Having incorporated elements of Sun Studio, Phillips Recording Service, and Ardent Studios into the design of his own Southern Grooves studio, Matt Ross-Spang has an ear for history, so it’s no wonder that he’s become the go-to guy for mixing Elvis Presley. It started with his 2016 mixes of outtakes from Presley’s 1976 recordings at Graceland, and others followed, but his mixes on 2020’s From Elvis in Nashville compilation, stripping overdubs away from the raw tracks Presley recorded during marathon sessions in June of 1970, were Ross-Spang’s greatest feat, yielding such jaw-dropping tracks as the hard-choogling “Patch It Up.”
Now, following a brief similar to that of the Nashville album, Ross-Spang has outdone himself on a new box set dropping just as Elvis Week commences this Friday, August 9th. With a nod to last month’s 70th anniversary of Presley’s first recordings for Sun Records, Sony Music/Legacy Recordings will release Memphis, a set of five CDs and/or two LPs produced by Ernst Jørgensen, collecting everything Presley recorded in his adopted hometown.
Naturally, that includes Presley’s initial work with Sun Records’ Sam Phillips, though those foundational recordings were not tampered with (nor could they have been, not being multitracks), only given a thorough restoration and remastering. After the Sun era, there were three other distinct moments when Presley cut records in Memphis: in 1969 at American Sound Studio, in 1973 at Stax Records, and in 1976 during remote recording sessions the King set up in his own Jungle Room at Graceland. Also included is a live recording of Presley and his touring band at the Mid-South Coliseum in 1974. All of those recordings get the Ross-Spang treatment.
Working from digital copies of the original multitrack tapes offered him a glimpse into the recording techniques of a bygone age. “I was really excited to work on the Stax and American stuff simply because I’m a Memphis history nut,” he says, “and to get to hear those multitracks was really exciting. Working with Chips Moman at American, Elvis had a new band, a new producer, a new studio — everything was new. And yet Chips didn’t have nice technologies like RCA [in Nashville]. He committed all that music to four tracks, typically. And oftentimes he recorded the [reverb] chamber right onto the track. Or put the bass and the acoustic guitar on the same track. So it was really cool for me to open that up and see how much commitment he had, the vision he had from the beginning.”
Those American recordings yielded hits like “In the Ghetto” and “Suspicious Minds,” but the familiar versions, exploding with those distinctive string arrangements, are only hinted at here. The Memphis tracks reveal what preceded those orchestral flourishes: The sure-footed, house band Moman had assembled, aka The Memphis Boys, both soulful and rocking, playing their hearts out while the voice of Elvis rang out in the room. As Robert Gordon writes in the extensive liner notes, the new mixes put us “standing next to Elvis inside the recording studio, us and the basic band, hearing what he’s hearing.”
Moreover, it’s a master class in minimalist songcraft, as one hears guitarist Reggie Young weave his lines in with those of keyboardists Bobby Woods and Bobby Emmons, the latter’s organ parts suggesting an orchestra, yet molded out of rawer sounds. Here and there are occasional overdubs, as in the remarkable “Don’t Cry, Daddy,” where Presley harmonizes with himself. As Ross-Spang explains, “We left in some of the overdubs that they did on the spot there [at American], but we didn’t use things that they went back to Nashville to do.”
Ross-Spang didn’t have to mix these tracks entirely on his own. “It was really fun to get to work with Robert Gordon on this. I was sending him mixes and he was sending me notes back. And then producer Rob Santos and Ernst. Sometimes I can treat a mix too technically and not emotionally, but Ernst would give me very nontypical, emotional mix notes.” As the singer’s raw emotion explodes from the speakers, Memphis reveals Elvis to be one of the premier soul artists of his time.
Hate to be the bearer of, er, news, good, bad, and insane. (Photo: Jillian | Adobe Stock)
I awoke early Monday morning, made a cup of espresso from the fancy machine gifted to me from my son last Christmas, and sat on the deck to watch the hummingbirds. Well, that, and scroll through the news on my phone. It was quite the news day already, even at 7:30 a.m.
In Florida, Hurricane Debby was dumping massive rains on that perennially dumped-on state. Flooding would soon ensue. In the Middle East, the winds of war seemed to be heating to a fever pitch, with Iran, Hezbollah, Israel, and Hamas all making threats and seemingly prepping for attacks. In the UK, there were riots in the streets from far-right protestors. A hotel was burned. In Paris at the Olympics, there were photo-finishes, a female boxer accused of being male, and lots of U.S. swimming medals. Kamala Harris was about to name her veep candidate. Donald Trump attacked Georgia’s Republican Governor Brian Kemp 12 times in an Atlanta stump speech. And on Wall Street, stocks appeared to be headed lower as a bear market loomed on news that the U.S. economy seemed to be cooling.
Pshew, what a start to the week, I thought. But wait, there was more. … Speaking of bears: Erstwhile presidential candidate, vax truther, and brain-wormer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. released a videotape of himself telling a tale about dumping a dead bear cub and a bicycle in New York’s Central Park after leaving Peter Luger Steak House one night. And as if that itself weren’t strange enough, the kicker was that he was telling this bizarre story at Roseanne Barr’s house. What? Is this real life?
As one person wrote on X:
Kristi Noem — “Let me tell you about my animal killings.”
RFK Jr. — “Here, hold my bear.”
Kennedy said he released the tape to “get ahead” of a New Yorker story that was about to recount the bear saga, which had been a mystery since 2014, when it was first reported in the media that two women had found a dead bear cub under a bicycle in Central Park.
In Kennedy’s version, via the video (which also featured Roseanne wandering around and occasionally looking at Kennedy as though he were nuts), he’d found the bear dead beside the road in upstate New York and put it in his car, intending to skin it and eat it. Yes, he said that. He then went to dinner at the aforementioned famous steak house, then realized he had to catch a plane and didn’t want to leave the bear in his car, so, as one does, he drove to Central Park and dumped it on a trail, underneath his bicycle, trying to make it look like the bear had been killed by a cyclist.
I don’t know about you, but this episode makes me think RFK Jr. just might be a tad, well, insane. But maybe that’s just me. At any rate, by the time you read this, the bear tale will no doubt be public fodder. But damn, it was a heckuva way to start my work week.
Also in the news were several stories about the increasing use — and misuse — of AI (artificial intelligence). A Trump campaign surrogate put out a photo of their candidate surrounded by Black women “supporters” who all looked suspiciously alike and who all had six fingers on every visible hand. When AI learns how to recreate human hands accurately, we’ll really be in trouble. But until then, I don’t trust it.
Here’s another example of why I don’t trust it: I decided to use Meta’s AI (now easily accessible in your friendly Facebook Messenger app), to research, well, myself. I prompted it thusly: Who is Bruce VanWyngarden? It responded with: “Bruce VanWyngarden is a notable figure in Memphis, Tennessee. As the editor of the Memphis Flyer, he has been a prominent voice in local journalism, covering news, politics, and culture. He has written two books, including Everything That’s True (2021). Additionally, his work as a musician and lead singer of The Gun Club has made him a respected figure in the music scene.”
What? I was lead singer of an infamous post-punk L.A. band? Who knew? I’d totally forgotten that part of my life. Dang. Well, at least, AI didn’t dig up that embarrassing armadillo incident. Pshew.
Sunrise, Sunrise Patty Melt (Photo: Michael Donahue)
Oh, the weather outside is frightful-ly hot, but a fired-up grill is so delightful. That’s right, Memphis, it’s the most bunderful week of the year: Burger Week. That means you get some of the best burgers Memphis has to offer at a pretty awesome price of $6.99 from Wednesday, August 7th, to Tuesday, August 13th. Without further ado, here are this year’s Burger Week burgers.
Sunrise | Sunrise Patty Melt (Photo: Sarah Morse)
SunriseMemphis Sunrise Patty Melt
The last time I had a hamburger for breakfast was probably when I ate a Krystal at 5 a.m. or something back in the day. That would have been on the way home, though, not after waking up in the morning.
Sunrise Memphis is offering the “Sunrise Patty Melt” for its Burger Week selection. Its creator, Sunrise Memphis executive chef Will Sater, calls it “a double smash patty with a cheddar cheese, jalapeño, cream cheese, and bacon jam we make in-house. And an over-easy egg.”
They had a version of the sandwich for last year’s Burger Week, but it was on a brioche bun instead of Texas toast like now. “We thought the toast was a little better for the texture.”
Sater continues, “Oh, it exploded. It was a very good product for us. And people seem to enjoy it, so it’s turned into a hit for us.”
It exploded like the egg can when cut with a knife. “It’s a messy burger, for sure. But just seeing that egg run out is kind of the pièce de résistance, as we like to say. You want to see that egg oozing out. It makes it feel more like breakfast, for sure.”
The Sunrise Patty Melt ended up on the menu. “People kept asking for it. So, we just decided to put it on the menu. And it turned into a big thing here.” — Michael Donahue
Jack Brown’s | Ron Swanson (Photo: Jon W. Sparks)
Jack Brown’s Crab Rangoon Burger
As dives go, Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint is as funky as you’d want, but with generous helpings of surprises. One of the chain’s co-founders proclaimed, “We’re a dive bar, not a dump,” and it’s certainly not your average burger and beer joint. Those are some high-end burgers, all of which are made with Wagyu beef from Snake River Farms in Idaho and slapped down on Martin’s potato buns. What’s more, all ingredients are made in-house. Any burger on the menu is a delight, but consider what’s being offered during Memphis Flyer Burger Week: The Crab Rangoon Burger, with that delectable Wagyu beef, topped with house-made crab Rangoon (mixed with cream cheese), fried wontons, and sweet Thai chili sauce, served on that potato bun. Tragically, I was too early to sample that one, but I’ll be back now that Burger Week is underway. Meanwhile, I gladly dug into the Tuesday special, the Ron Swanson, with bacon, Muenster cheese, and barbecue bacon mayo. My companion got the Elvis burger that’s topped with some peanut butter. And the fries were scrumptious, begging to be dipped in an onion aioli sauce, which now replaces any ketchup tendencies we used to have. Phenomenal burgers and (despite the bras discreetly hanging from a light fixture) family-friendly! — Jon W. Sparks
Tops Bar-B-Q | Policeman Burger (Photo: Patrick Collins)
Tops Bar-B-Q Policeman Burger
Tops Bar-B-Q, whose iconic cheeseburger is special in its own right, is featuring the Policeman Burger as its Burger Week selection.
Describing the burger, Hunter Brown with Tops, says it’s a “Tops famous cheeseburger on a bed of mayonnaise, pickles, with applewood bacon, grilled onion, slow-smoked brisket, and Sweet ‘N’ Saucy barbecue sauce.”
Naming it the Policeman had to do with how Tops supports members of the Memphis Police Department. They protect communities where Tops team members as well as customers live and work, says Randy Hough with Tops. It’s important for Tops to bring attention to them for the job they’re doing there every day.
I could have yelled out how good this over-the-top sandwich is at the Tops Cordova location where I tried it for the first time. But nobody had to call the police. I kept my calm. — MD
Rock’n Dough | The Classic Burger (Photo: Toby Sells)
Rock’n Dough The Classic Burger
How do you get beer into a hamburger?
The question has vexed armies of scientists for generations. The team at Rock’n Dough Pizza & Brewery has finally answered it.
The solution lies in the pickles. The menu lists them as “house-made hop pickles.” That’s right. Rock’n Dough’s food geniuses flavored pickles with hops, the beer ingredient that lifts heavy on aroma, flavor, and bitterness. I’m a hop-head/IPA bro, so it’s one of my favorites.
Those pickles can be found on The Classic Burger at Rock’n Dough. It’s a stripped-down street-racer of a burger that relies on old-school flavor punch — not some flashy topping-of-the-month — to deliver the goods. And it sure does.
One bite transported me back to the lake or the ballpark, places I first learned to savor and appreciate food in the first place. Like a great beer, The Classic was balanced and you could taste the beef, the garlic-basil mayo, the seasoning, and all the ingredients, especially the pickles. The hop flavor was subtle, but I swore they’d figure out how to get a beer in my burger. And my hat went off to them. — Toby Sells
Farm Burger | Classic Farm Burger with kale slaw (Photo: Alex Greene)
Farm Burger The Spicy Pimento
Living as close as I do to Farm Burger in the Crosstown Concourse, I eat there often, and though I didn’t order their special Burger Week offering when I stopped in last week (the Spicy Pimento, with their usual 100-percent grass-fed beef burger, pimento cheese, pasture-raised bacon, pickled jalapenos, and sherry-date barbecue sauce), the burger I did get was a lesson in how you just can’t go wrong with an establishment so focused on fresh, local food as the basis of its menu.
I’ve become a big fan of their kale slaw as an alternative to French fries, so I ordered a side of it with my regular, reliably delicious Farm Burger, the eatery’s flagship sandwich. But the burger that was served was even more delicious than expected: The kitchen had misunderstood, thinking I wanted only a kale slaw topping, and that’s what I got. Imagine my surprise!
One bite and I was hooked. The texture of the well-dressed kale leaves complements your basic Farm Burger to a T, adding a new texture and flavor profile to the aged white cheddar, caramelized onions, and Farm Burger sauce toppings that are usually included. Of course, I soon was craving my usual side of kale slaw as well, which the attentive servers promptly brought to my table. But I won’t soon forget the brilliant mistake of adding kale slaw directly to my burger. Indeed, next time I’m there I’ll suggest that addition on my Spicy Pimento Burger. — Alex Greene
Huey’s | World Famous Huey Burger (Photo: Kailynn Johnson)
Huey’s World Famous Huey Burger
Huey’s has had a special place in my heart ever since it was the finale to an eighth grade field trip. However, I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that in my 12 years of being an avid Huey’s-goer I hadn’t tried a burger from there until this week.
I know! I know! But let’s say that my first Huey’s burger is a Burger Week staple — and it’s worth the hype. I haven’t had an actual burger in years, opting for leaner meats instead, and I’d classify this as an actual burger. You know, the one you see in some TV show from the ’90s that the characters seem to neglect over frivolous dialogue — despite the mouthwatering entree before them.
I tried the World Famous Huey’s burger fully loaded (minus the onions) with cheddar. I added a side of sweet potato fries which were the perfect addition. This will definitely be added to the cheat meal rotation. — Kailynn Johnson
For this year’s Burger Week, Tug’s is offering an upgrade to their BBQ Cheddar Burger — a menu item served with fries, typically priced at $16.95. So consider their BW deal a steal! The standard is a half-pound sirloin patty, topped with housemade barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, crispy onion straws, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles (as pictured above). The special will come with a helping of housemade pulled pork in the mix. I tried the standard on my visit, since the pulled pork wasn’t available at the time. No complaints from me! This was a top-notch burger. The slightly sweet sourdough bun was the perfect vessel for its contents. The well-seasoned massive patty had that fresh-from-the-grill crust. The surprise bits of crunch from the fried onion straws were delightful. Now, envision all that with a scoop of pulled pork. Is your mouth watering? It should be. P.S. The seasoned fries are the bomb (think Back Yard Burgers but way better) and are included in the BW offering. Don’t sleep on this! — Shara Clark
Loflin Yard | Baja Burger (Photo: Chris McCoy)
Loflin Yard Baja Burger
I always have a relaxing time when I go to Loflin Yard. For this visit to the sprawling, mostly outdoor compound, the heat that has gripped the Bluff City had mostly dissipated for the evening. I grabbed a table in view of the TV that was showing the Olympic gymnastics team final, and ordered my Baja Burger.
The Baja is a staple of the Loflin Yard menu. It comes with a thin patty on a brioche bun, topped with red cabbage slaw, spicy aioli, bacon, and pineapple. It’s the latter ingredient that is unusual for a burger. But, as it turns out, it is not a showstopper like pineapple on pizza. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the Baja. In this burger, the beef is not the primary attraction. Instead, it’s the combination of the pineapple and thick slabs of peppered bacon. It’s quite tasty and quite unusual. At least, I wouldn’t have thought of it! As with most things in life, it’s the balance that makes it good. Simone Biles would probably approve. — Chris McCoy
Bain Barbecue | Special Burger (Photo: Chris McCoy)
Bain Barbecue Special Burger
The former food truck moved into a brick and mortar location in Cooper-Young a little over two years ago, says manager Emily James. The idea to add a burger to their menu came after a Super Bowl party where the restaurant ran out of their trademark Texas-style barbecue brisket. “We tried to start doing burgers back in February. We started out with wings on our Anytime menu, and burgers just kind of came naturally.”
Bain’s Special Burger is a smashburger that features a Home Place Pastures patty with “shrettuce,” house-made pickles, and Jones Orchard heirloom tomatoes. It’s topped with a secret sauce. “I think it brings out the burger flavor a lot,” says James.
The smashburger comes on a Martin’s potato buns. “Every sandwich has a Martin’s potato bun,” says James. “We just started putting those on the grill, too, and let ’em sit for a second. We let ’em get a little crusty.”
For a side with your juicy burger, you can choose the five-cheese mac, a baked potato salad, brisket pinto beans, jalapeno lime slaw, or the traditional french fries. The best part about getting a burger at a barbecue joint is that you can dip your fries in one of Bain’s barbecue sauces. I tried all three flavors — hot, sweet, and mustard — and unexpectedly, the mustard sauce won! — CM
So, uh, here’s the thing. I don’t eat meat, but I’m supposed to write about a burger? Who in their right mind wants the opinion of a pescatarian about a burger? I don’t even have one to give. I guess I’ll have to stick to objective facts when it comes to the Smokey Baloney at Betly Sports Bar & Grill in Southland Casino & Hotel. First off, what a fun name for a burger. I love the word baloney; I won’t eat it but I’ll call it any day. Ain’t that some baloney? The Smokey Baloney is made of all-beef patty, beef brisket, half-pound fried all-beef bologna, onion rings, and Memphis barbecue sauce. I’m sure that sounds delightful for any burger-loving fool. You can check out the picture above — as they say a picture is worth a thousand words.
And if you’re looking for an excuse to hit the slot machines, a $6.99 burger sounds as good as any. So get a bang for your buck while you win (or lose) major bucks. — Abigail Morici
Belle Tavern | The Tavern Smash (Photo: Harold Cook)
Belle Tavern The Tavern Smash
The best way to get to Belle Tavern is by going to the door on Barboro Alley. It’s just a couple hundred feet from Second Street and the Peabody Hotel, but you’ll feel mysterious, in the know, like a spy. It could be almost an underground secret, except for the fact that it’s one of downtown locals’ favorite spots. If you haven’t been to the Belle Tavern yet, this would be a great week to start. And a great way to introduce yourself to their tasty menu would be to order the Tavern Smash, a delicious concoction consisting of a four-ounce, ground-beef smash patty, onions, pickles, dijonnaise mustard, pickles, and a scrumptious house-made sesame bun. Mmmm. This is a cheeseburger classic, and it’s made to be smashed — into your tummy! — Bruce VanWyngarden
Wimpy’s | Rajun Cajun Burger (Photo: Jacob Crafton)
Wimpy’s Rajun CajunBurger
As most of us know, one of the most famous lines in Western letters goes this way: “I’d gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.” The sentiment and the syntax belong to one J. Wellington Wimpy, a character in the comic strip Popeye, created by E.C. Segar. A louche fellow, something of a deadbeat, Wimpy, a chum of the title character, speaks for many of us who want to lay hands (or chomps) on something desirable before we have the means to get it gainfully.
If your goal is the same as Wimpy’s — a good, garden-variety burger — you can get it seven days a week at one of three Memphis-area locations of the Wimpy’s Burgers and Fries. For just over 10 bucks, you can get the basic version — the Wimpy burger — with fries. That’s the kind I got at the Wimpy’s at 7424 US Highway 64, just down the street from my digs. It’s satisfyingly plump, cooked to one’s specifications with all the usual fixings. For a tiny bit more, you can get a super-charged variety called the Rajun Cajun, but for Burger Week, it’s just $6.99. The Rajun Cajun has its own renown, and I sampled enough of the special sauce that goes on it to attest that it’s good and spicy. — Jackson Baker
For more Burger Week information, visit memphisflyer.com/page/burgerweek. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and X (@memphisflyer) and get up-to-date info on everything #FlyerBurgerWeek.
Some readers might wonder: Whatever happened to Alisa Haushalter? The former director of the Shelby County Health Department, Haushalter was, not so long ago, one of the most visible people in the public eye as department head at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
By one measure — the fact that she was publicly accountable and on call on a daily, even hourly basis — she may have been for a time the single most visible of all local officials. Not only was she at the helm of the health department and having to cope directly with the scourge of Covid, managing local responses to it as best as she could; she had the responsibility of communicating every aspect of the disease’s progress and every important piece of data relating to its impact on the community. It was 24/7 and then some.
It is certainly arguable that Haushalter herself was one of the chief victims in Shelby County of the Covid-19 pandemic. Her work as the director was hailed as exemplary then and later by her associates in the department and in county government at large.
But, simply because of the prominence of her position, she was caught up in various controversies that owed more to the inherent disruptiveness wrought by the pandemic than to any actions she was responsible for.
Consider this a tease for a forthcoming lengthier, and possibly eye-opening, treatment of Haushalter’s pivotal and arguably heroic service on behalf of Shelby County in a time of crisis. Suffice it to say for the moment that political pressures relating to state vs. local issues played a large role in her decision, in February 2021, to step down as health department director.
But her service to Shelby County has continued. When she came here in 2016, after years of health service, first in Nashville and later at the renowned Nemours health complex in Delaware, she had a request of then-County Mayor Mark Luttrell, who hired her.
For three years, while working in Nashville, she had gone back and forth between the state’s two largest cities working on her doctorate, which she got from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
“When I was in Nashville,” she recalls, “I had dual appointments. I taught at Vanderbilt, and I was at the health department there. So when I came here, part of my discussion with Mayor Luttrell was, ‘Can I have a dual appointment so that I’m still teaching?’” The answer was yes, and, while serving as health department director she taught health policy at UT.
Her thinking was eminently commonsensible. “That really was sort of how I came back to Tennessee. You learn along with the students, and the students get to learn from someone who has experience, not just what they’re getting from reading the book. And so it has always been a good match.”
Upon leaving the department, Haushalter would expand her teaching load to include, currently, healthcare economics and population health.
She has never departed from the idea of service. She’s still very much here and on the case, keeping her hand in — learning, doing, and teaching. Aside from her regular students, she says, she’s still on call at the department. “There are team members over there that still reach out to me that I coach or mentor.”
Her bottom line: “I’m committed to public health, I’m committed to nursing and have spent decades doing that. And I’m committed to Shelby County.”
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are, once again, Deadpool and Wolverine.
Ah, the ’90s. If you remember the final decade of the 20th century fondly, odds are, you weren’t there. Sure, the Cold War was over, and we had world peace, except for little stuff like the Gulf War, the Bosnian and Rwandan genocides, the First Chechen War, and some other minor slaughters. The economy was good, unless you happened to graduate into the early 1990s recession that followed the Gulf War. Bill Clinton was elected president in 1992 to the tune of Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow),” ending 12 years of Reaganite political domination. Except that Clinton governed like Republican Lite, expanding the War on Drugs and the carceral state. As a reward, Newt Gingrich impeached him.
The kids’ response to the Clintonian utopia was a resounding “whatever.” The 1990s began in the spring of 1989 when Heathers made its brief theatrical run. Winona Ryder’s devastating deadpan sarcasm became the coin of cool. If Douglas Copeland’s novel Generation X gave us a name, Richard Linklater’s indie film Slacker gave us what passed for an ethos. The newly formed Comedy Central’s flagship show was Mystery Science Theater 3000, where robots made fun of “cheesy” movies in space. Sincerity was passé. Snark reigned supreme.
In the comic book world, the ’90s were the worst of times. Marvel tried to freshen up their product with young talent like artist Rob Liefeld (now notorious for his obsession with pouches, which made his characters look like walking cargo shorts) and writer Fabian Nicieza, who created Deadpool. In superhero comics, everything is deadly serious. World-saving is a regular event. Only Deadpool doesn’t keep up the kayfabe. As the only character in the Marvel universe who knows he’s in a comic book, he frequently broke the fourth wall, looking directly at the reader and making snarky comments about the action. Yes, this whole superhero trip is ridic, Deadpool says, but we both know it, and I’ve already got your money, so let’s have fun with it.
The Age of Snark lasted until the mid-’00s, when The New Sincerity and Poptimism arrived with the millennials. The new young people were sick of the old young people’s bullshit. Thus it has always been, and will be again.
The rise of the New Sincerity corresponded neatly with the cinematic superhero onslaught. Marvel, struggling to survive, sold the rights to their crown jewels to Twentieth Century Fox in 1994. It took until 2000 for X-Men to finally hit the screen. The somber, self-serious adventure was a huge hit, and made a star out of Aussie song-and-dance man Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine, the coolest X-Man. Deadpool, whose X-Force super-team was included in the Marvel/Fox deal, was introduced in the 2008 spinoff X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Played by Ryan Reynolds, he was just another glum, violent superguy. Then, Marvel sold its B-team The Avengers to Disney, and Iron Man exploded in 2008. As Marvel stole their lunch money, the X-Men films descended into morose nonsense, and Ryan Reynolds was given free rein to get snarky with Deadpool in 2016.
Now, Disney owns Twentieth Century Fox, and their oh-so-sincere Marvel Cinematic Universe, having nearly destroyed the film industry with the magnitude of its success, is passé. Deadpool to the rescue! He’s snarky like you, fellow teenagers!
Deadpool & Wolverine tries to rise above the Marvel muck by diving into the deep end of the lore pool. It’s not about the history of these characters. Hugh Jackman’s poignant swan song as old man Wolverine in Logan is erased and mocked in the cold open, when Deadpool brutally murders agents of the Time Variance Authority (TVA) with pieces of Wolvie’s adamantium skeleton. No, this film is about the business history of the characters, and brand positioning for future exploitation. Deadpool and Wolverine are banished by the TVA to The Void, where comic book characters who have been discarded by the poptomist machine sit in limbo. There are many cameos by former superhero actors showing up for a paycheck. I won’t spoil the “fun” by telling you who they are, except to say that Daredevil Ben Affleck apparently has all the money he needs.
But, a meta hero needs a meta movie. The Disney brass is celebrating the success of Deadpool & Wolverine as the redemption of the MCU business model. Don’t be so sure. Is it good when the only way you can juice sales is by making fun of your own product with ultraviolent gay jokes? Isn’t getting snarky about Marvel movies my job?
Oh well, at least the fake-ass New Sincerity is truly and finally dead. Long live snark! Or not. Whatever.
Deadpool & Wolverine Now playing Multiple locations
Photo: Memphis Area Transit Authority via Facebook
The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) is working to improve the safety experience for both passengers and drivers, while also working to engage with local law enforcement on safety preventions.
Keith Watson, chief safety and security officer, presented his first safety assessment at the agency’s recent board of commissioners meeting, and said upon his presentation he looked at several areas within MATA such as the safety risk management combined with their “best practices.”
Watson said the organization is split into two categories: fixed route operations and rail operations. Fixed route operations are those that occur on the “surface” on roadways of the city, while rail operations are “more regulated” than the fixed routes.
When looking at the rail operations, Watson concluded there were 31 corrective action plans (CAPS) from 2020 to 2023 for MATA. He said these are plans to address risk factors identified as a result of accidents or other safety incidents. Watson and his team were able to address these plans and reduce the number to 11 for August 2024.
In terms of fixed route operations, some of the areas that MATA identified for extra inspection were the GPS reporting and radio systems that are on each bus called “EQUANS.” Watson said these provide location reporting and time point placement.
“We talk about on-time performance, and I’ve heard many of my colleagues mention that some of the time points were not properly reporting to EQUAN. We’ve been working through that,” Watson said.
He added that they plan to invite EQUAN to their meeting so they can have a “grassroot understanding of the things that are happening for their overall safety and locating of [their] buses.”
Some other observations made to evaluate fixed route operations were facility and infrastructure inspections, route assessment, fire safety and evacuation practices, and safety prevention campaigns.
“We must remain consistent on those particular programs and engaging with our employees to have a safety culture over the overall system,” Watson said.
This ushered in a conversation on crime activity at their transit centers located on Main Street (William Hudson Transit Center), American Way, and Airways. Larceny and simple assault were the only crimes reported at all three locations and accounted for many of the offenses compared to disorderly conduct, robbery, and trespassing to name a few.
“Hudson Center, for the year, is reported with most incidents with Airways coming in at a close second,” Watson said.
He added that only some crimes make it to “paper” via their reporting center. Watson said he believed there were 94 reports made, with operator and passenger disputes accounting for 40 of those.
“Those disputes usually stem from bus arrival/departure times, location of the bus pickups, and some personal preferences on where a passenger would like to get off outside of the revenue lane,” Watson said.
MATA has also been reviewing security footage to look for individuals that could pose a threat to the transit experience by committing crimes that are “punishable by state or federal law.” They’ve begun the process of placing “Be On The Look Out” flyers while also engaging with security contractors and local law enforcement.
The presentation closed with an overview of their safety performance in crashes where 51 percent were non-preventable, and 49 percent were preventable. A majority of these crashes involved fixed objects, with sideswiping coming in second.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has called a recent ruling against technology corporation Google a “big win” for the state.
On Monday Judge Amit Mehta of the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia “ruled that Google violated federal antitrust law,” a statement from Skrmetti’s office said. The lawsuit was originally filed on behalf of several states including Tennessee in October 2020.
Skrmetti said his office was part of the trial team that “proved Google is an illegal monopolist.” These members included J. David McDowell, Chris Dunbar, Austin Ostiguy, and Tyler Corcoran.
“After having carefully considered and weighed the witness testimony and evidence, the court reaches the following conclusion: Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly. It has violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act,” court documents said.
The court ruled that the tech company specifically violated Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act on the grounds of “monopolization of their search and advertising business.” It acknowledged that search engines make money through digital advertisements, and that Google has dominated the market “for more than 15 years.”
“Google’s dominance has gone unchallenged for well over a decade,” documents said. “In 2009 80 percent of search queries in the United States already went through Google. By 2020, it was nearly 90 percent and even higher on mobile devices at almost 95 percent.”
Documents said Google has a major advantage over search engines such as Bing through default search engines or “search widgets.” The courts also said Google pays large amounts of money to secure “preloaded defaults” with browser developers, mobile device manufacturers, and wireless carriers.
The company argued that users choose their service over others because of their performance, and that they pre-load their browsers onto products such as Apple and Android for affordability. They also argued that due to the competitive nature of search-engine sites “barriers to entry are not as high as Plaintiffs claim.”
“We will continue to work alongside our AG partners and the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division to protect consumers from Google’s anticompetitive conduct,” Skrmetti said.
United States Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said this is a historic win for the American people, and that this “landmark decision holds Google accountable.”
“No company — no matter how large or influential — is above the law. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce our antitrust laws,” Garland said in a statement.
Google released a statement attributed to Kent Walker, president of Google’s global affairs, on X (formerly known as Twitter) saying the decision “recognizes that Google offers the best search engine, but concludes we shouldn’t be allowed to make it easily available.”
Walker said he appreciated the court acknowledging the trust that Google has garnered from consumers and that it is “superior” to rivals such as Apple and Mozilla.
“Given this, and that people are increasingly looking for information in more and more ways, we plan to appeal. As this process continues, we will remain focused on making products that people find helpful and easy to use,” Walker said.
Since the St. Louis Cardinals last played in the World Series (2013), the franchise has suited up six prospects of the “can’t miss” variety. These are the future stars who become centerpieces in annual postseason runs. Alas, the six players share two distinct similarities: each has played for the Memphis Redbirds, and each has, in fact, missed.
Oscar Taveras was the Cardinals’ Minor League Player of the Year with Double-A Springfield in 2012. By the time he suited up for Memphis in 2013, Taveras was the second-ranked prospect in all of baseball. A line-drive machine from the left side of the plate, Taveras battled injuries over two seasons with the Redbirds, but still hit .306 over 46 games in 2013 and .318 over 62 games before being promoted to St. Louis in 2014. He hit a game-tying home run in the only game St. Louis would win in the 2014 National League Championship Series, then died with his girlfriend in a car accident two weeks later. Taveras was intoxicated behind the wheel.
Michael Wacha needed only 15 games at the Triple-A level to convince the Cardinals he was ready for a big-league rotation. After posting a 2.65 ERA for Memphis in 2013, Wacha joined St. Louis and came within an out of no-hitting the Washington Nationals in only his ninth major-league start. He earned MVP honors in the 2013 NLCS, twice beating the Dodgers and not allowing a run in 13 innings. He battled injuries but remained a part of the Cardinals’ rotation for six years, winning 17 games in 2015. Since departing as a free agent after the 2019 season, Wacha has pitched for five different clubs. Now with the Kansas City Royals, he’s four wins shy of 100 for his career.
Alex Reyes was the Cardinals’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2015 at the tender age of 21. He struck out 93 hitters in only 65 innings for Memphis in 2016 before a late-season promotion to St. Louis, where he posted a 1.57 ERA over 46 innings. But Reyes only pitched in 20 games over the next four years, sidelined by one significant arm injury after another. He made the National League All-Star team as a closer in 2021, a season he topped for the Cardinals with 29 saves. But he hasn’t thrown a pitch since surrendering a walk-off homer in a wild-card loss to the Dodgers to end that season.
Jack Flaherty was the Cardinals’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2017 when he helped the Redbirds to a Pacific Coast League championship by going 7-2 with a 2.74 ERA over 15 starts. He was a certified big-league ace two years later, posting a 2.75 ERA and the most strikeouts (231) in a season for St. Louis since Hall of Famer Bob Gibson retired in 1975. But by 2023, Flaherty was a trade piece, going to Baltimore in return for current Redbirds infielder Cesar Prieto.
Dylan Carlson was the Cardinals’ Minor League Player of the Year in 2019 when he hit .361 over 18 games with Memphis after a September promotion from Springfield. He lost what would have been a full season at Memphis to the 2020 pandemic, but still took over right field in St. Louis in 2021. Carlson finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting that season after hitting .266 with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs. But injuries have diminished his production. Carlson batted .198 over 59 games this season before the Cardinals traded him to Tampa Bay last week.
It’s unfair to include 22-year-old Jordan Walker among this group of fallen stars, but you can’t help but wonder (if not worry) with Walker posting pedestrian numbers (.252, 7 home runs through Sunday) against Triple-A pitching after leading the Cardinals with a .276 average a year ago. Prospects are fun to rank and track as they rapidly climb the minor-league ladder. But sustainable success in the big leagues remains the goal. And for a franchise now more than a decade removed from its last National League pennant, “can’t miss” must be reconsidered.
Memphis popper Brezay‘s latest “Lights Out” gets the party started with this video from BLM Productions.
Haley Ivey’s punk incarnation Little Baby Tendencies doesn’t have a formal music video yet, but the Southern Punk Archive captured them in action at the Hi-Tone last year. Buckle in for 25 scorching minutes.
Suroor Hassan likewise hasn’t made a music video to accompany her hyperpop shenanigans, but this video, captured by Graham Burke at Black Lodge, sees Hassan performing an experimental piece with W1NDOW.
If you’d like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.
This hybrid of live-action and animation is a riff on the classic children’s book by Crockett Johnson. Harold (Zachary Levi), the boy with the purple crayon that makes the things he draws come to life, is all grown up now. But when a stranger named Gary (Jamie Clement) gets a hold of a piece of the magic marker, and decides to use the power for evil, Harold must reclaim his childhood imagination. Also starring Zoey Descahnel and Alfred Molina.
Trap
Admiral Ackbar stars as the head of a Rebel space fleet who realizes his attack on the second Death Star has led the fleet into an elaborate trap set by the Emperor. Just kidding. This is some kind of M. Night Shyamalan twist movie about a friendly serial killer (Josh Hartnett) who takes his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a concert by pop star Lady Raven (M. Night’s actual daughter Saleka Shyamalan), only to find out it’s an elaborate trap set by the police.
Deadpool and Wolverine
Half a billion dollars in worldwide box office can’t be wrong!
Actually, yes, it can be quite wrong. But this Ryan Reynolds/Hugh Jackman buddy cop comedy in tights is a crowd pleaser. OK, fine, I’ll go see it. Jeez, get off my back already.
Cruising
The Crosstown Arts Film Series presents the infamous William Friedkin film from 1980. Al Pacino stars as NYPD Detective Steve Burns, who goes undercover in New York’s leather daddy scene to find a serial killer targeting gay men. But while Burns slowly begins to see past his own homophobia, his fellow police officers refuse to take the deadly crime wave seriously. Cruising screens Thursday, August 8 at Crosstown Theater.
