Memphis Flyer - 7.20.23

Enjoy live music throughout the casino

and savor amazing dining from our incredible restaurants. Starting at 3pm, get your wristband with a matching tag to drop in the drawing drum. Five guests every hour from 4:30pm to 9:30pm win $100 in cash! Prize doubles to $200 with your Lucky North® Club card, or triples to $300 if you have points on your card. One lucky guest at 10:30pm wins $10,000 cash or $15,000 with Lucky North® Club card—$25,000 with points on the card!

SHARA CLARK

Editor

SAMUEL X. CICCI

Managing Editor

JACKSON BAKER, BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN

Senior Editors

TOBY SELLS

Associate Editor

KAILYNN JOHNSON

News Reporter

CHRIS MCCOY

Film and TV Editor

ALEX GREENE

Music Editor

MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS

Staff Writers

ABIGAIL MORICI

Arts and Culture Editor

GENE GARD, EMILY GUENTHER, COCO JUNE, FRANK MURTAUGH

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KENNETH NEILL

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BEASLEY

If you follow this column, you might recall that in early June I embarked on a month-long Midtown staycation/house-sitting adventure. As of this writing, I’ve been back at my own home for 11 days, but — this being the staycation issue and all — I gured I’d o er a brief and nal follow-up of my time away. You may remember me writing in this space about how I rst had to work up the courage to pick up a chicken from her nesting box, or how the following week, one of the hens decided to show me she was boss by literally pecking me into my place in the pecking order.

I had no prior knowledge of tending to chickens (but plenty of knowledge of chicken tenders, heh) and was in for a learning experience. By the last day, though, I considered myself a bit of an expert hen handler. My at- rst broody friend Pancake and I wound up becoming best buds. Some evenings, instead of going to the coop at dusk with the rest of the ock, she’d pace around the window sill, eyeballing me as if to ask, “Can I come inside with you instead?” She couldn’t, of course, so I’d go out and pluck her gently from the sill and lead her to her friends, where they’d be locked in safe and sound for the night. As part of our last goodbye, I picked her up, for no particular reason other than I could, and held her against my hip, lovingly stroking her peachy blonde feathers as she cooed in contented response.

e “mean” one, Geli, and I became friends, too — as long as I came out with cold cucumber or grapes every once in a while, she was cool — and there were no further pecking incidents.

I took several videos of our morning ritual, wherein I’d come around the corner from the back porch, the hens gathered impatiently at the coop door awaiting release (and breakfast). I propped the phone up on a ledge to capture footage of my rst reluctant attempts at picking up a chicken (it’s embarrassing, really, so those are reserved for my viewing only). And I have an absurd number of pictures of hens grazing, chilling in my lap, dust bathing, or window sitting. With the surplus of eggs I found myself with, I baked my rst quiche — with broccoli and cheese and the freshest eggs imaginable. I really miss the girls (and I even joined a Facebook group called Midtown Chicken People and have pondered adopting a ock of my own; more on that later, maybe). In that month, I learned a lot about chickens, and myself — just me and ve hens (and two skittish cats) in a big ol‘ empty house not ve miles from my own.

I’m accustomed to my neighborhood walks near U of M, but the Midtown strolls were lovely in a di erent way. Busier streets, lively local venues and restaurants — the whole area teeming with energy. I popped over to trivia night at Slider Inn one evening; another, I walked to dinner at Hattie B’s. One late a ernoon, I followed the sound of live music to a gathering in a church parking lot nearby. Some days, I’d venture out aimlessly, just soaking it all in. Ultimately, I spent that time in a Memphis I wasn’t so familiar with — not from that vantage point, at least. An enjoyable staycation all around.

Of course, you all likely won’t have an opportunity to house-sit and care for hens as I did. But I think our “Stay & Play” cover feature may give you some inspiration to enjoy our city in ways you might not have before — from free art and tourist attractions, to an international food tour, to live music, to sports events, to a night on the town, to tending your own garden with an assist from local horticultural experts. Even if you’re a lifelong Memphian, there’s a lot to discover beyond your own four walls, if you’re willing to get out and give it a try.

While I’ve bid adieu to the chicken at the window, more facets of Memphis await on the other side of that particular summer staycation. I hope you’ll join me in exploring those parts that draw people here, year a er year.

Shara Clark shara@memphis yer.com

PHOTO: SHARA CLARK “Open the clucking window right now.”

Questions, Answers + Attitude

Edited by Toby Sells

{WEEK THAT WAS

By Flyer staff

Memphis on the internet.

WHO TO FOLLOW

A Threat, Hate Crimes, & Trans

Lawsuits promised a er discrimination ruling, a new DOJ unit, and more laws expected.

AG THREATENS COMPANIES ON DISCRIMINATION

is Is Memphis is loud, proud, and pretty funny over on Instagram. It’s a mash-up of memes, ads, and great stu from local photographers. Just peep the Elvis chicken on Beale Street above. And this amazing shot down Poplar by @roseberrypictures.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti threatened legal action against a host of Fortune 100 CEOs last week if they refuse to “refrain from discriminating on the basis of race, whether under the label of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ or otherwise.” is letter was in response to the United States Supreme Court’s ruling against a rmative action and was signed by 12 other attorneys general.

“ e court’s reasoning means that companies, no matter their motivation, cannot treat people differently based on the color of their skin,” reads the letter sent to the CEOs.

Explicit racial quotas and preferences in hiring, recruiting, retention, promoting, and advancement fall under “discriminatory practices,” the letter says. It also calls out companies such as Goldman Sachs, Apple, and Microso for adopting “race-based practices.”

“If your company previously resorted to racial preferences or naked quotas to o set its bigotry, that discriminatory path is now de nitively closed,” the letter says. “Your company must overcome its underlying bias and treat all employees, all applicants, and all contractors equally, without regard for race.”

Oh, and there’s this (not quite) haiku from a recent IG post. “*siren wails* Is it a tornado?

A hurricane?

No. It’s 3:30 on a Wednesday.”

WHO ELSE TO FOLLOW

If companies do not cease to “continue treating people di erently because of the color of their skin,” Skrmetti has promised that they will be held accountable.

NEW MEMPHIS DOJ UNIT

Hate crimes, civil rights violations, and domestic terrorism are the focus of a new U.S. Department of Justice unit in Memphis.

Last week, United States Attorney Kevin Ritz announced the creation of the new, permanent National Security and Civil Rights Unit. A supervising attorney and several prosecutors will “respond to and prevent hate crimes and civil rights violations, as well as threats to national security.”

“None of us can afford for federal investigators and prosecutors to take a passive role when it comes to protecting the rights guaranteed by the Constitution,” Ritz said in a statement.

MORE ANTI-TRANS LAWS EXPECTED

affirming care] more difficult for adults,” said Chris Sanders, executive director of TEP and the Tennessee Equality Project Foundation.

EXPERTS DISPEL GAMBLING MEME

Tennessee gambling experts dispelled a myth spread by a viral meme last week that they say contains “potentially harmful information about gambling odds.”

Experts from the Tennessee Institute for Gambling Education and Research (TIGER) explained that the meme, which features the cast of e Sopranos around a poker table, states, “Fact: 90% of gambling addicts quit right before they’re about to hit it big.”

is Is Memphis turned us on to Slowdown Dry Goods on IG. Look no further for some dank Memphis memes like the one above that says, “I peed next to Drake in the Young Ave Deli communal urinal.”

The Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) expects ongoing attacks on adult gender-affirming care in the next legislative session.

is prediction comes days a er the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Tennessee’s law that bans doctors from administering gender-a rming care to minors.

“Not content to ban it for youth, I think the legislature will probably explore ways to make it [gender-

“The circulating meme and the study it references are entirely fabricated and lack any evidence to support their claims,” said James Whelan, professor and director of TIGER.

TIGER treats gambling disorders and has in-person clinics at the University of Memphis and East Tennessee State University.

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

PHOTO BY @ROSEBERRYPICTURES/POSTED TO INSTAGRAM BY @THIS_IS_MEMPHIS

PHOTO BY @DEEPCITYVISUALS/POSTED TO INSTAGRAM BY @THIS_IS_MEMPHIS

POSTED TO INSTAGRAM BY @SLOWDOWNDRYGOODS

Experts warn the meme above includes a false statistic and poses “a potential risk to individuals a ected by gambling addiction.”

PREVENT OPIOID OVERDOSE CARRY NARCAN

{STATE WATCH

By Toby Sells

Get on Board

Report: Connecting Tennessee cities by rail would improve mobility, drive economic growth.

Astate panel recommends building a rail service to connect Tennessee’s major cities and says a line from Nashville to Chattanooga to Atlanta should be first.

Details of the service and how the state might construct it are outlined in a new report issued by the Tennessee Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR), a state group that examines complex policy questions and how government bodies work together. The Tennessee General Assembly asked the group to study the feasibility of an inter-city rail service last year.

The 139-page report says rail service across the state could “help increase connectivity and facilitate tourism and other economic development initiatives in Tennessee.” TACIR said that state officials should submit their findings to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

The agency is already reviewing applications for rail lines submitted by the cities of Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta. TACIR recommended that the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) submit its report to support the application.

making excuses and say ‘yes’ to passenger rail in Tennessee.”

TACIR said the top priority for rail service in Tennessee should be a line that connects Nashville and Atlanta through Chattanooga. The Southeast Corridor Commission estimated that a Nashville to Atlanta route could potentially produce a total economic output of $18.2 billion, the report says.

That route could support over 17,000 jobs, TACIR said, “but the potential economic benefits of any given passenger rail service go beyond direct investment.” It opens people and communities up for business, leisure, and tourism. The Nashville-to-Atlanta route could produce time savings for passengers up to $1.8 million per year.

The report said the second priority for rail service here would be a route to connect Memphis and Nashville. TACIR ranked it second because of population size.

“The route would connect Tennessee’s two largest cities, and connecting areas with large populations is often a key to success for passenger rail projects, although neither of these cities has as many people as Atlanta,” reads the report.

Tennessee Democrats urged Governor Bill Lee to do so quickly, saying that “passenger rail has tremendous potential to improve mobility and grow the state’s economy,” and that federal funds for rail planning are available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan.

“This informative report confirms what we rail advocates have been saying for years,” House Democratic Caucus Chair Representative John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) said in a statement. “Toll lanes and wider roadways are not feasible stand-alone solutions to our transportation woes.

“We have a tremendous opportunity here to improve Tennesseans’ quality of life by connecting our cities, growing local economies, and easing traffic congestion along some of our busiest corridors.

“The bottom line is that Amtrak wants to be here, and the federal government has the funds to help us. It is time for the Lee administration to stop

But the route would give Nashville (and other cities along the route) a connection to Memphis’ Amtrak service, which runs from Chicago to New Orleans, the report said. Freight volumes on existing lines from Memphis to Nashville are lower than other cities. Also, the route lacks “geographic barriers” of other proposed lines, apparently meaning the lack of hills and mountains would make it easier to build.

The report also suggests that TDOT create a department for rail services to oversee planning and manage any future projects. Representative Jason Powell (D-Nashville) sponsored legislation that would have created a department of mass transit at TDOT, but the bill was delayed to next year’s session.

Powell sponsored the legislation that directed TACIR to study rail in Tennessee. He said, “Tennesseans want to get on board with a robust passenger rail network in our state. When you look at the existing Amtrak routes across the United States, there is a gaping void across Tennessee.”

The study said creating a rail service in Tennessee would cost millions of dollars and take at least a decade to complete, adding that dedicated bus routes to connect the state’s cities could be done much sooner and would alleviate some traffic problems and promote travel.

POLITICS By Jackson Baker

Anatomy of a Poll

Several polls of varying reliability have been circulated so far on the subject of the 2023 Memphis mayor’s race. e latest one surfaced last week in the form of an online video released by ex-Memphian Josh omas, now a Nashville consultant working on behalf of the mayoral race of Memphis City Councilman Frank Colvett Jr.

e results of that poll, available for examination on Colvett’s Facebook page, are somewhat startling and out of sync with several other surveys conducted earlier by avowedly neutral sources.

e new poll shows former Mayor Willie Herenton leading with 17 percent approval from those polled and Colvett, along with Downtown Memphis Commission CEO Paul Young, tied for second, with no other results indicated for any other candidates.

In previously circulated polls, Colvett had been buried in the single digits along with several other also-rans. To be sure, candidate Young, generally acknowledged these days to have a strong and possibly surging campaign, had also been in the lower digits in those early polls. And Herenton’s numbers are consistent with those reported for him elsewhere.

On the street, Colvett’s reported numbers were greeted with a fair amount of skepticism. Can they be taken seriously? No ancillary information (number surveyed, breakdown of sample, etc.) was released with the poll, which, says omas in the video, was taken on July 6th and 7th. e poll was administered by Cygnal, a company described by omas as “the most accurate private pollster in the country.”

How private? e company says of itself: “Cygnal serves GOP campaigns, committees, caucuses, and center-right public a airs issue e orts with forward-thinking polling, analytics & targeting.” at would tie in with Colvett’s known prominence in local Republican circles. Indeed, it is generally acknowledged that his starter base is heavily Republican, and the questions have

been: Can he hold that base, which is a distinct minority of the whole? And can he, as a political moderate, expand on it?

According to omas, those surveyed were asked, quite simply: “If the election were held today, who would you vote for?”

But a key acknowledgement by omas is that the question was asked a er those surveyed were given “biographies” of the various candidates.

Anyone familiar with political polling would be inclined to associate that procedure with what is called a “push poll” — one which builds a desired outcome into the very form of the questioning. e idea is simple: e better the “biography,” the better the poll numbers. And the skimpier or less positive the bio, the lower would be the numbers.

If the poll is to be taken seriously, its meta-message is obvious. Just as former Mayor Herenton has an impressively locked-in base of support, there also is known to be a signi cant number of voters who, for fair reasons or foul, have a built-in resistance to the prospect of Herenton’s returning to power.

e Cygnal poll results imply rather directly that, if it’s Herenton you fear, Frank Colvett could be your man. Colvett himself, known to be fair-minded, and, as previously indicated, moderate, would never venture a sentiment like that directly.

PHOTO: CITY OF MEMPHIS Frank Colvett Jr.

A new survey reported by mayoral candidate Frank Colvett’s campaign may have a meta-message.

Facts and Feelings

The choice between a Roth and a traditional retirement account is one of the most common dilemmas in nancial planning. As you probably know, both types of accounts grow taxdeferred. e di erence is that contributions to traditional IRAs or 401(k)s may reduce your income tax due today. For Roth accounts there’s no upfront tax bene t, but then withdrawals in retirement are generally tax-exempt.

e typical “correct” answer is that the decision between a traditional and a Roth IRA comes down to the relationship between your tax rate now and your tax rate in retirement. is seems counterintuitive, as it feels like paying taxes on the large eventual balance you’ll have in your retirement account would be much worse than paying a little bit of tax now on today’s smaller contributions.

e math does work, however, because the assumption is that you’ll have less to invest in your Roth because you have to pay taxes before you can invest.

you’d lean toward a Roth. If you’re expecting a lower tax rate in retirement, you’d likely prefer a traditional contribution.

e math above is accurate, but for most people that’s not how it works. Very few people think in terms of allocating a certain amount of income to investment and netting out the taxes as necessary (as shown above). A more common plan would be to simply pick a dollar amount, then choose between a traditional IRA or a Roth. All else equal, putting $5,000 (or any xed amount) in a Roth is likely going to result in more money for you in retirement than putting the same amount into a traditional IRA. at’s because these two hypothetical accounts funded identically will end up with the exact same balance at retirement, but tax would be due on the traditional IRA (while the Roth money would be available to you tax-exempt).

If you made a traditional contribution with the $5,000, you wouldn’t be thinking that you should invest the extra tax savings from funding your traditional IRA — you’d probably splurge on something with your slightly larger tax return next year. If you funded the Roth with $5,000, you’d likely eat out a little less over the year (or otherwise tighten your belt) to make up the di erence (probably without noticing), functionally giving up a little consumption today to avoid taxes in the future.

Here’s a hypothetical example: Imagine a world where everyone pays a at 20 percent income tax rate, now and forever, and your investments today will exactly double between now and retirement.

If you have $5,000 of income today that you want to invest in a traditional IRA, you’ll invest all $5,000 today, and it will double. If you pull that money out at retirement, you’ll start with $10,000, but a er 20 percent in taxes you’ll end up with a net of $8,000 available to you.

If you have $5,000 of income today that you want to invest in a Roth account, you’ll get no tax bene t today. at means you only have $4,000 to start with a er paying the 20 percent tax this year. If you withdraw these funds upon retirement, your money will have doubled and you’ll have $8,000 tax-exempt, which is exactly the same outcome as the traditional IRA example above.

You can see that if you think your tax bracket will end up higher in retirement,

Ultimately, the decision to fund a Roth is a little bit like a choice to prepay taxes. A Roth might be the “wrong” choice if you end up with very low taxable income in retirement, but on the other hand, I don’t know anyone who has ever had big tax problems in retirement from overfunding their Roth! A Roth might not be the optimal nancial choice, but, depending on your situation, there can be intangibles (such as peace of mind) that can eclipse the hard numbers on paper.

You and your advisor are fortunate to have taxable, traditional and Roth options available. Together you can combine the facts with your personality to make the decision that allows you to feel con dent — and stay invested — on the path toward a secure nancial future.

Gene Gard, CFA, CFP, CFT-I, is a Partner and Private Wealth Manager with Creative Planning. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest Registered Investment Advisory rms providing comprehensive wealth management services to ensure all elements of a client’s nancial life are working together, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. For more information or to request a free, no-obligation consultation, visit CreativePlanning.com.

In 1998, we started Independent Bank with a simple goal—to serve our customers heroically. We always knew at the end of the day, this business was not about us, it was all about you.

As we celebrate 25 years of serving heroically, we are proud to be the largest Memphis-headquartered community bank. You have been our priority as we grew, your goals have been our goals, and you are the reason for our success.

So, here’s to you! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be part of your business and personal dreams. Thank you for trusting us with your financial needs, and giving us the opportunity to grow alongside you.

We truly couldn’t have done it without you!

Your friends at i-bank

i-bankonline.com

Roth vs. traditional IRAs.

PHOTO: TOWFIQU BARBHUIYA | UNSPLASH

couldn’t have done it without you.

StayPlay!&

COVER STORY

By Flyer Staff

It sure feels like summer! e hot, humid days have moved in with full force, but that doesn’t scare us. Yet as we all sit inside next to our struggling AC units, it’s easy to forget all the cool things going on in Memphis. e city attracted more than 11 million visitors last year, and for good reason: Memphis is a place people want to see. So get outside and re-familiarize yourself with all the great places and people that make Blu City unique. Whether it’s restaurants, museums, or a night out on the town, there are plenty of reasons why here at home remains a great option for remaining summer plans.

Free Art and M eums

A staycation saves money, right? Save even more with these free attractions.

• e Dixon Gallery & Gardens is free through the end of 2024 with 2,000 objects in its collection and a glorious spread of botanic brilliance.

• e Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is free Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon, and also for family-oriented Community Day events.

• e National Civil Rights Museum is free for Tennessee residents with state-issued ID Mondays from 3 p.m. until closing.

• e Stax Museum of American Soul Music is free for kids 6 and under.

FOREGO THE TRAVELING AND PLAN SOME BLUFF CITY STAYCATION FUN.

Shelby County residents with ID get in free on Tuesdays from 1 to 5 p.m. And it’s free for everyone from 1 to 5 p.m. on Family Day, the second Saturday of each month.

• e Memphis Zoo is free for wee ones under 2 years old. Tennessee residents get in free on Tuesdays from 2 p.m. to close.

• e Art Museum of the University of Memphis is always free.

• Access to the Metal Museum grounds, including its sculpture garden and gi shop, is always free.

• Walking and driving tours of Elmwood Cemetery are free, and it’s pretty quiet as well.

As always, you should check with the venues rst before you go. And as you visit these places, you might be tempted to buy a membership. Go ahead. Find the level that works for you and enjoy it year-round. —

Jon W. Sparks

Hit e Town

A night at home curled up under a blanket to watch a movie or read a book is probably my ideal night. In fact, I’d say it’s so ideal that I do that practically every night, but, apparently, it’s good to shake things up a little every now and then. So this homebody did just that and dragged herself out of bed for a night out on the town. Sure, it was for a writing assignment, but I

got out of the bed and that’s a start.

With a friend in tow, the night started at Bardog Tavern for dinner and drinks. I ordered something with rum that our server recommended — couldn’t really tell you what else was in it because I heard the word “rum” and that was enough for me. Turns out the name of the drink is James’ Cock, and I sucked it down like a CocaCola, so do with that what you will.

A er that we headed to Blind Bear, a speakeasy I’d never heard about before, mostly because I rarely leave the house a er 7 p.m. en it was time for the Flying Saucer and, like, Beale and stu . (I had a bit to drink at this point.) I think we headed to Paula & Raiford’s Disco a er, waited in line for about 10 minutes, and then gave up and ordered a Ly . But, yeah, it was nice to shake things up a bit for a bit of a “staycation,” but the best part was being able to fall asleep in my own bed.

— Abigail Morici

Be a T r t F a Day

More than 11 million people came to Memphis on vacation — on vacation! — last year. at’s roughly the population of Belgium. Why?! e crime! e heat!

e potholes!

Daily Memphians might miss the mystique of the city’s cultural treasure trove that draws all those tourists each year. e Pyramid’s funny. Barbecue is routine. Beale is for tourists. Don’t get us started on Graceland.

But if you’re staycating this year, try (at least) vacating your house or your neighborhood. Go nd out what makes Memphis a destination. Go reconnect with that everyday magic. Do it all while staying within your staycation budget, too.

Here’s a brief list of classic (and free!) tourist spots to hit for your Memphis staycation:

• Graceland — Brag that you’ve never been? Go. See what you think. Free walk-up admission to the Meditation Garden daily.

• Beale Street — Go for the peoplewatching. Stay for the music and a Big Ass Beer. Are your feet 10 feet o ?

PHOTOS: COURTESY MEMPHIS ZOO ere’s plenty of summer and animal fun to be had at the Memphis Zoo.

• Big River Crossing — A one-of-akind walk with Insta-worthy views of the river and the city. Free daily.

• Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid — Fish pond, gator pit, and massive aquarium? Check. e place is a tourist magnet for a reason. Free daily.

— Toby Sells

Be a Homebody

Staycate means staycate. No need to go guring out car trips to some semi-distant place or to rush out to some favorite or fetchingly rumored juke joint in the evenings just because you’ve got some spare time.

Stay home. Sleep late. Alternatively, get up early in the morning when it’s still cool enough and take long walks on your property or in your neighborhood.

Give yourself at least one good substantial grocery visit. en put it to use. Cook something new, for yourself or guests. And back in that fridge somewhere is an item you bought backaways with some purpose in mind you haven’t got to yet. Do it now before the food goes bad.

Fix up that spare room you’ve been using as a warehouse space. Change those worn-out bulbs. Take care of those overlooked potted plants. ey’re thirstier than you are!

You bought those books. Now read them. Ditto with those magazines that are lying around. Forget about social media for a while. If you’ve got to turn on the computer, then use it to catch up on news

you missed.

Look at yourself in the mirror and take inventory. I don’t need to tell you that you’ll see something that needs changing. Change it. Or at least start the process.

For a little while, everything is in your hands. Enjoy the fact. —

Jackson Baker

The Memph Internati al R taurant T r

Eating out at a great restaurant is my favorite thing to do on a vacation.

Eating out at a great restaurant is also my favorite thing to do on a staycation.

You can experience other countries by staying home and visiting Memphis restaurants that specialize in various types of food from across the globe. Sort of “Around the World in 901 Days.” Maybe choose cuisine from a particular country each day of your staycation. Some places serve lunch, which usually is cheaper. And if you don’t know what to order at these places, ask your servers what they’d recommend. Here are some restaurant ideas:

• Tamboli’s Pasta & Pizza (Italian), 1761 Madison Avenue

• Pantà Memphis (Catalan), 2146 Monroe Avenue

• Mosa Asian Bistro (Asian fusion), 850 South White Station Road

• Las Tortugas (Mexican), 1215 South Germantown Road, and Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana, 6300 Poplar Avenue No. 115

• El Sabor Latino (Colombian), 665 Avon Road

• India Palace (Indian), 1720 Poplar Avenue

• Bala’s Bistro (African), 4571 Elvis Presley Boulevard

• Casablanca Restaurant (Moroccan), 5030 Poplar Avenue No. 7 and 1707 Madison Avenue No. 103

• Sabor Caribe (Venezuelan), 662 Madison Avenue

• Tuyen’s Asian Bistro (Vietnamese), 288 North Cleveland Street

• Sakura Japanese Restaurant (Japanese), 4840 Poplar Avenue and 2060 West Street in Germantown

• Wang’s Mandarin House (Chinese), 6065 Park Avenue

Taking a trip around town to try exotic food is less expensive than airfare to exotic places. Not to mention lodging. You can go home to your own bed. And you don’t have to worry about passports.

— Michael Donahue

A Night at e She

ere are a lot of places to see live music in Memphis: the Beale Street club packed with tourists, the Orpheum eatre’s Gilded Age grandeur, the Green Room’s intimate sounds. But the best place in Memphis for a night of music is the Overton Park Shell.

Built in 1936 as a Works Progress Administration project designed to help workers during the Great Depression, it is one of a handful of band shells from that era still standing.

I was recently reminded of how lucky we are to have a place like the Shell when I saw PreauXX play there on July 1st. It was one of the super hot days we’ve been having this year, so I was expecting to be uncomfortable, at least until well a er the sun had set. But the towering trees of Overton Park provided enough shade that a steady breeze made it quite pleasant, especially a er a couple of days spent indoors hiding from the heat. We found a spot near the front of the stage and set up our camp chairs next to a young mom corralling her toddler.

My wife LJ stayed with the chairs as I checked out the food trucks, which were parked next to the new, greatly improved bar facilities.

We were chowing down on some barbecue tacos when PreauXX hit the stage, backed by his friends from the Unapologetic crew. e young mother was joined by her partner, and, a er ignoring the music in favor of rolling on the lawn, the toddler threw his energy into dancing. (Really, it was more of a body-wide twitch, but he was trying his best.) When AWFM joined in for “Slide,” folks were streaming down the hill to do the title dance. is stage has hosted everyone from Elvis to Seun Kuti and Egypt 80, but for this night, PreauXX was the king. — Chris McCoy

Drag Shows at e Atomic R e

anks to the phenomenon known as RuPaul’s Drag Race, we’re able to appreciate the art of drag without leaving our homes. And while watching hours of Snatch Game makes for the perfect staycation activity, so does supporting your local drag performers and artists.

Voted as the number-one best drag bar in the South by Time Out, Atomic Rose is the top destination for your staycation entertainment x. e club recently went viral, at the height of Tennessee’s anti-drag controversy, when local drag queen and activist Bella DuBalle informed the audience of the severity of the bill and what it meant for the drag community. But the clip that circulated around TikTok only gave viewers a tidbit of the magic the nightclub possesses.

DuBalle is known as Slade Kyle outside of drag and says one of the things that makes the club so special is that it is a true melting pot, inclusive in multiple ways encompassing all genders, races, and sexuality. is diversity is showcased in one of their most iconic events known as the “War Of e Roses,” which Kyle describes as an eight-week drag competition, featuring a large and diverse pool of performers.

And if you happen to swing by a er War season, the club also o ers Friday and Saturday shows, as well as a drag brunch on Sunday. Friday and Saturday shows

continued on page 12

PHOTO: JACKSON BAKER

Homebody starter kit

PHOTO: CHRIS MCCOY

PreauXX at the Shell

start at 10:30 p.m., and Sunday brunch service starts at 11 a.m., with the show starting at 12:30 p.m. — Kailynn Johnson SPORTS!

We can never get enough Grizz action at the FedExForum. But they’re out of season (unless you’ve made the pilgrimage to the Las Vegas Summer League to watch Kenny Lo on Jr. hoop). Luckily, there’s another pleasant Downtown destination to get your x of ’ball. AutoZone Park is home to the Redbirds and 901 FC, but it’s sometimes apparent that Memphians

take the stadium for granted, evidenced by the quite noticeable number of empty seats during baseball and soccer games. It’s still hot outside, but an a ernoon or night out at the ballpark is an excellent way to shake up a routine and try out a new experience in town.

Even if you’re not into sports all that much, there are plenty of additional perks that come tacked on to a game. A personal favorite of mine is an all-you-can-eat series at Redbirds games, which, for just a few extra bucks, gets you a pass into a roped-o section that provides drinks, snacks, hot dogs, and an endless supply of the featured entrée (anything from brisket, to nachos, to my personal favorite: hot wings).

Other enticements include specialty nights for $1 hot dogs or $2 beers. And when those nights line up, oh man. Kicking back with a few brews in what can either be a pleasant or a raucous atmosphere, depending on the matchup, is a reliable recipe for a fun night out. And if there’s a reworks show a erward, well, all the better. Don’t sleep on it, Memphians!

— Samuel X. Cicci

Tend Y r Garden

If you time your work hours right and stay hydrated, summer gardening can be a breeze — and yield delicious rewards. Why else would the University of Tennessee’s Institute of Agriculture host its Summer Celebration of ag workshops and activities in Jackson only last week? e summer means heat to some, but for others it’s known as peak growing season. While that might sound dangerously like work, once your garden is up and running, tending it can be the perfect break from both screen time and chair time.

Early mornings can be sublime even in July, especially with an eyeful of blooms and fruits of the vine. It’s also a good time to water those roots before the blazing sun can bake the water droplets o the leaves. And yet, assuming you’ve done your homework and have a little mulched, irrigated, squirrel-protected paradise outside your door, there’s still

more awaiting the horticultural staycationer: a world of garden clubs and nonpro ts to liven up the typically solitary pursuit of the perfect bloom.

You don’t have to be a master of the pursuit to join the Memphis Area Master Gardeners, and it can be a great way to learn from expert volunteers who o er classes, working closely with the local UT extension service. ere are also longestablished neighborhood garden clubs, like the Cooper-Young Garden Club with their annual garden walk, and even community gardens if you prefer your plant-tending to be more sociable. Check out memphiscitybeautiful.org for a registry of every community garden in the city.

— Alex Greene

PHOTO: ALEX GREENE Take a break from the screen and tend your garden.

AT LARGE By Bruce VanWyngarden

The Pander Posse

GOP attorneys general take action to affirm they are nuts.

Right-wing radio host, election denier, and rabid Trumper Charlie Kirk said last week that MSNBC host Joy Reid, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and former First Lady Michelle Obama “used affirmative action” because they “do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously, so they had to steal a white person’s slot.”

This racist and misogynistic statement was part of Kirk’s response to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that Harvard University and the University of North Carolina could no longer use affirmative action or any other race-based criteria in their admissions policies.

Did SCOTUS rule thusly because racism doesn’t exist any longer? (Maybe they don’t listen to Charlie Kirk.) Or because people of color are no longer discriminated against in the United States? Or because economic and educational opportunities are no longer intrinsically more difficult for minorities to attain? Or because white supremacist media stars with millions of listeners and viewers have ceased to exist?

Or did the Supreme Court rule against affirmative action because it has become a bought-and-sold verdict factory for the Republican Party’s troglodyte wing? I’m going with the latter, but that’s just me.

Not missing an opportunity to get some media attention, Tennessee’s noisy GOP attorney general, Jonathan Skrmetti, immediately jumped on the “reverse racism” bandwagon, along with GOP attorneys general from Kansas, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Montana, Kentucky, and West Virginia. This pander posse proudly announced that they’d sent a letter to each of the country’s Fortune 100 CEOs warning them not to try any of that nefarious DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) stuff in their states, by God.

Here’s the money shot from the letter: “The Supreme Court’s recent decision should place every employer and contractor on notice of the illegality of racial quotas and race-based preferences in employment and contracting practices. As Attorneys General, it is incumbent upon us to remind all entities operating within our respective jurisdictions of the binding nature of American anti-discrimination laws. If your company previously resorted to racial preferences or naked quotas to offset its bigotry, that discriminatory path is now definitively closed.”

In other words, “You bigoted compa-

nies better not try any of that ‘woke’ stuff in our state or we’ll see you in court!” Ron DeSantis would be proud. These 13 gasbags are pursuing the same economically suicidal policies that caused Florida’s largest employer (The Walt Disney Company) to drop plans for a nearly $1 billion corporate campus in Orlando that would have brought 2,000 high-paying jobs to the state. DeSantis’ anti-woke crusade has also resulted in the cancellation of several major conventions and conferences, a “brain drain” of the state’s scientists and teachers, and a drop in tourism. ‘Woke’ isn’t going to die in DeSantis’ Florida,” wrote the editorial board of the Miami Herald. “It’s just taking its dollars elsewhere.”

Tennessee, it should be noted, is headquarters to two Fortune 100 companies: FedEx and HCA Healthcare. Both corporations have active DEI programs. Google “DEI FedEx,” if you doubt it. I guess this means General “Stonewall” Skrmetti is about to absolutely, positively come down on them hard, right?

Tennessee is also home to facilities for several other companies on the Fortune 100 list, including Nike, Sysco, State Farm, Lowe’s, The Home Depot, and, not least, Ford, which is in the process of constructing a $5.6 billion plant in Western Tennessee to build EV pickup trucks.

Just for fun, here’s Ford’s DEI statement from its corporate website: “For more than a century, Ford has been a pioneer in providing opportunity to people regardless of race, gender, ability, sexual orientation and background. We view this less with pride than the sober realization that we must go further to create a company where our differences are truly valued and every team member can bring their whole selves to work. Creating a culture of belonging isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s also the smart thing. Diversity breeds innovation and the companies that attract the most talented and diverse workforce will succeed in our rapidly changing world. We are family. We celebrate our differences. We all belong.”

What kind of snowflakey bilge is that? Built Ford Tough? Really? It’s clear these woke assholes need to straighten up or get the heck out of Tennessee. Your move, General.

The Supreme Court has become a bought-andsold verdict factory for the Republican Party’s troglodyte wing.

steppin’ out Intermission

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

By Abigail Morici

To an outsider, banking doesn’t seem like the kind of profession to inspire bursts of creativity, but for Phyllis Dixon, that’s how she found her passion for writing ction. “In a way, it was kind of similar [to my job],” she says, “because one of the things I did was write exam reports, which is the story of the bank and the story of what was going on. We also wrote synopses of some of the borrowers, so you would have to tell their story, too. So it’s kind of the same thing as far as, you know, analyzing a situation and being able to distill that into a story to let people know what’s going on.”

“I traveled a lot [for my job],” Dixon adds. “And so I spent a lot of time in hotels and airports and things like that. Some of the things that people do to kind of pass the time — some people drink, some people knit, some people fool around. And I just stayed in my room and wrote down stories that were swinging around in my head.”

By 2013, Dixon self-published her rst novel, Forty Acres, to be followed in 2016 by her second book, Down Home Blues. When Covid hit, she began her third book: Intermission is most recent novel revolves around four women, who were once part of a 1990s girl group on the brink of stardom before breaking up. At the telling of the story, they reunite for a second shot at success, each of them facing a di erent crisis in her personal life. What follows, the author explains, is a story of forgiveness and reconciliation — and, as it so happens, a story that occurs mostly in Memphis.

“ e idea came to me many years ago,” Dixon says, “and I just always thought about it, even pushed it to the side and wrote another book before coming back to this idea, and then during the Covid lockdown, I told myself, ‘No distractions, no excuses, no slacking.’ I was just determined. And I said, ‘I’m gonna try and get an agent.’ And I sent out a lot, a lot, a lot of queries. And those stars aligned, and here we are today: I was able to get an agent and a traditional publisher [Kensington Publishing].

“Really,” she continues, “I just want to entertain people. ere’s so much going on — so much divisiveness and trauma and tragedy and global warming and all this bad stu going on. I just want to entertain, tell people a good story, and kind of take their mind o all the bad stu .”

is Tuesday, Dixon will celebrate the launch of Intermission at Novel with a book-signing and discussion. “I just invite people to come by, and even if they don’t come buy my book — it’ll be available [at the] library — I’d appreciate their support because even with my rst two books, Memphis has been very supportive. And I appreciate it.”

Sake Expo

Salt | Soy, ursday, July 20, 5-8 p.m., $70

Get ready to indulge in the largest sake expo in the city! Over 40 bottles of sake will be poured alongside a sushi bar and yakitori stations to showcase the incredible depth and range they o er!

Great Wines is partnering with Salt | Soy to bring together the best sake experts from all over for an unforgettable tasting experience. Sip on a huge variety of sake styles and learn about artistry and science behind them from the experts themselves. is is the perfect opportunity to discover your new favorite sake and meet like-minded enthusiasts. Don’t miss out on this unique and exciting event!

e Crosstown Arts Film Series presents: Female Trouble

Crosstown eater, ursday, July 20, 7-9 p.m., $5 Glamor has never been more grotesque than in Female Trouble, which injects the Hollywood melodrama with anarchic decadence. Divine, director John Waters’ larger-thanlife muse, engulfs the screen with charisma as Dawn Davenport, the living embodiment of the lm’s lurid mantra, “Crime is beauty,” who progresses from a teenage nightmare hell-bent on getting cha-cha heels for Christmas to a fame monster whose egomaniacal impulses land her in the electric chair.

e Crosstown Arts Film Series showcases a diverse collection of independent, international, historically signi cant, artistic, experimental, cult, underground, and documentary features.

MidSouth Monster: e Dark Side of the Rainbow Black Lodge, Sunday, July 23, 6 p.m., $10-$15

MidSouth Monster is an alternative drag pageant that celebrates strange, unique, and absurd perspectives. is is the rst o cial preliminary in the South for the National Monster Xtreme, wherein competitors will go head to head in order to be crowned e MidSouth Monster.

e winner will not only become the new regional titleholder, but also receive a $500 cash prize, alongside a crown, sash, and their travel, lodge, and entry fee paid for in order to compete at the national pageant this November 10th-12th.

e rst alternate will receive a cash prize of $100, and their travel, lodge, and entry fee paid to also compete in the National Pageant.

PHYLLIS R. DIXON: INTERMISSION BOOK LAUNCH, NOVEL, TUESDAY, JULY 25, 6 P.M.

Dixon describes her novel as “Dreamgirls meets Waiting to Exhale.”

MUSIC By Alex Greene

Memphis in Manhattan

Looking out the window onto Broadway, Booker T. Jones seemed to be seeing New York on both that day of July 12, 2023, and the many days past when he frequented the area around Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. “I would walk right through here,” he reminisced, speaking of his earliest trips to the city with the M.G.’s. “Our agent was on 57th. … We would stay at the Essex Hotel and walk past here on the way to Atlantic Records over on Broadway. And it made me question my age because I thought I remembered them building this Lincoln Center here, but I wouldn’t be that old,” he added with a wink and a grin. “I don’t think so.”

love to interview him, and then it just kind of spiraled from there. But the date that we decided on was today, and Tom couldn’t be here.” Asking around for suggested interviewers during a visit to WYXR, Daughtry landed on Boyd, who’s interviewed Jones before at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. And WYXR’s program manager rose to the occasion, his rapport with Jones only ampli ed by the fact that Boyd’s mother and Jones shared a piano teacher, Elmertha Cole.

Once the interview was locked in, Daughtry says, “Lincoln Center is the one that said, ‘Why don’t we get the Stax Music Academy [SMA] to come up and play?’ And my mind just exploded!”

With the interview and SMA performance as a centerpiece of Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City series, other Memphocentric events materialized.

e night before, renowned songwriter Greg Cartwright, host of WYXR’s Strange Mysterious Sounds, played a quiet but powerful acoustic set at Union Pool in Brooklyn, accompanied by longtime Reigning Sound keyboardist Dave Amels on harmonium.

Truth be told, the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, where a packed house had gathered to hear WYXR’s own Jared “Jay B” Boyd interview Jones, had not even been built then. Jones’ memory was correct, however — the rst building on the Lincoln Center campus opened in 1962, the same year that Booker T. & the M.G.’s became a household name with the hit “Green Onions.” Now, over 60 years later, Lincoln Center was hosting Booker T. Jones: A Career Retrospective to a rapt New York audience.

Yet there were more gripping things in store that day than hearing the world’s most famous organist’s stories, for the forum was a continuation of a multifaceted series of events dubbed City Soul on the Move, three days in July when Memphis held Manhattan in the palm of its hand.

It began, as so many things do, with Tom Hanks. e actor and director is passionate about his music and, it turns out, his radio. Rock ‘n’ Soul Ichiban, with DJ Debbie Daughtry on WFMU, was a longtime favorite of Hanks’, and when Daughtry launched her own internet station, Boss Radio 66 on the Tune In app, he became a DJ for the station himself.

“He’s a huge fan of Booker T.,” Daughtry says of Hanks. “He said that he would

e stripped-down arrangements only made Cartwright’s songs more powerful, whether they were old recorded favorites like “Reptile Style” or the more subtle songs Cartwright has been writing recently. His encore solo performance of “She’s the Boss,” dedicated to the late Rachel Nagy of the Detroit Cobras, brought the house down. Meanwhile, that same night, Boyd was featured in a lively DJ set at BierWax NYC.

Shortly a er Wednesday’s interview, Cartwright and Daughtry played DJ onstage in the Lincoln Center plaza as an audience gathered, several hundred strong, bursting with expatriate Memphians. When the show began, the SMA students handled themselves with a striking professionalism, especially when Jones sat down behind the organ and led the SMA Rhythm Section through some classic M.G.’s numbers. As the students played their parts with precision and passion, backing both Jones and charismatic SMA singers Pasley ompson, Nicholas Dickerson, Rachael Walker, Khaylah Jones, and Joi Stubbs, Jones looked them over with an unmistakable wonder, the words he’d shared with Boyd earlier still echoing: “Right now I’m full of joy. I was moved by the music and the rehearsal. … ey played so well. ey didn’t play the music exactly like we did. ey put their own twist to it. But it felt so good.”

PHOTO: CHRIS M. JUNIOR Booker T. Jones plays piano with SMA students in NYC.

WYXR, Stax Music Academy, and Booker T. Jones do their city proud.

CALENDAR of EVENTS: July 20 - 26

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com.

DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENT LISTINGS, VISIT EVENTS. MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.

ART HAPPENINGS

Crosstown Arts Resident Artist Talks

The presenters will include: Melissa Leandro, Taylor Crawford, Melanie Manos, artbully, and MengCheng Collective — Neena Wang, Lili Nacht, Yidan Zeng, and Thandi Cai. Free.

Thursday, July 20, 6 p.m.

THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS

COMEDY

Michael Palascak

Michael’s likability allows him to relate to his audiences in a real way which sets up the huge laughs he gets from his sharp, personal material. $20-$25. Thursday, July 20, 7 p.m.

HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY

COMMUNITY

Open Gardens: Pick Your Own Veggies

Pick vegetables at Davies Manor’s teaching gardens for free. Thursday, July 20, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

DAVIES MANOR HISTORIC SITE

Seed Library Summer Action Series:

Feeding the Community Together

Learn ways to give back to your community, reduce food waste, and feed hungry people!

Saturday, July 22, 2-3:30 p.m.

BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY

Senior Health Fair

Local seniors can enjoy 60+ community vendors with a myriad of healthcare resources,

Crossword

wellness information, and free health screenings. Friday, July 21, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY

EXPO/SALES

Jolly in July at Lightfoot Farm Shop 12+ local vendors and start on your Christmas shopping! Saturday, July 22, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

LIGHTFOOT FARM

FESTIVAL

Back to School Bash and Supply

Giveaway

Seedco presents a family-friendly event at East

Edited by Will Shortz No. 0101

Parkway Pavilion. Learn about resources and stop for some community fun. Free backpacks for the first 100 attendees; must have ID (limit two per family). Saturday, July 22, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

OVERTON PARK

Klondike Smokey City MEMFIX

Culture & Legacy Festival

This festival will include a history trail, a film screening, a beer garden, live entertainment, a petting zoo, games, and more. Saturday, July 22, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

JACKSON AVENUE AT N. WATKINS STREET

Raleigh Love Day Festival

Free school supplies, entertainment, food trucks, and more. Wednesday, July 26, 4-8 p.m. FOR THE KINGDOM

FILM

Female Trouble

Glamor has never been more grotesque than in Female Trouble, which injects the Hollywood melodrama with anarchic decadence. $5. Thursday, July 20, 7-9 p.m.

CROSSTOWN THEATER

Ghostbusters

Bring a picnic and enjoy a film on the library patio. Thursday, July 20, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

COSSITT LIBRARY

Picks & Flicks - Amazing Grace

A night of drinks and games with the opportunity to see a great film and MoSH’s newest exhibitions. $15/movie and games, $28/movie and exhibit, $23/exhibit and games. Saturday, July 22, 6-8:30 p.m.

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY

FOOD AND DRINK

Sake Expo at Salt | Soy

Great Wines is partnering with Salt | Soy to bring together the best sake experts from all over for an unforgettable tasting experience. $70. Thursday, July 20, 5-8 p.m.

SALT | SOY

PERFORMING ARTS

A Gay Ole Christmas

Join the Mystic Krewe of Pegasus Memphis for a Gay Ole Christmas, with multiple performers, a live auction, and raffles, and even Santa Claus is coming for a visit! $10. Sunday, July 23, 3-6 p.m.

DRU’S PLACE

MidSouth Monster: The Dark Side of the Rainbow

The first alternative drag pageant in the South! Sunday, July 23, 6 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

SPECIAL EVENTS

Cooper-Young Plant Swap

Bring cuttings and any other plant starts you’d like to share and go home with a new little plant baby. Tuesday, July 25, 6 p.m.

COOPER-YOUNG COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

Fairy Garden Planting Party (21+)

Put together your own unique fairy garden! Bring your own drinks and snacks to enjoy while you’re creating. Advance registration is required. Friday, July 21, 6:30-8 p.m.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Memphis Armored Fight Club!

Hear ye, hear ye, come one, come all! Memphis Armored Fight Club returns to Lodge! Saturday, July 22, 6-9 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

SPORTS

Memphis 901 FC vs. Orange County Saturday, July 22, 7:30 p.m.

AUTOZONE PARK

THEATER

Don’t Hydroplane

Don’t Hydroplane follows a family as they navigate the difficult task of finding a final resting place for their loved one. Through July 23.

THEATREWORKS

PHOTO: JIN YANG

The MengCheng Collective will present their artist talk at Crosstown Arts on Thursday.

PUZZLE

GARY CEE

Don’t Hydroplane

e eatreWorks production is a comedic yet real look at grief.

The intimate play, Don’t Hydroplane, written by Bryan Curtis, held its world premiere at eatreWorks @ the Square on July 7th. Like almost any opening night, the production stuttered a few times, but the heartfelt performances from the cast made this show one worth seeing. Curtis’ script quietly highlights how families navigate grief and, less quietly, how grief can be pushed aside by societal customs and matters of practicality.

can relate to how much we all need to laugh as a family.” Much of the comedic relief within the main familial unit of the show comes from Jesse Woodard, played by Cary Vaughn. Jesse is a showboat and has been doted upon to such a degree that he carries in every movement the self assurance of being adored. Alternatively, his sister, Laura Leigh, played by Lena Wallace-Black, seems to be somewhat of a black sheep of the family, not that she appears to mind in the slightest. Vaughn and Wallace-Black artfully balance the tone of a sibling rivalry, yet it’s a rivalry without animosity. Every brother/sister scene carries with it the warmth of familiarity.

Much of the play is composed of simple conversations, with the occasional heightened emotional outburst providing levels of both hilarity and very real depictions of the many facets of grief. ese moments li the play out of what could be an occasionally contrived slice-of-life piece and bring it into the territory of something more poignant.

Jones’ performance as Annagram is quiet and unassuming — much like the character herself — until the nal act, where both the character and actor suddenly come alive in a burst of color. Annagram nally makes her stand, insisting, “I do care,” and Jones’ delivery of this pivotal moment was awlessly executed.

Martha Jones plays Annagram Woodard, the more reserved of two sisters who have just lost their mother. e other sister, Betty Queen Petty (o en referred to as “BQ”), played by Sally Stover, is a woman people in the South might refer to as a “pistol.” She has a lot to say and expects everyone around her to be ready to listen. e play opens with the two sisters meeting at the local funeral home, where the eccentric and loquacious funeral director Karry Matlock, played by Curtis C. Jackson, explains — eventually — that there is an issue with their mother’s burial. ere’s no room for her in her originally planned plot.

Most of the play centers around this con ict: Where should Annagram and BQ lay their mother to rest? e actual dilemma lies under the surface: Annagram is a people-pleaser and BQ is a bulldozer. Don’t Hydroplane follows their struggle to unpack decades of entrenched family dynamics and drama while also trying to solve a problem with no clear-cut solution.

Director Cleavon Meabon IV said in a statement, “Don’t Hydroplane is a family piece. It’s a comedy, but it’s comedy alongside drama, and I think we all

Don’t Hydroplane is a play that almost everyone should be able to relate to. Grief a ects us all, and part of becoming an adult is realizing that mundane things like wills and funeral arrangements will insist on being taken care of even in the midst of the incredulity of loss.

Many of the characters portrayed in this show feel like people the average rural resident will recognize. e neighborhood busybody, or your high school English teacher’s wife, or even your obstinate family member who insists they’re “nothin’ if not open-minded.” e normality of the characters is balanced by the interchangeable Creek Chorus, who frequently switch between side characters in another element of comedy that breaks up the tension of the heavy subject matter.

e nal note is thankfully one of peace. ere is catharsis for anyone who has experienced loss, and the simple joy of seeing death and grieving tackled in an upli ing manner. Meabon said, “I really want people to walk away with a sense of comfort.” is hope comes through in the overall spirit of the performance. Don’t Hydroplane runs through July 23rd at eatreWorks.

PHOTO: D’ANGELO CONNELL PHOTOGRAPHY Don’t Hydroplane explores mundanity in the wake of tragedy.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your deep psyche will soon well up with extra creativity and fertility. I hope you will eagerly tap into these gifts. You should assume that you will be more imaginative and ingenious than usual. You will have an enhanced ability to solve problems with vigor and flair. In what areas of your life would you love to gently erupt with a burst of reinvention? Which of your habits might benefit from being cheerfully disrupted? Give yourself permission to change whatever bores you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): My teacher Paul Foster Case said the color yellow is midway between warm, exciting red and cool, calming blue. “Yellow has an equilibrating influence,” he wrote. “It stimulates the finer functions of the brain, is of assistance in developing alertness and discrimination, and helps to establish emotional balance.” According to my astrological analysis, Taurus, you should emphasize this hue in the coming days. If you call on yellow to help strengthen the qualities Case describes, you will place yourself in sweet alignment with cosmic rhythms.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Because I enjoy joking with you, I am slightly tempted right now to give you one of the following nicknames: Fidgety, Twitch, Jittery, Quivers, or Shakes. But I will take a more serious tack. Let’s instead see if we can influence you to slow down, stabilize your rhythm, get really steady and secure, and stand strong in your foundational power spot. Would you consider adopting any of the following nicknames? Anchor, Unshakable, Sturdy, Rock Solid, Staunch, Steadfast, Resolute.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo theologian Bernard McGinn defines mysticism as “the consciousness of the immediate presence of God.” In other words, people having a mystic experience are filled with a visceral sensation of the divine intelligence. It’s not just an idea or concept; it’s a deeply felt communion infused with intimate tenderness. You Leos will be more likely than usual to have such contact in the coming weeks — if you want it. If you don’t want it, or don’t believe it’s real, or don’t think it’s possible, well, then, you can of course resist it. But why not give it a whirl? There’s nothing to lose, and it could be fun.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Here’s a parable for you. Once upon a time, there was a woman who could read the future in the night sky. She regarded the planets and stars as her divine informants. On one moonless evening, she took a walk down a dirt road near her home. It was so dark she could barely see two feet ahead of her. Oops! She should have brought a flashlight. Lost in wonder,

she gazed up at the heavenly bodies, watching and listening for revelations they might have for her. Then one of the lights, the planet Saturn, whispered, “Stop and look down, friend.” The woman turned her eyes from the sky to the ground just in time to find she was two strides away from stepping into a deep, muddy hole. What’s the moral of the tale? Here are some possibilities: 1. Sometimes the heights provide useful information about the depths. 2. Soaring visions may help you tune in to practical details. 3. To become aware of important facts you’ve overlooked in your daily rhythm, consult your higher mind.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): A Libran writer I know received many rejection notices when he launched his career. I was amazed at how undaunted he was. In fact, he was the opposite of undaunted. He taped copies of his rejection notices to his bedroom wall. Seeing the evidence of his failures motivated him. It drove him to improve his writing and churn out even more articles. It fueled his search for a wider array of publications that might host his work. During the fourth year of this approach, luck and fate turned in his favor. Within the next eight months, 12 of his pieces appeared in print. My muses tell me, Libra, that you need to hear this story right now.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The cartoon character Bart Simpson is one of the stars of The Simpsons animated TV show. According to him, “Life is a paradox. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.” While that principle may sometimes be true, I believe you will be exempt from it in the coming weeks. In fact, I suspect you will be as free as it’s possible for a human to be of grueling contradictions, frustrating oppositions, clashing truths, and paralyzing contraries. There’s a good chance you will also outwit and avoid annoying incongruities and silly arguments. Congratulations in advance, Scorpio! Take full advantage of this phase of simple clarity.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The dragon has appeared in the myths and legends of many cultures. Europe, China, and Mesoamerica are just a few places where the fire-breathing flying reptiles have fascinated the human imagination. In some traditions, they are dangerous and predatory. In China, though, they have been harbingers of good fortune and symbols of great power. Emperors claimed the dragon as their special emblem. In assigning the dragon to be your soul creature, Sagittarius, I am drawing from Chinese lore. What would you like to accomplish that would benefit from you having access to fierce, dynamic, indomitable energy? Call on the dragon for help and power.

CANCER

(June 21-July 22):

The sometimes overly clever author Oscar Wilde said, “When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers.” I reject that warped view of reality and assure you it will have no bearing on your life in the coming weeks. If you formulate your prayers with care and discernment, they will lead you to rewards, not problems. Maybe not the exact rewards you imagined, but still close to your hopes and helpful in the next chapter of your life story. (PS: No sloppy, lazy, careless prayers, please. Be precise and clear.)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “There is a world of people who will love you for who you are,” writes author Cheryl Strayed. “A whole, vibrant, fucked-up, happy, conflicted, joyous, and depressed mass of people.” In the coming months, one of your prime tasks is to specialize in communing with these folks. Make it your intention to surround yourself more and more with interesting, imperfect, ever-changing life-lovers who appreciate you for exactly who you are — and who inspire you to grow more and more into the full idiosyncratic glory of your authentic self.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): What psychic or prophet is most popular with alist celebrities? I can assure you it’s not me. Few of my millions of readers are worldfamous. What about the planet’s most scientifically accurate astrologer? Who might that be? It ain’t me. I don’t regard astrology as a science, and I mistrust those who say it is. In my view, astrology is a mythopoetic language and psychospiritual system that nurtures our souls and helps liberate us from our conditioning. We shouldn’t try to get “scientifically accurate” information from it. Now I encourage you to do what I just did, Aquarius. Have fun telling people who you are not, what you don’t believe in, and which goals you aren’t interested in pursuing.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): To come up with your astrological reports, I study the positions of the sun, moon, and planets in relation to your sign. That’s the technical part of the work, the framework within which I unleash my intuition and imagination. To augment this work, I meditate and pray, asking higher powers to guide me in providing useful information for you. I often consult books written by my favorite astrology writers. (Currently reading Steven Forrest’s The Elements Series.) I also ask my deep mind to slip me info that might not be accounted for by traditional factors. How about you, Pisces? How do you do the work that you love and care about? Now is a good time to take inventory and make necessary adjustments.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY By Rob Brezsny

FOOD By Michael Donahue

On a Roll

Tuyen Le makes egg rolls and new friends at Tuyen’s Asian Bistro.

For someone who once hated to cook, Tuyen (pronounced “Twin”) Le is doing an awfully good job at her restaurant, Tuyen’s Asian Bistro.

e Vietnamese restaurant at 288 North Cleveland was packed on a recent Wednesday evening. People were ordering items, including her popular egg rolls and tofu lemongrass, from her extensive menu.

ese were two of the popular items at her family’s old restaurant, Saigon Le, which closed eight years ago. Le, who does the cooking at Tuyen’s Asian Bistro, was a server, not a cook, at Saigon Le, which was at 51 North Cleveland.

And Le was a notorious server. “I used to be the mean one,” she says. “I’m the nice one now.”

together until later when the restaurant went down eight years ago.”

Notable Saigon Le customers included Woody Harrelson, Cybill Shepherd, and Je Buckley from MTV. “Nobody else in town had the little-bitty egg roll wrapped in lettuce and the sauce like Saigon Le.”

About four years ago, Le opened another restaurant, “New Orleans Seafood,” at the Tuyen’s Asian Bistro address. She served crab legs, lobster, and other items. “No Asian food.”

e ingredients she needed to make the type food at Saigon Le make became more expensive, she says. “A er Covid, everything went up. I don’t have the money like I used to.”

People wanted Saigon Le back, so about a year ago, Le opened Tuyen’s Asian Bistro. “I spent $50,000. I bought a new air conditioner. I have to x the oor. Get the gas stove.”

She narrowed her menu to just Vietnamese food instead of the additional Chinese cuisine she served at Saigon Le. e new restaurant is “very tiny. Only 10 tables.”

But the Saigon Le favorites are making customers happy. Tofu lemongrass is “lemongrass and the seasoning, garlic.” e noodle bowl is “house noodle bowl with egg roll, real pork.” Yellow egg noodles with wonton soup is another popular item. “I’ve got the full menu. I’ve got fried kimchi, shrimp on a stick. I’ve got lotus salad and seaweed salad.”

Le uses “fresh ingredients. I cook with fresh garlic, fresh sesame oil. I don’t use anything frozen or canned food.”

Her mother did all the cooking when Le was growing up in Vietnam. “Just home-cooking meals. Vietnamese traditional food like hot-and-sour cat sh soup. Homemade stu .”

But when her family moved to Memphis, both of her parents had to go to work. And Le, who was about 15 at the time, had to do the cooking for the family because her mother told her to. “She said, ‘You need to cook this. You need to cook that.’ She just bossed me around. But I never liked it. She just forced me to do it.”

Le got a cosmetology license and was working at Regis Salon when her mother opened Saigon Le in 1992. Her sister, who also is named Tuyen (pronounced “Ting”) Le, and their sister-in-law worked with their mom at the restaurant. “ ey used to ght. Mama called me back. ‘Can you help?’”

Le thought she was only going to be there one day. “I stuck with her for 30-something years. We all worked

And, she adds, “I got all the customers back.”

She admits she had a gambling addiction when she was at Saigon Le. And that was evident when she was at the restaurant. She didn’t like being a server, but her mother forced her to be one, she says.

“You can’t say no to Mama. Just do what you have to do.”

Le wasn’t “mean, mean, mean” to customers. “I didn’t throw the food at them. You give the customers food, but you don’t care how they eat, how they feel.”

She changed a er she substituted cooking for gambling 10 years ago. “I didn’t know I was good at it until everything I cooked turned out to be good.”

Instead of playing blackjack, Le is now cooking, serving, or greeting people at the door at Tuyen’s Asian Bistro. Her attitude toward her customers is a lot di erent than what it was at Saigon Le, she says. “Just love them and treat them nice like family. All the customers are family.”

PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE e Le sisters

FILM By Chris McCoy

Tom Cruise, Running

It’s Tom vs. the machines in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Last summer, the movie business had been all but pronounced dead. Conventional wisdom said that audiences, locked out of theaters by the Covid pandemic (remember that?), were now permanently captured by streamers. en Top Gun: Maverick roared into wide release to the tune of $1.5 billion, and by the end of the year, Paramount had reversed course, proclaiming that the studio would only produce lms intended for theatrical release.

e rest of 2022 and 2023 have turned out to be fairly average years, box-o cewise. Numbers are down from 2019, which was a banner year thanks to Avengers: Endgame, but nothing like the catastrophe of 2021. en, there were the twin failures of Ant-Man and e Wasp: Quantumania, which lost Marvel/Disney $120 million, and the $200-million bath Warner Bros. took on e Flash, which may end up being the biggest box o ce op of all time.

en, on May 2nd, the Writers Guild of America went on strike against the

studios, and last week, the Screen Actors Guild joined them on the picket lines. Now, the doom and gloom is back in Tinseltown. e problem that the last few months has exposed is this: e alleged break-even point for a lm like e Flash is $600 million. (I say “alleged” because “Hollywood accounting” is synonymous with “lying.”) is is not a business model; it’s a gambling addiction. And none of it is the fault of the writers who are paid a pittance by the ailing gamblers, or the actors, most of whom don’t earn the $27,000 a year necessary to qualify for SAG’s health insurance.

Enter Tom Cruise and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. Director Christopher McQuarrie and the returning Impossible Mission Force had their budget and schedule blown by Covid delays, but promised a big on-screen payo . ey delivered on that promise.

e lm’s dense, fast-moving cold open harkens back to the franchise’s roots as a Cold War-era spy series. e Sevastopol, a Russian nuclear submarine testing out a new AI-powered stealth system, is dis-

covered and red upon by an American sub. When they return re, the American sub is revealed to be a WarGamesstyle computer mirage, and their own torpedo turns against them. Meanwhile, back in Washington, CIA Director Kittridge (Henry Czerny, returning) is brie ng DNI Denlinger (Cary Elwes) on the Entity, a cyberweapon that achieved sentience and escaped into the wilds of the internet a er sinking the Sevastopol. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise, running) is dispatched to retrieve a key that may be the key to controlling the rogue AI. But Hunt and IMF ops Benji (Simon Pegg) and Luther (Ving Rhames, sitting) have other ideas. Burned by six lms’ worth of betrayal and disavowal at the hands of their bosses, they decide that no one can be trusted with the Entity’s power, and vow to destroy it.

MI represents both the good and the bad of Hollywood in 2023. It is a $295-million lm in a 25-year-old franchise built around an aging movie star and an intellectual property whose origin few remember. But unlike butt-ugly CGI fests

Run, Tom Cruise, run! Run he does in Dead Reckoning Part One.

like e Flash and Quantumania, all that money is on the screen. Yes, there’s CGI in MI, but that’s really Tom Cruise jumping a motorcycle o a cli in the Alps. When the climax pays tribute to e General, they really drive a locomotive o a real bridge, just like Buster Keaton. Yes, it’s too long (geez, this is only part one?), but the story is clear and the editing brisk. Unlike too many big-budget gambles, I never felt bored and ripped o . Plus, Tom Cruise ghting an AI in the middle of a strike triggered by a threat to replace actors and writers with AI is just too perfect. I’m rooting for Cruise.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Now playing Multiple locations

Our critic picks the best films in theaters.

Barbie

Margot Robbie stars as the fantastic plastic doll upon whom generations of girls have projected their fantasies of perfection. With Ryan Gosling as the relentlessly positive Ken; an ensemble cast including America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Dua Lipa, Kingsley Ben-Adir, and the great Rhea Perlman; and Little Women director Greta Gerwig, this promises to be something more than toysploitation.

Oppenheimer

Cillian Murphy stars as physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, in Christopher Nolan’s historical epic. Come for the cast of

A-listers playing historical figures — Matt Damon as General Leslie Groves, Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, Kenneth Branagh as Niels Bohr. Stay for the biggest boom of all. Pair it with Barbie for the most perverse double feature in cinema history: The Barbenheimer.

Cobweb

Is Barbie too pink and Oppenheimer to explode-y? Cobweb is a slow-burn horror whose screenplay has been gathering buzz in Hollywood for years. Woody Norman (the kid from C’mon C’mon) stars as Peter, a kid with an overactive imagination whose dreams reveal that his family (mother Lizzy Caplan and father Antony Starr) lives in a haunted house. Will anyone believe him before it’s too late? I’m guessing no.

NOW PLAYING By Chris McCoy

All parties holding a claim on this vehicle should email torrianheath113@gmail.com.

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Listening to Oppenheimer

Seven decades later, the future of humanity remains at stake.

A mere 55 years a er his death, the U.S. government has restored J. Robert Oppenheimer’s security clearance, which the Atomic Energy Commission had taken away from him in 1954, declaring him to be not simply a communist but, in all likelihood, a Soviet spy.

Oppenheimer, of course, is the father of the atomic bomb. He led the Manhattan Project during World War II, which birthed Little Boy and Fat Man, the bombs we dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, killing several hundred thousand people and ending the war. What happened next, however, was the Cold War, and suddenly commies — our former allies — were the personi cation of evil, and they were everywhere. e American government, in its in nite wisdom, knew it had no choice but to continue its nuclear weapons program and, for the sake of peace, put the world on the brink of Armageddon. Hello, H-bomb!

War, the building block of the world’s governmental entities for uncounted millennia, had evolved to the brink of human extinction. O cial government policy amounted to this: So what?

Oppenheimer challenged this o cial policy and shattered his career. Indeed, he saw immediately, as the newly developed bomb was tested at Alamogordo, New Mexico, on July 16, 1945, that Planet Earth was in danger. A team of physicists had just exposed its ultimate vulnerability and he famously noted, as he witnessed the mushroom cloud, that words of Hindu scripture from the Bhagavad Gita entered his mind: “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”

He had not opposed dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as some of the Manhattan Project scientists, such as Leo Szilard, did, but when the war ended he became deeply committed to eliminating all possibility of future wars. One of the rst actions he took, a week a er the bombings, was to write a letter to Secretary of War Henry Stimson, urging him to embrace common sense regarding further development of nuclear weapons.

“We believe,” he wrote, “that the safety of this nation — as opposed to its ability to in ict damage on an enemy power — cannot lie wholly or even primarily in its scienti c or technical prowess. It can be based only on making future wars impossible. It is our unanimous and urgent recommendation to you that, despite the present incomplete exploitation of technical possibilities in this eld, all steps be taken, all necessary international arrangements be made, to this one end.”

Making future wars impossible! What if American political forces had su cient sanity to listen to Oppenheimer? Several months a er writing this letter, he paid a visit to President Truman, attempting to discuss the placement of international control over further nuclear development. e president would have none of that. He kicked Oppenheimer out of the Oval O ce.

Oppenheimer maintained his commitment to the transcendence of war, working with the Atomic Energy Commission to control the use of nuclear weapons — and standing rm in his opposition to the creation of the hydrogen bomb. He continued his opposition even as the bomb’s development progressed and nuclear tests began spreading fallout over “expendable” parts of the world. But, uh oh. Along came the McCarthy era and the accompanying Red Scare. And in 1954, a er 19 days of secret hearings, the Atomic Energy Commission revoked Oppenheimer’s security clearance. As the New York Times noted, this “brought his career to a humiliating end. Until then a hero of American science, he lived out his life a broken man.” He died at age 62 in 1967.

“A key element in the case against Oppenheimer,” the Times reported, “was derived from his resistance to early work on the hydrogen bomb, which could explode with 1,000 times the force of an atomic bomb. e physicist Edward Teller had long advocated a crash program to devise such a weapon, and told the 1954 hearing that he mistrusted Oppenheimer’s judgment. ‘I would feel personally more secure,’ he testi ed, ‘if public matters would rest in other hands.’”

But of course the “black mark of shame” that remained stuck to Oppenheimer for the rest of his life was that he was a commie, and maybe a spy — in other words, totally anti-American. is was the basic lie used against those who challenged the tenets of the Cold War. e commission’s secret hearings remained classied for 60 years. A er they were declassi ed in 2014, historians expressed amazement that they contained virtually no damning evidence of any sort against Oppenheimer, and lots of testimony sympathetic to him. e revelations here seem primarily to expose the government’s interest in covering its own lies.

It was this past December that Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, chairman of the department that the Atomic Energy Commission had morphed into, nulli ed the revocation of Oppenheimer’s security clearance, declaring the 1954 hearing a “ awed process.” Getting the government to undo its wrong was a long, arduous process, embarked on by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the authors of American Prometheus: e Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. It took them about 16 years. ey nally succeeded in clearing his name.

And while I applaud their enormous e ort and its result, I also note it isn’t nished yet. is is more than simply a personal matter: the righting of a bureaucratic wrong done to one man. e future of humanity remains at stake. e U.S. government has spent multi-trillions of dollars on nuclear weapons development over the years, conducted a thousand-plus nuclear tests, and is currently in possession of 5,244 nuclear warheads, out of an insane global total of some 12,500. Perhaps it’s time to start listening to — and hearing — Oppenheimer’s words.

Robert Koehler (koehlercw@gmail.com), syndicated by PeaceVoice, is a Chicago award-winning journalist and editor. He is the author of Courage Grows Strong at the Wound

PHOTO: DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, ATTRIBUTION, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

J. Robert Oppenheimer