Sunday, June 5, 2011

The King

Here is a decade old photo (by Jonah Schwartz) of me & friends outside of an abandoned glass pyramid arena (the sixth largest pyramid in the world!) situated on the banks of the mighty Mississippi river in Memphis Tennessee! The Elvis nostalgia, the musical heritage, the grand river, the southern poverty all make for an odd yet exciting time where, when I was there back in the day, I felt both at home and on edge with possibilities. Everytime I think of this great city I can't help but think of Jim Jarmusch's depiction of this town in Mystery Train; one story of people looking for The King, one story of people embroiled in drunken mayhem and one story of women who have lost their loves all coming together in a ramshackle hotel under the eye of the Concierge (played by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, seen in the video below in all his insane glory!). Memphis does seem to be this patchwork southern gem which is why I am so excited that Gravity is headed for a live performance at The Brooks Museum in Memphis Tennessee this coming week. I can't wait to head back to this strange place and make some new memories of this cool yet eerie microcosm and to share our own little world with them!