Memphis Flyer - 10.5.2023

Fall Arts Guide

PHOTO (TOP LEFT): Kaylyn Webster, Light Show in July

PHOTO (MIDDLE LEFT): Jarvis Boyland, Rachelle iewes, Arc

PHOTO (TOP RIGHT): Chi on omas, A mother who had no mother

PHOTO (MIDDLE RIGHT): Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, Blue Dancer

PHOTO (BOTTOM MIDDLE): Rachelle iewes, Reverb

SAMUEL

OUR 1806TH ISSUE 10.05.23

When I started working for the Memphis Flyer as an intern (and senior at University of Memphis) in 2008, I’d already been reading the paper religiously each week since high school. Pre-college, living across the state line in Mississippi, I’d drive to the Southaven music shop Disc-O-Tech to pick up a copy from the rack before I browsed their selection of new and used CDs. Once I moved to Memphis for school and work, the Flyer could be found pretty much anywhere — in restaurants, bars, street boxes, retail shops, grocery stores, you name it. All the years spent as a reader, I knew the Flyer had its nger on the pulse of Memphis — hip people, cool music, local news, what to do, where to go. One thing I hadn’t known about was the huge celebration thrown each year for the Best of Memphis.

Staff Writers

ABIGAIL MORICI

Arts and Culture Editor

GENE GARD, EMILY GUENTHER, COCO JUNE, FRANK MURTAUGH

Contributing Columnists

SHARON BROWN, AIMEE STIEGEMEYER

Grizzlies Reporters

ANDREA FENISE

Fashion Editor

KENNETH NEILL

Founding Publisher

CARRIE BEASLEY

Senior Art Director

CHRISTOPHER MYERS

Advertising Art Director

NEIL WILLIAMS

Graphic Designer

JERRY D. SWIFT

Advertising Director Emeritus

KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE

Senior Account Executives

CHET HASTINGS

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 O cer

LYNN SPARAGOWSKI

Controller/Circulation Manager

JEFFREY GOLDBERG

Chief Revenue Officer

MARGIE NEAL

Chief Operating Officer

KRISTIN PAWLOWSKI

Digital Services Director

MARIAH MCCABE

Circulation and Accounting Assistant

e rst BOM party I attended, as a 20-something green journalist and part of the Flyer team ( nally, as I’d dreamed), was held at the Metal Museum. Over the years, there have been many more at (and not in this order) Playhouse on the Square, the closed Imperial Lanes bowling alley on Summer, Minglewood Hall, the FedEx Event Center at Shelby Farms, Beale Street Landing, the Memphis Fairgrounds, and other venues that through the beer-soaked lenses of my BOM memories elude me at this moment. Each and every one of these events have been larger than life, with the best in local music, food, and drink on hand for partygoers to enjoy. It’s always been a celebration for the winners of our annual readers’ poll, but also for the sta , advertisers, Frequent Flyer supporters, and sponsors who keep this publication thriving, nearly 35 years a er the rst issue hit newsstands.

e 2023 event was held at the Ravine in the Edge District last week, and, as in years past, the shindig brought many faces together to drink, eat, dance, and mingle. ere’s always been an undeniable energy at these parties, one that naturally comes with seeing hundreds of people light up as they pose for photos, hug friends or former colleagues they haven’t seen since maybe the last annual event, or shake hands upon making new connections. (You can see a selection of photos from this year’s BOM party beginning on page 16.)

One thing it did this time around, nearly a year a er taking the helm as editorin-chief, was remind me that the Flyer is still the coolest of the cool in this city, just as I thought it was when I was a teen. I’ve grown (as a writer) and grown up, literally, alongside so many of these faces — Paula Raiford, the Huey’s team, local news anchors, tattooists, brewery crews, and more, who attend these gatherings year a er year. ese are just some of the people and organizations that make this place so uniquely Memphis — and the Flyer does that, too. As has always been the case, we continue to create an alt-weekly paper with the type of coverage you won’t nd produced by anyone else locally. ere are tons of supporters out there who still seek us out, who love and appreciate what we do. And we can throw a hell of a party! Seeing that all in action in a real-life setting, o the page or screen, was a true joy.

NEWS & OPINION

THE FLY-BY - 4

POLITICS - 8

FINANCE - 9

COVER STORY

“FALL ARTS GUIDE”

BY ABIGAIL MORICI - 10

BEST OF MEMPHIS PARTY - 16

WE RECOMMEND - 27

MUSIC - 28

AFTER DARK - 29

CALENDAR - 30

NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 30

NEWS OF THE WEIRD - 36

ASTROLOGY - 38

METAPHYSICAL CONNECTION - 40

FOOD - 42

FILM - 44

CLASSIFIEDS - 46

LAST WORD - 47

We also host a number of events open to the public throughout the year. Don’t miss our Bacon & Bourbon Festival at FedEx Event Center this Friday, October 6th, from 6 to 9 p.m., or Cra s & Dra s at Crosstown Concourse, held Saturday, November 11th, and Sunday, November 12th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Keep tabs on other events we have in store for you and follow the fun, sometimes snarky, always informative news, politics, arts, music, food, lm, theater, and sports reporting (and more) on our social channels or at memphis yer.com. anks for being here with us — and party on!

Shara Clark shara@memphis yer.com

PHOTO: SHARA CLARK

A good time was had at

the Best of Memphis party.

THE fly-by

{WEEK THAT WAS

By Flyer staff

Memphis on the internet.

DOG DUETS!

Opera Memphis continued its 30 Days of Opera series last week with some special guests. Singers duetted with some of the dogs at Memphis Animal Services.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Questions, Answers + Attitude

Edited by Toby Sells

Tourism, Education, & MATA

Visitor spending breaks record, lawmakers look to reject $1.8B in funding, and free rides to the polls.

TOURISM SPEND

Tourism topped a record-breaking $4 billion in spending in Shelby County last year, up from 2021, and enough to rank second in spending among Tennessee’s 95 counties.

ese are the nalized gures from U.S. Travel and Tourism Economics and released recently by the Tennessee Department of Tourism Development (TDTD).

e report shows spending here rose 16 percent from 2021’s spend of $3.4 billion to just over $4 billion. e new gure showed growth over 2019’s pre-pandemic activity when tourists spent more than $3.7 billion in Shelby County.

Sea Isle neighbors cheekily celebrated the birthday of a pothole on Dee Road last week. Stories from ABC24 and Action News 5 apparently roused city leaders to action. A er the broadcasts, maintenance crews threw away the balloons and other decorations and covered the hole with a metal slab.

BEST OF MEMPHIS?

Memphis Reddit users had opinions about our annual Best of Memphis campaign last week. e thread was rife with talk of shady business dealings, voting conspiracies, and disagreements about winners. It’s an annual reminder that people really do care about burgers, tacos, co ee shops, and more.

Our Best of Memphis party was a magical night in the Ravine last week. Check out party pics from the event and more in this issue.

Visitor spending in Shelby County brought more than $391.8 million to state and local tax coffers. State o cials said without this tourism money, each Shelby County household would pay $1,105 more in state and local taxes. Tourism spending also supported 27,745 jobs here.

What did visitors buy? Food and beverage topped the list with more than $1.3 billion spent. Transportation ($956.7 million), accommodations ($669.5 million), recreation ($566.1 million), and retail ($490.6 million) rounded out the top ve spending categories.

About 141 million people visited Tennessee last year and spent around $29 billion, a gure higher than the preliminary report issued earlier this year.

“Tennessee is thriving as tourism is soaring,” said Mark Ezell, TDTD commissioner. “Our industry’s hard work is paying o with record levels of visitor spending and signi cantly outpacing in ation.”

Shelby County ranked second to Davidson County in spending last year. Nashville saw tourist spending rise 35 percent from 2021 to a record $9.9 billion.

REJECT $1.8B EDUCATION FUNDING?

When Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton oated the idea in February of the state rejecting U.S. education dollars to free schools from federal rules and regulations, most supporters of public education hoped it was nothing more than political posturing.

But last week, Sexton and his counterpart in the Senate, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, took the signi cant step of creating a legislative panel to conduct a comprehensive review of Sexton’s pitch. e panel will look into the feasibility of doing without federal support for K-12 students and report back to legislative nance and education committees by January 9th. Currently, Tennessee receives up to $1.8 billion from the federal government for its

schools, most of which supports low-income students, English language learners, and students with disabilities.

Federal funds typically make up about a tenth of a state’s K-12 budget.

No state has ever rejected federal funding for its students and schools. But Sexton has said, by rejecting the federal funds that Tennesseans help generate through their taxes, the state can eliminate the federal strings attached to those dollars and make up the funding di erence with state money.

ROLL TO THE POLLS

e Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) and the Shelby County Election Commission o ered free bus rides to voters last week.

“We believe that transportation should never be a barrier to voting,” said MATA CEO Gary Rosenfeld. Chalkbeat Tennessee contributed to this report. Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.

POSTED TO

FACEBOOK BY OPERA MEMPHIS

POSTED TO INSTAGRAM BY MEMPHIS FLYER

POSTED TO YOUTUBE BY ABC24 MEMPHIS

PHOTO (ABOVE): MEMPHIS TOURISM; (BELOW) MARTA ALDRICH/CHALKBEAT Visitor spending in Shelby County brought more than $391.8 million to tax co ers; lawmakers look to reject $1.8 billion in federal education funds.

Predatory Lending {

Memphis has 114 high-cost loan storefronts — twice the number of Starbucks and McDonald’s combined — according to a new report from The Hope Policy Institute and Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis.

The report, called “High-Cost Debt Traps Widen Racial Wealth Gap In Memphis,” said out of the 114 storefronts in Memphis, 74 are owned by out-of-state lenders. Two out-of-state corporations own nearly half of these storefronts: Populus Financial Group/Ace Cash Express and TitleMax/TMX Financing. As a result, outlets like TriplePundit have named Memphis as “Ground Zero” for predatory lending.

Amy Schaftlein, executive director of United Housing in Memphis, said these out-of-town companies usually target communities of color, and in Memphis it is typically Black communities.

“In Memphis, 20 percent of white households are liquid asset poor, compared to more than 50 percent of Black households and more than 60 percent of Latino households in the city,” the

report said.

CITY REPORTER

By Kailynn Johnson

The concentration of these lenders in communities of color continues to take the wealth out of these neighborhoods and communities, said Schaftlein. The report also explained how the “wealthstripping effects of high-cost loans limit economic mobility” for citizens, and perpetuate “long-standing racial and economic inequalities.” As a result, Schaftlein said, people can perpetually be in a cycle of debt.

“A lot of the time, predatory loans are set up so that they cannot be affordably paid back,” said Schaftlein.

Because of the debt that these communities face, most people lack savings and cannot put down payments on homes or pay off cars, said Schaftlein.

“It can really hurt credit scores,” said Schaftlein. “We see that in communities of color the credit scores are much lower.

It has long-term impact on financial wellness and viability of individuals — specifically Black and brown neighborhoods for longer-term financial stability.”

The practices not only impact communities of color, but the local economy

as well. Schaftlein said that during the foreclosure crisis, the subprime mortgage market was “very active.”

This resulted in many minority communities being targeted, many of whom were unable to buy a home, and were kicked out.

“You had a huge loss of any kind of equity that might have been built up,” said Schaftlein.

She also said the lending practices reverberate through generations, causing people to be ousted from home ownership. Consumer and title loans hurt the economy because, as Schaftlein explains, “if you can’t save for your family, you can’t start a business.”

There are alternatives and opportunities for hope, however. According to Schaftlein, nonprofits like Hope Credit Union and Forward Memphis — and some traditional banks — offer lower-interest consumer loans that can be helpful with savings.

United Housing also educates people on the predatory nature of these loans, and how people can work on their credit. “The problem is that they’re [nonprofits] under-

GIORGIO TROVATO | UNSPLASH

capitalized,” said Schaftlein. “They’re not marketed and can’t be on every corner the way payday loans can be.”

Schaftlein said while they can offer alternatives that will help, there needs to be talk with policymakers around capping interest rates on loans. “The laws here are very friendly,” said Schaftlein. “If we have a cap in interest rates — I think it’s 500 percent — it’s in the triple digits, way up there.”

The report echoes this and explains that lenders in Memphis are able to charge triple-digit rates due to laws enacted by the Tennessee legislature. The report said state law allows payday loans that can result in a 460-percent annual percentage rate (APR) on a loan due in 14 days.

The Memphis City Council passed a resolution in September 2020 asking the state legislature to “revoke and ban” business licenses for payday lenders. However, the city did not have the power to enforce this, the report said. Schaftlein added that capping the interest rate is a state-level thing, and that many states have done it, meaning Tennessee can too.

Report finds Memphis is “ground zero” for high-interest loan shops.

PHOTO:

THANK YOU A GIANT

POLITICS By Jackson Baker

Stranger Than Fiction

In an introduction to a recently published book on political scandals in Tennessee, former Governor Bill Haslam opines: “Scandals can have a lot of results. I hope this book can be a reminder that good government matters and that good government starts with politicians who are more concerned about the people they serve than serving their own political ends.”

To be honest, one of the results of scandals is that they don’t just shock.

ey entertain. And that is certainly one of the reasons for reading Welcome to Capitol Hill: 50 Years of Scandal in Tennessee Politics by two veteran statehouse reporters, Joel Ebert and Erik Schelzig.

Ebert’s coverage was for e Tennessean newspaper of Nashville (he has since moved on to a post at the e University of Chicago Institute of Politics). Schelzig toiled for the Associated Press, and for the last several seasons he has been editor of the Tennessee Journal, a wellrespected weekly newsletter about politics and government in the state.

ough Nashville-based for their journalism, the two authors pay considerable attention in their volume to political personalities from our own end of the state — several of whom, as perpetrators or as observers, had much to do with the various mis rings and misdeeds reported on in the book.

relatively mild ethics-reform legislation that had just been passed by the legislature: “ ere’s con ict of interest, and there’s illegal. ese crazy-assed rules and everything? Shit, I won’t be able to make a living.”

It is a matter of record that Ford, known for a fast temper and faster driving, and for having a hand, for better and for worse, in beaucoup legislation, ended up doing time for having received upwards of $10,000 from FBI agents masquerading as lobbyists working for a computer rm that ostensibly needed an enabling bill passed. He and several other legislators from Memphis were netted in a sting codenamed “Tennessee Waltz” by the feds. at chapter and several other others remind one of the old saw about truth being stranger than ction. Indeed, the book as a whole is fast-paced and novelistic.

e book as a whole is fastpaced and novelistic.

An early section of the book is a list of “Cast of Characters” to be encountered in the volume. I suppose I’m more pleased than otherwise to nd my own name to be listed there — basically because my journalism over the years put me in contact with many of the people and events featured in the volume.

ere is, for example, the following quote derived from an erstwhile interview I did with former state Senator John Ford of Memphis, who is the central gure in the authors’ chapter entitled “John Ford and the Tennessee Waltz.”

Said the senator regarding a piece of

Baby boomers will surely remember and be regaled by the authors’ account of the late Governor Ray Blanton, who was discovered to be, not so secretly, pro ting from the outright sale of pardons to convicted murderers and other felons willing to pay for a “Get Out of Jail” card. ings got so ugly that other major gures in state government contrived to get Blanton’s elected successor, Lamar Alexander, installed earlier than his scheduled inauguration date. Of more recent vintage — and adequately covered in the book — were such sagas as those of state Rep. Jeremy Durham of upscale Franklin, whose predatory womanzing resulted in his being expelled from the legislature, and of Shelby County’s own Brian Kelsey, whose illegal shu ing of campaign funds resulted in a federal indictment and conviction, and a prison sentence that the once-renowned “stunt-baby of Germantown” is still, even as we speak, trying, Trump-like, to get postponed to some future-tense time.

And there is, as they say in ad-speak, More, More, More. e book (296 pages, Vanderbilt University Press) can be snagged for $24.99 from Amazon, or $14.99 for a Kindle edition.

Two journalists’ chronicle of recent scandal in Tennessee politics both shocks and fascinates.

Retirement Income

Here are four tips to help plan for living expenses in retirement.

ongratulations! After years of planning and saving, you’re finally nearing retirement! This stage in life comes with a mix of emotions, but with planning, you can turn your savings into a source of income to cover your living expenses. Here are four tips to help you plan for income in retirement.

1. Make a plan.

The first step is to have a comprehensive financial plan. A custom financial plan serves as a blueprint to inform your financial decision-making and ensure all aspects of your financial life are working together to achieve your goals.

A solid plan puts you in control of your financial future and provides you with the confidence of knowing you have a plan to generate retirement income.

2. Properly structure your portfolio.

One of the best ways to generate income in retirement is by striking a balance between short- and long-term investments.

We typically recommend maintaining three to five years of living expenses in a short-term, semi-liquid investment account. A mix of bond funds typically works well, as it provides capital for opportunistic rebalancing as well as a monthly income. Having a short-term allocation to bonds can prevent you from being forced to sell out to equities at a loss when markets are low.

It’s also important to continue growing your assets throughout retirement in order to help offset inflation and ensure you have enough income to last. We often recommend investing any assets not necessary to fund short-term needs in a diversified portfolio that focuses on growth and inflation protection. While this portfolio should be in line with your overall risk tolerance and investment objectives, it can be invested in riskier assets than your short-term account. Throughout retirement, you can identify opportune times to transfer assets from your long-term savings to your short-term savings in a tax-efficient manner.

3. Implement a tax-efficient withdrawal strategy.

Ideally, you’ve been saving in multiple accounts with different tax treatments, such as traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, 401ks, and taxable accounts. If so, you may have an opportunity to maximize your retirement income by strategically withdrawing from different accounts in different circumstances. We call this tax diversification.

• Taxable (non-retirement) accounts:

These accounts offer the benefits of taxloss harvesting and have fewer restrictions on contribution amounts as well as fewer distribution penalties.

• Tax-deferred retirement accounts, such as pre-tax IRAs and 401ks: Withdrawals from these accounts trigger ordinary income taxes, as they’ve enjoyed tax-deferred growth.

• Tax-exempt accounts, such as Roth IRAs: These accounts allow tax-exempt investments to grow for as long as possible, and qualified withdrawals are tax-free.

There are two main withdrawal strategies to consider based on your specific goals, tax situation, and income needs.

• Traditional approach: You would withdraw from one account at a time. Typically, the order of withdrawals is from taxable accounts first, followed by taxdeferred accounts, and, finally, tax-exempt accounts. This allows the tax-advantaged accounts to continue growing tax-deferred and tax-free for a longer time. However, it may result in uneven taxable income.

• Proportional approach: This strategy establishes a target percentage that will be withdrawn from each account each year. The amount is typically based on the proportion of retirement savings in each account type. This can help ensure a more stable tax bill and can also help you save on taxes over the course.

The benefit of following a disciplined approach is that you won’t be tempted to spend more than you can afford. This can help you maintain adequate assets to last a lifetime, regardless of market volatility. An advisor can assist you with creating a distribution strategy aligned with your financial needs and tax bracket, whether through a traditional or proportional approach or some combination of the two.

4. Regularly revisit and readjust. Given the potential longevity of retirement, periodic reviews of your financial plan and income strategy are essential. You don’t have to do it alone — a qualified wealth manager can help you understand how regulatory and market changes may impact you, and adapt your plan as needed to align with your evolving goals.

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 firms providing comprehensive wealth management services to ensure all elements of a client’s financial 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.

COVER

By Abigail Morici

Fall Arts Guide

s the temperatures are cooling down, the Memphis arts scene is heating up — with exhibitions, performances, and unique experiences. See for yourself in our Fall Arts Guide.

ON DISPLAY

“Hued”

Rachelle iewes’ jewelry empowers its wearer through rhythmic repetition, architectural forms, and vibrant auto paint. Metal Museum, through January 28

“Overstu ed”

is exhibition features mixed media ber artists Sharon Havelka and Paula Kovarik. Gallery talk on October 14, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

ARTSmemphis, through December

“ e Molasses Man & Other Delta Tales” e show serves as an anthology of stories based on Ahmad George’s life and experiences with people they’ve encountered here and not.

Crosstown Arts, through January 21

“Young, Gi ed and Black” is show champions an emerging generation

of artists of African descent. One of the artists, Sadie Barnette, will give an artist talk on November 2 at 6 p.m. An artist panel will take place on November 14.

Clough-Hanson Gallery at Rhodes College, through December 9

“Lens Language” Explore the depths of love from behind the lens of MadameFraankie and Kai Ross. Opening reception on October 7, 4-7 p.m.

TONE, October 7December 12

“Woven Arts of Africa” is comprehensive visual exhibition de nes the major woven artistic styles and traditions derived from cultural/regional groups from all over Africa. Opening reception on October 7, 3-5 p.m.

Art Museum University of Memphis, October 7-January 20

“Commune”

Memphis artist Kaylyn Webster’s paintings capture, with quiet honesty, the divine aspects of communing with those we love. Artist’s reception on October 26, 2-3 p.m.

Dixon Gallery & Gardens, October 8-January 7

Zaire Love

Zaire Love’s lms and photography honor, amplify, and immortalize the stories and voices of the Black South.

Artist’s reception on October 27, 5-8 p.m. Beverly + Sam Ross Gallery at Christian Brothers University, October 16-December 10

“Black Artists in America: From Civil Rights to the Bicentennial” is exhibition considers the various ways in which Black American artists responded to and challenged the cultural, environmental, political, racial, and social issues of the era from the Civil Rights Movement to the Bicentennial.

Dixon Gallery & Gardens, October 22-January 14

ON STAGE

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THIS SEASON’S ARTS HAPPENINGS.“Black American Portraits” at the Brooks

PHOTO: COURTESY TERRA FOUNDATION FOR AMERICAN ART AND SPELMAN COLLEGE MUSEUM OF FINE ART Calida Rawles, United States, b. 1976, y Name We Praise, 2023.

In the wake of the killing of George Floyd, the general public was ooded with images of Black pain and su ering. From news stations to social media feeds, these images, proliferated by modern technology, were and are instantaneous with nothing, really, to prevent them from surfacing on our screens.

To counteract this, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) curated the “Black American Portraits” exhibition, lled with portraits celebrating and depicting Black joy, power, and love. And now the exhibit has made its way to the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.

As a majority-Black city, Memphis needs this, says Brooks executive director Zoe Kahr. “It’s so important to see every Memphian re ected back in the museum.”

ough this exhibition originated in Los Angeles, the Brooks has included additional pieces to lend the experience a Memphis touch. An Augusta Savage sculpture is on loan from the Dixon Gallery & Gardens, and works by Jarvis Boyland, Derek Fordjour, Catherine Elizabeth Patton, Jared Small, Ernest Withers, and the Hooks Brothers Photography Studio punctuate the gallery walls. “We wanted to highlight talent in Memphis and show it in a national context,” Kahr says.

With 129 pieces of art in total, the sheer number of works, encompassing a variety of media and spanning over 200 years in history, is in itself a feat. “One of the things that struck me about this show and taking it here is just this idea of abundance,” says Patricia Daigle, the Brooks’ curator of modern and contemporary art. “So there’s this idea about being proli c, and the impact of what it means to see this many portraits of Black people in one space.”

“Black American Portraits” is on display through January 7th. For more information about the exhibition and its related programming, visit brooksmuseum.org.

PHOTO: RACHELLE THIEWES Rachelle iewes, Reverb, 2019. Steel, silver, auto paint.

Tom Lee Park Activates the Community Through Creativity

In 1925, Tom Lee rescued 32 passengers from the numbing waters of the Mississippi River. e steamer they were on had capsized, and the Black river worker, passing by in his small wooden ski , soon became their hero, even though he couldn’t swim. Today, his bravery is largely forgotten, but with the recently completed renovation of Tom Lee Park, named in his honor in 1954, the folks with Memphis River Parks Partnership (MRPP) are hoping to change that and to inspire Memphis to channel his spirit of community, heroism, and sel essness.

For the renovation, MRPP commissioned Chicago-based and worldrenowned artist easter Gates to create an art installation, complementing David Alan Clark’s Tom Lee Memorial, which depicts Lee in a moment of heroism. Gates’ A Monument to Listening overlooks this original sculpture and features 33 “thrones,” representing those Lee saved in 1925 and Lee himself.

All the thrones are made out of the same basalt stone, are the same height, and are marked with imperfections — all except for one that’s taller and “is perfect in a sense. at’s the one that represents Tom Lee,” says Michalyn Easter- omas, MRPP director of education initiatives and strategic partnerships. e idea is that all who sit upon the thrones are made equal and are (almost literally) given an equal platform from which to listen and to be listened to.

To enrich visitors’ experience with the sculpture, MRPP has enlisted three organizations to curate activations: UrbanArt Commission, the Orpheum eatre, and e Big We Foundation, a collective of local Black artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs. ese activations are expected to be unique experiences that will evoke emotions, challenge perceptions, celebrate creativity, and foster dialogue.

So far, activations have included an American sign language class with UrbanArts Commission and an open meeting with e Big We Foundation. More activations will be held through the end of the year, and next year, a new cohort of curators — this time creative individuals — will build upon the work of the current group. “And ‘creative’ doesn’t necessarily have to be the arts,” adds Easter- omas. “We’ve searched out folks in the food scene, in architecture, in philanthropy. It’s really about how you envision connecting Memphis to the Tom Lee story — how can we ensure that everybody knows this story?”

Keep up with the activations surrounding A Monument to Listening at Tom Lee Park on MRPP’s social media and tomleepark.org.

Father Comes Homes

From the Wars

An explosively powerful drama about the mess of war, the cost of freedom, and the heartbreak of love. Hattiloo eatre, through October 22

Variations on a eme

Opera Memphis presents a new series of intimate, curated evenings of vocal music in all its forms. Opera Memphis, October 7, November 11

Funny Girl

e indomitable Fanny Brice becomes one of the

most beloved performers in history.

Orpheum eatre, October 10-15

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Ballet Memphis reimagines the iconic Shakespearean play. Playhouse on the Square, October 13-15

Blithe Spirit

A spiritualist, a crime writer, an ex-wife back from the dead — what more could you want from this farcical and outrageous play?

Lohrey eatre at eatre Memphis, October 13-29

Moody Conducts

Beethoven 5 e Memphis Symphony Orchestra performs this revolutionary work. Crosstown eater, Friday, October 13, 6:30 p.m. Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, October 15, 2:30 p.m.

Carmina Burana

Opera Memphis and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra present a Halloween-inspired concert. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, October 28, 7:30 p.m.

Randall Goosby & Zhu Wang: Rising Stars is phenomenal duo returns to Memphis. Harris Hall at University of Memphis, October 28, 7:30 p.m.

Beetlejuice

is musical brings Tim Burton’s dearly beloved lm to the stage.

Orpheum eatre, October 31-November 5

continued on page 12

PHOTO (ABOVE): CLIFTON THOMAS Chi on omas, A mother who had no mother, 2018, is on display at CloughHanson Gallery.

PHOTO (BELOW): MATTHEW MURPHY Beetlejuice, pictured (l-r) Britney Coleman (Barbara), Will Burton (Adam), Isabella Esler (Lydia) and Justin Collette (Beetlejuice)

PHOTO: PATRICK COLEMAN

In his artist statement, easter Gates writes, “ is is my small contribution to the possibility of healing.”

continued from page 11

Orchestra Unplugged: Scary Music - Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique

Journey to the depths of the visionary composer Berlioz’s mind and music. Halloran Centre, November 2, 7:30 p.m.

Silent Sky

e true story of 19thcentury astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, who changed the public’s understanding of the heavens and Earth. Next Stage at eatre Memphis, November 3-18

Schoolhouse Rock, Live! is show is based on the cherished animated

series that taught generations of youth.

e Circuit Playhouse, November 11-December 22

NutRemix New Ballet Ensemble presents an electrifying and innovative production set on Beale Street. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, November 17-19

Take the Soul Train to Christmas is holiday spectacle is a time machine through the evolution of the African-American Christmas experience. Hattiloo eatre, November 17-December 17

e Wizard of Oz

Dorothy Gale is whisked away by a powerful twister and nds herself in the mystical land of Oz. Playhouse on the Square, November 17-December 22

SIX is new original musical about Henry VIII’s six wives is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over. Orpheum eatre, November 21-26

Who’s Holiday

See a whole new side of Cindy Lou Who. e Circuit Playhouse, November 24-December 22

continued on page 14

Iris Collective Introduces Its Small Business Series

When Iris Collective rebranded from being the Iris Orchestra in 2022, the group began to think of itself not as a concertizing organization, but as a “community music organization that does concerts,” says Iris’ executive director Rebecca Arendt. “ e idea is that everything we’re doing is with community rather than for community.”

Over the years, Iris has mentored hundreds of high school and middle school students in Memphis and Shelby County, regularly visited patients at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and worked with memory care and nursing home patients at retirement homes — just to name a few examples of the collective’s commitment to community.

For the 2023-2024 season, Iris will be debuting its new Small Business Series, through which they will partner with three small businesses to highlight the intersection of entrepreneurship and the arts. “It’s a fun and nontraditional way for people to engage in music and dialogue around things that are important to them,” Arendt says.

e rst performance of this series will take place in December at the soon-to-be-opened Cafe Noir, Jasmine Settles’ bookstore that specializes in highlighting BIPOC and LGBTQ authors. Cremaine Booker, aka atCelloGuy, principal cello for Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra and Jackson Symphony Orchestra, will perform and will work “with an author of Cafe Noir’s choosing to put together a program that talks about being an artist from an underrepresented community.”

e following performances in this series will take place at Music Box in January and ARCHd in March. “As you know, these are all very small environment venues,” Arendt says, “and so you can get up close and personal. Not only will you get to hear great music, but you’ll be able to talk back and forth, express ideas, and use it as a chance to see how arts can make our community better. … e Small Business Series speaks to where we want to be, where we want to have that shared artistic experience, and we feel that one of the best ways to do that are small environments where people can come together with a shared interest.”

Cremaine Booker performs on Friday, December 8, 5:30 p.m., at Cafe Noir. Tickets are $20. For more information on Iris Collective and its upcoming season, visit iriscollective.org.

PHOTO: COURTESY IRIS COLLECTIVE Cremaine Booker

continued from page

Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance

A unique combination of high-energy Irish dancing, original music, storytelling, and sensuality.

Orpheum eatre, November 29

e Importance of Being

Earnest

Tennessee Shakespeare Company presents Oscar Wilde’s trivial comedy for serious people.

Tabor Stage, November 30-December 17

A Christmas Carol Ebenezer Scrooge returns to the stage for this holiday tradition.

Lohrey eatre at eatre Memphis, December 1-23

It’s a Wonderful Life: e Live Radio Play

A radio-play adaptation of the Christmas classic.

Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center, December 1-3

Magic of Memphis

e Memphis Symphony Orchestra o ers a beloved holiday tradition, complete with a collage of Memphis performing groups.

Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, December 2, 6:30 p.m.

e Nutcracker Ballet Memphis’ production promises to delight in both familiar and unexpected ways.

Orpheum eatre, December 9-17

Clara & the Nutcracker Tennessee Ballet eater presents a charming rendition of the classic tale.

Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, December 10, 2 p.m.

e Nutcracker Ballet is production of Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet features dancers from Center’s Esprit de Corps Dance Company.

Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center, December 15-17

AROUND TOWN

Artwalk

More than 40 local artists will be on hand selling a variety of handcra ed items at this year’s Artwalk. V&E Greenline, October 7, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Repair Days

Bring your metal items to the Metal Museum to have them restored to their former glory.

Metal Museum, October 19-22

Family Fun Day

e Metal Museum hosts a day of free hands-on activities, demonstrations,

PHOTO: ANGEL ORTEZ Christmas Fiesta at the Dixon returns for a third year.

and kid-friendly games, plus free admission to the museum.

Metal Museum, October 21, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

RiverArtsFest is two-day festival is a celebration of ne arts and ne local music with live artist demonstrations and hands-on art activities for all ages. Riverside Drive, October 21-22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Art on Fire

Enjoy live music, tastings from local restaurants, drinks, an art sale, and a roaring bon re.

Dixon Gallery & Gardens, October 21, 7 p.m.

Indie Memphis Film Festival is festival presents a range of independent features, documentaries, and short lms from all corners of the world. Various locations, October 24-29

Night at the Museum

AMUM will have several interactive, kid-friendly programs inspired by the visual arts in the collections that will bring the museum to life.

Art Museum University of Memphis, October 27, 5-8 p.m.

Día de los Muertos Festival & Parade e Brooks, along with the Cazateatro Bilingual eatre Group, invites you and your family to

honor your ancestors and celebrate the cycle of life and death.

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, October 28, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Oak, Willow, and Maple: A Celebration of Public Art by Martha Kelly Martha Kelly and Elmwood Cemetery will unveil a new public, permanent art installation. Elmwood Cemetery, November 19, 3-5 p.m.

Raised by Sound Fest is free event showcases local and regional talent, honoring Memphis music, new and old, across genres. Crosstown Concourse, December 12, 1-11 p.m.

¡Christmas Fiesta!

THE PARTY

It was the best of times, it was the best of times. at’s right: Last Wednesday, the Flyer held its annual Best of Memphis party at the Ravine in the Edge District, welcoming friends, family, and plenty of BOM winners to celebrate with us. Partygoers enjoyed cocktails and Memphis Made beer, feasted upon delicacies from a smattering of local food trucks, danced to live music from the Amy LaVere Trio and DJ Zetta, and pursued raucous merrymaking all night long.

Hosting this shindig is always a treat. We thank all of our readers who voted this year, and give our congratulations to the 2023 BOM winners. If any attendees are still feeling that hangover a week later, we’re happy to write you a sick note. Otherwise, enjoy our photographs from a pleasurable evening, and never let the party die!

PHOTOS: STEVE ROBERTS

PHOTO: JUSTIN FOX BURKS

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

EAST MEMPHIS

561 Erin Dr

Memphis, TN 38117 901 - 791 - 4539

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE 1350 Concourse Ave Suite 129

Memphis, TN 38104 901 - 249 - 5839

HIGHLAND ROW 431 S Highland St Suite 111

Memphis, TN 38111 901 - 779 - 7406

LAKELAND LAKE DISTRICT 9845 Lake District N Suite 109

Lakeland, TN 38002 901 - 249 - 7469

SALON HOURS

Monday - Saturday 9:30 a m - 7:30 p m

Sunday 12:00 p m - 6:00 p,m WINNER

We gladly match any competitor's price on identical merchandise, and if your pet doesn't love it or you don't love it, we'll replace or refund it!

OCTOBER 7 / 3:00PM & 7:30PM

STARRING JAY WHITE —

For 35 years, Jay has brought the music & charismatic stage presence of Neil Diamond to countless crowds. A lifelong fan himself, Jay White has received praise from Neil Diamond, even appearing on Neil’s Stages DVD Box Set. With songs like SWEET CAROLINE – AMERICA – CRACKLIN’ ROSIE – SONG SUNG BLUE, this show provides the quintessential Neil Diamond concert experience live on BPACC’s intimate stage!

Prospero seeks

his betrayers appear on the horizon, he causes a tempest to shipwreck them! However, the tragedy transforms into a forgiving “brave new world.”

Shakespeare’s enchanting farewell to the stage, has no intermission – runs 90 minutes.

steppin’ out

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

Paint It Fun

By Abigail Morici

A hundred artists from Memphis and beyond will be painting away in the Edge District this weekend, thanks to the work of the nonpro t, Paint Memphis. On Saturday, all will be invited to Paint Memphis’ annual festival to support the artists as they paint murals in the neighborhood.

Co-directors David Yancy III and Kirsten Sandlin say the Saturday event will be packed with things to do. Curtis Glover will o er a free mural workshop at noon, and Eli Gold will do some live metal sculpting. To celebrate World Hoop Day, Grind City Flow Arts will stun audiences with hula hooping and re dancing performances, and they will o er a beginner hoop class for all ages at 3:30 p.m. and an intermediate hoop tricks workshop for ages 16 and up at 5 p.m. Festival-goers can also expect music, an immersive kids area, food trucks, vendors market, artist gallery, and, of course, live mural painting.

For the 100 artists selected, Yancy says it was important to include the community in the decisionmaking process. “We have business owners involved. We have people in the community involved, and then our board members,” he says. “And we’re just able to narrow it down to 100 this year. And, man, we got a lot of amazing artists and a lot of great local artists that will be involved with Paint Memphis. It’s all about making sure that the community is happy, and we just want to promote a colorful, bright, positive Memphis. at’s the beauty of Paint Memphis — that we transform an area from looking abandoned to bringing it back to life, giving it that pop of color, giving it that creativity to make people want to actually come there and [experience] all the things that murals provide. So it’s gonna be really cool because that whole area will be full of amazing art.”

As artists in their own rights, Yancy and Sandlin will each be contributing murals of their own. Sandlin says of her mural, “I typically paint children interacting with the buildings or the area because I believe that everybody can relate to being a kid.”

“I’m painting my goddaughter,” Yancy says. “ e doctors told her when she was rst born that she wouldn’t be able to walk or just be a normal human. Now she’s almost 5 years old, man, living a great life. She’s walking; she’s talking; she’s beat the odds. So I’m doing a piece for her to just show how amazing it is if you just don’t give up — life is full of all possibilities and opportunities.”

All the artists are volunteers, most of them traveling from all over the country to make Memphis beautiful. “Keep in mind the artists will be there all day, every day from ursday until Monday,” she says. “So the artists will be needing support for the whole week.”

With that in mind, and to show a bit of Southern hospitality, Paint Memphis, in partnership with local businesses, has opened a number of events to the public, including an artist meet-up at Cra Axe rowing on ursday at 8 p.m., an art show opening at the Ravine on Friday at 5 p.m., a drink-and-draw event also on Friday at 8 p.m. at Brinson’s, an a er-party on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Inkwell, and a “women in murals” panel discussion on Sunday at 8 p.m. Keep up with all that’s happening at Paint Memphis’ socials.

PAINT MEMPHIS

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES October 5th - 11th

NatureZen Month

Overton Park, October, free

Overton Park Conservancy is planning a special monthlong event to share the park’s restorative power with the community. roughout October, NatureZen Month will celebrate what the park, and nature as a whole, can do to improve mental and physical health.

Activities include yoga in the Formal Gardens every Wednesday at 7 a.m., nature journaling every Wednesday at noon, and mindfulness walks throughout the month. Other events include a tree giveaway, paint and picnic, and a tree ID workshop.

is Saturday, October 7, 8 a.m., volunteers can join in a community service day at the Rainbow Lake Playground to spread new safety surfacing.

For a full schedule of NatureZen Month events, visit overtonpark.org/naturezenmonth.

Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr.

Author Talk

Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, ursday, October 5, 5:30 p.m.

Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr. was just 16 years old when his cousin and best friend, 14-year-old Emmett Till, was lynched. Till’s murder would spur international outrage and propel the Civil Rights Movement. Parker is the last living witness of the kidnapping. He will visit Memphis along with his co-author Christopher Benson to discuss his book, A Few Days Full Of Trouble

Art for Elephants

Memphis Zoo, Saturday, October 7, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Join the zoo’s African elephant crew for educational activities, a live painting by elephant Gina, and loads of zoo fun. is event is included with general admission.

Barktober Fest

Saddle Creek, Saturday, October 7, noon-4 p.m.

Enjoy live music from CharveyMac and the best shopping in the 901 while supporting Streetdog Foundation. Sample brews created *just* for this event by local homebrewers, as well as your faves from local breweries like Crosstown Brewing Company, Cooper House Project, and Soul & Spirits Brewery.

Guests will also enjoy a game zone from Board to Beers, the Phancy Photo Booth, caricature art by RotoBrothers, and tasty treats from Blanchard’s Organic Breads.

Kids and leashed, well-behaved pets are welcome. Early bird tickets are $30. A limited number of tickets will be available the day of the event for $35. All proceeds directly bene ts Streetdog Foundation. Purchase your tix at tinyurl.com/29xj28d9.

2023, THE RAVINE/EDGE DISTRICT, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, NOON-6 P.M., FREE.

PHOTO: COURTESY PAINT MEMPHIS Kirsten Sandlin’s proposed mural for this year’s Paint Memphis

MUSIC By Alex Greene

Drive-By Truckers

Though the Drive-By Truckers may be considered a neo-Southern rock band, having adopted the sound decades a er its heyday in the ’70s, a slight perspective change reveals them as the ultimate expression of the form. For it was with their albums that the genre evolved, like some advanced computer mainframe, into self-awareness. Sure, you can nd traces of irony in classic Skynyrd, but when the Truckers came along at the turn of the 20th century, their songs suggested a deeper awareness of the South’s fraught history and contradictions.

e songs of band co-founder Patterson Hood expressed that awareness more and more as their albums advanced. In 2015, railing in a New York Times op-ed against fans who ew Confederate ags at Drive-By Truckers shows, he wrote of growing up with his father, renowned Muscle Shoals bassist David Hood, whose “views on the Civil Rights era were shaped by the time he spent playing with Aretha and the Staple Singers. He looked at George Wallace and Bull Connor with great disdain.” But while many young, progressive Southerners ed to bluer regions, the Truckers stayed in the ght, both rocking out and writing dispatches from the front lines of the culture wars as they witnessed them personally.

A quarter-century a er they started, with America more divided than ever, the band’s head-on confrontation with those culture wars seems prescient. It’s no wonder they’ve continued to thrive, with an album of new songs released only last year and a new reissue of their 20-year-old classic, e Dirty South, revealing how on-point they were from the start. On the eve of the Drive-By Truckers’ October 7th show in the Overton Park Shell’s Shell Yeah! series, I spoke with Hood about how the band’s tales from deepest, darkest Dixie still resonate today.

Memphis Flyer: e songs of poverty, desperation, and corruption in the Truckers’ early work still ring true today. ough those songs were very much located in the South, do you feel they express something about our country as a whole?

Patterson Hood: I’m afraid what’s really happened is that some of the worst aspects of the historical Old South have become just part of America. e South did kind of rise again, in the worst of

ways. I mean, the parallels between Donald Trump and George Wallace are huge. ough I think Wallace would be morti ed with how bad Trump is. And I say that as someone who’s spent my entire life hating George Wallace and everything he stood for. But he had once been a progressive-minded person who sold that out in order to get power.

With Trump, I don’t think there was even a notion of any kind of Greater Good anywhere in his makeup. at’s a cynical, awful thing.

It’s like the world caught up to your albums. ose things we once attributed to Southern culture are more widespread throughout the country. You moved to Portland some years ago — how does that a ect your sense of the South, which is so key to your literary voice?

Portland’s known as one of the most liberal cities in America. But if you drive ve minutes in any direction, you might as well be in Alabama. I accidentally got caught up in a Proud Boys rally with my oldest kid. I lived in the South a long time and never really saw a Klan rally, but there’s no di erence between a Klan rally and a Proud Boys rally. It’s de nitely made me more cynical than

ever, and unfortunately less optimistic. Is that related to the more introspective turn your lyrics took on last year’s Welcome 2 Club XVIII?

Club XVIII was a more personal record. It’s a bit of a reckoning with our paths through the lens of having kids. Now we’re watching our kids navigate the same things we did. I mean, I want my kids to have fun, but I also want them to be careful and not hurt themselves.

e new album also has a Memphis connection, no?

We spent a week in Memphis in 2018 and cut 18 songs, and there were three songs from those sessions that we didn’t want to put on e Unravelling. ose wound up on Club XVIII And the other singer on that album is Schaefer Llana, and she’s from Memphis. She sings on “Wilder Days” and “ e Driver,” and she’s amazing. And she’s a great artist in her own right. I love her records.

Catch the Drive-By Truckers in concert at the Overton Park Shell on Saturday, October 7th, 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $30. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit overtonparkshell.org.

PHOTO: BRANTLEY GUTIERREZ Drive-By Truckers

“ e South did kind of rise again, in the worst of ways.”

AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule October 5th - 11th

Souled Out

Saturday, Oct. 7, 10 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

After Hours Sundays

NYCELYFE and friends will be hitting you with your favorite music all night long. Sunday, Oct. 8, 9 p.m.-4 a.m.

JERRY LEE LEWIS’ CAFE & HONKY TONK

Andy Tanas

Saturday, Oct. 7, 9 p.m.-midnight.

WESTY’S

Denver Massey

ursday, Oct. 5, 6 p.m.

TIN ROOF

Donna Padgett Bowers

Presents

Variety show of Memphis talent. Free. Friday, Oct. 6, 9 p.m.

WESTY’S

Elevation Memphis

ursday, Oct. 5, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

CENTRAL STATION HOTEL

Eli Adams Band

Friday, Oct. 6, 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 7, 10:30 p.m.

TIN ROOF

Eric Hughes

ursday, Oct. 5, 7-11 p.m.

RUM BOOGIE CAFE

Ethan Carl and the Stray Dogs

Friday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m.

TIN ROOF

Gavin Sumrall

Saturday, Oct. 7, 3:45 p.m.

TIN ROOF

Grassfire Bluegrass Band

Sunday, Oct. 8, noon-3 p.m.

LOFLIN YARD

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Concert e Memphis Symphony Orchestra performs John Williams’ iconic score live. $35.50-$125. Saturday, Oct. 7, 2 p.m.

ORPHEUM THEATRE

Kelly Hunt

Sunday, Oct. 8, 3 p.m.

SOUTH MAIN SOUNDS

Quinette

Friday, Oct. 6, 9 p.m.

CENTRAL STATION HOTEL

Robbie Bletscher on Piano

A singing waiter with talent.

Wednesday, Oct. 11, 5-8 p.m.

WESTY’S

Rodell McCord

Sunday, Oct. 8, 7 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 11, 8 p.m.

TIN ROOF

Soul St. Mojo

Wednesday, Oct. 11, 7-11 p.m.

RUM BOOGIE CAFE

Sunset Jazz @ Court Square featuring the Southern Comfort Jazz Orchestra

Grab a snack and a drink from one of the food trucks and sit down for an evening of great entertainment and door prizes. Free. Monday, Oct. 9, 5-7 p.m.

COURT SQUARE PARK

Tiny Kitchen Concert

Friday, Oct. 6, 7-9 p.m.

COSSITT LIBRARY

Vince Johnson

Monday, Oct. 9, 7-11 p.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 10, 7-11 p.m.

RUM BOOGIE CAFE

Elmo & the Shades, Eddie Harrison

Wednesday, Oct. 11, 7-11 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Keepin It Memphis

Keepin It Memphis is an awardwinning weekly concert series that promotes the Memphis culture and highlights the works of the Memphis underground arts scene.

$20/general admission, $10/admission with a local I.D. Wednesday, Oct. 11, 7:30-10:30 p.m.

MEMPHIS MUSIC ROOM

Alana Royale

Friday, Oct. 6, 9 p.m.

RAILGARTEN

Alexis Jade

ursday, Oct. 5, 7-10 p.m.

THE SLIDER INN

Almost Elton John & the Rocketmen

Friday, Oct. 6, 10 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Amber McCain Band

Friday, Oct. 6, 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Ascension: No Genres, No Limits

Soundtrack by FERB. 21+. $5.

Saturday, Oct. 7, 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

CANVAS

Bugaloos

ursday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Carlos Ecos Band

Saturday, Oct. 7, 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Challenger Deep, Tang, Medians

Wednesday, Oct. 11, 8 p.m.

HI TONE

CJ Starnes, Benjamin Gilbreath

$15. Saturday, Oct. 7, 8 p.m.

GROWLERS

Debbie Jamison Band

Sunday, Oct. 8, 3:30 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Devil Train

ursday, Oct. 5, 9:30 p.m.

B-SIDE

Doobie: Somewhat Sober Tour

Sunday, Oct. 8, 8 p.m.

MINGLEWOOD HALL

Drive-By Truckers: Shell

Yeah! Benefit Concert Series

Shell Yeah! is a fundraising event bene ting the Overton Park Shell

$30. Saturday, Oct. 7, 7:30-9 p.m.

OVERTON PARK SHELL

Emo Nite feat Derek Sanders of Mayday Parade

$1 from every ticket sold will be donated to Living e Dream Foundation. 18+. $16-$20. Friday, Oct. 6, 9:30 p.m.

GROWLERS

Ethan Carl and the Stray Dogs

Saturday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m.

TIN ROOF

Catch

Goner Presents Sheer Mag & Hotline TNT with Ibex

Clone

$18-$20. Tuesday, Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m.

GROWLERS

Joanne Shaw Taylor

Monday, Oct. 9, 7 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Joe Restivo

Saturday, Oct. 7, 11 a.m.; Sunday, Oct. 8, 11 a.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Kyshona

$20. Friday, Oct. 6, 7:30-9 p.m.

THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS

Lo Fi Friday With Qemist. Friday, Oct. 6, 8 p.m.

MEMPHIS CURRENT

Lucky 7 Brass Band

Saturday, Oct. 7, 8 p.m.

RAILGARTEN

Memphis miniFEST

An evening of music, art, and community in a festival-style atmosphere. Featuring Traveller the Band, Jayfed, Colbro Lambskins, Yayo Santana, Grizz Bandana, Dropone Da Producer, and Charmaine Tyrelle. $20-$30. Saturday, Oct. 7, 5:45 p.m.

HI TONE

Modern Masters Jazz

Series: Adam Larson

$20-$25. Tuesday, Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m.

THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS

Morgan James (Orion Free Concert Series)

Morgan James is a part of the 2023 Orion Free Concert Series at Overton Park Shell. Friday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m.

OVERTON PARK SHELL

MTM Studios Vocal Showcase

Saturday, Oct. 7, 2 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Mudflap King

Tuesday, Oct. 10, 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Neal Francis with Jombi

Friday, Oct. 6, 8 p.m.

MINGLEWOOD HALL

Pat Metheny

Tuesday, Oct. 10, 8 p.m.

MINGLEWOOD HALL

Roxi Love

Wednesday, Oct. 11, 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Screamer, Goodness for Modern Man

21+. $10. Friday, Oct. 6, 9 p.m.

HI TONE

Sierra Hull

$30-$40. ursday, Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m.

CROSSTOWN THEATRE

Spoonful, Stay Fashionable, YoKy

$5. Saturday, Oct. 7, 8 p.m.

LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE

The Devil’s Jam!

Featuring live performances by Devil Train, Graber Gryass, Kitty Dearing & the Dagnabbits, and Oakwalker. $10. Friday, Oct. 6, 8 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

The Lost 45s

Sunday, Oct. 8, 8 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Wyly Bigger

ursday, Oct. 5, 6-9 p.m.

COOPER HOUSE PROJECT

Zeke, Hookers, Joecephus & the GJM

$20. Sunday, Oct. 8, 8 p.m.

HI TONE

JAZZ IN THE BOX:

FRIDAY OCT 6

7:00 PM

The hottest little jazz club around is GPAC’s Jazz in the Box!

Cory Branan

$20. Friday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m.

HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY

The Mighty Flea Circus

$12, $15. Sunday, Oct. 8, 3 p.m.

HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY

Bluegrass on the Collierville Square

Bring a chair and have a picnic. Free family fun open to all spectators. Musicians welcome. Acoustic only. Friday, Oct. 6, 7-10 p.m.

COLLIERVILLE TOWN SQUARE

Neil Diamond: The Legacy Concert Tribute

For over 35 years, Jay White has brought the music and charismatic stage presence of Neil Diamond to countless crowds. Saturday, Oct. 7, 3 p.m., 7:30 p.m.

BARTLETT PERFORMING ARTS AND CONFERENCE CENTER

Richard Wilson

Soulful blues and Southern cooking. Friday, Oct. 6, 12:30 p.m.;

Sunday, Oct. 8, 12:30 p.m.

JACKIE MAE’S PLACE

Roland Barber Quintet— Jazz in the Box

e hottest little Jazz club around is GPAC’s Jazz in the Box. $35/ general admission. Friday, Oct. 6, 7-8:30 p.m.

GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS

CENTER

Second Sunday Concert: The Duane Cleveland Band Picnics encouraged and well behaved dogs welcome. Free. Sunday, Oct. 8, 1-4 p.m.

DAVIES MANOR HISTORIC SITE

Sound Fuzion — Concerts in The Grove

Enjoy live music in the beautiful, park-like setting of e Grove at GPAC. $7. ursday, Oct. 5, 6:30-8 p.m.

GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS

CENTER

Your Mom’s New Boyfriend Saturday, Oct. 7, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.

THURSDAY OCT 5 6:30 PM, Gates open at 5:30 PM

PHOTO: COURTESY OVERTON PARK SHELL

Morgan James’ free concert at the Shell.

CALENDAR of EVENTS: October 5 - 11

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 AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS

“Americana Portrait Sessions: The Photography of Jeff Fasano”

This new exhibition features more than a dozen striking portraits of both legends and rising stars in Americana music. Through Dec. 31.

STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC

“American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection”

“American Perspectives” presents 70 works of art from the collection of the American Folk Art Museum in New York City, the premier repository of work by self-taught artists. Through Oct. 8.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

“But Then, Suddenly, I Was Looking From the Inside Out”

Through a resistance to the tenants of modernism, Coe Lapossy centers erased histories and marginalized labor. Through Jan. 21.

CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE

“Colored Pencil Showcase 2023”

This is the annual art exhibition presented by the members of the Memphis District Chapter of the Colored Pencil Society of America. Through Oct. 29.

ST. GEORGE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Phyllis Boger’s paintings and silk creations are on display at Church Health through October 28th.

“Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See”

Discover how a grieving mother helped fuel the Civil Rights Movement. Saturday, Oct. 7-Nov. 27.

NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM

“Grind City Picks: The Music That Made Memphis”

Learn about the evolution of notable music genres in Memphis through an impressive display of instruments from famous artists,

Crossword

Edited by Will Shortz No. 0114

band merchandise, and photographs. Through Oct. 22.

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY

“Mourning Memphis”

View the beautiful Victorian mourning collection displayed and staged throughout the mansion. Through Oct. 29.

WOODRUFF-FONTAINE HOUSE MUSEUM

“Paintings and Vessels: Oils, Watercolors, and Ceramics” Works by Elizabeth Garat, Christine Ruby, and Sowgand Sheikholeslami. Through Oct. 30.

BUCKMAN ARTS CENTER AT ST. MARY’S SCHOOL

“Phyllis Boger”

Phyllis Boger is actively involved in the Memphis artists community and is known for both her painting and batik dye on silk creations. Through Oct. 28.

CHURCH HEALTH

“Skipping Stones Through the Universe”

Featuring local artist, Amy Hutcheson, this exhibition promises to be a transformative journey into the boundless realm of artistic expression. Through Oct. 27.

ANF ARCHITECTS

“The Art of Radio”

Two creative careers collide — Memphis radio personality, Ron Olson, debuts his solo art show, where radio, Memphis, and music come together in Olson’s fun folk art style! Through Oct. 31.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

“The Bluff City Chinese: A 150-Year Photo Retrospective”

The Chinese Historical Society of Memphis and the Mid-South celebrates 150 years of Chinese-American history. Through Oct. 31.

BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY

ART HAPPENINGS

Art for Elephants

Join the zoo’s African elephant crew for educational activities, a live painting by elephant Gina, and loads of zoo fun. Saturday, Oct. 7, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

MEMPHIS ZOO

Closing Reception “Isomorphism And Objectivity”

Closing reception for the solo exhibition of new work by Lance Turner. Friday, Oct. 6, 5-8 p.m.

BEVERLY + SAM ROSS GALLERY

Creepville Market

A spooky Halloween market of curiosities and oddities. Saturday, Oct. 7, 1-7 p.m.

SOUL & SPIRITS BREWERY

Halloween Hoop Wreaths

With an embroidery hoop, paper and glue you’ll make this intricately designed “shadowbox-like” holiday project. $60-$150. Saturday, Oct. 7, 1-4 p.m.

ARROW CREATIVE

“Lens Language” Opening Reception

A photography exhibition exploring the depths of love from behind the lens of MadameFraankie and Kai Ross. Saturday, Oct. 7, 4-7 p.m.

TONE

Smartphone Food Photography 101

An unforgettable Food Photography Workshop with the renowned photographer Justin Fox Burks. Wednesday, Oct. 11, 5-7 p.m.

COSSITT LIBRARY

Super Saturday

Free admission and art-making facilitated by an art educator. Saturday, Oct. 7, 10 a.m.-noon.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

Trick or Treat on Broad- First Friday

Kick off Halloween season on Broad Ave!

Friday, Oct. 6, 5-8 p.m.

BROAD AVENUE ARTS DISTRICT

Victorian Mourning Customs & Jewelry

Memphis-based mourning jewelry expert Virginia Shelton shares her personal archive. $20. Sunday, Oct. 8, 2-3 p.m.

ELMWOOD CEMETERY

continued on page 32

continued from page 30

BOOK EVENTS

Daniel Hornsby Reading Hornsby will read from his latest book, Sucker, a satire of the Silicon Valley elite and their ability to wield wealth to stave off the truth. Thursday, Oct. 5, 6 p.m.

UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

The Life and Legacy of Emmett Till

Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr., cousin and best friend of Emmett Till, will visit Memphis along with his co-author Christopher Benson to discuss his book, A Few Days Full Of Trouble. Thursday, Oct. 5, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY

COMEDY

85 South Comedy Show

The 85 South Show unites DC Young Fly, Karlous Miller, and Chico Bean. $35.50. Saturday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m.

LANDERS CENTER

Ben Brainard

18+. $25, $30. Wednesday, Oct. 11, 8 p.m.

GROWLERS

Cowboy Fly

$17-$50. Thursday, Oct. 5, 8 p.m.

CHUCKLES COMEDY HOUSE

Sheryl Underwood with Mike Washington and Kyle Erby

$40-$60. Friday, Oct. 6, 7:30

p.m., 10 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 7, 5 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 10 p.m.

CHUCKLES COMEDY HOUSE

COMMUNITY

Heart and Hues

A vibrant celebration of queer acceptance and a welcoming safe space for everyone. $10.

Friday, Oct. 6, 10:30 p.m.

CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE

Overton Park Day of Service

Get your hands dirty making Overton Park more beautiful.

Saturday, Oct. 7, 8 a.m.-noon.

OVERTON PARK

Weed Wrangle

Help remove invasive and exotic plants. Friday, Oct. 6, 9 a.m.-noon. MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

DANCE

Fall Dance

Move and groove to a new dance style each week with instructor Edgar. Thursday, Oct. 5, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

TOM LEE PARK

FAMILY

Family Campfire Party

Delight in an old-fashioned campfire sing-along and an array of activities. $10, $15.

Friday, Oct. 6, 6-8:30 p.m.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Fire Prevention Week

Visitors can play cool games, ex-

Overton Park invites volunteers to a day of service this Saturday. Supplies provided.

perience a get low and go maze, interactive exhibits, and so much more. Monday, Oct. 9, 9 a.m.

FIRE MUSEUM OF MEMPHIS

Peppa Pig

Peppa, George, Mummy Pig, and Daddy Pig are throwing a sing-along party. $29. Thursday, Oct. 5, 6 p.m.

LANDERS CENTER

Princess Party Party like a princess or prince.

Saturday, Oct. 7, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

OVERTON SQUARE

Walk Like a FoxMindfulness for Families

Get ready to mindfully explore the trails with all your senses.

Sunday, Oct. 8, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

OVERTON PARK

FESTIVAL

Artwalk 2023

A local artist marketplace, food, live music, and more. Free. Saturday, Oct. 7, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

V&E GREENLINE KIRBY STATION

Barktober Fest

Enjoy tasty local brews, live music, and shopping while

supporting Streetdog Foundation. $33.85. Saturday, Oct. 7, noon-4 p.m.

SADDLE CREEK NORTH

Crown Me Royal Fest

Panels, workshops, and independent films from Black and brown behind-the-scenes professionals from all media platforms. Friday, Oct. 6-Oct. 8.

VISIBLE MUSIC COLLEGE

Fuller Fest

This festival features music, speakers, vendors, and more.

Saturday, Oct. 7, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

T.O. FULLER STATE PARK

Memphis Bacon & Bourbon Festival 2023

Memphis Bacon & Bourbon Festival is back for 2023.

Friday, Oct. 6, 6-9 p.m.

FEDEX CENTER AT SHELBY FARMS

Oktoberfest

Live music and games all day along with competitions including the annual Bratwurst Toss, Keg Carry Competition, Beer Sliding Competition, and a Stein Holding Contest.

Saturday, Oct. 7, noon-10 p.m.

GRIND CITY BREWING CO.

Paint Memphis

Featuring 100 artists from all over the world creating murals in the Edge District. Saturday, Oct. 7, 4-10 a.m.

FILM

Anime Night: Tales of Horror

Bringing out three acclaimed horror anime tales: Vampire Hunter D, Demon City Shinjuku, and Hellsing: Ultimate. 18+. Free. Thursday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m.

Movies & Mixers –Batman 1989

See the Batmobile at MoSH.

Saturday, Oct. 7, 8:10 p.m.

Overton Square Movie Nights: Mean Girls Blankets and folding chairs

continued on page 34

Pre-K will help give your child the basic skills they will need later in school. Plus some programs provide extra support, like devices, for home learning. And, depending on your income, it’s all free.

early childhood programs benefit the whole community. First 8 Memphis coordinates services for kids birth through third grade. To enroll your child in Pre-K, visit: PrekMemphis.com

continued from page

welcome. Free. Thursday, Oct. 5, 7-9 p.m.

OVERTON SQUARE

Soul Cinema: Mr. Douglass’ Theatre

The film frames Charles Henry Douglass’ unique life, from his birth in 1870 to his rise as a national business figure and Macon’s first Black millionaire to the time of his death. Free.

Thursday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m. STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC

FOOD AND DRINK

Black Restaurant Week

Discover Black-owned restaurants and culinary businesses in the community. Through Oct. 8.

MEMPHIS

Picnic for Pachyderms

A day of delectable delights and incredible encounters! $50.

Saturday, Oct. 7, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

HEALTH AND FITNESS

Fitness Under the Stars

This is a free fall fitness series that will be comprised of a variety of group fitness activities.

Wednesday, Oct. 11, 6 p.m.

Ironman 70.3 Memphis

There is something for everyone, even those not racing.

Saturday, Oct. 7.

Midsouth Sober

Living Charity Golf Tournament

Play to raise money for sober housing in Memphis. Monday, Oct. 9, 11 a.m.

THE LINKS AT GALLOWAY GOLF COURSE

PERFORMING ARTS

Night of the Living Drag

These performers will slay you with their amazing talents and captivating art. 18+. $10.

Friday, Oct. 6, 8-10 p.m.

HI TONE

Penn and Teller Present: The Foolers

The Foolers bring an evening of jaw-dropping illusions curated.

Saturday, Oct. 7, 7:30-10 p.m.

CANNON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

The Starlight Cabaret: Keleigh Klarke’s Birthday Celebration

Featuring Stephanie Embark, Wednesday Moss, Tiffany Starr, Sierra Andrews, Aubrey Ombre, and Holly Walnutz.

Saturday, Oct. 7, 10 p.m.

DRU’S PLACE

Variations on a Theme: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

An evening of rousing, radiant (and occasionally ribald) selections from over 400 years of musical brilliance, all inspired by this timeless tale. Saturday, Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m.

OPERA MEMPHIS

Welcome to the Freak Show Halloween Extravaganza

Prepare to dance the night away while being amazed by the fire-dancing freak show performers. 21+. $15-$20. Saturday, Oct. 7, 10 p.m.-3 a.m.

BLACK LODGE

SPORTS

901 Wrestling LIVE

The winner of this year’s annual tournament will get a shot at the 901 Wrestling Championship. Saturday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

Memphis 901 FC vs. El Paso

Saturday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m.

AUTOZONE PARK

NBA Preseason: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Indiana Pacers

Sunday, Oct. 8, 7 p.m.

FEDEXFORUM

NBA Preseason: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Milwaukee Bucks

Tuesday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m.

FEDEXFORUM

THEATER

De aqui y de alla (From Here and There)

This educational production includes audience participation and a fun and enjoyable way to learn about Hispanic cultural traditions and more. Performed in English and Spanish. $20. Friday, Oct. 6, 8-10 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 7, 8-10 p.m.; Sunday,

Oct. 8, 3-5 p.m.

THE EVERGREEN THEATRE

Fat Ham

Fat Ham is a deliciously funny retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet set in the American South. Through Oct. 8.

PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE

Father Comes Home From the Wars

An explosively powerful drama about the mess of war, the cost of freedom, and the heartbreak of love. Through Oct. 22.

HATTILOO THEATRE

Funny Girl

This bittersweet comedy is the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice. $29-$135. Tuesday, Oct. 10-Oct. 15.

ORPHEUM THEATRE

The 7th Annual FREE

Shout-Out Shakespeare Series: The Tempest Tennessee Shakespeare Company performs the Shakespeare’s final romance for the company’s free outdoor series. Free. Ongoing.

MEMPHIS

TOURS

True Crimes of Bygone Times: A Tour of Elmwood Cemetery Learn about true crime stories of decades past on this fascinating tour of Elmwood Cemetery. $20. Saturday, Oct. 7, 2-3:30 p.m.

ELMWOOD CEMETERY

B TO E R FEST

NEWS OF THE WEIRD

By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication

The Tech Revolution

The California Public Utilities Commission voted in early August to allow Cruise and Waymo to offer paid driverless rides to customers during the day, The New York Times reported. On Aug. 15, as Paul Harvey, 74, looked on, a Cruise vehicle in San Francisco drove into a city paving project and became stuck in wet concrete. “I thought it was funny,” Harvey said. “It illustrated how creepy and weird the whole thing is to me.” Rachel Gordon with the San Francisco Department of Public Works noted that no one was hurt, but added, “That portion of the road has to be repaved at Cruise’s expense.” Paul Leonardi, a professor of technology management at the University of California, Santa Barbara, chalked up the experience to a teaching moment: “It needs to experience a diverse set of use cases so it can learn, and driving into wet concrete is one of those use cases.”

[NY Times, 8/17/2023]

Clothing Optional

At Stoke Fruit Farm on Hayling Island in England, the sunflowers have been in full bloom for several weeks. The colorful fields offer a perfect background for photo shoots, but, the BBC reported, the farm has seen an “increase of reports of naked photography taking place” since July 28. “People are having fun and taking pictures for their Instagram but we just ask that they keep their clothes on,” said Sam Wilson, who runs the site. In an Aug. 11 Facebook post, the attraction cautioned that “this must not happen during our public sessions please.” One commenter said her son “got a right eyeful” after stumbling across a woman wearing just a thong. “Should have seen his face!” [BBC, 8/17/2023]

It’s (Not) a Mystery

When the European Space Agency shared a composite photo taken by the James Webb Telescope in late July, highlighting two actively forming stars, another shape in the photo caught the attention of Earth-bound gazers: an orange formation in the shape of a question mark. Kai Noeske, ESA communication program officer, explained to NPR what scientists think the shape is: “a group or a chance alignment of two or three galaxies. The upper part of the question mark looks like a

distorted spiral galaxy, maybe merging with a second galaxy.” Galaxy mergers result in “all kinds of beautiful shapes and structures,” said Macarena Garcia Marin, a Webb project scientist. They are “a normal phase in the life and evolution of galaxies.” [NPR, 8/17/2023]

Questionable Judgment

An unnamed man called his dangerous stunt “a joke” after being arrested in Ostrobothnia, Finland, Sky News reported on Aug. 9. The man allegedly stored 26 pounds of dynamite in his friend’s two cars before calling the owner and telling him. The owner wasn’t laughing: He alerted police, who evacuated nearby buildings. “In addition to the dynamite, detonators were also confiscated from the cars,” said Tony Rauma, detective chief inspector with the Ostrobothnia Police. The jokester told police he did not intend to blow up the cars, and links to terrorism have been ruled out. [Sky News, 8/9/2023]

Bright Idea

Officials in New Delhi, India, are preparing for the G20 summit next week, and no detail has been left unaddressed, Reuters reported. For example: Rhesus monkeys are a menace on many of the city’s streets, often attacking pedestrians. The monkeys cannot be harmed or removed by law, so the government has installed life-size cutouts of langurs — bigger primates with black faces — around the city to scare the monkeys away. The New Delhi Municipal Council has also employed “30 to 40” people who mock the langurs’ sounds so that the monkeys will believe they are real. “We … are already seeing a positive impact,” said Satish Upadhyay, the vice-chairman of the NDMC. [Reuters, 8/31/2023]

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

News of the Weird is now a podcast on all major platforms! To find out more, visit newsoftheweirdpodcast.com.

NEWS OF THE WEIRD

© 2023 Andrews McMeel Syndication. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

GRAVE LURKER RAVE MICK KOLASSA ICK CASH MARTIN ASH JOYBOMB OYBOMB MAGNUM DOPUS AGNUM

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I’ve been doing interviews in support of my new book Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle. Now and then, I’m asked this question: “Do you actually believe all that mystical woo-woo you write about?” I respond diplomatically, though inwardly I’m screaming, “How profoundly hypocritical I would be if I did not believe in the ‘mystical woo-woo’ I have spent my adult studying and teaching!” But here’s my polite answer: I love and revere the venerable spiritual philosophies that some demean as “mystical woo-woo.” I see it as my job to translate those subtle ideas into well-grounded, practical suggestions that my readers can use to enhance their lives. Everything I just said is the prelude for your assignment, Aries: Work with extra focus to actuate your high ideals and deep values in the ordinary events of your daily life. As the American idioms advise: Walk your talk and practice what you preach.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I’m happy to see the expanding use of service animals. Initially, there were guide dogs to assist humans with imperfect vision. Later, there came mobility animals for those who need aid in moving around and hearing animals for those who can’t detect ringing doorbells. In recent years, emotional support animals have provided comfort for people who benefit from mental health assistance. I foresee a future in which all of us feel free and eager to call on the nurturing of companion animals. You may already have such friends, Taurus. If so, I urge you to express extra appreciation for them in the coming weeks. Ripen your relationship. And if not, now is an excellent time to explore the boost you can get from loving animals.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini author Chuck Klosterman jokes, “I eat sugared cereal almost exclusively. This is because I’m the opposite of a ‘nononsense’ guy. I’m an ‘all-nonsense’ guy.” The coming weeks will be a constructive and liberating time for you to experiment with being an all-nonsense person, dear Gemini. How? Start by temporarily suspending any deep attachment you have to being a serious, hyper-rational adult doing staid, weighty adult things. Be mischievously committed to playing a lot and having maximum fun. Dancing sex! Ice cream uproars! Renegade fantasies! Laughter orgies! Joke romps! Giddy brainstorms and euphoric heartstorms!

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian comedian Gilda Radner said, “I base most of my fashion taste on what doesn’t itch.” Let’s use that as a prime metaphor for you in the coming weeks. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you will be wise to opt for what feels good over what merely looks good. You will make the right choices if you are committed to

By Rob Brezsny

loving yourself more than trying to figure out how to get others to love you. Celebrate highly functional beauty, dear Cancerian. Exult in the clear intuitions that arise as you circumvent self-consciousness and revel in festive self-love.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The amazingly creative Leo singer-songwriter Tori Amos gives this testimony: “All creators go through a period where they’re dry and don’t know how to get back to the creative source. Where is that waterfall? At a certain point, you say, ‘I’ll take a rivulet.’” Her testimony is true for all of us in our quest to find what we want and need. Of course, we would prefer to have permanent, unwavering access to the waterfall. But that’s not realistic. Besides, sometimes the rivulet is sufficient. And if we follow the rivulet, it may eventually lead to the waterfall.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Do you perform experiments on yourself? I do on myself. I formulate hypotheses about what might be healthy for me, then carry out tests to gather evidence about whether they are. A recent one was: Do I feel my best if I eat five small meals per day or three bigger ones? Another: Is my sleep most rejuvenating if I go to bed at 10 p.m. and wake up at 7 a.m. or if I sleep from midnight to 9 a.m.? I recommend you engage in such experiments in the coming weeks. Your body has many clues and revelations it wants to offer you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): An Oklahoma woman named Mary Clamser used a wheelchair from age 19 to 42 because multiple sclerosis made it hard to use her legs. Then a miracle happened. During a thunderstorm, she was hit by lightning. The blast not only didn’t kill her; it cured the multiple sclerosis. Over the subsequent months, she recovered her ability to walk. Now I’m not saying I hope you will be hit by a literal bolt of healing lightning, Scorpio, nor do I predict any such thing. But I suspect a comparable event or situation that may initially seem unsettling could ultimately bring you blessings.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): What are your favorite mind-altering substances? Coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar, or tobacco? Alcohol, pot, cocaine, or opioids? Psilocybin, ayahuasca, LSD, or MDMA? Others? All the above? Whatever they are, the coming weeks will be a favorable time to re-evaluate your relationship with them. Consider whether they are sometimes more hurtful than helpful or vice versa, whether the original reasons that led you to them are still true, and how your connection with them affects your close relationships. Ask other questions, too! PS: I don’t know what the answers are. My goal is simply to inspire you to take an inventory.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

Take a few deep, slow breaths. Let your mind be a blue sky where a few high clouds float. Hum your favorite melody. Relax as if you have all the time in the world to be whoever you want to be. Fantasize that you have slipped into a phase of your cycle when you are free to act as calm and unhurried as you like. Imagine you have access to resources in your secret core that will make you stable and solid and secure. Now read this Mary Oliver poem aloud: “You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.”

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In his book Meditations for Miserable People (Who Want to Stay That Way), Dan Goodman says, “It’s not that I have nothing to give, but rather that no one wants what I have.” If you have ever been tempted to entertain dour fantasies like that, I predict you will be purged of them in the coming weeks and months. Maybe more than ever before, your influence will be sought by others. Your viewpoints will be asked for. Your gifts will be desired, and your input will be invited. I trust you won’t feel overwhelmed!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): William James (1842–1910) was a paragon of reason and logic. So influential were his books about philosophy and psychology that he is regarded as a leading thinker of the 19th and 20th centuries. On the other hand, he was eager to explore the possibilities of supernatural phenomena like telepathy. He even consulted a trance medium named Leonora Piper. James said, “If you wish to upset the law that all crows are black, it is enough if you prove that one crow is white. My white crow is Mrs. Piper.” I bring this to your attention, Aquarius because I suspect you will soon discover a white crow of your own. As a result, long-standing beliefs may come into question; a certainty could become ambiguous; an incontrovertible truth may be shaken. This is a good thing!

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): If we hope to cure our wounds, we must cultivate a focused desire to be healed. A second essential is to be ingenious in gathering the resources we need to get healed. Here’s the third requirement: We must be bold and brave enough to scramble up out of our sense of defeat as we claim our right to be vigorous and whole again. I wish all these powers for you in the coming weeks.

At our annual Memphis Bacon & Bourbon Festival we'll have creative bacon-inspired dishes of all kinds from some great Memphis restaurants, plus a vast array of distilled spirits to tempt your tastebuds.

We'll have music and all sorts of merriment and party activities... and did we mention a whole lot of bacon and bourbon?

Pumpkin Spice Magic

October is the month that many people associate with Halloween, the fall, ancestors, magic, pumpkins, candles, and almost anything else witchy or spooky. While Halloween and Samhain may be the focus, October and the fall are full of all kinds of magic.

Perhaps most importantly on this list of fall magic is the pumpkin spice latte. Whether you love it or hate it, it is now a cultural staple, but one with a twist if you know how to look at it. Pumpkin spices have long been associated with autumn, long before they were put into co ee. e average pumpkin spice blend consists of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice. Early American settlers didn’t use the blend like we do today, but the same ingredients were used to preserve the fall harvests of meat, fruit, and vegetables. In 1796 Amelia Simmons penned a recipe using the spices in the rst American cookbook. In 1934 McCormick bottled this recipe and labeled it “Pumpkin Pie Spice.” In the 1990s it found its way into co ee.

Whether you use the pumpkin spice herbal combination in your co ee, pies, bread, or cookies, it is sure to bring a sense of warmth and comfort. All of these herbs are considered warming herbs and therefore play a psychological part in making us feel those autumnal cozy feelings. Some believe that just the smell of these herbs triggers a change in our brains. And it can also help you manifest your desires!

FEATURING THESE GREAT TASTES

e combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice is a blend of herbs that are used by many practitioners for money, love, and success. Cinnamon is one of my favorite herbs. Cinnamon is used for money drawing, protection, love, victory, and success. Cinnamon is associated with the element of re, which means you can use it to increase the speed of your spell work. Need something to happen fast? Add cinnamon to the mix. Nutmeg is a spice that can be used for banishing, increasing psychic skills, love, luck, money, justice, and protection while traveling. Ginger can be used for workings about love and passion, personal power, protection, prosperity, and healing. Ginger is a wonderful herb to keep in your cabinet for many reasons and these are just some of them. Ginger is also used by many people for treating in ammation and upset stomachs.

While cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg are all great herbs, clove might be one of the most versatile spices out there. Cloves can be used for banishing rituals, breaking hexes, cleansing, increasing courage or

empathy, love, luck, mental clarity, money or prosperity work, protection, and to stop gossip. Allspice may be considered by some as a special herb because it contains the avor of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Tastiness aside, allspice is an herb that you can use to increase the power of your working no matter what you are manifesting. Allspice is thought by some to strengthen willpower, increase courage and energy, or aid in gambling or healing and protection. It is also another great money drawing herb.

No matter your feelings on the pumpkin spice latte trend, the pumpkin pie spices are all versatile herbs great for many magical workings. You can dress your candles with any combination of these herbs to aid in your work. You can also add these herbs to your herbal amulets (known in some traditions as gris-gris bags or mojo bags) or carry them in your pocket. Simmer pots are a popular way to infuse your home with energy and scent, especially in the fall. Mix in any of these spices in your next simmer pot to add their properties to your home.

Since these are kitchen spices, you can always add any of these to your cooking. ere are many kitchen witches out there who use the food they make intentionally to manifest. Pumpkin spice is an easy combination to use in kitchen magic. Speak your intention over the herbs as you add them to your next tasty concoction, and all that’s le is to eat your magical intentions. is fall, embrace the spice and let it work its magic in your life.

Emily Guenther is a co-owner of e Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.

It’s not just about lattes, these spices are magical.

METAPHYSICAL CONNECTION By Emily Guenther

PHOTO: EVA BRONZINI | PEXELS

FOOD By Michael Donahue

Cafe Keough Turns 10

afe Keough is celebrating its 10th birthday.

And some people still pronounce it “Cafe Cough,” says owner Kevin Keough.

“ e ‘g-h’ on the end screws everybody up,” says Keough, 55.

But over the past decade, the breakfastand-lunch Downtown cafe, which actually is pronounced “KEE-oh,” has been a haven for Downtowners wanting a pickme-up cappuccino or boozy co ee drink, an in-house baked cookie, or French onion soup.

Keough didn’t set out to open a cafe and then nd a location. “I kind of nd a spot and wonder what would be a good t in the area.”

He already appreciated good food. A native of Collierville, Tennessee, Keough says, “Growing up on a small farm gives you a work ethic for sure. And you would eat food that was pretty damn fresh.”

Eating at a fast food restaurant back then was a “treat,” but fast food tasted “wrong” to him.

Keough was a short order cook at the old Lou’s Place on Front Street before going to work for Karen Carrier when she owned Automatic Slim’s. “She hired me as bar manager. And then I went from bar manager to general manager. We became partners and owners of the Beauty Shop Restaurant.”

But Keough was ready for another project. “I always kind of wanted to do a cafe concept. And I wanted to get away from the white tablecloth concept.”

He wanted “a worker-style cafe as opposed to a white tablecloth higherend space.”

His friend, Henry Grosvenor, who owns the building, showed him the space at 12 South Main Street. “It was a shell. Nothing in there.”

Keough did some of the renovation work for the cafe, which has a 23-foot ceiling and 16-by-4-foot windows. “I painted the whole place. I laid these tiles.”

He knew the type of eating-drinking establishment he wanted to open. “I wanted to do a French cafe, but sometimes when people do French-style restaurants, they make it a little too French. Almost like the concept of what they think it is.”

at would be “lots of brass and tu ed brasseries and those kinds of things.”

Keough wanted a “quieter version” of that. “I wanted to balance it out with something that actually made it look like it came from Memphis or the South.”

Customers tell him Cafe Keough feels like a lot of places, ranging from New Orleans to Argentina. “I’ve had tourists come in and say, ‘Oh, this is very similar to something you would see in Vienna or di erent parts of Europe.’”

And that’s ne with Keough. “It has the feel of an Old World cafe without being an Old World cafe.”

Keough, who didn’t have a lot of money to buy high-end antiques, over time bought things, like the large art nouveau lady statue on the bar, that gave the right feel to the cafe.

e restroom doors came from an old Methodist church in Memphis. e chairs were in the old Spaghetti Warehouse. And he bought the converted gas chandeliers from a former antiques dealer who lived in the building.

e slotted wood banquette benches, which he had made, resemble benches he’d seen in a cafe as well as in Memphis trolleys.

Keough began serving paninis a er buying a massive used panini press from the old Deliberate Literate bookstore. He also did crêpes at rst. “It was supposed to be like New Orleans food. I wanted to get away from that fried food. Greasy. I wanted to do something a little bit more healthy and not so heavy.”

In 2019, Keough opened Bar Keough at 247 South Cooper. He wants the bar to look like the 1912 building it’s housed in, but with modern elements. It has a turnof-the-century tin pressed ceiling. “But I’ve got a Formica bar.”

It wasn’t di cult to come up with the name Bar Keough. But Cafe Keough was another matter. Keough considered other names, including Commerce Cafe and Main Street Cafe, but those names were already taken.

Cafe Keough was perfect. “It’s a hard name to pronounce, so it makes you have to question if you’re saying it right. And you have to remember it. Sort of.”

PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE Kevin Keough

Home Invasion

Kaitlyn Dever is besieged by aliens in Hulu’s No One Will Save You

The 1970s were the decade where horror came of age. William Friedkin (RIP) made the genre respectable with e Exorcist, Dario Argento brought it to the art house with Suspiria, and John Carpenter revolutionized it with Halloween. But one of the most frightening single scenes of the decade was from Steven Spielberg in Close Encounters of the ird Kind. Spielberg can do anything, of course, but I have long thought that he is a horror director at heart. In Close Encounters, single mom Jillian (Melinda Dillon) is in bed with the u in her rural Indiana farmhouse when she notices one of her son Barry’s (Cary Gu ey) toys moving by itself. Barry is in the kitchen, where he meets something — we only see his reactions, and the spilt milk that the unseen visitor dropped from the fridge. By the time Jillian makes it downstairs, Barry is chasing his new “friend” outside, where an ominous cloud formation overhead adds to the tense atmosphere. Jillian

manages to get her son inside, but the alien visitors, represented by blinding klieg lights, will not be deterred. ey try various points of entry, like the chimney, with Barry cheering them on. “Come in through the door!”

e scene’s climax comes when the aliens slowly unscrew the HVAC vent covers, a moment writer/director Brian Du eld emulates in his new alien invasion ick No One Will Save You. In place of the Melinda Dillon (who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for CE3K) is Kaitlyn Dever as Brynn, who lives alone in her rural farmhouse, surrounded by her cra s and pictures of her deceased parents and BFF Maude (Dari Lynn Gri n).

One of the things Spielberg understands is how much horror depends on great sound design. In the recent hit A Quiet Place, the sound design takes center stage because the invading aliens

are blind, so everyone has to be real quiet all the time. In No One Will Save You, it’s quiet because no one in Brynn’s small town will talk to her, because they hate her, for reasons that the story slowly reveals. ere are only about ve words of dialogue spoken in the lm’s 93 minutes, which makes A Quiet Place

seem positively chatty by comparison. Sound designer James Miller lls the space with spooky creaks, far-o groaning, and unintelligible murmurs. Brynn seems lonely and sad, but fairly resigned to her fate as the town pariah, as long as she is le alone to run her Etsy business selling handmade

FILM By Chris McCoy

Kaitlyn Dever stars in Hulu’s No One Will Save You

FILM By Chris McCoy

birdhouses. One morning, on her way to the post office, she notices a burned ring in her yard. That night, she gets her first visitor. Duffield uses deep staging and sleight of hand to avoid revealing his antagonists as long as possible. The aliens appear in bokeh or obscured by lens flares — until they’re right up in Brynn’s face, probing her mind.

Doing No One Will Save You as a semi-silent film is operating with the difficulty setting on high, and it would not work without an actress as talented and disciplined as Dever. Her endlessly expressive eyes sell Brynn’s resigned despair, her creeping terror, her determination to survive, and, when the alien’s mind probe takes her back to the traumatic incident that made her an outcast, her searing regret.

Like all good horror films, No One Will Save You plays with your existing fears by mapping them onto some external threat. In this case, it’s fear of the dark, fear of the unknown, social anxiety, and, as University of Memphis film professor Marina Levina is fond of saying, “all horror is body horror.”

The list of Duffield’s influence — Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Under The Skin, Close Encounters, Poltergeist — is solid, but the real test of an artist is how well they synthesize and transcend their influences. The synergy between director and actor elevates No One Will Save You to something greater than the sum of its parts.

No One Will Save You is now streaming on Hulu.

Qualified blood donors may be compensated up to $500 per donation for their time and effort participating in important research.

We are currently seeking blood donors with the following conditions in the Memphis area:

LEGAL NOTICES

2008 SATURN ION

Vin # 1G8AJ55F87Z207103, dark blue. All parties holding a claim on this vehicle should call 901-628-7079 within 10 days of this notice.

EMPLOYMENT

BUSINESS ANALYST

needed at International Paper in Memphis, TN. Must have bach degree in Information Technology or related and 5 yrs of experience, including:

Formal ticket processing procedures, Application System Delivery Lifecycle, Transact SQL or MS SQL Server, SCRUM/AGILE Methodologies, Object Oriented Programming and Methodologies. Must have 1 year of experience in the recycling business, including ERP application systems (CieTrade). Remote work an option within commutable distance to a recycling facility. Must be available to travel to IP headquarters in Memphis and to facilities across the U.S. 10% of time. Email CVs to IT.HR@ipaper.com.

Equal Opportunity/affirmative action employer including vets and disabled.

SR PRODUCT OWNER

needed at AutoZone in Memphis, TN. Must have bach in MIS, Comp Sci or related & 5 yrs of exp in Agile environment, incl data infrastructure, data-heavy projects & working w/ technical partner service providers; analysis & reporting using Excel &SQL; Agile product ownership & Scrum Framework leveraging Agile Management tools including JIRA & VersionOne (Agility); SQL coding & scripting; manual testing using Json/ Postman payloads. Employer will accept a Master’s & 3 yrs exp in lieu of a Bach & 5 yrs exp. Remote work is an option.Email resumes totaresume@

SR. PRODUCT MANAGERMARKETING TECHNOLOGY & CUSTOMER DATA

needed at AutoZone in Memphis, TN. Must have bach in MIS, Engineering, or related & 8 yrs of IT exp, incl customer data mgmt systems, customer data platforms, data infrastructure, marketing tech solutions, CRM tech, & AI products; cloud environments & data lakes; product mgmt & dev in Agile; integration with & migration of legacy systems; IT architectural diagrams & tech solutions; & communicating product vision to leadership & complex tech rqmts to business stakeholders Email resumes to taresume@autozone.com. EOE

SR. SYSTEMS ENGINEERECOMMERCE

needed at AutoZone in Memphis, TN.

Must have bach in MIS, IT, or related & 8 yrs of IT eCommerceM dev exp, incl software dev using Java, ATG 11.x, Endeca, Linux/Unix, & RDBMS; designing, developing, & supporting high volume 24/7 customer facing apps; troubleshoot critical production issues spanning apps, infrastructure & tune high volume online apps utilizing tools Dynatrace, Splunk & AppDynamics; utilizing CI,CD & automation tool Jenkins; source code mgmt systems using GIT; at least 4 yrs of utilizing Spring Framework, WebLogic/ Jboss, Apache / Nginx, CDN including Akamai, NodeJS & Microservices Email resumes totaresume@autozone.com. EOE

SR. SYSTEMS ENGINEERMERCHANDISING

needed at AutoZone in Memphis, TN.

Must have bach in Comp Sci, MIS, or related & 5 yrs of exp incl: Java/J2EE Technologies; Spring Boot, RestAPI’s, React.js, ActiveMQ, JSON & Kafka; NoSQL &/or Oracle DB; designing/ developing/supporting high volume

systems; troubleshoot critical production issues spanning merchandising applications/ infrastructure & tune high volume applications; at least 1 year in a retail environment. Employer will accept master’s & 3 yrs of exp in lieu of a bach & 5 yrs of exp. Email resumes to taresume@autozone.com. EOE

SR. SYSTEMS ENGINEERSUPPLY CHAIN

needed at AutoZone in Memphis, TN. Must have bach in Comp Sci or related & 5 yrs of full stack enterprise software engineering exp, incl Java, J2EE, Spring, React, Kendo, Angular, JavaScript, Node JS, Express, Next. js, C/C++, GIT, SVN, Oracle, Pivotal Cloud Foundry, Redis, OAuth; Release Automation Engineering w/ tools Jenkins, Jira; Docker container tech; microservices & SOA dev, SOAP, REST; designing, developing, & supporting high volume enterprise apps; configuring & tuning Application servers including Tomcat as well as Web Servers Apache & Nginx for high volume systems; and Supply Chain systems / applicationsEmail resumes totaresume@autozone.com. EOE

SYSTEMS ENGINEERINFRASTRUCTURE BACKUP

needed at AutoZone in Memphis, TN. Must have bach in Comp Sci, MIS, or related & 5 yrs of IT infrastructure exp, incl planning & managing data center backups for a diverse infrastructure environment; enterprise backup concepts & disaster recovery planning & testing; disk based & cloud backup concepts as well as network attached storage; Red Hat & Windows Oses in virtual & physical environments; & project & process mgmt tools & methodologies Email resumes totaresume@autozone.com. EOE

Lawrence S. Wittner

A Stronger United Nations

World peace and security require it.

Addressing the UN Security Council on September 20, 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a heartfelt plea “to update the existing security architecture in the world, in particular, to restore the real power of the UN Charter.” is call for strengthening international security under the aegis of the United Nations makes sense not only for Ukraine — a country su ering from brutal military invasion, occupation, and annexation by its much larger, more powerful neighbor, the Russian Federation — but for the nations of the world.

For thousands of years, competing territories, nations, and empires have spilled rivers of blood and laid waste to much of the world through wars and plunder. Hundreds of millions of people have died, while many more have been horribly injured or forced to ee their shattered homelands in a desperate search for safety. World Wars I and II, capped o by the use of nuclear weapons to annihilate the populations of entire cities, brought massive su ering to people around the globe.

In 1945, this mad slaughter and devastation convinced farsighted thinkers, as well as many government leaders, that human survival was dependent upon developing a framework for international security: the United Nations. e UN Charter, adopted in a conference in the spring of that year in San Francisco by 50 Allied nations, declared that a key purpose of the new organization was “to maintain international peace and security.”

e UN Charter, which constitutes international law, included provisions detailing how nations were to treat one another in the battered world emerging from the Second World War. Among its major provisions was Article 2, Section 4, which declared that “all members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.” Furthermore, Article 51 declared that “nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a member of the United Nations.”

Although the UN Charter provided for a General Assembly in which all member nations were represented, action to maintain international peace and security was delegated primarily to a UN Security Council with 15 members, ve of whom (the United States, the Soviet Union, China, Britain, and France) were to be permanent members with the right to veto Security Council resolutions or action.

Not surprisingly, the right of any of these ve nations to block Security Council peace e orts, a right they had insisted upon as the price of their participation in the United Nations, hamstrung the world organization from enforcing peace and international security on numerous occasions. e most recent instance has occurred in the case of the Ukraine War, a con ict in which, as Zelensky lamented, “all [Security Council] e orts are vetoed by the aggressor.” As a result, the United Nations has all too o en lacked the power to enforce the principles of international law con rmed by its members and enshrined in its Charter.

Some people are perfectly content with the weakness of the United Nations. Fierce nationalists, as exempli ed by Donald Trump and his Republican followers, are contemptuous of this or any international security organization, and many would prefer its abolition. Others have little use for the United Nations but, instead, place their hopes for the maintenance of international peace and stability upon public and governmental acceptance of great power spheres of in uence. Meanwhile, a segment of the international Le ignores the United Nations and insists that world peace will only be secured by smashing “U.S. imperialism.”

Sadly, those forces opposing international organization and action fail to recognize that their proposals represent not only a return to thousands of years of international strife and mass slaughter among nations, but, in today’s world, an open door to a nuclear holocaust that will end virtually all life on earth.

Compared to this descent into international chaos and destruction, proposals to strengthen the United Nations are remarkably practical and potentially e ective. Zelensky has suggested empowering the UN General Assembly to overcome a Security Council veto by a vote of two-thirds or more of the Assembly’s nations. In addition, he has proposed expanding the representation of nations in the Security Council, temporarily suspending membership of a Security Council member when it “resorts to aggression against another nation in violation of the UN Charter,” and creating a deterrent to international aggression by agreeing on the response to it before it occurs.

Of course, there are numerous other ways to strengthen the United Nations as a force for peace and to help ensure that it works as an e ective international agency for battling the onrushing climate catastrophe, combating disease pandemics, and cracking down on the exploitative practices of multinational corporations. Its member nations could also rally behind the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (still unsigned by the nuclear powers), agree on a UN program to handle the burgeoning international refugee crisis, and provide the world organization with substantially greater nancial resources to reduce global poverty and mass misery than it currently receives.

Indeed, the horri c Ukraine War is but the latest canary in the coal mine — the danger signal that people of all nations should recognize as indicating the necessity for moving beyond national isolation and beginning a new era of global responsibility, cooperation, and unity.

Dr. Lawrence Wittner, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is professor of history emeritus at SUNY/Albany and the author of Confronting the Bomb (Stanford University Press).

PHOTO: BLURAZ | DREAMSTIME.COM

We all bene t from an era of global cooperation.