The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development has produced a new video promoting Memphis as a music tourism destination. The video features Knoxville indie rockers, The Black Cadillacs, exploring Memphis music destinations — Stax, Sun Studios, St. Blues Guitars, Beale Street, and others.
The premise is that the band is search of inspiration for a new song, which they end up recording at Ardent Studios. The 10-minute film is well done and might even make you swell with pride a little.
Though it doesn’t much matter down here in the land of hoops and SEC football, around much of the country, people are excited that the National Hockey League playoffs are about to start.
As a former denizen of Yankeeland and a diehard fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, I post this photo, the ultimate example of what was known in the ’80s and ’90s as “hockey hair.” This is Jaromir Jagr, circa 1993.
And for comparison’s sake, I’m also posting this picture of my friend Herman’s dog. Mocha, circa 2015.
Who wore it better?
Citing opposition from a “very vocal group of folks in America,” state Representative John DeBerry of Memphis has tabled HBO566, which would have allowed student counselors at public institutions to refuse to offer mental health services to clients for reasons of religious belief. DeBerry added that he had “been here long enough to know when a piece of legislation is not going to move.”
Dubbed the “Mini-Indy” bill by its opponents, the bill “prohibits public institutions of higher education from disciplining or discriminating against a student in a counseling, social work, or psychology program because the student refuses to counsel or serve a client as to goals, outcomes, or behaviors that conflict with a sincerely held religious belief of the student.”
It’s a blow to the Tennessee Legislature, which is obviously trying hard to keep up with the homophobes in Indiana, Arkansas, and elsewhere. DeBerry’s bill also demonstrates that stupidity and mindless bigotry is not limited to one party or race.
I hope his constituents in Memphis are monitoring this foolishness. I know I am. Here’s his office email link if you’d like to let DeBerry know how you feel.
This is ripe for a punchline. Give it your best, er, shot in the comments.
A new Gallup analysis of the gay populations of the nation’s 50 largest cities ranks Memphis 48th.
San Francisco, perhaps not surprisingly, ranked first, with a gay population of 6.2 percent. Memphis came in at 3.1 percent gay, ranking ahead of only Pittsburgh and Birmingham.
The survey is outllned and explained thoroughly in a terrific piece from the New York Times’ blog The Upshot.
Nationwide, Gallup says, 3.6 percent of adults consider themselves gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Gallup’s numbers are based on surveys of 374,325 adults across the 50 largest metropolitan areas, conducted between June 2012 and December 2014. Biggest surprise in the survey? Salt Lake City, which ranks as the seventh-most gay city.
The Wall Street Journal just dropped a story online about investment firm Cushman & Wakefield’s annual report. The primary focus of the piece was the fact that the U.S. has regained its spot as the world’s biggest real estate market. Yay, us.
But more interesting, at least to Memphians, was C&W’s assessment “that the top markets offering ‘the right live/work/play environment’ for millennials were Nashville, Brooklyn, Portland, and Memphis.” That’s pretty heady company. All that craft beer and music cred and affordable downtown housing is starting to pay off, apparently.
I say, buy now, while prices are still low. I read it in the Wall Street Journal.
Hundreds of friends, colleagues, family, and fans of the recently departed David Millar, better known in these parts as Zeke Logan, gathered at the Germantown Performing Arts Center Sunday afternoon for a three-hour celebration of his life.
Ron Childers served as the emcee, introducing a number of speakers, including the Rev. Kenneth Whalum, Mayor AC Wharton, Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzola, novelist Ace Atkins, Councilman Shea Flinn, Zeke’s long-time radio partner, Drake Hall, and his close friend J.T. Novarese. Musician and friend John Kilzer played several songs, including a slow and poignant rendering of the Beatles tune, “Help.”
There was lots of humor, lots of heartfelt praise, and lots of words honoring Zeke’s unique sense of humor and his zest for living a full life. He was a well-traveled “bon vivant,” as he once labeled himself to Novarese. “That means ‘fancy,'” Novarese joked. Millar leaves behind two children — Zach and Piper — and his wife, Lori.
Cited by many at the gathering as “larger than life,” his passing leaves a big hole in the Memphis community. He will be missed.
To help with the family’s medical expenses, go to gofundme.com/zekelogan.
Well, this weather’s not all bad. It does offer some opportunities for fun. Like this: Chris Eure and Miguel Sulbaran went urban snowboarding on Beale Street, Monday.
It’s well known that Memphis’ premier bass fisherman and outdoor TV personality, Bill Dance, is good friends with Bass Pro CEO Johnny Morris. Dance was around in November to tag along with Morris when the media were given a tour of the progress being made inside the big, pointy bait-shop.
Now, in what appears to be a video made more recently, Dance takes us on a tour from the soon-to-be swampy bottom to the spectacular view from the top. If all goes according to schedule, you’ll be able to take your own tour — and shop to your heart’s delight — beginning May 1.
The good folks at the Google sent us an interesting summary of the things that Memphis, well, googled in the past year. Here’s what they told us …
This morning, Google released its 14th annual Year in Search–an in-depth look at the stories, people, and topics that captured the world’s attention this year. Our 2014 Year in Search Website provides hundreds of top-10 lists from 72 countries.
Google also looked at the most popular local terms searched in various cities and states. Below please find the Top Trending Searches and News/Events for your State’s city and the Top Trending Questions that Memphis, TN needed to know (they were chosen as the Tennessee city because it’s the largest sample size).
Top-10 trending Searches in Memphis:
1. Ebola
2. Robin Williams
3. World Cup
4. Black Friday 2014
5. Joan Rivers
6. Philip Seymour Hoffman
7. Flappy Bird
8. Tracy Morgan
9. Donald Sterling
10. Ray Rice
Top-10 trending news events for Memphis:
1. Ebola
2. Black Friday 2014
3. World Cup 2014
4. Ferguson
5. Thanksgiving 2014
6. Super Bowl 2014
7. Oscars 2014
8. Labor Day 2014
9. Isis
10. Malaysia Airlines
Top-10 trending people searches for Memphis:
1. Robin Williams
2. Joan Rivers
3. Philip Seymour Hoffman
4. Tracy Morgan
5. Maya Angelou
6. Donald Sterling
7. James Avery
8. Solange Knowles
9. August Alsina
10. Paul George
Top-10 Trending “What is…” questions for Memphis:
1. What is euthanasia?
2. What is corian?
3. What is temperament?
4. What is tryptophan?
5. What is love?
6. What is pico?
7. What is DSL?
8. What is versitis?
9. What is Easter?
10. What is diverticulutis?
Top-10 trending “How To…” questions for Memphis:
1. How to twerk
2. How to whistle
3. How to swim
4. How to weld
5. How to sing
6. How to twerk
7. How to sandbox
8. How to knit
9. How to pronounce