Tag: Thaddeus Matthews

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Politics Politics Feature

An Improbable Man

Thaddeus Matthews (Photo: Wikimedia Commons via YouTube | Shawn Prez)

Perhaps the most surprising news to come from the revelation Monday of the death of the pastor/broadcaster/activist/firebrand Thaddeus Matthews was that Matthews had long had his own Wikipedia page, a mark of temporal renown that has eluded many another ambitious and outwardly more seemly Memphians.

In advance of his passing at the age of 66, the much-consulted online biography service had included Matthews as “‘The Cussing Pastor,’ … an American pastor and broadcaster, who gained popularity for using profanity in his preaching.” And it went on to cite several examples of Matthews’ notoriety in that regard, including an Instagram video entitled “I Don’t Give a Shit Saturday,” which ended up being sampled in a song by the rapper/DJ Madlib.

Anyone who followed the ups and downs of Matthews’ local activity would surely regard that as pretty tame stuff. In his various guises, including a self-produced streaming video service that was the guilty secret of many a local pol-watcher, Matthews forsook any and all niceties in his characterizations of whomever he happened to be feuding with — and that would include many an unlucky political celebrity, including W.W. Herenton, the city’s former mayor for almost two decades.  

For a lengthy spell, Matthews devoted himself to daily fulminations against the mayor and basically appointed himself unofficial chairman of a variety of madcap efforts to have Herenton impeached, recalled, tarred and feathered, or, one way or another, turned out of office. 

None of that had much relation to anything realistic, of course, but it surely had nuisance value and went on for quite a while until Mayor Herenton hit upon the remedy for all this vituperation: He took out paid advertising on Matthews’ show, and that was enough to change his profile overnight into that of a heroic champion of the people.

Much has been made in recent years of the prevalence of “bogus ballots,” broadsheets that would turn up in an election year, featuring endorsements of political candidates who had paid this or that publisher for the privilege.

Thaddeus Matthews, on his broadcast show, was that sort of thing, writ large. You paid up, or else.

And a select few of his declared enemies could count on being the subjects of a barrage of scatological and obscene accusations that knew no bounds.

For all that, and despite brushes with the law for such things as harassment of girlfriends and putting pornography on the air, Matthews developed something of a reputation in political circles as a scoop artist. He knew where a lot of bodies were buried.

He could even turn the tables on himself. Even after the onset of his final illness, he allegedly self-posted a video showing himself deep-throating a dildo.

Thaddeus Matthews was an American original, and Wikipedia didn’t know the half of it. 

• It is a well-worn fact that state Senator Brent Taylor took on two primary named adversaries in his self-serving vendetta against the local law enforcement establishment (aka “Make Memphis Matter”) — General Sessions Court Judge Bill Anderson and Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy.

It therefore becomes something of an irony that Anderson, who has been forced into early retirement at least partially due to Taylor’s nonstop attacks, will be succeeded on the bench by a Mulroy protege, his former University of Memphis law student Taylor Bachelor, who has been serving as an assistant DA and on Monday was named to Anderson’s former position by a vote of the Shelby County Commission.

Mulroy’s take: “We considered her quite the catch. She’s been on board for about six or eight months or so, working in the gangs-and-drug unit. I’m sorry to lose her, but I’m happy for her. It’s always nice when a former student makes good.”

• After years of attempting delays, former state Senator Brian Kelsey has surrendered and is serving a federal prison term for his conviction on campaign finance violations. 

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Politics Politics Feature

October Surprises

Thaddeus Matthews

A phrase that has attached itself to presidential election years, especially between well-matched candidates struggling to get in the last and best word to the electorate, is “October Surprise.” That’s the name given to an unexpected event that sometimes occurs and sometimes doesn’t, but is always feared by each of the rival candidates.

The October Surprise, so called because it occurs just before the final vote takes place in early November, is sometimes carefully hatched by one of the candidates and sprung against the other. Sometimes it occurs all by itself, without any obvious prompting or advance management.

The late announcement in 2016 by FBI director James Comey that his agency was reopening its investigation of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s emails was an October Surprise. So was Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The one circumstance benefited Donald Trump, the other Barack Obama, the then-president whose emergency efforts were enabled thereby to come to the fore.

In the case of this week’s county election, one could speak of both a late July Surprise or an early August Surprise — both affecting the crucial and hard-fought race for district attorney general. The first was the brutal hijacking murder a week before last of beloved local pastor Autura Eason-Williams. The second was a controversy over the call-in appearance by incumbent GOP DA Amy Weirich, via Facebook and YouTube, on the talk show of “shock jock” Thaddeus Matthews.

The murder, committed by a 15-year-old who had been the beneficiary of a restorative-justice program, fed directly and unexpectedly into the ongoing debate between Weirich and Democratic opponent Steve Mulroy over the pros and cons of transferring violent youthful offenders to adult criminal court. An issue that had been discussed in statistical, largely hypothetical terms — with Weirich taking the hard line and Mulroy a reformist view — suddenly became very real and very concrete. It is fair to say that determining the right legal response proved a difficult task not only for the two candidates but for members of the deceased’s family and for on-the-fence voters as well.

Was Weirich’s discussion of the state’s new truth-in-sentencing law with Matthews, who is the subject of ongoing prosecutions by her office, as seen both on Facebook and on YouTube, an open-and-shut case of conflict of interest, as charged by Mulroy? Or, was it, as Matthews maintains, a simple matter of venting an informed view on a matter of public interest?

One thing is certain: Both of these circumstances could have had a seismic effect, whether small or large, and in whatever direction, on the outcome of a race which, in the well-established jargon of pol-watching, had been too close to call.

• One of the most unusual — and in many ways most endearing — endorsements administered during the run-up to the August 4th election occurred at a fundraiser back in July on behalf of David Pool, a judicial magistrate seeking to become the judge of Criminal Court, Division 6, otherwise known as felony drug court.

Before an audience including at least a score of other candidates for various offices at the East Memphis home of Dr. Kishore Arcot, Pool was steadfastly making his case. “What do you want in a Criminal Court judge?” he asked his audience rhetorically, then began dutifully listening to some of the likely answers to such a question: experience, dedication, knowledge of the law, etc., etc. Until he was stopped cold by an outburst from one of the several rows of listeners seated nearby.

“Cute!” came a loud and enthusiastic voice. “Cute!” the voice repeated. “That’s what we want!” As the stunned audience beamed in surprise, the even more surprised Pool, a performing musician in his spare time, bounded over to where fellow lawyer and supporter Ellen Fite was sitting and gave her an appreciative hug. Then, he walked back to where he’d been talking and there, sober as a judge, resumed his remarks and his recitation of judicial attributes, to the group at large.

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Politics Politics Beat Blog

Of Numbers and Needles in Haystacks


Fundraising and the spending that it enables are important aspects of political campaigns. This has especially been the case in the heated contest for Shelby County District Attorney General between Republican incumbent Amy Weirich and Democratic challenger Steve Mulroy. 

Claims  concerning the respective campaign kitties have risen to the fore lately in several public ways. The subject has figured in debates, in news analyses, and in TV attack ads.

A recent issue of The Tennessee Journal, a prestigious statewide political weekly, recently published breakdowns of the money raised and spent by both candidates. 

The Journal gave Weirich’s fundraising totals for the 2nd quarter of the year as $130,400, her spending for the period as $240,400, and her cash on hand as $361,000. Mulroy’s 2nd quarter receipts were given as $279,000, his spending as $194,000 and his cash on hand as $159,000.

In either case, that ain’t hay.

But a discrepancy of sorts has arisen. In a debate between the two at a Kiwanis Club luncheon two weeks ago, Weirich made the declaration, “I don’t have any out-of-state donors, and I’m very proud of that fact.” Days later, as a counterpoint, a TV ad appeared in which her campaign made much of the fact that Mulroy had received substantial out-of-state contributions.

She evidently was in error. The Journal’s breakdown of her receipts assigned $1,600 of it (the equivalent of one maxed-out private donor) as coming from out of state.

And the Mulroy campaign has done its own breakdown of out-of-state contributions to the Weirich campaign and arrayed the results in a spreadsheet showing 17 contributions from a total of 10 separate donors in the states of Arkansas, California, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Oregon. The contributors include retired people, heads of businesses, and, in at least one case, an apparent relative. Their contributions bridge the incumbent DA’s primary and general campaign, in amounts ranging from $125 to $1,600. And they total $13,200.

Basically, this is a needle in the totality of her somewhat voluminous campaign haystack. But it’s not $1,600. And it’s not zero.

Interesting. But not as much so, all things considered, as the revelation (in the Daily Memphian) that Weirich — whose office is prosecuting  controversial media shock jock Thaddeus Matthews, the “Cussin’ Pastor,” for various misdemeanors — was a recent interviewee on Matthews’ talk show and calls him “Buddy.”

Newswise, that’s not zero, either.

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News The Fly-By

MEMernet: Naked Running Man, Witchcraft Rituals on LetGo

A round-up of Memphis on the World Wide Web.

Pastor Who?

An alleged sex tape of Arkansas pastor David Wilson exploded hilariously all over Twitter Friday.

Memphis got pulled into the party as many mistook him for talk show host Thaddeus Matthews. But one internet sleuth solved the crossover calamity with a side-by-side comparison of Matthews (left) and Wilson (right).

Posted to Twitter by Nicator.

Tenne-Kong

Reddit user vexillology posted this modified Tennessee state flag to show support for Hong Kong last week.

Results may vary

LetGo is a digital yard sale app for old mowers, rims, and smartphones. Last week, you could also find “witchcraft rituals for various things” in a post by Michael Bock.

“Need a boost of luck?” reads the post. “Need some healing energy? Need that promotion? My coven will gladly help in any way we can. Results may vary.”

Naked Running Man

Nextdoor boiled over Sunday with a report of a “naked man running down Madison Ave.”

“New TV show: Buff City Law,” wrote a Nextdoor user.

Categories
News News Blog

Thaddeus Matthews Intensifies Attack on Candidate in Homophobic Tirade

CREDIT: Davin Clemons/Facebook

Davin Clemons/Facebook

Talk show host Thaddeus Matthews ratcheted up his attack of a Memphis City Council candidate in another homophobic scree on his podcast.

On his show Monday, Thaddeus Matthews targeted Davin Clemons, who is running for the council’s District 6 seat. If he wins, Clemons will be the council’s first openly gay member.

On his show Wednesday and Thursday, Matthews unleashed a hateful torrent against Clemons, the Memphis Police Department’s LGBTQ liaison.

The LGBTQ Victory Fund, a national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office, has been monitoring Matthews’ attacks on Clemons closely.

The group said that during the show Matthews repeatedly calls Clemons a “wife.”

“The man running for office is the wife, right?” Matthews asks someone off-screen.

Matthews’ language gets more explicit as his show wears on. In an exchange with an irate caller, Matthews says, “You a dick-in-the-ass bitch. Now, be quiet.”

“Are you fucking, uh, pardon me, are you screwing Davin Clemons? You seem concerned,” Matthews said to another caller. “I’m going to hang up on you because you won’t listen. That’s what you faggots do. You like to run your damn mouth.”

Matthews goes on to attack Clemons’ mother, his husband, and the “gay agenda.”

Much later in the show, Matthews notes that his words are “not an attack on homosexuals.”

The LGBTQ Victory Fund compiled Matthews homophobic statements here. This week, they called Matthews’ earlier attack on Clemons “cringe-worthy” and “insidious.”

This year is not, of course, the first time Matthews has spoken out against homosexuals. In 2011, he disparaged then-city-council-candidate Lee Harris with homophobic slurs.

“Is Lee Harris a faggot?” Matthews asked his listeners in 2011.

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News

Thaddeus-izing Content in State Government

CREDIT: jb

This week’s meeting in Nashville of the legislature’s Joint Study Committee on Open Government invoked a new standard for issues involving the new state ombudsman’s office, which is charged with upholding the rights of citizens to access governmental data.

According to The Tennessee Journal, state Comptroller John Morgan, who will oversee the new ombudsman “said he didn’t want the ombudsman to get involved in disputes involving the media, since these organizations usually have the resources to deal with recalcitrant public officials on their own.”

That didn’t faze Lucien Pera, The Commercial Appeal‘s lawyer and a panel member representing the Tennessee Press Association. Pera “argued that small town papers might not be able to afford a legal fight and questioned how the office would deal with bloggers such as Thaddeus Matthews in Memphis.”

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Opinion

The Repo Man and the Poet

Thaddeus Matthews is a Memphis minister and car repo man with no journalism training. The comments he writes and posts on his blog (thaddeusmatthews.com) often run roughshod over the rules of grammar, spelling, civility, and good taste.

Richard Thompson is a poet, English teacher, and veteran print journalist who says he was fired last year by The Commercial Appeal (editor Chris Peck says he resigned). His blog (mediaverse-memphis.blogspot.com) is as carefully spell-checked, sourced, and edited as many mainstream newspapers.

The burly Matthews, 49, and the soft-spoken Thompson, 34, have this in common: They’re on the outside looking in but they both have a nose for news and some dedicated readers. They’re willing to put in long hours at their computers for little or no money. They’re part of the growing legion of Internet-savvy citizen journalists that was a focus of the National Conference for Media Reform that brought 3,500 activists to Memphis last week. And there are indications that they’re having some success.

Matthews — coincidentally, he says — started his blog a few weeks before Operation Tennessee Waltz broke in May 2005. His menu of gossip, rumor, misinformation, name-calling, and scoops about corruption and “poli-trick-ans” has won him a readership he estimates at 800 or more, including several journalists and public officials, among them U.S. attorney David Kustoff.

Thompson’s specialty is reporters and the media, a surefire way to capture the attention of people attuned to anyone who might be stealing their bacon. Both Matthews and Thompson are black in a majority-black city whose print and, to a lesser extent, broadcast media are dominated by white editors, owners, and reporters. For whatever reasons, the CA and Peck took careful note of the media reformers here last week.

Matthews is a Memphis native who broke into radio in 1985 at now-defunct WXSS. “I purchased my time and sold my own ads,” he says. At other stations, he played gospel and blues and hosted talk shows. He is associate minister at Christ United Methodist Church in Whitehaven and preaches regularly, although he says he is not paid.

“Express Yourself,” a show he was involved with at the local ABC-TV affiliate, was about to go off the air in 2005 when a friend introduced Matthews to blogging.

“It’s a forum to put my thoughts out there,” says Matthews, a dreadful speller whose fans don’t seem to mind. “I probably need a proofreader, but most of the stuff I write is off the top of my head.” He does interviews and goes to trials and newsy events because “to do this you have to be out there and part of what is going on. I spend a lot of time I should be spending in the repo business doing reporting.” He doesn’t make money off the blog and has no plans to seriously try, because “people think they can pay you and change your views, and I don’t think you would make enough money to worry about it.”

Thompson is a Montgomery, Alabama, native who came to the CA in 1999 as a business reporter and was sent to cover DeSoto County in 2003. He started blogging “because I wasn’t getting the opportunity to write in the manner I wanted to write.” That included his thoughts about the CA, and that eventually led to his departure. He writes, reads papers, and watches television news six hours a day. His blog is impressively thorough, and borrowings are carefully sourced. “He asked really good questions,” said ABC-24 news director Jim Turpin, whom Thompson recently interviewed. Thompson hopes to develop a premium service for subscribers that will make money in six months.

“Thaddeus has made a name for himself and can no longer be ignored,” he says of his online colleague. “But our real separation comes in terms of focus. It’s not my job to report news or influence public policy. As a trade publication, Mediaverse-Memphis focuses more on internal discussions that shape how news is presented.”

Married to a Jazzercise instructor, Thompson teaches English and is earning a master’s at the University of Memphis. “It’s fair to say,” he says, “I’m making less than I was.”