Month: April 2004

Categories
Opinion Viewpoint

See Ya!

There are two words that fill me with a kind of annoyed dread: “Welcome, COGIC.”

What can I say? Some Louisianians like to leave New Orleans during Mardi Gras; I wouldn’t mind missing Memphis during COGIC’s annual Holy Convocation.

As someone who works and used to live downtown, I’ve had my share of encounters with COGIC (and more than my share of encounters with their cars).

There was the time the COGIC courtesy van almost sideswiped me as it flew down Second. Then there was the time I got stuck in a COGIC-sponsored traffic jam, as cars packed with people made right turns (from a left lane) into a parking garage. And lest you think me godless, there was the Sunday when I went to my church near the convention center, only to be turned away from our parking lot because it was already full of COGIC vehicles.

So when I see “Welcome, COGIC” store signs, my first thought is: Here we go again. Judging from stories I’ve heard about long lines, bad tips, and cranky behavior, I can assume I’m not the only one feeling this way.

Two weeks ago, Bishop G.E. Patterson said the church would move to another city for its 2005 convention (but be back in 2007 for the 100th anniversary) unless local hotels lowered rates. Without a moment’s thought, local (cheer)leaders pulled out their pompoms and began waving them to the beat of “this convention is sooo important for Memphis.”

My reaction: See ya.

The convention center charges COGIC $16,000 for the week, while other groups pay more than twice that amount. The Convention & Visitors Bureau also subsidizes transportation from the airport. What more do they want us to do? Give them our firstborns?

COGIC has a big bargaining chip in the hotel and discretionary dollars its 50,000 attendees spend. But it doesn’t seem like they’ll ever be really happy here.

Just last April, the City Council appropriated $300,000 for risers at the Cook Convention Center’s main hall. Why? Because of COGIC.

In November 2002, Patterson threatened to take the Holy Convocation elsewhere because of a riser problem. You see, the service on Sunday is held in The Pyramid, but since that building only seats 20,000, the rest of the attendees go to various locations for the service, including the convention center’s main hall.

Well, the original risers in the convention center hall were built in 1974, and, after 20 years, they weren’t looking so good. In 1999, the convention center management decided — because of safety concerns — to discontinue use of the risers. There’s no word on how other groups liked the change, but it didn’t work for COGIC. People complained about the sight lines and the acoustics.

Or, as former council member Pat Vander Schaaf said at a meeting in April 2003, “Because of the risers, the last two conventions were just really hostile situations.”

No wonder the world has such a problem with holy wars.

At any rate, as then-budget committee chairman, Vander Schaaf went poking around and found $300,000 in an old Pyramid account and got the council to appropriate it for the convention center.

It probably isn’t my place to question, but they were going to move the entire convocation to another city because of some sight lines? Please.

So here’s my advice: COGIC, please, give us a break. Try another city. I can’t see anywhere treating you half as well as your hometown.

And whatever happens, no hard feelings in 2007.

Mary Cashiola is a Flyer staff writer.

Categories
Music Music Features

Altered States

Australian Phil Jones has been working Eastern philosophy into his music for years. He spent seven years training under a Hindu master in Europe, and in the 1960s, he put together a band that merged Indian mantras with a Western rock format. But until he learned to play the didgeridoo, it took him nearly two hours to reach a deep meditative state. Now, it only takes him 90 seconds.

Jones will teach students at Midtown Yoga to play the ancient instrument on Thursday, April 29th, in a workshop titled “Discovering the Sacredness of Breath and Sound.” He’ll repeat the meditation workshop at the Unity Church of Memphis on Sunday, May 2nd.

Didgeridoos are carved from the branches of Australian eucalyptus trees by the country’s aboriginal people. Traditionally, aborigines would go on a three- to four-week stint in the woods, known as “going bush,” tapping limbs to find ones that have been hollowed out by white ants.

“When they find an appropriate branch, they’ll cut it down and take it back to the village where the wood is treated and cleaned,” Jones explains. “They place beeswax at one end to make it soft against the mouth, and then they paint artwork on it. The whole process can take three or four months.”

The didgeridoo produces a low, continuous, single note that mimics the “om” mantra. The deep sound induces meditation more quickly than traditional mantras.

“You don’t have to be a graduate of Julliard to play this thing,” says Jones. “It’s only one note. You put it to your mouth and you blow into it.”

But Midtown Yoga owner Sarla Nickels says playing the didgeridoo is not quite that simple. “The last time I tried to play one, I blew into it and absolutely nothing happened.”

Like yoga, playing the didgeridoo requires a certain type of patterned breathwork. The sound of the didgeridoo should be a hum uninterrupted by the player breathing in air. By learning circular breathing — breathing out through the mouth and in through the nose — a didgeridoo musician can keep the drone steadily moving out of the instrument.

The circular breathing technique sounds complicated because Western minds focus too much on how the chest, diaphragm, and neck are moving, Jones explains.

“My teacher told me to stop thinking and just blow. When you disconnect from your mind, it really begins to play,” says Jones. “When you’re trying to think it through and force it, there’s going to be a resistance from the instrument.”

Jones says circular breathing may help lower blood pressure and enhance the body’s ability to cleanse the blood. (Although he will have didgeridoos for sale at the workshop, students will be taught to use the technique with a balloon.) He says it’s also an excellent way to prepare for meditation.

“As you relax the breathing, the mind begins to relax,” he says. “It suddenly gives you the intense ability to concentrate and eliminate all that monkey chatter in the mind.”

Jones first discovered the didgeridoo about 15 years ago on a visit home to Australia. He and his wife were living in New Mexico at the time, and they had planned a six-week trip. However, the six weeks turned into six years once Jones discovered the instrument. He sought out an aboriginal teacher, who told him to take the didge home and “blow spirit into it.”

No stranger to music, Jones claims to be one of the forefathers of Australian blues. At age 16, he had a hit blues record at a time when the genre was virtually unheard of in the country. He later traveled to England and formed the band Quintessence, which fused rock, jazz, and Eastern modalities. They opened for Pink Floyd, the Who, and Ozzy Osborne in England but never played a show in the U.S.

Besides teaching the didgeridoo, Jones is currently playing raga-rock, a blend of Indian and American musical styles, with his band Shiva Shakti. The band includes several ex-members of Quintessence and records songs meant to transport listeners “from the depths of inner spirit to the outer reaches of blissful consciousness.”

“Discovering the Sacredness of Breath and Sound” will be taught at Midtown Yoga (524 S. Cooper, 270-5373) on Thursday, April 29th, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. On May 2nd, Jones will teach the workshop at the Unity Church of Memphis (2570 Kirby Rd., 754-4241) from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Categories
News The Fly-By

Taking Matters into Her Own Hands

In an inconspicuous Circuit Court case LAST Friday, plaintiff Linda Taylor did her best to prove the age-old saying that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

Taylor, representing herself in Judge Karen Williams’ courtroom, received a final extension in her civil suit against her former attorney, Kevin Snider. The case stemmed from Snider’s representation of Taylor in a Chancery Court suit against Shelby County. That suit was filed against the county for violation of Taylor’s civil rights, which led to the termination of her job in 1995.

At that time, Taylor had been a speech pathologist for four years with the county-run Head Start child development program. When the Head Start director introduced a new fingerprinting requirement for background checks for employees, Taylor objected on religious grounds. She contended that the policy was instituted without a state law or child-care licensing regulation requiring fingerprinting and provided other documents proving her clear background, including a “No Wants” arrest record from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. Administrators disagreed with Taylor, and she was subsequently fired.

“After I lost my job I was completely affected,” Taylor said. “Many people have asked me why I don’t just give up and get another job with my credentials, but I can’t let it go.” She estimated that she has lost $262,000 in salary as a result of her 1995 termination.

“I understood where she was coming from, because my father is a minister and I understand her religious background,” said Snider. “It’s a legitimate issue. Unfortunately, the [Chancery Court] judge didn’t agree. If we had been able to have our day in court, at least we would have been in the ballgame.” That case was dismissed in 2001.

Taylor felt that she had been misrepresented by Snider and then sued him for more than $600,000.

“He didn’t do his job,” she said. “I’ve been told by other attorneys that had he had my best interests in mind I could have won my case. At that time, I had only paid him a $500 retainer fee, and I guess he thought he had done $500 worth of work.” Her complaint states that Snider “made four sentences; he then just sat down and just sat there in silence” during the Chancery Court proceedings. She also accuses Snider of presenting no case law or supporting affidavits.

After battling almost two years in court with no lawyer, Williams gave Taylor 30 days to secure legal representation and file the necessary paperwork in the case. She is trying to raise $3,000 to retain a new lawyer.

“I have no ill will at all toward her, but I disagree with why she’s upset,” said Snider. “It’s kind of like, ‘Don’t shoot the messenger.’ Would I represent her again? I don’t know. After someone sues you for a half million dollars, it’s hard to say yes, but then again, you can never say never.”

E-mail: jdavis@memphisflyer.com

Categories
News The Fly-By

Bluff Talk

If you blinked, you would have missed it.

In a move that didn’t take as long as getting all the interested parties inside the City Council chambers, the Public Works and Transportation Committee decided Tuesday to hold a public hearing May 18th on the Memphis Promenade Land Use Plan.

With staff from the Riverfront Development Corporation (RDC), the group that commissioned the plan, and members of Friends for Our Riverfront (FfOR), a grassroots organization that sprung up in protest of the plan, filling the room, committee chairperson Janet Hooks made it clear that no one would be able to speak on the issue in the meeting.

FfOR president Virginia McLean said the group was told they would not be able to speak but they came prepared to anyway, just in case. The group made something of a nonverbal statement, however, with lime-green ribbons on their shirts to show exactly what side they were on.

“I thought the 18th would be a public forum on just this issue, and it sounds like it will be just one issue on the agenda,” McLean said after the meeting. “That bothered me a bit.”

Other members worry that a hearing during a regularly scheduled council meeting will mean they won’t get enough time to say everything they think needs to be said.

“That could mean anyone who has a comment could be limited to 60 seconds. Our group of 200-plus could be limited to 60 seconds or, more than likely, five minutes to plead our case,” said FfOR vice president John Gary.

The RDC’s plan includes a two-tiered public promenade along with private development of “active” uses, such as restaurants and shops. Funds from commercial and residential development will go to pay for the entire $292 million plan. FfOR’s plan — estimated by them to cost $7 million — would tear down many of the existing structures along the promenade and remake it as a public park.

“I think we need to have equal access to the City Council and we haven’t had that,” said McLean. “They haven’t had the opportunity to hear us. There’s a real need to look at this thing, to really study what’s going on instead of just looking at pretty pictures and PR.”

E-mail: cashiola@memphisflyer.com

Categories
Cover Feature News

The Music Issue

Family Affair

The Reigning Sound repeats in the annual Memphis Flyer Local Music Poll, but Makeshift makes its move.

In the summer of 2000, just a couple of weeks after joining the Flyer staff, a package appeared on my desk from an entity called “Makeshift.” Inside was a clearly handcrafted artifact called The First Broadcast, a compilation CD of local artists, most of whom were unknown to me. The disc was accompanied by a one-page explanation that Charles Foster Kane might call a “declaration of principles.”

“We would like to put Memphis on the map for having good music,” it read, and it didn’t seem arrogant or presumptuous. It did seem naive and ill-informed. At first. After all, how can you put Memphis on the map when Memphis is where the map begins? But the more I thought about it –and the more I listened and the more I talked to the barely adult schemers who formed Makeshift –the more it seemed like a healthy, even realistic attitude. These weren’t people clinging to a fading legacy. To paraphrase Bob Dylan, they were too busy being born to be busy dying.

At the time, I dubbed what Makeshift was doing “termite art,” after the category invented by film critic Manny Farber, because the forces behind Makeshift were going about their work with such interest and intent that they didn’t have time for self-consciousness.

So, as a music-scene watcher who found the group’s art-for-art’s-sake ethos and personal and professional modesty refreshing, and been glad to see that attitude remain intact as the scene has blossomed, I’m pleased as punch to put the Makeshift collective on the cover of this, the Fourth Annual Memphis Flyer Local Music Poll.

They deserve to be there: All four of the primary Makeshift artists — Snowglobe, the Glass, the Coach and Four, and Blair Combest –made the Top 10 of our local music survey for the first time ever. Two other Makeshift-connected bands — the Lights and the Color Cast –finished in the top 20 in their first poll appearances. And several voters, in selecting these bands, made a case for the Makeshift scene in its entirety.

If you’re new to this annual experiment, here’s how it works: Every spring we send out ballots to roughly 100 Memphians with a vocational (and, we hope, avocational) interest in the local music scene –writers, photographers, radio programmers, record-store owners and employees, club bookers, label owners, and other “industry” types. We ask them to name the five most “vital” artists in Memphis music today, purposefully leaving the criteria vague to allow each voter to judge vitality (not to mention “local”) in whatever manner they see fit. We also ask them to vote for their favorite local album of the past year and, this year, what one new or relatively unknown local act has the most potential to break out in the coming year (“Picked to Click”). We also give voters the opportunity to comment on their picks, because we have our say all year long and want to turn as much of the content over to the voters as possible.

This year, 40 music-scene onlookers chose to participate, down from last year’s high of 56 but on a par with the first two years of the poll. They voted for a total of 84 local artists and 25 albums. The top of the poll was unchanged from last year: The Reigning Sound, who won last year in a landslide, squeaked out a tight victory over last year’s runner-up, Lucero, who actually received the most votes and also won a closely contested “best album” race. The beloved North Mississippi Allstars finished third for the second straight year. The lesson here is that hard work and, right, oodles of talent pay off: What all three bands have in common is that they’ve made waves outside the city while still feeling like “local” bands.

But the good news for fans of change is that the top three bands are the only repeats from last year’s Top 10. Two others –Three 6 Mafia and the Lost Sounds — are past finishers who dropped out last year and made a comeback. But a full five of our finishers are making their Top 10 debut: The four Makeshift acts mentioned above and Free Sol, making their first poll appearance.

Over the next several pages, you can read about all this good stuff. Andrew Earles checks in with an in-depth profile of the Makeshift scene and the four individuals or bands that lead the way. Andria Lisle and I profile the other six bands in the Top 10. And we offer a sneak-peek at some of the most popular voter-getters in our “Picked to Click” category. Perhaps best of all, spread throughout the package, are voter comments on all these bands and the many more who didn’t crack the Top 10. And then there’s the cover itself: My hands-down favorite music-issue cover ever. In the Makeshift story, co-founder Brad Postlethwaite says he doesn’t want to always be the one in the front of the photos, which is exactly the attitude that makes him and the entire Makeshift collective such a wonderful part of the local music scene. But if you look at the cover, you’ll see we put Postlethwaite exactly where he deserves to be. —Chris Herrington

Best Local Album

of the Past Year

Album Votes

That Much Further West –Lucero (Tiger Style) 4

The Royal Sessions — The Bo-Keys (Yellow Dog) 3

Wild Emotions — The Preacher’s Kids (Get Hip) 3

Makeshift #3 –Various Artists (Makeshift Music) 3

Others receiving votes: 3rd & Beale — Barbara Blue (Big Blue Records); Too Much Love — Harlan T. Bobo (self-released); Unlimited Symmetry — The Coach and Four (Makeshift Music); The Color Cast — The Color Cast (self-released); Prettier Than Ugly –Blair Combest (Makeshift Music); Express Rising –Express Rising (Memphix); Disco Eraser –Final Solutions (Misprint); Back to the Bottom — The Gamble Brothers Band (Archer Records); I Can’t Stop — Al Green (Blue Note); Wrecked –Halfacre Gunroom (unreleased); Path Undefined — Candice Ivory (self-released); Official Bootleg #1 — Richard Johnston (self-released); Big Lonesome Radio — Mark Lemhouse (Yellow Dog Records); Polaris — North Mississippi Allstars (ATO/Tone Cool); Mix Tape: The Appeal –Project Pat (Hypnotize Minds); Haphazard — Skinny White Chick (Young Ave. Records); So That’s What the Kids Are Calling It? –The Subteens (Young Ave. Records); Da Unbreakables — Three 6 Mafia (Hypnotize Minds/Columbia); The Band With No Name –The Uninvited (self-released); In the Mood for Memphis –Various Artists (Inside Sounds); Jim Dickinson Field Recordings: Delta Experimental Projects Vol. 3 –Various Artists (Birdman). n

The 2004 Memphis Flyer

Local Music Poll

Voters were asked to name the five most vital artists or bands in Memphis music today. Forty voters participated, with points awarded as follows: five points for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote, three points for a third-place vote, two points for a fourth-place vote, and one point for a fifth-place vote.

Artist/Band Points Ballots

1. The Reigning Sound 64 17

2. Lucero 63 19

3. The North Mississippi Allstars 38 12

4. The Glass 27 8

5. Snowglobe 26 9

6. The Coach and Four 22 9

7. The Lost Sounds 22 7

8. Free Sol 18 6

9. Blair Combest 16 5

10. Three 6 Mafia 15 3

11. The Subteens 13 5

12. (tie) Saliva 13 4

12. (tie) Yo Gotti 13 4

14. The Bo-Keys 12 3

15. (tie) Jim Dickinson 10 3

15. (tie) The Lights 10 3

17. The Gamble Brothers Band 9 4

18. (tie) Candice Ivory 9 3

18. (tie) The Porch Ghouls 9 3

20. (tie) Automusik 9 2

20. (tie) Billy Gibson 9 2

20. (tie) The Color Cast 9 2

Others receiving votes: Robert Belfour, Big Star, The Bloodthirsty Lovers, Barbara Blue, Harlan T. Bobo, John Farrell Bonds, Cory Branan, Carmen, Joyce Cobb, Holly Cole, The Cool Jerks, Dearest Darlin’s, Delta Jax, DJ Boogaloo, Eightball & MJG, David Evans, Jeffrey Evans, The Fieldstones, The Final Solutions, FreeWorld, James Govan, Al Green, Andy Grooms, Gusto, Halfacre Gunroom, Teenie Hodges, Ingram Hill, Gary Johns, Richard Johnston, Rob Jungklas, Tyler Keith & the Preacher’s Kids, The Klopeks, Mark Lemhouse, Eric Lewis & Andy Ratliff, Lil’ Whyte, Johnny Lowebowe, Memphix, Willie Mitchell, Mr. Airplane Man, Mrs. Fletcher, Blind Mississippi Morris, Nervous Patterns, Larry Nix, Nu Jynsis, The Oscars, Kevin Paige, The Pirates, Tim Prudhomme, Christopher Reyes, Ross Rice, River City Tanlines, Valencia Robinson, Steve Selvidge, Preston Shannon, Six-Pack-a-Delia, The Tennessee Boltsmokers, The Tim Terry Experience, S.J. Tucker, Vending Machine, Viva L’American Deathray Music, Voodoo Village.

Staff Ballots

Chris Herrington:

1. The Reigning Sound

2. Lucero

3. The Lost Sounds

4. Snowglobe

5. The Coach and Four

Album:

Makeshift #3 –Various Artists (Makeshift Music)

Picked to Click: Tunnel Clones

Chris Davis:

1. The Reigning Sound

2. Snowglobe

3. The Lost Sounds

4. Lucero

5. The North Mississippi Allstars

Album:

Wild Emotions — The Preacher’s Kids (Get Hip)

Picked to Click: Halfacre Gunroom

Andria Lisle:

1. The Reigning Sound

2. The Lost Sounds

3. Johnny Lowebowe

4. Robert Belfour

5. Monsieur Jeffrey Evans

Album:

The Royal Sessions –The Bo-Keys (Yellow Dog)

Picked to Click: Chopper Girl

Thanks to all voters:

Tish Alexander

Tha Movement

Nancy Apple

WEVL-FM 89.9

Michael Boyer

KXHT-FM 107.1

Dennis Brooks

independent promoter

Betsie Brown

Blues Foundation

Matt Cole

Last Chance Records

Gary Crump

Snax Memphis

Kevin Cubbins

Easley Recording

Eddie Dattel

Inside Sounds

Chris Davis

The Memphis Flyer

Jimmy Davis

NARAS

Amanda Dugger

The Memphis Flyer

Andrew Earles

freelance writer

Julie Etheridge

Select-o-Hits

Michael Glenn

The New Daisy Theatre

Dave Green

The Hi-Tone Cafe

Eddie Hankins

WEVL-FM 89.9

Mark Jordan

freelance writer

Wayne Leeloy

Memphis &

Shelby County

Music Commission

Andria Lisle

The Memphis Flyer

Lisa Lumb

freelance writer

Cameron Mann

Young Avenue Sound

Don Mann

Young Avenue Sound

James Manning

The New Daisy Theatre

Pam McGaha

Stranjbrew Hoodoo

Mark McKinney

MADJACK Records

Jared McStay

Shangri-La Records

Bianca Phillips

The Memphis Flyer

Brad Postlethwaite

Makeshift Music

Lyndsi Potts

freelance photographer

Scott Rogers

Murphy’s

Mike Smith

Snax Memphis

Brian Venable

Last Chance Records

Chris Walker

independent booker

Steve Walker

Cat’s Midtown

Sherman Willmott

Shangri-La Records

Janet Wilson

WEVL-FM 89.9

JC Youngblood

Snax Memphis

 

The Makeshift Music Family:

1. Brad Postlethwaite

2. Nashon Benson

3. Luke White

4. JD Lovelace

5. Brad Stanfill

6. Sasha Barr

7. Daniel Ferris

8. Tony Dixon

9. Brad Bailey

10. Justin Minus

11. Tommy Pappas

12. Kevin Cubbins

13. Brandon Robertson

14. Jeff Hulett

15. John Argroves

16. Rebecca Weatherford

17. Tim Regan

18. Blair Combest

19. Paul Taylor

20. Clint Wagner

21. Andy Grooms

Categories
News News Feature

BARNSTORMING (VISUAL EDITION)

THE MILITARY MEDALS OF GEORGE W. BUSH

The Coke Spoon of Honor

The Bronze Beer Can


The Silver Star Shot Glass

Categories
News The Fly-By

GRANNY, NO!

Leafing through a recent edition of Baby Boomer News, a local publication that doesn’t actually seem geared to baby boomers and which seldom contains any actual news, the Fly discovered an advertisement for a product called Noni Juice. This elixir promises those who imbibe a “great night’s sleep.” Noni Juice can (according to the advertisement) be used for pain, high blood pressure, diabetes, sugar cravings, and depression. The downside: Noni is Italisn for “grandmother,” and the whole idea of drinking “granny juice” is — well — just a little gross.

Plante: How It Looks

Categories
Politics Politics Beat Blog

POLITICS: Passing Off

PASSING OFF

In the space of a week, sentiment on the Shelby County Commission shifted away from what had seemed to be a bare consensus in favor of a $17.8 million payoff to Clark Construction Group for Convention Center cost overruns.

By the time the commission got around to voting on the much-deferred matter at its meeting Monday, at least four votes had turned around — one or two of them in the course of a spirited debate on the matter — and Clark had suffered a stinging rebuff. The final tally was three Ayes, two passes, and eight fairly resounding Nos.

What happened?

One reason, clearly, was an increased media focus — including the Flyer‘s cover story last week and attention given the matter in The Commercial Appeal and on television news reports. Another, related factor was the dawning realization by commissioners that they were being asked to take the first hits on a public controversy that, at least arguably, had more to do with another jurisdiction — that of city government.

Four of the No-voters on Monday — Republicans Tom Moss, Joyce Avery, and Linda Rendtorff; and Democrat Joe Ford — had done complete turnarounds since last week. The most striking reversal was that of Rendtorff, who began a statement Monday in support of the position of Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton and Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton that the proposed settlement was in order.

But even as she professed to accept the mayors’ reasoning — including Wharton’s stated concerns about litigation costs and risk to the county’s bond rating from a lingering “contingent liability” — Rendtorff pointed out that, technically, the contract was between Clark on one hand and the city and the Convention Center board on the other.

She also obliquely noted that the prime mover in the effort to settle with Clark was Herenton, who has pointedly declined so far either to make public his reasons for supporting the settlement or to submit the issue to the city council — although it was Clark attorney Karl Schledwitz‘s impression that Herenton has already signed a memorandum of understanding with the company. Again this week, as he has previously, Herenton declined to be interviewed on the subject.

Rendtorff, commenting on a proposal from Julian Bolton that a limited set-aside be established for an ultimate agreement (“Let’s give Mayor Herenton something to work with,” he said) then floated a novel solution — that the city, in accordance with its contrtacting priority, should fund 70 percent of any settlement, leaving the county responsible for only the remaining 30 percent..

Moss, who made two unsuccessful attempts to get the issue deferred until the Commission’s meeting of May17th, agreed with Rendtorff that “we [county government] shouldn’t keep sticking our neck out on these things” and that the city should bear more of the burden for the Convention Center affair, both financially and P.R.-wise.

More than most, Moss felt the underlying tug-of-war. As a homebuilder himself, he is tuned in to the concerns of the development community, including the subcontractors who have been squeezed by the refusal of Clark to pay them until a settlement is reached, and he remains convinced that some sort of settlement is in order. (One prominent sub-contractor, Willie Nelson, was an attendee Monday and kept up a sotto voce running commentary about the proceedings. When Michael Less, head of the county’s private legal team, estimated total litigation and discovery costs would be no more than $3 million, “and that’s generous,” Nelson commented , sardonically and audibly, “That’s generous, all right!”)

But Moss is also a representative of District 4, an outlying suburban area whose generally conservative constituents are loath to spend out of the public treasury unless they get something tangible for it — like the new Arlington school, subject of intense controversy on the commission all last year.

Avery, another District 4 commissioner, had clearly heard from her constituents during the week leading up to Monday’s meeting. She also was made privy to findings of the Pearson Management Group, an advisory company hired by the city, which, as her colleague Bruce Thompson noted Monday, had advised against further payments to Clark. “I just have too many concerns, and I’ve learned too much that I wasn’t aware of,” she said after the meeting.

The commission’s apparent consensus in favor of litigation owed much to the unanimity, crossing political boundaries, among the body’s lawyers — Walter Bailey, David Lillard, and Bolton — that a settlement at this point, sans depositions and further legal discovery, was premature. And telling, too, was the appearance before the commission of Lance Fair, who reminded commissioners of the determined opposition to the agreement by his late father, former Commissioner and Convention Center board chairman Morris Fair.

But the real determinant Monday was clearly a sense that the city — and Mayor Herenton, in particular — should go first. And go public.

Categories
Sports Sports Feature

PARTY OVER

A wary Lorenzen Wright sizes up the formidable Tim Duncan.
Photo by Larry Kuzniewski

When 19,351 hoopheads showed up for a Pyramid party Sunday night, the aim was humble: prolong the inevitable. With their beloved Memphis Grizzlies battling the talent-laden (and world champion) San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of their best-of-seven first-round series, local fans were simply hoping for a little more of the best professional basketball team ever seen around these parts.

Had Mike Miller’s desperation buzzer-beater in Game 3 been, oh, two inches shorter, Game 4 would have included an element of pressure on the modern-day Goliath we know as Tim Duncan. The lone certifiable superstar in this matchup, San Antonio’s Duncan had the luxury Sunday of knowing he was merely one win (in four chances) from the second round.

The game went according to the home crowd’s script for, oh, three minutes. When Grizzly forward James Posey slammed home a breakaway dunk for a 10-4 lead, the arena volume raised legitimate concerns about paint peeling from the collection of Renaissance art housed elsewhere in the building as part of the latest Wonders exhibition. (The only time I’ve heard the Pointy Building louder was a night when Paul Stanley of KISS was behind a microphone.) The five Elvis dunking acrobats were shaking, Growl Towels were mussing hairdos from court side to the cheap seats, and there was plenty of leg room . . . as every fan was standing. And later in the first quarter, when the p.a. announcer described a “foul on number 21, Tim Duncan,” all appeared possible.

But wait. A referee marched to the press table upon the previous announcement, which was amended: “Foul on number 12, Bruce Bowen.” Such was the night for the home team.

As blow-the-lid vibrant as the atmosphere was in this finale to professional basketball in The Pyramid — the bunting! the homemade signs from local high schools! — it’s sad to reflect on the most unified, intense crowd chant of the evening: “We want new refs!” This came midway through the third quarter, the Spurs having enjoyed a double-digit lead for most of the game as the mighty Duncan, alas, avoided foul trouble. San Antonio would end up shooting 34 free throws to the Grizzlies’ 23, but foul shooting was merely a footnote to this mismatch. This was a night for the birthday boy (Duncan turned 28) to shine . . . so to speak.

Certainly the most off-base jab from the crowd came as Duncan walked to his bench after mildly protesting a foul call in the second quarter. “Someone bring Duncan a pacifier! Go play in your playpen, Tim!” No, Tim Duncan is the Man’s Man of today’s NBA. Just named to his seventh consecutive All-NBA team, Duncan was at his best Sunday night. Playing like the quiet, efficient machine he’s become, he scored 26 points by dropping 10 of 18 shots from the field and all six free throws he attempted. And he did so in a manner about as spectacular as the colors his Spurs wear: short jumpers, second-chance dunks, off-the-glass setshots. No fist-pumping, no finger pointing, no smiles.

With David Robinson enjoying his gold-watch years, point guard Tony Parker has seized the role of Redford to Duncan’s Newman. The third-year playmaker from France led all scorers with 29 (he was four of five from three-point land) and added 13 assists, many of them deliveries to the two-time MVP patiently waiting for the ball on the low blocks.

Considering their win total (50) and their popular-as-the-King-himself leader (Coach of the Year Hubie Brown), the NBA fates were cruel in leaving Memphis up against the defending champs for their first foray into the postseason. The Griz played a solid 48 minutes by normal standards (48 percent from the field, 20 points from Posey, 22 from Pau Gasol). But against the hottest team in the game — the Spurs have now won 15 straight — it was mere distraction.

“Say it! See it! Believe it!” So said the mantra for this first two-game introduction to postseason basketball in Memphis. Fans left The Pyramid after Game 4 with those six words emphatically describing the chances of a San Antonio Spurs championship repeat.

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Sports Sports Feature

GRIZ SUCCUMB TO SPURS, LOOK TO NEXT YEAR

J-Will goes against Parker.
Photo by Larry Kuzniewski

As it had been all series, it was too much Tony Parker and Robert Horry for the Memphis Grizzlies to overcome Sunday night in the final NBA game at the Pyramid, as the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs swept the Grizzlies 4-0 to end the franchise’s unlikely postseason debut. Parker, the fleet 21-year-old point guard whom the Spurs considered parting ways with over the offseason in order to pursue free agent Jason Kidd, and Horry, the postseason legend whom the Los Angeles Lakers declined to bring back after a shooting slump last season, both had huge series against the Grizzlies. Reigning MVP Tim Duncan had a MVP-caliber game with 26 points on 10-18 shooting, but it wasn’t Duncan that buried the Grizzlies.

On Sunday night, Parker sliced-and-diced the Grizzlies’ halfcourt defense to the tune of 29 points and 13 assists, while Horry came off the bench to score 14 points and grab six rebounds. But it was more how they did it that demoralized both the Grizzlies and a sellout crowd hoping to extend the series back to San Antonio. The duo combined to convert eight of 10 three-point shots, leading the Spurs to 65-percent shooting from behind the arc. In the 4th quarter, after the Grizzlies had cut a 17-point deficit to 9 and brought a quiet crowd back to its feet, it was Parker and Horry who shut the door.

With 10 minutes left in the game and Parker on the bench, Pau Gasol scored over Horry on the block to cut the Spurs lead to 9. Parker re-entered the game after a Spurs timeout and immediately hit a three to bring the lead back to 12. A couple of minutes later, when a Mike Miller three-pointer cut the spread back to 9, Parker was fouled on a fastbreak, hitting both foul shots to push the lead to 11. Then Horry found small forward Bruce Bowen for an open jumper and Parker found Horry for a three that he hit with Gasol in his face and it was suddenly a 16-point game with five minutes to play and fans hitting the exits.

After the game, coach Hubie Brown was insistent on praising his team for the surprising 50-win season they’d delivered, refusing to let the playoff sweep take the shine off what had been a fabulous season. Instead, he gave credit to a Spurs team that may well be better than the version that won the title last season.

For the Grizzlies, there is now an intriguing offseason to look forward to: Gasol — who proved in his first-ever playoff series that he can score on anyone (22 points on 10-15 shooting last night, and over 50-percent shooting on the series) but that he also desperately has to improve on “little things” like boxing out and defending the pick-and-roll — and Shane Battier, who played well in limited minutes after getting into early foul trouble, will be eligible to negotiate contract extensions. Stromile Swift, who was ineffective for much of the series, and Jake Tsakalidis, who rarely saw the floor, will be restricted free agents. Bonzi Wells, who was productive for most of the series but was a non-factor last night, has an option for next season the team must make a decision on. There’s the expansion draft for the incoming Charlotte Bobcats, and the Grizzlies must decide whom to protect and whom to expose. And there will surely be trade discussions, where, one assumes, anyone on this team will be fair game.

They say the playoffs are an entirely new season in the NBA, and Grizzlies fans finally got to find out why. But the offseason is a pretty interesting “season” too, and this one will be crucial if the Grizzlies want to follow up their first ever playoff appearance with another next year.