MemphisFlyer 8/20/2026

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DR. IETEF VITA

Valerie June plays Satellite Music Hall September 17th.

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CONTENTS

SHARA CLARK Editor-in-Chief ALEX GREENE Managing Editor, Music Editor BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Senior Editor TOBY SELLS Associate Editor KAILYNN JOHNSON News Reporter CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers KIMBERLY HAM Calendar Editor, Copy Editor JESSE DAVIS, EMILY GUENTHER, BUDDY JONES, COCO JUNE, GENE KEY, PATRICIA LOCKHART, FRANK MURTAUGH, LINDSEY D. RHEA Contributing Columnists SHARON BROWN, AIMEE STIEGEMEYER Grizzlies Reporters GRACIE DRIVER, ALLIE MAURY Editorial Interns

OUR 1956TH ISSUE 08.20.26 Hundreds of automated license plate readers are scattered throughout Memphis, according to ALPR tracking site DeFlock Maps. Stretching from Riverside Drive to the west and beyond Memphis’ eastern borders into Bartlett, Germantown, and other suburbs, a zoom out on the map shows more than 600 cameras from the Mississippi River to Collierville. The site shows a majority percentage (more than 97 percent) of them are Flock Safety Cameras, with the rest labeled “unknown.” The cameras are said to be used by law enforcement agencies across the country to solve crimes. But we are also hearing stories of officers misusing the technology to stalk exes, people being wrongfully identified as criminals, and citizens vandalizing or otherwise making defective these cameras as uproar against the fast-growing surveillance network being built around us heightens. When asked via email last week to confirm how many of these cameras were currently operational in Memphis, MPD Public Affairs Manager Faith King responded, “The Memphis Police Department does not maintain a count of all Flock Safety cameras operating throughout Memphis, as many are owned and managed by private businesses, neighborhoods, and other partner organizations.” The Shelby County Sheriff ’s Office Transparency Portal (transparency.flocksafety.com) reports 178 total LPR or other cameras in use. This site states data is retained for 30 days, and within the past 30 days, 905,225 plates have been read. A 2021 flocksafety.com article (“Save time. Maximize resources: How Shelby County Sheriff ’s Office uses Flock Safety”) says Flock cameras have been used here since 2018, following a pilot program with 45 LPR cameras that SCSO said helped increase clearance rates. From the 2021 article, “The Shelby County Sheriff ’s Office has access to hundreds of Flock Safety Falcon cameras — nearby law enforcement agencies and neighborhoods share footage — which amounts to 50-60 hot list alerts per day from the camera network in Memphis and beyond.” In October 2024, Action News 5 reported that Memphis would partner with Flock to “introduce a first-of-its-kind sideshow detection technology” that would alert law enforcement of “street takeovers,” saying, “The new AI-powered technology can precisely distinguish sounds like gunshots, and now it will include things like drifting tires and immediately notify the police.” In April 2026, the MPD announced that one year after the spring 2025 launch of the Downtown Command Center, a “state-of-the-art facility designed to serve as a central hub for real-time monitoring, public safety coordination, and emergency response,” Downtown crime dropped more than 55 percent. “Monitoring more than 300 cameras in real time, the center provides officers with immediate access to live intelligence. When suspicious or criminal activity is identified, officers are quickly alerted and equipped with real-time updates and detailed suspect information as they respond.” MPD also has a “public-private” partnership through Connect Memphis, which “allows businesses to integrate their camera systems, enabling officers to view incidents in real time,” the department said in another April 2026 announcement. “Residents who choose not to integrate can still register their cameras, giving investigators quick access to contact information when video evidence is needed. Currently, more than 13,000 cameras are registered, with over 2,700 integrated into the system.” So how many surveillance cameras do our police have access to? Who knows? But how much do they cost? That question received no response after more than a week and a follow-up email to MPD. While they must know what they pay to access LPR cameras, we will turn to Google, which suggests that, as most Flock users, agencies pay an annual subscription fee, which ranges from $2,500 to $3,000 per camera, per year. Some law enforcement NEWS & OPINION agencies as policy do not report if Flock THE FLY-BY - 4 cameras have been used in a search or AT LARGE - 6 investigation. Is this the case for MPD? COVER STORY They offered no response to that ques“SATELLITE OF LOVE” tion either. BY ALEX GREENE - 8 Flock itself is making changes, as ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT noted in an NBC News article from WE RECOMMEND - 11 last week, “Surveillance company Flock AFTER DARK - 12 moves to increase oversight after police CALENDAR - 13 misuse.” NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 13 The DeFlock Maps site counts 132,639 WE SAW YOU - 14 LPRs in the U.S. and only 100 cities “reFOOD - 15 jecting LPRs.” Will we one day, because of SPIRITS - 16 these cameras, live in a crimeless utopia? METAPHYSICAL CONNECTION - 17 Doubtful. Is it too late to reclaim our NEWS OF THE WEIRD - 18 collective privacy? Probably so. And more ASTROLOGY - 19 polluting data centers will continue to go FILM - 20 up to power this surveillance state. NOW PLAYING - 21 At what point do we say, “Enough!”? CLASSIFIEDS - 22 Shara Clark LAST WORD - 23 shara@memphisflyer.com

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MEMernet Memphis on the internet.

August 20-26, 2026

30 AND UP A recent move by Privé Memphis was on the minds of thousands of Reddit users last week. The Winchester restaurant banned POSTED TO INSTAGRAM BY anyone under 30 PRIVÉ MEMPHIS from its space in July. The restaurant did not give a formal reason for the change but police have been called to the location many times over the years for incidents involving patrons. The move hit the huge r/AskReddit and r/Restaurants subreddits. “Dangerous” Memphis was predictably rolled in both. The restaurant folks, though, scoffed at Privé as “not a fine dining restaurant” because it serves nachos, chicken tenders, lemon drop shots, and a fishbowl fruit punch liquor drink.

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$5 SHEETS? Remember $5 Cover? The Memphisset show about the local music scene? Well, someone took the liberty to change the show’s IMDB description recently. POSTED TO IMDB “About a set of sheets that cost $5 at Walmart,” reads the new description. “MLG ROBBERY” It’s hot and so are the Nextdoor comments about Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) bills. POSTED TO Some saw high FACEBOOK BY bills as a “money MEMPHIS LIGHT, GAS AND WATER grab” by the utility. One neighbor said she was just running fans in the house. Another said he turned off his pool pump at night. Someone else blamed the Tennessee Valley Authority. Tina Holt suggested calling the agency “MLG Robbery.”

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Execution, Records Suit, & Legends Hines killed after legal fight, lawsuit forces MPD to release documents, and a late-night club bust. HINES EXECUTED Tennessee executed death row inmate Darrell Hines last Thursday morning after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene. Hines, 66, was sentenced to death for the 1985 killing of Catherine Jean Jenkins, a 54-year-old motel maid in Kingston Springs. Jenkins was found wrapped in a sheet in a motel room and had suffered multiple stab wounds. Hines maintained his innocence. The execution came less than three months after Tennessee’s attempt to execute Memphis death row inmate Tony Carruthers ended without lethal drugs being administered. The execution PHOTOS: TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION team spent more than an hour trying to Darell Hines, 66, was sentenced to death for the 1985 killing of establish the required backup intravenous Catherine Jean Jenkins, a 54-year-old motel maid in Kingston Springs. access before Gov. Bill Lee called off the execution and granted Carruthers a oneyear reprieve. LATE-NIGHT BUST AT LEGENDS That failed execution became central to Hines’ final legal A viral video last week showed patrons locked inside challenges. His attorneys argued Tennessee’s protocol could a Hickory Hill nightclub by Memphis Safe Task Force expose him to severe suffering if medical personnel were members during a coordinated bust of what officials called a unable to establish intravenous access. Hines had suffered long-troubled venue. recent strokes that left him partially paralyzed. The Facebook Live video from Mob Tae Sosa showed Lee declined Hines’ clemency request, and the U.S. Memphis Police Department and other task force officers Supreme Court declined to halt the execution. outside Legends Bistro & Lounge at 6232 Knight Arnold Hines was one of three people scheduled for execution around 2:30 a.m. that Sunday. Agitated patrons could be that day in Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Alabama — the first seen inside unable to open the front door. Officers later time three executions were scheduled on the same day had patrons leave in a single-file line and checked their since 2010. identification as they exited. The video sparked questions about the legality of locking MPD RECORDS LAWSUIT patrons inside and requiring them to show identification to leave. The city of Memphis produced approximately 15,000 pages MPD said the operation involved its Organized Crime of Memphis Police Department disciplinary records last Unit, the Memphis Safe Task Force, Fire Marshal’s Office, week following a lawsuit filed by University of Memphis law and Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Police student and Memphis resident Tyler Foster. said approximately 27 incidents had been reported at the Foster’s lawsuit raised concerns about how the city location between December 2025 and July 2026, including handled requests for MPD disciplinary records. An aggravated assaults involving firearms and vehicle thefts. October 2025 hearing resulted in the city producing 3,500 Officials said more than 300 people were inside despite pages of records. The court later found the city violated an occupancy limit of 99. Six arrests were made, and state public records laws by making documents harder investigators recovered illegal narcotics and firearms. TABC to access and ordered it to comply with the Tennessee agents also determined alcohol was being sold without the Public Records Act. Foster subsequently sought records required state license. Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for fuller versions of concerning officers involved in the March 28th No Kings these stories and more local news. protest.

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The proposal comes as communities across Tennessee move to restrict new data centers and a state battle looms.

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he Memphis City Council considered a temporary moratorium on the development of any new data centers at its meeting Tuesday. Few details about the proposal were available as of press time Monday. It was not known how the law would define a data center, the length of the moratorium, or how it would affect expansion of SpaceXAI operations in Memphis. The legislation is sponsored by council chair Jana SwearengenWashington, Yolanda Cooper-Sutton, and former council chair JB Smiley Jr. Cooper-Sutton has been a vocal opponent of SpaceXAI since news of the company’s arrival here in 2024.

PHOTO: SPACEXAI

The SpaceXAI facility in South Memphis “We want to do good business with people,” she told Brent Mayo, a SpaceXAI representative, in a council committee meeting in 2025. “Your boss [Elon Musk] does not do good business.” Cooper-Sutton’s mic was cut by Smiley for getting personal. She cast the sole vote that day against the plan to sell land to the company for a wastewater treatment facility. However, none of the moratorium’s sponsors had made a public statement about the idea as of Monday morning. State Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), a congressional candidate, said in a statement that the legislation from the council is “welcome news and an important step in the right direction” and that “Memphis needs a moratorium now.” “SpaceXAI built a fourth data center right under our noses, without the knowledge or input of the communities that will bear the consequences,” Pearson said. “That is not how responsible development should happen. Innovation that requires somebody else’s sacrifice

is not progress. Technology should serve people. People should never be sacrificed to serve technology.” Cities and counties across Tennessee are passing moratoria on data center construction. Warren County, Knox County, Coffee County, and Metro Nashville/Davidson County have all temporarily paused permissions for data centers. A plan to put a data center near the Nashville Zoo and Fisk University was rejected by the Metro Council. That body enacted new laws against data centers near sensitive locations like zoos. The council also used an eminent domain move for the option to acquire the land. “The city of Nashville now has every tool available to stop the data center from being built beside the zoo,” the Nashville Zoo said in a blog post earlier this month. “This is a huge win and a testament to the vigilance and support we have received from this community.” The company behind the proposal, DC Blox, sued the city in federal court, claiming the moratorium and actions targeted the company unlawfully. State Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) announced last week that she plans to introduce legislation guaranteeing local governments the authority to approve or reject datacenter developments, amid concerns that the Tennessee General Assembly could instead move to restrict local regulation. Even as Memphis council members considered putting the brakes on future data center development, they were also expected to vote Tuesday on how to spend nearly $3.3 million generated by SpaceXAI property on Paul R. Lowery Road. The money would be invested within five miles of the property, including $1.4 million for home repairs, $500,000 for neighborhood cleanup work, $300,000 for blight remediation, and $100,000 for environmental monitoring, including air quality. Another $20,000 would provide nearby residents with window air conditioners, box fans, HVAC filters, and air purifiers.

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A T L A R G E B y B r u c e Va n W y n g a r d e n

Way Out West A circle closes; a life is remembered.

I do not know which to prefer, The beauty of inflections Or the beauty of innuendos, The blackbird whistling Or just after. — Wallace Stevens, “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird”

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They got involved with St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, where Montelle served as a youth minister and where she made many dear friends. After Bob died, Montelle spent several happy years living in a senior independent living community, before moving to assisted living late in life. My brother Chris and his family also he plane shivers as we hit the lived in Las Cruces for many years, so headwinds coming off the my family and I came to know the city — Franklin Mountains on our and its surrounding desert and mounapproach to El Paso Internatains — quite well. tional Airport. (The “international” part is Montelle’s memorial service was held at a stretch, since there are no direct flights to St. Andrew’s, just as she wanted it to be. It another country from tiny ELP — though was a traditional ceremony, with a 17-page I suppose you could walk across the dry program containing hymns, responsive Rio Grande River to Mexico if you wanted readings, a sermon, a liturgy, rememto). The desert ground below us stretches brances from family, and even commusere and brown all the way to White Sands nion. Montelle left us with full honors, you National Park, barely visible off the right might say. It was a lovely service. wingtip. This part of the world is mostly a Afterward, all the family members relentless tan this time of year, a result of gathered at a restaurant for dinner and being roasted with then moved to “dry” heat from May chairs near the to September. hotel pool to share It’s a balmy 103 memories under on the ground as my the night sky. It put son and I walk to me in mind of the the parking garage Wallace Stevens to pick up our rental poem cited above, car for the drive to as we each dug up Las Cruces, New reminiscences and Mexico, 50 miles told tales of my to the northwest, mother from our on the other side of different perspecthe Franklins. We’re tives — her dry wit, joining a dozen or her humanity, her so other members kindness — includof our far-flung ing several anecPHOTO: BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN family there for my dotes and pieces Montelle Mansfield mother’s celebration of family history I of life. She died in hadn’t heard before. mid-July from complications of, well, beI shared a story from Montelle’s 100th ing almost 102 years old. birthday party: After blowing out the My parents divorced when my two ceremonial candle, she got up, grasped brothers and I were very young. My father her walker by the handles, and began to got custody of us, and for reasons known circle the table, stopping to say something only to him, we began calling our mother to each person. When she got to me, by her first name, Montelle, a habit we she said, “Why here’s my favorite son!” I continued for all of her years. smiled, thinking, why not? She’s 100 and Montelle soon remarried, lived in can say whatever she wants. Then she Thailand for a spell, gave us another stopped behind my brother Alan, who brother, and then settled for much of her was seated next to me. “Why here’s my life in Ashland, Kentucky, where she was favorite son!” she said. Her timing was a longtime teacher in that city’s public perfect, as always. school system. After her retirement in the The next day, my son and I are driving mid-1990s, she and her husband, Bob, over Trans-Mountain Pass, looking down moved to Las Cruces, where they lived out from a mile above the El Paso airport. the rest of their days — Bob painting and We talk about our first memories of comgolfing; Montelle admiring his work and ing out here — his beginning when he riding shotgun in the golf cart — pointwas a child, mine starting in middle age. ing out where his ball was and making Two more perspectives. Two more sets of smart remarks about his prowess (or lack memories. Two more ways of looking at thereof) — which he took good-naturedly. a blackbird.

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NEWS & OPINION

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Satellite of Love COVER STORY By Alex Greene

August 20-26, 2026

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ocals have noted for years that, when it comes to nationally touring bands, Memphis seems to be a kind of Bermuda Triangle. That storied oceanic region and its innumerable plane and boat disappearances is the closest analogy to the relative dearth of popular acts performing here. Somehow, they just disappear. Citizens supporting the Mid-South Coliseum sometimes claim that shuttering the landmark removed our most viable venue for big bands. And only last year, Jake Sanders, writing for the Flyer, asked it point-blank in his music feature, “Why Aren’t Big-Time Acts Coming to Memphis?” Sherman Willmott, founder of Shangri-La Records, told Sanders that there is “a big empty hole that started with the death of Bob Kelley. Over that time period of the last 25 to 30 years, there’s been no full-service promotion in town.” The booking world here, Willmott added, is “monopolistic. There are very few providers.” And Willmott is not alone in mourning the loss of Kelley, who died in 1998. There’s a whole Facebook page dedicated to his former company called “Mid-South Concerts, when Mem-

phis rocked,” which describes itself as “dedicated to all the Memphis & MidSouth area concert fans, local & touring musicians & artists, workers, producers, roadies, riggers, runners, groupies and most of all Bob Kelley.” As it turns out, two people who felt the sting of the “big empty hole” found they had the means to do something about it. Now, on September 4th, the midsized venue they envisioned years ago, dubbed the Satellite Music Hall, will bring their dreams to fruition, and the slate of both local and national acts appearing there next month suggests that the booking void created by Bob Kelley’s passing may soon evaporate. Todd and Ted’s Excellent Adventure Todd Richardson, who co-founded and co-directed Crosstown Arts before becoming president and CEO of Crosstown Concourse in 2019, has had the Memphis music scene on his mind a long time. Of course, the concourse itself, with The Green Room at Crosstown Arts and the Crosstown Theater, is proof positive of

PHOTOS: (ABOVE) ALEX GREENE; (LEFT AND BELOW LEFT) COURTESY SATELLITE MUSIC HALL

that, having already made a significant impact on the depth and breadth of live music available here. Yet soon after the theater opened, Richardson began imagining what an even larger venue in Crosstown’s orbit might look like. Soon, he began discussing the nuts and bolts of that vision with Ted Heinig, a longtime promoter based in Knoxville, Tennessee, who by then had become vice president of Live Nation Southeast. And those two individuals, with the input of seemingly omnipresent Memphis philanthropist Staley Cates, began to see that bringing larger shows to the city might just be achievable. As Heinig recalls, “I’ve known Todd for a long time through friends in Memphis, and I think it was in 2019 that Todd, Staley, and I had a conversation about the theater at Crosstown that they had built. They called me and we started talking about ways for the theater to continue to grow and be successful, and out of those conversations came the idea of building an additional venue to

(above) Satellite Music Hall exterior; (left) Judah & the Lion; (below left) Isaiah Rashad enhance the incredible spaces that the concourse already had.” Richardson, meanwhile, had been doing his homework. “Given everything we knew in terms of Memphis falling off the tour map,” he says, “I did kind of a back-of-the-napkin research project where I looked at Louisville, Raleigh, and Nashville, then looked at venues of around 1,500 in those cities, then looked at the bands that had played there over the previous year, and then looked at the tour schedules of all of those bands, and there were 220 unique artists and bands that played in those three venues in those three peer cities. Guess how many of those bands played in Memphis: 19 of 220.” With that statistic on hand, the question soon became how to increase the numbers. “Part of getting Memphis back on the map is the number of shows,” Richardson says. And soon the goal became bringing 100 new performances a year, not just to Memphis, but to Crosstown specifically. “100 shows a year, high quality, state-of-the-art, where artists and

THE NEW VENUE AT CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE AIMS TO TRANSFORM THE LOCAL MUSIC SCENE.

Sept. 4th & 5th – The Band Camino Sept. 8th – Chance The Rapper – Coloring Book 10 Year Anniversary Tour Sept. 11th – Isaiah Rashad: Lil Sunny’s Awful Road Trip Sept. 12th – Bop To The Top Sept. 17th – Valerie June with Vaneese Thomas Sept. 18th – Judah & the Lion Sept. 19th – Houndmouth Sept. 22nd – GWAR Sept. 25th – Club ’90s Presents: MJ Night Sept. 26th – Project Pat Oct. 1st – Umphrey’s McGee Oct. 11th – Ravyn Lenae Presents: Blue Island

Oct. 12th – Modest Mouse Oct. 13th – Ryan Bingham & the Texas Gentlemen Oct. 16th – Grief Sucks: A One Man Show by Kevonstage Oct. 18th – Mastodon Oct. 23rd – We Came As Romans Oct. 24th – The Emo Night Tour Oct. 27th – Iron & Wine Nov. 4th – Prof Nov. 7th – Fetty Wap: Nostalgia Tour Nov. 9th – Bowling for Soup Nov. 12th – Medium Build Presents The King of Having Fun on Tour Dec. 1st – Pouya

Satellite’s Fall Schedule

(above) The Band Camino; (right) Chance the Rapper bands remember their experience here. Not just because it’s Memphis with all our music history, but because of the facilities, the audience. You know, being across from Crosstown, imagine arriving where you’re going to play and being able to go to the Memphis Listening Lab, being able to play or do an interview on a radio station like WYXR beforehand, and being able to eat at a restaurant like Global Cafe before your show, then walk across the street to an apartment that’s dedicated to live musicians playing in the city. That’s a crazy unique experience, right? “It was really about that programming and about a desire to put Memphis back on the map,” Richardson emphasizes. “And Ted informed us that a 1,500-capacity venue is about what you need for that many shows, to produce that kind of activity. We also wanted it to be a venue that local musicians could aspire to. Ted uses the word ‘cadence,’ and I really like that: a cadence of venues. The Green Room is 150-capacity, Crosstown Theater is 420 seats, and then Satellite Music Hall is a 1,300-capacity venue. And we can’t forget that down the street just two blocks is the Hi-Tone, and so between these four venues you’re almost getting live music every night in Crosstown and in the neighborhood, which is the ecosystem, right?” The vision of a band working its way through that ecosystem, starting at The Green Room, then eventually playing Crosstown Theater, the Hi-Tone, and Satellite Music Hall, is the vision of someone close to the local music scene, with that scene’s interests at heart. Yet that vision is in stark contrast to how most people think of Live Nation Entertainment.

The (Loaded) Elephant in the Room When news of Satellite Music Hall was first announced, it inspired some skeptical comments from the city’s indie music world, as it became clear that Live Nation Entertainment would be operating the venue. That corporate juggernaut, which owns and operates Ticketmaster, among other things, would seem to be anathema to local bands, smaller venues, and scrappy little nonprofits like Crosstown Arts. After all, this is the company that only this April inspired the NBC News headline, “Documents reveal how Live Nation muscled venues, artists and rivals — even while under government scrutiny,” as the story’s lede assured readers “Facing antitrust allegation in a New York City courtroom this month, Live Nation has argued it is not a monopoly and does not strong-arm venues and artists.” All ticketing policies aside, most of the outcry over Satellite (even before ground was broken on the site) centered on the simple fact of adding yet another venue to the city. As folk musician and promoter Bruce Newman puts it, “What I get concerned about is, we have our homegrown venues. We have GPAC and BPACC and the Orpheum, and we have our local theaters here, and the FedExForum, and you just wonder about splitting the pie. That’s my issue. And you look at the ‘for sale’ sign at Minglewood Hall, which I drive by every day, and I see these smaller venues struggling. I’ve served on almost every single one of these nonprofit music boards and I’ve seen what it takes to raise money just on the nonprofit side to keep venues

able show of confidence in the live music market, even as others are turning their backs on it. “Live Nation’s wager underscores confidence that the post-pandemic surge in demand for shared experiences is far from over,” wrote TicketNews last year. In that context, Satellite seems a more modest project than Live Nation’s other planned venues, which more typically seat 3,000 to 6,000 people. Memphis A.F. Live Nation’s overwhelming resources notwithstanding, Satellite Music Hall stands in stark contrast to its other projects. The degree to which Satellite represents a collaboration between Live Nation and Crosstown Concourse makes it unique, and somewhat immune to the entertainment conglomerate’s financial whims. The building itself is owned by Crosstown Concourse and leased to Live Nation, and Richardson and local architects archimania had much say in the final design. Ultimately, it was a shared vision, as Heinig notes. “We really wanted Satellite to be part of the neighborhood. We decided on the 1,300-capacity size partly because we embraced blending in and being a great neighbor and part of the neighborhood. The size of the building felt like it was part of the neighborhood rather than just being too big and really sticking out.” Richardson notes how Satellite’s design was meant to echo the semiindustrial chic of Crosstown itself, even as its brick walls complement the older homes surrounding it. The building’s profile, meanwhile, steps down to street level, with the front being a single floor in height, despite the cavernous ceilings of the venue inside. Beyond that, a commitment to local music both old and new informs the entire project. That’s partly due to Heinig sharing Richardson’s vision, having cut his teeth on the local Knoxville PHOTO: TRAVYS OWEN

Valerie June continued on page 10

COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

PHOTO: (ABOVE) ATLANTIC RECORDS PRESS; (RIGHT) COURTESY SATELLITE MUSIC HALL

open. So you just wonder: Are we splitting the pie in an economy here that I wouldn’t say is robust? It’s the opposite of robust. I think it’s a struggle. So that’s my concern, really: the splitting of the pie.” On the consumer’s side, meanwhile, one could argue that putting Minglewood Hall up for sale would only exacerbate the Bermuda Triangle effect here. Even if mitigated somewhat by this year’s opening of Grind City Amp, which has quadruple the capacity of Minglewood, there would still be a midsize venue gap in the city. And, as Willmott told Sanders last year, “There’s no one with deeper pockets” than Live Nation, with resources to ride out rough patches in live attendance. Nor could many alternatives offer the touring and booking reach to draw larger bands to a market they typically avoid. For Richardson, Live Nation’s scale was actually a positive. “They’re going to produce, on average, 100 shows a year, and not just anybody can do that.” That partly comes down to Live Nation’s network of venues, and that network is only expanding, as Satellite is but one of 18 new venues Live Nation has committed to building, announcing a total investment of $1 billion in them last year. That alone is a remark-

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August 20-26, 2026

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market for most of his career, first managing a band that regularly played Memphis in the ’90s, then running increasingly larger clubs in Knoxville since then, before selling his promotion company to Live Nation in 2020. Even now, he sees the corporation as the best way to pursue his very local dreams. “Live Nation has been the greatest thing that’s ever happened in my career,” says Heinig, “and I feel really, really blessed just to be a part of it. It’s got the leadership and the resources to really enable someone like me who’s got a lot of ideas. I want to go out and make communities better and find partners like Todd and Staley, where we’re really pouring ourselves into a project that we think is going to make people’s lives hopefully a lot better.” That includes local bands, of course. “Opening the venue with The Band Camino was intentional and really important to us,” says Heinig. “We wanted to have a Memphis band open the room, and they’re doing a live recording and a filming of the two shows now, which is super exciting. Valerie June will be playing the Satellite on September 17th, and her support act will be Vaneese Thomas, who’s also from Memphis; and then we’ve got Project Pat at the end of the month. So we’re working really hard to find Memphis bands that will play the venue as part of the grand opening, and then anytime we can utilize a local Memphis band to support another artist that’s coming in, we really want to do that, too.” Indeed, there could be no better expression of Satellite’s commitment to both national and local acts than the double bill of Valerie June, who parlayed her years playing Bluff City coffee shops and the like into an international touring career, and Vaneese Thomas, sister of the great Carla Thomas, daughter of Rufus, who also grew up here before finding greater success working out of New York. Now, those two locals-made-good have the incentive and the capacity to return home in style. For her part, June is filled with anticipation. “When my agent called and said, ‘Val, there’s going to be a new venue in the Crosstown area of Memphis, and they would like for you to be one of the first artists there because of your connection with the city’s history and music.’ And I was like, ‘What? Yeah, that sounds great!’

PHOTOS: COURTESY SATELLITE MUSIC HALL

(above) GWAR; (inset) Project Pat I have played some Live Nation venues over the years, and so I’m thrilled when I see the season that they have in store. I’m like, ‘I’m gonna be catching some shows there when I’m in my tiny house!’” Beyond attracting big-name performers, or uplifting the scene with those 100 shows a year, or bringing more commerce to the Crosstown neighborhood by virtue of those shows, Satellite Music Hall is also cultivating its Memphis roots in deeper, less-visible ways. The name itself is an homage to the original name of Stax Records and the record store that always occupied its storefront. But, like the Soulsville Foundation itself, paying respect to Stax goes beyond mere nostalgia. Isaac Daniel, Stax Music Academy’s executive director, may be more excited than anyone about Satellite’s grand opening. “We always knew Live Nation was coming, and we’re going to partner with them and give our students opportunities in conjunction with them. Live Nation will be doing certifications with our students for workforce development, where students will actually be getting certified on stuff like Pro Tools, Dante, Logic, and other behind-the-scenes stuff.” The impact on those students should prove to be considerable, and that’s just what Heinig wants. All corporate interests aside, he’s driven by a deep sense of the community that’s hosting the new venue, a community he’s known for decades. And his personal knowledge of the city has made all the difference. “Each market is really like its own unique ecosystem,” Heinig says. “And it takes a really excellent local partner like Todd to come in and work together to understand how to create a venue that’s going to be a great asset for the entire community, and to start to move the live music community and music fans in a really positive trajectory. We want to provide Memphis with a music venue the city deserves, one we felt Memphians would be super proud of.”

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Drive Thru

Cookbook Club Community Potluck

2520 Mt. Moriah 4349 Elvis Presley 2484 Jackson Ave. 1370 Poplar Ave. 1217 S. Bellevue NO PHOTOCOPIES ACCEPTED!

By Gracie Driver I know you have a cookbook somewhere in your house. Perhaps you look at it in passing, or dare to crack open the spine and browse, but how magnificent would it be to make those recipes a reality? Muddy’s Bake Shop wants to make that happen by hosting its six-event cookbook club series. August features Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz. In quintessential Southern fashion, guests are asked to bring one baked good to Muddy’s Bake Shop in a potluck-style party. Claire Saffitz is a seasoned recipe developer, published author of two cookbooks, and a YouTube personality. Dessert Person came out in 2020 and is best known for its strucPHOTO: KAT GORDON ture, which not only categorizes her recipes by seasonality but also by level of Ladies gather around a table of sweet difficulty. Cookies, bread, cakes, tarts, pies, and ice cream creations are just a treats at this potluck. fraction of the recipes provided. For Muddy’s event, you can borrow a copy of Saffitz’s book from a friend if you don’t already have it, or purchase it from Novel bookstore and they’ll give a 10 percent discount. Kids under 15 can join as well, with an adult accompanying them. Choose what you want to make, how you want to transport it, and then bring a serving utensil with you. Then, once you get to the venue, everyone gets a moment to describe what they made as well as any tips or lessons learned about the recipe. The best part is trying what everyone made while chatting with fellow bakers. Founder Kat Gordon says, “The vulnerability of bringing something you’re unsure of is such a gift to the whole group of home cooks.” The recipe might not turn out perfect, but that’s okay. Bakers of all levels are welcome to participate and encourage one another. Setting aside time to meet new people in your community with similar interests can bring joyful change to a busy schedule. Their Cookbook Club can also be used in more creative private-event applications, such as bridal showers, baby showers, and corporate gatherings. Sadly, they’re sold out this month, but future Cookbook Club meetings will commence this fall. The best way to get tickets before they’re sold out is by following the classes and events calendar on the Muddy’s Bake Shop website (muddysbakeshop.com), subscribing to the Homemade Kitchen newsletter by Kat Gordon, or following Eventbrite, where tickets are sold. COOKBOOK CLUB COMMUNITY POTLUCK, MUDDY’S BAKE SHOP, 2497 BROAD AVE., SATURDAY, AUGUST, 22, 2:30-4 P.M., $15.

Fear of speaking keeps many people from being heard.

Leanne Morgan: The Time of Our Lives Tour Orpheum Theatre, Friday, August 21-Sunday, August 23, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Leanne Morgan brings her signature Southern charm and relatable humor to the Orpheum Theatre for an evening of candid storytelling and laugh-out-loud comedy. Best known for her hit Netflix special I’m Every Woman, Morgan has built a devoted following with her warm, down-toearth take on family, relationships and everyday life. Don’t miss her The Time of Our Lives Tour for a night of big laughs and heartfelt fun. Agave & Ash Festival Shelby Farms Park, Sunday, August 23, 1-6 p.m. Tequila, Cigars & Culture celebrates Memphis’ rich cultural spirit with an elevated experience featuring

premium cigars, fine agave spirits, live music, art, and community connection. The festival brings together tradition, craftsmanship, and culture in a sophisticated yet welcoming atmosphere. Must be 21 or older to attend. Carnegie Writers’ Group Cossitt Library, Saturday, August 22, 3-5 p.m. Join Memphis Public Libraries and the Carnegie Writers’ Group for a free, community-based writing workshop. Meeting monthly, the group welcomes writers of all experience levels and genres, with sessions featuring power writing, writers’ workshops, guest speakers, professional readings, and opportunities to connect with fellow writers. Registration is required.

If you stutter or know someone who does, visit us online or call toll-free for help and information.

THE

STUTTERING FOUNDATION

®

A Nonprofit Organization Since 1947—Helping Those Who Stutter

800-992-9392

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Otis Sanford: Newsman Novel, Wednesday, August 26, 6 p.m. Join Memphis journalist, political analyst, and University of Memphis professor emeritus Otis Sanford as he celebrates the release of his new autobiography, Newsman: The Road from Route 2 Box 9. Sanford recounts growing up on a farm in Panola County, Mississippi, during the civil rights era and reflects on the family, teachers, and mentors who shaped his path from a smalltown Mississippi childhood to a 50-year career in journalism. The book chronicles his experiences at newspapers and television stations across the country, his leadership in newsrooms and journalism education, and his rise to national prominence as an award-winning journalist.

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES August 20th - 26th

www.StutteringHelp.org 11

AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule August 20 - 26 22, 8 p.m.

MINGLEWOOD HALL

Devil Train Farmhouse Studio Songwriter Night

Saturday, Aug. 22, 6 p.m. SOUTH MAIN SOUNDS

Hodge Podge Collage Saturday, Aug. 22, 9 a.m. MEMPHIS FARMERS MARKET

Thursday, Aug. 20, 10 p.m. B-SIDE

DJ Nathan Ashby

Friday, Aug. 21, 9 p.m. THE HI-TONE CAFE

FERB

With N4iT, Floë, and Lo Dusty. Thursday, Aug. 20, 8 p.m. GROWLERS

The Debbie Jamison Band Tuesday, Aug. 25, 6 p.m. NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Elmo & the Shades

Wednesday, Aug. 26, 7 p.m. NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

JD Westmoreland Band

Monday, Aug. 24, 10 p.m.

GROWLERS

HUEY’S EAST

Pulse (Pink Floyd Tribute) Friday, Aug. 21, 8 p.m. NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Van Duren

Thursday, Aug. 20, 6:30 p.m. MORTIMER’S

Wendell Wells

PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE

THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Sunday, Aug. 23, 3 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 23, 9 p.m. | Monday, Aug. 24, 9 p.m. NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Kawaii Rave

Friday, Aug. 21, 9 p.m.

Landslide (Fleetwood Mac Tribute)

With Ryan Kidd & the Kobras, Count Your Cards. All adrenaline, no mercy. Saturday, Aug. 22, 8 p.m. LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE

Almost Famous

Friday, Aug. 21, 9:30 p.m. LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Analog Daydream

With Left Hand Hotdog. Pure skankcore energy. Saturday, Aug. 22, 7 p.m.

August 20-26, 2026

THE HI-TONE CAFE

Angela Burton Acoustic

Thursday, Aug. 20, 6 p.m. LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Book by

TINA FEY

Music by

Lyrics by

JEFF RICHMOND

NELL BENJAMIN

Listening Session Hospitality State of Mind Vol. 2

A new blues and gospel compilation curated by Lenny Kaye. Thursday, Aug. 20, 6 p.m. MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB

Montana Jones

Wednesday, Aug. 26, 9 p.m.

AUG 21 - SEP 13 Directed by

CRYSTIN GILMORE. EVENING SHOWS

Choreographer

NOELIA WARNETTE-JONES.

Music Director

PATTI HOUSE

7:30 PM 2:00 PM 12

DR. THOMAS RATLIFF

SHOW SPONSOR

DEBORAH DISMUKES

B-SIDE

THE HI-TONE CAFE

Rokkaht Hour

Thursday, Aug. 20, 9 p.m. THE HI-TONE CAFE

Sarah Spain and the Nightshades Saturday, Aug. 22, 5 p.m. LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

The Danny Banks Quartet

Straight Tequila Night

A 901 Rising live music event. With Jombi. Saturday, Aug.

Willie Firecracker

With Hope Clayburn, Dennis Lucky Taylor. Saturday, Aug. 22, 7 p.m. B-SIDE

Canyon Lights

Swampy Americana, heavy blues, and ’70s guitar rock. Thursday, Aug. 20, 8 p.m. HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY

Spaceman’s Dead Friends (Grateful Dead Tribute)

Saturday, Aug. 22, 8 p.m. HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY

Bob Nelson & The Bobcats

Sunday, Aug. 23, 6 p.m. HUEY’S COLLIERVILLE

The Bugaloos

Sunday, Aug. 23, 8 p.m. HUEY’S CORDOVA

Dr. Cao’s Cello Studio Baroque Music Recital Saturday, Aug. 22, 2 p.m.

TOWN OF COLLIERVILLE MORTON MUSEUM

Let Freedom Sing: America at 250 with RSVP Chorus

Music celebrating our nation’s history. Tuesday, Aug. 25, 6 p.m. TOWN OF COLLIERVILLE MORTON MUSEUM

Sunday, Aug. 23, 6 p.m.

B-SIDE

Dead Soldiers

GROWLERS

Rev Down Trio

THE HI-TONE CAFE

Saturday, Aug. 22, 3 p.m. PLAYHOUSE SPONSOR

Tuesday, Aug. 25, 10 p.m.

Steve Selvidge

Davis Coen

DOROTHY O. KIRSCH

The Parallax

CONR B2B

CENTRAL BBQ SUPER SPONSOR

THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

HUEY’S MIDTOWN

MEAN GIRLS is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance mate materials t rials are also supplied by te b MTI. ww w www.mtishows.com ww.mtishow ww o s.com ow

Friday, Aug. 21, 7:30 p.m.

MINGLEWOOD HALL

Sunday, Aug. 23, 3 p.m.

MATINEES

One After 901 Presents: The Beatles in Memphis

The Scott Sudbury Band

With Van Gogh, Callaway, Rosamii, and others. Saturday, Aug. 22, 9 p.m.

On their PDNROME Tour. Saturday, Aug. 22, 8 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Black Stone Cherry Sunday, Aug. 23, 8 p.m.

TopOppGen

Friday, Aug. 21, 6 p.m.

B-SIDE

714s

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Tuesday, Aug. 25, 7:30 p.m.

John Williams & the A440 Band

Medium Walter

Saturday, Aug. 22, 9 p.m.

Jazz Jam Session: Hosted by Kenny Reed

B-SIDE

Thursday, Aug. 20, 8 p.m.

Terry Greene & the Honey Golds

Sunday, Aug. 23, 5 p.m.

With Mary Hatley. Friday, Aug. 21, 8 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 20, 8 p.m.

MINGLEWOOD HALL

Susan Marshall

Sunday, Aug. 23, 4 p.m. B-SIDE

PHOTO: COURTESY TOPOPPGEN

TopOppGen

CALENDAR of EVENTS: August 20 - 26 Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com. DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENTS LISTING, VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.

day, Aug. 21, 7 p.m. | Saturday, Aug. 22, 4 p.m. | Saturday, Aug. 22, 7 p.m. | Sunday, Aug. 23, 4 p.m. | Sunday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m.

F OOD A N D DRINK

PHOTO: COURTESY BOBO HUETTEL

Expressionist Landscape III by Bobo Huettel, on exhibit in “Floral Influsion”

Happy Hour and Beer Tasting

ORPHEUM THEATRE

Enjoy a fun evening of beer tasting and storytelling with Davin and Kellen Bartosch. Thursday, Aug. 20, 4:30 p.m.

FAM ILY

Kids Curiosity Crew

A student-centered program inviting children ages 7 to 11 to explore, create, and play outside. Saturday, Aug. 22, 10:30 a.m.

WISEACRE BREWING COMPANY HQ

OVERTON PARK - EAST PARKWAY PAVILION

FE ST IVA L

T H EAT ER

Mean Girls: The Musical

L EC T UR E

Agave & Ash Festival

Art & Aperitifs: Memphis College of Art Panel

Cigars & Culture is dedicated to celebrating the rich cultural spirit of Memphis through curated experiences that blend premium cigars, fine agave spirits, live music, art, and community connection. 21+ for entry. Sunday, Aug. 23, 1 p.m.

Listen to an exciting panel discussion celebrating the unique legacy and vibrant community of MCA. Featuring moderator Marina Pacini and panelists Martiza Davila-Irizarry, Remy Miller, and Jill Wissmiller. Thursday, Aug. 20, 6 p.m.

SHELBY FARMS PARK

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM

FILM

Crosstown Arts Film Series Presents: The Parallax View

P E R F OR M I N G A R TS

CROSSTOWN THEATER

PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE

Murder for Two

A small-town officer jumps at the chance to prove his detective skills. Friday, Aug. 21, 8 p.m. | Saturday, Aug. 22, 8 p.m. | Sunday, Aug. 23, 2 p.m. THEATREWORKS @ THE SQUARE

The Music Man

Eureka Live: Take-Over Drag Brunch

Warren Beatty stars as a journalist uncovering a shadowy organization linked to political assassinations in one of the defining conspiracy films of the 1970s. Thursday, Aug. 20, 7 p.m.

A teenager moves from Africa to the complicated social world of North Shore High. Friday, Aug. 21, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, Aug. 23, 2:00 p.m.

A charismatic con man marches into River City and gets more than he bargained for. Thursday, Aug. 20, 7:30 p.m. | Friday, Aug. 21, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, Aug. 23, 2:00 p.m. LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation Expect an entertaining afternoon of fabulous drag performances, brunch, mimosas, and plenty of personality. Sunday, Aug. 23, 12 p.m.

THEATRE MEMPHIS 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Tuesday, August 13, 2019

A RTS AND S PEC IAL E X H IB ITS

“Floral Infusion”

Stephanie Howard: “Keep Safe”

Howard is inspired and influenced by outsider and folk art, vintage photography and illustration, as well as embroidery and quilting. Through Sept. 19. SHEET CAKE GALLERY

B OO K E VE NTS

Otis Sanford: Newsman

Newsman is an autobiography of Otis Sanford’s experiences growing up in a large African American family in Mississippi during the turbulent civil rights era and the factors that influenced his 50-year career in journalism. Wednesday, Aug. 26, 6 p.m. NOVEL

CO MMU NITY

Carnegie Writers’ Group Memphis

A community-based writing group that will cover several genres. Whether you’re a polished writer looking for a few tips or someone just starting their writing career, all are welcome. Saturday, Aug. 22, 3 p.m. COSSITT LIBRARY

C LASS /WORKS HO P

Flavored Syrups for Coffee and Dessert with Phoebe Griffin Sapp

Learn to make your own infused syrup with botanical flavors like you’ve tried at Park and Cherry. Ages 16+. Thursday, Aug. 20, 6 p.m. DIXON GALLERY AND GARDENS

CO ME DY

D.L. Hughley

Known as one of the “Original Kings of Comedy,” Hughley has built a decades-long career across stand-up, television, radio, books, and cultural commentary. Saturday, Aug. 22, 7 p.m. CANNON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Leanne Morgan: The Time of Our Lives Tour

Leanne Morgan is bringing her signature Southern charm and relatable humor to the Orpheum stage for a night of warm, candid storytelling and laugh-out-loud comedy. Fri-

ACROSS

29 Dark force, in Chinese philosophy 6 Jazz style 32 Hoi polloi, with “the” 11 Not an exact amount: Abbr. 33 Smidgen 35 “The 14 Note from a Highwayman” 6-Down that poet might give you jitters 37 Angsty music genre 15 Plains tribe 38 Moolah, 16 To the ___ redundantly degree 41 Automated producer of spam 17 Experience, redundantly 44 5/8/1945 19 Opus ___ 45 Popeye’s creator E. C. ___ 20 Prefix with 49 Spaced out tourism mentally 21 Come after 51 Track relentlessly 22 “Victory is mine!” 53 Singer India.___ 23 Like some 54 Hack, telephones and redundantly tires 56 F equivalent 25 Snitch, 58 “Anybody ___?” redundantly 59 Folgers 28 Novelist Morrison alternative 1 So far

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE C A P P I M I N G S C A M L U L U N O L I E T O G A A R A B P O I N T G U A R D P A Y G R A D E G O A L I E S E A A I R B O O R M D T P A I N T G U N H O S E S B E N N Y R N A A R T S P A N D G P A I N S E E P R I U S S A N T A P O P G R O U P F U N H I L L E N G E L S S A F E C O P E A G R E E N P A R T Y G I R L S A N N A A B E T U B O L T V I D I M A Y O E M M Y S Y E L L

62 A/C meas. 63 Word in brackets after a mistake 64 Cottontail, redundantly 67 Get ___ on (ace) 68 Can’t be found at the office 69 One of 10 in bowling 70 Pro ___ 71 Self-description after a major lifestyle change 72 Exhorted

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PUZZLE BY BRUCE HAIGHT

27 Shocks, in a way

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30 How many TV shows are viewed 42 Like laundry nowadays being dried outdoors 31 Wanderer 43 Subject of an 34 Pandemonium I.R.S. consumer warning 36 Quickly change one’s mind back 46 Potpourri and forth 47 Broadcast slot 39 Video game 48 Said (to be) giant 50 Shakespearean 40 “You got that cry before “What, right!” are you mad?”

52 One of 10 in a ten-speed

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Crossword

BUCKMAN ARTS CENTER AT ST. MARY’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

55 At this point 57 Problem that has ballooned 60 E pluribus ___ 61 Memory unit 64 Recycling container 65 Not let go to waste 66 “I’m f-f-freezing!”

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

New Works by Vera Feldman and Bobo Huettel on exhibit in the Levy Gallery. Through Sept. 21.

13

We Saw You. with MICHAEL DONAHUE

A

August 20-26, 2026

jam session highlighted the opening of “Fun Studio,” a new outdoor play space in My Big Backyard at Memphis Botanic Garden. The event was held August 8th. Fun Studio is in partnership with and modeled after Sun Studio. The band featured Jeff Hulett on acoustic guitar and vocals, Ben Church on electric guitar and vocals, Frank McLallen on bass, Graham Winchester on drums and vocals, Lori McStay on keyboards and vocals, Hope Clayburn on saxophone and vocals, and Kate Crowder on vocals.

14

PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE

above: (left to right) Liz Gramm and Alden Kendall; Web, Suzanne, Jake, and Blair Louise Brown circle: Drew Hampton below: (left to right) Philip Whitely, Hallie and Blythe Hylander, Curtis Woodward, Ida Hylander, Lynn Woodward; Jacob Taylor; Hope Clayburn bottom row: (left to right) Elen Wroten and Bradley Rogers; Benjamin Rednour and Tim Barker; Amber and Ron McIntyre

FOOD By Michael Donahue

Chef Clinton’s Vision

PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE

Keith Clinton The artists are good about “rolling with it and coming up with something so beyond my dreams,” he says. This is their area of expertise. “So, I trust them.” Customer reaction to the tableware is positive. And, says Clinton, “I’m loving that the guy is picking up on this plate and this spoon and I can tell him the name of the man or the woman who made it.” Clinton began using custom-made tableware about a year and a half ago. He’d seek out artists at craft fairs and farmers markets, buy a couple of their pieces, and,

if he liked their style and what they were making, he’d say, “Let’s create together.” One of the artists was Blake Conner from Dirt Studios. Clinton needed something to hold his spear-shaped savory beignets stuffed with chanterelle cream and shaved truffles. “You can’t really put it on a plate because it rolls around. And we needed a vessel to get it to the table without it rolling around.” He sent Conner a “very crudely drawn” picture of what he had in mind — a little doughnut-hole-shaped piece with more rounded edges. “And then he sketched out some stuff and sent it back to me. I said, ‘Let’s make a prototype.’ He made one and I ordered 20.” Conner also makes little cornet holders for Clinton’s smoked potato and caviar. It was “a very human process to get this conical shape. What was difficult was trying to make them all the same size,” he says. Clinton also enlisted ceramicist Stephanie Turner to make pieces, including “a flat plate that didn’t have beveled edges. A lot of plates have the big rim. We wanted something flat that way, but when we put a spoon on there, it elevated what was on it,” says Clinton. He wanted the piece for his New York strip dish with foraged morels and local lettuce tendrils. “I was fascinated with this idea. She was able to make it come to life.” Sometimes, Clinton’s culinary creation begins with the plate instead of the reverse. “I want to do something with this plate and I want to build on it.” He also looks locally for unusual tableware. “I’m spending my off days going to antique malls and estate sales trying to find decanters.” Clinton has had many opportunities to imagine new vessels. “Right now, I’m on my 83rd menu change. We change the menu a lot.” And, he says, “A lot of these things have a lot of crossover and multiuse. I can use them three or four different ways.” Clinton, who drew and painted when he was in high school, feels like he’s still doing that but “just in a different way. We’re just trying to tell our story. And part of the way we do this is creating the dishes that go underneath the food. And that’s important to us, as well.” Since Clinton has been at Chez Philippe, the restaurant has been awarded the AAA Five Diamond Award, the highest award in the AAA Diamond Program. Another one of Clinton’s high points is the upcoming birth of his second child. His wife, Meredith, is having a baby daughter in October.

Enroll Your Child in Pre-K Pre-K will help give your child the basic skills they will need later in school. Plus some programs provide extra support, like devices, for home learning. And, depending on your income, it’s all free.

To enroll your child in Pre-K, visit:

PrekMemphis.com

High-quality early childhood programs benefit the whole community. First 8 Memphis coordinates services for kids birth through third grade.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

C

ulinary arts meet fine arts every night at dinner at Chez Philippe. Keith Clinton, the chef de cuisine at the restaurant in The Peabody, collaborates with local artists and craftspeople to create unusual custom-made vessels to hold his food creations. “Guests ask about all the pieces — tableware, plates, and bowls — we’re using for our food,” Clinton says. And he tells them, “This plate was specifically designed for this food and this food only.” As he puts it, “It’s a way for us to support our local makers and our local arts scene and for us to showcase beautiful dining, in general.” Clinton has had about 20 custom pieces made. “Maybe 60 percent of the menu is on custom-made, locally made ceramics and locally made woodworking things. I text these makers with an idea. And usually that idea is really vague. I’m not the best at describing what the finished product is. I show them the shape of this thing I want and they end up bringing me something even better.”

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Creating table decor at Chez Philippe.

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SPIRITS By Buddy Jones

The Winning Play For a “sneaky” stadium buzz, the pre-game reigns supreme.

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he 2026 NFL preseason is officially underway, and college football is set to kick off on August 29th. This means the return of screaming fanatics to the Overpriced Beer Dome, otherwise referred to as a football stadium. When it comes to attending football games, you can know your Xs and Os, you can don your game-day drip, and you can impress the guys with your team-colored theatrical makeup. But it’s not enough to show your spirit, you have to bring your spirits. The MVP isn’t the quarterback who sneaks in the end zone, it’s the fan who sneaks in the cold one. You have to stand in awe at the way the concession stand cashier says with a straight face, “One Bud Light? That’ll be $10, sir.” A referee should blow his whistle and throw a yellow flag for the penalty of unnecessary roughness on your wallet. If you’re grabbing barbecue nachos, purchasing a $10 beer once is acceptable. But to get blitzed, you’re going to need more beer. Who can fathom paying $60 for a six-pack of domestic suds? Nevermind the cost, the speed of these stadium vendors makes the DMV look like the Chick-fil-A drive-thru line. What’s the alternative? The answer is under your nose, or under your hat, or stuffed in your waist band. Yes, in order to avoid ridiculously expensive beer prices, you have to call an audible BYOB. But it’s not easy to score against the Steel Curtain Stadium Security. They’re checking your bags, waving metal-detecting wands around your body, and patting you down. They make you want to yell, “Take it easy! I’m going to watch Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs play the Titans, not Paul Crewe and the Mean Machines play the Guards.” I won’t condone overindulging, drinking and driving, or showing off your tight end by streaking at the halftime show, but over the last 20 years I’ve compiled a secret green playbook from my morally flexible bar customers on how to stiff-arm booze through security. If executed properly, you’ll be in victory formation at your next football game. Men make up the majority of drunken idiots at football stadiums. What’s the difference between Uga the Bulldog and two drunk male football fans? Uga has four legs and one brain. The two drunk male football fans have four legs and no brains. But clueless, plastered playmakers are what you need to pull off

the “sacrifice.” Fill a plastic Ziploc bag with liquor and duct tape it around your abdomen. Stuff your socks, pockets, and the hood of your hoodie with airplane bottles and walk in carrying two beers. Security will immediately intercept your two beers, but they’ll also think you’re an idiot and not bother searching you. Your girlfriend or wife may not know the difference between a flea flicker and a light flicker, but when it comes to trick plays, women don’t play. The weapons at their disposal are unmatched: a hair brush flask, hollowed books, tampon boxes, and a 750 mL bottle resting in her Evelyn & Bobbie. One of my personal favorites is the old French braid around an airplane bottle special.

PHOTO: EDU GD | DREAMSTIME.COM

If the father is a jackass, then his kid is the mule. There are few things more satisfying to a dad than watching his bundle of joy smuggle a bottle of joy juice into a football game. When is the last time you’ve seen an 8-year-old bottle of scotch pulled out of the pocket of an 8-year-old boy? Diaper bags, baby carriers, and foam fingers also provide great protection against your drinking plans getting sacked. Avoid bringing metal flasks; you don’t want your groomsman gift to get confiscated. Don’t refill liquor into plastic household bottles that once contained chemicals such as lotion, sunscreen, or sanitizers. Most importantly, don’t cram containers, liquids, or plastic bags in any of your bodily orifices. An ear hole, nose hole, or anything ending in a hole should be considered dangerous. There is no foolproof plan when it comes to sneaking booze into football games because only a fool would plan this. It’s a coin toss. But if you fumble and get caught, you could get ejected and banned for life. For me, the tried-and-true method to smuggle alcohol is to carry it all inside your stomach. Buddy Jones is a longtime Memphis bartender and comedian who hosts a weekly comedy night at Peoples on Beale.

M E TA P H Y S I C A L C O N N E C T I O N B y E m i l y G u e n t h e r

Are You Ready?

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Cosmic sparks light the way forward. The Leo eclipse is the centerpiece of this story. Solar eclipses have always carried the reputation of being cosmic reset buttons, but this one arrived with the unmistakable signature of Leo — bold, creative, fiery, and unwilling to be ignored. Leo energy doesn’t whisper; it steps forward, chin lifted, ready to claim its place. When the sun, moon, and Earth align in this sign, astrologers often speak of breakthroughs in leadership and self-expression. It’s as though the eclipse wipes the slate clean and then hands you a paintbrush, urging you to create something that feels unmistakably yours. During a total solar eclipse, the sun’s light is briefly swallowed, and the world tilts into an uncanny twilight. In metaphysical traditions, that moment of darkness is not a loss but a suspension — a pause in the usual flow of energy. Old patterns loosen. The inner voice grows louder. What we have ignored or postponed steps forward with new urgency. For many, this eclipse may feel like a turning point in creative calling or personal truth. Leo asks: Where have you dimmed your own light? What part of you is ready to be seen? And then, almost immediately, the sky answered with motion. The Perseid meteor shower reached its peak on the nights of August 12th

and 13th, and this year the timing could not have been more exquisite. Because the new moon leaves the sky dark, the meteors streaked across a backdrop free of lunar glare. The Perseids are already known for their brilliance and frequency, but under a moonless sky they become something close to mythic — dozens of bright trails every hour, each one a brief flare of cosmic debris burning into our atmosphere. There is something profoundly symbolic about meteors arriving right on the heels of an eclipse. If the eclipse is the reset, the meteors are the ignition. They scatter across the sky like sparks from a forge, tiny reminders that creation often begins with a flash. Many cultures have viewed shooting stars as blessings or omens of change. Even if we approach them with a modern understanding of physics, it’s hard not to feel something stir when the sky seems to rain light. Together, these two events create a kind of metaphysical corridor. The eclipse clears the field; the meteors illuminate the path. For those who work with ritual, intention, or spiritual practice, the window of time around this offers a rare opportunity to align inner desire with outer movement. You might find yourself revisiting a creative project that has lingered half-finished or feeling a sudden clarity about a decision you’ve been circling for months. You may simply notice a shift in mood — a sense of readiness, or a quiet confidence that wasn’t there before. Leo’s influence encourages authenticity, but not the polished kind we perform for others. This is the authenticity that rises from the bones, the kind that insists on being lived rather than displayed. The eclipse may reveal where you’ve been performing instead of expressing, and the Perseids may show you how quickly inspiration can strike when you make space for it. As the meteors fade and the sun returns to full strength, consider what has been illuminated for you. Cosmic events don’t force change, but they do open doors. This August, the sky offers a threshold: a moment to step forward with courage and a renewed sense of self. The question is not whether the universe is speaking. It’s whether you’re ready to answer. Emily Guenther is a co-owner of The Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.

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very so often, the sky arranges itself in a way that feels less like astronomy and more like choreography. Patterns tighten, shadows lengthen, and the heavens seem to lean in close, as if whispering a reminder that we’re part of something vast, rhythmic, and alive. This month brought one of those rare moments: a new moon and total solar eclipse in Leo on the 12th, followed immediately by the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. This was a cosmic one-two punch of renewal and revelation, the kind of celestial pairing that invites us to pause and listen.

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

A solar eclipse and a meteor shower clear a path for revelation.

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NEWS OF THE WEIRD By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication

August 20-26, 2026

What Is This, a Center for PLANTS? Lacking a green thumb? Take your plant(s) to Hilda Houseplant Hospital, run by Rosanna Costello of Edinburgh, Scotland. According to a July 11th report from the Good News Network, the hospital is run by horticulturist Rosanna Costello, who remembers going into plant shops and wishing she had more guidance to help her care for her own plants. Costello works up a “patient history” when customers bring in their plants, and chats with them about possible diagnoses and treatments. Like their human counterparts, “patients” in the plant hospital can be “put on drips,” quarantined, or even undergo “surgery” — which usually just means something like repotting or removing pests. “Once they’ve been repotted and trimmed, we feed them, give them a really good cleaning, and let the customer know they’re ready to collect,” Costello said. “There’s an awful lot of feelings and emotions attached to the houseplants that we see, and when they come to collect and get care information, there’s so much relief and joy.” [Good News Network, 7/11/26]

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Gas Leak Hundreds of moviegoers in Colombia fled the theater during a showing of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, thanks to a noxious smell, the New York Post reported on Aug. 3rd. Witnesses at the screening in Cartagena said they were overwhelmed by the stench of flatulence, forcing them into the hallways outside the showing. That’s right: Someone’s fart was so rotten that they cleared an entire theater full of people. The stinker hasn’t ’fessed up — who can blame them? — and so strong was the smell that some speculated someone had set off a stink bomb. The anonymous air-befouler let it rip about halfway through the showing, and many moviegoers left without finishing the movie. [NY Post, 8/3/26] Skeleton in the ... Deep Freezer An Alaska family cleaning out a deceased loved one’s home called authorities when they discovered human remains on the property, the Juneau Empire reported on July 30th. Juneau police say the body — a man who would have been in his 70s now — was found in a deep freezer located in a locked outbuilding, and has been identified as a relative of the home’s deceased owner, though no missing person’s report was ever filed for him. Police

estimate the body had been stashed for years, and are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the man’s death. [Juneau Empire, 7/30/26] Get Off My Lawn Kyle James Steffen, 39, of Minnesota, faces charges after placing about 40 three-inch spikes in his lawn to deter neighborhood children from riding their bikes through his front yard on their way to a nearby park. KARE 11 reported on July 31st that a neighbor called police after witnessing Steffen yell at her children, and when police arrived, they discovered Steffen’s homemade spike strip. They charged him with a gross misdemeanor count of setting a spring gun/pitfall/deadfall or snare. Steffen could face up to 180 days in jail or a $1,000 fine. His court date is set for Aug. 25th. [KARE 11, 7/31/26] Clothing Optional Customers in Hollywood, Florida, are free to abide by an unusual dress code at the Class Soiree Steakhouse: clothing optional, UPI reported on Aug. 4th. On the first Monday of the month, the steakhouse offers a nude dining experience from 7 p.m. to midnight. Diners must be over 18 years old to participate, and are expected to follow additional guidelines, such as no touching without consent. Upon arrival, they are given a robe, a towel, and a seat cover. Chef and owner Maurad Ali says his staff members — who remain clothed during the event — have been well-trained and are respectful of the hungry nudists. Tickets start at $150 for women, $250 for men, and $300 for couples. [UPI, 8/4/26] Death Becomes Him A 26-year-old Welsh man has been arrested for dressing in a black hooded outfit to mimic the appearance of the Grim Reaper, climbing the roof of a local hospital and staring into hospital rooms, The Independent reported on Aug. 5th. Local resident Leon Gillespie has been charged with causing a nuisance or disturbance without reasonable excuse after a June incident at the Ysbyty Glan Clwyd Hospital in North Wales. He pleaded guilty and was fined $270 for his stunt. [The Independent, 8/5/2026] NEWS OF THE WEIRD © 2026 Andrews McMeel Syndication. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In 1925, Taurus astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900–1979) discovered that stars are primarily composed of hydrogen and helium. Famous astrophysicists of that era rejected her conclusions because she contradicted the prevailing theories. Nevertheless, she persisted in her claims and was eventually proved correct by other experts. Sound familiar, Taurus? If it doesn’t yet, I expect it will soon. Naysayers may insist you’re wrong when you know and I know you’re right. My advice: Be faithful to the truths you’ve directly observed even if they don’t match consensus reality. Your understandings are valid even if they’re inconvenient. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You’re ready and able to commune intimately with the hidden source of power that fuels your life. Hallelujah! But first, acknowledge a humbling truth: You’re not entirely sure what that source is. You’ve made assumptions, of course. You’ve told yourself stories about where your vitality comes from: your work, your relationships, your creative projects, your spiritual practices. And while these channels do transmit energy, they’re tributaries of the ultimate spring. In the coming weeks, you’ll have exciting opportunities to trace these streams back to their headwaters. Start this way: Be alert for mini-breakthroughs when you feel unexpectedly energized or mysteriously restored. CANCER (June 21-July 22): The GPS system requires Einstein’s theory of relativity to work correctly. Satellites in orbit experience time slightly differently than we do on Earth’s surface. Without accounting for that time dilation, your phone would be off by 6.8 miles every day. Moral of the story: The practical requires the theoretical and the mundane needs the cosmic. I bring this to your attention as a useful metaphor, Cancerian. I suspect you’ve been trying to solve ground-level problems with ground-level thinking. But your current challenges require you to factor in some relativity: to recognize that different parts of your life are operating in different timeframes, under different rules. What works in one context doesn’t

necessarily work in another. In the coming weeks, refrain from trying to apply universal solutions. Calibrate for context. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I am nursing a hopeful dream that you will give yourself a fun surprise or two in the coming days — maybe even more than two. Not necessarily the most expensive delights, but those that would inspire your nervous system to relax and your spirit to celebrate. Possible options: a few hours of free time with no obligations, a hike where you adore and praise the sky, a conversation you’ve been craving, a daring yes, or a long-overdue no. Or how about finally starting a fun project you keep postponing, or setting down a burden you’ve been carrying for too long? You might ask yourself: “If someone who loved me dearly were in charge of my rhythm, what would they arrange for me?” LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The first maps of Antarctica contained blank spaces labeled simply “unexplored.” Cartographers didn’t pretend to know what wasn’t yet revealed. This was a gift to future trailblazers, who didn’t have to overcome the confusion of false certainties. You could benefit from adopting a similar practice. Instead of explaining every mystery with confident opinions, designate a few regions of your inner world as magnificently unexplored. Your willingness to say “I don’t know yet” will be a fertile form of wisdom. The unanswered questions will be better allies than premature conclusions. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In architecture, the keystone is the central, wedgeshaped stone positioned at the top of an arch. It’s often the last piece placed, and it’s what holds everything together. If it’s removed, the entire structure collapses. But the keystone itself is held in place by the pressure of the other stones. I love the fact that it’s both the most crucial piece and yet totally dependent on everything else. This is an excellent metaphor for you right now. You’re like a keystone: holding everything together and also being held by everything. Please accept my personal thanks for accomplishing the amazing feat of being both powerful and vulnerable! The structure needs you, and you need the structure. P.S.: Don’t overestimate your independence or underestimate your importance. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Don’t reorganize your junk drawers anytime soon, Sagittarius. Please? Refrain from scrubbing the oven, organizing your kitchen cupboards, and untangling old extension cords. I’m begging you to believe me when I urge you to allocate your energy toward the most interesting and important matters. The cosmic indicators

are unambiguous. You will be happiest and most successful if you: 1. dare to access secret wisdom you’ve been hiding from yourself; 2. immerse yourself in almost too much beauty and truth; 3. let your imagination run wild as you visualize future scenarios that thrill you even if they’re also a bit unnerving. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The Grand Canyon in Arizona is 277 miles long, as wide as 18 miles, and a mile deep in some places. Through persistent erosion for millions of years, the Colorado River carved it. This massive creative project happened entirely through subtraction, not addition. I suggest you regard it as one of your role models in the coming months, Capricorn. Your goal is to wear away resistance and eliminate what’s unnecessary. The magnificence you produce will be very gradual and incremental. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In engineering, redundancy refers to the practice of building multiple layers of support into a system so that if one part falters, others keep functioning. Airplanes and spacecraft rely on this principle for safety. I urge you to adopt a similar strategy in the coming weeks. By creating backup plans or additional reinforcement, you can move forward with more daring and flair, which I highly recommend. Artful preparation will strengthen your ability to experiment and improvise. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The ocean has different layers. Each has its own temperature, pressure, and ecosystem. Many sea creatures are adapted to one specific stratum and don’t wander far from their chosen realm. But there are transition zones where the layers meet, and they’re often rich in biodiversity. I propose that we use these areas as metaphors for your power spots, Pisces. You tend to thrive in thresholds and boundaries, where edges meet and overlap. That will be especially true in the coming weeks. To court good fortune and sweet delight, you should hang out at the borders where diverse influences mingle.

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): Consider this your official alert that you’re close to getting too much of a good thing. To safeguard the lovely momentum you’ve built lately, be vigilant that genuine abundance doesn’t bloat into plain old overload. Say no to becoming indentured to your own brilliant ideas. Don’t let your victories drag you into depletion. Steer clear of grand gestures of generosity that are driven mostly by the urge to dazzle onlookers. You really can keep every delicious reward you’ve earned, dear Aries, as long as you begin installing some graceful new boundaries right now.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22): In traditional textile making, the selvage is the strong edge that holds the fabric together and keeps it from unraveling. It’s braided more tightly than the rest so it can do its guarding work. I think that’s a helpful metaphor for your life in the coming weeks, Leo. Your main weave is pretty gorgeous, but the edges aren’t sufficiently taut. What should you do, practically speaking? For starters, create firm boundaries around your work time, your rest, and your availability to others’ demands.

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY By Rob Brezsny

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FILM By Chris McCoy

The Wrong Girls Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat get baked in this groovy stoner comedy.

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he stoner comedy is evergreen. The kids may not be drinking like they used to, but they still know the value of inventing the BongO-Ton and mounting a TV on the ceiling so you can watch a basic cable nature show called Freak of the Deep while lying down. That’s what Frankie (Kristen Stewart) and Molly (Alia Shawkat) are up to when we meet them in their Los Angeles apartment, which they have dubbed “Casa de Chill Zone.” As their property manager Axel (Thomas La Barbera Christensen) observes, the girls are always smokin’ that dink dank. He also observes that they are late with the rent. Frankie is a former Stanford engineering student who flunked out when her ADHD got the better of her. Now she’s developing groundbreaking new THC delivery systems and driving deliveries for an app called Kwik Thingz. Molly is scraping by as she dreams of opening her own pot-themed bakery.

Jealous of Molly’s relationship with her reasonably stable and financially secure boyfriend Josh (Zack Fox), Frankie cyberstalks her ex-boyfriend to a club where L.A. psych-rock band Mannequin Pussy is playing, only to find him with Frances (also Stewart), a girl who looks just like her, only with glasses. Turns out Frances is actually a research scientist. After Frankie gets into a drunken scuffle with her and steals Frances’ glasses, she gets picked up by Dave (LaKeith Stanfield). But once he gets Frankie back to his apartment, Dave reveals that he is not, in fact, a metalhead, but instead a secret operative who is trying to hand off a briefcase containing the most profound scientific discovery of the century to Frances. The briefcase contains vials of glowing red liquid that the accompanying letter implies is an advanced experimental psychedelic drug derived from a giant squid. Naturally, Frankie and Molly have to try it. After an intense trip, they

discover that they have developed psychic powers and can communicate telepathically with their cats Dio (Seth Rogen) and GG (Kumail Nanjiani). Strapped for cash, the roommates go to a swanky party of tech-bro Stanford grads hosted by Martin (Tony Hale), where they intend to sell the drug. But needless to say, Dr. Olsen (Kate McKinnon), the creator of the drug, wants it back, as does the shadowy industrialist Mrs. Kock (Sugar Lyn Beard), and Not Metalhead Dave. The Wrong Girls is clearly a labor of love for everyone involved. Director Dylan Meyer is married to her star Stewart, which might be the reason her performance is the loosest and

Frankie (Kristen Stewart) finds a seriously trippy science kit. most fun of her career. Stewart and Shawkat’s stoner enthusiasm is infectious. They find a perfect foil in Kate McKinnon’s fiercely controlled Dr. Strangelove routine. Meyer’s screenplay walks the line between smart and stupid like a classic Cheech & Chong movie. This picture might not make much of a splash in theaters, but I predict it will be stared at and and giggled to on late night TV for years to come. The Wrong Girls Now playing in select theaters

There Goes The Neighborhood Dinosaurs stalk Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor in The End of Oak Street.

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August 20-26, 2026

he trailer for The End of Oak Street awakened a memory of a book that made a big impression on me as a young library rat devouring all the sci-fi I could get my hands on. In October the First Is Too Late, Fred Hoyle imagines a world where time and space get into a twist so that adjacent areas are experiencing different times. It’s the present day in Italy, but in Greece, it’s the Bronze Age. Mexico exists in an eco-utopian near future, while parts of Russia are featureless glass from the far future where the Earth has been blasted by the expanding Sun. Hoyle, who happens to be the Cambridge University astronomer who coined the term “Big Bang,” used the premise to tell a story about the myth of progress and its discontents. David Robert Mitchell, who happens to be the writer/director who kicked off the current wave of elevated 20 horror with It Follows, uses the premise to tell a kick-ass story about

dinosaurs. And it’s about time, because let’s face it, the last few Jurassic World movies have been pure ass. It’s Jurassic Period hot outside, and we need to sit in air-conditioned comfort and watch dinosaurs eat people. Mitchell knows what we want and takes his sweet time getting there. It’s the ’80s, and Denise (Anne Hathaway) and Greg (Ewan McGregor) live in a cozy suburban cul de sac of split-level ranch houses and block party barbecues. Audrey (Maisy Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery) roam freely like the “kids on bikes” stereotypes they are. But, as usual with the Spielbergian suburbs, there’s trouble beneath the idyllic surface. Greg’s a victim of Reaganomics struggling to keep a roof over the family’s head without looking like he’s struggling to the neighbors. Denise is a talented novelist who spends her evenings locked in the basement chronicling domestic dysfunction with her typewriter. Then, one night,

Brian sees a light outside the window, and a giant pile of dung appears in the neighbor’s (P.J. Byrne) yard. The next night, the lights are back, and this time, the whole neighborhood is transported 200 million years back in time. Even after the suburban time slip, Mitchell keeps the dinosaurs in the shadows as long as possible. Velociraptors lurk just around the corner; rustling foliage conceals something huge and menacing. Once he lets it rip, the film becomes a relentless parade of visual gags as Greg and Denise watch their neighbors become Jurassic snacks. Mitchell loves long takes where the dinosaurs sneak up behind the hapless family. The kids in particular seem to lack self-preservation instincts, and since it’s the 1980s, just because you’re being chased by hungry dinosaurs doesn’t mean that

A dinosaur with road rage in the movie The End of Oak Street bullying stops. Hathaway is perfectly serviceable as a harried mom in an extraordinary situation. Whenever McGregor plays an American, it always seems like he’s subtly making fun of Americans, which works just fine when he’s beeping his car horn in impotent frustration while Mesozoic megaturtles block Oak Street. If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at a $300 million Jurassic World debacle and thought, “How hard is it to make a good creature feature?” Mitchell shows you how it’s done. The End of Oak Street Now playing Multiple locations

N O W P L AY I N G B y C h r i s M c C o y

Tony This biopic depicts celebrity chef, writer, and No Reservations host Anthony Bourdain (Dominic Sessa) in his early years as a wild, young cook apprenticed

Elijah Peel This made-in-Memphis, faith-based film was produced by Gravity Productions and co-directed by Kevin D. Sepe and Memphian Nathan Ross Murphy. Robert Malcom Cumming stars as a rocker sidelined by a heart attack. In the hospital, he meets Jessica (Evelyn Grace Kite), an 8-year-old with terminal cancer who convinces him to quit doing drugs and find Jesus. Kevin Sorbo co-stars as Elijah’s manager Rock Diamond. The film won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress at the International Christian Film & Music Awards.

Mended Therapy

Combining mental health with a love of fashion, creativity, and sustainability, Mended Therapy was born. Ashley wants to show that although things may seem like they cannot get better, there is hope. Just like a mended piece of clothing is brought new life, the same can be said of us. She is here to walk with you through this journey with laughter, creativity, and challenging your beliefs about yourself. She is MENDED (and constantly mending). She hopes you will let her join you as you MEND. Ashley specializes in working with LGBTQ+ populations and mood disorders. For more information or to book an appointment, visit mendedtherapypllc.com. Now taking clients for Mended Therapy Group. Please go to the website for more details. She currently accepts Aetna, BCBS, Cigna, Quest Behavioral Health, All Savers (UHC), Health Plans Inc, Optum, Oscar, Oxford, Surest (Formerly Bind), UHC Student Resources, UMR, UnitedHealthcare, UnitedHealthcare Shared Services (UHSS), UnitedHealthcare Global, and UnitedHealthcare Exchange Plans (ONEX) insurance plans. She does provide a superbill for out-ofnetwork clients if they want to submit to their insurance. Self-pay is $125 for individual sessions.

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Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma Director Jane Schoenbrun’s latest is a deconstruction of the slasher genre. Gillian Anderson stars as Billy Presley, an actress whose claim to fame is playing the final girl in a horror classic. Nowadays, she lives alone in the summer camp the film was set in and is visited by Kris Williams (Hannah Einbinder), a young filmmaker who’s been hired to direct a reboot of Camp Miasma. Kris wants to bring a new energy to the film, but Billy has much stranger ideas.

to a demanding chef (Antonio Banderas) at a fine dining restaurant in Cape Cod. Emilia Jones co-stars as Nancy, Bourdain’s girlfriend. Matt Johnson of Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie fame directs.

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Our critic picks the best films in theaters.

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Survivor’s Story

THE LAST WORD

If this were a book or movie, it might be titled “Our Two-Day War.” We were an Army Reserve PHOTO: unit on deployment to Kuwait, serving as the forward logistics headquarters for the 79th COURTESY THE Theater Sustainment Command out of Fort Knox, Kentucky. Many other units had assumed AUTHOR that post before us, going back decades since the conclusion of the Gulf War. It had become a routine assignment that many now considered to be more of a rotation than an actual combat zone Gene Key deployment. The 12-day war in the summer of 2025 changed that perspective. Units dispersed from bases in Kuwait and other countries in the CENTCOM area of operations to makeshift locations, whether out of the theater to surrounding countries or simply out in the desert in an “off the grid” effort that would move them out of the range of Iran’s ballistic missiles and drones. It worked, in that there were no U.S. casualties during that mission even though U.S. bases were engaged and damaged by enemy actions. After the new year, the operational tempo and enemy threat indicators began to change; we were now preparing for another kinetic action that might happen in the future. Units would need to disperse again, to be better protected from ballistic missiles. Some, however, would be held back as a skeleton crew, mostly composed of primary planners who could respond to immediate needs or changes in the operation, whereas the dispersed personnel would likely be without communication and connectivity for extended periods of time. Over the coming weeks, we moved personnel out of Kuwait; then the order came down for those who remained at Camp Arifjan to move to Port Shuaiba. Shortly after getting set up and operational there last winter, on February 28th, Epic Fury began. The first day brought frequent “incoming” alarms that sent us to the bunkers. Fortunately, the detected missiles heading in our direction went over the port to destinations west of us, and none were landing at the port. Overnight missile frequency intensified throughout CENTCOM, and not just in Kuwait. In the command post we could see and hear the operation’s effects unfolding. Whenever something was detected as coming towards us, we went to the bunkers and waited for the “all clear.” Those who worked days went back to bed; the rest of us working nights went back to the command post. That continued several times through the night of February 28th. The last alarm went off around 6 a.m. but wasn’t cleared until closer to 9 a.m. Soon afterward, the day crew started filing in, and we went into a “battle turnover” brief that recounted everything we had experienced the night before. Once that was done, I started gathering my gear to leave and get some sleep. I was wearing my IOTV (Improved Outer Tactical Vest) and backpack but turned to reach for my ACH (Advanced Combat Helmet). At that moment, a loud explosion threw me into a metal cabinet. Later we learned that it was an Iranian Shahed 136 drone, a weapon that flies low and slow but carries a warhead with the equivalent of 100 to 150 pounds of dynamite. After the blast, I soon woke up hearing someone yell “Get out! Get out!” as the middle of the building was on fire and smoke was filling the room. I picked myself up off the floor as the ceiling was falling off the supporting wall. My head was pounding, my ears ringing, and I had tunnel vision. The room was chaotic as all the cubicles, desks, and tables were now in piles of rubble across the floor. As I tried to walk over the top of it and find a path out, I immediately came across Capt. Cody Khork lying unconscious in front of me. He had been seated in the cubicle between me and our supervisor, Lt. Col. Jason Feldt, but he was now motionless with a visibly broken leg. Lt. Col. Feldt was bleeding from the top of his head, but he and I picked Capt. Khork up and carried him outside of the building. We could not find a pulse; he was already deceased. After about 30 minutes, the port’s fire and rescue personnel started to arrive. Our wounded numbered more than 20, so we loaded our teammates in passenger vans to evacuate them to local hospitals. Seeing and hearing no one else, we withdrew as smoke and fire had completely engulfed the facility. Soon we had a solution that included driving ourselves deeper into Kuwait City, to undisclosed locations, where we would remain for another 10 days. Iranian surveillance drones hunted us night and day while Epic Fury continued to unfold across the region. We were soon able to get evacuated to Germany and then eventually to Fort Hood, Texas, where our deployment had begun last fall. We were evaluated at Fort Hood, and those who needed further treatment were sent to Soldier Rehabilitation Units (SRU) around the country. I went to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in April and was released to come home in midJune. Some of my teammates are still recovering, and some of the more severely wounded are still at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. We lost six American soldiers that day, with dozens more wounded. We were delayed in receiving adequate medical treatment and there are many open questions regarding soldier safety and the lack of defensive capabilities. It is my hope that a full congressional investigation will be conducted to learn from the mistakes, and to correct and avoid them in the future. Gene Key is a strategic defense logistics and project management leader with over 20 years of experience in U.S. Army sustainment operations, global supply chain management, and high-stakes munitions programs. He and his wife, Sharon, live in Germantown.

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

An American soldier’s first public account of an attack in the Iran War.

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