By Julia Baker

This Thursday, enjoy the flavors of Asian cuisine from the comfort of your own home during a virtual cocktail dinner presented by Salt|Soy and special partners Alchemy, Tattersall Distillery, West TN Crown, and Joe’s Wine & Liquor.

Salt|Soy is a sushi pop-up that was founded in 2016 by Alchemy owner Nick Scott, out of his love and passion for crafting Asian cuisine, which he discovered during years of experience as a sushi chef for Do Sushi and Bluefin.

“It’s been something that I’ve always loved to do, and if I had a specialty, that would be it,” he says.

In the past, Scott has hosted regular sushi pop-ups and collaborative cocktail dinner events at Alchemy and at Puck Food Hall, but when COVID-19 put a wrench in his plans for future events, he quickly got to work planning virtual experiences to showcase his and others’ culinary talents.

As hosts walk viewers through what went into the Korean- and Japanese-inspired menu, attendees can expect to savor the flavor of saké-infused cocktails crafted by Alchemy with menu items such as sunomono (Japanese cucumber salad) and kimbap (Korean sushi) with a unique twist.

“We’re going to be incorporating bulgogi into the kimbap,” he says.

Scott says he is thrilled to be able to continue bringing people together, albeit virtually, to enjoy dinner and drinks while supporting small or local businesses.

“We’re experiencing a culture shift, and no one knows what that’s going to end up looking like,” says Scott. “So we wanted to bring people together without bringing people together and provide an experience like you would sitting at a long table with everybody. And this gives people a chance to learn something new about unique ingredients or local products.”

SALT|SOY VIRTUAL COCKTAIL DINNER FEATURING COCKTAILS BY ALCHEMY, THURSDAY, MAY 28TH, PICK UP AT ALCHEMY AT 6 P.M., DINNER AT 6:45 P.M., $70.

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES May 28th - June 3rd Many events have been canceled or postponed. Luckily, we have you covered with this list of activities that can be enjoyed at home.

May 28-June 3, 2020

Taste of New York Live Tasting phillipashleychocolates.com; Friday, May 29th; 7 p.m.; Individual: 6-piece box + wine bottle, $50; Couple: 12-piece box + wine bottle, $80 Take the taste of New York to your home with this virtual chocolate tasting. Phillip Ashley will deliver chocolates they’ve curated, along with a unique bottle of wine to pair them with, right to your door. Then, via an online Zoom tasting, hosts will guide you through the process.

14

Escape Saga memphisescaperooms.com, $10 to play The Mayflower, free to play Bitcoin Bandit Bring the interactive puzzle experience home with Memphis Escape Rooms’ Escape Saga, designed to combine elements of video game play with the immersion of reallife experience. Users can attempt to outsmart a crazed serial killer in The Mayflower or hunt down a cryptocurrency thief in Bitcoin Bandit.

Crafts and Drafts Spring Shop memphiscraftsanddrafts.com, on view through June 15th, free Although the Memphis Flyer’s spring shop event has been postponed until the spring of 2021, we understand the continued importance of supporting local artists and makers, especially through times like these. So we’ve taken the 2020 spring shop online to connect shoppers directly with their favorite vendors’ online shops. Vendors include Deanna Hamsley Artwork, Estes Designs, ColsCrafts, Caitlyn Ann Creations, ARCHd, and many other talented creators.

“FAIR” thisisfair.org, weekly galleries open to the public each Wednesday The New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) is presenting “FAIR” as a built-in partnership with Artlogic to provide a platform for their community of galleries, nonprofits, and artists to continue making a living while doing what they love.

Tops Gallery in Memphis is a part of that community, and they’ll be presenting works by artists Corrine Jones, Kevin Ford, and Guy Church.

NICK SCOTT

Pass the Kimbap

Nick Scott’s Salt|Soy brings you virtual sushi.

WE COULD USE YOUR HELP. The Memphis Flyer is here for you in the best times, and in the most uncertain times. Friends, these are uncertain times — but we’re certain about a few things. We’re always independent. We’re always free. And we strive to keep you informed about and connected to our city. We’re asking for you to kick a little support toward the Flyer ’s work. Even a little helps a lot. s u p p o r t . m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Do you have questions as Memphis navigates COVID-19?

Unsure about food, jobs, housing, health, safety, schools, or something else?

WE ARE HERE TO HELP.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The Memphis Media Collaborative wants to know what information you need.

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

TXT “MEMPHIS” to 73224

15

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.

CALENDAR of EVENTS:

May 28 - June 3

T H EAT E R

Hattiloo Theatre

God’s Trombone, enjoy the original production of inspirational sermons by African-American preachers reimagined as poetry, reverberating with the musicality and splendid eloquence of spirituals. Follow the ticket link to watch free on Vimeo.

Free. Ongoing.

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

37 S. COOPER (502-3486).

Kudzu Playhouse

Kudzu Playhouse Virtual, join Kudzu social media for donation-based classes, games, scholarship opportunities, and more. Download the app for more fun theater activities and information. Ongoing.

(888-429-7871).

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.

66 S. COOPER (726-4656).

Tennessee Shakespeare Company

Decameron Project, a livestreaming effort from the Tabor Stage in which artists will bring live readings, inspirational poetry, famous speeches by Shakespeare, fun stories, and more. Inspired by Giovanni Boccaccio, who escaped the plague in the 14th century and wrote 100 stories while in seclusion. tnshakespeare.org. Free.

Ongoing, 10:15 a.m.

May 28-June 3, 2020

7950 TRINITY (759-0604).

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).

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

2020 Virtual Door Dash The annual kickoff for Adapt-A-Door fundraiser in November. Peruse pictures of available doors or other items to make into furniture, art, or other adaptive reuse. Artists can register on website or call.

Through July 31.

MEMPHIS HERITAGE, 2282 MADISON (272-2727).

Arrow Creative: Positively Creative Quarantined Convos

Inspiring conversations live on Instagram with creatives. Free.

Tuesdays, Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. & 8 p.m.

ARROWCREATIVE.ORG.

Brooks Still Life Challenge

The Brooks Museum is challenging you to create a still life using objects that you have at home. Create and share your still life on social media, and then challenge a friend to make one, too. Visit Facebook page for details, tips, and tricks. Through May 30.

BROOKSMUSEUM.ORG.

David Lusk Gallery Daily Special

to color. Free. Ongoing.

ONGOI NG ART

L ROSS GALLERY, 5040 SANDERLIN (767-2200), LROSSGALLERY.COM.

Art Village Gallery

Metal Museum Online

Peruse the art and craft of fine metalwork digitally. Featuring past gallery talks from previous exhibitions, interviews with artists, and demonstrations including “Beauty in the Boundary,” the museum’s exhibition of gates and railings. Free. Ongoing.

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

Open on Main: My Memphis View Art & Gallery

Visit artist Mary-Ellen Kelly online for “My Memphis View” products including books, prints, T-shirts, drink coasters, and posters.

Featuring virtual gallery tour.

Ongoing.

MY MEMPHIS VIEW ART & GALLERY, 5 S. MAIN, MARYELLENKELLYDESIGN.COM.

DAN C E

“Forms and Figures,” new and recent works by Elizabeth Ekpetorson, Beatriz Manteigas, and Chigozie Obi in the online viewing room. Through June 15.

410 S. MAIN (521-0782).

OPERA

Sing2Me

Mobile operas will come to your neighborhood or place of work to perform a themed concert for you and your neighbors or co-workers. Visit website for details. Ongoing.

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

Wednesday Opera Time

Join Opera Memphis every Wednesday on Facebook for an assortment of live events including “Opera for Animals,” Bingo Opera, and more.

Free. Wednesdays, 7 p.m.

S PO R TS / F IT N ES S

Neko Mew’s Belly Dance Classes

Need to stay active while social distancing? Local artist and belly dancer Jen Russell offers video tutorials payable through Venmo. Available via Facebook group Neko Mew’s Belly Dance Classes, 24/7, $5 for the first video lesson, $10 each after that.

Social DisDancing

Classes offered include Espresso Flow, Stretch & Burn, Fascial Fun, Intermediate/Advanced Ballet, Intermediate Mat Flow, and Get Moving. $10. Ongoing, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

BALLET MEMPHIS, 2144 MADISON (737-7322).

Grizz Turbo Trivia

Local dance instructor Louisa Koeppel aims to keep people up and moving with her Facebook group, where members are encouraged to share videos of made-up dance phrases, routines they’ve known (like the Macarena), or imitations of dance moves seen in viral videos. Free. Ongoing.

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

Ballet Memphis Online Pilates and Ballet Classes

Test your Grizz knowledge on the Official Grizzlies Mobile App. Weekly winners will win a Grizzlies Bluetooth speaker and will be entered to win an autographed Grizzlies T-shirt after the final buzzer. Tuesdays, 2 p.m. Through June 16.

NBA.COM/GRIZZLIES.

“Forms and Figures” at Art Village Gallery through Monday, June 15th

Pinot’s Palette Virtual Paint

Register online for Zoom invite and an emailed supply list.

Don’t forget the wine. Visit website for dates and times, $15. Ongoing.

PINOTSPALLETE.COM.

Playwright’s Corner

Zoom workshop of unproduced stage plays under development and group discussions.

Visit website for registration and more information. Saturdays. Through June 6.

HATTILOO THEATRE, 37 S. COOPER (502-3486).

A new piece of art from a gallery artist pops each day at 12:01 a.m. Check daily for new art offerings. Ongoing.

DAVID LUSK GALLERY, 97 TILLMAN (767-3800).

“Doodling Around”

Download art by gallery artists to print out and color. Post on social media and tag the artists and gallery. Brighten your day and stay connected through art. Visit website for more art

+

Soul Practice Chops Series

Practice online with music director Paul McKinney. Sessions include tutorial videos and sheet music that any student can use to practice.

Free. Ongoing.

STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC, 926 E. MCLEMORE (9462535), STAXMUSICACADEMY.ORG.

Supporting Memphis Running • Custom shoe fittings

Since 1981

• Expert running advice

• Everything you need for walking and running • Free group runs

16

2109 Madison Ave. Memphis, TN 38104 901-722-8797

1223 S. Germantown Pkwy.

Germantown, TN 38138 901-754-8254

Mon-Fr: 10am-6pm Sat: 10am-5pm Sun: 1pm-4pm

CALENDAR Orpheum Mulligans for Education

Golf tournament was canceled, but donate toward your mulligan and receive a dozen Titleist Pro V1 golf balls and an Orpheum Theatre Group clip-on watch with magnetic ball marker. $250. Through June 22.

THE ORPHEUM, 203 S. MAIN (525-3000).

Virtual Training & Group Fitness

YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South offers online workouts, including yoga, barre, bootcamp, exercises for active older adults, and Les Mills training. Visit website to join. Free. Ongoing.

YMCAMEMPHIS.ORG.

M E ETI N G S

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.

KIDS

Free Childcare for Essential Workers

Register until 8 p.m. the day before the child attends.

For kids 5-12 years old. Ongoing, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

YMCA OF MEMPHIS & THE MID-SOUTH, 6373 N. QUAIL HOLLOW (888-293-0284), YMCAMEMPHIS.ORG.

S P EC IAL EVE N TS

Crafts & Drafts: Spring Shop

The springtime version of Crafts & Drafts holiday market is now online. Featuring a curated selection of 50 of the best local crafters and artisans. Visit website, Instagram, and Facebook to view vendors. Through June 15.

MEMPHISCRAFTSANDDRAFTS.COM.

Free elementary-aged books at meal distribution sites across the city. Families picking up meals provided by the YMCA can pick up a book at the same time. Visit website for meal distribution book drive locations. Through May 31.

LITERACY MID-SOUTH, 902 S. COOPER (327-6000), LITERACYMIDSOUTH.ORG.

Live at the Garden Online Auction

Special items will be auctioned throughout the season including a Ron Olson original painting.

Visit website to participate. Ongoing.

TOGETHER WE CAN SHAPE OUR FUTURE IN MEMPHIS. COMPLETE THE CENSUS ONLINE, BY PHONE, OR BY MAIL BY JUNE 30TH. Visit 901counts.com or 2020Census.gov Dorian Spears, Momentum Nonprofit Partners — dspears@momentumnonprofit.org

LIVEATTHEGARDEN.COM.

Memphis Botanic Garden Reopens

Many of the garden’s outdoor spaces reopen to the public, with social distancing guidelines.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN, 750 CHERRY (636-4100).

Memphis Flyer Home Delivery

Have the Memphis Flyer delivered to your home bi-weekly. Call or email to subscribe. $5 per month. Ongoing.

(521-9000), MEMPHISFLYER.COM.

Visit website for fun, at-home museum offerings including The Sun, Our Living Star planetarium show, America’s Musical Journey movie, Curator’s Choice highlighting museum pieces, activities, and more. Free. Ongoing.

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

FI LM

Malco Summer Drive-In Reopens

Drive-In reopens with social distancing guidelines.

Visit website for tickets, movies offered, and more information. $20 per car. 8 p.m.

MALCO SUMMER 4 DRIVE-IN, 5310 SUMMER (681-2020).

Oxford Virtual Film Festival

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

Ongoing.

Todd’s Auction Services aquaTreasures Estate Sales

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Pink Palace Online

3449 Summer Ave, 38122 REOPEN Sales of Multi-Estate Furnishings SAT. May 30. OUTSIDE TENT AUCTION 4 pm (CALL/CHECK FB/WEB for INFO pending RAIN)

ESTATE CENTER (next door) Home Décor, Antiques. – PARK IN REAR- WEAR Mask/WASH Hands - For Your Health and Ours toddauction@gmail.com • Todd’s Auction Services • TAL 5911 aquaTreasures Estate Sales • 901-488-0640 SHOP LOCAL CHECK Facebook and website for updates • www.aquaTreasures.com

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

Literacy Mid-South’s COVID-19 Book Drive

17 aquatreasures.com

FOOD By Michael Donahue

***NOW OPEN***

BEST

Cook and Croon

Proud loser of the

MEMPHIS

AWARD

.com.

Dishing it out at

IN

A Very Tasteful Food Blog

BURGER

Couple displays their talents on Facebook Live.

for what, 30 years now?

RPT 3547 Walker 327-1471

N

ick Black and his wife, Lena, are cutting up in the kitchen.

While Nick sings, his wife chops onions and other vegetables as she prepares vegetarian dishes. In between, they joke back and forth.

When they’re not doing this in real life, the couple does it weekly on Cooking & Crooning, which airs at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays on Facebook Live.

“I love cooking,” Lena says. “I think I’m probably a good cook. Nick says I’m a great cook. I come by cooking naturally. My mom is the biggest feeder in the world. She taught me to cook and to have a stocked pantry.

“I have a lot of grains, a lot of ‘cheater’ things — boxed things, flavored rices, pastas, canned beans. Some things are better canned. Canned corn. Canned tomatoes. Some recipes you can’t do without canned tomatoes.”

Lena and Nick Black

May 28-June 3, 2020

AWARD-WINNING FOOD TRUCK & CATERING NEWWINGORDER.COM

GET ONE 2 PC DARK DINNER

FREE W/ PURCHASE OF ONE 2PC DARK DINNER & 2 MED DRINKS. WITH THIS COUPON. EXPIRES 06/30/20.

18

Dine In & Drive Thru 3571 Lamar Ave. 2520 Mt. Moriah Drive Thru / Carry Out 1217 S. Bellevue 4349 Elvis Presley 811 S. Highland 2484 Jackson Ave. 1370 Poplar Ave. • 890 Thomas NO PHOTOCOPIES ACCEPTED!

$2.50 LB

CRAWFISH

BY THE BAG STRAIGHT FROM LOUISIANA

RESERVE YOUR BAG!

BY THURSDAY BY NOON FOR THE WEEKEND

547-7997

Lena came up with the idea for the cooking/singing show when the quarantine began. Nick, a pop/soul artist who recently released his new single “IRL,” was “making it a priority to figure out different live streams and reach people. I said, ‘Hey, maybe I can help him.’”

She told him, “We can do a live stream together. You sing. I cook. We call it Cooking & Crooning. I can make interesting meals just with what we’ve got on hand, which is great for quarantine. Nick can sing songs off the top of his head.”

What goes on in Cooking & Crooning, now in its 10th week, isn’t much different from what goes on at home. “That’s life with us,” Lena says. “When I’m in the kitchen, he’s making up songs about me chopping potatoes.”

Nick demonstrates by coming up with a song on the spot: “You got a friend in me. You got a friend in me. When the road gets rough and you’re miles and miles from your nice warm bed, she’s

cooking onions. And that’s what I said.”

“I thought it would be fun every now and then if people could get a little slice of what it’s like to live with him,” Lena says.

“He makes a little song that pretty much narrates things around the house. That’s a daily phase. It can be about the most banal thing. It can be about dusting.”

Viewers sometimes suggest dishes, but everything must be vegetarian. “I’m a staunch vegetarian. And Nick is basically an at-home vegetarian. We don’t buy meat anymore. But he won’t refuse it if he goes somewhere.”

Lena made Buddha Bowls on one show. “Typically, it’s a bowl of some kind of grain,” she says. “Lots of fresh vegetables and some cooked vegetables with some sort of bean or sauce and nuts or seeds.”

She made “crabless crab cakes” on another show. “It’s made from palm hearts instead of crabmeat. And it’s delicious.”

“We had a pretty epic Cinco de Mayo episode where she made vegetarian tacos with homemade tortilla chips,” Nick says. People comment, cook along with them, and ask for song requests from Nick, who plays his originals as well as cover songs and impromptu material.

They also raise money for Edible Memphis, No Kid Hungry, and other groups.

Nick recently began live streaming Nick Black’s 30 Day Twitch Sample Challenge (twitch.tv/nickblackmusic), where he asks viewers to give him a riff, which he then uses in an original song.

Lena is Theatre Memphis’ director of education and outreach. “While she’s working, sending emails, and sending content for Theatre Memphis, I’m kind of just always around the house singing to myself,” Nick says. “I thought it was a good idea to hole myself up and channel that energy. It’s definitely helped with my musical ADD.” Cooking & Crooning usually lasts an hour and a half. “She may have a few more minutes on the dish, and I’ll do my last song and we’ll say goodnight, play the theme one more time, and put up the photo of the meal on Instagram — @lenawallaceblack — and Facebook,” Nick says.

Then what do they do? “We sit down and watch Netflix and eat,” Lena says.

“Leave the kitchen a complete disaster and come back and clean later.”

To watch the next show, find them at facebook.com/nickblackmusic.

BREWS By Richard Murff

Comeback Beer

Ghost River’s Zippin Pippin is a great de-quarantine IPA. with a hint of sinister darkness.

“Because you wear it sailing!” she said. “Where’s the menace in that?”

Now how would she have known that?

No one here is interested in exactly how I lost that particular point to Mrs. M. At any rate, Zippin Pippin is a good year-round beer — a little more amber-copper in color than what you might expect, but a fine, solid IPA. There is something almost piney in the scent, with a good citrus zing to it.

It is hoppy, but without something to prove. Having said that, what bitterness it has tends to linger on the palate.

Something lovely for the hop-heads, but come Fourth of July, should you find yourself standing around in the 98-degree heat for five hours, it might make you want to shave your tongue.

With an ABV of 6.9 percent, after a few hours, you might do it.

Inside the 1620 Madison Avenue location

Select 6 ... make your own 6-pack

ULTIMATE

CRAFT

BEER SELECTION! JUST ARRIVED!!

WISEACRE BREWING CO

SUN BUMP BELGIAN STYLE WIT BIER

7

$ 73

PLUS 10% ADDED AT CHECKOUT

Sun Bump Belgian-Style Wit is available NOW! Silky wheat and oats, peppery grains of paradise, and the zesty zest of organic Gold Nugget mandarins from Rancho del Sol are brought together in this Belgian-style beer. Refreshing, thirst-quenching and slightly tart, those who like Weissbier (which includes hefeweizens) are likely to dig it. It is similar to a hefe: a pale wheat beer with fruit and spice character.

However, wits are usually even paler, have more refreshing tartness, and sweet orange and peppery ginger spice flavors (as opposed to banana and clove in the hefe). This guy is gonna hang out with us all summer!

Like its namesake, Zippin Pippin is a classic — the comfort of the familiar with enough of a wallop to get us through this weird “are we or aren’t we” phase of the quarantine. And we’re going to need it, because re-entry is going to be tough. I mean that for all of us, not just those of us currently stress-testing the structural integrity of our pants.

As a birthday present, a friend of mine was given a highball glass with the company logo on it by his boss — you know, for a Zoom meeting cocktail.

CASHSAVER

Be a

A COST PLUS FOOD OUTLET

LOCALLY OWNED WHITEHAVEN 4049 Elvis Presley Blvd.

MIDTOWN 1620 Madison Ave.

OAKHAVEN 3237 Winchester Rd.

SOUTH MEMPHIS 1977 S. Third St.

MEMPHISCASHSAVER.COM @MADISONGROWLER

MADISONGROWLER

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

WEEKLY ADVERTISED SPECIALS ON-LINE AT MEMPHISCASHSAVER.COM OR IN-STORE

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

6pk, 12oz CAN 5.1% ABV

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

T

he beard is coming in a slightly different shade than I remember. I may have started out to look like Papa Hemingway, but after the last two months, I’ve been starting to feel more like Col. Kurtz. The city may be opening up a little, but that stint in our collective closet under the stairs has left its mark on us. It didn’t strike me how much we’ve changed over the course of the quarantine until I was leaving the grocery store the other day. A young lady, probably a college student, was about to drop her sack while wrestling with the car door. She called for her friend who was climbing in the passenger seat but, alas, she was soul-deep into some virtual drama on her phone and didn’t hear.

I went full Galahad and popped over, opening the door for her while simultaneously steadying her bag without letting go of mine. She thanked me sheepishly, and I went on my way. Which was when I caught sight of myself in the reflection of the back window: sunglasses, wild, uncut hair curling out from under a baseball cap, and I hadn’t yet pulled the red bandana down from over the rest of my face. Back in the olden days (read: March), suddenly appearing behind a lady looking like that with a bandit mask would have earned me eardrums pierced by a girly shriek and eyes full of mace in the bargain. I’d have deserved it, too. The new normal isn’t exactly normal.

What I had in my bag was a sixpack of Ghost River Brewing Co.’s Zippin Pippin IPA. I was going to pick out a far more exotic brew to review, but this was something of a comfort response; my first craft beer love was IPA. More than that, the name Zippin Pippin takes me back to a time when I had little to no concept of personal space and went around breathing on people with impunity. Perhaps these are rose-tinted memories. Even back then, I remember standing in line for my favorite roller coaster and socially distancing myself from the kid who’d shown up wearing nothing but his Spider-Man Underoos and a pair of knock-off Converse sneakers.

I got home and told Mrs. M about the encounter, and she helpfully pointed out that the baseball hat in question was from Sewanee, which is just shy of ominous. “But it’s really faded,” said I

19

TV By Chris McCoy

Interviews With Vampires Is What We Do in the Shadows the funniest show on TV?

O

in America thanks to an inexplicable NC-17 rating. But its spirit was definitely present in The Office, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s millennial BBC TV series which inspired the American mega-hit starring Steve Carell. Now, a deadpan protagonist talking to the camera about his bad behavior has become a familiar trope in TV and movies.

Flight of the Concords’ Jemaine Clement and New Zealand super-director Taika Waititi’s 2014 film What We Do in the Shadows owed a huge debt to Man Bites Dog, only instead of the mundane life of a serial killer, it “documented” a group of vampires living together as flatmates in a sleepy Wellington suburb. The film took the same slapstick attitude toward murder that made Man Bites Dog so shocking, but sanded off its arch edges by making the vamps, played by Clement and Waititi, kinda goofy in that charming New Zealand-y way.

The movie was funny, but not huge, box-office wise. But it did make the perfect setup for a postOffice sitcom. With Waititi off making projects like Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit, and a new Star Wars project, Clement took the Shadows concept to TV in 2019, moving the setting to Staten Island and introducing a new cast of bloodsuckers.

(above, l-r) Dark shadows: Berry, Demetriou, and Novak suck at being roommates; (below, l-r) Mark Proksch, Natasia Demetriou, Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, and Harvey Guillén Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak) is a 700-yearold vampire who was once the bloodthirsty king of a minor empire, kinda like Vlad the Impaler. Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) was once a Roma fortune teller who vampirized Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry), a pompous English nobleman, then married him. Those three characters are all familiar vampire types right out of Bram Stoker and Anne Rice. But the show’s secret weapon is Mark Proksch. His Colin Robinson, who wouldn’t be out of place in The Office, is an “energy vampire.” Instead of blood, he drains his victims of the will to live by telling long, boring stories. Since all self-respecting vampire stories require a Renfield, Nandor has Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) in his thrall as a familiar.

The core cast hit the ground running in season one as an already tight unit with easily relatable roomie relationships. They’re friends who chafe against the strictures of communal living. None of the centuries-old friends have really adapted well to the modern world, particularly the difficulty of acquiring virgins, which are particularly tasty treats for vampires. They mostly offload that responsibility on the put-upon Guillermo, who desperately wants to become a vampire himself.

The highlight of season one was the climax, where the roomies are brought before a council of vampires to be judged for their crimes to vampiric kind. Not only did

May 28-June 3, 2020

ne of the most quietly influential films of the last 30 years is Man Bites Dog. The 1992 film was created by three Belgians: Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, and actor Benoît Poelvoorde. The trio took the mockumentary sub-genre — which takes the tropes used by news broadcasts and documentary filmmakers and twists them to comedic ends — in a strange and disturbing new direction. Poelvoorde played a serial killer named Ben, who invites a film crew along to document his “art.” Belvaux and Bonzel play the director and cameraman who, at first, believe they are participating in a radical new form of cinema. But as Ben’s body count mounts — and includes their sound man — the filmmakers find themselves drawn deeper and deeper into Ben’s crimes.

Man Bites Dog is wickedly funny, but it was little seen

eat local HEALTHY PETS HAPPY PEOPLE At Walnut Grove Animal Clinic, we make sure

20

your loved ones are always our priority.

Full-Service, State-of-the-Art Veterinary Hospital. Pet Grooming and Boarding Facilities.

2959 Walnut Grove Road, Memphis, TN 38111 901-323-1177 • mymemphisvet.com New Expanded Hours: Mon.-Thu. 7:30a-9p Fri. 7:30a-5:30p / Sat. 8a-4p / Closed Sun.

support your community. go to memphisflyer.com for complete restaurant listings. memphis flyer | memphisflyer.com

LEGAL NOTICE • EMPLOYMENT Legal Notice

Clement and Waititi reprise their roles for the show, but they worked their showbiz connections to assemble an all-star cast of people who have played vampires in the past, from Tilda Swinton (Only Lovers Left Alive) to Wesley Snipes (Blade).

The second season, currently airing on FX, has been perfect from the get-go.

Guillermo is dealing with the revelation that he is a descendant of Dracula’s nemesis Van Helsing. His identity crisis comes to a head when he stumbles into a group of would-be vampire slayers, bringing Buffy into the parody mix. The vamps branch out into the neighborhood by attending what they believe to be an owlthemed party that turns out to be a Super Bowl gathering of dreary suburbanites.

Colin gets the best episode of the season so far when he is promoted to boss

at his office job and proceeds to become extraordinarily powerful by sucking the energy out of his hapless underlings.

The big-time cameos continue with an absolutely killer turn by Mark Hamill as Vampire Jim, an enemy from Laszlo’s past who forces our hero vamp to assume an alternate identity as Jackie Daytona, a bartender obsessed with women’s volleyball.

The combination of gothic, slapstick, and deadpan makes for fertile comedy ground, and Clement and company show no sign of exhausting it any time soon.

The scripts are sharp, the visual effects are used sparingly but effectively, and the cast is one of the best on television. The quirky, modest What We Do in the Shadows has become destination TV. What We Do in the Shadows airs on Wednesdays on FX.

Hospitality/ Restaurant

AUTO AUCTION May 27, 2020 at Willie’s Auto Body Shop 1912 Vollintine St. Memphis, TN 38107 901-502-8506 2005 PONTIAC VIBE VIN: 5Y2SL63815Z469265

RAFFERTY’S We are looking for service minded individuals, that don’t mind working hard. We work hard, but make $. Apply in the store. 505 N Gtown Pkwy

Employment

IT/COMPUTER

CLEAN AND PINK Is a upscale residential cleaning company that takes pride in their employees & the clients they serve. Providing exceptional service to all.

The application process is extensive to include a detailed drug test, physical exam, and background check. The training hours are 8am-6pm Mon-Thur.

12$-19$hr. Full time hours are Mon - Thu & rotating Fridays.

Transportation to job sites during the work day is company provided. Body cameras are a part of the work uniform.

Uniform shirts provided. Only serious candidates need apply.

Those only looking for long term employment need apply.

Cleaning is a physical job but all tools are company provided.

Send Resume to cleannpink@ msn.com COPELAND SERVICES, L.L.C. Hiring Armed State Licensed Officers/Unarmed Officers Three Shifts Available Same Day Interview 1661 International Place 901-258-5872 or 901-8183187 Interview in Professional Attire

SOFTWARE ENGINEER SYSTEMS INTEGRATION/JDE needed at American Home Shield Corporation in Memphis, TN. Must have Bach in Comp Sci, Electrical Engr, or related & 5 yrs of exp, including: Utilize Java ESB frameworks, Maven, Apache Camel, OSGI, & Apache Karaf; Develop SOAP/RESTful web service & Use of Core Java, Spring, JMS/MQ/ JDBC, & XML SOAP/CXF; Install & test application software in UNIX/ Linux operating systems; develop & execute scripts; Write & maintain application software documentation, including scope requirements, logical designs, technical designs, & testing

plans; Gather, develop, coordinate, & maintain technical documentation such as process flows, system specifications, & diagrammatic models for systems from planning phase to final implementation, assuring requirements meet acceptance standards; Conduct research & analysis into the nature, effect, & results of systems problems including root cause analysis through problem ticket resolution. Employer will accept a Master’s & 2 yrs. exp. in lieu of a Bach & 5. Email resumes to Meredith Diagostino at meredith. diagostino@frontdoorhome.com.

EOE.

Volunteer Opportunities IF YOU’RE A GOOD READER and can volunteer to do so please call 901-832-4530

Real Estate for Rent FURNISHED ROOMS Bellevue/McLemore, Airways/Lamar, Jackson/Watkins, Covington Pike.

W/D, Cable TV/Phone. 901-4850897

UNIVERSITY FLAT Security!!

Located within walking distance of U of M. Spacious 1 & 2BR apts, with great upgrades & remodeling to the flooring plans. Each apt has no less than 1000 sq ft w. W/D conn.

We value the safety of our tenants and have installed cameras throughout the apartments!!

Free 1st month’s rent w/ approved app! Under New Management!!

This newly renovated property has new flooring, freshly painted walls, updated bthrm & kit, appls, and onsite laundry.

1/2 1st month rent w/ approved app CALL 272-8658 Cell 281-4441

Call Tasha 901-281-4441 3447 Southern Ave

WOODTRAIL APARTMENTS

2BR/1.5BR $775/mo + $400 dep 1BR/1BA $675/mp + $400 dep

Studios, 1 & 2BR floor plans

PAY IT FORWARD & GET PAID Help Support Lifesaving Cures We are seeking blood and cell donors to support important medical research focused on fighting life-threatening diseases.

You can make a big difference for patients seeking new hope.

Qualified donors are compensated for their time — from $50 to several hundred dollars depending on the study.

901-252-3434

researchchampions.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT memphisflyer.com m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m CLASSIFIEDS

TV By Chris McCoy

901-575-9400 classifieds@memphisflyer.com

21 21

EMPLOYMENT • REAL ESTATE • SERVICES

901-575-9400 classifieds@memphisflyer.com Midtown Apt EVERGREEN HIST. DIST. XLG 2BR, CH/A, totally remodeled, hardwood floors, off-street parking. Quiet neighbors & pet friendly. $750/mo + $25 cc fee.

901.452.3945 MIDTOWN ROOM(S) FOR RENT furnished, fridge, microwave, wifi, utilities, A/C, bus line, $90-$125/wk + dep. 901-498-3599.

Cable included. Fridge in your room.

Cooking and free laundry privileges.

Some locations w/sec. sys. Starting at $435/mo. + dep. 901.922.9089 _____________________ SOUTH MEMPHIS 1 furnished room for mature ladies in Christian home. Nice area on bus line, near expressway. Non smoker. $400/mo, includes utilities, cooking/laundry privileges. Must be employed or retired. 901-405-5755 or 901-518-2198.

Services

Shared Housing NICE ROOMS FOR RENT 8 locations throughout Memphis.

Some close U of M. Utilities and

NEED HELP WITH FAMILY LAW? Can’t Afford a $5000 Retainer?

Low Cost Legal Services- Pay As

You Go-As low as $750-$1500Get Legal Help Now! Call 1-844821-8249 Mon-Fri 7am to 4pm PCT (AAN CAN)www.familycourtdirect. com

Massage WILLIAM BREWER Massage Therapist (Health & Wellness offer) 377-6864

Mind, Body, Spirit ALL ABOUT FEET $35-$55 Mobile foot care service, traveling to you for men & women, ages 50+. Over 25 years of experience.

Traveling hours M-F, 9a-6p. Call now 901-270-6060

Nutrition/Health HEALTH/PERSONALS/ MISCELLANEOUS: If you or a loved one were diagnosed with OVARIAN CANCER or MESOTHELIOMA after use of TALCUM products such as BABY POWDER or SHOWER TO SHOWER, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact Charles H. Johnson 1-800-535-5727 _____________________ VIAGRA & CIALIS! 60 pills for $99. 100 pills for $150.

FREE shipping. Money back guaranteed! Call Today 1-844-8795238 (AAN CAN)

Hi, I’m

SUGA R!

Sugar is just as sweet as her name!

This beautiful older gal is such a treasure. Her kind soul shines through and begs for a chance to share all the love she has to give.

Sugar would love a home of her own with a loving family.

Call Dogs2ndChance at 901-643-1175

VW • AUDI MINI•PORSCHE

German Car Experts

Specializing in VW & Audi Automobiles

Also Servicing

Mini • Porsche Factory Trained Experience Independent Prices

4907 Old Summer Rd.

G R E A T W E E K LY & M O N T H LY R A T E S

(901) 761-3443

A PA R T M E N T

(Corner of Summer & Mendenhall)

www.WolfsburgAuto.com

Call today for an appointment!

3707 Macon Rd. 272-9028 lecorealty.com M a yy 22 8 --J uJ u nn e e3 ,3 ,2 02 20 02 0

Visit us online, call, or office for free list.

22

HOUSES & DUPLEXES FOR RENT ALL AREAS

STYLE LIVING

901.245.2672

7380 Stage Rd. Bartlett, TN 38133 | www.siegelselect.com

NOW HIRING

Watco Companies, LLC - Osceola, AR Watco Companies, LLC is looking to hire for a variety of positions in Osceola, AR! These openings range from entry level labor to management positions.

Here at Watco, we offer competitive pay, industry leading benefits, and on the job, paid training.

If you are interested in a lifelong career with unlimited growth potential then visit

www.watcocompanies.com today & submit your application!

T H E L A S T W O R D b y I M A K E M A D B E AT S

Welcome to Memphis?

Memphis needs to embrace its true culture, and it’s definitely not “Party Like a Redneck.”

Memphis — the home of the redneck?

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

The “Party Like a Redneck” mug pictured on this page was the first thing I saw when I walked into the Beale Street Landing visitors center a couple of years ago. I was with my good friend Victoria, and we were checking out the location with hopes of possibly doing a large event in the area.

I saw it, laughed, walked away, and had to come back and take a picture of it. I couldn’t believe that this was the first object people saw as they walked into the visitors center.

I then looked around the room, to see what else was there — specifically looking to see what kind of representation black people had in this room. … You know, the visitors center for a city that’s almost 70 percent black and historically has been made internationally famous thanks to the artistic creations and contributions of black people.

What did I see in that visitors center? A whole bunch of Elvis. There was an image of B.B. King behind the counter, and a few other items were on display with the images of blues/soul singers from the ’60s/’70s — black entertainers holding guitars, saxophones, etc. But what I was really looking for was the proportional representation to how black this city is. Was there something relating to black culture similar to whatever “party like a redneck” is to white culture?

Then I thought to myself, “You’ve spent 30-plus years in Memphis. Have you ever run up on a ‘redneck’ party?”

Nah. Memphis is so black, where would something like that happen in this city? Maybe slightly on the outskirts, or in Mississippi, for sure. But in the heart of Memphis, where are these “redneck” parties happening? And if they are happening, are they happening so much that a reference to them is literally the first thing you see — available for purchase to remember Memphis by in the visitors center?

Then I had to consider that maybe these “redneck” parties do happen, and I’m just too black to be invited? Maybe. Maybe not.

I looked up “redneck.” I wanted to be sure. Here’s what I found: Redneck, an uneducated white farm laborer, especially from the South. A working-class white person, especially a politically reactionary one from a rural area. “Rednecks in the high, cheap seats stomped their feet and hooted.”

I had no idea this city was deep enough in the people those definitions refer to to make a reference to them the first thing you see at the Beale Street Landing visitors center. This cup (variable A) and it being in this visitors center (variable B), where it was in the center (variable X), and the proportion of the representation of African Americans in that room (variable Y). … It’s what I see over and over again in this city. In this story, it’s a cup and a visitors center. In other stories, it may be who gets chosen to do a show at the Levitt Shell; just replace the variables.

People’s favorite word to throw around now is “equity.” It’s the world’s new and trendy way to “confront the issues.”

This city has an identity issue. A big one. I’ve never been in a city with a bigger identity issue. It’s an issue that finds its arguments not just in race, but also in generations. Meanwhile, other cities and communities value the parts of their identity that either get suppressed or ignored here and have built whole economies off of them. And we wonder why this city has a problem retaining its talent — keeping young and brilliant people here to help build it.

I tell people all the time: Your home ain’t gotta be pretty for you to want to stay and make it better, but first, you gotta believe it’s your home. It has to feel like your ideas are supported and you and your people are accurately represented and have a chance of success.

Seeing “Party Like a Redneck” mugs in the visitors center doesn’t sound like a city ready to embrace its culture of mostly black people doing black things. It sounds like a city that doesn’t want you to know it’s full of black people doing black things that aren’t the blues. We love the blues, but we’ve done a lot since the days of the blues.

There was a guy who’d asked us to check out that location.

When he checked back in to see what we thought of the place, he said he’d heard all about that cup and wanted to apologize for it.

I respected that, but it shouldn’t take me pointing this out. How tiresome it is to be the guy who’s gotta point this shit out. Over and over. It’s exhausting AF. PS: I didn’t get to discuss how the word “redneck” is offensive in itself. All definitions consider it “derogatory.” That’s worth its own conversation, for sure. I just wanted to point out that you walk into black-ass Memphis and there’s a cup that says “party like working white people from rural areas. Welcome to Memphis” as soon as you walk in.

IMAKEMADBEATS is a producer, engineer, and founder of Unapologetic.

THE LAST WORD

IMAKEMADBEATS

So we’re venting, huh? Let’s start with a quote.

“Memphis has always been willfully ignorant of the transcendent artists walking its streets, willfully negligent of the African-American culture that produced them.” — Robert Gordon

23

YOUNGAVENUEDELI.COM

6/4: Tech N9ne w/ Jelly Roll 6/10: Mike and the Moonpies 6/19: Brian Culbertson 7/18: Jupiter Coyote 7/23: Read Southall 8/27: American Aquarium

2119 Young Ave • 278-0034

Inside Dining Now Open Following Strict Safety Guidelines Full Menu - Beer - Wine - Booze ToGo Delivery 10am - 10pm Takeout & Curbside Pickup Available.

Call 901-278-0034 - Support Local

MORE EVENTS AT MINGLEWOODHALL.COM

CURBSIDE PICKUP TUE thru FRI 11A‑2P a 4‑9P SAT 1‑9P | SUN 11A‑9P See Menus online at CELTICCROSSINGMEMPHIS.COM. BYOGROWLER TO TAKE HOME BEER! GUINNESS CANS ALSO AVAILABLE. CALL 901‑274‑5151 TO ORDER BROUGHT TO YOUR CAR UPON ARRIVAL

MEMPHIS MADE BREWING CO.

TapThurs Room Hours: & Fri 4-10 p.m., Sat 1-10 p.m., Sun 1-7 p.m.

768 S. Cooper * 901.207.5343 Taproom is open every day 4-7 p.m. for to-go beers only.

AUGUST 29th at Tiger Lane $5000.00 Grand Prize www.worldwingfest.com

Cheers! We can now deliver some delicious alcoholic drinks right to your door alongside your to-go meal or have them available for curbside pickup! Don’t want to leave the house, that’s okay - twobrokebartenders.com will be happy to deliver it to you.

You may also buy gift card for all locations online.

We are going to make it through this together.

Benefiting Ronald McDonald House

Charities of Memphis

ALL ABOUT FEET $35-$55

ENJ Address: 320 Monroe Ave • Entrance on Floyd Alley • Park in Stop345 Lot on Madison • West of Danny Thomas • 901.730.0290 • Take Sally to the Alley..

GONER RECORDS Visit Us Online At Goner-Records.Com Local Pickup Available (901) 722-0095

OY YOUR

FAVORITE

IRISH DISHES

*TEAM CLEAN*

All natural cleaning for your home • office • studio environment Contact Candace @ 901-262-6610 or teamcleanmemphis@gmail.com

FROM THE COMFORT OF HOME. VISIT CELTICCROSSINGMEMPHIS.COM FOR SPECIAL CURBSIDE PICKUP MENU

CALL 901-274-5151 TO PLACE YOUR ORDER ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES

Mobile foot care service, traveling to you for men & women, ages 50+.

Over 25 years of experience. Traveling hours M-F, 9a-6p.

Call now 901-270-6060

BROUGHT TO YOUR CAR UPON ARRIVAL

21,000 sq ft. 100 + booths • 5855 Summer Ave. (corner of Summer and Sycamore View ) exit 12 off I‑40 | 901.213.9343 Mon‑Sat 10a‑6p | Sun 1p‑6p

Coco & Lola’s MidTown Lingerie

30-40-50% OFF SPRING SALE

We are following all safety guidelines for your next visit ! SPRING STOREWIDE SALE !

Be safe Memphis ! We  You SERVING ALL SIZE DIVAS SMALL - 4X

Follow us on

IG/FB/TW @cocoandlolas

Memphis’ Top Lingerie Shop 710 S. Cox|901-425-5912|Mon-Sat 11:30-7

WE BUY RECORDS 45’S, 78’S, LP’S

Don’t “give them away” at a yard sale We Pay More Than Anyone Large Quantities No Problem Also Buying Old Windup Phonographs Call Paul 901-435-6668

$CASH 4 JUNK CARS$

Non‑Operating Cars, No Title Needed.

901-691-2687

IRISH PUB & RESTAURANT 903 S. COOPER

|

274-5151

|

C E LT I C C R O S S I N G M E M P H I S . C O M

We offer a variety of products. Find our brand at: Foozie in Clark Tower, Blue Suede Do’s iBank building, South Main Hemp at 364 S. Front, Two Rivers Bookstore at 2172 Young Ave, and Oothones at 410 N Cleveland St. Find our skin care at Southern Leaf Hemp, Co at 4721 Poplar Ave. simplyhemp.shop 901443-7157