Memphis in May - A Tale in Three Parts...continued...
Okay kids, last time we spoke I had just finished acting a fool over the course of Friday night. We now pick up with apologies having been given and accepted...
Part II: "Why Can't We Be Friends?"
Saturday had the fewest number of must see bands for us so we began the day on Beale Street taking in some of the sights and sounds.
Lunch was had a my BBQ place of choice whilst in Memphis, Pig on Beale BBQ (a.k.a. Pork With an Attitude). I went with the Pork BBQ Nachos while Mr. Tippit dined upon the Beef Brisket Sandwich. Now the Lovely Brook is, if I haven't mentioned this before I apologize, a vegetarian. Beale Street doesn't offer quite as much stuff for vegetarians. She went with the cheese fries, a menu option available in meatless form in most BBQ establishments as it does contain enough brown and yellow items to qualify as a dish.
After lunch we sat on the patio of the famed Silky O'Sullivan's. Silky's is an Irish pub featuring blues bands and acoustic guitars on the outside with dueling pianos on the inside. It also features goats that enjoy a tall cold Budweiser from time to time. Sadly, the goats were kept in their pen during the duration of our visit so the time honored tradition of giving goats beer could not be observed.
Silky himself was on hand to emcee the day's proceedings and introduce the varied musical guests on hand in the courtyard. Also on hand....was the Diver.
The Diver comes in a big yellow bucket and is meant to be drank in groups via elongated straws. The exact ingredients are a secret, but it is Miller Lite based, to which a big cup of red stuff is added. I have at different times had bartenders and waitstaff give me some hints as to what is in "the red stuff." If each is to be believed the Diver also contains red wine, rum, grenadine, various fruit juices and other liquors whose identities cannot be divulged.
You know what, I don't know what's in it and I don't want to know. All I can tell you is it tastes like bubble gum and once your group has polished off a couple you are well on your way to intoxication.
The Lovely Brook, Mr. Tippit and I had three Divers after lunch on Saturday. For the mathematically challenged that averages to out to one per person. Now like I said they are beer based and probably hold 5 or 6 beers. This is on top of the "Big Ass Beer" we had at lunch. You'd think we were Senators.
Actually, to be fair we were in Silky's for several hours. It was a beautiful day weather wise, there weren't any bands we had to hear early in the day and dammit...we were on vacation!
Okay, so my theme for Saturday, and this was largely fueled by alcohol, was to make as many friends as I possibly could. As such I introduced myself to roughly 23.6% of the metropolitan Memphis area. I have photographs with people I do not recall ever having met. What is cool is I've been informed that when in the moment with my new friends I had a memory like a steel trap. I remember names and important details gleamed from every encounter. It's sort of like the theory put forth in the cinematic classic Beerfest stating memories accrued when drunk will be forgotten in a sober state, but instantly retrievable once drunk again.
Genius.
The most interesting picture I came away with was of a couple holding what looked to be a pagan statue of a hawk skeleton - god of some sort. It was a nice contrast to all the bible thumpers carrying signs telling us of God's displeasure with drunkenness, sodomy and fornication. Which again begs the question....who seriously is against sodomy?
Oooh, plus in hell we get condoms.
The Jesus Freaks are actually pretty funny because they will go all out to ruin someone's good time and as far as I can tell they've never actually convinced someone to stop at the corner and Front and Beale, turn around and make their way toward the closest place of worship. This year there was a guy on a bullhorn telling us of our fate in surround sound.....sweet.
Oh, another thing. I know those of you who, like me, love the city of New Orleans, may have been concerned as to what became of the $10 t-shirt vendors. Don't worry, they all moved to Memphis. The Lovely Brook and I each patronized them by purchasing 2007 Beale Street Music Festival shirts, which were both cheaper and cooler than the ones actually being sold inside the event.
Okay, fast forward to the concerts. First we were once again treated with Fruit Mentos. Musically, we began the day by listening to guitar god Kenny Wayne Shepherd. We were a ways away from the stage, but Kenny is one of those acts you can listen to and don't really have to watch. So we got close enough to hear him tear it up and sat down on some of the comfortable grass.
Following Kenny came the jewel of the weekend. Australian hard rockers Wolfmother took the stage and pretty much melted my face off. If you haven't listened to these guys you need to treat yourself. Imagine Black Sabbath era Ozzy Osbourne singing lead for Led Zepplin crossed with a little bit of Queens of the Stone Age and you start to get the idea. These guys have only one full length album out so far but I predict greatness for the boys from Down Under.
This really was the best show of the weekend. Mr. Tippit, who had never heard them before I played their CD for him agrees. The Lovely Brook agrees. We're three cool kids with excellent, but varied, tastes in music. If we say it was great....it was great.
The night finished with rock and blues legend George Thorogood. He asked us who do we love. We told him we loved him. He told us how bad he was...to the bone in fact. He ordered one bourbon, one scotch and one beer. He's not my favorite guy in the world but he is a living legend and how many times can you see one of those in concert?
Now the rest of the night sort of devolved into drinking and making friends. No real specific memories except eating some damn fine fried catfish in the Blues City Cafe. Mr. Tippit had the rack o' ribs while the Lovely Brook tackled a big ol' Brownie. Our waiter was named Andre, so we had Our Dinner With Andre. I do recall a prick wearing a Girls Gone Wild hat who seemed less than amused by my attempt to make friends, but that is of no consequence as I have plenty.
Okay, that's about it for Saturday kids. Stay tuned as I wrap up the weekend in the very near future.
SATURDAY SUMMARY
Bands Seen or Heard:
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Wolfmother
George Thorogood
Products/Establishments Gaining Endorsement:
Pig on Beale
The Diver
Blues City Cafe
Mobil on the Run (specifically for their hot dog sale)
Memphis Visitor's Information Center (for providing a spot for free parking)
Positive Comments Regarding my "Fighting for Peace is like Fucking for Virginity" T-Shirt: 8
Negative Comments Regarding Said T-Shirt: 0
Number of Offers to Buy Said Shirt Off My Back: 1
Amount of Offer: $20
Number of Offers to Buy Said Shirt Accepted: 0
Til next time boys and girls....
JeffRey
Part II: "Why Can't We Be Friends?"
Saturday had the fewest number of must see bands for us so we began the day on Beale Street taking in some of the sights and sounds.
Lunch was had a my BBQ place of choice whilst in Memphis, Pig on Beale BBQ (a.k.a. Pork With an Attitude). I went with the Pork BBQ Nachos while Mr. Tippit dined upon the Beef Brisket Sandwich. Now the Lovely Brook is, if I haven't mentioned this before I apologize, a vegetarian. Beale Street doesn't offer quite as much stuff for vegetarians. She went with the cheese fries, a menu option available in meatless form in most BBQ establishments as it does contain enough brown and yellow items to qualify as a dish.
After lunch we sat on the patio of the famed Silky O'Sullivan's. Silky's is an Irish pub featuring blues bands and acoustic guitars on the outside with dueling pianos on the inside. It also features goats that enjoy a tall cold Budweiser from time to time. Sadly, the goats were kept in their pen during the duration of our visit so the time honored tradition of giving goats beer could not be observed.
Silky himself was on hand to emcee the day's proceedings and introduce the varied musical guests on hand in the courtyard. Also on hand....was the Diver.
The Diver comes in a big yellow bucket and is meant to be drank in groups via elongated straws. The exact ingredients are a secret, but it is Miller Lite based, to which a big cup of red stuff is added. I have at different times had bartenders and waitstaff give me some hints as to what is in "the red stuff." If each is to be believed the Diver also contains red wine, rum, grenadine, various fruit juices and other liquors whose identities cannot be divulged.
You know what, I don't know what's in it and I don't want to know. All I can tell you is it tastes like bubble gum and once your group has polished off a couple you are well on your way to intoxication.
The Lovely Brook, Mr. Tippit and I had three Divers after lunch on Saturday. For the mathematically challenged that averages to out to one per person. Now like I said they are beer based and probably hold 5 or 6 beers. This is on top of the "Big Ass Beer" we had at lunch. You'd think we were Senators.
Actually, to be fair we were in Silky's for several hours. It was a beautiful day weather wise, there weren't any bands we had to hear early in the day and dammit...we were on vacation!
Okay, so my theme for Saturday, and this was largely fueled by alcohol, was to make as many friends as I possibly could. As such I introduced myself to roughly 23.6% of the metropolitan Memphis area. I have photographs with people I do not recall ever having met. What is cool is I've been informed that when in the moment with my new friends I had a memory like a steel trap. I remember names and important details gleamed from every encounter. It's sort of like the theory put forth in the cinematic classic Beerfest stating memories accrued when drunk will be forgotten in a sober state, but instantly retrievable once drunk again.
Genius.
The most interesting picture I came away with was of a couple holding what looked to be a pagan statue of a hawk skeleton - god of some sort. It was a nice contrast to all the bible thumpers carrying signs telling us of God's displeasure with drunkenness, sodomy and fornication. Which again begs the question....who seriously is against sodomy?
Oooh, plus in hell we get condoms.
The Jesus Freaks are actually pretty funny because they will go all out to ruin someone's good time and as far as I can tell they've never actually convinced someone to stop at the corner and Front and Beale, turn around and make their way toward the closest place of worship. This year there was a guy on a bullhorn telling us of our fate in surround sound.....sweet.
Oh, another thing. I know those of you who, like me, love the city of New Orleans, may have been concerned as to what became of the $10 t-shirt vendors. Don't worry, they all moved to Memphis. The Lovely Brook and I each patronized them by purchasing 2007 Beale Street Music Festival shirts, which were both cheaper and cooler than the ones actually being sold inside the event.
Okay, fast forward to the concerts. First we were once again treated with Fruit Mentos. Musically, we began the day by listening to guitar god Kenny Wayne Shepherd. We were a ways away from the stage, but Kenny is one of those acts you can listen to and don't really have to watch. So we got close enough to hear him tear it up and sat down on some of the comfortable grass.
Following Kenny came the jewel of the weekend. Australian hard rockers Wolfmother took the stage and pretty much melted my face off. If you haven't listened to these guys you need to treat yourself. Imagine Black Sabbath era Ozzy Osbourne singing lead for Led Zepplin crossed with a little bit of Queens of the Stone Age and you start to get the idea. These guys have only one full length album out so far but I predict greatness for the boys from Down Under.
This really was the best show of the weekend. Mr. Tippit, who had never heard them before I played their CD for him agrees. The Lovely Brook agrees. We're three cool kids with excellent, but varied, tastes in music. If we say it was great....it was great.
The night finished with rock and blues legend George Thorogood. He asked us who do we love. We told him we loved him. He told us how bad he was...to the bone in fact. He ordered one bourbon, one scotch and one beer. He's not my favorite guy in the world but he is a living legend and how many times can you see one of those in concert?
Now the rest of the night sort of devolved into drinking and making friends. No real specific memories except eating some damn fine fried catfish in the Blues City Cafe. Mr. Tippit had the rack o' ribs while the Lovely Brook tackled a big ol' Brownie. Our waiter was named Andre, so we had Our Dinner With Andre. I do recall a prick wearing a Girls Gone Wild hat who seemed less than amused by my attempt to make friends, but that is of no consequence as I have plenty.
Okay, that's about it for Saturday kids. Stay tuned as I wrap up the weekend in the very near future.
SATURDAY SUMMARY
Bands Seen or Heard:
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Wolfmother
George Thorogood
Products/Establishments Gaining Endorsement:
Pig on Beale
The Diver
Blues City Cafe
Mobil on the Run (specifically for their hot dog sale)
Memphis Visitor's Information Center (for providing a spot for free parking)
Positive Comments Regarding my "Fighting for Peace is like Fucking for Virginity" T-Shirt: 8
Negative Comments Regarding Said T-Shirt: 0
Number of Offers to Buy Said Shirt Off My Back: 1
Amount of Offer: $20
Number of Offers to Buy Said Shirt Accepted: 0
Til next time boys and girls....
JeffRey
posted by The Crazy Leftist at 7:11 AM
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