Memphis Flyer - 12/10/20

FRESH STORIES DAILY AT MEMPHISFLYER.COM BASECAMP BLONDE P19 • MANK P20 • REMEMBERING LISA MICHAELS P23

OUR 1659TH ISSUE 12.10.20

Free Kirk Whalum

Jazz City

JAMIE HARMON

The once — and future — sound of Memphis

Be a part of something big.

We’re hiring at the FedEx Express World Hub in Memphis.

Starting pay up to $18/hr.

fedexishiring.com

Make your sports bets now at the casino sports book that’s closest to Memphis – and enjoy a generous 1 ½ lb. of snow crab legs. red potatoes, corn on the cob and smoked sausage with drawn butter for just $26.99. For a limited time, Fridays and Saturdays from 10am til 11pm.

December 10-16, 2020

Must be 21+. Play responsibly; for help quitting call 800-522-4700.

Make your bets here, grab some beer & dine on crab legs.

Now open 24 hours on weekends.

2

Open 9am-5am M-Th 12123 Sportsbook Crab Legs Flyer 9.35 x 12.4.indd 1

11/24/20 12:38 PM

DESHAUNE MCGHEE Classified Advertising Manager ROBBIE FRENCH Warehouse and Delivery Manager JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 memphisflyer.com CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC. ANNA TRAVERSE FOGLE Chief Executive Officer ASHLEY HAEGER Controller JEFFREY GOLDBERG Chief Revenue Officer BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Editorial Director MARGIE NEAL Production Operations Director KRISTIN PAWLOWSKI Digital Services Director MOLLY WILLMOTT Special Events Director LYNN SPARAGOWSKI Circulation and Accounting Manager KALENA MATTHEWS Marketing Coordinator

National Newspaper Association

Association of Alternative Newsmedia

Holiday Artist Market

MEMPHISARTSCOLLECTIVE.COM

Nov. 27 - Dec. 24

3484 Poplar Avenue, Poplar Plaza at the corner of poplar and highland

hours: Mon-Sat: 10:30a - 6:30p Thurs: til 8:00p · Sun: noon- 5:00p Drop off location for The Mid-South Food Bank

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Glamour Faces by Dominique

“ENHANCING WOMEN’S BEAUTY WITH GLAMOUR” MAKEUP BY DOMINIQUE

GLAMOURFACES901@GMAIL.COM 901.282.9001

GET ONE 2 PC DARK DINNER

FREE W/ PURCHASE OF ONE 2PC DARK DINNER & 2 MED DRINKS. WITH THIS COUPON. EXPIRES 1/31/21.

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

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

CARRIE O’GUIN Advertising Operations Manager/ Distribution Manager JERRY D. SWIFT Advertising Director Emeritus KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE Senior Account Executives MICHELLE MUSOLF Account Executive

MEMPHIS ARTS COLLECTIVE ANNUAL

CONTENTS

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

JUSTIN FOX BURKS

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

OUR 1659TH ISSUE 12.10.20 I live on a one-block, one-way street in Midtown. There are nine houses, populated by a friendly, diverse little group of folks: Black, white, Asian, gay, straight, an 85-year-old woman who lives alone, and two families with young children. Two things really bring us all together: people who drive the wrong way on our street, and the fact that our recycling pickup gets missed on the regular.

It became sort of a joke a couple years back. We used to all file 311 complaints with the city at “See, Click, Fix.” Usually, we got emails right away telling us our complaints had been “acknowledged.” Then, a couple days later, we’d get emails telling us the complaint had been “closed.” And by closed, the city apparently meant, “We’ll get you next week if we feel like it.”

A year or so ago, I went off about it on Twitter, citing the recurring problems we were having with recycling pickup on my block and tagging our city councilman and a friend who works for Mayor Strickland. That tactic actually worked. Thereafter, when our recycling was missed and I tweeted about it, crews came out late in the day or the next day and emptied our bins.

I have several thousand Twitter followers, and I’m a cranky, noisy tweeter, so that may have had something to do with it.

At any rate, my neighbors were impressed at my vast powers, which I thought I was using for a good purpose. Call it tweet privilege. And things were fine for several months — until three weeks ago, which was the last time we had recycling pickup. I whined on Twitter, per usual, but then I learned the reason for the lack of service: One-fourth of Memphis’ solid waste personnel had COVID-19 or were under quarantine due to exposure to the disease. The city announced that until further notice, recycling services would be suspended.

I felt like an asshole. (Right now, many of you are nodding your head, saying, “Well, duh!”) I’d become Karen, demanding to see the manager, seeing only my problem, not the larger picture: Namely, the people we so often take for granted, those we depend on to pick up the detritus of our over-consumption, are suffering, getting hit by this raging disease, just like so many others.

I was being short-sighted. I had failed to recognize just how much more recycling was being done because of the pandemic, how so many more people are getting so much more stuff delivered, mostly in cardboard boxes. I had failed to appreciate the manpower needed to pick up and empty the hundreds of thousands of trash and recycling bins lining every street in Memphis, and what effect losing 25 percent of that workforce would mean. I’d failed to consider what it takes out of a person to stand at a conveyor belt for eight hours a day, picking out cardboard and glass and metal and separating it by hand.

I was mostly thinking about the hassle of pushing my full recycling bin back up the driveway, and stacking next week’s recycling on the garage floor. There’s a bigger picture and I missed it: We’re all in this together, and there will be sacrifices and hardships.

Missing recycling for a few weeks isn’t a sacrifice or a hardship. It’s an inconvenience.

There are still three recycling drop-off sites. (Check the city website for details.)

But it’s safe to say most of us probably won’t recycle for a while. Like so much in 2020, everything is garbage now.

And it appears the next few weeks will be tough, especially for those working in our over-extended healthcare “system.” But we shouldn’t overlook the drug store clerks, the mail carriers, the restaurant workers, the delivery drivers, and yes, our solid waste crews. Slip the grocery clerk a fiver. Tell the girl at the drive-thru window to keep the change. Tip big.

Tip often. Order takeout. Wear a damn N E WS & O P I N I O N mask. Be nice to your fellow humans.

THE FLY-BY - 4 If we can all learn how to do that, we’ll NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 6 have at least gotten something out of POLITICS - 8 this bizarre 12 months.

FINANCIAL FEATURE - 9 I saw a meme this week that’s stuck COVER STORY with me. It was so on target, so perfect for “JAZZ CITY” these times:

BY ALEX GREENE - 10 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE - 13 “We’re not all in the same boat. We’re WE RECOMMEND - 14 all in the same storm. Some of us have CALENDAR - 16 yachts. Some of us have canoes. And BREWS - 19 some of us are drowning. Just be kind and FILM - 20 help whoever you can.”

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

3

THE

fly-by

MEMernet

W E E K T H AT W A S

By Flyer staff

Airport, Liberty Park, & NCRM

A R OX I E’S TALE

Holiday travel down, a massive arcade, and Freeman resigns from museum.

Roxie’s Grocery blew up over the weekend after an epic and hilarious post on the Where Black Memphis Eats Facebook page also blew up.

Kym Scott recounted her experience at the Uptown store and restaurant in a post that had more than 7,000 likes and 5,100 comments as of press time. In it, she and her nephew arrive, order, and eat. Though Scott admitted being “shaky because it’s dark outside, and it’s Memphis. That’s more than enough to be scared as hell.”

Back in the car, “I’m locking all doors, checking the back seat of the car, and looking in all the mirrors that point to the back of my car.” But then, “the damn burger was so good, I forgot where we was and all the danger that I felt like I was in, immediately disappeared.”

Scott’s story sent dozens to Roxie’s over the weekend.

December 10-16, 2020

Edited by Toby Sells

A roundup of Memphis on the World Wide Web.

PHOTO BY CHANDRA TILLIS

STR E ET ART

PHOTO BY BARELYMAPS

4

{

Questions, Answers + Attitude

Etsy maker BarelyMaps offered up handmade prints of the “Intersections of Memphis” last week. The prints give a stylized, bird’s-eye view of some of the city’s most complex intersections, like the one at Poplar and East Parkway.

WE E K LY VI R US C O U NTS Shelby County passed two grim milestones last week as it entered its 10th month of the COVID-19 pandemic. Total virus deaths rose above 700, with 702 total recorded on Sunday. Also, total virus cases here rose above 50,000 on Saturday. As of Sunday, December 6th, total cases were 50,923.

The average of new daily cases last week was 443, just a bit lower than the previous week’s average of 450.

As of Monday morning, 3,448 people were known to have the virus in Shelby County.

Monday: new - 283, total 48,105, total deaths - 661 Tuesday: new - 609, total 48,714, total deaths - 672 Wednesday: new - 549, total - 49,263, total deaths - 672 Clockwise from top left: Committee on naming public facilities, Terri Freeman Thursday: new - 368, total steps down, and surprisingly little holiday travel during a global pandemic 49,631, total deaths - 683 Friday: new - 298, total - 49,929, total deaths - 689 High 5 Entertainment is planning a 65,000-square-foot Saturday: new - 541, total - 50,470, total deaths - 696 facility. It will feature a two-story, 40,000-square-foot indoor Sunday: new - 453, total - 50,923, total deaths - 702 space and a 25,000-square-foot outdoor miniature golf course. It will also feature a virtual reality and video game D EAD O R ALIVE arcade, a full-service restaurant, and bars.

A Memphis City Council committee debated whether or Construction of the entertainment facility is scheduled to not renaming public facilities, parks, or monuments should begin in early 2021. Officials hope the facility will be open in include citizens who are alive. Currently, the policy is that time for the 2022 holiday season. no statue or street can be named in honor of a citizen unless they are deceased.

WALK E R STALK E R S U IT One committee member, Joshua Whitehead, pointed out Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery announced that “E.H. Crump Boulevard, Elvis Presley Boulevard, and a settlement last week with the company behind the Danny Thomas Boulevard are all streets that have been named Walker Stalker fan convention (related to The Walking while the recipient was living. Changing the policy now would Dead television show) that could yield refunds for ticket go against an already established precedent,” he said. holders and vendors.

In 2018, many of the events were canceled. Refunds were NATI O NAL C IVI L R I G HTS M US E U M promised to ticket holders, but they never materialized.

Terri Freeman announced last week she would be resigning Slatery sued the Tennessee company in February. Last week’s as director of the National Civil Rights Museum, effecagreement laid out a formal reimbursement plan. tive February 3, 2021. The move came right after Memphis magazine, our sister publication, named Freeman as its 2020 C OVI D -19 C UTS TR AVE L Memphian of the Year.

Memphis International Airport (MEM) said last week that Thanksgiving holiday travel was cut in half this year, thanks AR CAD E, M I N I- G O LF AT LI B E RTY PAR K to COVID-19. Only 40,998 flew from MEM in the 11-day Liberty Park, the yet-to-be-built youth sports complex at the period this year, 50 percent down from last year.

Mid-South Fairgrounds, is slated to get an entertainment Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for fuller versions of facility with a bowling alley, laser tag arena, golf simulators, these stories and more local news. ropes courses, escape rooms, and axe throwing.

fedexishiring.com

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

If you’re seeking a career with a company that will offer you both – come join us!

NEWS & OPINION

Every season has challenges and every new year has opportunities.

5

For Release Monday, September 3, 2018

{

The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Friday, September 7, 2018

ACROSS 1 Factor in calculating an object’s momentum 5 Commercial lines?

15 Get in the game 16 Complete, as a skeleton 17 Record label for Otis Redding 18 Complains vocally 19 Four-finger gestures 21 Somewhat 22 Henry Higgins, to Eliza Doolittle 23 “Another thing I forgot to mention …”: Abbr.

25 Diagonal sail support 27 Breakfast cookware item 33 Rock band with four(!) self-titled albums

ACROSS

35 OS X runner

by Will Shortz Dangers Crossword HolidayEdited

55 Singer whose “Thinking Out Loud” won the 2015 Grammy for Song of the Year 59 Cancel on someone 62 Plagues 63 Cab charge?

64 Urban garden locale 65 Bronze producer 66 Burgoo or callaloo

Edited by Will Shortz 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

30 Junior ___, 12-time Pro Bowl 1 Bouquet holder linebacker 5 Leaf-gathering 31 Rock grp. with tool the 1977 song “Rockaria!”

9 Org. that distributes music 32 Sun or planet royalties 34 Socially assertive types 4 “SportsCenter” channel 38 Original Beatles bassist ___ 5 Better than ___ Sutcliffe 6 Hole digger’s tool 39 *Candy from a candy machine 7 *Annual event displaying 41 Miner’s haul agricultural 42 Hauling products 44 Fold-up bed 9 Japanese beer brand 45 Item in a caddie’s bag 0 Unexpressed 46 Bread served 1 Children’s author with vindaloo ___ Asquith 48 Rangers or Flyers 3 Dog biter 51 *Attack from the Seeking Blood &sky Cell Donors 4 ___-friendly (green) 55 One might end Support important medical with .org 5 *Spilling research a drink focused on fighting or eatinglife-threatening all the diseases.

56 Roulette playing Make asay big difference for guacamole, piece patients seeking new hope.

7 Rhythmic pattern 57 Envision 36 Feeling after a guilt trip 37 “Don’t ___”

38 Monet that isn’t worth much money, say 40 Keogh plan alternative

41 Channel that used to show a clip of the 1969 moon landing every hour

I R I S H

S K I S L O P E

42 Nothing, in Nantes

43 Says goodbye to a lover 45 Scathing

48 Four-legged friend

49 Extras on TV’s “Doctor Who”

50 Digitally endorse 52 What Adderall treats, for short

C K H I E S S E S

H/T O C K

I T E D N T E L T A S O N L A G L I T A V E H/T D E N I E R P N S S S T H/T A K E I D E R C O W S

H/T A H/T A

E A S T A R G A Y O M A W H E A B C A M

C O N L O T U T E

R D U A N S T Y H/T E E A I O L I

16

17

18

19

25

F L I P S

E N O S

DOWN 1 Corn flour in Latin American cuisine 2 Prefix with thesis 3 1991 sci-fi film sequel 4 Cosmopolitan feature 5 “Li’l Abner” creature 6 Italy’s ___ alla Scala 7 Croupier’s implement 8 When “et tu” was spoken 9 A trilogy has three: Abbr.

10 “___ Dieu!”

11 Words said with one’s glass raised 12 French vanilla ice cream ingredient 13 Cartoon character who plays a saxophone 14 Skeleton vehicle, in the Olympics 20 Claptrap 23 Take second

26

27

33

34

37

38

41

42

28

59

53

29

50

55

60

A C T E D

51

63 65

PUZZLE BY DAVID STEINBERG

30 Stir crazy?

31 Containing gold 25 Washington 32 Poetic preposition establishment, so 34 Symbols of it’s said control 26 Sauce with the same consonants 39 Animation 44 Turns a corner? as what it’s used on 46 Singer/songwriter who composed 28 Children’s author the Captain & who wrote “Did Tennille’s #1 hit you ever stop to “Love Will Keep think, and forget Us Together” to start again?”

47 Fuze competitor 29 Bygone record 51 Bright look giant

December 10-16, 2020

compensated for their

hundred dollars depending

D U E T O

E R A T6 O

L E M U R

E S S P H D I E S

W W I I E P

E A R N

B B D A D R E E C C I T M A C 901-252-3434 Eresearchchampions.com S O D O F Y I E M N R E M I

S E E N O T

4

5

6

7

8

15

24

31

32

18

44

57

21

58

62 64 66

24

25

52 Start of learning

53 Stop bringing up

29

54 Hamburger, maybe 55 Dreamland 56 Touched

57 Skin softener

58 You might be careful opening something with this label 60 Sir ___ of the Round Table 61 Back

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

ANSWER time TO— from PREVIOUS PUZZLE $50 to several

3

48

61

Qualified donors are

Virus could compound holiday suicide and drug overdose deaths.

14

58 Low voice 1 2 61 A hot one might 14 be trending 63 Narrow escape … 17 or what the end of the answer to 20 each starred clue is?

66 Met 27 28 performance and local health officials 67 BrotherState launched programs last week 31 hoping to stem annual mentioned morewinter holiday suicide drug overdose rates that could than 70and times in be compounded this year38 with the Genesisstresses of COVID-19.

The Tennessee Department of 68 Nonstick Mental Health and Substance 42 Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) and Tennescookware brand see Department of Health (TDOH) 69 Extend,launched as aResilienTN last week. The program is focused on strengthenmembership ing community connections to give 51 52 Tennesseans “tools and knowledge 70 Peevedto overcome the personal challenges they face, watch out for and help those around them, and emerge56 on the other 71 Dreamcast side stronger than ever.” console maker Drug overdose deaths rose 15

PAY IT FORWARD & GET PAID

on the study.

13

40

43

56

24 Popular holiday dessert

12

36

47

54

11

30

35

46

10

21

23

39

49

52

9

20

22

45

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE F I S K I S L E S L A V H/T I T L P E A R H/T I P O L E P L O W S N I S B A S H/T A S I F T H R U H E E L

15

No. 0803

DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY

Crossword

CITY REPORTER B y To b y S e l l s

Health officials worry that the climate around the pandemic may 33 32 lead to more overdoses, suicides.

from feeling that 39pain,” said TDMHSAS Commissioner Marie Williams.

Health officials in the state worry that the43 climate around the COVID-19 44 pandemic may worsen the rise in overdoses traditionally associated with the winter 46 holidays and could also result 47 in increased deaths from suicide.

The ResilienTN campaign will feature 53 social media outreach and virtual train- 54 ing in overdose reversal and suicide prevention. Other events will focus on 57on college addiction recovery efforts campuses and suicide prevention among those struggling with substance use. A 62and other resources 63 is percent in Tennessee last 61 year, from calendar of events 1,818 in 2018 to 2,089 in 2019. Health available at tntogether.com. officials say overdose deaths in 2020 “We know many Tennesseans are 66overdose 67year are on track to exceed 2019 struggling with the challenges this deaths. Much of these are attributed to has thrown at us, and we want to reillicit fentanyl and psychostimulants, mind everyone that resources are avail69 a category that includes methamphetable to provide support when we70 or amine. Nonfatal opioid overdoses, our loved ones need it to keep moving especially among adults age 18-44, have forward,” said TDOH Commissioner also increased in 2020, peaking during Lisa Piercey.

CEE the early months of the PUZZLE COVID-19 BY GARY Anyone needing a referral to addicpandemic. tion treatment services can call or text Suicide rates in Tennessee were 16 the Tennessee REDLINE at 800-889percent higher than the national aver9789. For a mental health crisis or age in 2018, the most recent full year of someone considering suicide, call the statistics. That year, 1,159 Tennesseans Statewide Crisis Line at 855-CRISIS-1 took their own life. Suicide deaths are (855-247-7471). most common for adults aged 25-64.

Local health officials here gave away But suicide is now the third leading free drug overdose reversal kits over cause of death for youth and young the weekend in an event hoped to adults aged 10-24 in Tennessee. stem the rising tide of drug deaths in “By drawing attention to the tragic Shelby County. loss of life through overdose and suiShelby County Health Department cide in our state, we are hoping to data shows overdose deaths have more encourage Tennesseans to draw upon than doubled since 2017. That year, 165 the resilience they have inside themdied of drug overdoses. In 2019, the figselves, their families, workplaces, and ure was 343. So far this year, 369 deaths communities to prevent another family have been related to drug overdoses.

DOWN 1 Word after life or bulletproof 2 “The Thin Man” dog 3 *In a daze 4 Lead on 5 Official with a whistle, informally 6 Screen siren Gardner 7 Knightley of “The Imitation Game” 8 Flubs 9 “___ and ye shall

30

22 Covertness 25 Request at a hair salon 26 “You folks,” in Dixie 27 “___ la vie” 28 Midlevel voice 29 Middle-aged women with eyes for younger men 33 Original “Monty

40

48

64

36 Length x wi for a rectan

37 Appear to b 39 Pesky flier

40 Of the highe rank 43 Motivate 47 Siblings’ daughters

goldstrike.com ©2020 MGM Resorts International.® All rights reserved. Must be 21. Gambling problem? Call 1.888.777.9696.

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

NEWS & OPINION

GO FOR TWO, WHEN THE GAME IS ON THE LINE.

7

POLITICS By Jackson Baker

Drop off your purchase from the Shops of Saddle Creek and Two Broke Bartenders will wrap and deliver it to your home.

For free!

Open daily November 23rd thru December 24th.

Restrictions apply.

Details at shopsofsaddlecreek.com

P H O TO C O N T E S T SUBMISSIONS Dec 16-25

ENTER TO WIN $150 in Corky’s Bucks

December 10-16, 2020

Presented by

VOTING Dec 26-31

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

A PA R T M E N T 8

STYLE LIVING

901.245.2672

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

Lamar Alexander on Trump, Biden, pardons.

Readers of this efforts to lower insurance rates for column will have people who don’t have Obamacare noticed that for subsidies. He’s like a lot of people each of the two who’ve been in business and not in preceding weeks, politics. He’s thin-skinned, and he’s it has contained not accustomed to criticism. content related “He has a style and behavior to Tennessee’s that’s different than any of the retiring United presidents we’ve recently had, States Senator Lamar Alexander. which sometimes obscure his First, there were some general considerable accomplishments like observations about the senator’s lower taxes, conservative judges, career, then there were some fewer regulations, and probably the trenchant statements by the senator most remarkable of all, presiding borrowed from (and attributed to) his over a government that produced a recent interview with the Tennessee 95 percent effective COVID vaccine Journal newsletter. And then Senator in eight or nine months, instead of Alexander delivered on a longeight or nine years.” standing promise to make himself Editor’s note: The COVID vaccines curavailable to the Flyer for our own rently being touted as effective were not version of an exit interview. created by the United States government, A fuller version of that interview or even in the United States. will be published online at On Biden: “Joe is gregarious, memphisflyer.com. So as not to decent, friendly. He’s well-known and overdo matters, we well-liked in the excerpt here only United States Senate.

Alexander’s answers He has the advantage to our request of knowing leaders that he describe all over the world.

Donald Trump and He was chairman Joe Biden and that of the Foreign he comment on a Relations Committee recent installment for a long time. of The Rachel He has been vice Maddow Show on president. So he MSNBC recalling should come to the his early accession presidency about to the Tennessee as well prepared as governorship in anybody could. His Lamar Alexander 1978 to forestall biggest challenge the inevitability of is going to be the predecessor Ray left wing of his own Blanton making illegal pardons (this party. Because when they head off into in light of rumored pardons to come socialism and defunding police, they involving outgoing President Trump). lose more than half the country. And On Trump: “The one thing that we if he resists that, he’ll be able to gain can see he certainly is, is an effective some significant Republican support, I communicator; Ronald Reagan was think, and be an effective president.” called a great communicator for his On the Blanton and (possible) day, but in a completely different way.

Trump pardons: “No, I don’t. What President Trump has mastered the was happening in the Blanton years internet democracy in a way no other was evidence that people were paying public figure has. Nobody else comes cash for pardons for clemency. I close to exciting 72 million people on haven’t heard any kind of allegation Twitter to pay attention to what he says that anyone’s paying [Trump] in order several times a day. So he’s certainly for a pardon or clemency. And it’s a great communicator. He’s selfcertainly not unusual for a president confident. He’s gregarious when you’re or a governor to issue pardons or around him. He’s ambitious. clemencies at the end of a term.

“I’ve seen him in private where Most presidents and most governors he works very well on issues like the issue pardons during their time, and great American Outdoors Act, which especially at the end of their issue. would not have happened without In Tennessee in 1978, it was cash for some key decisions that he made, or clemency, not just clemency.”

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

3

Check Gift Wrapping Off Your List!

Last Go-Round

F I N A N C I A L F E AT U R E B y Te r e s a B a i l e y

The Piggy Bank Giving your children the gift of difficult discussions.

Home for the holidays Redecorate | Update | Renovate

Contact us for more information on mortgages, home equity loans, and home equity lines of credit. m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

asked her to imagine herself waking up to find that half the coins in her bank had vanished while she slept. Finally, to imagine that she went to school that day and learned that it happened to her friends’ piggy banks as well.

How might she feel about whether the money was going to reappear, even if her teacher told her it would?

How to decide between ice cream and flowers, or worse, say goodbye to a new scooter? She grew very quiet as her wheels turned.

Of course, because I had allowed myself celebration for having an answer, I received my punishment in the form of a worried look on her face, matched with this question: “But mama, did half of our piggy bank disappear?”

My first instinct, quite frankly, was to end the conversation and make her hot chocolate. However, the look on my earnest student’s face caused me to rethink and fess up that part of our piggy bank had indeed disappeared. I let her ask the scary questions. “Will we have to move?” “Can we afford food?” “Will any of my friends have to move?” I tried my best to answer each, generally and with no specific numbers.

Fast forward eight months and now I see the importance of our difficult little piggy bank discussion.

Her understanding of such a small thing gave her a huge framework for understanding how things changed around her this year — in our home, in her school, and in her friends’ lives.

We refer to the piggy bank often now.

She gets it.

As parents, we often do reach for the hot chocolate. “Let the adults worry about that, honey. Let me see that smile.”

This year, perhaps instead of using the hot chocolate to deflect the hard stuff, consider using it as an icebreaker. Face the awkwardness headon. Give the gift of clarity. Adding marshmallows and a candy cane might help, too!

Teresa Bailey, CFP, CDFA, is Director of Development and Wealth Strategist at Waddell & Associates.

southeastfinancial.org | 800-521-9653 Fixed rate mortgages available. Loan approval, interest rate, and downpayment required based on creditworthiness, amount financed, and ability to repay.

NEWS & OPINION

MARCOS SOUZA | DREAMSTIME.COM

I

magine we can all agree that 2020 offered us a unique platform for living our dayto-day family lives. Many households with young children and working parents found themselves with problem-solving situations unimaginable prior to a pandemic: work-and-school-fromhome, party-less birthdays, Thanksgiving dinners for three or four, and my favorite — how mommy’s workday transforms into a real-world classroom.

One evening in late March of this year, my daughter walked into my bedroom and found me staring at a wall of sticky notes. This wall was my method for sorting through the details of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. As you may recall, the final CARES Act document was more than 300 pages in length and covered a wide assortment of topics, from pandemic unemployment to the Paycheck Protection Program. Sifting through pages to find the essential data proved to be a long and daunting process, but one vital to advising business owners about their financial decisions as stayat-home orders began circulating.

As several weeks of stay-athome boredom mixed with the fading excitement of watching more television than previously allowed, my daughter began asking questions about each note on the wall. She asked me why a virus caused me to have to figure out “money stuff ” and why everyone she heard me talk to seemed so frightened. Thankfully, we’d spent the morning cleaning her room, and she’d rediscovered her piggy bank.

(The fate of piggy banks everywhere could be another whole article, by the way.) So, in a cherished moment we parents count our blessings for, I had an answer!

I asked her to imagine herself going to bed one night with her piggy bank full, and she had a list of things to do with the coins in the little piggy. Perhaps a new scooter, ice cream cones, and flowers for me — of course. Then I

9

Jazz City COVER STORY BY ALEX GREENE

The once — and future — sound of Memphis

“Before I left New York,

dedicates two episodes to the MemphisManhattan connection).

I had had tryouts for the I got all these Memphis musicians … I wonder what they were doing down there,

A

when all them guys came through that one school?”

— Miles Davis, Miles: The Autobiography

S

December 10-16, 2020

ometime in the late 1940s, Herman Green, a teenaged saxophone player, found himself playing a show in Kansas City, and wound up speaking with another reed man. “How long you gonna be in Kansas City?” the older musician asked.

“Well, we just up here for the weekend. We gotta go back to Memphis,” Green replied.

“Oh, you from Memphis?” said the other player. “That’s why you’re playing the way you’re playing. ’Cause you had some good teachers down there.” Green had never heard of the older fellow, but he would remember his name all his life: Charlie Parker.

Herman Green passed away recently, at 90, “at home, surrounded by family, listening to Coltrane,” according to a close friend. He was a revered figure in the local music scene — just as he was taught by “some good teachers,” he taught and mentored many here.

And his life, crossing paths with the likes of Sonny Stitt, Lionel Hampton, 10 and John Coltrane, was emblematic of Memphis’ place in the history of

(left) Kirk Whalum; (right) Joe Restivo jazz, a place honored and treasured by a few, yet unknown to most. Tourists think of Memphis as a blues town. But these days, assuming the onslaught of a mismanaged pandemic is brought to heel soon, that may be changing.

For starters, the blues/jazz distinction doesn’t mean all that much to many musicians. Recently, renowned jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum, a Memphis native, told me about the transcendent playing of organist Andre Stockard, whom he happened to see at B.B. King’s Blues Club. I asked him if what he heard that night was jazz. “As far as I was concerned, yes,” said Whalum, “but it was in the context of the blues. It’s all kind of mixed up, right?”

And that may just be the key to the unique qualities of Memphis players. Long before Sun or Stax, “the Memphis Sound” was a topic among music aficionados, beginning in the late 1920s, when Jimmie Lunceford, the city’s first public high school band director, put Memphis music on the map by transforming the Manassas

High School band into “the Chickasaw Syncopators.” Eventually becoming the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra, they were a crack ensemble that ultimately toured the country and cut scores of records.

That may have marked the first time that the distinctive, bluesy soulfulness of the city’s players caught the public ear. But it wasn’t the last.

As the Miles Davis quote above suggests, Memphis players have long been sought after. The most obvious examples include George Coleman, Harold Mabern, and Frank Strozier, who played with Miles personally, but also include such 20th century luminaries as Phineas and Calvin Newborn, Booker Little, Hank Crawford, and Charles Lloyd. Later examples include pianists James Williams, Mulgrew Miller, and Donald Brown, all graduates of what was then Memphis State University, all of whom played with Art Blakey’s famed Jazz Messengers. And the list goes on, to this day (thoroughly explored in the locally produced podcast and WYXR radio show, Riffin’ on Jazz, which

common influence shared by this multi-generational roster is the two-headed beast of Saturday night/Sunday morning, aka, Beale Street and the church. As Stephen Lee, an accomplished jazz pianist who founded the Memphis Jazz Workshop, notes, the two styles rely on their heavy use of two chords in particular, most commonly associated with the “Amen” that ends nearly every hymn. “We get it from playing the blues on Beale street, from playing those same ‘one’ and ‘four’ chords. And it might not be the blues, but that one and four is in all gospel, the old gospel. There’s something in that one-chord to the four-chord change that stands out and has so much soul in it. Memphis is right there, between that one and four chord! It has a lot of meaning. You get it in blues and you get it in church.”

Joe Restivo, guitarist with the City Champs, the Love Light Orchestra, and his own quartet, tends to agree, adding that young players learn more than just notes from the blues/gospel milieu. “The really developmental gigs are in the R&B scene, and that’s gonna be on Beale Street. Preston Shannon [a Beale Street fixture] had so many great musicians run through his band and learn how to play a gig. Some of those people became jazz musicians. Like Anthony Crawford, Hank Crawford’s grandson, who went to L.A. and became a big time fusion jazz bassist.

He went through that Preston Shannon school of learning how to play gigs and

JAMIE HARMON

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

band and that’s where

long been a beacon for those aspiring to professional jazz chops. Sam Shoup was inspired by the U of M student bands when he was in high school. A short while later, he was accepted there himself. “The best jazz scene I was ever around was in the 1970s, and the center of that was James Williams. At one time, we had James Williams playing in the A band, Mulgrew Miller playing in the B band, and Donald Brown playing in the C band. We all went to school together. These guys were just walking around in the hall every day. Mulgrew and Donald were in my theory class.”

Donald Brown went on to return the favor to posterity, ultimately becoming an instructor at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, where one of

jam session at the North End around Christmas every year. So I’d go down and talk to him and Mulgrew Miller and Tony Reedus,” says Lee.

The Mentorship Tradition

G

uitarist Ed Finney, aka Jupiter Skyfish, who until recently could be seen almost every week accompanying singer Deborah Swiney, graduated from R&B to jazz thanks largely to the mentors he met along the way. Introduced to music by his father, who led the Harmonica Hotshots, Finney began performing

Daru Jones and MonoNeon of Project Logic

How It Began

COURTESY ED FINNEY; JAMIE HARMON

T

he history goes back to the 1920s, as University of Memphis music instructor Sam Shoup notes. “If you’ve ever seen footage of the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra, it’s incredible. It’s like James Brown times 10! When I first started one of the big bands at U of M, we did a tribute to Jimmie Lunceford and played three or four of his songs, and they were hard as hell! We had to work and his students was work and work on Stephen Lee. More them.” recently, he taught Shoup sees and mentored the the benefits of up-and-coming the city’s strong Maguire Twins, music education a drum and bass game every day at the Ed Finney duo, and appeared U of M. “We’re getting on their debut album. some really good players. A Though neither plays piano, lot of that has to do with the school Lee points out that some of the wisdom system. Schools like Central, Overton, gained from a veteran like Brown Briarcrest, and White Station have transcends technical instruction. “Some excellent jazz programs. The Stax Music of my best lessons with Donald Brown,” Academy and the Memphis Music he says, “were just conversations.

Initiative are doing some great things.

Talking about other jazz musicians and They’re involved in all types of music, their approach to music.” and they’ve been big supporters of jazz.

James Williams exemplified another Another big help is the Memphis Jazz form of paying it forward. According Workshop that Stephen Lee is doing. to the hosts of Riffin’ on Jazz, he was “a There are middle school kids there conduit” for other Memphians seeking that can really play, and now, since we their fortune in New York. “They’d go started doing that in 2017, I’m starting up there, they’d look for James, and to see high school kids who’ve done James would help them find gigs, help that coming to college, and they’ve got them get recordings. James was like the a leg up on everybody else.” guru of New York.”

The University of Memphis has And he paid it forward when back produced some downright legends. The home for the holidays as well, right Jazz Studies program there, founded around this, the most wonderful time

by Tom Ferguson in the 1960s, has of the year. “James would have that

the owner found out I wasn’t Black and said, ‘Well, you’ve been faking it for a year. Just come in the back door.’”

Gifted with both talent and indefatigable curiosity, he soon fell in with Herman Green. “He’d been in New York,” says Finney. “He sounded a lot like ’Trane when he first came back, into that ‘sheets of sound’ kind of thing.

He was a great, great tenor player.

Obviously one of the best that’s ever come from this city. He was a mentor to me. I played with him for three or four years, off and on. I traveled a lot. I went to New York and played with some great musicians there. Jack DeJohnette, Bob Moses, and Insect Trust.”

The fact that Finney is still playing and composing to this day (still working with pioneers like Bob Moses) is a testament to the through line of inspiration and instruction that carries the Memphis jazz legacy forward.

Herman Green, educated first at church, then at Booker T. Washington High School, then mentored by Rufus Thomas on Beale Street, goes on to travel the world, playing with some of the greatest innovators in jazz. Inspired

by Coltrane’s radical approach, the cascading cacophony of “sheets of sound,” he returns home and mentors Ed Finney, among many others, who in turn goes on to make a name in the world of free jazz, and continues to do so, even as his mentor passes on.

The Memphis Sound

with an R&B band at the Flamingo Club in 1964. “We played about six months and they became the Bar-Kays, without me,” he recalls. “And then I played at a club where the band leader, my first real mentor in jazz, was Floyd Newman. He was a great baritone sax player, and he was also writing horn charts at Stax; that was probably ’65 to ’67. So I got exposed to jazz. We were a rhythm and blues group, but we had a jazz bass player. And Isaac Hayes would come in and play piano with us.”

True to the process Restivo and Lee describe, simpler, groovier music was Finney’s stepping stone to jazz, as he plied his trade in clubs on Beale and throughout the region. “I played more in the rhythm and blues scene,” recalls Finney. “At that point, guitars were really rhythm instruments. And I played a lot. We were playing five, six nights a week, nine to three every night. And if I traveled with a band, I had to play as an ‘albino.’ It was illegal for me to play in a white club with a Black band. The thing about it, all those clubs had red lights in them, they were dark, and full of cigarette smoke. And I had kind of an afro. At the Tiki Club,

T

hus history reveals the everevolving forms of jazz, in which a thread of “the Memphis Sound” can still be discerned. Restivo, whose Where’s Joe? album proffers an edgy take on classic jazz and jump blues sounds of the ’50s and ’60s (even as the City Champs mine funkier, boogaloorooted territory), tends to take the long view on all the avenues open to today’s jazz pioneers, once they’re grounded in the Memphis experience. “You’ll see some players take it in a certain direction, a more modern jazz sound, like Booker Little or George Coleman,” Restivo says. “Or maybe it’s someone who wants to pursue a smoother contemporary jazz sound, like Kirk Whalum. Or maybe they want to be more R&B or hip-hop. It all comes from that same place. And the community’s very supportive. Everybody knows everybody. I’m seeing a whole new, young crop of songwriters and players and singers and instrumentalists.

They’re all very impressive.

“I think it’s individual. Some people tend to look backwards and explore their voice through older aesthetics, and some people are more futuristic. continued on page 12

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

learning your instrument.

“To me, that’s the same thing as Herman Green and George Coleman and Charles Lloyd going through the B.B. King and Bobby Bland bands.

They’re not necessarily playing jazz, but they’re learning their horn, they’re playing a gig, they’re learning the language and the repertoire, they’re learning how to act. You gotta show up on time, dress in a certain way, be professional. Learn the songs. Learn how to get house. Learn how to entertain.”

Restivo is quick to point out that these same musicians are technical masters of their instruments as well.

Memphis players, he notes, “were sought after and they were known for how soulful they were, and how hard they swung, and how funky they were.

But also how virtuosic they were. That’s something people don’t realize. A lot of these musicians are also widely known for their technical acumen, not just their feel. Phineas Newborn was a virtuoso. Booker Little was a virtuoso.

MonoNeon is a virtuoso.”

11

Like MonoNeon. But even he has that classic approach in there. Once you have that foundational stuff, you can go anywhere you want with it. Do you want to focus on Charlie Parker and Bud Powell’s music, or focus on Herbie Hancock, or maybe take it in the direction that guys like Robert Glasper are going now, synthesizing hip-hop and jazz. That guy’s music is amazing, drawing from both Duke Ellington and J Dilla. He was at the New School when I was there. He’s a huge titan in the current jazz world. Whatever you want to do with it, if you’ve got these foundational elements, you can do that.”

IMAKEMADBEATS, hip-hop producer and founder of the Unapologetic collective, is an unlikely champion of this inclusive, pioneering spirit of the music, and, along with the youth making such strides under Stephen Lee’s guidance, may be paving the way for a Memphis jazz Renaissance. “Memphis is very blues and soul oriented,” he says, “but if you’re willing to dive into the underground, it’s definitely there.

Even in stuff that’s more electronic, that jazz influence is definitely there and appreciated. I’ve found some really great jazz musicians who I work with. I like to defy and disrupt. To

Stephen Lee

me, that’s the heart of jazz. That’s why hip-hop samples jazz; there was no ‘classical music era’ in hip-hop. The most sampled music in hip-hop is jazz, because jazz disrupts.”

It’s that unpredictable quality that draws even hip-hop artists to jazz of all eras, but also makes it a tough sell in tourist-dominated sectors like Beale Street. Yet all the artists I spoke with long for a space they can call their own, once live performances become

possible again, a place where the spirit of adventure meets a respect for living history: a bona fide jazz club.

“It’s been talked about for years, ever since I was a teenager,” says Restivo.

“Joyce Cobb had her club briefly. I remember seeing Herb Ellis there, and it was a very formative experience for me. I wish we had a club like Rudy’s in Nashville. Or Snug Harbor in New Orleans. A jazz room, where jazz is what you’re coming for. Kansas City has

a couple; that town has really fostered and maintained its history. An art space built on the nonprofit model, like the Green Room at Crosstown, is important. But it would be awesome to have a real jazz club.”

It’s hard to believe that Finney launched his career, so representative of all that is untethered and pioneering in jazz, on Beale Street. But his memories of that era may yet point us to the future. “There was probably jazz in Memphis before there was jazz in New York,” he reflects. “Beale Street was not a blues street. It was a street for Black elites. People that were movers and shakers in the Black community.

Like writers, journalists, owners of shops, whatever. When you went to Beale Street, you’d walk in the club and you’d hear something more like Duke Ellington’s band. Everyone was all dressed up. Yes, blues is important, and I love blues. It’s the mother of it all. But I am a little sad that Beale Street is only a blues street now, because that’s not what it was.”

Having seen the next generation firsthand, Stephen Lee is hopeful. “The youth will have to bring the scene back.

There are a lot of kids in Memphis, really good musicians, all under 30, with no gigs. And this is even before COVID. They’re practicing, rehearsing, and a couple are teaching. There’s a scene here, just waiting to be cultivated.”

17 Berkshire is a Memphis based patisserie specializing in European inspired pastries.

Visit us today to enjoy one of our signature pastries, lattes, and afternoon tea!

December 10-16, 2020

17berkshire.com

Bene�iting Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

PINK PALACE WWW.MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG

12

HOLIDAY EXHIBIT November 21 - December 31.

Photos with Santa, Holiday Movies & Planetarium Shows.

COURTESY STEPHEN LEE

continued from page 11

Gifts for Artists!

Shop Sets Up to 30% OFF

View more deals at memphisflyer.com/HolidayDeals

Art Center Supply Store Hands-on learning is more effective in engaging children and it can be fun! We have a variety of Thames & Kosmos kits in stock.

They are 20% off during our Holiday Sale.

Shop now at ArtCenterMemphis.com or visit us at 1636 Union Ave.

Shops of Saddle Creek Looking for gifts that are extraordinary and unique? WinterArts, the South’s premier holiday artists’ market, presents a stellar collection of skilfully handcrafted works in glass, metal, wood, clay, fiber, and more by more than 30 of our region’s top artists. Shop WinterArts daily through Christmas Eve at Saddle Creek South (7509 Poplar Avenue), next-door to Brooks Brothers. For more information, please visit shopsofsaddlecreek.com.

The Broom Closet Memphis’ leading metaphysical store carries a huge selection of conscious living and self-care products such as sage, incense, gemstones, tarot and oracle cards, along with a variety of gifts and décor for the spiritually minded. We have hundreds of unique stones, minerals, points, pyramids, spheres, and display specimens to choose from. Holiday specials include love, healing, and Chakra stone kits from just $5 through December 6th, while supply lasts.

546 S. Main Street and online at thebroomclosetmemphis.com.

Sets make great gifts for any artist in your life.

1636 Union Avenue • Memphis, TN 38104 OPEN DAILY 901-276-6321 ArtCenterMemphis.com happy holidays!

WINNER! f Bmeesmtpohis 2020

thank you to our friends and fans

THE

Broom Closet The Best Gift Shop in Memphis!

901.497.9486 546 S Main St.

Gemstones ◊ Singing Bowls Jewelry ◊ Incense ◊ Books Tarot Readings ◊ Workshops Gifts and More!

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

17 Berkshire Gift ideas from 17 Berkshire include the following: macarons — gluten-friendly treats for the pastry lover in your life; candles — a candle that will fill any room with a sweet-meets-floral medley; and afternoon tea — the perfect escape to catch up with your favorite person. Reservations can be made online at 17berkshire.com. Located at 2094 Trimble Place in Overton Square.

901.729.7916.

13

steppin’ out (& stayin’ in)

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

December 10-16, 2020

Tangible Personal Property schedules:

14

The Tangible Personal Property Schedules will be mailed by Shelby County Assessor of Property on Friday, January 15, 2021 to all active businesses in Shelby County.

The filing deadline is March 1, 2021.

Please call 901-222-7002 if you need any assistance and our staff will assist you.

By Julie Ray

Leslie Odom Jr.

For 18 years, Methodist Healthcare has produced a benefit luncheon. According to Bob Plunk, director of stewardship at the organization, it is a great fall tradition that is a bit late this year. It worked out fine though. The timing helped secure Tony and Grammy award-winning performer Leslie Odom Jr. as this year’s speaker.

“We’ve had a lot of great speakers in the past, but this is the first year we’ve had an entertainer who will entertain us,” says Plunk. “Leslie will sing three songs — hopefully from Hamilton or his new Christmas album.”

This year’s event is really important. The funds will benefit Methodist’s frontline workers, who have sacrificed so much fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our nurses and hospital staff have sacrificed personal and family time,” Plunk sympathizes. “We will be doing — and have been doing — all we can for them until this crisis is over.”

There are several ticket levels to join the conversation and help the staff. Register to attend for $25 and receive live, virtual viewing access for one household.

A premium ticket is only $75, and you will receive live, virtual viewing access for one household in addition to a $20 gift card to a local restaurant and choice of either Leslie Odom Jr.’s book Failing Up or his new CD. All purchases are 100 percent tax deductible.

You won’t want to miss your opportunity to ask Odom questions, hear about his life and career, and enjoy his gift of music while helping others.

METHODIST HEALTHCARE LUNCHEON FEATURING LESLIE ODOM JR., ONLINE FROM METHODISTHEALTH.ORG, FRIDAY, DEC. 11, 11:45 A.M., $25.

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES December 10th - 16th New Ballet’s Nut Remix Malco Summer Drive-In, 5310 Summer, Thursday, Dec. 10, 6:30 p.m., $40 per car Set on Beale Street, a modern reinvention of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker featuring music and dance styles from ballet to breakdancing and flamenco to Memphis jookin.

Homegrown Holiday Market Memphis Farmers Market, S. Front and G.E. Patterson, Saturday, Dec. 12, 9 a.m.

Shop local artisans for your holiday gift giving. Afterward, participate in the South Main Santa Christmas Drive at participating South Main stores, benefiting the homeless community and families in need.

Miracle on 34th Street Radio Play Germantown Community Theatre, 3037 Forest Hill-Irene, opens Friday, Dec. 11, and continues through Sunday, Dec. 20, call for seating, 453-7447 An old man in a retirement home gets a job working as Santa for Macy’s and unleashes waves of goodwill with Macy’s customers and the commercial world.

Drive-Thru Santa Express Junior League Community Resource Center, Central at Highland, Saturday, Dec. 12, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. & 5-7 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 13, 1-3 p.m., $10 per car Visit Santa and have pictures taken with him from the comfort and safety of your vehicle. Participants will receive special treats and are encouraged to wear festive attire and arrive in decorated cars.

NewWorks@TheWorks Stage Readings: 7 Minutes to Live, Shanktown, and AGATHE Online @ playhouseonthesquare.org, Sunday-Tuesday, Dec. 13-15, $5 donation Competition finalists Richard Lyons Conlon, Mary Donnet Johnson, and Angela J. Davis will present their respective play on the main stage, followed by an open forum. Watch live via Zoom.

Holidays at Home: Making Zalabia Online from jccmemphis.org, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 7 p.m., register for event link Bring a delicious new fried treat to your Hanukkah table. Join Yuval from the comfort of your kitchen to make a special Yemenite Hanukkah dessert via Zoom.

METHODIST HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION

PRESS RELEASE AND PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Sup and Sing

WE’VE GOT THE CURE.

Go ahead and crank up some B.B. tunes to get primed for this perfect day trip of enjoying fabulous meals from unique restaurants as well as shopping for locally produced gourmet food items. We can almost guarantee that the real blues will be the prescription you need.

400 Second Street • bbkingmuseum.org We are following adapted tourism practices to promote responsible Travel / Best Practices from the CDC on COVID-19 for the Tourism Industry. #visitmsresponsibly

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

You can start at the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center—where social distancing is easy—and understand the tough road B.B. King traveled before becoming one of the most beloved musicians of all time.

Ranked by Trip Advisor in the Top Ten Percent of all listed properties, the museum features films and exhibits that weave a fascinating story of an icon and his birthplace. Make sure to also stop at nearby Mississippi Blues Trail markers that further explain the important music heritage of the area.

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

Being cooped up inside can cause a real case of cabin fever and the 2020 Blues, so load up the family or friends and head this way for a dose of the good kind of blues.

15

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

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

CALENDAR of EVENTS:

December 10 - 16

10:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sundays, 12-5 p.m. Through Dec. 27.

T H EAT E R

Germantown Community Theatre

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

Miracle on 34th Street Radio Play, an old man in a retirement home gets a job working as Santa for Macy’s and unleashes waves of goodwill with Macy’s customers and the commercial world. FridaysSundays. Through Dec. 20.

O N G O I N G ART

Binder Projects

“Making It,” exhibition of work by multiple artists. binderprojects.com. Through Dec. 31.

3037 FOREST HILL-IRENE (453-7447).

74 FLICKER STREET (634-1698).

Hattiloo Theatre

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

Free. Ongoing, 7 p.m.

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

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

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

37 S. COOPER (502-3486).

Landers Center

Peter Pan, a timeless Broadway classic musical that whisks you away to a place where dreams are born and no one ever grows up. $20.

Fridays, 7 p.m., Saturdays, Sundays, 2 & 7 p.m., and Wednesdays, Thursdays, 7 p.m. Through Dec. 17.

4560 VENTURE, SOUTHAVEN, MS (662-280-9120).

The Orpheum

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

203 S. MAIN (525-3000).

L Ross Gallery

Holiday Group Exhibition, lrossgallery.com. TuesdaysSaturdays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Through Dec. 24.

5040 SANDERLIN (767-2200).

C O M E DY

Roast Iris

Holiday Group Exhibition at L Ross Gallery, TuesdaysSaturdays, through December 24th Playhouse on the Square

Playhouse on the Square at Home, a series of digital content through POTS website and social media platforms.

View past performances, engage in quizzes, enjoy digital playwriting, and more. Free.

Ongoing.

NewWorks@TheWorks: Stage Readings, staged readings for this year’s competition finalists will take place on the Playhouse on the Square main stage followed by an open forum. Watch live via Zoom. playhouseonthesquare.org.

Mon., Tues., Sun., 7 p.m.

Through Dec. 15.

Tennessee Shakespeare Company

A Christmas Carol: Charles Dickens’ Dramatic Premier Reading in Boston, salon curated and read by Dan McCleary. tnshakespeare.org. Sat., Sun., 8 p.m. Through Dec. 20.

7950 TRINITY (759-0604).

Theatre Memphis

A Christmas Carol On the Air, experience the full joy of the holidays and relive memories of Christmases past in the convenience of your own home. theatrememphis.org. $20.

Through Jan. 3, 2021.

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

630 PERKINS EXT. (682-8323).

December 10-16, 2020

66 S. COOPER (726-4656).

A R T I ST R E C E PT I O N S

David Lusk Gallery

Artist reception for “Woebetide,” exhibition of gouache paintings

by Maysey Craddock. Sat., Dec. 12, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

97 TILLMAN (767-3800).

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

Member Preview for “Power and Absence: Women in Europe,” exploring the representation of women in Europe from 1500 to 1680. Fri.-Sat., Dec. 11-12.

1934 POPLAR (544-6209).

OT H E R A R T HAPPE N I NGS

Café Conversations

Roast the Queen to feed a family in need. All donations for the event benefit Little Flower Food Drive. Donate day of, or via Cash App or Venmo. Put “FOOD DRIVE” in the memo when you make your donation. @drusbarmemphis, $drusbar.

Sun., Dec. 13, 4 p.m.

Holiday Artist Market

1474 MADISON (275-8082).

3484 POPLAR, FORMERLY SPIN STREET MUSIC, 3484 POPLAR (327-8730).

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART, 1934 POPLAR (544-6209).

Virtual Night of Drinks, Food, & Comedy, a night of homedelivered drinks and snacks and a live Zoom comedy show with Ester Steinberg and her husband Noah Gardenswartz. Open to members only. jccmemphis.org.

Free with registration. Sun., Dec. 13, 8-9:30 p.m.

Memphis Flyer Coloring Book Order your book today benefiting local artists and journalism. $35. Ongoing.

MEMPHISMAGAZINESTORE.COM.

Memphis Maker Mondays

6560 POPLAR (761-0810).

Live show featuring Crafts & Drafts makers and artists in their own studios via Memphis Flyer’s Facebook Live. Mon., 4 p.m. Through Dec. 14.

FACEBOOK.COM/MEMPHISFLYER.

Led by local Memphians, series encourages visitors to contemplate real-life issues by drawing comparisons to themes in art.

Free. Wed., Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m.

Memphis Jewish Community Center

Through Dec. 24.

Memphis Modern Market Crafts Fair Pop-Up Shop

LECT U R E /S P EA K E R

Talk at Two with Tim Ternes

Register online for the Zoom meeting about the new manuscript. Tues., Dec. 15, 2 p.m.

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

Featuring MAC Artists Angi Cooper, Jan Shivley, and Jana Wilson. Fridays, Saturdays,

continued on page 18

DO GOOD. BETTER.

Holiday and Home Shopping

ANTIQUES, COLLECTIBLES and HOME FURNISHINGS

at Todd’s Auction. Next AUCTIONS. Dec 19 @5:45 pm • BARRASSO Estate Sale Clearance Happening NOW HOLIDAY GIFTS, and Unique Variety FROM Many Estates.

3 Buildings Full. Show Ad or Facebook Instagram for 10% Discount unless already Discounted

OPEN Wed - SAT. 11 - 5, Sunday 11 - 3. Call us for appt., Estate Sales and Unique Home Decor - Loaded with Home Fashion, ART, Jewels, every room from ESTATES. PARK IN REAR - 3455 Summer Ave, Summer/Highland Appointments, 901-486-3444

16

toddauction@gmail.com • Todd’s Auction Services • TAL 5911 aquaTreasures Estate Sales • 901-488-0640 SHOP LOCAL CHECK Facebook and website for updates • www.aquaTreasures.com

901.726.5725 momentumnonprofit.org

aquatreasures.com

We help Mid-South nonprofits succeed.

MIDTOWN LINGERIE

————————— 710 S.COX ST. 38104 ————————— OPEN MON-SAT 11:30-7PM COCOANDLOLAS.COM

@COCOANDLOLAS

crosstownconcourse.com/eat

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

LOCAL RESTAURANTS.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

FREE DELIVERY

17

CALENDAR: DECEMBER 10 - 16

continued from page 16 E X PO S/ SA L E S

Gifts of Green at the Garden

“Home For The Holidays” package Includes one night’s accommodations, plus: • Peabody Holiday ornament

• WiFi

• Unlimited coffee & hot

• Parking

chocolate in Peabody Deli & Desserts

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

Holiday Artisan Market

Spend more time with the family than the oven this Christmas. Order a fully-cooked Christmas Dinner from The Peabody Kitchen, ready for you to heat & serve.

Christmas at the Peabody Celebrate Christmas at the “South’s Grand Hotel “ with a Christmas Lunch served in high-style in the Continental Ballroom. This lavish meal features appetizers, salads, holiday-style entrées, side dishes, and desserts.

Information: 1-800-PEABODY or PeabodyMemphis.com

Arrow Creative Holiday Bazaar

Shop local artists and makers.

Through Dec. 23.

LEVITT SHELL, 1928 POPLAR AVENUE (272-2722), LEVITTSHELL.ORG.

Breakfast with Santa

Featuring artists from Memphis and the surrounding areas. Through Dec. 12.

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

WinterArts

Showcase of works by regional artists. Mondays-Thursdays, Saturdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sundays, 12-5 p.m., and Fridays, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Through Dec. 25.

SHOPS OF SADDLE CREEK, 7509 POPLAR AVENUE, SUITE 1 (753-4264), WINTERARTSMEMPHIS.COM.

M E ETI NGS

Churches from the Presbytery of the MidSouth: Sunday Worship Livestream Combined livestream worship. Visit website for more information and livestream link. Sun., 11 a.m.

IDLEWILDCHURCH.ORG.

Virtual-T

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

Tuesdays, 6 p.m.

ARROW CREATIVE, 2535 BROAD.

Have breakfast with Santa before having your picture made with him. $15. Sat., Dec. 12, 8 a.m.-noon.

THE FIRE MUSEUM OF MEMPHIS, 118 ADAMS (636-5650), FIREMUSEUM.COM.

Children’s Ballet Theater Movie Vignettes Nutcracker Film screens before the characters come to life in the My Big Backyard light show with live Nutcracker vignettes. $25. Sun., Dec. 13, 4:45 p.m.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN, 750 CHERRY (921-0388), BALLETCHILDREN.COM.

Christmas Movies

Free. Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m.

Through Dec. 31.

RAILGARTEN, 2160 CENTRAL.

Delight at Concourse

Marvel at the light installation in the Central Atrium, enjoy pop-up dining areas, and rock out to live music pop-ups.

Through Jan. 31, 2021.

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE, 1350 CONCOURSE.

Drive-Through Santa

Sensory-friendly, socially distant visit with Santa drivethrough event for the autism and special needs community.

Free. Fri., Dec. 11, 2-4 p.m.

OUTMEMPHIS.ORG.

CORDOVA BRANCH LIBRARY, 8457 TRINITY (415-2764), AIMCLINICS.COM.

S P E C IA L E V E N TS

Drive-Through Santa Express

Methodist Healthcare Luncheon featuring Leslie Odom

18

H O LI DAY EVE NTS

Shop Levitt Shell-inspired works from local makers.

Through Dec. 31.

Virtual Crafts Fair

Christmas To Go

December 10-16, 2020

Seasonal pop-up shop.

Through Dec. 30, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Snow in Overton Square, every Sunday, 4-6 p.m., through December 20th

Brings together healthcare leaders, patients, families, and donors for a live virtual conversation with Leslie Odom Jr. via Zoom. $25. Fri., Dec. 11, 11:45 a.m.

METHODISTHEALTH.ORG.

Visit Santa and have pictures with him from the comfort and safety of your vehicles. Prepurchase online or on-site at the event. $10 per car. Sat., Dec. 12, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. & 5-7 p.m., and Sun., Dec. 13, 1-3 p.m.

JUNIOR LEAGUE COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER, CENTRAL AT HIGHLAND, JLMEMPHIS.ORG.

Enchanted Forest Festival of Trees

Exhibit benefiting Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Photos with Santa, with Santa behind a Plexiglass shield that looks like a holiday snow globe.

Wednesdays-Saturdays, 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Through Dec. 31.

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

Holiday Decor Photo Contest

Send in your holiday decoration photos for a chance to win a gift card for a pottery class to Belltower Artisans and a snuggly Harding Academy fleece blanket. Visit website for rules.

Through Dec. 22.

MEMPHISMAGAZINE.COM.

Holiday Wonders at the Garden

Winter wonderland activities at three venues. Through Dec. 27.

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

Orion Starry Nights

Brings the spirit of the season to life on select nights with dazzling displays featuring more than 3.5 million lights. $16$35. Through Jan. 3, 2021.

SHELBY FARMS PARK, 500 N. PINE LAKE (767-PARK).

Snow in Overton Square Play in the snow at The Square every Sunday until Christmas for socially distanced fun and holiday photos. Sundays, 4-6 p.m. Through Dec. 20.

OVERTON SQUARE, 2101 MADISON.

FO O D & D R I N K EVE NTS

Holidays at Home: Making Zalabia

Bring a delicious new fried treat to your Hanukkah table.

Join Yuval from the comfort of your kitchen to make a special Yemenite Hanukkah dessert via Zoom. Wed., Dec. 16, 7 p.m.

JCCMEMPHIS.ORG.

Memphis Readers’ Restaurant Poll

Vote for your favorite restaurants, chefs, bars, and more.

Winners in more than 40 categories will be announced in the February 2021 dining issue.

Free. Through Dec. 14.

MEMPHISMAGAZINE.COM.

BREWS By Richard Murff

Basecamp Blonde Weighty days are ahead. Be prepared.

Inside the 1620 Madison Avenue location

Select 6 ... make your own 6-pack

ULTIMATE

CRAFT

BEER SELECTION! JUST LANDED!

HI-WIRE BREWING

STRONGMAN COFFEE MILK STOUT 6pk 12oz Can 5.3% ABV

7

$ 88

PLUS 10% ADDED AT CHECKOUT

Available now is Hi-Wire’s Winter seasonal, Strongman Coffee Milk Stout. Inspired by their head brewer’s cafe con leche-fueled travels in Key West, this brew features huge notes of coffee and latte sweetness. Coffee is cold-extracted and added post fermentation to this sweet, creamy beer. This beer and latte hybrid makes a great beer for brunch.

CASHSAVER

Be a

A COST PLUS FOOD OUTLET

LOCALLY OWNED WHITEHAVEN 4049 Elvis Presley Blvd.

MIDTOWN 1620 Madison Ave.

SOUTH MEMPHIS 1977 S. Third St.

MEMPHISCASHSAVER.COM @MADISONGROWLER

MADISONGROWLER

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

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

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

a lunatic. (There is no reason to mention which agency I worked for, but Dan Conaway also thinks I’m an idiot.) At any rate, I do see Mrs. M’s point — that aligning an ale with a bone-smashing death wish does not set the right tone for what is essentially a quiet, easy drinking beer.

Whatever we’re calling the stuff these days, Basecamp Blonde weighs in at 4.8 percent ABV, and when I say “quiet” I do not mean that you don’t notice it. Hutton & Smith has always struck me as a pretty high-end brewery, and this ale lives up to the reputation: It really is a great beer.

Like a lot of H&S products, it’s got that vague twist of the sweet somewhere along the palate, which compliments that “nicely malted backbone” the marketing guy was going on about.

There is also that touch of bitterness on the far end, but nothing that puts you into the same sandbox as the IPA set.

If you can’t let the holiday season pass without your trusted Scottish ale — Oskar Blues Old Chub is very good and worth getting for the name alone.

Even better, the tartan on the can happens to match my favorite pair of ill-advised trousers.

If you want to shop local (and there is no good reason not to) — remember Boscos pours a great one on Overton Square. While we’re all hanging out at home trying not to breathe on each other, High Cotton’s Scottish Ale is a great expression of the style that is available all over town.

Basecamp Blonde, however, is a refreshing breather from the heavier, roasted flavors of the holidays. I suppose there is a certain logic to the rebranding. The basecamp is where you go to relax and recharge after the brutal endurance race of, say, the Iditarod, the typical Southern holiday season, or tumbling off the side of a mountain to an amused chorus of, “Hey Murff, grab the rope. Man! … That’s gonna leave one big jiggly bruise.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

R

emember that the holidays are a test of endurance, not speed. True, this year’s course has been shortened considerably by doing away with a cavalcade of office parties, but take care — danger lurks. There was all that turkey and dressing from Thanksgiving. And if you kept your gathering regulation-sized, you were plowing through a mountain of carboloaded leftovers for about a week.

There is still a titanic Christmas ham looming in your future and, the human mind being the mystery that it is, you aren’t likely to remember that no one is coming for round two until after you’ve made three trays of your double fudge “corpulent explosion” brownies.

Or at least made a Costco run to pick up a bag of fun-sized Snickers the size of a sofa cushion. Don’t even get me started on that alcoholic amateur night we call New Year’s Eve. No, we aren’t done yet. And while ’tis the season for those roasty stouts and toasty Scottish ales, you may well want to lighten things up a bit before your cholesterol and BMI turn you into a big, fleshly glacier.

To that end, let me suggest Hutton & Smith’s Basecamp Blonde ale, which their marketing guy describes as “light and drinkable with a nicely malted backbone and touch of bitterness.”

That’s true enough. For old fans of Chattanooga’s Hutton & Smith Brewery, this is a rebranding of Belayer’s blonde ale, which also smells of an aspirational marketing guru being obvious. Understand that, as a former ad guy, I say this with love.

For my money, though, “basecamp” lacks the dash and derring-do of belaying, which is basically trying to vertically hop down a sheer cliff face with a rope and a lot of faith in your equipment. Mrs. M noted I didn’t like the new name because I am, essentially,

19

FILM By Chris McCoy

Smartest Guy in the Room Mank is a timely tribute to a Hollywood legend.

H

December 10-16, 2020

ey, did you hear the one about the starlet who was so stupid she came to Hollywood and slept with the writer? As you can tell by the misogyny, that joke is very old.

Here’s another one for you: What’s the difference between a writer and a savings bond? One day, a savings bond will mature and produce income.

I got a million of ’em.

In Hollywood studio parlance, there are abovethe-line jobs and below-the-line jobs. If you’re above the line, that means you’re irreplaceable. Below the line, you’re an interchangeable part. Producers, directors, and stars are all above the line. Technically, so is the writer — but every screenwriter who has ever suffered in Tinseltown is acutely aware that they are at the bottom of the hierarchy, and likely to be replaced at the whim of their betters. Thus, the cliché of screenwriters as self-pitying wrecks who are too smart for their own good.

Mank is the story of one of the greatest wrecks,

20

Herman Mankiewicz, as he works on the screenplay that will become Citizen Kane. It opens with Mank (Gary Oldman) decamping to the desert town of Victorville on an enforced writer’s retreat. He’s practically immobile because of a broken leg, sustained, as we see in the first of many flashbacks, in a car accident, so he’s attended by his housekeeper, Freda (Monika Grossman), while under the watchful eye of his handler, John Houseman (Sam Troughton). He’s just getting settled in when Orson Welles (Tom Burke) informs him the deadline has been shortened from 90 days to 60 days, so he’d better get started dictating to his secretary, Rita Alexander (Lily Collins).

Mank’s script, called simply “American,” is about one of the most powerful people in the world of 1940: William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance). As a top writer in the studio system of the 1930s (Mankiewicz came up with the idea of switching between black and white and color in The Wizard of Oz), he was a close friend of Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried), a decidedly nonstupid Hollywood starlet who was Hearst’s mistress.

As a frequent guest at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, Mank had a front row seat to the court intrigue of one of the richest men in the world

Gary Oldman (above) is screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz in David Fincher’s Mank; (below, l-r) Oldman, Arliss Howard, and Tom Pelphrey as the Depression ravaged his fortune and political winds swirled around him.

As the flashbacks pile up, we see some of the real-life events that were inspirations for incidents in Citizen Kane. Most importantly, it was Hearst’s sudden turn from progressive supporter of Franklin Delano Roosevelt to stealth backer of California Republican gubernatorial candidate Frank Merriam over his former friend Upton Sinclair (Bill Nye) that rankled Mank.

When word spreads in Hollywood that upstart outsider Welles and old-school insider Mank were teaming up to take on Hearst, the knives come out.

Everyone from his brother Joe (Tom Pelphrey) to Marion herself tries to stop Mank from committing career suicide. But even his worst enemies agree that the radical 327-page script is a masterpiece.

Director David Fincher has been trying to make Mank since the late 1990s from a screenplay by his late father Jack Fincher. The Finchers’ film finds direct inspiration in the subject, taking Citizen Kane’s nonlinear structure of nestled flashbacks and Mankiewicz’s dialogue-driven approach to drama.

Mank’s high-contrast black-and-white photography and rapid-fire wit would fit the bill if the picture was produced in 1940. Oldman is perfection as Mank, whose hard living makes him look 44 going on 74.

He’s a raging alcoholic who cheekily sneaks booze onto the teetotaling ranch in a crate labeled “support

901-575-9400 classifieds@memphisflyer.com

FILM By Chris McCoy

EMPLOYMENT

EDUCATION

devices.” He’s usually, as he ruefully observes, “the smartest man in the room,” and his lack of filter often leads to catastrophe.

The rest of the cast is equal to the task, led by Arliss Howard as chief Hearst sycophant Louis B. Mayer. The MGM head honcho gets a stunning walk-and-talk intro as he strides through the lot on the way to tell his entire company he’s cutting their pay.

Howard plays Mayer as the inspiration for Mr. Bernstein in Citizen Kane, but aside from a slight Brooklyn accent, Amanda Seyfried’s Marion Davies is nothing like the hapless Susan Alexander Kane.

Mank and Marion recognize each other as alcoholic fellow travelers, existing only in this world of extravagant

wealth by blind luck. They bond on a walk through the Hearst Castle zoo after being ejected from a tense dinner party conversation where the super-rich discuss the comparative threats of Soviet communism and Nazi fascism.

That’s the scene where Mank rises above film nerd-vana to deep contemporary relevance. Mank has a front row seat (and not a little responsibility) for the confluence of money and propaganda that still dominates our politics today. Donald Trump has said his favorite movie is Citizen Kane. When Kane runs for governor of New York, his biggest promise is to “lock up” his opponent.

When Kane loses, his newspapers’ headlines declare “Fraud at the Polls!”

Mank is streaming on Netflix.

ATTENTION ACTIVE DUTY & MILITARY VETERANS! Begin a new career and earn your Degree at CTI! Online Computer & Medical training available for Veterans & Families! To learn more, call 855541-6634 (AAN CAN)

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

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

HELP WANTED

Person needed for house cleaning company. Experience a plus.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Background check, Driver’s License & References required.

Collierville area.

901-494-8598

HOSPITALITY/ RESTAURANT

Laurie Stark • 28 Years of Experience

• Life Member of the Multi Million Dollar Club • From Downtown to Germantown

RAFFERTY’S We are looking for service minded individuals, that don’t mind working hard. We work hard, but make $.

Apply in the store. 505 N Gtown Pkwy

• Call me for your Real Estate Needs

RETAIL

www.hobsonrealtors.com

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

(901)761-1622 • Cell (901)486-1464

Be a part of something big.

We’re hiring at the FedEx Express World Hub in Memphis.

Starting pay up to $18/hr.

20

fedexishiring.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

August 13 - 19

WIZARD’S Seeks mature, motivated, reliable Salesperson. Computer skills needed. $10-$12 hrly depending on experience. Work a retail scheduled as required. Adapt quickly to fast

21

901-575-9400 classifieds@memphisflyer.com

EMPLOYMENT • REAL ESTATE • SERVICES paced environment. Apply in person at 1999 Madison Ave, Mon-Thur, 11am5pm. Or email resume to wizxtoo@ bellsouth.net

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED for the Memphis Crisis Center Hotline.

Day & Night shifts are open. For more information contact volunteers@ crisis7.org or call 901-448-2805.

FINANCIAL OVER $10K IN DEBT? Be debt free in 24-48 months. Pay a fraction of what you owe. A+ BBB rated. Call National Debt Relief 877590-1202. (AAN CAN) SAVE YOUR HOME! Are you behind paying your MORTGAGE? Denied a Loan Modification? Is the bank threatening foreclosure? CALL Homeowners Relief

Line NOW for Help 1-855-439-5853 Mon-Fri : 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Sat: 8:00 am to 1:00 pm(all times Pacific) (AAN CAN)

MIDTOWN APT EVERGREEN HIST. DIST. 1BR/1BA: Great neighborhood, CH/A, totally remodeled, hardwood floors, off-street parking. Pet friendly. $595-$635/mo + $25 cc fee.

901.452.3945

AUDI-VWPORSCHE

SHARED HOUSING FURNISHED ROOMS Bellevue/McLemore, Park Airways, Jackson/Watkins. W/D, Cable TV/ Phone. 901-485-0897 MIDTOWN: LG. ROOM FOR RENT furnished, w/fridge, microwave, wifi, utilities, bus line. Safe, clean $125/wk + dep. 901-654-3053.

NICE ROOMS FOR RENT 8 locations throughout Memphis.

Some close U of M. Utilities and Cable included. Fridge in your room.

Cooking and free laundry privileges.

Some locations w/sec. sys. Starting at $435/mo. + dep. 901.922.9089

SERVICES 4G LTE HOME INTERNET Now Available! Get GotW3 with lightning fast speeds plus take your service with you when you travel! As low as $109.99/mo! 1-888-519-0171 (AAN CAN)

GUARANTEED LIFE INSURANCE! (Ages 50 to 80). No medical exam.

Affordable premiums never increase.

Benefits never decrease. Policy will only be cancelled for non-payment.

HOURS: M-F 9a-10p & Sat 11a-2p EST 1-888-386-0113 (Void NY) (AAN CAN) HUGHESNET SATELLITE INTERNET Finally, no hard data limits! Call Today for speeds up to 25mbps as low as $59.99/mo! $75 gift card, terms apply. 1-844-416-7147 (AAN CAN) INTERNATIONALLY BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR! We edit, print and distribute your work. We do the work... You reap the Rewards! Call for a FREE Author’s Submission Kit: 844-511-1836. (AAN CAN) SAVE BIG on HOME INSURANCE! Compare 20 A-rated insurances companies. Get a quote within minutes. Average savings of $444/year! Call 844-712-6153!

(M-F 8am-8pm Central) (AAN CAN)

Overton Place Communities Overton Place Communities

Specializing in

AUDI-VW-PORSCHE Factory Trained Experience Independent Prices

5331 Summer Ave. Memphis, TN 38122

(901) 761-3443 www.WolfsburgAuto.com

Call today for an appointment!

3707 Macon Rd. 272-9028 lecorealty.com December 10-16, 2020

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

22

HOUSES & DUPLEXES FOR RENT ALL AREAS

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

1214 Overton 1214 Overton ParkPark 901/276-3603 (901)276-3603 Office hours – Monday – Friday 9 A.M. – 6 P.M. Office Hours: Saturday – 10 A.M. – 5 P.M. Monday-Friday Saturday: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

STRUGGLING WITH YOUR Private Student Loan Payment?New relief programs can reduce your payments. Learn your options. Good credit not necessary.Call the Helpline 888-670-5631 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm Eastern) (AAN CAN)

MASSAGE TOM PITMAN, LMT Massage The Way You Like It. Swedish/Deep Tissue - Relaxation, Hot Stones. Credit Cards. Call 3377977. tompitmanmassage.com, tom@ tompitmanmassage.com

MIND, BODY, SPIRIT HEARING AIDS!!

Buy one/get one FREE! High-quality rechargeable Nano hearing aids priced 90% less than competitors.

Nearly invisible! 45-day money back guarantee! 1-833-585-1117 (AAN CAN) MEDICINAL CANNABIS AVAILABLE NOW! BePainFreeGlobal.com Call (888) 420-3848 for a private consultation. Ask how to receive 10% off your first order.

NUTRITION/ HEALTH ATTENTION: VIAGRA & CIALIS! USERS! A cheaper alternative to high drugstore prices! 50 Pill Special - $99 + FREE Shipping! 100% guaranteed.

CALL NOW: 888-531-1192 (AAN CAN)

Cost - $120.00/week

PAY IT FORWARD & GET PAID We are seeking blood and

Qualified donors are

cell donors to support

compensated for their time —

important medical research

from $50 to several hundred

focused on fighting life-

dollars depending on the

threatening diseases.

time required.

901-252-3434

researchchampions.com

THE LAST WORD by Katrina Coleman

These Hands

Katrina Coleman (left) and Lisa Michaels in Louisville, Kentucky

Seems I can’t feel things without a drink and darkness to hide in.

On our way to a trans benefit in Louisville, Kentucky, I felt the usual protectiveness I always felt around Lisa. As was the road routine, I headed into a rest stop to scope things out while she waited in the car.

While heading back to give the safe go-ahead that she could pee in peace, I saw through the window that some large dude in overalls and no shirt was talkin’ to my girl and I all but kicked that door open, these hands in mid-flight.

I heard him exclaim, “I just love that purple hair!”

“Thank you, pumpkin!”

So my hands were set to rest, not to be thrown that hour.

We made our way into town and to the arts district before the show.

Found a taco place we agreed on and we sat to eat.

Enter a middle-aged couple. Clearly on a weekend motorcycle trip, they asked us about our business and found out we did comedy. We heard a great deal about their kids and what they loved.

“I got a joke,” the man said.

“Lemme hear it,” Lisa responded.

“Okay, so a traveling salesman comes across a house. He knocks, and a little boy of about eight answers the door. He’s standin’ there in six-inch stilettos, fishnet pantyhose, red lipstick on.”

I started to get hot. How fucking dare this person hurt my Lisa or make her feel lesser in any goddam way! I could feel the anger rise in me like a tide. My hands knelt on the starting block ready to fly at a moment’s notice.

So you saw she’s trans and thought you could play some game to hurt her, I thought. I’ll whip your ass in front of your wife and tag your children in my goddam Instagram post you piece of …

“The salesman says, ‘Are your parents home?’ And the little boy says (with a dramatic drag off the cigarette), ‘What the fuck do you think?’”

Lisa lost her fuckin’ mind laughing and I was one second behind her. They asked us to meet them later at some random place across the river. My hands never flew anywhere.

No matter how many times I was ready to fight for her, it was never needed. Somehow she made instant connections with any stranger. We went to the river because she loved rivers. We did a show because she loved shows. I learned that the American Sign Language for trans is a mash-up of “becoming” and “self.”

There are a lot more stories like this one, from every trip and from every show.

In Louisville, after the show, I took one hit and was stoned as hell (like a baby, she’d say) in the living room of some witch we met, who naturally loved her. I lay on the floor talking with them about how living is the thing we all share so what else possibly matters, because she loved doing that, too.

I’m a junkyard dog that got adopted by a fae. She will always be the Sarah to my Hoggle. I would love to untangle her necklace or fix her brakes again.

I never had a big sister. Never had a muse. Never had a Lisa Michaels and never will again.

Then again, I always will. My hands love her.

Lisa Michaels, Memphis comedienne and self-styled “Purple Haired Tramazon,” died last month. Katrina Coleman is cocreator and producer of the You Look Like comedy show.

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

I learned that the ASL for trans is a mash-up of “becoming” and “self.”

THE LAST WORD

COURTESY KATRINA COLEMAN

Remembering Lisa Michaels …

23

YOUNGAVENUEDELI.COM 2119 Young Ave • 278-0034

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

Call 901-278-0034 - Support Local

Coco & Lola’s MidTown Lingerie Checkout and Shop at our

NEW ONLINE STORE www.cocoandlolas.com

Curbside pick up available

We are following all safety guidelines for your next visit !

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

MEMPHIS MADE BREWING CO.

NOW OPEN

Follow us on

Wednesdays: 4-7 p.m.

Thursdays: 4-7 p.m.

Fridays: 4-10 p.m.

Saturdays: 1-10 p.m.

Sundays: 1-7 p.m 768 S. Cooper • 901.207.5343

IG/FB/TW @cocoandlolas Memphis’ Top Lingerie Shop 710 S. Cox|901-425-5912|Mon-Sat 11:30-7

HOLIDAY ARTIST MARKET

Presented by MEMPHIS ARTS COLLECTIVE Nov. 27 - Dec. 24 • 3484 Poplar Avenue, Poplar Plaza (corner of Poplar & Highland).

Open for dine-in service, curbside pickup and delivery through DoorDash.

Hours are Tues -Thur 3-10 p.m.; Fri 3 p.m.- midnight; Sat 11 a.m. - midnight; Sun 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

See menus online at:

DROP OFF LOCATION FOR THE MID-SOUTH FOOD BANK Hours: Mon-Sat 10:30a-6:30p; Thurs: til 8p, Sun: 12-5p.

celticcrossingmemphis.com

memphisartscollective.com

GO GLOBAL! @

www.xm7digital.com Advertise

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

GONER RECORDS

New/Used LPs, 45s & CDs. Shopping By Appointment.

We Buy Records!

2152 Young Ave - 901-722-0095 Goner-Records.com

MEDICINAL CANNABIS MADE SAFE & EASY!

Ask About Our Thanksgiving Specials.

Call 424-420-3848 for a Private Consultation Today! BePainFreeGlobal.com

ONLINE * WEBSITE * MOBILE PHONE

call us @ (877)-879-9XM7

ALL ABOUT FEET $35-$55

MEMPHIS MAKER MONDAYS Join the Crafts & Drafts team on the Memphis Flyer's Facebook channel and meet our Crafts & Drafts artists and makers!

Monday 12/14 4pm Inspired Christian Design Hammered Pear

Jessica Mahan Art AnnaMade Designs

ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES

*TEAM CLEAN*

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

TUT-UNCOMMON ANTIQUES

421 N. Watkins St. 278-8965 GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE Everything Goes at 70% OFF! Last Day 12/24.

1500 sq. ft. of Vintage & Antique Jewelry.

Retro Furniture and Accessories. Original Paintings, Sculpture, Pottery, Art & Antiques. We are the only store in the Mid-South that replaces stones in costume jewelry.

Open Tues - Sat 10a-5p

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

WE BUY RECORDS

SIMPLY HEMP SHOP

45’S, 78’S, LP’S

Don’t “give them away” at a yard sale We Pay More Than Anyone Large Quantities No Problem Also Buying Old Windup Phonographs Call Paul 901-734-6111

Mobile foot care service, traveling to you for men & women, ages 50+. Over 25 years of experience. Traveling hours M-F, 9a-6p. Call now 901-270-6060

tune in Mondays at 4pm on the Flyer's Facebook channel!

We carry a variety of CBD products.

Full Spectrum oil, sprays, skin care, and even CBD for Pets. Find us at Oothones at 410 N Cleveland St or online at simplyhemp.shop 901-443-7157