Memphis Flyer 6.1.17

STRICKLAND AND THE WEATHER P8 • JOHN GRISHAM Q&A P29 • LUCKY CAT P31

06.01.17

1475TH ISSUE

FREE

OUTSOURCING TENNESSEE

G R EG CRAVE NS

A contract to privatize state-held jobs stirs controversy.

8 GREAT CASINOS 1 HOT SLOT SERIES

50 WINN WIN THE

5 ,000 IN $

ERS

IR SHAR

E OF

FREEPL EACH DA AY Y!

June 1-7, 2017

MON-THUR, JUNE 5-SEPT 28

2

Registration 2pm–8:30pm daily, play starts at 3pm Visit TunicaSlots.com for all dates & locations

Must be 21 or older. Gambling problem? Call 1.888.777.9696.

OUR 1475TH ISSUE 06.01.17 BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Editor SUSAN ELLIS Managing Editor JACKSON BAKER, MICHAEL FINGER Senior Editors TOBY SELLS Associate Editor CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor ALEX GREENE Music Editor CHRIS DAVIS, MICHAEL DONAHUE MAYA SMITH, MICAELA WATTS, JOSHUA CANNON Staff Writers JESSE DAVIS Copy Editor JULIE RAY Calendar Editor

DESHAUNE MCGHEE Classified Advertising Manager BRENDA FORD Classified Sales Administrator classifieds@memphisflyer.com LYNN SPARAGOWSKI Distribution Manager ROBBIE FRENCH Warehouse and Delivery Manager BRANDY BROWN, JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, ZACH JOHNSON, KAREN MILAM, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., 460 Tennessee Street, Memphis, TN 38103 Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 letters@memphisflyer.com www.memphisflyer.com CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC. KENNETH NEILL Chief Executive Officer MOLLY WILLMOTT Chief Operating Officer JEFFREY GOLDBERG Director of Business Development BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Editorial Director KEVIN LIPE Digital Manager LYNN SPARAGOWSKI Distribution Manager MATTHEW PRESTON Social Media Manager BRITT ERVIN Email Marketing Manager ASHLEY HAEGER Controller CELESTE DIXON Accounting Assistant JOSEPH CAREY IT Director KALENA MCKINNEY Receptionist

National Newspaper Association

Association of Alternative Newsmedia

“You got power?”

It was the question of the week, everywhere you went, in the wake of a sneak attack from what looked like a typical line of thunderstorms last Saturday night.

With little warning, winds whipped suddenly to 80-miles-an-hour-plus, and the city erupted with the sounds of popping transformers, falling limbs, and wailing sirens. The wind took a healthy piece of Memphis’ historic urban forest, knocking down more than 250 trees, most of them the great, top-heavy oaks that shade us from summer’s blaze and provide a dense canopy over our streets and lawns.

It’s little comfort to know that all of this is natural; that this is the way great trees often die, 100 years on. In a forest setting, trees are more constrained, forced to seek sunlight by growing upward. In Memphis, set on lawns with no arboreal competition, they spread their limbs far and wide, becoming the majestic behemoths we love. When they fall, the space above us they filled for decades opens to the sky.

And when they topple, they take cars and houses and memories and property values — and, of course, power lines aplenty. At the post-storm peak, Sunday morning, more than 188,000 Memphians were without power. MLGW called in 40 crews from out of town to help clear the streets and reconnect the grid. They told us it could take a week or more to hook everyone back up. That seems optimistic.

But we’ve been here before, haven’t we? We even name these things. Hurricane Elvis. The Great Ice Storm. I heard Hurricane 901 tossed around as a moniker for this one, but I don’t think anything has stuck yet.

And we know the post-storm drill: find ice; find a charger; find a cool, open bar; find a friend with that sweet, sweet electrical power. Neighborhoods have empty-the-freezer parties, sharing grills and cooking up their soon-to-be-thawed bounty. Some folks who have power run cords to their front sidewalk, inviting neighbors and passers-by to charge their devices. Local convenience stores give out free jumbo cups of ice. Eighteen-wheelers pull into parking lots and sell ice by the bag. We become a temporary third-world city.

Storm tourism abounds, as cyclists and strollers wander the neighborhoods, mouths agape at the great trees sprawled across the streets, the cars crushed like beer cans, the broken houses with rooms exposed. Social media sites are filled with pictures of the carnage. The N E WS & O P I N I O N long days resound with the growl of NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 4 chainsaws and wood shredders. And THE FLY-BY - 5 soon, piles of limbs and brush line the POLITICS - 8 streets, waiting for our over-worked EDITORIAL - 10 sanitation and public works crews to VIEWPOINT - 11 haul it all away.

COVER — “OUTSOURCING And then there’s the moment of TENNESSEE” glory, of relief, of resounding joy and

BY MICAELA WATTS - 12 celebration — the magical moment STE P P I N’ O UT when the power comes back and the WE RECOMMEND - 16 television and the lights and all the MUSIC - 18 AFTER DARK - 20 appliances you had on when things CALENDAR OF EVENTS - 23 went dark spring to life. Huzzah!

BOOKS - 29 Hosanna! Hooray! You post the news FOOD NEWS - 31 to Facebook; you text your friends the SPIRITS - 33 sweetest words you’ll ever send …

FILM - 34 “I got power!”

C L AS S I F I E D S - 36 Bruce VanWyngarden LAST WORD - 39 brucev@memphisflyer.com

June 17

3-6 PM

Overton Park

Greensward

TICKETS

ON SALE

NOW! participants:

®

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

JUSTIN RUSHING Advertising Director CARRIE O’GUIN HOFFMAN Advertising Operations Manager JERRY D. SWIFT Advertising Director Emeritus KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE Senior Account Executives ALEX KENNER Account Executive ROXY MATTHEWS Sales Assistant

SATURDAY

memphis

CONTENTS

CARRIE BEASLEY Senior Art Director CHRISTOPHER MYERS Advertising Art Director JEREMIAH MATTHEWS BRYAN ROLLINS Graphic Designers

Sponsored by:

festival.com

3

Caleb Hollingsworth, Agent

margarita

For Release

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, February 17, 2017

Crossword

Crossword ACROSS 1 One of the Great Lakes 5 Menacing cloud 10 Sony offering 14 Saint’s home, for short 15 Place for a barbecue 16 Rich finish?

17 “Don’t give up” 19 Rather powerful engine ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE 20 Brown 21 Some plants 23 Value 25 Spooky quality 28 Smoothie fruit 29 Popular cookie 31 Taking things for granted on April Fools’ Day and others 32 “Time ___ …”

33 Track, in a sense 34 Not wait for Mr. Right, say 35 Huuuuuuuuge ACROSS 1 After the hour 5 Lou who wrote “Exporting America” 10 Plague, with “at” 14 Instrument with a bent neck 15 Key 16 Defraud, in slang 17 Very much 18 Recreational sites not designed for walkers 20 Is a bad loser, say 22 Family name in Sir Walter Scott’s “The Bride of Lammermoor” 23 Fr. title 24 Zimbalist of old TV 26 One of the renters in Steinbeck’s “Tortilla Flat” 30 Founder of the American Shakers

B U S U N A W T A X I L H O P S U N L O S T A N B A N A R E A N I T W D O S E I N E I G A R M H B R O

32 Sweet pitcherful 34 Important word to a marriage counselor 35 New homeowner’s feeling, maybe 39 @fakechucknorris, for one 40 Diorama, maybe 41 Updated art?

42 Wrap (up) 43 Things to do after dinner 46 Painter’s primer 48 President who said “If you want to see your plays performed the way you wrote them, become president” 51 Secret ending 52 Word before or after state 54 Ricoh rival 56 They’re “family” 60 Pride : lions : parliament : ___

T A C O

E R A S

D E B T

A C I D

P O K E

A V E C

R E B A

A T A R I

D O N U T

S N A G S

R E S T S

A L P H A

G A L E N

T P I N G

O H O K

T E L E

A D E N

S I R I

A N O N

D O L T

C R A W

T R A N S I S T O R R A D I O

U N T A M E

P A S T E D

R I N S E D

M A S E R S

Edited by Will Shortz No. 0113 37 Loose, now DOWN 40 Powerful D.C. 1 Vase style lobby 2 Compatriot o 41 Raiser of Mao awareness, for short 3 Noted fatherson singer 44 Not accidental 4 Ancient New 45 In opposition Mexican 46 Guru, maybe 5 Part of a crib 47 Straightens 6 Living ___ 49 Firm parts: Abbr.

50 Hockey team, 7 Major Asian e.g. carrier 51 Words on a 8 Attire jacket 9 Like melanch 53 Risked a ticket musical keys 55 Construction Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

10 The poor staples … onoreach puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

Read about and comment young solvers: nytimes.com/studentcrosswords. aCrosswords hintforto this 11 Not go along puzzle’s theme 12 Prefix with la 59 Famous Amos 13 Bedevil 60 Rocker Steve 18 Girl’s name th 61 “Don’t go!,” e.g. may precede 62 Obnoxious one 63 Subject of some 22 One may be starting in sp codes 23 What’s shake 64 Scandinavian when you say capital “Shake!”

61 God for whom a weekday is named 62 Real stinker 63 All-nighter, maybe 64 Like high school and college students of the ’80s-’90s, e.g.

65 Competitive and outgoing, say 66 Views

DOWN 1 Bank deposit 2 Fall 3 Record stat for majorleaguer Rickey Henderson 4 Running event 5 Slam 6 Title role in a 1993 film … which sounds like a prize the film won 7 Unimpressed 8 Character who dies at the end of “Little Women” 9 Editorial reversal 10 Burkina Faso neighbor 11 Here-there connection 12 Require (of) 13 Jazzman Montgomery 19 The first one was a modified Ford D-Series truck 21 “Toodles” 25 What a meow may mean

1

2

3

4

5

14

6

7

8

9

10

15

17

18

20

21

23

24

30

11

12

13

27

28

29

44

45

16

19

22

25

26

31

32

35

36

37

48

49

33

34

38

39

40 41

42

46

52

56

43

47

57

50

51

53

58

54

59

55

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

PUZZLE BY ANDREW J. RIES

27 Grammynominated 2011 Lady Gaga album 28 Aphrodisia 29 Dug stuff 31 Bonus upon signing, e.g.

33 Adjudicate 36 George Dickel product 37 ___ and violins (music pun) 38 Some French votes

39 Without any filler 40 Newsstand offering, informally

44 Change with the times

50 Author with a restaurant at the Eiffel Tower named for him

53 Like Hansel and Gretel in the forest 55 Bead producer?

45 Intuits

56 Part of the works

47 Big name in shapewear

57 “How Sleep the Brave,” e.g.

49 Start to malfunction

58 28-Down, e.g.

59 Handle preceder

You’ve been good this week, why not treat yourself?

June 1-7, 2017

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

4

E D K O C H

P E E D E E

I M P E N D

C O T T A

24 Big letters in electronics

P O E M B R O W S E T A P E S H R E W S 25 Ones moving from home A T I T C Y C L I C S S H U S A L M A 26 Fifth in a gro of eight B O O Z E S I M P P U D D I N G N E A 27 Saginaw-to-F S I Z E S Q U O T E D dir.

J A C U Z Z I Q U I X O T E 29 Bit of beachw Open Wednesday - Saturday 5pm - 10pm • Sunday 4pm - 9pm A L O Make N Z your O reservations G U I today D Oby visiting N A V A F F A I R E B F F 30 ___ way www.southlandpark.com I K E A F U Z Z Y W Y L E 33 It may be add 800.467.6182 • West Memphis, AR to alcohol T A R O S R E B C A G E S southlandpark.com See O Player Z Rewards A forRdetails.

K Players S must be 21TyearsO M A T O E S 34 Pitiful of age or older to game and 18 years of age or older to bet R at theAracetrack.

G Play T responsibly; O P T W O P E N C E for help quitting call 800-522-4700.

35 Hit the gas p S M E A R Y E L M T R E E S hard SOUTHL-57241 Flyer Qtr 6.8.17 Bourbon Street.indd 1

5/23/17 2:48 PM

THE

fly-by

Questions, Answers + Attitude Edited by Toby Sells

f l y o n t h e w a l l Beale Bucks, Garner, & Railgrten {

W E E K T H AT W A S

By Flyer staff

LEFT TO RIGHT: ALAINA GETZENBERG, MAYA SMITH, COURTESY OF CMT

Council lowers Beale cover, local man gets local love, and Railgarten (fully) returns.

NOT MEMPHIS Occasional reminder: Just because a local TV news station promotes some shocking, scary, or downright weird headline, don’t assume the story happened in Memphis. Take, for example, this bit via Fox 13: “Naked Man Caught on Camera Stealing Swan Sculpture in …”

NEVERENDING ELVIS This relentlessly exploitative tale comes to us from Niceville, Florida, home of the annual Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival, courtesy of the Northwest Florida Daily News.

From a news column headlined, “Elvis’ Wife to Pre-Teen: Stop Having Sex With My Husband”: “Elvis Presley, 42, was arrested last week and charged with three counts of felony lewd and lascivious molestation. …” In a videotaped interview, Elvis told investigators that he told his wife he’d “goofed.” Judging by the information presented here, it appears many people goofed, beginning with Spanish adventurer Juan Ponce de León, who opened the door to European exploration and occupation of Florida in 1513.

By Chris Davis. Email him at davis@memphisflyer.com.

RAILGARTEN GREENLIGHTED Railgarten cleared all of its legal hurdles last week and was allowed to get fully open again.

The Memphis City Council allowed the Cooper-Young entertainment complex to keep its permit on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Board of Adjustment allowed Railgarten owners to, once again, open its big backyard space.

FORREST REMAINS (FOR NOW) Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland explained that, while the mayor supports the removal of Confederate statues from Memphis parks, “our situation differs from New Orleans.”

Four Confederate statues have come down in New Orleans since April. Moves have been made here to remove the statue of Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest from Health Sciences Park.

State lawmakers here stymied those moves with a new law protecting some historical statues. Louisiana does not have such a law.

However, Strickland said he and his team were still working to remove the statue.

EXPUNGEMENT FEE LOWERED Expungement fees for non-violent offenders were lowered last week. Thanks to a new law passed in the Tennessee Legislature this year, the cost to expunge records will lower from $450 to $180.

Rep. Raumesh Akbari said lowering the fee will help people get back to work, be able to vote, and reduce the overall recidivism rate.

SUN RECORDS FIGHTING TO SURVIVE Producers of Sun Records are pitching the show to Amazon and the CW network after CMT decided not to pick up a second season of the Memphis-set, Memphis-shot show.

Linn Sitler, commissioner of the Memphis Film and Television Commission, said CMT already paid for scripts and outlines for season two of the show. She said she has her “fingers crossed” for the meetings with the other networks.

GARNER GARNERS LOVE A fund-raiser for Paul Garner surpassed its goal in one day.

Garner, a local activist, tried to stop a Memphis man from setting himself on fire at a local bar recently and got second and third degree burns in the process. Garner’s sister set up a GoFundMe site to help him pay medical bills.

More than 130 people raised more than $5,000 in one day to help. As of Friday morning, 167 people had donated $7,165.

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

Florida. It happened in Florida. And speaking of the Sunshine State. …

BEALE BUCKS PLUCKED The Memphis City Council performed open-heart surgery on the controversial Beale Street Bucks program last week. Instead of ending the program or leaving it alone, they (a majority of them anyway) decided to lower the fee from $10 to $5 and earmarked all of the funds for Beale Street security.

The council mulled the decision for weeks, but council member Joe Brown turned up the volume Tuesday with a rant, in which he said stampedes on the street were staged as a part of a conspiracy to keep the Beale Bucks program alive, told council member Worth Morgan that he [Morgan] was white [which he is], and said if indictments on the matter come down, “I’m not taking no hit for nobody.”

NEWS & OPINION

SCANNERS Sometimes your Pesky Fly likes to check in with the Twitter account Memphis Scanner (@ScannerMemphis) to find out what’s being talked about on area police scanners. This month it’s all about animals.

BIG BAGS BAGGED Under the new policy at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, guests will be limited to carrying a clear, vinyl, or PVC bag no larger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches; or a clear one-gallon freezer bag; or a small clutch bag, no bigger than one’s hand, along with a clear plastic bag.

5 The new policy is aimed at increasing security and speeding up the screening process for fans.

THE BEST

ENTERTAINMENT IN TUNICA

{

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

A Sessions Session Locals balk at Sessions’ tough-on-crime approach.

SOLD OUT

ANTHONY HAMILTON JUNE 3

RON WHITE

FOR MATURE AUDIENCES

JUNE 16 | 7PM & 10PM

Sessions (left) and Spickler (right)

BILLY CURRINGTON JUNE 23

CAMEO AND MORRIS DAY & THE TIME JUNE 30

KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND JULY 14

AIR SUPPLY JULY 22

June 1-7, 2017

UPCOMING SHOWS July 29 August 12 August 25 October 21

| | | |

CMT’s Nashville In Concert The O’Jays David Nail Trace Adkins

Tickets available online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

6

Must be 21 years or older to gamble or attend events. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. ©2017, Caesars License Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

5251_STA_4.575x12.4_4c_Ad_V1.indd 1

U.S. Attorney Jeff Sessions didn’t say anything during his Memphis visit.

That is, the content of his speech here didn’t make any headlines.

But that speech did send a shudder through the criminal reform community, who fear a time-travel return to a “lock-’em-up” approach to prosecuting criminals.

To run the elephant out of the room, Sessions did not mention Russia.

Reporters were not allowed to ask questions. Sessions’ route through the building to his car was blocked by veryserious-looking security personnel (and, yes, they had those earpieces and talked into their wrists).

Sessions knows criminal prosecution. Before he was U.S. Attorney and a Senator, he served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama and served as that state’s Attorney General. For that time, Sessions gave himself some credit Thursday for the crime reduction wave that has gripped the nation.

“Yes, we’ve had 30 years of declining crime,” Sessions said. “I’d like to think what we did with tough sentencing, and tough prosecution, and the work we did laid the groundwork for a longtime decline.”

But, he warned, “[Crime] is up again.” He said the nation has had three consecutive years of increases. The murder rate, he said was up 11 percent over last year, “the biggest increase since [1968].” Memphis, he noted, broke its homicide record last year.

He pointed to the Sycamore Lake Apartments in northeast Memphis, where two men were murdered last week and seven people were murdered in 2014.

“Imagine what it does to good people and families that must live every day as hostages in their own homes,

5/25/17 1:53 PM

facing potentially deadly violence just to walk to the bus or avoiding certain gang-controlled territory just to get to work,” Sessions said.

For them, Sessions promised a return to a tough-on-crime approach to sentencing and prosecution with “severe consequences.” Sessions called the approach “common sense.”

“A lot of criminal justice reform is simply the application of logic and common sense,” said Josh Spickler, executive director of Just City, a Memphis-based criminal justice reform advocacy group. “Almost all of Sessions’ policies run completely counter to this.”

Spickler said, for example, that Sessions would have local law enforcement crack down on those with small amounts of marijuana, “resulting in even more arrests, more supervision, more jail cells, and more costs, with no evident benefit to public safety.” That would crowd the already-crowded Shelby County Jail, he said.

Sessions’ ideas will “cost local taxpayers many more millions of dollars in additional law enforcement officers, corrections officers, and jail cells,” Spickler said.

Rep. Steve Cohen said in a brief speech Thursday that Sessions’ speech sounded like “something out of the ’50s or ’60s.” He said Sessions talked tough on crime, but he “didn’t talk at all about the costs of crime.”

“There’s a smart way to attack crime, and there’s a dumb way to attack crime,” Cohen said. “The dumb way is to return to the era where we failed because we locked up so many people at $30,000 a year. The only people that are happy about [Sessions’] approach is the private prison industry who make money out of people’s miseries and crime.”

Expert shoppers • Same-day service • Happiness guaranteed

shipt.com/Memphis

NEWS & OPINION

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

Groceries delivered fresh from your local store.

7

POLITICS By Jackson Baker

A Day in the (Mayoral) Life Is there such a thing as time off when you’re Mayor of Memphis?

Maybe not. Jim Strickland, the city’s chief executive, made room on his schedule Monday for an opportunity to kick back a little on a Memorial Day stop by the annual Bratfest, co-sponsored by several longtime friends at the Natchez Lane home of Steve and Susan Steffens.

The backyard affair, a cookout featuring brats, burgers, chips, drinks, and whatever sides guests chose to bring, looked the same as always, but there was a difference. If it happened to rain — something that looked ominously possible for most of the afternoon and evening — guests lacked the usual recourse of taking the party inside.

For on Natchez Lane, as in much of the city after Saturday night’s torrential downpour-cumwindstorm, there was no power. And that circumstance dominated much of the general conversation, as well as a fair amount of Strickland’s time during his roughly hour-long attendance.

The mayor was kept busy at the Bratfest detailing the steps that various organs of local government, assisted by regional power companies, the Red Cross, and other agencies, were taking to deal with

the fallout from this latest weather catastrophe. Beyond the obvious matters of clearing away felled trees, repairing power lines, and restoring essential utilities, there were human-service issues to deal with.

And, mixed in with such small talk as he was able to manage, Strickland fielded questions from attendees on such questions as: Whether Memphis was officially a sanctuary city vis-a-vis the Trump administration’s potential immigration crackdowns (it isn’t, technically, though the mayor is standing by his position that the Memphis Police Department has no role in rounding up supposed violators); Whether the city could follow the example of New

Jim Strickland (left) at Monday’s Bratfest with fellow attendees Glen Ring and mayoral aide Dabney Ring

Orleans in removing its Confederate statuaries (it can’t, because of state law prohibiting such action, though Strickland repeated his openness to the idea of relocating such memorials); How police recruitment was going (well, according to Strickland, thanks to progressively larger recruit classes; from a recent low of 1,941 officers, he projects something like 2100 members of the MPD by 2019).

And, over and over again, when it was likely that power would be back on throughout the city.

On that last matter, Strickland didn’t sugar-coat things; he said the course of full restoration would likely take a week. (Update: he was able to announce on Tuesday that that the number of MLGW customers without power had been reduced from 188,000 to 63,988.)

In the course of the day on Monday, Strickland would also avail himself of numerous tweets and Facebook entries to discuss the weather crisis, submit to several TV interviews, and find time to attend Memorial Day ceremonies at National Cemetery.

And yet, at Bratfest, Strickland did find time to deal with one wholly personal issue: In answer to a former playing partner’s challenge, he resolved to resume playing Ping-pong on the table he keeps in his garage at home. (Progress on that point will be reported in this space.)

Platelet Donors Needed Platelll

If you are between the ages of 18 and 50 and in good health, you may be eligible to donate platelets for support of important research activities. Eligible donors can donate every two weeks. Donations require about two hours of your time and you will receive $150 in compensation.

For more information contact:

June 1-7, 2017

1256 Union Avenue, Suite 200 Memphis, TN 38104 901‐252‐3434 www.keybiologics.com

One of the finest selections of loose diamonds in the Mid-South.

Las Savell J E W E L RY

8

Memphis • 61 South McLean • 901.725.4200

Hungry

Memphis: A Very Tasteful Food Blog

by Susan Ellis

Dishing it out daily at MemphisFlyer.com

JACKSON BAKER

Even in his off-duty time, Jim Strickland had to face the weather.

FRIDAYS • 6PM–10PM 10 winners receive up to $2,000 in Free Play by flipping baseball tiles 10 Points = 1 Entry Start earning entries the Saturday before each Friday drawing beginning May 27 at 12:01am.

SATURDAYS • 6PM–10PM 10 winners will win up to $500 in Free Play!

10 Points = 1 Entry Start earning entries the Sunday before each Saturday drawing beginning Sunday, May 28 at 12:01am.

See Service Center for details.

Even more

Bally’s Tunica and RIH Acquisitions MS II, LLC have no affiliation with Caesars License Company, LLC and its affiliates other than a license to the Bally’s name. Must be 21 years of age or older. Gambling Problem? Call 1-888-777-9696.

Certified Pre-Owned*

901-278-8965

TUT-UNCOMMON ANTIQUES

2013 C 250 SPORT STOCK#22601B

421 N. Watkins St Memphis, TN 38104

$21,999

2014 CLA 250 SPORT STOCK#P3138

• Huge selection of jewelry precious and costume, 1850 to 1950 • Retro Furniture • Pottery & Glass • Collectibles & Art We replace stones in costume jewelry.

Wed - Sat 11-5 Sun 12-4

Pre-Owned

2014 C 250 SPORT STOCK#P3112

$24,999

Exceptional Customer Service and Care 5389 POPLAR AVE.

(East Memphis, just west of I-240)

901-888-7220 • MERCEDESMEMPHIS.COM

2013 E 350 SPORT AWD STOCK#P9244A

$27,999

2014 E 350 STOCK#P3074

$30,999

Excludes taxes, title, registration, and dealer prep. See dealer for details. Offers expire 6-30-17

NEWS & OPINION

Father’s Day SALE!

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

$30,999

9

E D ITO R IAL

Reaping the Whirlwind There may still be a misguided sense of loyalty among Republicans both locally and elsewhere, that fealty to the party requires looking the other way at the rapidly onrushing perils that threaten the country as a result of the tragi-comedy • $70 covers office visit and 30-day supply of Phentermine • Phentermine, Adipex, meds available

others

• B-12, Lipo, and Vitachrom shots! ($10, $25, $35) • Free shot for new patients on first visit!

• Walk-Ins welcome!

Open Monday through Saturday BRING IN THIS AD FOR A

FREE

NEW PATIENT SPECIAL! $60 for visit, 30-day supply of Phentermine and a B-12 shot (or Lipo or VitaChrom — you choose.)

B12 SHOT! LIMIT ONE PER PERSON

1660 Bonnie Lane • Cordova TN • cordovamedical.com MON, TUES, WEDS, FRI 8AM-4PM THURS 10AM - 6PM SAT 9AM - 1:30PM

Proven Formula for all Mid-South Lawns Long-lasting 20 lbs. bag $29.98 covers 5000 SqFt Feed your entire yard with ferti•lome complete plant foods

Tree & Shrub Food • Azalea Food Premium Bedding Plant Food

June 1-7, 2017

Classic Lawn Food with Slow Release Nitrogen

10

C O M M E N TA R Y b y G r e g C r a v e n s

00

FERTI•LOME PLANT FOODS SIZE 16 LBS. OR LARGER

ANY PURCHASE OF $40 OR MORE AT DAN WEST GARDEN CENTERS

NOT VALID WITH OTHER OFFERS OR PRIOR PURCHASES

NOT VALID WITH OTHER OFFERS OR PRIOR PURCHASES

EXPIRES 6-30-17

would leave its member nations, including the United States, vulnerable to increasing pressure from the resurgent and expansionist Russia of Vladimir Putin. The case can certainly be made that a measure of cooperation between Russia and the United States is necessary to combat Islamist terrorism, but Trump’s policy seems obviously aimed at something larger and more recklessly transformative than that.

Although various governmental investigations are belatedly underway into the meaning of Trump’s undeniable, unrelenting, secretive, and potentially illegal devotion to Putin and Russia, these inquiries are just now moving in a dangerously lumbering fashion. What’s holding them back is a lack of significant participation from Trump’s own Republican Party — participation like that from Tennessee’s GOP Senator Howard Baker and others that helped resolve the Watergate crisis of a generation ago.

Another Tennessee Republican, Senator Bob Corker, has lately begun to vent serious misgivings about the Trump administration’s course of action, and that’s a start. But too many other members of the President’s party are holding themselves back from the prospect of remedial action. While there’s still time, key Republicans can reconsider their reluctance and provide real service to the nation by holding the President to account. If they don’t, they could end up reaping, not the gratitude of their fellow citizens to themselves and their party, but the whirlwind itself.

and many more

$5. OFF $5. OFF 00

known as the Trump administration. It is worth examining some of the more recent threats to Americans’ life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness: It seems a dead-level certainty that sometime this week, perhaps even before this issue of the Flyer comes off the press, President Trump will announce some fateful alteration in this nation’s observance of and commitment to the international Paris Agreement on climate change.

Either Trump is prepared to withdraw the United States from the terms of the Agreement, or he intends to soften our commitment to it in such a way that it comes to the same thing. That much seems clear from the President’s recent domestic actions in disavowing one previously adopted environmental safeguard after another and granting the fossil-fuel industry free rein to resume polluting the atmosphere with massive amounts of carbon dioxide. The net result of that will likely be to accelerate the ravages of ongoing climate change — one species of which, last weekend’s violent windstorm and downpour, Memphians are even now attempting to recover from.

Beyond weather catastrophes themselves, though, Trump’s attitude has also invited the ongoing contempt and alienation from nations long allied with the United States and now, as witness the aftermath of last week’s NATO meetings, preparing to go their own way.

And the breakdown of NATO, an alliance already at risk from its cumulative nonstop disparagement by candidate and now President Trump,

EXPIRES 6-30-17

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

V I E W P O I N T B y Ta m i S a w y e r

Resisting Apologists Despite threats and intimidation, we will work together to bring Memphis’ Confederate statues down. interview regarding the upcoming meeting to remove Memphis’ Confederate statues. During my interview, a group of Confederate memorabilia-wearing and flag-holding white people walked to our side of the park, and one of the men approached us. He stood directly behind my interviewer and waved his flag. When the interview was over, he attempted to greet me. I did not give my name but remained polite. The man said: “Take care of yourself.” I stiffened, hearing a threat in his voice and wondering if he was there to answer Oliver’s call to action. For a moment, I felt the fear which they hope will keep us in a state of inaction.

Unfortunately for people like the Confederate apologists I faced today and Oliver, I will not give up this fight. I will not give up even though I know that our country uses violence and murder to silence black people. I know that as I continue to engage in this movement to bring down these hateful reminders, my name will become familiar to those who will do anything to keep them where they stand.

As Ida B. Wells, Fannie Lou Hamer, and others who have come before me, I am willing to stand in harm’s way for justice.

We invite all supporters to attend the community meeting to decide the next steps for Confederate Statue removal on June 20th at 6 p.m. at Bruce Elementary School. Updates on this cause are shared on the Facebook group Memphis for Removal of Confederate Statues. While the City of Memphis awaits news on the waiver request for Nathan Bedford Forrest statue, we will brainstorm and act upon ideas brought by the public. For more information on the Tennessee statute that governs the statues, review the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act online.

I won’t be intimidated by the threats, and I know my fellow Memphians won’t be either. I hope to see us working together toward true racial reconciliation and progress through the removal of the Confederate statues and achieving equity in education and business contracting, and the many more steps we must take to get there.

Tami Sawyer is a social justice activist, speaker, and writer working for equity and equality. This story is supported by MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, a yearlong reporting project on economic justice.

True Story:

Love one another. It’s that simple.

First Congregational Church

They wanted church to be relevant, not hip.

They found a church where talk and faith are real.

www.firstcongo.com Phone: 901.278.6786 1000 South Cooper Memphis, TN 38104 Sunday Worship 10:30 am

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

I won’t be intimidated by the threats, and I know my fellow Memphians won’t be either.

NEWS & OPINION

Memphis, my hometown, sits on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. In the center of that bluff sits a statue honoring Confederate President Jefferson Davis with an engraving that reveres him as “a true American Patriot.” This engraving is an error. In actuality, Jefferson Davis was a condemned traitor, slave owner, and racist. Far from an ideal American or a patriot.

Recently, I called for a public meeting for the people of Memphis to discuss our collective action to have the statues of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, and Jefferson Davis removed from our public parks. There is no justification for these statues to continue to stand.

Removing statues does not erase history.

Their names will still live in history books, museums, and in the memory of their modern-day followers. Built decades after the Civil War ended, these statues were not raised to remember history but to reestablish the prominence of the Confederate South. If we want a Memphis that is inclusive and equitable for all, the statues must come down.

Last week, Karl Oliver, a Republican state representative from Mississippi, said Louisiana leaders and anyone anywhere who moves Confederate statues should be lynched. Oliver represents Money, Mississippi, the city where Emmett Till was murdered by white men who were protected by their government. While Oliver has issued a vapid apology, the call for violence has been echoed throughout the country, and support for him continues.

I take Oliver’s threat of assault personally. Any elected official threatening assault against anyone should be forced to resign. He has made me, personally, feel unsafe and unprotected. In light of the recent murder of black college student Lieutenant Richard Collins III by a white supremacist, Oliver’s words are especially dangerous. His apology has no weight because you cannot unring a bell.

While Oliver might not take up the noose himself, there are many who are emboldened by his call to action.

Threats against black people who fight for change are by no means new. For example, last summer, a white man threatened to throw me in the Mississippi River for speaking in support of the Memphis bridge protest. When we fight for justice, we put our lives on the line.

A week ago, Monday, I arrived at Memphis Park, formerly known as Confederate Park, where the Jefferson Davis statue stands. I was there for a television

11

OUTSOURCING TENNESSEE

Governor Haslam pushes ahead with a plan to turn state workers into JLL employees.

C O V E R S T O R Y A N D P H O T O S B Y M I C A E L A W AT T S June 1-7, 2017

On December 1, 2015, Tennessee’s Department of General Services (DGS) filed a request for proposals through the Central Procurement Office for facility management services through a private vendor.

Simply put, more than two years ago, the state quietly sent out feelers.

If they decided to outsource or privatize the lowest-paid and most diverse part of their workforce — custodial maintenance and groundskeepers — which private company would be interested in absorbing their employment? And 12 what would they charge?

Two years later, Tennesseans

have their answer. Multi-national commercial real estate management giant Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) inked a deal with the state to outsource facility workers at state-run institutions to the tune of $1.9 billion to be paid from the state to the company over five years.

The biggest targets of the contract are higher education facilities, including the University of Memphis, Southwest Tennessee Community College, and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. The union representing workers employed by public higher-ed institutions, United Campus Workers, say that more than 760 workers in Memphis alone are at

risk for lowered wages and benefits.

Across the state, the numbers jump anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000, depending on who you ask. But even if the scope of the contract is considered small in contrast to the population of the state, the move itself is unprecedented. No state has attempted to auction off swaths of campus workers’ jobs.

As of today, Tennessee, under Governor Bill Haslam’s administration, is making fast moves to become the first to do so. Repeated talking points are savings to taxpayers and public universities, which will theoretically, in turn, prevent raises in tuition.

But as of press time, there are several unknowns — the number of workers affected, what their new salaries and benefits packages will look like, and how the contract will affect smaller districts that house state-run prisons and other facilities that are employment bedrocks in sparsely populated areas.

What is known is that JLL, a company that Haslam has invested in to an unknown tune (more on that later), is about to rake in billions in profits, and thousands of Tennesseans will be shuffled from the public sector to the private sector. Read on to find out how you sell a state, one workforce at a time.

BURNING QUESTIONS: VANILLA RESPONSES

In late April, after the state prematurely and quietly pulled the trigger on the outsourcing contract, bipartisan opposition went from tepid to boiling. Seventy-five of the state’s 132 lawmakers signed a letter penned to Terry Cowles, the director of the Office of Customer Focused Government (OCFG), the office that will oversee the outsourcing.

The letter urged Cowles and the comptroller’s office to slow down the contract office until more solid information was known about the cost and the workers affected. Eighteen of those legislators requested economic impact statements specific to their district.

All 18 legislators received the same response, absent of districtspecific information. Bob Oglesby, a commissioner with the DGS, floated the same number to all of them — $155.5 million in savings over five years.

“Obviously, if more authorized entities [contract speak for universities] participate, the savings will be even greater,” Oglesby wrote. The commission also pointed to savings accrued already from the state capitol

LOCAL COLLEGES WEIGH IN: CUE CRICKETS

Amid the protest and touting of the outsourcing plans, one group of voices remains glaringly absent from the official process — the state employees who actually stand to be affected.

To date, not one meeting has been held between the OCFG and workers in state-run facilities. No major university or college has taken it upon themselves to do so either.

To those uncertain about their future employer, the silence is deafening and has prompted civic action.

Three days before the contract was signed, a week before it was to

be presented and on record to the public, UCW members and University of Tennessee Health Science Center workers gathered at their employer’s administrative building. Cowles was rumored to be inside, supposedly touting the benefits of the contract with JLL. “If you’re going to outsource someone, you should give us the benefit of the doubt from the start and let us have some input in it,” said Charles Kendricks, a specialized carpenter at UTHSC. “We don’t know the impact this is going to have on minority workers, on single mothers, or on veterans,” said Kendricks, a veteran himself.

The protest Kendricks attended was small, fewer than 30 people. But that’s been par for the course for the majority of the process. Campus workers and university students have spearheaded the majority of public outcry against the contract, going so far as to unroll a scroll of more than 6,000 signatures from individuals opposed to the plan in the state’s Capitol.

Still, the efforts by student and union organizers have been loud enough that no major university president is in the dark about opposition to outsourcing.

But since the contract’s signature by both parties and approval at the comptroller level, no major university is willing to indicate whether or not they will sign on. Only the University of Tennessee system came close.

“Each campus within the University of Tennessee will meet with the proposed contractor and receive information to help determine whether contracted services would be in the best interest of the campus,” said David Miller, CFO for the UT system.

Miller added that each UT campus will present their individual decision to the board of trustees at a later point in the year. The University of Memphis has effectively washed its hands of the decision and deferred the future of more than 500 workers to the university’s independent school board.

A U of M student group, the Progressive Student Alliance (PSA), has been dogging university president David M. Rudd — and, occasionally, Haslam — about the decision at every opportunity.

PSA member Lindsey Smith said that Rudd had declared the matter as being out of his hands. “He’s told me that he’s personally against it, but that it’s not up to him but up to the school’s board,” said Smith.

The board’s chairman, FedEx’s CFO Alan Graf, said that the matter has not been discussed and that the next board meeting would occur on June 6th, and that it would be open to the public.

Graf didn’t say whether the privatization matter would be discussed and when asked for any update following the comptroller’s approval and the contract’s effectiveness, U of M

spokesperson Gabby Maxey said that the outsourcing matter was not on the June 6th agenda and that the university had no additional comment, still.

Numbers provided by the campus workers’ union show that roughly 500 people work in building maintenance and custodial services at the U of M and that staff has seen reduction in the past years, to the point that some custodial staff are charged with cleaning entire buildings by themselves at night after classes have mostly dispersed.

And though these numbers aren’t readily available, a brief stroll around the campus seem to confirm findings that jibe perfectly with a study done on privatization and its effects by research and policy center In the Public Interest: The majority of U of M campus workers are women and minority, demographics that are employed by the public sector at high rates.

The study reads, “When contractors degrade jobs, taxpayers make up the difference through food assistance, emergency health care, and other public support programs.”

Should workers like Kendricks at UTHSC see their worst fears come true, outsourced employees will find themselves on the receiving end of reduced wages and benefits, and taxpayers savings through privatization will evaporate as additional federal and state assistance could be needed to supplement the loss in wages.

THE LEGISLATIVE DODGE

While the UCW represents much of the opposition in larger metro areas that are home to many higher education institutions, the Tennessee State Employees Association (TSEA) is the organization that rallies behind state workers at parks, prisons, and smaller state facilities.

TSEA president, Randy Stamps is a former Republican state representative, and he’s troubled by the tempo and secrecy of the plan. “It’s alarming, the pace of public outsourcing taking place in Tennessee,” said Stamps. “We have it on several different levels — state parks, higher education institutions, and the department of general services.”

Stamps had been long critical of the state’s efforts to privatize the Inn at Fall Creek Falls, one of Tennessee’s most popular state parks. That effort recently sputtered to a stop when no companies returned with a bid for state park facility management.

“When you decide to privatize state parks — including their inns and marinas — we feel like that’s a public policy decision, and the legislature should be involved in it,” said Stamps.

The legislature wasn’t involved in the process, but instead could only submit letters urging for more information and a halt to the process — efforts which were ignored.

13 continued on page 15 COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

facilities previously managed by JLL — $26 million over a three-year contract.

Though the state declined to provide district-specific information to representatives, the contract was approved by the comptroller’s office anyway and declared effective on May 26th.

John Ray Clemmons, a Democratic representative for part of Nashville and an established critic of the state’s outsourcing quest didn’t hold back. “There’s been absolutely no transparency in this process,” Clemmons said. “Their response was neither sufficient nor district specific. They responded with vanilla information.”

Another Nashville Democrat, Bo Mitchell, echoed his colleague’s response. “The bottom line is that privatization is harmful for state employees, public servants that have worked so hard for this state. Now they’re going to lose those jobs for corporate greed.”

Pointing to Tennessee’s privatized prisons as a cautionary tale, Mitchell warned that the contract is more of the same — sham numbers, false savings, and corporate greed. “I call on anybody in the state to release numbers that prove that this is helpful to state employees,” he said.

As of press time, no such numbers have been released, and they likely won’t be even after this story goes to print. All concerned departments in state government will insist that’s because too many variables hang in the balance. After all, it’s not even known at this point which facilities and universities will choose to “opt in.”

The OCFG has pointed to the “optin” option repeatedly as the contract’s major safety lever.

“This is really about what makes sense for each institution,” said Michelle Martin, spokesperson for the OCFG. And while the OCFG has maintained that autonomy still reigns supreme for each institution, United Campus Workers drew no comfort from the officials from OCFG seen touring campuses across Tennessee, just days before the contract was signed.

K

F ids

RE

Eo

nT

a rsd

ys

!

$1

0o

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS

hu

n-

sta

ge

se

ats

Culture. History. Haven. !

AT THE NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM

a r o w d y, b r i e f c o m e d y o f r e d e mp tio n b y W I L L I A M S H A K E SP EARE d i r e c t e d b y T O N Y SI M OT ES i n m e m o r y o f a c t o r T O N Y MOL I N A, J R.

2017

1968

ON STAGE JUNE 8-18 at t h e U o f M

tnshakespeare.org (901) 759-0604 Saturday, JUNE 10, 2017 ç 7–11PM Join us as we celebrate Memphis’ famous landmark and all it represents – Then and Now. Gather to appreciate the rich history of The Lorraine – the people, the music, the accomplishments and the culture.

Tickets $75 and $150 ç Sponsorships Available At the door, tickets are $100 and $200.

June 1-7, 2017

SEASON NINE

For Information:

Visit civilrightsmuseum.org or call 901.521.9699 ext. 2237

Sponsored by

Hosted by

Gener ousl y spo nso re d by:

A nn a nd We llfo rd Tab or 14

MphsFlyer_NCRM-2017NATL-halfVad.indd 1

5/23/17 1:00 PM

As far as how a decision of this size and scope could legally be made without legislative input, Stamps points to a procurement act authored by state senator Bill Ketron in 2016. The act grants total autonomy to the state in pursuing public-private partnership.

Stamps insists that Ketron, who was unavailable for comment, believes his own piece of legislation yielded results entirely out of line with the original intention. “It gave a lot more authority than he intended to give,” Stamps said, adding that Ketron will be working with TSEA over the summer to rein in some of the language around contract oversight.

“He doesn’t feel like the transparency he intended is available,” said Stamps.

Even before the procurement act was passed, Haslam had already been in the process of parceling off state responsibilities and services to JLL for years, starting just after he took office in 2011. The first contract signed with JLL was a real-estate-management contract.

Relatively small in comparison, it yielded the management of Tennessee’s real estate portfolio to JLL. The next contract with JLL was inked in 2013 and ceded facilities management of state capitol buildings to the company. That contract was not renewed when it expired in 2016, since those buildings could be covered under the latest outsourcing plan.

Tennessee’s comptroller office found several violations of that contract, however, including JLL’s failure to submit timely building inspection reports.

Bit by bit, Haslam has been transferring power to the real estate management behemoth, in spite of repeated criticism of his previous ties with the company before taking office.

Haslam’s current JLL investments are in a blind trust while he is in office, and his holdings pre-election are largely unknown, since, much like President Trump, Haslam has refused to release his tax returns. And Haslam has even signed into law a bill that effectively eliminated any Tennessee politician’s requirement to do so.

JLL: IT WILL ALL BE OKAY

The company that may or may not soon become the employer for thousands of state employees broke its silence on the issue the day the contract went into effect.

In a statement, the company assured Tennesseans that employees who transition to JLL “will have a compensation package, including benefits, equitable to their state compensation.”

Joe Hall of Hall Strategies, the public relations firm representing JLL, insisted that the move to JLL often ends up being more beneficial to the employee than employment with the state.

“Former State of Tennessee employees on the JLL team now earn

approximately 38 percent more,” Hall said. He also adds that JLL employees receive additional professional development that furthers their skill sets and marketability.

According to Hall, JLL is able to produce savings not because the company lays off workers and slashes wages, but because they specialize in key areas of cost savings: namely energy savings, purchasing power, and self-performance, erasing the need to contract out any large capital projects.

“We recognize that job security is an extremely important issue; we stress that the jobs at these facilities are secure,” said Hall. “It is a priority

to JLL to work collaboratively with college and university leadership to directly engage employees and assure them of that fact and highlight the opportunity available at JLL.

WAITING ON A SIGN

For all the efforts made by the OCFG and JLL to soothe workers potentially affected, none of it is swaying the contract’s harshest critics.

The state has stuck to the main talking points consistently, and detractors have countered with one argument, essentially, “Show us the proof.”

One thing is certain, though, the contract has been signed, stamped

for approval, and is in effect. The rest depends on the state’s universities to opt in or opt out. No doubt, they’ll have UCW in their ears every step of the way until they make a decision.

Thomas Wayne Walker, the spokesperson for the union, says he stopped being shocked by the state’s actions a long time ago. Instead, he and the union will keep insisting the universities take heed and examine every loophole they feel exists in the contract.

“The question is,” said Walker: “Why is Haslam so hell-bent on signing this contract, even though nobody in Tennessee seems to want it?”

FREE

TICKETS

WITH THIS AD Just bring in ad and show your Key Rewards Players Card to the Host desk during operating hours for two FREE tickets while supplies last.

el James Micha

June 9 - 11 Tickets start at $10 Available at the Fitz Gift Shop or call Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or visit ticketmaster.com.

Hotel Packages start at $79 Call 1-662-363-LUCK(5825) and mention code: CPRED. Tripadvisor Best magic show in Las Vegas

CASINO PROMOTIONS

GUEST APPRECIATION MEGA GIVEAWAY

FRIDAY, JUNE 2

500

$

CASH EVERY 15 MINUTES

6PM - MIDNIGHT

SATURDAY, JUNE 3

3X POINT

GUEST APPRECIATION PLAY & EARN

Thermos® Cooler Tote + 6-Pack of Coke® Sunday, June 4 2pm - 6pm, Great Hall Earn only 150 points from 12am-5:30pm to pick up these great gifts.

VALUE

ALL DAY

ALL MACHINES

Earn drawing entries for very 10 points on your Key Rewards card now through June 2 & Saturday, June 3

TUESDAYS, JUNE 6 & 20 3PM AT FITZ!

FitzgeraldsTunica.com • 1-662-363-LUCK (5825) • Must be 21 and a Key Rewards member. See Cashier*Players Club for rules. Tax and resort fee not included in listed price. Advance hotel reservations required and subject to availability. $50 credit or debit card is required upon hotel check-in. Arrivals after 6pm must be guaranteed with a credit card.

Video Poker play earns half of the stated amount. Management reserves the right to cancel, change and modify the event or promotion. Gaming restricted patrons prohibited. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700.

Earn only 50 points from 4am-8pm or earn 100 points and play twice.

Registration begins at 2pm.

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

continued from page 13

15

steppin’ out

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

Crist Almighty

Irene Crist

By Chris Davis

If Memphis is a theater town as actor/director Irene Crist asserts, she did her part to make it so. As a performer, she’s set a high bar. As a teacher for Playhouse on the Square’s conservatory, she’s shared her gifts across generations. She’s retiring from the stage in June after one last performance at Circuit Playhouse in Ripcord, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire’s geriatric farce about odd-couple roommates who find themselves in an all-out brawl to determine who reigns supreme in the nursing home.

Crist has been one of Memphis’ most reliable and recognizable actors since she first went to work for Jackie Nichols and Playhouse on the Square 39 years ago in 1978. She’s known Overton Square in its glory days, remembers when it hit the skids, and watched it bounce back and the number of theaters grow. She dropped into the scene on a high note, and it looks like the classically trained actress, who built a reputation for versatility — playing characters that ranged from Shakespeare’s ingenues to a smoky-voiced waitress in The Full Monty and the pharmaceutical-impaired matriarch of August: Osage County — will bow out on one, too.

“Now, I don’t want people to think I’m leaving the theater,” Crist says, unable to bear the thought of getting out for good. In recent years she’s turned her attention to directing, staging an epic production of Angels in America, in addition to smaller odder pieces like Hand to God. That part of her stage life will continue, Crist says. But fans who’ve enjoyed her performances in shows like Burn This, Oliver, The Lion in Winter, The Little Dog Laughed, Frozen, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? have only one more opportunity to catch this Memphis classic working her magic under the light.

June 1-7, 2017

POOL NEW | REUTERS.COM

“RIPCORD” AT THE CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE JUNE 2ND-25TH. PLAYHOUSEONTHESQUARE.ORG

16

Unpacking the fashion of FLOTUS. The Last Word, p. 39

Lucky Cat Ramen — noodle-fueled food fusion that fits the budget.

Food, p. 31

THURSDAY June 1

SATURDAY June 3

Gedeon Luke & the People Levitt Shell, 7:30 p.m.

The Levitt Shell Summer Concert Series kicks off tonight with a soulful performance by Gedeon Luke & the People.

Memphis Punk Fest Hi-Tone, 4 p.m.

This annual festival returns with a Metal Fest Night featuring music by No Love for Lions, Die Fabulous, Drones, and more. The fest continues through Sunday.

Booksigning by Billy Reed Burke’s Book Store, 5:30 p.m.

Billy Reed signs and reads from his book of poetry Messages to Lelia.

Anthony Hamilton Horseshoes Casino, 8 p.m.

Concert by this Grammy-winning R&B singer.

Memphis Italian Festival Marquette Park, 4 p.m., $8 Super huge, super popular annual festival with music, bocce, food, food, and more food.

“Unwrapped! 100 Gifts for 100 Years” Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, 10 a.m.

Exhibition featuring works, from quilts to glassware, gifted to the museum.

Sunstruck Sharpe Planetarium, check website for times, $6-$7 Special show all about the sun held in anticipation of August’s solar eclipse.

NASCAR Memphis 125 K&N Series Race Memphis International Raceway, 10 a.m., $5 NASCAR returns to the raceway for the first time in eight years.

Future Now Sounds

By Chris Davis

Blueshift Ensemble director and musician Jenny Davis knew she’d arrived at the right spot. “YES!” she said. “We have got to do something here.” Here being the old, ornate, and ever-so mysterious theater inside the Scottish Rite Temple on Union Avenue, a quirky time capsule of a space where Masonic Rite secret rituals of initiation have been performed for the last century.

Blueshift Ensemble specializes in a different kind of performance, bringing classical musicians together with performers and artists from other disciplines. “We want to create something that’s more of an experience than a concert,” Davis says. Blueshift’s Concert with Dave Shouse finds the experimental group performing a variety of contemporary compositions with diverse, sometimes strange instrumentation. Pitched crystal wine glasses will be played. There’s a solo for flute and digital delay. Rhodes College music professor David Shotsberger’s new composition is inspired by gaming and game culture. The evening’s most improvisational and immersive element will be a collaboration with Memphis rock stalwart Shouse of the Grifters and ManControl.

Shouse has always been an envelope pusher, playing multiple instruments in numerous bands like Think as Incas, Moroccan Roll, and the Grifters, a crunchy noise ensemble that helped to define ’90s lo-fi. In more recent years, he’s teamed with Robby Grant of Big Ass Truck and Vending Machine for a project called ManControl that — crazy as it sounds — uses light to manipulate waveforms. This is the style of performance Shouse will employ to a loosely composed piece by Blueshift co-founder Jonathan Kirkscey.

“We make it a point to do something new and different each time,” Davis says.

BLUESHIFT ENSEMBLE CONCERT WITH DAVE SHOUSE AT THE SCOTTISH RITE TEMPLE. FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 8 P.M. $10. BLUESHIFTENSEMBLE.COM

A Day of Merrymaking Overton Park, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Annual family-friendly event with food trucks, local vendors, water activities, and more. Bring the dogs to help celebrate Overton Bark’s fifth anniversary. Benefits the Overton Park Conservancy.

Paper & Clay and Question the Answer Studio Opening 486 N. Hollywood, noon-4 p.m.

Super chic Memphians, listen up: grand opening of the new studio/ shop from the pottery maker and the jewelry maker with food, drinks, and prizes.

Wear Orange Community Picnic Robert R. Church Park, noon-2 p.m.

Picnic with children’s activities and live music organized by Moms Demand Action, a group fighting gun violence and working to make communities safer.

Intro to Paris Celebrity Fashion Weekend Agricenter International, 5:30 pm., $20 Fashion showcase featuring the House of Van Miller and more.

2017 Trashion Show ER2 Electronic Responsible Recyclers (670 S. Fourth), 5:30-7:30 p.m., $45-$65 Fashion show from local artists featuring clothes and accessories made from trash.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

SUNDAY June 4

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

Maybe it’s time to put down the rum — Johnny Depp (above) mumbles his way through yet another Pirates movie.

Film, p. 34

17

MUSIC By Alex Greene

A Legend Returns Bobby Whitlock talks Memphis, Stax, “Layla,” and more.

SEVENTH ANNUAL WOMAN’S EXCHANGE ART GALLERY OPENING SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2-5 PM Featuring local & regional artists sponsored by the Woman’s Exchange of Memphis 88 Racine Street | Memphis, TN 38111 | womans-exchange.com

Follow

ISFLYER

June 1-7, 2017

@MEMPH ter &

on Twit m Instagra t es for cont il deta s

JUNE 8

MUD ISLAND AMPHITHEATRE Tickets on SALE NOW at Ticketmaster.com

Charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000 18

T

alking to Bobby Whitlock, best known as a keyboardist for Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and others, it’s easy to summon up that era when Memphis was seemingly the biggest small town on Earth.

“Dewey Phillips used to come over to my grandmother’s house when I was a little fella. You know, I’ve always sang, and he’d say, ‘You need to get that boy to Nashville!’ So, when I was 12, I did a studio recording of a song called ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ for Ted Mack’s Amateur Hour. I won, and the grand prize was a Brownie Instamatic camera and a sixpack of chicken legs.”

When I note that it sounds like he still had one foot in the country back then, he tells me, “I had both feet in the country when I was a kid! We chopped cotton and did all of that hard work.”

But for a nervy country boy in that looser, less wary time, there were more adventures to come. As a teenager playing with the Counts, he visited another recording studio, this one on McLemore Avenue. Asked to join in on some clapping, he found his way onto a hit piece of vinyl titled “I Thank You” by Sam and Dave. His fellow hand clappers were Isaac Hayes and David Porter.

“I was privileged to be one of the few people to walk into Stax when they were recording. I watched Booker play that organ many, many times.” As it happened, he wound up being a Stax artist himself. “I was the first white act

Bobby Whitlock and CoCo Carmel

signed to Stax’ newly formed Hip label.

They have my 45 hanging on the wall at the Stax Museum now.”

From there, the chicken legs just kept coming. Stax brought a talented California couple known as Delaney & Bonnie to Memphis.

Upon hearing Whitlock’s group play, they asked him to join them, and Whitlock left for Los Angeles the next day. Delaney & Bonnie & Friends soon caught the attention of George Harrison, who tried to sign them to Apple Records. They went on to join Clapton’s Blind Faith on a world tour, eventually incorporating both Clapton and Harrison into their group of performing “friends.” And this was just two years after Whitlock had first lent a hand for “some of that old soul clapping” on a Stax track.

That loose group of players was recruited by Harrison to record his first solo album in 1970. “The first piano playing I ever did was on All Things Must Pass. I played organ and pump organ on almost all of that record. But the B3 was taken one day, and Eric said ‘Why don’t you just play piano on this one?’ So I started playing, and it sounded like Jerry Lee or Memphis Slim or my mom or something.”

Out of this time, Clapton’s Derek and the Dominos was born, as was their career-defining album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. Whitlock wrote and played through the 1970s, first with Clapton and then as a solo

MUSIC artist. Any fan of music from the era knows Whitlock’s playing, if not his name.

Not long after, Whitlock retired from the music industry. “I didn’t drop out of music; I just dropped out of the public scene. I didn’t have anything to offer the disco era or the ’80s. I wouldn’t compromise my art, my craft, my integrity for the sake of being a rock star. I was already that.”

Whitlock lived on his Mississippi farm for much of that time, doing occasional session work. He now lives near Austin with his wife, CoCo Carmel. The couple now tours together.

In Carmel, a saxophonist, audio engineer, and producer, Whitlock has found a sympathetic musical colleague.

“She puts a foundation down for me, real support. That’s the role I played in Derek and the Dominos.”

The duet plays new originals and revisits the classics that Whitlock is famous for. With their upcoming Memphis show a homecoming of sorts, I asked Whitlock if he’s ever tempted to move back. “No!” he exclaimed. “Well, I thought about it once. That was in the middle of a nightmare. …”

Bobby Whitlock and CoCo Carmel play The Warehouse on June 2nd.

PAP SMEAR

FREE

800.467.6182 • southlandpark.com West Memphis, ARkansas Players must be 21 years of age or older to game and 18 years of age or older to bet at the racetrack.

Play responsibly; for help quitting call 800-522-4700.

SOUTHL-57242 - 6_1 Flyer JR 6.975x9.25 - Sammys.indd 1

5/23/17 3:02 PM

IUDs

CHO CES

Memphis Center for Reproductive Health

1726 Poplar Avenue Memphis, TN 38104 901/274-3550 www.memphischoices.org

LESSONS FOR ALL AGES

NEW+ USED

GUITARS

GEAR REPAIR LESSONS

Big selection! Everyday low pricing!

Free layaway! We take trade ins! special financing available

5832 STAGE RD. • 901-371-0928 • REVOLVEGUITARS.COM LOCATED IN HISTORIC BARTLETT STATION AT THE RAILROAD TRACKS facebook.com/pages/REvolve-Guitar-Music-Shop

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

NEW PATIENTS, EXAM ONLY

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

$155

19

SHANNON MCNALLY SATURDAY, JUNE 3RD LEVITT SHELL

ANTHONY HAMILTON SATURDAY, JUNE 3RD HORSESHOE CASINO & HOTEL

THE SHINS SATURDAY, JUNE 3RD MINGLEWOOD HALL

After Dark: Live Music Schedule June 1 - 7 Tuesdays, 7 p.m.; Brandon Cunning Trio Sundays, 6 p.m., and Mondays, 7 p.m.; FreeWorld Sundays, 9:30 p.m.

Alfred’s 197 BEALE 525-3711

Gary Hardy & Memphis 2 Thursdays-Saturdays, 6-9 p.m.; Karaoke Thursdays, TuesdaysWednesdays, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., and Sundays-Mondays, 10 p.m.-2 a.m.; Mandi Thomas Fridays, Saturdays, 6-9 p.m.; Roxi Love Friday, June 2, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., and Saturday, June 3, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.; The 901 Heavy Hitters Fridays, Saturdays, 10 p.m.-2 a.m.; Flyin’ Ryan Fridays, Saturdays, 2:30 a.m.; Memphis Jazz Orchestra Sundays, 6-9 p.m.

B.B. King’s Blues Club 143 BEALE 524-KING

The King Beez Thursdays, 5:30 p.m.; B.B. King’s All Stars Thursdays, Fridays, 8 p.m.; Will Tucker Band Fridays, Saturdays, 5 p.m.; Lisa G and Flic’s Pic’s Band Saturdays, Sundays, 12:30 p.m.; Blind Mississippi Morris Sundays, 5 p.m.; Memphis Jones Sundays, Wednesdays 5:30 p.m.; Doc Fangaz and the Remedy Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m.

Blue Note Bar & Grill 341-345 BEALE 577-1089

Queen Ann and the Memphis Blues Masters Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.-midnight.

Blues City Cafe 138 BEALE 526-3637

152 BEALE 544-7011

Live Music WednesdaysSundays, 7-11 p.m.; Live DJ Wednesdays-Sundays, 11 p.m.; Third Floor: DJ Tubbz Fridays, Saturdays, 10 p.m.

Handy Bar 200 BEALE 527-2687

Bad Boy Matt & the Amazing Rhythmatics Tuesdays, Thursdays-Sundays, 7 p.m.-1 a.m.

Hard Rock Cafe 126 BEALE 529-0007

Adam McClelland Thursday, June 1; Jerred Price Friday, June 2, 9-11 p.m., and Saturday, June 3, 8-10 p.m.

Itta Bena 145 BEALE 578-3031

Kayla Walker Thursdays, 6-7 p.m.; Susan Marshall Fridays, Saturdays, 7-10 p.m.; Nat “King” Kerr Fridays, Saturdays, 9-10 p.m.; Susan Marshall Wednesdays, 6-8 p.m.

King Jerry Lawler’s Hall of Fame Bar & Grille 159 BEALE

Chris Gales Solo Acoustic Show Mondays-Saturdays, 12-4 p.m.; Eric Hughes Thursdays, Fridays, 5-8 p.m.; Karaoke MondaysThursdays, Sundays, 8 p.m.; Live Bands Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.

Rum Boogie Cafe Blues Hall

162 BEALE 521-1851

David Bowen Thursdays, 5:309:30 p.m., Fridays, Saturdays, 6:30-10:30 p.m., and Sundays, 5:30-9:30 p.m.

King’s Palace Cafe Patio 162 BEALE 521-1851

Sonny Mack Mondays-Fridays, 2-6 p.m.; Cowboy Neil Mondays, Thursdays, 7-11 p.m., and Saturdays, Sundays, 2-6 p.m.; Sensation Band Tuesdays, Fridays, 7-11 p.m.; Fuzzy and the Kings of Memphis Saturdays, 7-11 p.m.; Chic Jones and the Blues Express Sundays, 711 p.m.; North and South Band Wednesdays, 7-11 p.m.

King’s Palace Cafe Tap Room

182 BEALE 528-0150

855 KENTUCKY

Earnestine & Hazel’s

Medical Center

Silky O’Sullivan’s

Songwriters with Roland and Friends Mondays, 7-10 p.m.

183 BEALE 522-9596

531 S. MAIN 523-9754

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium 130 PEABODY PLACE 523-8536

Huey’s Downtown 77 S. SECOND 527-2700

Biscuit Miller Band Sunday, June 4, 8:30 p.m.-midnight.

Memphis Cook Convention Center

168 BEALE 576-2220

Belle Tavern

New Daisy Theatre

117 BARBORO ALLEY 249-6580

255 N. MAIN 576-1200

Skillet Tuesday, June 6, 6:30 p.m.

330 BEALE 525-8981

The Rusty Pieces Sunday, June 4, 6-9 p.m.

Rum Boogie Cafe

Blind Bear Speakeasy

182 BEALE 528-0150

119 S. MAIN, PEMBROKE SQUARE 417-8435

Live Music Thursdays-Saturdays, 10 p.m.; The Rusty Pieces Friday, June 2, 10 p.m.-1 a.m.

Center for Southern Folklore Hall 119 S. MAIN AT PEMBROKE SQUARE 525-3655

Delta Cats, Billy Gibson & Linear Smith First Friday of every month, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

149 UNION 529-4000

Voodoo Gumbo Thursday, June 1, 6-11 p.m.

Amber Rae Dunn Hosts: Earnestine & Hazel’s Open Mic Wednesdays, 8-11 p.m.

Dueling Pianos Thursdays, Wednesdays, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., Fridays, Saturdays, 9 p.m.-3 a.m., and Sundays, Tuesdays, 8 p.m.midnight.

The Peabody Hotel

Bobbie & Tasha Wednesdays, 8-11 p.m.

Memphis Bluesmasters Thursdays, Sundays, 8 p.m.-midnight; Vince Johnson and the Plantation Allstars Fridays, Saturdays, 4-8 p.m., and Sundays, 3-7 p.m.; Delta Project Saturday, June 3, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.; Brian Hawkins Blues Party Mondays, 8 p.m.midnight; Chris McDaniel Tuesdays, Wednesdays, 8 p.m.midnight.

Big Don Valentine’s Three Piece Chicken and a Biscuit Blues Band Thursdays, Tuesdays, 8 p.m.-midnight.

Young Petty Thieves Thursdays, 8 p.m.-midnight; Pam and Terry Friday, June 2, 5:30-8:30 p.m., and Saturday, June 3, 5:30-8:30 p.m.; FreeWorld Friday, June 2, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., and Saturday, June 3, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.; Eric Hughes Band Mondays, 8 p.m.-midnight; Gracie Curran Tuesdays, 8 p.m.midnight; Plantation Allstars Wednesdays, 8 p.m.-midnight.

Dirty Crow Inn

St. Jude Jam Tuesday, June 6, 7 p.m.

Mollie Fontaine Lounge

Scottish Rite 825 UNION

Blueshift Ensemble with Dave Shouse Friday, June 2, 8-10 p.m.

South Main Loflin Yard 7 W. CAROLINA

Electric Church Sundays, 2-4 p.m.

LYFE Kitchen 272 S. MAIN 526-0254

Live Music on the Patio Thursdays, 6-8 p.m.

The Warehouse 36 G.E. PATTERSON 526-5747

Bobby Whitlock and Coco Carmel Friday, June 2, 7-10 p.m.

679 ADAMS 524-1886

Dim the Lights featuring live music and DJs First Saturday of every month, 10 p.m.

Purple Haze Nightclub 140 LT. GEORGE W. LEE 577-1139

DJ Dance Music MondaysSundays, 10 p.m.

The Silly Goose 100 PEABODY PLACE 435-6915

DJ Cody Fridays, Saturdays, 10 p.m.

Bar DKDC 964 S. COOPER 272-0830

Justin Bloss Thursday, June 1; CATL Friday, June 2; Some Sons of Mudboy Wednesday, June 7.

Boscos 2120 MADISON 432-2222

Sunday Brunch with Joyce Cobb Sundays, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Canvas 1737 MADISON 443-5232

Karaoke Thursdays, 9:30 p.m.;

June 1-7, 2017

Blind Mississippi Morris Fridays, 5 p.m. and Saturdays, 5:30 p.m.; Brad Birkedahl Band Thursdays, Wednesdays, 8 p.m.; Earl “The Pearl” Banks Saturdays, 12:30 p.m., and

Club 152

King’s Palace Cafe

20

YO GOTTI & FRIENDS THURSDAY, JUNE 29

JAMES TAYLOR SATURDAY, AUGUST 5

ELVIS: THE WONDER OF YOU WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16

JANET JACKSON WEDNESDAY, DECEMEBER 6

Memphis born rap and hip-hop artist will host his Birthday Bash 5 at FedExForum for the first time.

Tickets available!

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, and five-time Grammy Award winner is performing, with special guest Bonnie Raitt. Tickets available!

The critically-acclaimed concert event celebrating the life and music of Elvis Presley during the 40th anniversary. Tickets available!

Global music icon and six-time Grammy Award winner is bringing her State Of The World Tour to FedExForum. Tickets available!

Get tickets at FedExForum Box Office | Ticketmaster locations | 1.800.745.3000 | ticketmaster.com | fedexforum.com

After Dark: Live Music Schedule June 1 - 7

Jeremy Stanfill and Joshua Cosby Sundays, 6-9 p.m.; Candy Company Mondays.

The Cove 2559 BROAD 730-0719

Ed Finney and the U of M Jazz Quartet Thursdays, 8 p.m.; Big Barton Friday, June 2, 9 p.m.; Gentleman Combatants Saturday, June 3, 9 p.m.; Don and Wayde Tuesdays, 7-10 p.m.; Karaoke Wednesdays, 9 p.m.

The Bluff

Huey’s Poplar

Owen Brennan’s

535 S HIGHLAND ST

4872 POPLAR 682-7729

THE REGALIA, 6150 POPLAR 761-0990

Chris Gales Sunday Brunch First Sunday of every month, 12-3 p.m.

Murphy’s 1589 MADISON 726-4193

Gland Tuesday, June 6; Nervous Curtains Wednesday, June 7.

P&H Cafe 1532 MADISON 726-0906

DJ Kaz Thursdays, 10 p.m.; Ocean Street Friday, June 2; Burnham Road Saturday, June 3; Bluegrass Brunch with the River Bluff Clan Sundays, 11 a.m.

Triple S 1747 WALKER 421-6239

Fun-Filled Fridays First Friday of every month, 8 p.m.-midnight.

Rock Starkaraoke Fridays; Punk Fest Friday, June 2, 2-9

The Lizard Kings Sunday, June 4, 8:30 p.m.-midnight.

Lannie McMillan Jazz Trio Sundays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Summer/Berclair Cheffie’s Cafe

Memphis Nites Club

483 HIGH POINT TERRACE 202-4157

Collierville

3297 KIRBY 797-8599

Chick Rogers Sundays, 5 p.m.-3 a.m.

Songwriter Night hosted by Leigh Ann Wilmot and Dave “The Rave” Saturdays, 5-8 p.m.

Huey’s Cordova Brian Johnson Band Sunday, June 4, 8:30 p.m.-midnight; Patio Party: Paul “Snowflake” Taylor Tuesday, June 6; Tuesday Tunes on the Terrace Tuesdays, 5-8:30 p.m.

Hi-Tone

T.J. Mulligan’s Cordova

Memphis Punk Fest 5 Presents: Memphis Metal Fest Thursday, June 1, 4 p.m.; The Joy Formidable Friday, June 2, 8 p.m.; Spencer Radcliffe & Everyone Else Saturday, June 3, 8 p.m.; The Quintessential Octopus, Raquets, Strong Martian Sunday, June 4, 9 p.m.; Keychain, Athalone Monday, June 5, 9 p.m.; Shadowgraphs, Racquets Tuesday, June 6, 7 p.m.; Don’t Be Afraid of the Comedy Memphis Wednesday, June 7, 7:30 p.m.; Erika Wennerstrom (of Heartless Bastards) Wednesday, June 7, 8 p.m.

8071 TRINITY 756-4480

The Southern Edition Band Tuesdays.

Frayser/Millington Huey’s Millington 8570 US 51 NORTH,

Vintage Sunday, June 4, 8:30 p.m.-midnight.

Old Millington Winery 6748 OLD MILLINGTON 873-4114

Ronnie Caldwell and JoJo Jeffries Sunday, June 4.

All New 2017 Fiat 124 Spider $ per mo

Huey’s Midtown

2119 MADISON 207-5097

Levitt Shell OVERTON PARK 272-2722

Gedeon Luke & the People Thursday, June 1; Legendary Shack Shakers Friday, June 2; Shannon McNally Saturday, June 3; Jakubi Sunday, June 4.

Midtown Crossing Grill

329 GOSSETT FIAT 1901 COVINGTON PIKE • FIATUSAOFMEMPHIS.COM • 388.8989

H0118040-MSRP 27285-DISCOUNT 797-REBATE 500-4000 CASH DOWN-75 MONTHS-3.50 APR-EXCLUDES T, T& L-WAC- INCLUDES ALL REBATES & INCENTIVES -PF $498.75 -OFFER VALID THROUGH END OF MONTH.

p.m.; Open Mic Music with Tiffany Harmon Mondays, 9 p.m.-midnight; Bob Fleming & The Drunk Girl, Chorus Quinn Conely Tuesday, June 6.

The Phoenix 1015 S. COOPER 338-5223

The Phoenix Blues Jam Tuesdays, 8-11 p.m.

Railgarten 2160 CENTRAL

Chris Milam Friday, June 2, 8 p.m.

394 N. WATKINS 443-0502

“The Happening” Songwriter Night Tuesdays, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Minglewood Hall 1555 MADISON 866-609-1744

The Hip Abduction Friday, June 2, 7 p.m.; The Shins, Surfer Blood Saturday, June 3, 7 p.m.

The Heart Memphis Band Sunday, June 4, 8:30-11:30 p.m.

1771 N. GERMANTOWN PKWY. 754-3885

412-414 N. CLEVELAND 278-TONE

Jeff Austin Band Thursday, June 1, 9 p.m.; Ryan Peel Friday, June 2, 6:30 p.m.; Susan Marshall and Friends Saturday, June 3, 11:30 a.m.; Joe Restivo 4 Sundays, 11 a.m.; Rewind Sunday, June 4, 4 p.m.; John Paul Keith and Co. Mondays, 6 p.m.; 3RD Man Tuesday, June 6, 5:30 p.m. and Wednesday, June 7, 5:30 p.m.; John Kilzer Tuesdays, 8 p.m.; Breeze Cayolle and New Orleans Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m.

Huey’s Collierville 2130 W. POPLAR 854-4455

Cordova

Memphis Punk Fest 5 with the Queers, The Subteens Friday, June 2; Crockett Hall Tuesdays with the Midtown Rhythm Section Tuesdays, 9 p.m.

Lafayette’s Music Room

7729 BENJESTOWN 876-5770

750 CHERRY 636-4100

Dantones Sunday, June 4, 6-10 p.m.

Growlers

Earl “the Pearl” & the People of the Blues Sunday, June 4, 4-7 p.m.; Ross Rice & the DeepState Saboteurs Sunday, June 4, 8:30 p.m.-midnight.

Shelby Forest General Store

Tony Butler Fridays, 6-8 p.m.; Rodney Nash Saturday, June 3, 12-3 p.m.; Lee Cagle Sunday, June 4, 12:30-3:30 p.m.; Robert Hull Sundays, 12:30-3:30 p.m.

Memphis Botanic Garden

1911 POPLAR 244-7904

1927 MADISON 726-4372

Wednesday, June 7, 8 p.m.

University of Memphis

East Memphis Brookhaven Pub & Grill 695 BROOKHAVEN CIRCLE 680-8118

Dantones Friday, June 2, 9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.

Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House 551 S. MENDENHALL 762-8200

Intimate Piano Lounge featuring Charlotte Hurt MondaysThursdays, 5-9:30 p.m.; Larry Cunningham Fridays, Saturdays, 6-10 p.m.

Howard Vance Guitar Academy 978 REDDOCH 767-6940

First Friday at Five Coffee House Concert First Friday of every month, 5 p.m.

Mortimer’s

Poplar/I-240 East Tapas and Drinks 6069 PARK 767-6002

Eddie Harris Thursdays, Fridays, 6:30-9:30 p.m.; Elizabeth Wise Tuesdays, 7-9 p.m.; Van Duren Solo Tuesdays, 7-9 p.m.

South Memphis Stax Museum of American Soul Music 926 E. MCLEMORE 946-2535

Live in Studio A at the Stax Museum Tuesdays, 2-4 p.m.; Gee Whiz! Wednesday Workshops Wednesday, June 7, 10 a.m.-noon.

Neil’s Music Room 5727 QUINCE 682-2300

Jack Rowell’s Celebrity Jam Thursdays, 8 p.m.; Eddie Smith Fridays, 8 p.m.; Bluff City Bandits Saturday, June 3, 8 p.m.; Benefit for Mary Dee Swatzyna Bailey Sunday, June 4, 4-10 p.m.; Eddie Harrison Mondays, 6-10 p.m.; Debbie Jamison & Friends Tuesdays, 6-10 p.m.; Elmo and the Shades Wednesdays, 8 p.m.-midnight.

Huey’s Southwind 7825 WINCHESTER 624-8911

The King Beez Sunday, June 4, 8:30 p.m.-midnight.

Huey’s Germantown 7677 FARMINGTON 318-3034

The Eric Hughes Band Sunday, June 4, 8-11:30 p.m.; Patio Party: 3 Degrees Wednesday, June 7.

North Mississippi/ Tunica Horseshoe Casino & Hotel

590 N. PERKINS 761-9321

Van Duren Solo Thursdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Germantown

Bartlett Hadley’s Pub 2779 WHITTEN 266-5006

Almost Famous Friday, June 2, 9 p.m.; The Souled Out Band Sunday, June 4, 5:50 p.m.; Charlie and Juno’s All Star Experience

AT CASINO CENTER, SOUTH OF MEMPHIS, NEAR TUNICA, MS 1-800-303-SHOE

Anthony Hamilton Saturday, June 3.

Huey’s Southaven 7090 MALCO, SOUTHAVEN, MS 662-349-7097

Terry & the Wallbangers Sunday, June 4, 8 p.m.midnight; Karaoke Night Mondays, 9-11 p.m.

Raleigh Stage Stop 2951 CELA 382-1576

Blues Jam Every Thursday Night hosted by Brad Webb Thursdays, 7-11 p.m.; Open Mic Night and Steak Night Tuesdays, 6 p.m.-midnight.

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

Celtic Crossing 903 S. COOPER 274-5151

Mulan Asian Bistro 2149 YOUNG AVE 347-3965

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Kyle Pruzina Live Mondays, 10 p.m.-midnight.

21

22

June 1-7, 2017

CALENDAR of EVENTS: JUNE 1 - 7 LISTINGS

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.

continued from page ??

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

TH EAT E R

A R TI S T R EC E P TI O N S

O N G O I N G ART

Circuit Playhouse

Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library

Art Museum at the University of Memphis (AMUM)

Germantown Community Theatre

The Game’s Afoot, it is December 1936 and Broadway star William Gillette, admired for his leading role in the play Sherlock Holmes, has invited fellow cast members to his Connecticut castle for weekend revelry. www.gctcomeplay. org. $24. Fri., Sat., 8 p.m., and Sun., 2 p.m. Through June 4.

3037 FOREST HILL-IRENE (453-7447).

Theatre Memphis

South Pacific, musical follows a nurse stationed on an island during World War II who is in love with a French expatriate plantation owner. Issues of racial prejudice and gender roles are candidly explored. www. theatrememphis.org. $30.

Sundays, 2 p.m., and Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m. Through June 25.

630 PERKINS EXT. (682-8323).

TheatreSouth

Memphis Matters, opportunity to connect with the “heart” of Memphis through a combination of improvisational theater, personal narrative, and community dialogue as a citizen of Memphis. (246-9848), www.playbackmemphis.org. $15. Sat., June 3, 7:30-9 p.m.

INSIDE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, 1000 S. COOPER (726-0800).

“Africa: Art of a Continent,” permanent exhibition of African art from the Martha and Robert Fogelman collection.

Ongoing.

142 COMMUNICATION & FINE ARTS BUILDING (678-2224).

Belz Museum of Asian and Judaic Art

3030 POPLAR (415-2700).

“Chinese Symbols in Art,” ancient Chinese pottery and bronze. www.belzmuseum. org. Ongoing.

Crosstown Arts

Artist reception for “MTA Art Show,” exhibition by Tosha Creations featuring work

by Toshay the Artist, Justice Stokes, Pachone Jackson, Joey Capone, Taylor Jackson, Antoria Ingram, Britt Reed, Sebastian McDaniel, and Timberlan Andrea. www. crosstownarts.org. $12. Thurs., June 1, 5:30-9 p.m.

119 S. MAIN, IN THE PEMBROKE SQUARE BUILDING (523-ARTS).

Bingham and Broad

“My Kin Is Not Like Yours,” exhibition of works by Debra Edge. Ongoing.

2563 BROAD (323-3008).

David Lusk Gallery

“This Land: An American Portrait,” exhibition of photographs by Jack Spencer. Also featuring book of photographs, This Land. www.davidluskgallery.com.

Through July 1.

430 N. CLEVELAND (507-8030).

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

6th Annual Spring/ Summer Highpoint Art Fair

Featuring handmade work by over 30 artists and artisans including paintings, sculptures, jewelry, fashion accessories, mosaics, food products, and more at Johnwood near the Greenline. Free. Sat., June 3, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

HIGHPOINT TERRACE, 3734 JOHNWOOD (327-2869), COSMICCARAVAN.COM.

Casting Demonstration Saturdays, Sundays, 3 p.m.

METAL MUSEUM, 374 METAL MUSEUM DR. (774-6380), WWW. METALMUSEUM.ORG.

Cooper-Young Art Tours For more information, featured artists, and pop-up performances, visit website.

First Friday of every month, 6-9 p.m.

COOPER-YOUNG DISTRICT, CORNER OF COOPER AND YOUNG, WWW. COOPERYOUNG.COM.

97 TILLMAN (767-3800).

3, 12-4 p.m.

The Memphis Potters’ Guild Annual Spring Show & Sale

PAPER & CLAY + QUESTION THE ANSWER STUDIO, 486 N. HOLLYWOOD.

Meet artists working in porcelain, stoneware, earthenware, raku, and other ceramic techniques. Find unique handcrafted works representing the highest standards of the ceramicists’ art for gifts or collecting. Fri., June 2, 5-8 p.m., Sat., June 3, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sun., June 4, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

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

Paper & Clay + Question the Answer Studio Grand Opening

Celebrate the new studio featuring food, drinks, and prizes. See where work is made and shop goods. Fri., June 2, 5-9 p.m., and Sat., June

Shoot & Splice: Film Criticism

Film critics John Beifuss and Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal and Chris McCoy of The Memphis Flyer discuss the art of film criticism. Tues., June 6, 6:309:30 p.m.

CROSSTOWN ARTS, 430 N. CLEVELAND (507-8030), WWW.CROSSTOWNARTS.ORG.

Small Shop Saturday

Featuring a weekly local vendor in the tap room. Meet the artist and learn about their craft. Saturdays, 1-4 p.m.

*

Paper & Clay + Question the Answer Studio Grand Opening, Saturday, June 3rd Whet Thursday: The Great Mississippi Whale Watch

Watch for “whales” making their way down the Mississippi River and enjoy shrimp boil, specialty drinks, and music by the Bluff City Backsliders. $25 members, $30 nonmembers. Thurs., June 1, 5-8 p.m.

METAL MUSEUM, 374 METAL MUSEUM DR. (774-6380), WWW.METALMUSEUM.ORG.

GHOST RIVER BREWING, 827 S. MAIN (278-0087), WWW.GHOSTRIVERBREWING.COM.

$2.50 LB

The Dixon Gallery & Gardens

“Scent and Symbolism: Perfumed Objects and Images,” exhibition considering the role of scent in the history of art through a collection of 140 scented bottles. www. dixon.org. Regular Admission.

Through July 2.

“Jason Miller: objets de mémoire,” exhibition of photographs using everyday objects that have meaning and memories in the artist’s life. www.dixon.org. Through July 23.

“Made in Dixon,” exhibition showcasing the colorful and joy-filled artwork created by artists of all ages in the Dixon’s

continued on page 24

CRAWFISH

BY THE BAG

Our kitchen is authentic

Mexican Food

STRAIGHT FROM LOUISIANA

RESERVE YOUR BAG!

Kids Eat $1.99 Free Taco SUNDAYS

BY THURSDAY BY NOON FOR THE WEEKEND

547-7997

One kid per adult eating from a kids menu

TUESDAYS

$2.99

Burrito WEDNESDAYS

Mention this ad and get 15% OFF every dish!*

*Expiration Date: June 15, 2017. Not valid with any other coupon or offers.

901-433-9345 |

Agavos Cocina & Tequila | 2924 Walnut Grove Rd., Memphis, TN 38111

Thanks Memphis for voting us the Best Indian Restaurant!

Memphis Flyer's 2016 Best of Memphis readers' poll

1720 Poplar at Evergreen 278-1199

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

51 S. COOPER (725-0776).

Opening reception for “Viaggio: An Architectural Journey through Culture and Time,” exhibition of works by Joel Jassu, the AIA Memphis Jack R. Tucker Jr., FAIA Memorial Grant recipient. Featuring lecture in Goodwyn Gallery.

(525-3818), www.aiamemphis. org. Sat., June 3, 1:30-3 p.m.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Ripcord, comedy that takes us to the Bristol Place Assisted Living Facility where foul-tempered Abby has just learned that she has to share her sunny top-floor room with newcomer Marilyn. www. playhouseonthesquare.org. $25-$40. Sundays, 2 p.m., and Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.

Through June 25.

23

SEE IT AT THE PINK PALACE!

CALENDAR: JUNE 1 - 7 continued from page 23 educational programs. www. dixon.org. Ongoing.

4339 PARK (761-5250).

FireHouse Community Arts Center “Mosal Morszart,” exhibition of works by Black Arts Alliance artist. www. memphisblackartsalliance. org. Ongoing.

985 S. BELLEVUE (948-9522).

Fratelli’s

Glenda Brown Summer Show, exhibition of paintings representing recent works of Brown and her students. Call for more information about Glenda Brown’s classes. www. memphisbotanicgarden.com.

June 1-29.

750 CHERRY (766-9900).

Madison Avenue Park

“The Chamber That Slows Things Down,” exhibition of photographs by Seth Kelly courtesy of Tops Gallery.

Through June 4.

151 MADISON.

March 4 - June 23, 2017

Marshall Arts Gallery

“Love of Art” and “Memphis,” exhibition of work by Nikki Gardner and Debra Edge by appointment only. (6479242), Ongoing.

639 MARSHALL (679-6837).

Memphis Botanic Garden

“Artists’ Link Garden Friends,” www.memphisbotanicgarden.com. June 3-29.

750 CHERRY (636-4100).

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

3050 Central Ave / Memphis 38111

June 1-7, 2017

901.636.2362

Sophisticated Stereo Simplicity

“A Feast for the Eyes: 200 Years of American Still-Life Painting from the Hevrdejs Collection,” exhibition of rarely seen still-life paintings by major American artists including James Peale, John F. Peto, Thomas Hart Benton, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Andrew Wyeth. www. brooksmuseum.org. Through July 30.

Rotunda Projects: Nnenna Okore, exhibition of works with burlap to fashion abstract objects inspired by textures, colors, and landscapes. www.brooksmuseum. org. Through Sept. 10.

“Unwrapped! 100 Gifts for 100 Years,” exhibition of more than 100 works of art gifted to the museum ranging from ancient coins to contemporary glass and paintings to quilts. www.brooksmuseum. org. June 3-Aug. 27.

“Drawing Memory: Essence of Memphis,” exhibition of works inspired by nsibidi, a sacred means of communication among male secret societies in southeastern Nigeria by Victor Ekpuk. www.brooksmuseum.org.

Ongoing.

1934 POPLAR (544-6209).

Memphis College of Art

“Disappointed,” exhibition of photography and digital collage by Joshua Strydom. www. mca.edu. Through July 30.

1930 POPLAR (272-5100).

24

2160 YOUNG AVE. | 901.207.6884 HALFORDLOUDSPEAKERS.COM

Memphis Zoo

“Nature Connects: Art with LEGO Bricks,” exhibition of 15 LEGO brick sculptures. www.memphiszoo.org.

Through July 9.

2000 PRENTISS PLACE IN OVERTON PARK (333-6500).

Metal Museum

“Metal in Motion,” exhibition and group show of work involving moving parts including hand operated or run on a motor inviting the viewer to interact with the art. www.metalmuseum.org.

Through Aug. 27.

“F.I.R.E. James Wade Jr.,” exhibition of cast metal works and drawings by James Wade Jr. that investigate the meaning of place by referencing industrial, agrarian, and vernacular landscapes. www. metalmusuem.org. Through July 16.

“Implements of Grandeur,” exhibition of handmade tools by metalsmiths throughout the United States including Jack Brubaker, David Court, Dennis Dusek, Jeffrey Funk, Seth Gould, Tom Latané, Timothy Miller, and others. www.metalmuseum.org.

Through July 30.

374 METAL MUSEUM DR. (774-6380).

Overton Park Gallery

“Sightlines,” exhibition of paintings by Susan Maakestad. www.susanmaakestad. com. Through June 3.

1581 OVERTON PARK (229-2967).

Playhouse on the Square Florence, Italy Class Trip Exhibit, www.mca.edu. Through June 4.

66 S. COOPER (726-4656).

Slavehaven Underground Railroad Museum “Images of Africa Before & After the Middle Passage,” exhibition of photography

by Jeff and Shaakira Edison.

Ongoing.

826 N. SECOND (527-3427).

Stax Museum of American Soul Music

“Portraits in Soul: Rare Images from the API Archive,” exhibition of photographs by Bill Carrier Sr. and his team at Allied Photography Illustrators (API). www.staxmuseum. com. Through June 20.

926 E. MCLEMORE (946-2535).

Talbot Heirs

Debra Edge Art, Ongoing.

99 S. SECOND (527-9772).

Village Frame & Art

Gallery Artists, exhibition of work by Charlie Ivey, Virginia Schoenster, Lou Ann Dattilo, and Matthew Hasty. Ongoing.

540 S. MENDENHALL (767-8882).

WKNO Studio

“A Little R & R: Reflection & Retrospection,” exhibition of photography by Candace Spearman. www.wkno.org.

June 1-28.

7151 CHERRY FARMS (458-2521).

DAN C E

Annie: The Dance Production

Original dance production based on the classic musical Annie. $24. Sat., June 3, 7 p.m., and Sun., June 4, 2 p.m.

THE HALLORAN CENTRE, 225 S. MAIN (870-4348), WWW.BALLETONWHEELS.ORG..

C O M E DY

Chuckles Comedy Club

Alonzo Bodden, www.chucklescomedyhouse.com. $20.

Thurs., June 1, 8 p.m., Fri., June 2, 7:30 & 10 p.m., Sat., June 3, 7:30 & 10 p.m., and Sun., June 4, 8 p.m.

1700 DEXTER.

High Cotton Brewing Co.

Mary Mack, with appearances on Conan, Last Comic Standing, Last Call with Carson Daly, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and other shows. Mack headlines two-year anniversary of the Tuesday Show. www. highcottonbrewing.com. Free.

Tues., June 6, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

598 MONROE (896-9977).

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

Crosstown Arts

The Come Up, spoken word, hip-hop, open mic, and live DJ benefiting 901 Evolution. Complimentary food will be available. www.crosstownarts.org. $10.

Sat., June 3, 6:30-10 p.m.

430 N. CLEVELAND (507-8030).

Triple S

Fun-Filled Fridays, open mic poetry, jazz music, and networking mixer. (421-6239), $5. First Friday of every month, 8 p.m.-midnight.

1747 WALKER (421-6239).

B O O KS I G N I N G S

Booksigning by Billy Reed Author reads and signs book of poetry, Messages to Lelia.

Thurs., June 1, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

BURKE’S BOOK STORE, 936 S. COOPER (278-7484), WWW. BURKESBOOKS.COM.

LECT U R E /S P EA K E R

Munch and Learn

Brown bag lecture series features local artists, experts, and Dixon staff sharing their expertise of a variety of topics. Visit website for weekly topics. Wednesdays, 12-1 p.m. Through Dec. 27.

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

“Understanding End of Life (EOL) and Palliative Care Options and Creating an Advance Directive” Angela Arnold, LMSW talks about palliative care and hospice and how to create an advance care plan to suit your needs and how to communicate your plan to family, friends, and/or medical staff who need to know your directive. Sat., June 3, 10:30 a.m.

BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY, 3030 POPLAR (415-2700).

CALENDAR: JUNE 1 - 7 Tours at Two

TO U R S

Garden Design and Plants Tour

Visit a specific garden and learn about its design and plants. Each month garden docents will give you the details of the featured space.

Visit all nine gardens, get your card signed, and receive a special gift in the New Year.

Saturdays, 10 a.m.-noon.

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

Hotel History Tours with the Peabody Duckmaster

Hear stories from The Peabody’s nearly 150-year history and learn behind-the-scenes details about the charmed life of the world-famous Peabody Ducks. $5-$10. Ongoing, 11:30 a.m.

THE PEABODY HOTEL, 149 UNION (5294000), WWW.PEABODYHOTEL.COM.

The Lewis Ranch Tours

Jerry Lee Lewis’ private getaway gives fans a look at the life of a rock-and-roll legend.

Tours available Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $30. Ongoing.

THE LEWIS RANCH, 1595 MALONE (662-393-8770), WWW.THELEWISRANCH.COM.

St. Peter Church Tour

Free. First Saturday of every month, 1-4 p.m.

ST. PETER CATHOLIC CHURCH, 190 ADAMS (527-8282), WWW.STPETERCHURCH.ORG.

Join a Dixon docent or member of the curatorial staff on a tour of the current exhibitions. Free for members. $5 nonmembers. Tuesdays, Sundays, 2-3 p.m.

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

E X P OS / S A LES

Intro to Paris Celebrity Fashion Weekend

Featuring fashion shows, kids’ talent show, and introduction to Paris fashion production. $10. Sat., June 3, 11 a.m.

AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL, 7777 WALNUT GROVE (757-7777), WWW.INTROTOPARIS.COM.

F ES TI VA LS

A Day of Merrymaking

Featuring music, food trucks, beer garden, art, and kid- and dog-friendly water-based activities. Free. Sat., June 3, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

OVERTON PARK, OFF POPLAR (2145450), WWW.OVERTONPARK.ORG.

Fourth Bluff Fridays

Featuring food trucks, beer garden, arts and crafts vendors, and live music. Fridays, 4:30-9 p.m. Through June 30.

MEMPHIS PARK (FOURTH BLUFF), FRONT AND MADISON.

Memphis Italian Festival

Enjoy all things Italian benefiting Holy Rosary Parish

School. $8-$15. Thur.-Sat., June 1-3.

MARQUETTE PARK, PARK AVE. AND MT. MORIAH, WWW.MEMPHISITALIANFESTIVAL.COM.

MOONSHINE

BALL

S PO R TS / F IT N E S S

Born 2 Win 5K Walk/Run Join us in Mullins Station Field to help raise funds and awareness for domestic violence, breast cancer, and other forms of cancer. $25.

Sat., June 3, 6:30-11 a.m.

SHELBY FARMS, 500 N. PINE LAKE (485-5293), WWW.BORN2WINTHEMOVEMENT.COM/.

FedEx/St. Jude PGA Championship Golf Tournament June 5-11.

TPC AT SOUTHWIND, 3325 CLUB AT SOUTHWIND (748-0330), WWW.STJUDECLASSIC.COM.

Grind City Getdown

Dodgeball tournament featuring food trucks, music, and beer garden. Sat., June 3, 4-10 p.m.

PEABODY PLACE, PEABODY AT MAIN, WWW.GRINDCITYGETDOWN.COM.

Memphis 125

NASCAR K & N series featuring ticket upgrades for lunch with drivers. $20. Fri.Sat., June 2-3.

JOSH KELLEY JUNE 17

MEMPHIS INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, 5500 VICTORY LANE, WWW.RACEMIR.COM.

continued on page 27

5off

a full price adult ticket with promo code

MFLYMUSP Limit four

THEATRE MEMPHIS presents “SOUTH PACIFIC” Music by RICHARD RODGERS • Lyrics by OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II Book by OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II and JOSHUA LOGAN Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning novel “Tales of the South Pacific” by James Michner Director JORDAN NICHOLS • Music Director GARY BEARD • Choreographer TRAVIS BRADLEY Sponsored by DEBORAH DUNKLIN TIPTON; KITTY CANNON & JIM WALLER; JOHN & ANNE ROBILIO; DOROTHY O. KIRSCH and JUVE SALON SPA

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT TICKETMASTER.COM OR BY CALLING 1-800-745-3000.

JUNE 2-25

Generous support provided by

unrivaled performance. unending applause.

© 2017

Must be 21 years or older to gamble or attend events. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. ©2017, Caesars License Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

TICKETS 901.682.8323 ONLINE theatrememphis.org

SouthPacific.FlyerAd.indd 1

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

JULY 1

$

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

LITA FORD

5/8/17 11:06 AM 5028_STA_4.575x12.4_4c_Ad_V1.indd 1

25

5/17/17 1:56 PM

JUNE 1:

GEDEON LUKE & THE PEOPLE T H O M A S B O G G S M E M P H I S M U S I C S E R I ES

S P O N S O R E D BY: C O M M E R C I A L B A N K & T R U S T A N D U B S PA R K E R W E A LT H M A N AG E M E N T

JUNE 2:

LEGENDARY SHACK SHAKERS S P O N S O R E D BY: M E M P H I S D E R M ATO LO GY C L I N I C

J U N E 3:

SHANNON MCNALLY

T H O M A S B O G G S M E M P H I S M U S I C S E R I ES

J U N E 4:

JAKUBI

June 1-7, 2017

S P O N S O R E D BY: G R AC E S T. LU K E ’ S , CHRIST CIT Y CHURCH, L E V I T T S H E L L B OA R D O F D I R E C TO R S

26

CALENDAR: JUNE 1 - 7

For more information, visit website. Through June 4.

AUTOZONE PARK, THIRD AND UNION (721-6000), WWW.MEMPHISREDBIRDS.COM.

KIDS

Gee Whiz!

Wednesday Workshops

Featuring speakers Scott Golden and John Ryder, 2018 candidates, and BBQ dinner. $25. Wed., June 7, 5:307:30 p.m.

HALLE PLANTATION CLUBHOUSE, 2490 DIBRELL TRAIL, WWW.RWOP.ORG.

“Back to the Moon for Good”

Gee Whiz! Wednesday Workshops at the Stax Museum provide youth and young children the opportunity to express themselves through structured activities. Drop-in programs feature music, arts, and hands-on fun. Go to www. staxmuseum.com for more details. Free for Participants.

Wed., June 7, 10 a.m.-noon.

Fifty years ago the U.S. was in a heated race to the moon.

This program reflects on that legacy and looks to the future, motivated by the Google XPRIZE. $7. Through June 2.

STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC, 926 E. MCLEMORE (942-7685).

Motorcycle enthusiasts park on Beale to show off their creations and strut their stuff.Bikers and tourists are treated to amazing motorcycles of every shape, size, brand, and year. Wednesdays.

Through Sept. 30.

Jurassic Journeys On Land, Sea, and Air

Animated dinosaurs and other animals from Kokoro.

Featuring some new and old friends. Through Sept. 10.

SHARPE PLANETARIUM, MEMPHIS PINK PALACE MUSEUM, 3050 CENTRAL (636-2362), WWW.MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG.

Bikes on Beale

BEALE STREET, DOWNTOWN MEMPHIS (529-0999).

MEMPHIS PINK PALACE MUSEUM, 3050 CENTRAL (901.636.2362), WWW.MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG.

Bingo Night

Kids Summer Film Fest

CASUAL PINT, 395 S. HIGHLAND.

Select films for children at participating Malco theaters. Proceeds benefit children’s hospitals in the Mid-South. For more information and lineup, see website. $2.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, 10 a.m.

Through July 31.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS, SEE WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION, WWW.MALCO.COM.

“One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure”

Join Big Bird and Elmo as they explore the night sky with Hu Hu Zhu. Together they take an imaginary trip from Sesame Street to the moon, where they discover how different it is from Earth. $7. Through Sept. 2.

SHARPE PLANETARIUM, MEMPHIS PINK PALACE MUSEUM, 3050 CENTRAL (636-2362), WWW.MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG.

S P EC IAL EVE N TS

2017 Trashion Show

More than 40 Memphis-based artists went dumpster diving and curb shopping to create original fashion pieces including jewelry and accessories, ready-towear ensembles, and formal gowns $45-$65. Sun., June 4, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

ER2 ELECTRONIC RESPONSIBLE RECYCLERS, 670 SOUTH FOURTH (844-372-0002), WWW.MEMPHISCITYBEAUTIFUL.ORG.

Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure

Guided from any smart phone, teams see the sights while solving clues, completing challenges, and learning local history. Available 365 days, sunrise to sunset. Use promo MEMPHISFLYER for special discount. Ongoing.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS, SEE WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION (805-603-5620), WWW.URBANADVENTUREQUEST.COM.

Play to win a Sweetwater kayak. Mondays, 7-9 p.m.

Born 2 Win 4th Annual Concert

Survivors of cancer, domestic violence, sexual assault, or other adversities who are not physically or mentally able to communicate how they feel are offered the opportunity to grace the stage through inspirational music. $10. Fri., June 2, 6-10 p.m.

THE GREAT HALL AND CONFERENCE CENTER, 1900 S. GERMANTOWN (492-1772), WWW. BORN2WINTHEMOVEMENT.COM.

Celebrate What’s Right: The State of Education Hear from those leading in education — from policy makers to principals — on the successes and struggles in Memphis classrooms, and what innovations are pushing public education forward. $30. Tues., June 6, 121:30 p.m.

UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS HOLIDAY INN, 3700 CENTRAL (527-4625), WWW.NEWMEMPHIS.ORG.

Explore Memphis 2017 Kick-off Party

Featuring music, games, crafts, talks, and story-times. The Memphis Public Library’s community partners will be present to provide information and opportunities for library card holders this summer. Fri., June 2, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY, 3030 POPLAR (415-2700), WWW.MEMPHISLIBRARY.COM.

Peabody Rooftop Party

Meet on the roof for music and fun. $10-$15. Thursdays, 6-10 p.m. Through Aug. 17.

THE PEABODY HOTEL, 149 UNION (5294000), WWW.PEABODYHOTEL.COM.

Redbirds Friday Night Block Party

JUMP ON JUNE WINNINGS!

Enjoy pre-game music featuring British Invasion band Jeffrey and the Pacemakers and select $2 beers in the Plaza. Game’s theme is ’60s night including jersey auction and special record sleeve ticket. Fri., June 2, 6 p.m.

AUTOZONE PARK, THIRD AND UNION (721-6000), WWW.MEMPHISREDBIRDS.COM.

St. Jude Jam

Exclusive concert of country stars and rock-and-roll legends teeing off the FedEx St. Jude Classic Golf Tournament. Rub elbows with PGA Tour players and bid on live auction items benefiting St. Jude. $110. Tues., June 6, 7 p.m.

MEMPHIS COOK CONVENTION CENTER, 255 N. MAIN (573-4671), WWW.STJUDE.ORG.

Summer Experience Kick-Off

College students and recent graduates are invited to meet peers, local business leaders, and community leaders. Free.

Mon., June 5, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

SATURDAYS IN JUNE

DRAWINGS EVERY HOUR

Earn 250 points from 6AM – 7:59PM to receive your set of lucky Big Draw numbers.

Limit one set of six numbers per player account per Saturday. Participants can only win 2X per card.

SATURDAY,

JULY 1

Wear Orange Community Picnic

ROBERT R. CHURCH PARK, CORNER OF FOURTH AND BEALE, WWW.ACT.EVERYTOWN.ORG.

“Wedding Belles”

View blushing brides, many with a unique story from right here in Tennessee. June 5-30.

6PM -11PM

WIN UP TO $250,000 CASH!

OLD DOMINICK DISTILLERY, 305 S. FRONT (527-4625), WWW.NEWMEMPHIS.ORG.

Featuring picnic food, kids’ activities, live band, and opportunities to make connections to make Memphis safer, benefiting Moms Demand Action-Memphis and partner organizations reducing gun violence. Free.

Sat., June 3, 12-2 p.m.

H

H 6PM – 10PM H 5 WINNERS OF $500 EVERY 30 MINUTES!

H 11PM H 9 WINNERS OF UP TO $5,000!

PLUS, ONE LUCKY WINNER OF A 2017 CHEVY MALIBU!

EARN ENTRIES daily, 50 points per entry. Earn 10X entries on Thursdays and 25X ENTRIES ON JUNE 30 FROM NOON-3PM. Prizes paid in Free SlotPlay ®. Chevy Malibu ® is a registered trademark of General Motors Company and is not a sponsor of this promotion.

WOODRUFF-FONTAINE HOUSE, 680 ADAMS (526-1469), WWW.WOODRUFF-FONTAINE.ORG.

FI LM

FRIDAYS IN JUNE

MicroCinema Club: 2016 New York Japanese CineFest

Selection of shorts from the 2016 New York Japanese CineFest presented by Memphis resident Yukiko Maguire.

Wed., June 7, 6:30-9 p.m.

CROSSTOWN ARTS, 430 N. CLEVELAND (507-8030), WWW.CROSSTOWNARTS.ORG.

Movie Mania

Enjoy free, family-friendly movies in Central Park, with pre-movie fun including music and giveaways. Free.

Every other Friday, 6:30-10 p.m. Through Aug. 25.

6PM-11PM

Two winners every 20 minutes will win up to $300!

KEEP YOUR PRIZE OR TAKE A CHANCE TO WIN UP TO $5,000!

Play your favorite slot machine or table game for a chance to win. Prizes paid in Free SlotPlay ®.

CARRIAGE CROSSING, HOUSTON LEVEE & BILL MORRIS PKWY. (854-8240), WWW.SHOPCARRIAGECROSSING.COM.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

When Charlie wins a golden ticket to an unconventional factory, he discovers that everything can be an adventure.

Pre-show fun includes drink specials, photo booth, and performance by the Mighty Wurlitzer organ. $8. Fri., June 2, 7 p.m.

THE ORPHEUM, 203 S. MAIN (5253000), WWW.ORPHEUM-MEMPHIS.COM.

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

Memphis Redbirds Home Games

Annual Republican Women of Purpose Halle Plantation Event

1-8OO-871-O711 H HOLLYWOODCASINOTUNICA.COM H

©2017 Hollywood Casino Tunica. Must be 21 years or older. All prizes paid in Free SlotPlay ®.

Promotions valid only at Hollywood Casino Tunica. See Player Services for complete details.

Gambling problem? Call 1-888-777-9696.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

continued from page 25

27

this week

Voodoo Gumbo with special guest

Noah Cyrus

Thursday Nights • April 13—August 17 6pm-10pm $10-15 • LADIES FREE ‘TIL 7pm 6.8 Seeing Red 6.15 Crusin’ Heavy 6.22 M-80s 6.29 Snowglobe 7.6 Thump Daddy 7.13 Waker 7.20 The Unlikely Candidates 7.27 Southern Avenue 8.3 Walrus 8.10 Hillbilly Casino 8.17 Graceland Ninjaz

presented by

beer garden sponsored by

#PBodyRoof peabodymemphis.com

also sponsored by

A2H. The Art Project. Lydia & Rehim Babaoglu. Belleair Woods Neighborhood Association.

Celtic Crossing. Central Gardens Association. Children’s Dental Center.

Diane’s Art Gift & Home. Diversified Trust. Ecco on Overton Park. Eclectic Eye. Edible Memphis. Evergreen Historic District Association. Huey’s. Hyde Family Foundations.

Independent Bank. Lipscomb & Pitts. M. Palazola Produce Co. Mahaffey Tent & Event Rental.

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. MLGW. Morningside Neighborhood Association.

Pinnacle Perpetual Services. River Inn of Harbor Town. Shipt. Soul Fish Cafe.

SunTrust Bank. Urban Forestry. Utopia Animal Hospital. West Cancer Center.

Young Avenue Deli. Young Avenue Sound.

June 1-7, 2017

For schedule and transportation info, visit overtonpark.org.

Get into Summer shape!

28

Memphis Jewish Community Center

Membership specials for Individuals and Couples!

• 1 Week Fitness Pass • Discounted Registration Fee (ONLY $25!)

• FREE MJCC Fit Plan • Over 60 FREE Fitness classes • A variety of specialty classes, like Pilates, J-Fit, and Hula Hooping • State-of–the Art Cardio and Strength equipment • Certified Personal Trainers and Class Instructors

Sign up TODAY! Contact Mike McGee, Member Services Assistant Director, at mmcgee@jccmemphis.org or (901) 767-0810.

Offer good through June 30, 2017

Help us care

BOOKS By Corey Mesler

The Interview

for the working uninsured

A Q&A with John Grisham.

Have you read some of the bibliophile mystery writers? I thought I detected a clever nod to John Dunning, and his detective, Cliff Janeway, in your story.

A few. Charlie Lovett is good, and he actually read the manuscript for Camino Island and found some areas that needed more work.

Your depiction of the heist of the Fitzgerald manuscripts, which opens the book, is worthy of Donald Westlake. Where do you get your knowledge of spy craft and the tools of high-stakes larceny?

I faked it all. I didn’t want to learn and sound too accurate for the same reason I stayed away from the Firestone Library at Princeton. I don’t want to inspire some misguided soul in need of an adventure.

Your protagonist, Mercer Mann, the authoress suffering from writer’s block, reads only women writers. I liked her a lot though — maybe your Flyer.HelpUs.4.7.17.indd best female protagonist since Darby Shaw in The Pelican Brief. Is she based on anyone?

And do you think of your bookseller, Bruce Cable, as a charming rogue, a sort of modern-day, bookselling Raffles? Should the reader find him sympathetic?

Mercer is quite sympathetic, especially as she slowly gets in over her head. No, she was not based on anyone.

Bruce is not sympathetic. He was developed as sort of a roguish character.

Enough said. Don’t want to give away too much.

And, finally, without spoiling the ending, tell me if you might return to Mercer Mann, the reluctant infiltrator?

I doubt it. As you and I have discussed before, I find little attraction in sequels or more adventures by the same characters.

I tend to forget about them as soon as I start the next book. Which, by the way, is clicking right along. Just wish I had a title for it. After all these books and 30 years of writing, the hardest part is still finding good titles.

Camino Island will be released June 6th.

churchhealth.org/donate

1

4/7/2017 3:01:56 PM

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

The Memphis Flyer: Much of your fastpaced story is set in the world of antiquarian bookselling, especially in its murky underbelly, where stolen manuscripts and doctored first editions are sold. I’m an antiquarian bookseller, though an honest one, and, as you might imagine, I found those parts fascinating. You obviously did your homework. Your discussions among the thieves and fences were peppered with the argot favored by used book dealers.

Tell me a little about how you came to write a story set in this milieu.

John Grisham: I have been collecting modern first editions, along with a few older ones, for over 20 years and find it fascinating. I enjoy hanging out in used bookstores and chatting up dealers, and I’ve met some hardcore collectors over the years. Three years ago, during a long summer road trip to Florida, Renee and I were inspired by an NPR story, can’t really remember who it was about, and started kicking around plots for a mystery involving stolen rare books. I tinkered with it

for a year or so, and last fall the story fell together. It was quite enjoyable to write.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

J

ohn Grisham, as we now know, is not just a writer of legal thrillers. Among other excursions, he has written a series of young adult novels, a novel about baseball, a nonfiction book about the death penalty, a novel about Christmas, and an excellent collection of Southern short stories. Sometime, mid-career, he became unpredictable, not just a thriller machine. I suppose we don’t expect writers of bestsellers to tamper with success, to attempt to find the outer limits of their gift. John Grisham is different. So, it was not extraordinary that his newest novel is closer to Donald Westlake than Scott Turow. What surprised and delighted me was that the story concerns a subject dear to my heart and one that has been my livelihood for the past 29 years, the buying and selling of first editions and rare books.

And after reading Camino Island and finding its antiquarian bookstore setting as comfortable as a warm bath — except for the, you know, illegal parts — I formulated a few questions for the author. He was kind enough to craft some thoughtful answers.

29

tiCkETmaStER.coM/bPa - 1.800.745.3000

&

b a Nk Pl uS AmPh iT h E a T E r .C om

CHRIS STAPLETON WITH ANDERSON EAST & BRENT COBB FRIDAY, JUNE 9

JOURNEY WITH ASIA WEDNESDAY, JULY 5

June 1-7, 2017

RASCAL FLATTS WITH RAELYNN SATURDAY, JULY 22

IN MEMPHIS 130 PEABODY PLACE MEMPHIS, TN 38103

REAL SMOKED BAR-B-QUE

Old dominion September 14

2110 MADISON 30

901-347-3060

STANLEYBBQ.NET

FOOD By Michael Donahue

Super Bowl

Zach Nicholson, Lucky Cat, and elevated ramen.

SANDWICH

WITH GRAVY, THE ORIGINAL JACK COMES SLAW & PICKLES PIRTLE’S STEAK SANDWICH

COMBOS INCLUDES:

MEDIUM FRIES & 32 OZ. DRINK

He worked for Jensen on and off for the next nine years. “I’d go off, work for someone else, come back a little more knowledgeable, a little more experienced.”

Nicholson met Sarah at a restaurant in Syracuse. “She was the executive pastry chef, and I was hired as a sous chef.”

They moved to Austin. “It was there that I took a second job working at a ramen restaurant,” Nicholson says.

The couple fell in love with ramen the first time they tried it. It was affordable and satisfying.

Last August, the Nicholsons, who now have two sons, decided to open a ramen restaurant. They chose the name Lucky Cat Ramen. “In Japanese culture, you see the ‘lucky cat’ a lot. The little statues in shop windows. That’s supposed to be a good luck charm.”

Nicholson didn’t want their restaurant to be the typical ramen restaurant. “Basically, what I wanted to do was take whatever we had already learned and bring that level of ramen, which was absent here, to the city.

We were taking techniques and then sort of building on those with other techniques we’ve learned cooking in other restaurants.

Taking sort of the best of everything that we experienced and finding a way to make it affordable food.”

When Lucky Cat opens its doors to the public Friday, diners will discover ramen dishes that could be a mixture of Japanese, French, Thai, or other influences. Many of their ramen ideas “come from just sort of reminiscing about our most profound food experiences,” Nicholson says. “We think about, ‘What were the best things we’ve ever eaten? And can we replicate those textures and flavors through the lens of ramen?’”

FREE

W/ PURCHASE OF ONE 2PC DARK DINNER & 2 MED DRINKS.

WITH THIS COUPON.

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

Facebook.com/Jackpirtles

Twitter.com/Jackpirtles1957

Write Us: Customer2jackpirtles@Gmail.com / Buses Welcome! We Accept All Major Credit Cards

LUNCH SPECIAL HALF POBOY

CHOOSE A SIDE: FRIES, CHIPS, or SIDE SALAD Drink Included

$9

Upgrade the side to a cup of gumbo or etoufee for $1.

535 SOUTH HIGHLAND AVENUE • MEMPHIS, TN 38111 • 901-454-7771

THEBLUFFMEMPHIS.COM

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

Zach Nicholson

JUNE COUPON SAVING $4.79 GET ONE 2 PC DARK DINNER

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

JUSTIN FOX BURKS

A

s a child, Zach Nicholson built elaborate structures with paper and tape.

“I think I tried to attempt a cathedral, but I don’t remember which one it was,” said Nicholson, 31. “It was impossible, essentially. Two, three feet tall, which seemed to be incredible. I was probably seven or eight years old.”

When he turned 11, paper and tape gave way to flour, milk, sugar, and eggs.

Nicholson looked for the “most incredible” cake in his mother’s Good Housekeeping cookbook. “I would always try to make this Black Forest cherry thing. It’s a chocolate cake with multiple layers and with cream, cherries, and stuff.”

As chef/owner of Lucky Cat Ramen restaurant, Nicholson still is assembling.

His creations may not be tall, but they’re complex and flavorful. He often uses several ingredients, but all the dishes use ramen noodles as the base.

Nicholson and his wife, Sarah, who began making and selling ramen dishes last December at Lucky Cat Ramen pop-up restaurants around town, will move into their first — but temporary — brick-andmortar restaurant Friday, June 2nd at 247 Cooper. Dinner will be served four nights a week until November, when the restaurant moves to its permanent location in the Crosstown Complex.

A native of Biloxi, Mississippi, Nicholson was intrigued by the physical demands of the chefs on TV’s Iron Chef America cooking show. “I thought it was pretty incredible. I really thrive under high-pressure situations.”

He loved “this kind of tension and make-or-break atmosphere, where, literally, these guys have an hour to make something happen, and there was no surrender.

It was just ‘You can’t give up. Can’t quit.

You’ve got to get it done.’ That kind of energy, I think, is what sparked my curiosity toward cooking.”

He made a list of the best chefs in Memphis. Erling Jensen, chef/owner of Erling Jensen: The Restaurant, was No. 1 on his list. “I walked in his back door and I asked to see him. And there he was. He invited me out to his dining room to talk to him, and I explained, ‘I’ve never really been in the kitchen before in my life. I want to be a chef. And I hear you’re the best.’ As cliché as it sounds I said, ‘I’ll wash your dishes for free if you let me in your kitchen.’ He said, ‘Okay. Come in tomorrow.’”

Nicholson’s first job at the restaurant was making salads. “Not for free. He was paying me,” Nicholson notes.

$7 STEAK 59

31

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory • 6/2 Breakfast at Tiffany’s • 6/8 The Sandlot • 6/10 Matinee Psycho • 6/22 The Wizard of Oz • 6/23 Monty Python and the Holy Grail • 6/29 Dirty Harry • 6/30 The Princess Bride • 7/7 The Maltese Falcon • 7/14 Grease • 7/21

June 1-7, 2017

Gone with the Wind • 8/11 Coming to America • 8/12 The Rocky Horror Picture Show • 8/25

For showtimes & tickets:

32

Orpheum-Memphis.com (901) 525-3000

Presented by:

S P I R ITS By Richard Murff

Beer With Me In defense of cheap domestic brews.

My personal favorite CDB, though, has always been Dixie Beer — forever tied in my mind to college road trips to New Orleans. The last gallant delivery from the historic Dixie Brewing Company was made at close of business on the Friday before Katrina ate the brewery on Monday. Now, the old building is part of the University Medical Center, and the beer is made on contract in Wisconsin. I met the owners once and asked why I couldn’t find it in Memphis.

They responded by offering me a job as the regional distributor.

The new Dixie brewers swear they haven’t touched the recipe.

They shouldn’t. You know what you are getting with CDB. “I know what Budweiser does to me,” said a Smoker.

What Budweiser does to him, or me or anyone else, is … not much. That is kind of the point. Still, with determination, anything is possible. The last thing I heard, as I climbed those impossibly steep steps up the bluff, was someone shouting, “Hell, I’m too drunk to Über.”

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

knowledged area of expertise is wickedgood hot wings (which also placed) and not an enthusiasm for forward motion.

True, the contestants were handicapped by age and BMI, which explained his impressive showing, but your more artisanal craft brews are just a bit too precious for that sort of work.

So, get off your high horse and crack open a Miller High Life. And even the most terminal hipster will concede that there is a time and place for Pabst Blue Ribbon. (They only say that they drink it “ironically.”)

Book by

Directed & Choreigraphed by Mark

Alan Davis

Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang Musical Direction by Dennis Whitehead Darling Music by Elton John / Lyrics by Tim Rice

June 9 thru July 2 hattiloo.org / 901.525.0009 / 37 South Cooper

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

I

don’t really care what Emily Post or your happy meteorologist says. In Memphis, the summer begins at the barbecue fest. So, the other week, I was down by the river, sponging off the hospitality of the good people of the Sicilian Smokers Barbecue Team. I was pointed to the beer tap.

“Bud Light?” I asked.

“Well …” said the Smoker, “it’s a Anheuser-Busch product. …”

My finely tuned taste buds detected … well, they detected a cheap domestic beer. Since they were giving it away, it was almost certainly Natty Light. But it was sort of raining and sort of hot, and all was right down by the river again.

Never lose your taste for Cheap Domestic Beer (CDB) — not just the much-maligned Budweiser or Natty Light, but the Milwaukee’s Beasts, Olympias, and, if you can find it, Hamm’s. It’s the beer for those of us who waited until Sunday night to do our weekend homework. What else would you take to the lake? Or for that matter, drink at a Tom Petty show? I can assure you that Petty’s “American Girl” was not drinking a Rye IPA. And it’s not just because CDB is cheap, either; sometimes it’s not. I bought a couple of Bud Lights for the enchanting Mrs. M and myself, and FedExForum dinged me $22. Granted, they were huge.

And the gigantic lukewarm beers that were not getting any colder in my hand perfectly fit the thumping rhythm of “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.” It was a great show that took me back to the MidSouth Coliseum days. The people behind us were roaring drunk.

“Don’t get me wrong. I love the good stuff,” said the Smoker who’d pointed me to the tap. “But really? Here?”

Craft brews may incite much conversation and beery navel-gazing, but CDB is for people of action. Short bursts of it, at any rate. The Sicilian Smokers had just made a new guy enter the barbecue sauce wrestling contest.

Heaving and groping while covered in molasses and who-knows-what-else is not the time a sane person thinks, “Wow, I need a creamy milk stout.”

Then again, does it really matter if your drink makes you want to throw up after your food has already thrown up on you?

A good friend of mine on the Smoker team placed third in the hog race, which required chugging a beer. This was surprising news, as his widely ac-

33

FILM REVIEW By Chris McCoy

Hurricane Depp Assessing the damage from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

O

n July 22, 2003, a huge derecho tore through the Mid-South.

Hundred mile per hour straight line winds devastated Memphis, leaving seven people dead and more than 300,000 MLGW customers without power. The storm would come to be known as Hurricane Elvis.

The No. 1 movie in the country that July was Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

It was something new for Disney: a film based on a theme park ride. Pirates of the Caribbean was the last Disneyland ride Walt Disney personally oversaw before his death in 1967 — which led to the rumor that his body was cryogenically frozen in a secret chamber underneath the ride. The company had made rides from films before, like the Star Tours ride in Disneyland, which was the first collaboration between Lucasfilm and the House of Mouse, but this movie seemed like a case of the tail wagging the dog.

It turned out to be a huge success, thanks to a bravado performance by Johnny Depp as the pirate Jack Sparrow and fleet-footed direction

from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, native Gore Verbinski.

Verbinski was a music video director (he did the clip for Monster Magnet’s “Negasonic Teenage Warhead”) who had made a killing in commercials (he did the one where the frogs croak “Bud-wise-er”), and the low-stakes world of pirate fantasy was a perfect fit for him. For Depp, it marked the moment where he crossed the line from successful actor to household name.

Now, in 2017, Memphis has once again been torn to pieces by an unexpected summer storm, and a Pirates of the Caribbean movie is once again topping the box office. Coincidence?

Consider this: The two Verbinski-directed sequels, Dead Man’s Chest (2006), and At World’s End (2007) earned a collective $2 billion at the box office without inciting a major Memphis weather incident, but then came 2011’s On Stranger Tides. Verbinski stepped aside to count his money and make the excellent animated film Rango, and director Rob Marshall took

Javier Bardem in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

the helm of the Disney pirate ship. Marshall holds the distinction of making the most expensive film ever produced. Depending on who you believe, On Stranger Tides cost either $378 or $410 million. While it was setting records at the box office, the Mississippi River was topping a 77-year-old record for the highest floodwaters ever recorded at Memphis.

And now, here we are. Pirates once again has new direction: the Norwegian commercial team of Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg. Befitting the third-largest power outage in MLGW history, Dead Men Tell No Tales was budgeted at a relatively modest $230 million. To put that in perspective, that’s also the total gross of the yearlong Guns N’ Roses reunion tour. For $230 million, you could go to the actual Caribbean, build a new international airport in the capital of Dominica, and still have $10 million left over. The total value of tips given to Lyft drivers since the service started in 2012 is $200 million, so the

Seeking: Adults age 18-45, in good health.

Looking for adults in good health between the ages of 18-45 to provide blood to support important research activities.

Confidential interview and screening provided.

Financial compensation provided.

For more information contact:

June 1-7, 2017

1256 Union Avenue, Suite 200 Memphis, TN 38104 901-252-3434

Consignment Music

NEW XXS

PA GEAR JUST ARRIVED!

4040 PARK 901-458-2094

STORE HOURS: MON-SAT 10AM-6PM

BUY SELL TRADE. WE DO IT ALL!

1972 REISSUE 500 WATT FENDER POWERED 2X12 PA STRATOCASTER. CABINET W/ HORN

NATURAL COLOR. $375 W/ CASE

REG. $650

ON SALE $350

COME SEE JOE, EVAN LEAKE OR DYLAN FOR THE BEST DEAL IN TOWN! 34

24 HOUR VENDING MACHINE AT FRONT DOOR

For All Your Emergency Accessory Needs! Strings, Straps, Picks, Batteries & Much Much More!

Professional Guitar Teachers Available 7 Days a Week for the Best Rates in Town!

EVERY TUESDAY PIZZA & PASTA BUFFET Lunch $9.95 Dinner $11.95 Ferraro’s Pizzeria & Pub

111 Jackson Ave. Memphis, TN 38103

FREE DELIVERY

901.522.2033 ferraros-memphis.com

FILM REVIEW By Chris McCoy

Baywatch R Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 PG13

Wonder Woman PG13 (Giant Screen) Andhhagadu (Telugu) NR Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales PG13 Baywatch R

Wonder Woman PG13 Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie PG 3 Idiotas PG13 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales PG13 Baywatch R Alien: Covenant R SPECIAL EVENTS:

NT Live: Obsession

Sun. 6/4 – 1:00pm & Tue. 6/6 – 7:00pm @ Paradiso

TCM: The Godfather 45th Anniversary

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Now playing Multiple locations

Churchill PG Wonder Woman PG13 The Lovers R Norman R

Alien Covenant R Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 PG13 The Fate of the Furious PG13 Gifted PG13

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul PG Everything, Everything PG13 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword PG13 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 PG13 The Fate of the Furious PG13 The Boss Baby PG Beauty and the Beast (2017) PG

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

Wonder Woman PG13 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales PG13

So, the bad news is, every time a new director is hired for a Pirates of the Caribbean film, Memphis gets clobbered with a natural disaster. The good news is, Dead Men Tell No Tales is currently showing in air conditioned movie theaters. While you’re waiting for the power to be restored in the wake of Hurricane Depp, you can nap in comfort for 129 minutes or even longer if you get there before the trailers start. At least then Disney’s $230 million investment will have done some good.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

producers would have enough money left over to fund the $30 million Twitter paid for the Vine video service, which it subsequently shut down. $230 million is a lot of money.

And yet, somehow, it’s not enough to produce an entertaining film.

People thought it was delightful in At World’s End when Depp successfully lobbied for a cameo from Keith Richards, on whom he based his surly, slurring portrayal of pirate captain Jack Sparrow. This time around, they inexplicably got the famously chipper and articulate Paul McCartney for a pirate cameo, and I’m not sure Depp’s drunken pirate act was an act.

The whole affair seems lazy, stupid, and tossed off. At least Verbinski knew how to have fun while wasting Disney’s money.

Sun. 6/4- 2:00pm & Wed. 6/7 – 7:00pm @ Paradiso

Chris Brown: Welcome to My Life

Thur. 6/8 – 7:30pm @ Paradiso, Cordova & Majestic

35

EMPLOYMENT • REAL ESTATE

901-575-9400 classifieds@memphisflyer.com LEGAL NOTICES AUCTION White’s Wrecker will auction the following cars on 6/2/17.

4828 Elmore Rd, Memphis TN 38128.00 Chevy 1GCCS1950Y830719284 Chevy 1GCCC14HXES11073702 Nissan 1N6ED26Y22C35854210 Chevy 2G1FC1EV8A920332613 Nissan 3N1AB6AP5BL68994407 Ford 1FMYU02Z67KB6859398 Chevy 1GNEK13R1XJ378968 05 Nissan 1N4AL11D65C33617009 Infinti JNKCV61E89M30109605 BMW WBAEV33455KW1873702 Chevy 1Y1SK52852Z40959207 Bentley SCBCR73W57C04168307 Infinti JNKBV61EX7M710399 09 Audi WAUDK78T49A01909203 Dodge 1D4HR48N13F509356

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES PAID IN ADVANCE! Make $1000 A Week Mailing Brochures From Home! No Experience Required. Helping home workers since 2001! Genuine Opportunity. Start Immediately! www.IncomeStationl.Net (AAN CAN)

GENERAL ANIMAL LOVERS Bring Your Dog to Work. Carriage Drivers needed downtown. Valid license required. UptownCarriages.com 901-496-2128 TARA THERAPY, An Orchard Park, NY company, is looking for an Occupational Therapist (OT) in the Memphis, TN area. This position requires: - Bachelor’s in Occupational Therapy; and- Must have a state occupational therapy license or immediate eligibility to take the NBCOT. Please send resume to J. Burke at 3690 Southwestern Blvd, PO Box 0428, Orchard Park, NY 14127.

Please refer to job code DJ17 in your cover letter.

HELP WANTED

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

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

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

Transportation to job sites during the work day is company provided.

Body cameras are a part of the work uniform. Uniform shirts provided. Only serious candidates need apply. Those only looking for long term employment need apply.

Cleaning is a physical job but all tools are company provided. Send Resume to cleannpink@msn.com COPELAND SERVICES, L.L.C. Hiring Armed State Licensed Officers/ Unarmed Officers. Three Shifts Available. Same Day Interview.

1661 International Place 901-258-5872 or 901-818-3187 Interview in Professional Attire.

USIC LOCATE TECHNICIAN Daytime, full-time Locate Technician positions available!

•100% PAID TRAINING •Company vehicle

& equipment provided •PLUS medical, dental, vision & life insurance Requirements: Must be able to work outdoors, HS Diploma or GED, Ability to work OT and weekends, Must have valid driver’s license with safe driving record. Apply today: www.usicllc.com EEO/AA

DOWNTOWN APTS 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

MINUTES FROM DOWNTOWN Come visit the brand new Cleaborn Pointe at Heritage Landing. Located just minutes from historic Downtown

Advanced Concert Ticket Sales

HOSPITALITY/ RESTAURANT BELMONT GRILL Now Hiring Cooks. Must be able to work days. Apply in person Mon-Fri, 2-4pm. 4970 Poplar @ Mendenhall.

No phone calls please.

Memphis. 2BR Apts & Townhomes $707; 3BR Apts & Townhomes $813. Community Room, Computer Room, Fitness Room. A smoke free community. 440 South Lauderdale Memphis, TN 38126 | 901-254-7670.

Nationwide Promotion and Production Company is seeking individuals to staff our Memphis, TN office.

Overton Place Communities Overton Place Communities 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.

We Offer: • Monday-Friday 12-9pm • Hourly Pay + Bonus • Benefits include: Dental, Vision & Life • Paid Vacation, Holidays, Sick Days!

• Management Opportunity Looking for Highly Motivated, Career Oriented People With Good Communication Skills!

Cost - $120.00/week

For An Interview Now,

CALL SAM 901-347-3557

1999 MADISON AVE MEMPHIS, TN

COME JOIN OUR TEAM OF SALES ASSOCIATES. ONLY MATURE, SELF MOTIVATED, HARD WORKING EXPERIENCED SALES ASSOCIATES NEED APPLY.

APPLY IN PERSON ONLY MON-THUR 10A TO 6P *RETAIL COMPUTER SKILLS, STRONG PERSONALITY AND WORK ETHIC REQUIRED. *HOURLY PLUS BONUS *WILL WORK A RETAIL SCHEDULE INCLUDING EVENINGS, WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS AS REQUIRED *MUST BE ABLE TO ADAPT QUICKLY TO A FAST PACED, CHANGING ENVIRONMENT SALES EXPERIENCE A MUST AND A PLUS.

Be part of the exciting new Riverfront Concept…

JOIN FEDEX

J u n e 1 - 7, 2 0 1 7

• Now hiring permanent part-time Handlers, day and night, at $12.62 per hour for the Memphis, TN location • Medical coverage starting as low as $5 per month • Tuition assistance • Nationwide training and opportunities

Hiring now for June opening.

All FOH & BOH Positions Available!

Nice people who can think on their feet only.

Be part of a fun, upbeat environment with the best view in the city.

36

Apply in person T - F between 10 AM & 1 PM. 251 Riverside Dr, where Beale meets Riverside.

Applicant Eligibility • Must be at least 18 years old • Must be able to lift 75 pounds • No minimum education requirements • Background check and drug screen required

Apply in Person FedEx Express Memphis World Hub Recruitment Center 2874 Business Park Dr., Building D Memphis, TN 38118

Business Hours 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM - Monday through Friday 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM - Monday and Tuesday evenings 8:30 AM to Noon - Saturday mornings To learn more, go to careers.fedex.com/express

EOE, M/F/D/V

REAL ESTATE • SERVICES SHARED HOUSING

CENTRAL GARDENS 2BR/1BA, hdwd floors, ceiling fans, french doors, all appls incl. W/D, 9ft ceil, crown molding, off str pking. $720/mo. Also 1BR, $650/mo.

833-6483.

OVERTON SQUARE Studio efficiency $395, 1BR $545 or XLG 1BR $650, W/D, remodeled, porch, pet friendly. $25 credit ck fee. 452-3945

ALL AREAS Free Roommate Service @ RentMates. com. Find the perfect roommate to complement your personality and lifestyle at RentMates.com! (AAN CAN) FURNISHED ROOM(S) for Rent $125-$150 weekly-Utilities Included! Fully equipped kitchen, washer & dryer, located in the Frayser community. Minutes away from downtown, bus-line access, food eateries, and convenient shopping.

...I’m a handsome 1 year old male. I love other dogs and people. I have a few dog friends at the shelter that I play with. But I need a real home. I have been waiting patiently for almost a whole month for someone to rescue me. Please come meet me!”

NOEL!

“Hi I’m

Call Ranise at 815-228-0511 or email her at ranise.aliverescue@gmail.com to find out about adopting me.

Ranise Coppens ALIVE Rescue Memphis President aliverescuememphis.org facebook.com/aliverescuememphis

RARE VACANCY Midtown room for rent near medical district. Very safe, private entrance.

Very large. Fully furnished. Wifi. $120/ wk + dep. Utilities included.

901-725-3892.

Call 901-737-5800.

FURNISHED ROOMS Stage Road/Covington Pike, Airways/ Park, North/South Memphis, W/D, Cable TV/Phone. 901-485-0897 MIDTOWN ROOMS FOR RENT Central Heat/Air, utls included, furnished. 901.650.4400

ROOMMATE WANTED Must be a professional individual, clean & neat. Furnished 12x22 room for rent. Everything included.

Background check required. $550/mo.

901.351.2922, Reid.

NICE ROOMS FOR RENT S. Pkwy & Wilson. 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

U OF M AREA APT

MASSAGE

570 S. PRESCOTT #3 East Buntyn Historic District. Lovely Upstairs, 1 BR, Vaulted ceilings, HW flrs, washer, dryer, study, deck. $695.00 month. Jane W. Carroll, Wadlington Realtors, 901-674-1702

TOM PITMAN, LMT Massage The Way You Like It. Swedish/ Deep Tissue - Relaxation, Hot Stones.

Credit Cards. Call 761-7977. tompitmanmassage.com, tom@ tompitmanmassage.com

BUY, SELL, TRADE

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

KILL ROACHES GUARANTEED! Buy Harris Roach Tablets with Lure.

Odorless, Long Lasting. Available: Hardware Stores, The Home Depot, homedepot.com (AAN CAN) PERSONAL COLLECTION Of Memphis In May signs & posters.

Signed, numbered & framed from 1980-2007. Call Bobby 901.484.4800

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1703 Lockett Place

PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Call us first. Living expenses, housing, medical, and continued support afterwards. Choose adoptive family of your choice. Call 24/7. 877-362-2401 (AAN CAN)

UPSTAIRS LUXURY MIDTOWN APT

3707 Macon Rd. • 272-9028 lecorealty.com Visit us online, call, or office for free list.

Houses & Duplexes for Rent ALL AREAS Visit us @ www.lecorealty.com come in, or call Leco Realty, Inc. @ 3707 Macon Rd. 272-9028

Kimbrough Towers A Northland Community

1703 Locket Place is a hidden treasure that offers true midtown charm and architecture. It is located off Madison Ave. across from Belvedere Park and Casablanca Restaurant. It’s also just a short walk to Overton Park or Overton Square.

This two level apartment is 2000+ sq. ft. and has a great view, and includes the full range of amenities: · Secured Parking · 3 Bedrooms · 2 Fireplaces · 2 Full Bathrooms · Large Kitchen w/ Appliances · 2 Large Balconies and Patio · Pine Hardwood Floors

Rent: $1,400 | Contact 901.859.1725 MINI•PORSCHE

German Car Experts

Specializing in VW & Audi Automobiles

Also Servicing

Mini • Porsche Factory Trained Experience Independent Prices

4907 Old Summer Rd.

(Corner of Summer & Mendenhall)

(901) 761-3443 Call today for an appointment!

Transform Treat the condition- Transform your life! your life!

• Historic Central Gardens District • Controlled access building • Garage parking available • Parquet wood flooring • 9 foot ceilings • 24 hour Fitness & Laundry Centers • Private park with picnic & grilling • Central heat and air

Reserve your new home today at the historic Kimbrough Towers

888-446-4954

Monday-Friday 8-5 www.KimbroughTowers.com

48 PILLS + 4 FREE! VIAGRA 100MG/ CIALIS 20mg Free Pills! No hassle, Discreet Shipping.

Save Now. Call Today 1-877-621-7013 (AAN CAN) MAKE THE CALL TO START GETTING CLEAN TODAY. Free 24/7 Helpline for alcohol & drug addiction treatment. Get help! It is time to take your life back!

Call Now: 855-732-4139 (AAN CAN)

M.E SEEKING SINGERS WANTED For recording R&B and Pop demos.

Send tape or demos to Quince Records, P.O. Box 751082, Memphis, TN 38141.

AUTO ‘99 FORD EXPEDITION $1100 OBO. Call T. J. at 901-371-1334

East Buntyn Historic District Lovely Upstairs, 1 BR, Vaulted ceilings, HW flrs, washer dryer, study, deck. $695/month

Jane W. Carroll Wadlington Realtors

901-674-1702

DATING SERVIES LIVELINKS - CHAT LINES Flirt, chat and date! Talk to sexy real singles in your area. Call now!

(877) 609-2935 (AAN CAN)

VW • AUDI

www.WolfsburgAuto.com

Unique Community Features Include

NUTRITION/HEALTH

Are you dependent or addicted to Opiate dependence •painkillers exists in all walks of life.

•opiates •methadone •heroin?

Introduction, maintenance, Private confidential, medical withdrawal in-office treatment. & counseling.

Staffed by a suboxone Introduction, maintenance, certified physician. medical withdrawal & counseling.

SUBOXONE

SUBOXONE ZUBSOLV

Staffed by

BUNAVAIL (901) 276-4895 for more information (901) 761-8100 for more information

The Edison The Edison Premier retailers, chic eateries, fresh markets & live entertainment venues • Townhouse, garden or high-rise units areto trolley justlineminutes away!

• Adjacent • Located near historic Beale Street and AutoZone Park • BeautifulCall park-like setting today!

Classic apartment community featuring 1 & 2-bedroom high-rise units; 1, 2 & 3-bedroom garden units, & 2 and 3-bedroom townhomes.

Conveniently located: Easy access to premier retailers, chic eateries, fresh markets & live entertainment venues that are just minutes away.

• Close to UTHSC

Small •••• 1BR $575-$615 1Petsdiscounts &welcome 2-br high-riseReduced units Student Great views of$635-$685 downtown deposit of •••• 2BR 1, 2 Covered parking& 3-br garden units $100 ••3BR $755-$785 2 and 3-br townhomes

567 Jefferson Ave Phone: (901) 523-8112 567 Jefferson Ave | Memphis, TN 38105-5228 Email: edison@mrgmemphis.com Phone: (901) 523-8112 | Email: edison@mrgmemphis.com

TAXES *2017 Tax Change Benefits*

Personal/Business + Legal Work By a CPA-Attorney Practicing in Midtown & Memphis Since 1989

(901) 272-9471 1726 Madison Ave Bruce Newman newmandecoster.com

Midtown Friendly!

CLASSIFIEDS memphisflyer.com

MIDTOWN APT

901-575-9400 classifieds@memphisflyer.com

37

DATING

901-575-9400 classifieds@memphisflyer.com

Playmates or soul mates, you’ll find them on MegaMates

1 Month

FREE

with promo code:

MEMPHIS

Always FREE to listen and reply to ads!

Your place or mine?

The mobile hookup site for gay and bi men

Memphis:

(901) 612-2969 www.megamates.com 18+

Visit Squirt.org on your mobile to hookup today

Meet sexy friends who really get your vibe...

Try FREE: 901-896-2433 More Local Numbers: 1-800-811-1633

vibeline.com 18+

J u n e 1 - 7, 2 0 1 7

FREE TRIAL

Discreet Chat Guy to Guy

901.896.2438

Safe & Honest. Trusted & Discreet.

Private, Personal Adult Entertainers

REAL PEOPLE, REAL DESIRE, REAL FUN.

901.527.2460 38

A.Aapris/Best Entertainment Agency

Try FREE: 844-725-7467 Ahora español/18+

TH E LAST WO R D by Susan Wilson

Runway FLOTUS

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

Melania didn’t wear a headscarf in Saudi Arabia, but she did wear a mantilla in Rome. She’s not Muslim but is apparently Catholic, so I get it. I also get it’s a great time for my conservative friends to champion her subtle political digs via her wardrobe and my for my liberal friends to remind them that most first wives cover their heads when in Rome. Never having met the Pope in Rome, or anywhere else for that matter, I can’t comment upon my millenary choices or lack thereof.

Here’s the thing: I don’t care that Melania wore an outfit that cost as much as most people make a year. The truth is I didn’t expect her to go to Rome wearing something from the Kohl’s Super Saturday Sale. And if she did, we’d get pissed that she was appropriating normcore. You know who could get away with that? Queen Elizabeth. I could see Betsy roll up to a Commonwealth meet-and-greet with a Marks & Spencer tag poking out of her cardi. I’ve read the woman eats out of Tupperware, so I don’t think it would surprise anyone if she spent her evenings carefully rinsing out her pantyhose and storing them in the fridge so they don’t get runs.

I get I’m supposed be outraged she wore a jacket that, at a little over $51K, retails for just a few thousand less than the median U.S. income. I’m not. People voted for Trump specifically because he gold-plates everything — including his face. He’s a Successful Businessman (or at least that’s what his supporters keep crying), so his wife should be wearing expensive clothing that looks like the satin version of every macaroni artwork your kid ever made for you. In this way, she’s at least authentic in a way she wouldn’t be by showing up in Talbot’s suit separates.

A few years ago, money was super-tight at my house. Like too-small-bike-shorts tight. All I wanted was to be able to go to the grocery without a list. Just go and get whatever struck my fancy. Now, let me note for the grocery-phobic who might be reading, this is different than forgetting a list and coming out half an hour later with a bottle of ketchup, some olive loaf, and peach yogurt because you just panicked. We’ve all been there. No, I wanted to get smoked oysters, if they caught my eye. I wanted to buy the name-brand dental floss. This is my small, middle-class version of success. If I want the Honeycrisp apples, I’m not getting Red Delicious.

The First Lady operates in a different orbit, and her clothes reflect that. We don’t need to pretend that as a Trump she’s ever worried about getting the mealy apples because, Sweet Gussie, what exactly is it that make Honeycrisp apples cost as much as steak? This is a woman who posed for a magazine spread with her child in a gold baby carriage. Do you think she is concerned that her fashion choices may be decried as tone-deaf? She wears a diamond the size of that baby’s fist; she’s not exactly Erma Perma Press.

Michelle might have been the woman we are, but Melania is supposed to be the woman we want to be. Don’t kid yourself.

She’s not going to come into her own or take up causes. That’s not her bag. She’s not like us, okay? Who knows if she has important things to say about cap and trade? Maybe she has a detailed plan to eliminate the deficit in three years or a way to fund Planned Parenthood. We’ll never know. She’s not the issues wife. She’s the $50,000-dress wife. The two things cannot exist on the same plane. Have we not learned that by now? Did you really expect that a lawyer for a First Lady and a Ph.D. for a Second Lady meant we’d banished the Madonna/Whore Complex from the White House? FOOLS! Just read the comments on Breitbart!

On second thought, don’t. Really. Trust me.

Don’t feel sorry for Melania Trump. Quit trying to read political tea leaves from her wardrobe. She’s not sending out secret messages via her fashion choices. She’s not ever going to be the First Lady you can have a glass of wine with. She’s the one you’ll never be cool enough for.

Her decision not to wear a headscarf was not a middle finger aimed at the patriarchy. No, the middle finger was raised with all those wide belts. She’s a middle-aged mom without the middleaged mom waist. Her pointed-toe stilettos, razor-sharp shoulder pads, severe tailoring, and wide belts are all very Alexis Carrington. And I can’t do Alexis Carrington again. I just can’t. I’m hoping our next First Lady has more of a Mrs. Roper vibe.

Susan Wilson also writes for yeahandanotherthing.com and likethedew.com. She and her husband, Chuck, have lived here long enough to know that Midtown does not start at Highland.

THE LAST WORD

POOL NEW | REUTERS.COM

Don’t read too much into Melania’s fashion choices. She’s not like you.

39

MINGLEWOOD HALL

6/3: The Shins w/ Surfer Blood 6/17: V3Fights 6/21: In This Moment w/ Starset, VIMIC, Little Miss Nasty 7/1: Too Short w/ Playa Fly & Gangsta Blac 7/8: Steve Earle & The Dukes w/ The Mastersons 7/19: Jimmy Herring & The Invisible Whip 8/1: Foster The People w/ Alex Cameron

Est. 1942 Just Announced: Tue Sept 26 - ZZ Ward Upcoming Shows: Tue June 6 - Skillet Thu June 8 - Robert Randolph and the Family Band Sat June 10 - Daisyland w/ Morgan Page Sun June 18 - Blackbear Tue June 20 - Russ Sat July 15 - Daisyland w/ Eptic Wed July 19 - Daisyland w/ Zomboy Thu July 20 - George Porter Jr. Mon July 24 - Dj Shadow Sun Aug 6 - HELLYEAH Wed Aug 9 - Jidenna Thu Aug 24 - Flow Tribe NEW DAISY THEATRE | 330 Beale St Memphis 901.525.8981 • Advance Tickets available at NewDaisy.com and Box Office

1884 LOUNGE 5/31: Kevin Ross 6/2: The Hip Abduction

MORE EVENTS AT MINGLEWOODHALL.COM

TUT-UNCOMMON ANTIQUES 421 N. Watkins St. 278-8965 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.

MOTHER’S DAY SALE!

BOOK REPAIR

MURPHY’S

Have an old book or bible that needs repair? Call Art, Friends of the Library at 901.483.0478.

Pool Table • Darts • WI-FI • Digital Jukebox Visit our website for live music listings or check the AfterDark section of this Memphis Flyer KITCHEN OPEN LATE, OPEN FOR LUNCH! 1589 Madison • 726-4193 www.murphysmemphis.com

PROFESSIONAL INTERIORS Painting, Wallpapering, Wallpaper Removal & Drywall Repair. Call 318-499-1779

YOUNGAVENUEDELI.COM 2119 Young Ave • 278-0034 5/31: $3 Pint Night!

6/1: Memphis Trivia League!

6/3: UFC 212: Aldo vs. Holloway 6/10: MovieNight Album Release Show 6/17: The Latest 6/24: Native Blood Kitchen Open Late! Now Delivering All Day! 278-0034 (limited delivery area)

GONER RECORDS New/ Used LPs, 45s & CDs. We Buy Records!

2152 Young Ave 901-722-0095

New Taproom hours:

Mon 4 - 7 p.m.

Thurs & Fri 4 - 10 p.m.

Sat 1 - 10 p.m.

Sun 1 - 7 p.m.

768 S. Cooper 901.207.5343 MENTION AD & GET FREE HI-5 FROM VANESSA

HIGHLAND STRIP 555 S Highland 901 452 4731

CORDOVA 981 N GTown Pkwy 901 654 3678 whatevershops.com

UBER EATS NOW AVAILABLE AT THESE RESTAURANTS SOUTH OF BEALE 361 S Main St 38103 901.526.0388 southofbeale.com

Steam Clean 3 Rooms For $99.

“It’s Thorough, Dries Quickly & Stays Clean Longer - Or It’s Free.” Call 901.282.5306

Memphis’ First Gastropub. Since 2009.

Strong Chef-Driven Food Craft Beer & Cocktails.

June calls for Cosabella !! www.cocoandlolas.com

Finest lace - Coolest place 710 S. Cox|901-425-5912|Mon-Sat 11:30-7:00

I Buy Old Windup Phonographs & Records

Esp. on labels: Gennett, Paramount, Vocalion, QRS, Superior, Supertone, Champion, OKeh, Perfect, Romeo, Sun, Meteor, Flip; many others. Also large quantities of older 45’s. Paul. 901-435-6668

I BUY RECORDS! Call 901.359.3102

June 2 - Chris Milam June 9 - Walrus with THREE $10 cover benefitting LitWorld loflinyard.com • 7 W. Carolina Ave • 249-3046

Join our texting club and get 10% off your next purchase!

Text WHATEVER to 51660 . Message & data rates may apply*

FABULOUS CARPET CARE

Coco & Lola’s MidTown Lingerie

MIDTOWN

2027 Madison Ave 901 590 0048

The Coach House @ Loflin Yard

GROWLERS 1911 Poplar Avenue 38104 901.244.7904 901growlers.com 6/1 EVIL ARMY/ ASS/ SAVAGE REMAINS 6/2 THE QUEERS/ VOICE OF ADDICTION/ THE SUBTEENS/ HEELS/ EL ESCAPADO COMICS - ANGELA GARRONE/ JOSH MCLANE/ JT HABERSAAT/ MO ALEXANDER/ HUNTER SANDLIN/ ROSS TURNER/ KATRINA COLEMAN 6/3 DJ TREE 6/4 NATIVE BLOOD/ FAUX KILLAS/ THE SOLAR FLAIRS/ DATA DRUMS/ THE NO LOVES 6/8 VOLK/ ADMIRAL LONGTOOTH/ LARAMIE 6/14 DECENT CRIMINAL 6/15 FORD THEATRE REUNION 6/18 ESCAPE FROM THE ZOO/ HEELS/ TBA 6/21 THE NO LOVES

MUSIC DISTRIBUTION metrix7digital.net or DLN XM.7 Digital

Join Our A+ Team!

NOW HIRING

Get paid to drive, Engage customers, Get exercise, Learn technologies, and Serve your community!

3457 Summer Avenue Memphis, TN 38122 EVERYTHING ON SALE! Open Tues-Sat | 901-452-5620

MONDAY-FRIDAY FROM 4:00-6:00PM

1/2 OFF EVERYTHING HAPPY HOUR

940 South Cooper Str. 38104 901.726.4444 / alchemymemphis.com

METRIX 7 DIGITAL

CHIP N’ DALE’S ANTIQUES

OPENS DAILY AT 4:00 FOR DINNER & 10:30 SUNDAY FOR BRUNCH

WITH SPECIALS STARTING AT 10:00PM

FRI SAT & SUN 1-7 • $4.50 per lb.

Corner of Madison & Morrison “COME GET YOU SOME!”

APPLY ONLINE at www.parkAplus.com

THE BEST IN CRAFT CUISINE & COCKTAILS

MONDAY NIGHT IS INDUSTRY NIGHT

CAPTAIN DAN’S STEAMIN’ HOT LOUISIANA CRAWFISH FOR SALE

MORGAN AC & HEATING create veggie-centric bowls that fuel your fast-paced life ZAKA BOWL 575 Erin Drive 38117 901.509.3105 zakabowl.com

Floor Furnace, Wall & Central Heat.

Call 901-774-COOL

SPORTS TALK RADIO

Advertising/Sponsorship Sales Excellent part-time income. Earn up to $1,800 1st month. Great Opportunity. Call 901-527-2460