Month: December 2008

Categories
Opinion The Last Word

The Rant

George Bush has been making the rounds lately,

trying to convince everyone that he wasn’t that bad, but at every turn

he continues to step on his dick. Bush said to Fox “News”: “I didn’t compromise my

soul to be a popular guy.” What soul? And now that Senator Carl Levin has mentioned the potential for indictments

concerning cases of state torture and violating the Geneva Conventions, Bush can look forward to possibly being a very popular guy in federal prison. Leaked GOP talking points encouraged Bushies to say that he “maintained the honor and dignity of the office.” I guess that means he didn’t diddle an intern on his desk. But I would have much preferred that he had screwed his secretary instead of the Constitution. We’re all the blue dress now. Fortunately, George picked up some Iraqi shoes to match.

The shoe-dodging video is like a good Beatles album, where you recognize something new with every listening — in this case, viewing. My initial reaction was shock and outrage. After all, Goober is my president, too. And although I detest the man, his smug, willful ignorance, and the wreckage he has created in the world, I never wished him personal harm. I’ve often thought that perhaps if someone had kicked his ass 35 or 40 years ago, it might have done wonders for his humility problems, but what purpose would that serve now? After all, the shoe-tosser might have heaved something more dangerous while the Secret Service was having a coffee klatch in the back room. I understand they scanned the crowd for weapons and the Iraqi journalist was known by the people in attendance. They said the same thing about Jack Ruby.

Bush passed it off as a messy expression of democracy. In true democracies, however, you don’t hear the protester’s screams in the next room, while the prime minister’s bone breakers assure him an extended stay in the hospital. Now, the Iraqi journalist/shoe-tosser is a folk hero in the Arab world, and even much of the Western world, for one reason: He is the only outraged civilian Bush has had to face in eight years. There are millions of angry people in the world who would literally die for proximity to Bush, and the true miracle of the Secret Service’s protection is that the only harm done to the president in his entire term was by a pretzel.

For eight years, Bush audiences have been carefully screened and included supporters, big-money donors, and the military. If he’d faced a cross-section of the public, he couldn’t have gotten a word out over the shouts and boos. His bubble is so thick he hasn’t so much as been heckled in public, and yet he continues to portray himself as merely a victim of circumstance. All those bad things — war, rendition, wiretapping, corruption, economic collapses, hurricanes, 9/11 — just happened to take place while Bush was busy doing the nation’s business. Only that one lonely protester in New Orleans who shouted, “Go fuck yourself, Mister Cheney,” got through to this gang. Cheney is so contemptuous of the public and the law, he’s admitted approving “harsh interrogation techniques,” including waterboarding, against detainees. In effect, Cheney is saying to the next Justice Department, “Bring ’em on.” Thus far, Cheney has been accountable to no one, so let the investigations begin, the subpoenas fly, and the chips fall.

This group still believes that in 10 years, if Iraq is self-governing, that they will be vindicated by history. Kissinger thought that too about the carpet bombing of North Vietnam. In the end, it’s the casualties that can never be forgiven, and to date, there are 4,209 U.S. soldiers confirmed dead and another 30,000 wounded. JustForeignPolicy.org estimates 1,284,105 dead Iraqi civilians. (Other estimates run from 100,000 to 2 million. The figure is not officially recorded.) An additional 2.5 million people have been displaced. In that light, “a kiss goodbye from the Iraqi people” in the form of a flying shoe is a fairly mild protest for a “dirty dog.” It’s just a good thing that when someone yells “lame duck,” Bush takes it literally.

Categories
Art Art Feature

Masterworks to Fun House

It was a great year for Memphis art. Exhibitions ranged from works by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists to shows by accomplished local artists and strikingly original newcomers.

Last summer, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art mounted a comprehensive show of masterworks by Andy Warhol, who transformed celebrity photo-ops and commercial logos into fine art and captured the best and worst of America with symbols that still resonate.

At the Dixon, in another summer show, the cast-iron figures by renowned Icelandic sculptor Steinunn Thorarinsdottir walked like Buddhas down the long sloping lawn of the gallery’s gardens. Last fall, one of New York’s most noted installation artists, Margaret Cogswell, filled the Art Museum of the University of Memphis with sounds, images, and stories of the Mississippi River.

For her December show at David Lusk Gallery, “Pieces of Sky,” Memphis-born Maysey Craddock surrounded us with gouache paintings of skeletal trees and homes destroyed by Katrina that were painted on paper bags stitched together with silk thread. With titles that read like poetry (Somewhere South of Violet and The Moon Is a Blanket on the Stars) and a slow-motion video of a flooded Gulf Coast that moved almost imperceptibly toward and away from the viewer, Craddock eased us into a deeply meditative space where we could acknowledge our own mortality but still feel buoyed by passionate art and ideas that survive from one generation to the next.

Fog and smog blurred the edges of fast-moving semi trucks and SUVs and clusters of bungalows along slick wet interstates in “Words Can’t Describe,” Mary Long’s February show at Perry Nicole Fine Art. There was something deeply satisfying about this Memphis artist’s nearly abstracted encaustic paintings that suggested a composite of all the trips along all the highways through all the towns seen out of the corner of our eyes and stored away at the edge of consciousness.

J.C. Graham’s ingenious “Conversations with the Children,” at Artists on Central in November, consisted of sepia tones and clapboard houses, ravens on watch and newspapers and musical scores collaged on images of infants. Memories from our childhoods rushed into consciousness as Graham’s artwork took us to places still in need of comfort or approval.

From Maysey Craddock’s ‘Pieces of Sky,’ at David Lusk Gallery

Carl Moore’s November show, “Project Genesis,” at L Ross Gallery was one of the strongest of his career. An Ethiopian princess with almond eyes and dark full lips held up the pale-green bittersweet fruit in Eve and the Serpent, one of A combination CEO/satan/viper, dressed in a slick-black suit, slithered against the small of Eve’s back and pressed its fiery-red head into her bare flesh. Moore performed a miracle in this age-old story, with 21st-century twists, by transforming egg-head-shaped cartoons into two of the most iconic, sensual figures of the year.

University of Memphis professor Niles Wallace’s 8-foot-tall pile of work boots, inexpensive sneakers, and low-heeled plastic pumps leaned against the wall like a large, hunched-over figure in “Nappy-Headed Stranger,” Clough-Hanson’s fall show. In this most poignant and apropos metaphor for 2008, these were Americans as scuffed-up and worn-out as second-hand shoes — Americans who had lost jobs and homes, Americans who were working too many hours for too little pay, Americans who were fighting an unpopular war overseas, while, at home, their civil liberties were threatened.

Memphis College of Art graduate student Alex Paulus filled P&H Artspace with some big ideas in another notable show, “The Truth About Theories.” By parsing words like “create” and “truth” and drawing humorous images of primates on pieces of broken slate, Paulus got us past the rancor and dogma that accompany most discussions about evolution and creationism into a mindset more playful, more expansive, and, probably, more akin to the force that created us all.

In bold print on one of the walls at Odessa’s November show, “Process and Documention,” newcomer Lance Turner asserted that his paintings were “a continually spinning record,” “the transformation of the Mona Lisa into Dust,” and the viewer’s “reflection behind a piece of glass beside a mirror” — claims that were difficult to envision much less paint, but Turner delivered. With full-length mirrors, sharply angled freestanding partitions, skateboards standing on their noses, intricate designs of Persian rugs, mathematically generated portraits that looked like schizophrenic Medusas, and wall-filling murals of archetypal images (including Escher-like images of endlessly replicating Buddhist deities), Turner turned an entire gallery into a fun house that was one of the most wildly imaginative shows of the year.

Deck the walls: Lance Turner turned a gallery into a fun house in his wildly imaginative show at Odessa.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Happy Birthday, Mr. Poe

Who doesn’t know the poetry and stories of Edgar Allan Poe? How many of us know, though, of Poe as an early proponent of the Big Bang Theory? Or his proto-theory of relativity? Maybe you don’t, but Poe knows — Hal Poe, a distant cousin of the 19th-century author born 200 years ago. In January, the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library is celebrating that anniversary with an impressive exhibit of Poe artifacts from the collection of Hal Poe, Charles Colson Professor of Faith and Culture at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and president of the Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia. In conjunction with the exhibit, Hal Poe will give a talk at the library on his famed forebear on January 8th.

Included in the exhibit will be a number of rare 19th-century engravings and images of Poe and his friends; first newspaper or magazine appearances of “The Raven” and other poems; and first appearances in print of “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “The Purloined Letter,” and “MS Found in a Bottle,” among other works. The collection is drawn from the more than 500 pieces belonging to Hal Poe.

As Professor Poe wrote in an e-mail, “My lecture and the theme of the exhibit will be ‘The Power of Imagination.’ Poe believed that imagination was a higher faculty than sensory knowledge or mere reason. Imagination allows us to envision what does not exist and to understand what is not yet. He demonstrated this remarkable path to knowledge in his art but also as a key ingredient of science. Imagination also provided Poe with a bridge between science and faith.”

So then, start the new year on an imaginative note. Wish Edgar Allan Poe — born January 19, 1809 — a happy 200th!

Edgar Allan Poe exhibit in the Goodwyn Gallery at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library (3030 Poplar), January 5th-30th. Talk by Hal Poe at the library on Thursday, January 8th, at 7 p.m. For more information about the exhibit or the talk, call 415-2700.

Categories
News The Fly-By

What’s That Again?

CREDIT: by Greg Cravens

You’ve read what we had to say; now read what you had to say.

It’s all here: Willie Herenton resigning, then taking it back; the Tigers going all the way to the championship game; and politics, politics, and more politics.

• About the commemorative “Blues Notes” placed along Beale Street:

“Is there any explainable earthly reason why my name and those of Pat Kerr and John Tigrett should be placed alongside the true masters and heroes of American music: W.C. Handy, Otis Redding, B.B. King, Isaac Hayes, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sam and Dave, and Elvis Presley!?! This is a travesty to Memphis music.” — IsaacTigrett

“Tigrett’s letter is some angry throw down on his stepmother, Ms. Pat Kerr Tigrett. There seems to be some sort of nasty family feuding going on.” — Summerlib

• About “New Day at the Shelter” by Bianca Phillips, who reported that the former Albuquerque animal shelter director is coming to Memphis:

“An animal services director with shelter experience. Yay. Now if we could just get the city to hire a library services director with library experience.” — B

• About “Willie Herenton to Resign”:

“This is a great day for Memphis — like having simultaneous brain and heart transplants in a previously dying patient.” — mmiddle

• About “Cinderella Don’t Do Tats,” an analysis of the Memphis Tigers’ so-called Cinderella season and the tattoos worn by some players — an article that some readers apparently thought was: 1) negative and 2) written by Frank Murtaugh:

by Greg Cravens

“Calling Frank Murtaugh ‘anti-Tiger’ is like calling Santa Claus anti-Christmas. The man loves the Tigers. And this article is POSITIVE regarding the Tigers. How clueless can you possibly be, anyway?” — wino

• About “Chick-fil-A to Demolish Cumberland Presbyterian Building:

“What’s the big deal? We can always travel to visit cities with a varied and rich architectural heritage. We don’t need good architecture here in this rathole.” — packrat

• About “Doing Pennsylvania with Bill and Hill,” by Jackson Baker:

“The Empire Strikes Back in Pennsylvania.” — tomguleff

by Greg Cravens

• About the possible conversion of the Pyramid into a Bass Pro Shops instead of Greg Ericson’s theme-park proposal:

“The theme park was a brilliant idea that seemed to make sense economically. The Bass Pro idea is terrible. Realistically, how much business will it do, especially since there’s already a Bass Pro in Memphis? Common sense is a precious commodity indeed.” — pcolinjr

• From “Complete Street,” an article about ways to improve the Main Street Mall:

“I am all for making downtown as attractive and as bustling as possible, but we need to stop dreaming that this city can support retail that it has no record of supporting, in areas where the market clearly doesn’t exist.” — Jack

• About “Mayor and City Council Mull Putting School Board Out of Business”:

by Greg Cravens

“Wow. I like my power grabs naked, for sure, but this is a daring daylight coup.” — stork

• About “Tinker Gets Nod Again from Emily’s List,” by Jackson Baker:

“Let’s see … John Branston is a racist because he referenced Lean on Me, now Steve Cohen’s a misogynist thanks to a Fatal Attraction reference. Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe, just maybe, film critics are potentially the most wicked people on the planet? I DEMAND CHRIS HERRINGTON’S HEAD ON A PIKE. THAT DUDE TALKS ABOUT MOVIES ALL THE TIME AND NOBODY HAS THE GUTS TO STOP HIM!!!!!” — autoegocrat

• About college radio, one of the “Bright Ideas” for Memphis:

“I love WEVL, but it is NOT a college-radio format. You could only think so if you’ve never heard an authentic college-radio station. Which is a forgivable mistake to make, because you live in Memphis, which doesn’t have one.” — YaYa’s Papa

by Greg Cravens

• About “MATA’s Moment of Truth,” by John Branston and Mary Cashiola:

“If MATA wants people that have a choice in transportation to choose the bus, they need to create a system that is more convenient than driving and not a huge pain in the ass.” — melanie

• About “McCain’s Strategy: What Is He Doing?” by Bruce VanWyngarden:

“If I were McCain’s campaign manager, I would stay half-blind on whiskey all day, every day until the election.” — rantboy

• About “White Power Summit Planned for Olive Branch”:

“These people should be completely ignored. They have no power and very, very small testicles.” — 38103

by Greg Cravens

Categories
Letters To The Editor Opinion

Letters to the Editor

The Joys of Midtown

Thanks for John Branston’s excellent article about the joys of Midtown (“Midtown’s Next Big Thing,” December 18th issue). Here are a few others I would add to his list of successes: Fino’s on Madison, which serves delicious sandwiches with a smile; Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and school, which saves souls and provides a strong educational anchor for our youth; and, last but not least, the Wiffle Ball league in the parking lot behind Zinnie’s East on Madison, which offers recreational therapy for big-league wannabees and aging hippies every Sunday.

Rob Clark

Memphis

No Shoes, Please

There are a lot of things that I don’t like about President George Bush’s activities and persona, but throwing shoes at him shows a lack of respect for the office of president (“If the Shoe Fits, Throw It,” December 18th issue).

If we allow objects to be thrown at political figures, we might as well live in a nation of total anarchy. Anarchy will then lead to tyranny, since eventually, a small elite group will form to protect themselves and overthrow the masses. A vicious cycle, indeed. Without respect for public offices and checks and balances, we will end up like the Middle-Eastern nations.

Charles Gillihan

Bartlett

A Conservative Speaks

I am a conservative Republican and would normally espouse a free-enterprise approach to large corporations and business in general. Hence,

I would not normally agree with too much that usually appears in the Flyer.

However, I must admit that the disjointed, unmonitored free rein of this approach has surely contributed to the thorough financial mess in this country. Further, I must sincerely compliment Bruce VanWyngarden on his last two columns (December 11th and 18th issues). His summary of this mess and, at least, a philosophical way out of it is the most honest and accurate analysis I have read. I wanted to stand up and scream to the country, “He’s right! Listen to him!” Congratulations on two fine, well-balanced columns.

Don Rhoads

Germantown

A Green Christmas

Bianca Phillips’ article on converting to LED lights for Christmas decorations was timely and right on target (“A Green Christmas,” December 18th issue). Pointing out the simple ways we can cut our carbon footprint (and save money!) is service journalism at its finest. Good job, Flyer!

Ben Hall

Memphis

Snow Equals Change?

Some cultures believe that snow is a sign of coming prosperity and a fresh start. When it snowed early this year in Baghdad, some speculated that it was a sign of peace. After years of the climate growing warmer, record natural disasters, wars, terrorism, and bad economic times, we are all ready for a change for the better.

To the far left-leaning Democrats who are upset with President-elect Barack Obama for inviting the Rev. Rick Warren to say a prayer at his inauguration: Learn to forgive, guys. Obama has given people who said bad things about him, who didn’t endorse him, who didn’t vote for him, and who said he was not ready to be president a place beside him in his cabinet.

If Obama is willing to appoint people to his administration whom he has not always agreed with, why can’t you all just let Pastor Warren say a prayer even though you don’t agree with him on some issues?

Obama won red states that no Democrat has won in 40 or 50 years, because he reached out to those who don’t always agree with him. That is something that the far left and the far right need to adopt as one of their ways of handling the business of government. Lincoln came under fire for trying to unite the North and the South. Obama is coming under fire for trying to unite Democrats and Republicans. A strong America must be a united America. A house divided cannot stand!

We shouldn’t let things we disagree about cause us to overlook the fact that we are all Americans, we are all God’s creation, and we all must learn to work together. Let it snow, let it snow!

J. Shaw

Memphis

Categories
Fashion Fashion Feature

Shop This

Giving props to the bumper-sticker mantra that the best recovery plan for global economic blight begins at home, all of the products in play this week are of the home-grown variety. Some of these items are available at Memphis-area retailers; others can be purchased easily online. All are très fabulous.

ROCK SOFT: Grand Leader owner/creator Margo Wender Gruen believes in T-shirts. She also believes that great rock lyrics, such as “just a kiss away,” are lodged in our cultural subconscious like time-capsule triggers with the power to flood us with memories and emotional responses. Marry the two, and the result is Gruen’s line of vintage-style rock T’s. This one is 100 percent cotton jersey, garment-dyed, and washed with more than just a kiss of attitude. The number on the back denotes the year the song was recorded. $72. Available at grandleaderonline.com.

SAFE TRAVELS: Not a “travel lightly” person? Neither was Janie E. Sims. After growing weary of spending a disproportionate amount of her vacation time untangling her jewelry, she created the perfect solution. Called the JJ, this travel pouch keeps 20 pairs of earrings and other jewelry untangled. $33 and up at Bella Vita, 3670 Houston Levee.

LOVE MATCH: As a mother, Marilyn Kosten’s love for tennis began when her daughters first took to the court. As a designer, that love became a thriving brand and stylish clothing line. One of Kosten’s early designs, a tennis dress made for Tracy Austin, hangs in the Tennis Hall of Fame. Now her court gear can be found hanging in the closets of stylish tennis kids all over the country. Kosten’s line, Little Miss Tennis, features clothing for girls and boys ages 3 to 14 and is sold at several Memphis locations, including The Racquet Club, 5111 Sanderlin. Pieces start at $39.

PRIZE WINNER: Joanna Lipman is half of the design genius that is Femme Sud, whose handbags and clutches offer much more than a place to store your lipstick or cell phone — they’re mad-darling, OMG conversation starters. The county-fair inspired “Grand Prix” comes in two sizes and five colors. Meanwhile, the bookish “Ex Libris” bags resemble hard-cover novels, with winning titles such as Fame & Fortune. Bags start at $225. Visit femmesud.com to order.

Shop This is compiled by Shopgirl.
E-mail shopgirl@memphisflyer.com with tips and suggestions for items to be promoted. Please send a daytime phone number and print-quality digital images for consideration.

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

It’s a Wrap

CREDIT: by Justin Fox Burks

Let’s start our year-end review with a question: What was memorable about Memphis food news besides the economic meltdown of the past few months?

Since we know you need a little help remembering (yes, we’ve been celebrating the holidays too), here are the highs and lows of 2008 wrapped up to spell Christmas.

“C” is for CSA, a trendy food acronym here and across the country. A CSA — or community supported agriculture — works like this: Participants buy a seasonal share of a local farm and in return receive a grab bag of whatever fruits and vegetables are ready to harvest. There are many bonuses. Participants eat more veggies, reduce their carbon footprints, and get to be friends with farmers like Whitton Flower and Produce’s Jill and Keith Forrester, who offer a CSA for flowers in addition to produce.

“H” is for Harbor Town Coffee, owned and operated by Glenn and Elizabeth Roseberry. The coffee shop offers fair-trade java along with tea, wi-fi, local art, and an assortment of goodies from Big Ono Bake Shop, Howard Montgomery’s new bakery on Front Street.

“R” is for all the restaurants that have opened this year, and lucky for us, they are a mix of menus and locations. Downtown, the Blue Monkey reopened after a devastating fire in 2005; vegetarian chef Bastet Ivery and Creole chef Gary Williams started their own restaurant on Florida Street called Dejavu; Clint Boutwell turned the former Cayenne Moon into Orleans on Front; Don Scott opened On the River Seafood and More (the “more” is a seafood market); and the owners of Interim spun some new magic with Sole Restaurant and Raw Bar at the Westin Hotel.

In Midtown, Cathy Boulden opened Café Eclectic on N. McLean, and Kelly English renovated the former La Tourelle into Restaurant Iris. Farther east, Chris Connor relocated Republic Coffee to Walnut Grove, boyhood friends Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman hit a home run with Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Kat Gordon opened Muddy’s Bake Shop in the Sanderlin Centre, and Michele D’Oto turned a historic Presbyterian church in Collierville into Old Church Steakhouse.

by Justin Fox Burks

Kat Gordon of Muddy’s Bake Shop

“I” is for Italian bar owner Aldo Demartino, who opened a tavern downtown on Monroe near Front. Called Bardog — a moniker for bartenders in the old West — the neighborhood gathering spot features a great selection of wines and beers on tap, along with classic pub fare influenced by Demartino’s Italian heritage.

“S” is for South Main, where local food businesses continue to contribute to the development of the city’s historic arts district. Frank’s South Main Market & Deli opened in early November, bringing the neighborhood a much-needed grocery store and bicycle delivery. Down the street, Onix also opened, featuring $5 lunch specials and live jazz on Saturday nights.

“T” is for Thomas Boggs, the much-loved CEO of Huey’s, who died May 5th at the age of 63. In addition to operating his seven-restaurant chain, Boggs was a committed community activist, a generous mentor to the next generation of local chefs, and a person who, in the words of Grove Grill’s Jeff Dunham, “always put Memphis first.”

“M” is for Mantia, a gourmet market in East Memphis that closed after 12 years due to a drop off in catering. The recession has hurt other businesses, as well, and caused a number of closings, including two downtown favorites, Lolo’s Table and Conte’s Italian Restaurant, and The Red Rock Tavern in East Memphis.

“A” is for Automatic Slim’s, Karen Carrier’s flagship restaurant on Front Street. After 17 years, Carrier sold the restaurant, but started her next culinary adventure a few weeks later: Noodle Doodle Dō, a lunchtime Asian noodle bar inside Carrier’s Dō restaurant in Cooper-Young.

“S” is for Simone Wilson, who wrote more than 100 food articles for the Memphis Flyer before reluctantly giving up the column after the birth of her second son, Ari.

So what’s ahead for 2009? In the spirit of the holidays, look for these “C” words from both professional chefs and family cooks in the kitchen: crispy, casserole, comfort, chick pea, Chilean, and cheap.

by Justin Fox Burks

Elizabeth Roseberry of Harbor Town Coffee

Categories
Cover Feature News

Party Like It’s 1929

To put it mildly, 2008 was an off year. Granted, 2008 had a few redeeming qualities, but they were few and far between. From the looks of it, things couldn’t get much worse. So cheer up, guys — 2009 has a lot of potential.

Looking back at the year that was 2008, we saw the end of the TV writer’s strike and the long and somewhat ridiculous presidential campaign. There were huge strides in environmental awareness, and, as a result, greater efforts toward going “green.” On the other hand, New Kids on the Block reunited and recorded a new album, Patrick Swayze was diagnosed with colon cancer, and there’s still the never-ending war in Iraq.

But the worst of our troubles has been the ever-so-rocky economy. Between bailouts, foreclosures, soaring gas and grocery prices, rising unemployment rates, fluctuating stock markets, and an official recession, which apparently began in December 2007, financial woes have loomed over much of the year.

In recognition of the year’s financial ups and downs and the eerie similarities to the year 1929, which marked the beginning of the Great Depression, we’re supplying New Year’s Eve partygoers with a list of events that won’t leave you empty-handed and in need of a bailout. We’ll also include some fun facts and otherwise weird comparisons to 1929.

1929: “Auld Lang Syne”

On December 31, 1929, Canadian-born Guy Lombardo and his band, the Royal Canadians, performed “Auld Lang Syne” for the first time in the United States. In following years, Lombardo’s group played the song as part of New Year’s Eve broadcasts from the Roosevelt Hotel and later the Waldorf Astoria in New York. The song has since become the most popular tune at New Year’s Eve parties across America.

Within the city limits, partying on Beale Street is the closest thing Memphians have to New York City’s big Times Square celebration. Beale Street will burst at the seams with partygoers, and party options will be plentiful. Besides the availability of ridiculously large alcoholic beverages, there will be lots of live music and other festivities on the world-famous street.

Hard Rock Café will be hosting Memphis’ first New Year’s Eve Guitar Drop. A 10-foot Gibson Les Paul will be lowered over Beale from a crane at the stroke of midnight. Of course, no Hard Rock party is complete without hard rock, and local rockers Surrender the Fall and Whiskey Penny will take care of that part.

Tickets are $20. For more info, call 529-0007 or visit hardrock.com.

B.B. King’s Blues Club will kick off 2009 with a little bit of blues and a little bit of soul. Memphis’ own R&B gurus, the King Beez, will start the party at 5:30 p.m., and the B.B. King All-stars will take the stage at 9:15 p.m. and play into the new year. Just $25 gets you in the door, but a $75 ticket will include reserved seating, a bottle of champagne, party favors, and a VIP pass.

For tickets or more info call 524-5464 or visit bbkingclubs.com.

The Pig on Beale is a great place for delicious Memphis-style barbecue, but this New Year’s Eve it also will be a great place to check out two blues bands at one low price. Ms. Zeno “Louisiana Mojo Queen” and the Guy Venable Band will perform, and there’s just a $5 cover!

For more info, call 529-1544.

Rum Boogie Café will offer a special New Year’s Eve dinner package, which will include a three-course meal, party favors, champagne, and guaranteed seating for $85. Live music will include Pam & Terry from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. and James Govan & the Boogie Blues Band from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Regular admission without reserved seating is $20.

For reservations or more info, call 525-3897, ext. 301.

1929: Color TV

In 1929, the first public demonstration of color television was held, showing images of roses and an American flag. In 2008, the world was introduced to touch-screen phones and computers. Just imagine what technological marvels lie in the year ahead.

Locally, electronic wonders abound in Tunica, where Memphians can escape into a flashy, jingling atmosphere and surround themselves with glitzy gadgets in the form of slot machines. This New Year’s Eve, casino players can ring in 2009 biker-style or take a shot at scoring a million bucks.

The Sheraton is holding a New Year’s Eve “Bike Night” party. Fayetteville, Arkansas, rockers, Thanks for Nothing, will play the River Stage Bar. Leather-clad models will greet guests, and temporary-tattoo artists will supply you with that free “I love Mom” tatt you’ve always wanted. A biker-themed buffet, including beer and barbecue, will be available in the Big Kitchen for $19.99.

For more info, call (662) 363-4900 or visit sheratontunica.com.

Harrah’s casino is offering a chance to win $1 million this New Year’s Eve in the “Million Kala Jailbreak” promotion. The casino will be decorated in a Hawaiian theme for the night, and visitors can try to open the vault between 2 and 10 p.m. Arrive early for your chance at the million!

For more info, call (800) HARRAHS or visit harrahs.com.

Hollywood casino is offering two-night minimum hotel packages for $299 per night. At Hollywood’s Fairbanks Steakhouse, a four-course dinner for two with champagne is $125 per couple. Big Fun will perform free in the Safari Lounge, and there will be party favors and a midnight balloon drop on the casino floor.

For hotel and dinner reservations and information, call (800) 871-0711.

1929: Al Capone jailed

In 1929, notorious gangster Al Capone and his bodyguard were arrested for concealing deadly weapons, leading to Capone’s first jail sentence. This year, Memphis’ former Platinum Plus strip club auctioned off everything inside the building, including the bar, which was allegedly owned by Capone and was riddled with bullet holes. It sold for $30,000.

Though your New Year’s Eve plans won’t (hopefully!) include deadly weapons, they will probably include lots of drinking. So to avoid your own arrest, you might consider a night out that ends with a stay at a local hotel.

David Coen

The Madison Hotel is offering a special New Year’s Eve package, which will feature dinner at Grill 83, hotel accommodations, and champagne. Hotel reservations require a two-night minimum stay, and rates vary for deluxe rooms and suites. For dinner reservations only, the price is $85 per person and includes a champagne toast at midnight.

For reservations or more info, call 333-1200.

The Peabody has a full agenda for partygoers. There are dinners available at Capriccio Grill ($95) and Chez Philippe ($125), both of which include wristband admission to “The Scene” party with live music by Andy Childs and the John Felix Trio. Standard admission to “The Scene” is $25. Lord T & Eloise and Gabby Johnson will perform in the Grand Ballroom. Admission is $35. The Peabody is also offering an overnight package with various special inclusions for $390.

For reservations and info, call 529-4000 or visit peabodymemphis.com.

1929: Stock Market Crash

In October 1929, stock drops wiped out billions of dollars from the New York Stock Exchange. In 2008, investors again saw a fluctuating market.

To shake off stock market stress, gather a group of friends this New Year’s Eve and pretend you’re someone else or plan that first kiss of 2009.

Death Du Jour Mystery Theater will present a New Year’s Eve performance of the interactive mystery Thunder Spirit at downtown’s Spaghetti Warehouse located at 40 West Huling. Price is $35 per person and includes dinner and entertainment. Reservations required.

For reservations and information, contact Phyllis Appleby at 377-0143, 210-0545, or via email at Paappleby@aol.com.

Lord T & Eloise

Quetzal on Union is offering Memphians “First Kiss: 2009,” which will feature a DJ, live music, and a hopping dance floor. General admission tickets purchased before December 28th are $75 and include an open well bar until 3 a.m. There are also various VIP packages available. A four-party package is $500 and includes an open top-shelf bar, chocolate-covered strawberries, a bottle of champagne, and four sticks of lip-gloss for that perfect first kiss of the year!

For more info, tickets, or reservations, call 521-8388.

1929: Great Depression

As we know by now, the economic events of 2008 have been oddly similar to 1929, the year that marked the start of the Great Depression, which wasn’t officially over in the U.S. until around 1939.

We’re hoping that with Barack Obama taking office in the new year, things will start to look up a little quicker. In the meantime, start 2009 off right by supporting local bars and bands and save a little money by attending one of these events, which have little to no cover charge.

The Orpheum is once again holding the Bluff City Ball. This year’s performers include local blues/jam favorites, the North Mississippi Allstars, who released their ninth album earlier this month, and Lucero, who recently signed a deal with major-label Universal Music Group. Also gracing the stage: Amy LaVere and Jim Dickinson. The show begins at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $30-$45 and are available at the Orpheum box office, tcbconcerts.com, ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 525-1515.

The Full Moon Club above Zinnie’s East on Madison will feature live reggae music by the Soul Enforcers and the Perps, and DJ Rankin File Sound System will spin. There will be drink specials and party favors. Showtime is 9 p.m., and the cover charge is $10.

For more info, call 274-7101.

The Hi-Tone Café’s New Year’s Eve lineup will feature garage rockers the Neckbones, Jack O. & the Tearjerkers, and Box Elders. Doors open at 9 p.m., and the cover charge is $10.

For more info, call 278-TONE.

Ground Zero Blues Club in downtown Memphis will kick off the New Year with live blues by Preston Shannon. Tickets may be purchased at the door for $25 and will include party favors, finger foods, and a champagne toast at midnight. Festivities begin at 8 p.m. No advance tickets will be sold, though reservations will be accepted.

For reservations and more info, call 522-0130.

Nocturnal on Madison presents “Worlds Collide,” an electronic celebration featuring DJs Ben Armstrong, Randal Soeung, Mary Jane, Diggz, and ?Confusion?. Doors open at 8 p.m., and the cover charge is $8.

For more info, call 726-1548.

Huey’s is celebrating “more than three decades of New Year’s Eves” and will feature live music at two locations from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Huey’s downtown will host the Beat Generation, and Huey’s Midtown will have blues with Davis Coen & the Change. Best of all, there’s no cover charge.

For more info, call 726-9693 or visit hueyburger.com.

The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium is also celebrating with live music at two locations, beginning at 9:30 p.m. Both events include party favors and a free champagne toast at midnight. Funk De Ville will perform downtown. Admission is $10 for U.F.O. Club members and $15 for nonmembers. The Cordova Saucer will feature live music by On-3. Cover charge is $10. Reservations will be available at both locations for $10 per seat, in addition to the cover charge.

For more info or to make reservations, call 523-8536 for the Memphis location and 755-5530 for Cordova.

Newby’s on the Highland strip is closing out 2008 with live alt-country acts the Dirt Brothers, Kyle Kiser, and Devil Train. There’s a $10 cover, a balloon drop at midnight, and drink prices starting at $3.

For more info, call 452-8408.

Good Time Charlie’s in Bartlett will host live music by local rockers Band of Brothers from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Admission is $25 per person or $40 per couple and includes a free buffet and all-you-can-drink bottled beer.

For more info, call 379-1965.

Amy LaVere

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We Recommend We Recommend

The Big Picture

Why is it that whenever anybody starts talking about what to do with the Pyramid, nobody ever recommends using the former “Tomb of Doom” to store mummies? That’s what pyramids do best, isn’t it?

Maybe this lack of vision stems from the fact that in spite of the History Channel’s best endeavors, our civic leaders have never been properly fired up about those ancient but unsettlingly well-preserved corpses from the shifting sands of northern Africa. Of course, all that could change if the mayor and the City Council go to see Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs when it screens as part of the Pink Palace Museum’s IMAX Film Festival, starting on January 3rd.

Narrated by horror-film icon Christopher Lee, Mummies uses the big-screen format to explore some of ancient Egypt’s most compelling mysteries. It takes an up-close look at the techniques used to embalm and hide the bodies of the Nile Valley’s god kings. It also looks at the Egyptology craze that took hold in parlors across the civilized world during the late 19th century when explorers were pulling mummies out of the earth at an astonishing rate.

Not into mummies? That’s okay. The IMAX festival also includes films about dinosaurs, marine life, extreme weather, and big mountains.

Pink Palace IMAX Film Festival: “Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs”; “Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure”; “Hurricane on the Bayou”; “The Living Sea”; and “Everest.” Saturdays and Sundays, January 3rd-March 1st. For a complete schedule and more information, go to memphismuseums.org.

Categories
Letter From The Editor Opinion

Letter from the Editor: Wait ‘Til Next Year

The historian Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote a book a few years back entitled Wait Till Next Year. In it, she chronicled her childhood in Brooklyn in the 1940s and 1950s and, in particular, her love of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The rallying cry for fans of “dem bums” (as the Dodgers were lovingly known) was always “wait till next year,” as each season seemed to end with the Dodgers achingly close to winning it all but never quite getting there.

I think it’s fair to say that all of America is ready for 2008 to move into the rearview mirror. We’re “waiting till next year” with the hope that our economic doldrums and the lingering effects of the failed domestic and foreign policies of “dem bums” in the current administration will soon be history.

A year ago, we were in the midst of the two campaigns for major-party nominations for president. Hillary Clinton looked like a lock to be the Democratic standard-bearer. A month later, Barack Obama had blitzed by Hillary, winning primary after primary and setting himself up with a lead that held through the bitterly fought final contests.

The point being, I suppose, that change happens and often happens fast. In 2008, Mayor Herenton resigned, then didn’t. The Memphis Tigers had the national championship locked up with a couple minutes to play, but the “National Champions” banner is hanging in Lawrence, Kansas. A year ago, the economy, according to President Bush, was “fundamentally sound.” Today, we’re throwing billions of dollars at what turned out to be fundamentally unsound companies, hoping some of it will trickle down and keep the rest of us from the soup lines. Who could have predicted? Apparently, nobody in this administration, even those whose job it is to do just that.

So, who knows what 2009 will bring? Change is a given, of course, and I can’t help but think the change embodied in the inauguration of a new president will have at least some palliative effect. Fresh horses and fresh thinking certainly can’t hurt at this point.

The Flyer staff takes a week off between Christmas and New Year’s Day. In the interim, our Annual Manual hits the street on January 1st. We’ll be back, refreshed and ready for action in two weeks. Please join us. It should be an interesting year. Meanwhile, happy holidays, merry Christmas, or however you roll.

Bruce VanWyngarden

brucev@memphisflyer.com