Memphis Jolly-Up, May 26-30, 2005.

Backslapping time. Well done us. We are fantastic.
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T. Berry Shuffle
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Postby T. Berry Shuffle » 29 May 2005, 00:45

Things are going quite famously. Everyone is gathered at the jollying place except for Fish sadly, arrested last evening for disorderly conduct. Velvis is trying to negotiate his release.

Did Stax today, amazing - went and had soul food afterward. Took the streetcars around Memphis and saw a bit of the area where Mystery Train was filmed.

I'm off to jolly with the others now -more later.
You read that in a book, didn't you?!

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Postby Diamond Dog » 29 May 2005, 09:02

T. Berry Shuffle wrote:Things are going quite famously. Everyone is gathered at the jollying place except for Fish sadly, arrested last evening for disorderly conduct. Velvis is trying to negotiate his release.

Did Stax today, amazing - went and had soul food afterward. Took the streetcars around Memphis and saw a bit of the area where Mystery Train was filmed.

I'm off to jolly with the others now -more later.


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Cocaine

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Postby moonie » 29 May 2005, 16:48

Alright. I can personally confirm that the crew were having a great time when I got a call in at around 9:30 last evening. It was great speaking with the Baron, and again I'm sorry to have missed you guys. Let's start tossing about ideas for the next one soon.

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Postby eelpie62 » 30 May 2005, 04:41

The wife and I just made it back to B-ham and we could hardly have enjoyed ourselves more. It would have been nice to see more of the Chicagoland folks, it was wonderful to meet P-cat, Geoff and Loveless (and spouses and hangers-on) last night. What happened to you guys today? No-shows at Graceland and at the Civil Rights Museum (astounding place, deserves several hours on our next trip to Memphis) and then we had to head home. I hope you're able to hool back up with those remaining in town. Any and all attendees: call me up if you need a place to stay in Birmingham.
A really great group of people and a really fun itinerary of events. I'm crossing my fingers that all the Jolly-comps are as good as T-Berry's and Baron's were. We listened to those on the drive home and loved them both.
Wish we could still be there and hope Yomp has a good trip to N'awlins. Can't wait to see the pictures, we didn't take very many so are depending upon the cameras of others.
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Postby BARON CORNY DOG » 30 May 2005, 04:59

I'm sad to report that I'm back in the suburban wilds of Houston for I'm sure I've missed a swell day -- one I spent in planes and automobiles. Here's my report. I think it'll be a little too exhaustive, but if I don't write it down, I'll forget everything. Thanks for your indulgence.

THURSDAY

The Baroness and I arrived in Little Rock on Thursday and proceeded to drive the 120 miles or so to Memphis, as you do. Judging from the interstate drive through town, there's really not much to Little Rock. I mean, it's the capitol and largest city in that state! Obviously, there's not much going on in Arkansas. I had a Latin teacher who spent some time living in Arkansas. He never said the word without pronouncing it Arkanass. And he said it a lot. Still, I was excited by various rivers, swampy events, leafy rest stops, and lots of rice fields. Baroness less so. West Memphis is pretty desultory. Again, from the interstate it is mainly truck stops. I've done that stretch of drive a few times, but it's been a decade and my memory is bad. It was good to get.

And then you're on the bridge crossing the Mississippi. It's a cool bridge, and there's always something exciting about crossing the river. We exited immediately and made our way to the hotel which was separated from the river only by a park dedicated to the Great Heroes of the Confederate States of America.

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Inside the hotel, the colors in the wallpaper and carpet were busy, engaged in mortal combat, but the rest of the place was nice enough. We set out, walking around and trying to get the general lay of the land. The Baroness was excited to go to the world famous Rendezvous to get some of this so-called Memphis "BBQ." Seeing as how the BBQ joint had a web site, I was suspicious, but it was worth the trip. The place was reasonably funky (although the clientele was not) and the food was interesting. The ribs were served "dry," which is to mean that they're covered in some sort of rub, but no sauce. You also get these little taster cups with some slaw and some beans. And I got ice tea. All the flavors are pretty intense, due to varying degrees of vinegar mayhem. Anyway, the end result is that your taste buds get no relief and it's a little taxing. But I was up for it.

We caught up with the cats at the Flying Saucer. Walking down the street, I saw Yomp loping along and planned to catch up with him, hurling an unexpected epithet or three. But by the time I caught up with him, I had been spotted by the amassed throng of Boners at the door. They seemed suspicious of the place. Pity, I thought. From the looks of it, the Flying Saucer would make a fine place to lamp (web-site ownership notwithstanding ... the no web site rule is transferrable from BBQ to bars). The Baron dug the scene. Some of the great Boner Stars were there -- Sambient (resplendent in cop sunglasses), Livet, the irrepressable (and unmistakeable) T-Berry, T-Brother Seth, and another cat/kitten. Fuckin Goddamn Take_5! Right on! And then there was Yomp -- you couldn't miss the hipster hiding behind the Branson-esque Memphis, TN t-shirt! We moved to some couches and sat and chatted for some a few drinks before de-camping to a restaurant with the T-Berries, Take_5, Livet. The Heartbreak Hotel contingency returned to their part of town.

So we ate around the corner at Automatic Slim's. Hilarity ensued, mainly inspired by the whimsical menu which promised unspecified magical dust in various items (such as the quesadillas). It was one of those joints with a credit in the menu for the lighting designer. The Baroness had tequila. I had Mexican beer -- it wasn't so long after the Rendezvous with the BBQ taste explosion. Everyone else ate, except for take_5, who was a little dispirited with the prospect of some sort of crustacean creation requiring significant surgery prior to consumption. Long after everyone else had conquered their dishes, Take_5 was valiantly soldiering on, dissecting his/her science project and amassing a pile of shells. I mean, the beads of sweat were unmistakeable. Well, the rest of us laughed. A lot.

After that, it's not clear. I think some of us went out to drink some more, but everyone was pretty beat. After retiring to our hotel room, I suggested to the Baroness that we head out to the Lamplighter on Madison. It was out of downtown, heading towards the so-called midtown. Maybe we didn't go out to drink after the meal, because I wouldn't have driven had there been any question about my faculties (apart from the usual ones). Anyway, it was a funky little place out past Sam Philips Studios. When we got there, the bartender (Charlene?) was there, tending to a lone video poker player. The place was a pretty standard tiny dive, but a little extra odd. The proprieter's touch was (apparently) everywhere -- from the doily-ish placemats on the bar (?) to the Renoir poster behind the bar (??). Happily, the gents was utterly squalid. I was surprised because it was 10ish and the place was empty. Eventually some local hipsters sauntered in and ordered cheeseburgers. Charlene shuffled beyond the threshhold of the bar to her kitchen and fired up the stove, cooking cheeseburgers in a cast iron skillet. They smelled good as hell and I should've ordered one. A few other people came and went, all of whom were known by name. There was discussion of a kickball league and some record snob stuff -- the dude was talking about how cool it was working with Teenie. Hodges I presume.

I would've liked to have taken everyone there, but there's the drinkin' and drivin' considerations and the fact that we would've completely taken over the place. And the fact that it was between Bud, Bud Light, and Pabst Blue Ribbon. No likker. Anyway, I recommend it.
take5_d_shorterer wrote:If John Bonham simply didn't listen to enough Tommy Johnson or Blind Willie Mctell, that's his doing.

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Postby BARON CORNY DOG » 30 May 2005, 05:12

eelpie62 wrote:Graceland


How was it?
take5_d_shorterer wrote:If John Bonham simply didn't listen to enough Tommy Johnson or Blind Willie Mctell, that's his doing.

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Postby eelpie62 » 30 May 2005, 05:49

Baron wrote:
eelpie62 wrote:Graceland


How was it?


All in all it was pretty fun, but too expensive ($27 each so $54 for eeltart and myself) and the time it took to see kept us from giving the time that the Civil Rights Museum deserved. It was kind of a "lose-lose" situation: I'd have kicked myself for going to Memphis and not going to Graceland, but I wish I had spent that time at The Lorraine.
Graceland took about 4 hours all total, giving us only 50 minutes for the Civil Rights Museum. It really needed to take about three hours, but that's what the future is for. We're planning to go back next spring when Mr. Slater's Parrot comes to town, we'll cover all the missed bases then.

goldwax wrote:So there was never one big JU session with everyone attending? If not, what came closest?


I believe that everyone from here who was in Memphis this weekend made it to Alfred's in Beale Street last night. That's where we traded cds and drank bunches of beers. It was, again, wonderful to have met so many people who had previously only been avatars and posts here. I'd love to have spent more time with Baron & the Baroness and the Chicago crew. Graceland gathered 13 people, I think that there were about 20 at Alfred's and only 6 made it to the Civil Rights Museum.
It's way too late, I must sleep. I'll post the few pics we took tomorrow.
Last edited by eelpie62 on 30 May 2005, 18:06, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby BARON CORNY DOG » 30 May 2005, 06:35

FRIDAY

Ok, so Friday. We were primed for the drive down to Clarksdale, sixty or seventy something miles south. After some searching, T-Berry and T-Brother Sean found the Heartbreak Hotel and picked up Yomp. We waited with Livet, Take_5, and the Fish. The Fish had arrived on Thursday, but was saving his energy for Friday, so it was the first time I had the pleasure of meeting him. So T-Berry and T-Brother Sean arrived in their cool(er) Impala with Yomp in tow. They picked up a Fish and I followed them with Baroness, Take_5, and Livet in tow on the way to Highway 61.

It was a cool drive down there. Actually, to me, it was amazing and pretty revelatory. Upon leaving Memphis and entering Mississippi, the landscape immediately flattened and spread out with expanses of farm land decorated only by casino billboards. There was some evidence of new construction, surely funded in some way by the casino biz, but there's no escaping the fact that there's just not much going on down there. There's nothing going on down there, the biggest excitement came from improbably large dust devils being whipped up in the fields. We wheeled into Clarksdale, noting the World Famous "Crossroads" on the way in. We followed the T-Berrys into the town proper and on to the museum. I thought the town was pretty cool, and there was more to it than I expected, but Yomp found it a little depressing for his tastes.

The museum isn't much, but it's a reason to go down there and that's good enough. We watched some footage of sundry bluesmen and women (notably, Big Mama Thornton with the electric young Buddy Guy) and moved through the displays. They had rebuilt the cabin Muddy Waters lived in on Stovall Plantation in the middle of the building and there were some guitars (some more notable than others). The gift shop had some cool stuff, but most of it was at least $5 beyond my threshold of pain. Still, we lingered for awhile. I'm currently looking for some of the items on Overstock and Amazon. Is that so wrong? Mainly, I spotted reissues of the "Juke Joint" photo book that supplies the cover to Lucinda W's Car Wheels record. I was opining that it was out of print and ridiculously expensive at which point I noticed they had paperback copies then and there. Still, $35.

Clarksdale was more than I expected. Perhaps that's largely due to T-Berry's suggested trip to the Riverside Hotel. I will leave the telling of that story to others and to pictures that are sure to be forthcoming. It is already one of the most-referenced events of the weekend.Here is a good rundown of what's really going on over there. To be short, T-Berry was telling us what it was all about after we pulled up. He couldn't have known it, but, no matter what he may have read, the term "Boarding House" used in reference to the Riverside Hotel is not welcome by the proprieter. After extensive corrections (despite the obvious fact that if ever there were a "boarding house," this would be it) we went inside. I'll leave the rest to the rest of y'all who were there, but "Rat" is very generous with his time and we were lucky to get out of there by sundown. To be honest, I think I pretty much knew what we were in for from the time he took us inside. It was a trip. There was a priceless clipping from JFK Jr.'s visit down there. The headline? "I Had Fun."

The Hotel took longer than we expected, so we found some BBQ by the crossroads, had a pretty cool lunch, and went out for some photography. I had the BBQ sandwich. The Baroness (with memories of un-ordered cheeseburgers from the night before in her mind) had a cheeseburger. After convincing the waitress she really wanted "everything" on it, she received a cheeseburger absolutely slathered in mayo (and a few other things). After initial trepidation, she reported it was fantastic. My BBQ sandwich was lackluster in the beginning, but got better and better. Yomp entertained the crowd, holding forth with his reflections on Mississippi. We all relived the Riverside Hotel experience several times.

After photo ops by the crossroads were exploited to the fullest extent possible and Livet closed her deal with the devil, we returned to Memphis. Our car was pretty sleepy, but after some time, Take_5 came to life to hold forth on various theories and arguments, as he/she does.

Everybody was pretty wiped out, so we adjourned to reconvene after a little while. I accompanied Baroness to a little coffee shop down the street from the hotel where we chatted with toothless locals, admired a Wurlitzer being unloaded down the street, and discussed some of the horses pulling carriages with none other than the local horse trainer (who manages said coffee shop).

So we returned to the Flying Saucer to meet the whole gang, including new arrivals such as Six String, Velvis , and Shagger Dave. After some drinks, we headed around the corner to a seafood-y place on Beale Street to eat en masse. We took up two separate tables and were "entertained" by a local guitar jazz combo. I must say, I really enjoyed their rendition of "My Cherie Amour," but I don't know that everyone was so enamored. The Baroness sat with Yomp, Sambient, Livet, Fish, and Velvis and I sat with Six String, Take_5, T-Berry Brother, T-Berry Shuffle, and Shagger. I had the jambalaya, which was pretty good. Six String split a bottle of wine with Take_5 and we had an all around swell time. If there was any bonding that hadn't yet occurred, I think it was done when we staggered out of the restaurant.

Now I knew that Beale Street had been resurrected from neglect -- that much is obvious from all the (always welcome) neon they got going on. But Damn! All kinda, lotta people be going down there on the weekends. It was packed! And so was the Flying Saucer. Between the impossibly loud music, the fact that the place was completely packed, and the impending band, it was clear that it just wasn't going to happen, so those who were left downtown bailed in search of a suitable JU spot. It was kind of an issue because most of the bars were plainly unsuitable, usually for more than one reason. Baroness and Livet took the lead (as I recall), poking into various spots and needling bouncers for information. I hung back with the Fish, downing Big Ass Beers while Six String was checking out the sounds coming from wherever we were passing, always poised to get funky and drop it like it it's hot when appropriate. The place was really jamming -- like a Sixth Street or Bourbon Street. This is good and bad. It's nice to be in a place with a pulse, but as a rank snob, I would be more comfortable in other places. Anyway, we hung out with the masses on Beale Street, consuming Big Ass Beers and eventually stumbled back to Main Street to take the trolley up to our hotels. The trolley smelled like wet dog, but I doubt everyone noticed.
Last edited by BARON CORNY DOG on 31 May 2005, 04:33, edited 1 time in total.
take5_d_shorterer wrote:If John Bonham simply didn't listen to enough Tommy Johnson or Blind Willie Mctell, that's his doing.

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Postby BARON CORNY DOG » 30 May 2005, 07:27

goldwax wrote:Excellent rundown, Baron! I hope everyone else puts the time in to give their version of events. It seems like the Memphis JU will go down in the annals as perhaps the most complicated and exciting JUs ever. We need a record of it!



Damn! I was going to erase all this and start over with a different angle. Oh well. I guess I'll leave it. And finish tomorrow.
take5_d_shorterer wrote:If John Bonham simply didn't listen to enough Tommy Johnson or Blind Willie Mctell, that's his doing.

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Postby The Slider » 30 May 2005, 13:21

*Applause*

It sounds wonderful.
Wish i could have gone.
Complete Ramones Mp3 set on its way

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Postby BARON CORNY DOG » 30 May 2005, 17:17

SATURDAY

We were set to reconvene at Sun Studios at 10 am. Baroness and I drove out there at right about 10. Have I discussed the weather? To me, the weather was perfect. It might've been a little warm for those who live north of I-20 or so, but it was a great, great feeling to step out of the airport and breath without using our Houston Gills. Most of the time it was clear, warm, and sunny with little humidity. Saturday was no different. So it was a nice drive to the outskirts of downtown proper to the unassuming Sun building.

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(The actual studio is the smaller half of the building to the left, with SUN in a neon semi-circle. To the right is the gift shop and museum on the second floor).

We weren't the only ones thinking of showing up at Sun on Saturday morning. It was packed, mainly from geriatrics who were (judging from their looks) bound for Branson after spending the rest of the day at Graceland. You enter into a gift shop/soda fountain/record store and buy tickets for the twice hourly tours. We secured our tickets, shuffled through the merch, and waited for the other Boners to arrive. I conspired with T-Brother to play "Bearcat" on the jukebox for T-Berry, but it didn't come to pass, so I went outside to hang out.

Eventually, it was 10:30 and everyone shuffled upstairs into the "Museum" room which was filled with old jackets, lathes, telegrams, guitars, and the like. Yomp was particularly taken with Elvis's acoustic covered in that weird leather sheath. So was I. Anyway, there wasn't much to it and everyone was packed in there wondering if that was all there was. Then the dude from the record store made his way through the crowd and laid out the bare bones history, illustrated by the exhibits and some choice (though brief) soundclips. He was one of these guys with ironic mutton chops and impossible glasses, but he managed to connect pretty well with the crowd and told the backstory ably.

The main event. We all filed downstairs into the studio. It was packed with people which made it appropriately stuffy. I've been to the Motown studios and what was amazing there was how they could've made such glorious sounds in such a humble, small, dank basement. Motown is in a house in a residential neighborhood, but Sun is sort of at the edge of downtown in a building that could just as easily function as a bicycle store, upholstery repair shop, or dry cleaners. The small office faces the street, then there's the studio, and the control room in the back, opening onto an alley. I'm confident there will be pictures. Supposedly, the walls, floor, light fixtures, and acoustical tiles on the ceiling are all original and that claim was verified by the backgrounds in pictures on the walls of the heroes of Sun. The tour guide continued his story, accompanied with clips from Sun History meant to bring the place alive, which they did. What was striking about this place was that it was just a storefront and you can easily imagine these local country boys living in the city cruising over to Sun to hang out and cut records without much fuss or much attention. Here they are, cutting gold records that would have global reach, but you get the sense that they did so pretty anonymously and were able to hang out freely. Well, that's what I want to believe. The Baroness had planned on taking the morning off, but for some reason, decided to go at the last minute. She was glad she did. I think it hit her harder than she expected. The tour ended, pictures were taken, and we moved on across town to Stax.

It wasn't too far to Stax. Back downtown and left awhile. It felt particularly sweet to turn onto McLemore Avenue, a place I've imagined to be one of my spiritual homes for the last decade or so.

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Unlike Sun, Stax has been completely rebuilt from scratch. This gives it the undoubtable feel of a museum. The tour begins with a brief movie about every 20 minutes, so we hung out in front of the marquee. Or, rather, Mar-Key.

I would've probably made a different movie, but this one was pretty moving to me nonetheless. It briefly sketched out the development of black music, then focused on Stax. The soundtrack was bumping with choice (though brief) selections stitched together throughout the whole thing. After those quick images and sounds, we moved into the display. They've got a LOT of stuff in there. Much of it is fairly inconsequential detritus, but I found myself sifting through almost all of it and it was all presented very well. They give nods to non-Stax people as well, so there were bits on Al Green, Bobby Bland, James Carr, Phil Collins and the like. As Fish has already noted, the Isaac Hayes pimpmobile was particularly striking. Most striking for me was the to spec re-creation of the control room and the studio space. They did a lot to try to make it seem lived in, with vintage empty coke bottles placed strategically, and it seemed convincing as a re-creation, but there was no escaping that is exactly what it was. It's a shame, really. Some of that old funky patina would've really breathed some extra life into the pictures of Hayes, Porter, and Sam & Dave working it out at the piano. Still, any soul fan in Memphis must go. They spent a ton of money on this place, which is really a complex bigger than the museum, and they did as good a job as they possibly could.

Here's a webpage where you can pick up all the merch -- from Stax baby clothes to shot glasses. While you're at it, you might as well take a "virtual tour" and peep the pimpmobile.

The hard core stragglers finally made it out of the museum into the gift shop where the rest were ready to eat. Most of us caravaned down to Ellen's Soul Food a mile or so away. On the way, we passed Willie Mitchell's Royal Studios where the Hi hits (Al Green, Syl Johnson, Otis Clay, Ann Peebles, O.V.Wright) were recorded. It was more unassuming than Sun and is still active.

We rolled up on Ellen's and moved in, taking up about four tables. It was suitably funky but I was sold when given the drink options. Grape soda, fruit punch, lemonade, or diet pepsi. This must be the place! We sat with Velvis and had a good chat over catfish, pork chops, greens, okra, and yams. There were also these cornbread pancake thingys which I had never seen. But I ate plenty. I think even the vegetarians benefitted from the atmosphere, if nothing else. I drove Velvis (along with Livet, Take_5, and Baroness) back to the Heartbreak Hotel. I was happy to see that side of town (which is mostly pretty desultory) but we also took the opportunity to cruise by Graceland. We made the mistake of assuming it was on the right side of the road (driving south) and were uniformly depressed by the presence of what appeared to be a mini-mall next to the Lisa Marie plane, all of which was teeming with people. There was some relief when we realized it was actually on the other side of the road. On the way back downtown, we discussed Elvis. Take_5 would like to talk to Elvis about Phineas Newborn. I would like to listen in!

Take_5 and Livet had an afternoon swim while the Baroness and I went back to her preferred coffee shop. She's not good at naps, opting for caffeine instead. The plan had been to meet up with Yomp and the T-Berrys for a quick trolley trip. On the way down there, we encountered Six String, returning from some sort of sordid rum boogie in the T-Berry's hotel room. I needed slip cases for my JU cds, so we met the crew at Tower downtown, across from Hotel T-Berry. After a certain amount of dawdling, we moved back towards the Main Street Trolley. We saw a Fish, getting off the trolley to go to the JU and roped him into our sight seeing. After some fumbling and bumbling, we got on the right trolley and took an extended cruise to downtown places unknown and along the Mississippi. Yomp, again, provided running commentary and the trolley driver was appropriately impressed with the visiting royalty. On the way back from the river, the trolley passed the Lorraine Hotel, where Dr. King was assassinated. I almost missed it, but the glimpse I caught was chilling. I hadn't expected to see it, and all of a sudden, it's there, preserved with period automobiles and looking just like the pictures. A weird dose of the other side of the city's history towards the end of a fairly idyllic ride.

Image

We showed up at the JU fashionably late and almost everyone was there, including the Illinois gang which included some extended family. The place we had scouted out, sort of a rooftop patio on the second floor looking over a corner of Beale St., had been absolutely empty on Friday evening when we checked it out. Like Beale St., it was now packed. They didn't want to let us in, but some smooth talking got us past the guy guarding the gate and we ascended the spiral staircase to find the Jolly in full swing. Eventually, we were able to consolidate tables and, as night fell, we enjoyed a fireworks display in honor of the visiting royalty. I spoke with The Boner Formerly Known As Moonie on the phone and we commiserated about her inability to make it down. Her voice was familiar and it was nice to finally get to speak with her. I had good chats with T-Berry, Six String, Loveless, and Shagger Brother, but missed out on Geoffcowgill, Sambient, the Eelpies, and the extended Illinois Family. Six String is exactly as you would expect him, laid back, friendly, and cool as a cucumber. Shagger Brother discussed the culture shock of moving from the east coast to Memphis -- I can't deny that it must certainly be severe. The Fish, a great ladies man, was mainly intent on cruising and didn't have much time for me. Loveless was the real surprise, you knew he had something to say, but more gregarious and animated than I might've imagined. Of course, we slandered most who weren't there. By the way Bhoywonder, where the fuck were you? And you Nikki Gradual? T-Berry confirmed my suspicions regarding the necessity of attending UK Jollys and filled us in on his charmed life in Florida.

Some ate where we were, others snuck out for BBQ sandwiches, Turkey Legs, and more rum at Chez T-Berry. I opted for drink. At some point, everything kind of fizzled. The Heartbreak Hotel contingent had to catch the last shuttle to the south of town and I was sad to lose them. The Eelpies opted for Pat O'Briens, and we (T-Berry Shuffle and Brother, Shagger Dave, Six String, Fish, Livet, and Take_5) joined the Illinois crew down the street. Blues Hammer had been playing, and before them, there had been a Bob Seger event. Phenomenal Cat soaked it all up, good and bad. We (or I) drank big ass beers in the street until the Blues Hammer took a break. There was some talk of taking the stage for A Quick One, but sadly, it didn't materialize. When the band resumed, the more discriminating Boners moved back out into the street (Take_5 was so offended, he/she installed earplugs) and consumed more Big Ass Beers. Beale Street was fucking insane. I'm not 100% what happened next. We either got some food before Blues Hammer or after, but I waited for a long time for some turkey legs to cook. After giving up, I got a BBQ sandwich. I have no idea whether it was any good. It really didn't matter. Actually, I do remember, it was plenty good.

Eventually, the stragglers (T-Berry, T-Brother, P Cat, Loveless, Geoff Cowgill, Livet, Baroness, Take_5) ended up in a sort of park space where people were selling incense and other trinkets, smoking dope, selling BBQ, and fucking up the only public restrooms on the street. I waited in line amidst throngs of party people for more Big Ass Beers, drank more, and started harangue-ing everyone, talking extra trash. We plopped down in the grass and more general hilarity ensued (for me, anyway). I praised Phenomenal Cat's willful insanity (several times) and conspired with Loveless. Geoff Cowgill was very tolerant, Livet -- the toughest of all of them -- hung tight, the Baroness went off in search of alcohol barefoot, and T-Berry was, well, T-Berry. Take_5 passed out, looking decidedly corpse-like (to the shock and amusement of passers by) and at some point, everyone decided it was time to call it a night (without my input). Or maybe they just stopped selling beer.

SUNDAY came too soon. It was overcast for the first time, but cool and breezy. Baroness, wearing oddly attractive bedhead, put on jeans and headed downtown to try to get some souvenirs for her people while I packed up my junk to check out. I was a little head-achy and packed slowly and with a heavy heart. I didn't do everything I had wanted, particularly regretting my failure to get out of downtown, but looking back on it, there's just no way that would've been possible. We split around noon, thinking about all the good people we were leaving behind, and crossed the bridge back into the rice fields of Arkanass. I read the Memphis and Dallas papers, then slept through the final turbulence, emerging from the plane to be smacked with the oppressive Houston humidity. Our gills re-emerged and we drove through the smog to our apartment in the pines.

Come see us sometime!
Last edited by BARON CORNY DOG on 30 May 2005, 22:50, edited 2 times in total.
take5_d_shorterer wrote:If John Bonham simply didn't listen to enough Tommy Johnson or Blind Willie Mctell, that's his doing.

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Postby BARON CORNY DOG » 30 May 2005, 17:38

eelpie62 wrote:
Baron wrote:
eelpie62 wrote:Graceland


How was it?


All in all it was pretty fun, but too expensive ($27 each so $54 for eeltart and myself) and the time it took to see kept us from giving the time that the Civil Rights Museum deserved. It was kind of a "lose-lose" situation: I'd have kicked myself for going to Memphis and not going to Graceland, but I wish I had spent that time at The Lorraine.
Graceland took about 4 hours all total, giving us only 50 minutes for the Civil Rights Museum. It really need to take about three hours, but that's what the future is for. We're planning to go back next spring when Mr. Slater's Parrot comes to town, we'll cover all the missed bases then.


My suspicions are confirmed!
take5_d_shorterer wrote:If John Bonham simply didn't listen to enough Tommy Johnson or Blind Willie Mctell, that's his doing.

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Poppypoobah
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Postby Poppypoobah » 30 May 2005, 17:43

Keep the amazing write ups coming you guys, it hurts that I couldn't make it but hearing about it is wonderful! Talked to Take 5 about it for 3 hours last night! Sounds like it was great fun!

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Kenji
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Postby Kenji » 30 May 2005, 17:45

I envy evreybody who joined this JU! The reports and pictures are great...

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Walk In My Shadow
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Postby Walk In My Shadow » 30 May 2005, 18:00

Goes to show that Americans will always do things bigger.
4 or 5 days of Jollying Up, wow!
And a great many activities too.
You have my respect guys and gals and I'm sure y'all had a great time.
Beneluxfunkmeisterlurvegod


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BARON CORNY DOG
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Postby BARON CORNY DOG » 30 May 2005, 18:05

Walk In My Shadow wrote:Goes to show that Americans will always do things bigger.
4 or 5 days of Jollying Up, wow!


Yeah, I think some of them are still there!
take5_d_shorterer wrote:If John Bonham simply didn't listen to enough Tommy Johnson or Blind Willie Mctell, that's his doing.

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Teabag
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Postby Teabag » 30 May 2005, 18:27

goldwax wrote:We need a record of it!


Spot the reissue label guy.

The real world would like the DVD. :D
I could be wrong. I usually am.

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Neil Jung
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Postby Neil Jung » 30 May 2005, 23:06

Great to read these reports, keep 'em coming.

You lot get to go to Memphis, and I went to a craft fair today. It's not fair!
[indistinct chatter]

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Six String
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Postby Six String » 30 May 2005, 23:42

I've arrived home safe and mostly sound. Actually I feel like I was a victim of a blanket party, but it was worth it. I was a little concerned when I first came into town because I couldn't find a bar or liquor store near the hotel. WTF? The bar at the hotel was temporarily out of order because they were doing an inventory, so I walked around thinking I could find a drink SOMEWHERE! I gave up after about eight blocks or so and ended up in the Mariott bar next door to my hotel. That was a mistake. I ordered a double Saphire and tonic that set me back 17.00!
I was thinking, damn, I've only been in this town a half hour and I've spent fifty dollars and all I have to show for it is my ride from the airport and that drink. I took the trolley down to the Flying Saucer and met T Berry and the gang for a couple of big ass beers. Not the BAB that Baron was talking about on Beale. These were very tall glasses with maybe a pint and a half. I'm not sure, but it was happy hour, so we had to go with the big ones. They had a good selection of beers on tap and quite a few in bottles too. The restaurant Baron mentioned already was actually a decent southern style restaurant with live jazz going. Some of us stayed out till well after midnight that night. I think I got to bed around 1:00 a.m.
myself and had to get up early to be at Sun by 10:00. I had breakfast with Takes_5D and we met up wit Fish and Livet afterwards and made our way down to the museum. I thought the presentation was pretty good there and it was cool being in such a hallowed place of so much good music. We had a great time at the end of the tour posing with the microphone that "Elvis used" when he recorded hear.

Stax was great and one of the highlights of the weekend. They did an excellent job of presenting the history and the music. That cadillac of Isaac Hayes was really something to behold. Both Sun and Stax had some great t shirts for sale. It was great fun recreating the McLemore Ave. cover too. I hope they look as good as we felt doing it. The soul food afterwards was a real treat in terms of ambience and the catfish was actually very good, though the breading was a little too salty for Yomp's taste. The lemonade was so sweet, it didn't taste like lemonade.

The fireworks were a nice touch. Glad that the city realised that there were doyens in their midst and were able to hastily put together a little show in the sky. Several people had these 6 lb. smoked turkey legs that were being cooked on the street nearby. T Berry was trying to get me to eat one and I said, " I can't see myself standing on the corner of 3rd. and Beale eating a six lb. turkey leg." Instead I opted for a bar b que pork sandwich at Corky's. Not the best the city had to offer, but still pretty tasty. I never got to The Rendevous for some meat, but I hear it was very good.

Graceland was interesting but it took forever to get through it. One of my favorite rooms was the Jungle Room with all the had carved tiki style furniture and the shag carpet on the floor AND the ceiling. Elvis ended up recording one of his later albums there. Yomp can probably tell you which one. I'm certainly not the Elvis expert.

T Berry, his brother, Yomp and I ate some Mexican food at Pancho's, complete with some refreshing margaritas and then headed to the Civil Rights Museum. What a sobering experience. I was on the edge of tears many times as I walked through there. To see the room that MLK was staying in when he was assassinated and then crossing the street to the boarding house where Ray shot him from was very chilling. They had the actual rifle there on display as well. I wish we had been able to spend more time there. It needed three hours at least and we only got one. It was still worth going through.

Sunday night most of us, Baron and the Baroness had headed out already,
met at the Blue Monkey which was in the area of where a lot of Mystery Train was shot and away from Beale Street. In fact, there really wasn't much else around there open at all. It was pretty decent place with food and great selections of bourbon, single malts, gins, hell, everything you could possibly want to get jolly with, except Belgian ale. I got to bed around 11:00 that night, which was the earliest bedtime I had the whole trip. It was pretty rough getting up at 5:00 to leave, but T Berry and his brother were gracious and gave me a ride to the airport, saving me thirty dollars. 8-) We stopped by the Heartbreak Hotel and said goodbye to Sambient and Yomptepi, then I sat in the airport like a zombie waiting for the plane to leave. It was wonderful experience and it really felt like a TRUE Jolly Up with such a large group and when I recover from the lack of sleep and the stuffy head from the air conditioning, I'll be looking back at this trip with very fond memories. Thanks to everyone for making it such a great time. Thanks especially to T Berry for his excellent Cuban style Dominican rum :D and for making me feel like a long lost brother.
Last edited by Six String on 31 May 2005, 01:22, edited 1 time in total.
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T. Berry Shuffle
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Postby T. Berry Shuffle » 31 May 2005, 00:05

Well I have to say that both the Baron, Eelpie and Six String have done a much more impressive job of describing the Memphis jolly than I ever could. It was absolutely amazing, very loose and incredibly fun for every moment of the trip.

Everyone was just as I hoped they would be and so much more besides. I'm too fried to compose anything sensible now but I will try miserably to recount the events as soon as I can. I'm almost afraid to try to write down everything that happened because I think inevitably I'll forget something or fail to detail how enjoyable everyone was.

Pictures will be forthcoming soon, more tomorrow. Thank you to everyone for making the whole weekend a really amazing experience.
You read that in a book, didn't you?!


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