The first financial disclosures from the 2023 candidates for Memphis Mayor are now available.
As of January 15, the two leaders in the vital “Cash on Hand” category are Downtown Memphis president/CEO Paul Young, with a reported $312,699.12, followed closely by Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, with $310,482.88:
Businessman J.W. Gibson reports the $300,000 he has loaned to himself as a campaign starter. NAACP president and former County Commissioner Van Turner reports cash on hand in the amount of $121,747.29.
State House Democratic Leader Karen Camper reports $33,862. (She has the disadvantage of not being able to raise money during the ongoing legislative session).
School Board chair Michelle McKissick has so far not filed a disclosure statement.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Theoretically, you could offer to help a person who doesn’t like you. You could bring a gourmet vegan meal to a meat-eater or pay a compliment to a bigot. I suppose you could even sing beautiful love songs to annoyed passersby or recite passages from great literature to an 8-year-old immersed in his video game. But there are better ways to express your talents and dispense your gifts — especially now, when it’s crucial for your long-term mental health that you offer your blessings to recipients who will use them best and appreciate them most.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In esoteric astrology, Taurus rules the third eye. Poetically speaking, this is a subtle organ of perception, a sixth sense that sees through mere appearances and discerns the secret or hidden nature of things. Some people are surprised to learn about this theory. Doesn’t traditional astrology say that you Bulls are sober and well-grounded? Here’s the bigger view: The penetrating vision of an evolved Taurus is potent because it peels away superficial truths and uncovers deeper truths. Would you like to tap into more of this potential superpower? The coming weeks will be a good time to do so.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The ingredient you would need to fulfill the next stage of a fun dream is behind door #1. Behind door #2 is a vision of a creative twist you could do but haven’t managed yet. Behind door #3 is a clue that might help you achieve more disciplined freedom than you’ve known before. Do you think I’m exaggerating? I’m not. Here’s the catch: You may be able to open only one door before the magic spell wears off — unless you enlist the services of a consultant, ally, witch, or guardian angel to help you bargain with fate to provide even more of the luck that may be available.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): I trust you are mostly ready for the educational adventures and experiments that are possible. The uncertainties that accompany them, whether real or imagined, will bring out the best in you. For optimal results, you should apply your nighttime thinking to daytime activities, and vice versa. Wiggle free of responsibilities unless they teach you noble truths. And finally, summon the intuitive powers that will sustain you and guide you through the brilliant shadow initiations. (PS: Take the wildest rides you dare as long as they are safe.)
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Fate has decreed, “Leos must be wanderers for a while.” You are under no obligation to obey this mandate, of course. Theoretically, you could resist it. But if you do indeed rebel, be sure your willpower is very strong. You will get away with outsmarting or revising fate only if your discipline is fierce and your determination is intense. Okay? So let’s imagine that you will indeed bend fate’s decree to suit your needs. What would that look like? Here’s one possibility: The “wandering” you undertake can be done in the name of focused exploration rather than aimless meandering.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I wish I could help you understand and manage a situation that has confused you. I’d love to bolster your strength to deal with substitutes that have been dissipating your commitment to the Real Things. In a perfect world, I could emancipate you from yearnings that are out of sync with your highest good. And maybe I’d be able to teach you to dissolve a habit that has weakened your willpower. And why can’t I be of full service to you in these ways? Because, according to my assessment, you have not completely acknowledged your need for this help. So neither I nor anyone else can provide it. But now that you’ve read this horoscope, I’m hoping you will make yourself more receptive to the necessary support and favors and relief.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I can’t definitively predict you will receive an influx of cash in the next three weeks. It’s possible, though. And I’m not able to guarantee you’ll be the beneficiary of free lunches and unexpected gifts. But who knows? They could very well appear. Torrents of praise and appreciation may flow, too, though trickles are more likely. And there is a small chance of solicitous gestures coming your way from sexy angels and cute maestros. What I can promise you for sure, however, are fresh eruptions of savvy in your brain and sagacity in your heart. Here’s your keynote, as expressed by the Queen of Sheba 700 years ago: “Wisdom is sweeter than honey, brings more joy than wine, illumines more than the sun, is more precious than jewels.”
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Your assignment, Scorpio, is to cultivate a closer relationship with the cells that comprise your body. They are alive! Speak to them as you would to a beloved child or animal. In your meditations and fantasies, bless them with tender wishes. Let them know how grateful you are for the grand collaboration you have going, and affectionately urge them to do what’s best for all concerned. For you Scorpios, February is Love and Care for Your Inner Creatures Month.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Revamped and refurbished things are coming back for another look. Retreads and redemption-seekers are headed in your direction. I think you should consider giving them an audience. They are likely to be more fun or interesting or useful during their second time around. Dear Sagittarius, I suspect that the imminent future may also invite you to consider the possibility of accepting stand-ins and substitutes and imitators. They may turn out to be better than the so-called real things they replace. In conclusion, be receptive to Plan Bs, second choices, and alternate routes. They could lead you to the exact opportunities you didn’t know you needed.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Author Neil Gaiman declared, “I’ve never known anyone who was what he or she seemed.” While that may be generally accurate, it will be far less true about you Capricorns in the coming weeks. By my astrological reckoning, you will be very close to what you seem to be. The harmony between your deep inner self and your outer persona will be at record-breaking levels. No one will have to wonder if they must be wary of hidden agendas lurking below your surface. Everyone can be confident that what they see in you is what they will get from you. This is an amazing accomplishment! Congrats!
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “I want to raise up the magic world all round me and live strongly and quietly there,” wrote Aquarian author Virginia Woolf in her diary. What do you think she meant by “raise up the magic world all round me”? More importantly, how would you raise up the magic world around you? Meditate fiercely and generously on that tantalizing project. The coming weeks will be an ideal time to attend to such a wondrous possibility. You now have extra power to conjure up healing, protection, inspiration, and mojo for yourself.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Before going to sleep, I asked my subconscious mind to bring a dream that would be helpful for you. Here’s what it gave me: In my dream, I was reading a comic book titled Zoe Stardust Quells Her Demon. On the first page, Zoe was facing a purple monster whose body was beastly but whose face looked a bit like hers. On page two, the monster chased Zoe down the street, but Zoe escaped. In the third scene, the monster was alone, licking its fur. In the fourth scene, Zoe sneaked up behind the monster and shot it with a blow dart that delivered a sedative, knocking it unconscious. In the final panel, Zoe had arranged for the monster to be transported to a lush uninhabited island where it could enjoy its life without bothering her. Now here’s my dream interpretation, Pisces: Don’t directly confront your inner foe or nagging demon. Approach stealthily and render it inert. Then banish it from your sphere, preferably forever.
Tops Bar-B-Q will open a new location in early February. It will be the 17th location for the more than 70-year-old Memphis-based restaurant.
And, as a native Memphian who grew up with Tops, I’m excited more locations are opening.
The restaurants have a new sign, which I love. It’s perfect. The new sign is based on the old pig drawing that graces the side of the Tops at 3353 Summer Avenue.
The new location will be at 4199 Hacks Cross Road, where the old Steak ’n Shake used to be, says Hunter Brown with Tops Operations LLC.
The restaurant location is “officially still in Memphis,” he says. “We’re so excited to be on that side. It’s the furthest east we are. It’s going to service Germantown, Collierville, East Memphis, FedEx headquarters. We’ve been looking hard to get over in that part of town to make it more convenient for our guests.”
As for that new sign, Brown says this is only the second time the sign has evolved since 1952. “Some of our stores needed a refresh.”
In addition to the interior, they also wanted to refresh the outside.
The original signage was a pig standing on a toy top. That sign can still be found at the Summer-National Tops. But the pig they used for the new sign is the large one on the side of that location. And that’s a Summer Avenue landmark, as far as I’m concerned. “That restaurant has been there for over 60 years, and that pig is in the oldest pictures I’ve ever seen.”
And, he adds, that pig sign is also “in the original architectural drawing” for that Tops location.
“We used the original pig. We just updated it with backlit red LED lighting. It spells out ‘Tops.’ The LED sign underneath says ‘Bar-B-Q & Burgers.’”
The Tops hamburger needs to be given its props since I, along with a lot of other people, consider it to be the best hamburger in Memphis. “We never called out burgers before,” Brown says. “When there’s room for it, it’s ‘Slow Smoked Bar-B-Q and Award-Winning Burgers.’ But when it’s shortened up for space purposes, we call it our ‘Bar-B-Q & Burgers’ every chance we get.’”
I asked Brown if they were going to introduce any new menu items this year. I’m constantly getting a craving for the restaurant’s new Fire Braised Chicken Sandwich. That’s my go-to — along with the Tops turkey burger — at least once a week or so.
“This year we plan on launching two limited time offers that are scheduled. But we’re still working through the priority of those two as to what is missing and what guests are asking for the most.”
Some Tops items currently are only available on its catering menu. These include a sausage and cheese plate.
By the way, that pulled chicken on their new sandwich is now being used in more ways at Tops, Brown says. “Chicken evolved. Now you can get it on the nachos. You can get chicken nachos in place of pork. You can get it as a plate. That’s now an option. That’s brisket, pork, ribs, or chicken plate.”
All these Tops changes — outside, inside, and in the kitchen — aren’t taken lightly, Brown says. “These changes, albeit big or small, there’s a lot of thought that goes into it. And at the end of the day, the answer has to be very clear: Is it good for the guests? With every single thing we think about, if that’s not a resounding ‘Yes,’ then we don’t do it. No matter what we think. We’re not going to change for the sake of change.
“There’s a reason this company has thrived for 70 years. And we’re not going to take a chance.”
This Saturday, Crosstown Concourse and Cafe Noir will present Memphis’ first-ever Literature Is Liberating Festival, a free, communitywide festival celebrating Black voices in literature. The event, which is open to all ages, will feature vendors, author discussions, panels, and activities and readings for kids.
“The mission,” Jasmine Settles, owner of Cafe Noir, explains, “is to enrich the community through literature by uplifting the mind, nourishing the body, and liberating the spirit.” And that same mission carries within her cafe/bookstore, set to open this summer, which will focus on books by BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ authors. “The main goal is to highlight marginalized voices, … to kind of give folks the space to be able to explore these authors and explore marginalized voices because oftentimes the content that’s presented to us in school leads us to be kind of bored and uninterested [without diverse voices to capture imaginations and reflect different backgrounds].”
As such, Settles, who rediscovered the importance of diverse storytelling while pursuing her master’s degree at the University of Memphis, wants to spark this interest in the community. “Memphis has one of the lowest literacy rates in Tennessee. I wanna get folks more involved with reading literature and ways that we can improve our community through doing so.”
The festival on Saturday will feature a spoken word performance by local poet Nubia Yasin, reading from her recently released collection of poetry The Blood and Body. “It’s a self-portrait,” Yasin says of her collection. “It’s about love and all its shadows, and how I learned that from my family. … It deals a lot with the theme of home and what that means and what that looks like, who are the players in like this thing called home.” This will be the first time Yasin will be able to speak publicly about her book, and she will be accompanied by musician Desire during the performance.
Also, on the festival’s schedule, is a performance by Hattiloo Theatre and a panel on African-American literature, presented by professors Jacqueline Trimble, Shelby Crosby, and Terrence Tucker. Plus, Michelle Duster, great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells, will discuss her writings on Wells in conjunction with an Indie Memphis screening of the documentary Facing Down Storms: Memphis and the Making of Ida B. Wells. Indie Memphis will also screen 1970’s Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris, a portrait of the writer during his time abroad.
Meanwhile, young writers and readers can take part in a reading and a writing workshop with Ali Manning, a food scientist whose first book Can I Play with My Food? was published in early 2022. Librarians from Memphis Public Libraries will also make an appearance for readings, and a free craft-making station will be open throughout the day in the Central Atrium. For more information and a full schedule, visit crosstownconcourse.com/events.
Literature is Liberating Festival, Saturday, February 4, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., free.
In 2018, we named Got You Found, by Marcella & Her Lovers, as one of the best albums of the year, writing that Marcella Simien’s “singing propels the whole thing through Afro-pop, funk, and soul,” not to mention her Louisiana Creole background. And it is indeed a stylistic grab bag, both sprawling and somehow rooted. As a self-released CD, it was not on many listeners’ radars, but now, thanks to Black & Wyatt Records, the album has found a new life as a vinyl LP. While the singer/songwriter — daughter of zydeco star Terrance Simien — prepares to celebrate the album’s manifestation on wax with a listening party (February 9th at the Memphis Listening Lab) and a release show (February 10th at Bar DKDC), she’s taken a moment to reflect on how it came to be, how much of it still rings true, and how far she’s come since then.
Memphis Flyer: Your album has been around for years now. How strange it must feel to be celebrating its release after all this time.
Marcella Simien: It’s been a long time coming. What was incredible was that it was totally crowd-sourced. We raised $13,000 dollars on an Indiegogo campaign in 2017 and we used every bit of it. I paid the musicians for every day they were in the studio. Toby Vest and Pete Matthews [of High/Low Recording] did such a great job. I brought Toby very rough demos and relied so much on his guidance and that of [bassist] Landon Moore — and all the incredible musicians and vocalists on this project. Pete got some of my best vocal takes outta me! I was a little sponge soaking up everything I could possibly learn about how to properly compose songs. But once it was all said and done, we didn’t have enough to press vinyl. So last spring, Cole Wheeler, who’s working with Black & Wyatt records, reached out and asked if I’d be interested in putting a record out.
Those songs have aged well. Five years down the road, you’re still performing most of that material, aren’t you?
Oh yeah! I really feel like they have aged well, and hearing it on vinyl was so emotional. I was getting to revisit this story and this person that I was five years ago. It’s coming full circle in a beautiful way, and I totally cried like a baby. You know, when you hear it on wax for the first time, it’s like hearing it in the studio again.
You speak of revisiting the album’s story. What is that story?
For a lot of those songs, the writing started in my early twenties, so some discovery and relationship issues were dealt with in a lot of those lyrics. But I didn’t want it to be just about me. I was looking at it as a way to honor my ancestry. So I inscribed on the vinyl that it was dedicated to my paternal grandparents. I used my grandfather’s voice on the end of the song, “Creole Cowboy.” I wanted to touch on my Creole connection and the effect that their lives, their struggles, had on me. They both came from big families, working on a farm, raising cattle, making their own soap, and living off the land. Those stories and the French they would speak in the household, where I spent a lot of time as a kid, made me who I am in so many ways. I wanted to touch on that deep connection I have with Louisiana and my Creole heritage. That’s also expressed in the song “Indian Red,” a cover of a Mardi Gras Indian song.
When you’re 25 years old, you have all these ideas of how to tell this great story. And I did the best I could with what I had. Listening now, it’s almost like getting to have a conversation with that person. There’s so much I wish I could have said to her. I wish she would have had the confidence that I have today. But it’s cool to know that she was still strong enough to make this album happen and to be vulnerable. Because some of the relationship stuff was hard to write about and go through at the time. And I did it anyway! And it felt good.
Hear Simien’s new album at the listening party, February 9th, 6:30 p.m., at the Memphis Listening Lab. The release show is February 10th, 10 p.m., at Bar DKDC.
While many focus on the ideal of “do what you love,” a healthier way to look at it may be simply loving what you do. (Photo: Kelly Sikkema | Unsplash)
A few weeks ago, a close friend spoke to me about a personal crisis. “I don’t even have a career,” they lamented, getting more and more worked up. This person is only 28 years old. I wouldn’t necessarily say I have a “career” either, and I’m 32.
Over the course of my entire life, I have been told, both implicitly and directly, that one of the ultimate goals in life is to “do what you love.” This has been force-fed to me through official sources such as elementary school programs urging, “If you can dream it, you can do it!” I’ve heard it said, in some form or another, from almost every authoritative adult figure in my life. It has been repeated and mantranizied (I’m making up a word, just go with it) by my peers. Facebook posts, off-the-cuff comments, and full conversations have all brought home the same ideal.
However, I’ve always had several problems with the idea that success is derived from doing what you love. First, this marginalizes the idea of being successful to one area of your life: work. Relationships, personal growth, and almost every other aspect of life are left by the wayside if you’re using this metric of what it means to be happy.
Furthermore, for many people, such as my friend I mentioned earlier, finding out what you love to do takes time, sometimes even years. “Do what you love” assumes that you already know what you love, which for many people is knowledge that comes from experience. I distinctly remember being made to choose the course of my high school curriculum while I was still in 8th grade. So, as a 14-year-old, I was expected to already know what vocation I would be pursuing as an adult. The importance of the decision was highly emphasized to us, and we made the choice in the same day — the same hour, actually — that we first heard about it, without time to think or consult with our parents or anyone else, for that matter.
Even for those rare individuals who have always been comfortable with the knowledge of what they’d like to do for work as adults, knowing what you’d like to do and being able to actually do it are two very different things. Probably my biggest grievance with the prevalence of the phrase “do what you love” is that it leaves out the reality of privilege. Not everyone is afforded the opportunity to pursue their passions, and that’s not even scratching the surface. I am nowhere near qualified enough to go into detail on this issue, but I do understand that doing what you love is not simple or even feasible for many people.
I am watching our ideas on work change as I get older, but when I was a kid, the nebulous idea of “work” seemed like the be-all and end-all of what an adult’s life was. In my late twenties, when I worked part-time but was also a stay-at-home mom, I struggled personally for years with the idea of failure. I wasn’t using my college degree, and my job was something I enjoyed, but not anything I was passionate about. Yet, I did get fulfillment from taking care of my baby. It was complicated to navigate. The idea of being “successful” was something that never really held much appeal to me, seeming as it did to equate to money almost exclusively. But during that time, I decided that the phrase “love what you do” was a much better mindset for me than “do what you love.” I found enjoyment in what started out as “just” a job because I made the active decision to change the way I looked at it.
Volunteer work, child-rearing, social relationships, romantic relationships, self-care, and personal growth all fit under the “love what you do” umbrella that I had created for myself, and working a job that wasn’t my dream didn’t feel like something I needed to feel down about. It seems to me that, while telling people to aim for the stars is all well and good, promoting being content with and celebrating non-work-related achievements is a much healthier way to be.
Coco June is a Memphian, mother, and the Flyer’s theater columnist.
Whether you know it or not, your first introduction into drag probably occurred in your childhood living room. You may have found yourself watching a segment of Some Like It Hot on TCM or the iconic Divine receiving a formal introduction to the ’60s as Edna Turnblad in the John Waters’ hit Hairspray.
But for Skyler Bell, that entry point to the world of drag came while watching the 1995 film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, starring Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, and John Leguizamo. That movie stoked their budding passion for drag, and years later, Bell would come to be known as Thee Native Supreme: India Taco, gracing the stages of The Bluff, Dru’s Bar, and Hi Tone.
Bell began doing drag when they were in college at Mississippi State University and has been performing for the past four years. Having grown up on a reservation in Choctaw, Mississippi, they even hold the honor of being the first drag queen from their tribe. And while Bell will always hold their humble beginnings and origins close to them, they realized they wanted more and moved to Memphis to pursue drag full-time.
The path Bell took is one that many aspiring Mid-South drag performers have walked. But what is it that draws people toward Memphis drag? There’s no doubt that the Bluff City is bursting with talent, and many of the performers who call Memphis home have worked hard to build up those talents.
Bella DuBalle (Photo: Drew Parker)
“When I first started doing drag in this city, it was very old-school, pageant drag. It was all about female impersonation, and this certain level of polish. There was almost like this unspoken rule of how things had to be done,” says Slade Kyle. They are a full-time drag entertainer, also known as Bella DuBalle, and serve as the show director at Atomic Rose on Beale Street.
However, as drag navigated into the mainstream, more styles began to appear. According to Kyle, if you’re lucky enough to get a front row seat to see the fifth season of Atomic Rose’s “War of The Roses” competition, you’ll see a diverse showcase of drag ranging from horror and camp drag to drag kings and pageant drag. Kyle says this is so audience members can get an idea of “all the crayons in the coloring box of drag.”
Moth Moth Moth (Photo: Vickie Quick)
Local activist, drag queen, newly crowned Miss Mid-South Pride, and Memphis Flyer 20 < 30 honoree Moth Moth Moth (Mothie for short) remembers when they started doing drag at Dru’s in 2016 in a “little orange dressing room,” with goth makeup and “really weird, obscure songs.” They recall performing with seasoned veterans like Beverly Hills, who began to appreciate this new, artistic way of drag.
“That type of perception was really early in Memphis,” says Mothie. “That eventually became much more of what everybody’s taste is now. Now people really appreciate, and identify, and love the gender fluidity of Memphis drag, and the way that so many different spaces are open.”
Keleigh Klarke (Photo: Gingersnap Photography)
Memphis drag is not only characterized by diversity and its ability to push the envelope, but it also holds true to the infamous grit-and-grind nature of the city. Kelly McDaniel, famously known as Keleigh Klarke on stage, has been doing drag in Memphis since 2001 and recalls a mantra that’s held true through it all. “If you can do drag in Memphis,” he says, “you can do drag anywhere.” McDaniel explains that it’s tough to do drag in Memphis, but you’ll find that masked under slayed lace fronts, Kryolan Paint Stick foundation, and MAC eyeshadow is a performer with thick skin.
“Our audiences here, they’re tough. This city by nature is a rough, hard city, and it takes a lot to impress people,” says McDaniel.
“It can be rough here, and it can be a rough industry for new entertainers to get into, but I think one of those things that sets us apart is that for the ones who do make it in the city, and do make a name for themselves and do make a legacy and a reputation and image, it makes you tough, it makes you grateful, and it makes you work a little bit harder because you want to keep that spot and keep proving yourself.”
Aubrey Ombre (Photo: Courtesy Aubrey Ombre)
Performers like Bell recognize this, and they also say the drag community in Memphis wouldn’t be what it is now without the legends that came before them and the legacy they cemented. Bell thanks not only veterans like McDaniel but also Kiera Mason, DuBalle, and Aubrey “Boom Boom” Ombre.
“If you go to a show, then you know Aubrey Boom Boom,” explains Bell. “Inside and outside of drag, that woman is everything. She’s helped me out, and the community, on and off the stage.” The legend Bell speaks of is Memphis native Aubrey Wallace, known not only by her stage name but also as the title-holder of Miss Gay Memphis 2019.
Miss Gay Memphis, formerly known as Miss Memphis Review, was one of the first crowns made in Memphis following the Stonewall riots. “Back then, it was illegal to do drag, so they had to wait until around Halloween to actually throw a party and dress up,” explains Wallace. “The Gay Memphis crown was created from that aspect of life. It has so much meaning to it and so much history that if someone competes for it, it’s a big honor to do so because you’re being a part of history and carrying on a legacy that has been passed on from generation to generation.”
As a queen with 12 years under her belt, Wallace possesses a wealth of knowledge that she’s always ready to share with newcomers. And her story starts at Backstreet Memphis, a place that many veterans say served not only as a launchpad for their career but also as a safe haven for their community. Performers like Wallace received their first glimpse into the gay club scene in 2010 at Backstreet, where their performance on the dance floor would capture the eyes of the club’s resident queens.
“They ended up putting me in my first drag show,” Wallace says.
McDaniel also remembers networking with the entertainers at Backstreet Memphis, who in turn taught him the basics of drag such as makeup. The club closed its doors in 2010, but its impact and legacy have been kept alive by those who experienced the magic firsthand. While many find it can be hard to pinpoint what exactly did it for Backstreet, McDaniel explains that it paid homage to the “hedonistic excess of those mid-to-late-’90s, early 2000s.”
“On a Saturday night, by 12, 12:30 at night, you could stand on the upper level and it would be a sea of people all in that space.” Clubs like Spectrum have tried to recreate this magic and succeeded in doing so for a new generation, but nothing has seemed to have the vibe that Backstreet possessed.
“Nothing recaptures the energy that was there, but that was a different time, too,” says McDaniel. “There was a lot less equality and inclusivity at that point for the gay community, so that was our place to go. It was also open to anyone else who wanted to be a part of that environment.”
A lot has changed since the glory days of Backstreet. Wallace has noticed a change in her confidence, which enables her to help prepare new performers take to the stage. “We’re open to taking people under our wing and getting them started and a stage to start on,” she says. “With me, when someone comes to me, I teach them the way of life first and teach them what you’ll go through and some of the obstacles you’ll have to overcome. Then I’ll teach them the aspect of drag.”
Those lucky enough to be one of Wallace’s “drag children” are privy to family dinners and family outings, where they’re taught the values of life, humbleness, and things they need to succeed in the drag world.
“You have to be respectful and mindful of who has helped you, and who came before you,” Wallace says. “As I grew up, I learned from so many legends. Some that are not here, some that are still here, like Alexis [Marie Grayer-von] Furstenburg, Beverly Hills, Kiera Mason. A whole bunch of them. They’ve groomed me into who I am today, and since then I’ve stayed humble, I’ve stayed respectful, and I’ve always fought for everyone’s fairness and rights.”
Wallace’s dream for the “next generation of drag” stems from a hope that they will be able to show their talents on stage and come in “shining bright as a star.” She sees the potential in them, yet there has been a number of obstacles recently that may change the way a newer and younger generation interacts with drag.
Still, it’s almost impossible to have a conversation about drag without mentioning the influence of RuPaul’s Drag Race. The show first aired on February 2, 2009, and is hosted by drag superstar RuPaul. The competition-style reality show follows a group of drag queens who compete for the title of America’s Drag Superstar.
Many credit the show as being a pivotal part of bringing more acceptance and awareness to the drag community. This, coupled with social media platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, has allowed the public to interact with the drag community without leaving their homes.
“By pushing it into the mainstream, more people are aware of drag,” Kyle explains. “They’re more aware that it is an art form. There’s a lot of easy misconceptions if you don’t know what drag is.”
In turn, making drag more mainstream through this kind of exposure encourages more nuanced discussions. These discussions can lead to more education and understanding of the art form.
In an October 2022 interview, Mothie told the Flyer that the demographic for drag is changing, and it now includes 14- to 22-year-olds. Mothie also said that younger people “deserve a piece of this culture.”
However, there are opponents of drag, including many lawmakers in Tennessee, who have been working to make sure that younger audiences don’t have access to it.
On September 23, 2022, a family-friendly drag show at the Museum of Science & History (MoSH) was scheduled as the ending celebration of the museum’s Summer Pride programming. However, the event was canceled by event organizers after a group of armed Proud Boys arrived.
Jackson Sun writer Angele Latham reported in October 2022 that a Jackson Pride drag show, which was also initially advertised as “family-friendly” and slated to be held at a local park, was limited to participants 18 and older after weeks of meeting with lawmakers.
This began to amplify the conversation of whether drag shows were appropriate for kids, or “family-friendly.”
In November 2022, the Flyer also reported that legislation was filed by Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson that could potentially make public drag shows in Tennessee a crime.
Johnson proposed that new language be added to Section 7-51-1401 that defines “adult cabaret performance” as “a performance in a location other than an adult cabaret that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest, or similar entertainers, regardless of whether or not performed for consideration.”
This proposed new amendment would prohibit drag performances on public property and other public spaces. If passed, this law would apply to drag shows in the state of Tennessee.
The bill also goes on to make performing in “adult cabaret performance” on public property or “in a location where the adult cabaret performance could be viewed by a person who is not an adult” a Class A misdemeanor. Repeat offenders face a Class E felony.
Performers agree there are forms of drag that are family-friendly and some that are not. However, Kyle notes that this holds true for every medium. Wallace also explains that performers know that what they perform in front of children will be different than what they perform at a nightclub.
For many, the answer to whether kids should be exposed to drag performances is simple: If you don’t want your kids to see it, then don’t bring them to a drag show. But the truth is that they’ll have access to it in other ways, whether it’s through HBO Max’s Trixie Motel, Allison William’s performance of Peter Pan, or the childhood rite of passage of playing dress-up.
“We’re all born doing drag. Every kid knows what it’s like to put on a costume and pretend to be something else,” says Kyle. “I think it’s incredibly important for kids to have access to [drag.] Not just for the kids that will be queer. It’s important for every kid to understand that their differences make them special.”
Many performers agree that drag serves not only as an outlet to express emotions but also as way to find yourself. Drag is an art form, Mothie reiterates, and when you start to limit people’s ability to express themselves, the aftermath can be harmful.
“I know personally for me growing up, I was always in my parents’ shadow because everyone says I had the same talent as my mom and dad,” adds Wallace. “That was something I had to get away from because I wanted to be me and who I am, and find who I really am. Drag helped me do that. Kids in general will never know who they are or who they want to be if you can’t let them express it. Whether it’s dressing up in their mom’s clothes, watching a play or something like that, [drag] has saved a lot of people’s lives. It definitely saved my life.”
With the complexity of drag and its positive influences on culture and the economy, many are baffled that lawmakers are working to criminalize it. Activists like Mothie have been fighting tirelessly against proposed “pointless” legislation and believe there’s a lot more for lawmakers to worry about than drag performances.
“Tennesseans should take pride in how strong our drag is in Tennessee, how much Tennessee is an incubator for what’s next in drag for the rest of the country,” says Mothie. “Everybody knows, just don’t nobody tell the truth: Memphis is where it’s at. Memphis will always be where it’s at. Drag will only get stronger here, despite the BS legislation that’s coming down on everybody.”
A Senate hearing on Tennessee’s anti-drag bill (SB 003) was scheduled for Tuesday, January 31st, after our press deadline. Follow memphisflyer.com for updates.
Memphis magazine February 1996 Cover (Photo: Memphis Magazine)
This Saturday at FedExForum, the late Lorenzen Wright will become the 10th former Memphis Tiger to have his uniform number retired. At halftime of the Tigers’ game against Tulane, Wright’s 55 will rise to the arena’s rafters, where it will hang above the court for every Tiger home game to come. There it will join banners honoring nine other legends who proudly wore blue and gray for Memphis: Forest Arnold, Win Wilfong, Larry Finch, Ronnie Robinson, Larry Kenon, John Gunn, Keith Lee, Elliot Perry, and Penny Hardaway. Wright’s ceremony will be the first to retire a Tiger’s number since March 2014, when the program honored Kenon.
Beyond the Mid-South, Lorenzen Wright is as famous for his tragic passing as for his exploits on the basketball court. In July 2010, a little over a year since he played his final NBA game, Wright was shot to death in a field in east Shelby County, the victim of a scheme orchestrated by his ex-wife, who is now serving a 30-year prison sentence. (The man who pulled the trigger is serving a life sentence.) He left behind six children and thousands upon thousands of fans from his days with the Tigers and, later, the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.
A graduate of Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, Wright joined the Tiger program after a down season (13-16) in 1993-94. An immediate starter for coach Larry Finch, Wright brought a ferocity to basketball at The Pyramid unlike many Tigers before him. (Did players scream after dunks before Lorenzen Wright?) He averaged a double-double that season, pacing Memphis in both scoring (14.8 points per game) and rebounds (10.1). Best of all, he helped the Tigers reach the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16, drubbing archrival Louisville in the first round. After another double-double campaign as a sophomore (17.4 and 10.4 rebounds), Wright entered the NBA draft and was chosen with the seventh pick by the Los Angeles Clippers.
To date, no former Tiger has played in more NBA games than Lorenzen Wright’s 778. And while Wright suited up for five teams as a pro, he played more games with the new-to-town Memphis Grizzlies (336) than any other. He remains seventh in Grizzlies history with 2,386 rebounds. Wright’s banner will be the only one that could be left up on a Grizzlies game night and still feel appropriate.
Only 34 years old at the time of his murder, Wright deserved a better fate. He was and is a beloved Memphian, still one of only two Tiger players to appear on the cover of Memphis magazine. (Keith Lee is the other. Finch and Hardaway each graced the cover, but not until they were coaching the program.) Saturday afternoon will be a special moment in the history of a proud basketball program, and even more special for those who love and remember the one and only Lorenzen Wright.
• The Tigers won’t be able to stop with 10 retired numbers. Among the players honored, none played for the program since Wright appeared in his last college game 27 years ago. Andre Turner (number 10) should join his teammate Lee in the rafters, his career assists total (763) not so much as approached since the Little General’s last game in 1986. The university must also find a way to recognize at least one player from the extraordinary four-year period from 2005-06 to 2008-09 when the Tigers reached at least the Sweet 16 every season. I’ve long advocated the retirement of number 5 for Antonio Anderson. He played for all four of those teams and is the only player in Memphis history to compile 1,000 career points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists. Anderson also played in more games (150) than any other Tiger, a record unlikely to be matched in the near future.
An unnamed Memphis Police officer smiles as EMTs examine Tyre Nichols. Three days later, Nichols died of injuries inflicted by members of the Memphis Police Department’s SCORPION unit. (Photo: City of Memphis)
“The camera never lies,” the old saying goes. But really, the lies cameras tell are lies of omission. The filmmaker chooses to show the well-lit movie star, not the scruffy gaffer holding the light. In past videos of police brutality, such as the 1991 Rodney King beating and the 2020 murder of George Floyd, police apologists insisted that exonerating evidence was, like the scruffy gaffer, just off screen.
Video 2, Video 4, Video 3, and Video 1 leave little ambiguity for bad faith actors to exploit. They present the murder of Tyre Nichols in multiple angles with minimal editing. Video 1 is the body camera of a white officer who rolls up on Nichols’ car stopped in a left turn lane on Raines Road. It is not immediately obvious that the two vehicles hemming Nichols in on the front and left side are unmarked police cars. The first intelligible words in the video are a Memphis Police officer screaming, “You gonna get your ass blown the fuck up!”
What is clear from Video 1 is that Tyre Nichols presented no threat. Once he figures out these are real cops and not carjackers, he desperately tries to de-escalate the situation. “You guys are really doing a lot right now,” he says. “I’m just trying to go home.”
But it’s no use. These agents of the state are looking for a bit of fun at Nichols’ expense.“Lay down!” one cops yells.
“I’m already on the ground!” pleads Nichols, who is at this point completely under the control of 600 pounds worth of MPD. “I’m not doing anything!”
“Spray him.”
As camera cop fumbles with his taser, another cop tries to pepper spray Nichols. Instead, the chemical weapon blinds his fellow officers. In the confusion, Nichols sees his chance and runs.
It’s a rational choice, since the MPD has made it clear to Nichols that there is no level of compliance he could demonstrate that will stop them from torturing him in the turn lane. It’s well-known in Memphis that if you run from the cops, they’ll give you a whooping when they catch you.“You got any charges on him?” the dispatcher asks over the radio. No one answers, because there are no charges. They’re just hunting him for sport.
“I sprayed myself,” says a bearded cop.
“Shit, you sprayed me too!” says camera cop. “I hope they stomp his ass.”
Nichols flees into the suburban neighborhood where his mother lives. Coincidentally, the corner where the cops catch him is in view of a SkyCop camera. The angle of Video 2 is eerily similar to the angle of the Rodney King video. It provides an unobstructed view of Memphis Police officers, enraged by their own incompetence, taking turns beating Tyre Nichols to death.
The lenses of the two body cameras in Video 3 and Video 4 are obscured at crucial moments in ways that look deliberate, but they record the sound of Nichols crying out for his mother, and one police officer gleefully declaring, “I’m gonna baton the fuck out of you!”
The only area this “elite squad” is well-trained in is how to safely use the state’s monopoly on violence to their advantage. The cops chant, “Give me your hands!” as an incantation to invoke qualified immunity. They are performing for the body cameras, giving viewers — and the courts — permission to blame the victim.
As horrifying as the violence is, the banality of what follows is even more disturbing. One cop props Nichols up on the side of a car to take a trophy picture of his handiwork. When the brain-damaged Nichols manages to slur some words, one of the cops who damaged his brain accuses him of being “high as a motherfucker.” Another killer cop brags about throwing “haymakers” at the restrained civilian. The EMTs whose duty it is to render aid to Nichols instead treat him with depraved indifference.
Rumors have circulated that Tyre Nichols was targeted by a cop with a grudge. But that’s just wishful thinking. The truth revealed by these four videos is far worse. Amid all the horror, the image that sticks in my mind is of a Memphis police officer who arrives late to the scene. He sees Nichols, bloody and broken, and he grins. The cops of the SCORPION unit were doing the job they were hired to do: controlling a subject population through violence and terror. They were bros celebrating a win.
The tragic death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of out-of-control Memphis police has touched the hearts and minds of Memphians and vast numbers of people, for that matter, around the world. How have the announced candidates for Memphis mayor reacted?
Voluminously, it would seem — in public appearances, on social media, and elsewhere. Here is a brief sampling of what they have said.
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner: “My heartfelt condolences are expressed to the family and friends of Tyre Nichols. I am sad and angry about his tragic death.
“I am a second-generation law enforcement officer, and I am disgusted by what we all saw captured on video. This horrible incident tarnishes the badge that I wear, and many other good officers wear every day. I will do everything in my power to prevent another parent from having to bury their child in such a senseless and tragic way.”
Downtown Memphis Commission CEO Paul Young: “On behalf of our family, I pause today and become fully present with my deepest sympathy and condolences for the family and all who are mourning the tragic loss of Tyre Nichols — a young man with much promise who is gone too soon. Let’s keep the Nichols family in prayer as they enter this uncharted territory.”
Businessman J.W. Gibson: “The police officers responsible for the senseless and fatal beating of Tyre Nichols have been appropriately charged with second-degree murder. … As a lifelong Memphian, I know that the actions of those few [are] absolutely not a reflection of the dedication, heart, or humanity of the overwhelming majority of the men and women of the Memphis Police Department. As these officers await their days in court, we must come together as a community.”
School Board chair Michelle McKissack: “My heart breaks for Tyre’s sweet mother, family, and son. Together, we must honor his life and demand systemic change so this never happens again.”
State House Democratic Leader Karen Camper: “Like so many of my fellow Memphians I watched with horror as five Memphis police officers savagely beat Tyre Nichols. And I am one of the thousands of Memphians and people around the nation and the world who have followed this tragic event who are offering their sincere condolences to the Nichols family. This act of violence and abuse of power has no place in our city nor in our police department.”
Former County Commissioner and NAACP President Van Turner: “We appreciate the city’s quick action and transparency thus far in the case of Tyre Nichols as more officers and first responders are brought to justice. Tyre’s mother has called for a bill named after her son which would seek to emphasize a duty to intervene and render aid which was not done for her son. We must stand with her in this fight for justice and reform. … [W]e must disrupt the culture which allows this to happen. We must not forget Tyre’s death and the way that he died, and as mayor of Memphis, I vow to not allow Tyre Nichols’ death be in vain.”
