Tony Manard
A screen grab from Tony Manard’s video ‘Fool from Memphis.’
Music Video Monday is bringing the hometown love today.
Here at MVM, we celebrate Memphis musicians and filmmakers. But rarely have we seen a more Memphis-y video than Tony Manard’s “Fool From Memphis”.
“I grew up in Memphis,” says the singer/songwriter. “I have lived here all of my life. I had the verses about all the fun I had growing up here and the good times I had with my knucklehead friends. I was preparing for a songwriter night and started thinking about the most Memphis thing that had ever happened to me. I came up with the time I saw a wrestling match at the intermission of a monster truck show. It’s not the Chamber-of-Commerce version of Memphis, but it’s mine.”
Manard calls this song from his new album, Thanks, Y’all, “about the most Memphis thing I have ever made.” Indeed, where else can you hear a song that waxes nostalgic about seeing an axe-handle fight in West Memphis?
Here’s how Manard describes the making of the video:
“My buddy Jeremy Speakes provided the Downtown and Coliseum drone shots. Sean Davis gave me permission to use great stuff from his ‘Slow Memphis’ YouTube channel.
“My buddy Steve Blurton hooked me up with footage from Riverside Speedway. The guys from the Heavy Weight Chumps podcast set me up with access to a wrestling ring in Pontotoc before an ICW bout. The Midnight Rooster Antoine Curtis, Gio Savage, and Nico Dantzler showed me how to take a bump in the ring and helped me fulfill a childhood fantasy of doing some sick moves.
“My son and Big Ole Band keyboard man Vinnie Manard manned the camera while daughter Chessie, and Nancy Apple mercifully distracted from the sight of me in wrestling tights.
“Big thanks to Jerry Fargo for agreeing to be in the video and teaching me the Fargo strut! Josh McLane was the perfect angry chef at the HiTone kitchen.
“We finished it up with a gathering at Central BBQ to watch some of our Big Ole Band brothers play in the Late Greats bluegrass band.”
Music Video Monday: Tony Manard and the Big Ole Band
If you would like to see your music video on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com