Category: Uncategorized

Friday update

Yesterday Memphis in May announced its 2019 honored country, and it’s not a country at all… it’s Memphis. Next year is Memphis’ 200th birthday and it’s the perfect time to honor our fair city. What a great decision.

Memphis in May had record revenue this year. That is great to read!

Peabody Deli & Desserts has mojito ice cream for a limited time. Must be 21 to indulge.

Belle Tavern will open at 2 today for the Manchester United game.

A couple of days ago I was up at Bardog, and Bloomers showed me one of the prizes that will be in this year’s raffle at Monroe Avenue Fest: PBR cornhole boards. Sweet! “We should auction off dates with people,” Bloom joked. Too bad we didn’t think of that in 2014, because I most definitely had a groupie who was following me around to bars around the time of Monroe Fest that year.

Swamp stomp blues come to the Brass Door tonight with the return of Iron Mike Norton. 7 PM show.

The Daily News has a good piece on the Hive Collective pop-up retail shop and co-working space that will occupy 100 S. Main for the next month.

Wiseacre has announced its Oktoberfest celebration for Saturday, September 29th. Gourmade food truck, Mighty Souls Brass Band, Memphis Beer Choir, Rogue Chefs will all be there. Beer specials and costume contests to be announced.

Music Export Memphis is looking for musicians to perform at venues around the region in a series of concerts in fall of 2018. The goal is to expose residents of other cities to all that Memphis has to offer musically.

Just City Memphis’ Plunge to Expunge returns August 30 at Memphis Made. Dunk local celebrities to raise money to expunge criminal records to give people a second chance.

Do you have the voice? The University of Memphis marketing team is looking for public address announcers for each of its eight major sports.

Southern California native Elvis Tribute Artist Jacob Roman and 2009 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest winner Bill Cherry will remember the King at noon today at the Halloran Centre. This is the first of five Elvis tribute shows at the Centre over the next five days.

Steel Magnolias plays the Orpheum tonight as part of the Summer Movie Series. The movie begins at 7, with the lobby open at 6 for movie-themed fun and drinks.

This November will mark the 10th year of Downtown Dining Week. Visit the website to see how your restaurant can get involved. This is a big chance to introduce people who might not even be aware of your restaurant to what you have to offer.

If you graduated from the University of Memphis in the past year (December 2017 or later) with a graduate, professional, or doctoral degree, you are eligible for two free football tickets for the 2018 Tigers season. The athletics department will send out an email soon to those eligible.

Congratulations to my former neighbor across the hall and former Downtown Memphis Commission president Paul Morris on being named part of county mayor-elect Lee Harris’ transition team. Also on the team: former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins.

If you missed the episode of Classic Memphis Wrestling dedicated to Brian Christopher Lawler, the video is now online.

Bill Stanek, Merit Koch, Sarah Williams and BJ Banks will perform tonight at Songwriter Night 94 at South Main Sounds, 550 S. Main.

Sorry for the lack of news in yesterday’s post. I was just down in the dumps a bit and needed to vent. Special thanks to a friend who was a very good listener yesterday.

Well blast… I have been waiting on the weekly Memphis Farmers Market email so I can fill you in on happenings there, but it hasn’t shown up yet and I have a time-sensitive item in this post (the Elvis thing at Halloran Centre at noon) so I can’t wait any longer. The Market runs every Saturday 8 to 1 at Front and G.E. Patterson. Produce, meat, live music, food trucks, and beer by TapBox. I haven’t made it there the past couple of weeks but will probably go tomorrow.

Back tomorrow with more news.

Current state of mind

Is it possible to be madly in love with your life and deeply depressed at the same time?

Yesterday a friend asked me for a restaurant recommendation to take people from out of town. I gave him one, and later in the day my friend told me his guests had the time of their life at dinner. That made me so happy to hear. That made my day, knowing others had a great time because of my suggestion.

A couple of nights ago, I was talking to another friend of mine, who owns a recent startup business Downtown that is doing quite well, even better than expected. He heard I mentioned him on my blog and he checked it out. “I’m not a person who reads blogs, but I read yours for over an hour,” he told me. “I went back three or four months. You have your own unique way of explaining things.” It makes me happy to be told that I bring something unique to the world.

A couple of years ago, I was at Bardog the Friday before the Monroe Avenue Fest. Aldo was there making last-minute plans, and was rather annoyed that the company renting him their PA system was charging him a hefty amount, not giving him even a little break considering the event was raising money for the kids of St. Jude. I reached out to a few people and found someone who gave him a much better price. Knowing I contributed to the festival’s success pleased me greatly.

It’s not just Downtown stuff either. In 1997, I had an English major add my Computer Literacy class at the last minute, needing to get a general-education requirement out of the way. By the end of the semester, however, she loved working with computers so much that she changed her major. After she graduated, I took her with me to the local computer users’ group so she could network. She is now a highly-sought cybersecurity consultant living in Las Vegas and I remain in touch with her. I am so proud to have influenced the course of her life, and I know she is not the only student I had that kind of effect on.

I’m a writer. I’m a teacher. I’m a connector of people. I’m an inspirer. I’m creative. Those are the greatest gifts I bring to the world.

And now I once again find myself hunting for a job – in a field that really doesn’t use any of those gifts. It depresses me greatly. I know many of you see me out and I seem happy. And I am happy when I’m with the friends that I love dearly and who love me.

What you don’t see is the person who wakes up at 6 AM and lies there for two and a half hours, horrible thoughts rushing through my head, paralyzed with fear. The person who finally gets up and paces the floor for an hour, getting nothing productive done.

I really wish I could say more about those thoughts, but this is a public blog and I can’t control who sees it.

Time to hit Publish and get the day started. I should spend the rest of today looking for recruiters and job applications and talking about things like controllers and scrum and Angular and SQL.

But today, I just can’t. Maybe tomorrow.

National Night Out photos and Wednesday news

I attended the South Main National Night Out at the 409 South Main market last night. Here are some photos.

One thing surprised me a bit – there were no cops there! I guess that they were all at the Court Square National Night Out event, which would make sense, I suppose, since the precinct is on North Main now. I didn’t get a chance to thank any officers for their service.

National Night Out is the one day a year I get Jack Pirtle’s chicken without having to get in the car. Love those tenders I had last night… and especially that big cup of gravy for dipping! You know, it’s funny, for 25 years I thought Pirtle’s was just another corporate chain. In 2012, however, on the opening night of Double J, I met Cordell and Tawanda Pirtle, the current owners and operators of the business, son and daughter-in-law of founder Jack Pirtle. They are wonderful people and very involved in the community. We’re friends on Facebook where I frequently see them singing the praises of their employees who go above and beyond for customers. When you eat at Pirtle’s you are definitely shopping local.

Ghost River is brewing a new beer called Happy Herd IPA, named after the herd of bison that live in Shelby Farms. A percentage of the sales of this beer will be donated to the park. It will be released August 24, but they are currently taking pre-orders in the taproom.

Comma Comedians present 1, 2, 3, Comedy! at Local Gastropub tonight at 7:30. This is a bi-weekly Wednesday event.

The 2019 Memphis in May honored country will be announced tomorrow.

Speaking of Memphis in May, local BBQ team Porkosaurus tweeted yesterday that its new slaw sauce is now available on Amazon.

The Hive Collective opened yesterday in the pop-up space at 100 Peabody Place (formerly the Life Is Good space). The collective offers a combination of retail and a co-working space. There is 1700 square feet of space with 4G Wi-Fi in which you can work for $10 a day or $25 a week, with coffee provided by Vice Virtue Coffee, a design library, and a printer/scanner. Hours are Tuesday-Sunday 11 AM-7 PM, and there will be a grand opening party this Friday.

The Memphis Grizzlies Regional Caravan kicks off later this month with an August 17 stop at AutoZone Park for Grit and Grind Night. The caravan will then make stops in Little Rock, Jackson, MS, Birmingham, Jackson, TN, and Nashville later this month and into early September. Grizz, the Grizz Girls and the Claw Crew will be there, and the Jackson, TN and Nashville stops will feature Grizzlies guard/forward Dillon Brooks.

The Daily Memphian, the online newspaper by locals, for locals, is getting a home Downtown. The newsroom will operate out of a building at 254 Court Avenue.

It’s fantasy football time and Max’s Sports Bar is here to help. Have your fantasy league draft at Max’s and get a free draft kit plus 15% off your entire tab. Call 528-8367 to book.

Memphis Redbirds manager Stubby Clapp has been named the manager of the Arizona Fall League Surprise Saguaros. The Cardinals will supply prospects along with Kansas City, Texas, Pittsburgh, and Toronto. Play begins October 9.

Greenspace, the new owner of Memphis Park and Mississippi River Park, is looking to re-imagine the parks now that the Confederate statues are completely gone.

High Ground News has a good story about Harvest Creative, a branding firm in the Pinch.

A personal note about me: I am no longer with the company out in Germantown with which I started in March. We parted ways a couple of weeks ago. I signed an NDA so I don’t want to say more about it than that. They are a great family company that takes great care of their employees and provides a superior level of customer service. I sincerely wish success and growth for them in the future.

So anyway, I am once again looking. Here’s a link to my resume and I’m also on LinkedIn.

That’s it for now. Back tomorrow with more news.

Tuesday update

Today is the first Tuesday in August, which is always National Night Out day. This year, at 6 PM there are not one, but two, National Night Out celebrations Downtown. The DNA is hosting an event in Court Square, and the SMA is hosting an event at the 409 South Main food hall. Pick whichever one suits your fancy, grab some grub, thank a police officer, and learn about how the community and the police can partner together.

Even though it’s farther away from where I live, I will be at the South Main NNO event. Two reasons why: Jack Pirtle’s chicken and air conditioning.

I didn’t make it to the Silly Goose this past Sunday for their pop-up brunch with Wok’n in Memphis, but I am told it went very well and is going to be a weekly thing. Follow the food truck on Twitter to get an idea of what they serve. Looks delicious!

For those of you wondering about all the people marching down Main Saturday afternoon wearing purple, WREG has a report. It was a church group marching for nonviolence in Memphis.

Something new has been announced for the Monroe Avenue Fest (aka the Bardog alley party) on Sunday, August 19. In the past, Bardog employees and regulars have shaved their heads to raise money for St. Jude. This year, instead of a head shaving, Bardog/Slider Inn bartender Colin will get tattooed for St. Jude if $5000 can be raised. Donations in any amount are accepted, and if you can’t make it on the 19th you can donate online or take your money by Bardog. Donate $100 or more and get your name on the Big Baller Board above the bar.

New Wing Order posted photos of their new food truck:

Looks snazzy! The truck will hit the road for the first time next month.

Bird scooter crashes are causing an uptick in ER visits. Yeah, not surprised by that at all. Several of my friends have injured themselves on those things.

Bass Pro has a bartender position open at The Lookout Restaurant high atop the Pyramid.

The Rock posted a tribute to his friend Brian Christopher Lawler yesterday. When Dwayne Johnson broke into the business in 1996, he was sent to the Memphis territory to get some seasoning. He adopted the ring name Flex Kavana and Brian Christopher was his first tag team partner.

The fan-made man, Corey Smith, will be live in concert at the Tin Roof Thursday night.

THIS IS VERY COOL: 10-year-old raises $2000 to donate to St. Mary’s soup kitchen.

That’ll do it for now. See you at National Night out this evening, I hope!

Sunday update

I want to start off this Sunday post with a couple of pieces of national recognition for our city. First of all, chef and foodie Andrew Zimmern Instagrammed the following: “@rendezvousmemphis is famous for their ribs. But if you don’t snarfle up their famous sausage you are really missing out”

I would agree!

Hero Sports named Memphis the #29 Top College Football Town. Football town! How far we have come in just a few years.

Kooky Canuck’s double-your-dollars gift card sale returns August 29. Any increments in which you want to purchase, with a $10 minimum.

A couple of hours to our west, Little Rock hosts the World Cheese Dip Championship on October 20 at the Clinton Presidential Center. $10 gets you chips and sampling of all the cheese dips that are competing.

A woman jumped into the Mississippi River at the foot of Beale Street Friday night.

For my fellow pro wrestling fans, here’s a video of an angle I had heard about my entire life, but never saw until yesterday. Junkyard Dog and Buck Robley vs. Fabulous Freebirds Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts with Michael Hayes at ringside, no-disqualification match for the Mid-South Tag Team Championship, June 9, 1980, New Orleans. The Freebirds blind JYD with Freebird Hair Cream.

Gordy was easily the best worker in that match. He was NINETEEN at the time.

Poynter has an excellent article about the soon-to-come online publication The Daily Memphian.

Drink & Draw returns to the Ghost River taproom August 10. I’m just going to paste in the description:

Drink-N-Draw Gameshow is back at Ghost River this month with night of fun, drawing games, and gold-spray-painted prizes. What is Drink-N-Draw? Hosted by Eric C, it’s part Gameshow, part Art Class, and ALL GOOD! Great for artists, non-artists, singles, couples, and your mom. Lots of Prizes for Best and Worst drawings. $5 to play, we’ll supply everything you need ;)

Counterchekist, one of my favorite Twitter follows in the intelligence community, tweeted this yesterday:

When Counterchekist announces a FEATHERS mission, it’s usually a sign that an indictment or plea deal in the Mueller investigation is about to come down. Runway 1 indicates a major figure – Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort were runway 1. I’m guessing FEATHERS24 is Roger Stone. I would love for it to be Don Jr. though.

Time for D-RANKS with B-RAD at Pontotoc Lounge brunch. Back tomorrow with more news.

A return to Felicia Suzanne’s Restaurant for 25 cent martini lunch

Felicia Suzanne’s is only open for lunch one day a week, but oh my goodness, what a lunch it is. When you order lunch, you can get up to three martinis at only 25 cents apiece. Yesterday my friend Stacey and I went there for the martini lunch.

You can get the martinis with gin or vodka, and you can get them dirty or with orange or cranberry juice. Stacey got a gin martini with orange juice and I got a dirty vodka martini with an olive.

The food on the lunch menu is quite reasonably priced, with entrees ranging between $9 and $16. I didn’t bother taking a photo of the menu because it changes from week to week, but there are certain menu items I suspect are constants: the short rib grilled cheese, for example, and Lake’s catfish in some form or fashion (yesterday, in the form of tacos).

Stacey got the fried chicken.

It came on a bed of Hoppin’ John with Flo’s chow chow. You can buy Felicia’s line of Flo’s products at the restaurant or at the Memphis Farmers Market. You can also buy them online.

I had a harder time deciding. The salmon croquette sounded good, as did the lump crab crepes. Eventually, though, I chose the chicken enchiladas.

Tres chicken enchiladas topped with a cheese sauce and a red enchilada sauce, along with avocado and cilantro with a side of mixed greens. Absolutely delicious.

Stacey got a side of potato salad that she couldn’t finish, and our server asked if she wanted it in a to-go container. The server took the potato salad to go wrap it up, and this is what came back:

It’s little elegant touches that make the dining experience at Felicia’s so special.

I will mention that Friday lunch is very casual. I was not the only person in the restaurant to have shorts on, something I would never do at dinner there. The vibe is upbeat and fun.

As for the martinis, they were small but they were quite strong. I do not recommend making afternoon plans that require serious thought if you have the limit of three martinis.

A delightful experience and one I hope to have again soon. Check out Felicia’s for lunch on Friday sometime if you get the chance. They did have walk-ins but it’s best to call ahead and get a reservation.

Back tomorrow with more news.

Friday update

If you’re Downtown for lunch you’ve got a few extra options this Friday. Sushi Jimmi, El Mero Taco, MemPOPS and Awesome Dogs will be on the FedExForum plaza for Food Truck Friday along with a DJ, the Grizz Girls and the Claw Crew.

Rizzo’s at South Main and Huling is collecting school supplies for our local Downtown Elementary School through the 11th. Needed items are wide ruled paper, Ticonderoga #2 pencils, watercolor markers, Fiskars scissors, non-spiral composition books, pocket folders (no brands), copy paper, black dry erase markers, paper towels, hand sanitizers, Kleenex, and backpacks.

Congratulations to Lee Harris in his victory in the county mayor election yesterday. Also congratulations to Tami Sawyer on her win in the District 7 County Commission race. It’s time for fresh faces and new ideas in county government.

The Dirty Crow Inn is hiring prep cooks. Come in and apply between 2 and 4 PM Monday through Friday. The Crow is at the corner of Crump and Kentucky.

The Grizzlies are getting new jerseys and a new court. The Memphis Business Journal has a slideshow.

There will be a Back to School Edition of Sunset Skate this evening at the pop-up park at Beale Street Landing from 7:30 to 9. Free skate rental and free school supplies (while supplies last). There will be a DJ, food trucks, and a Memphis Roller Derby demonstration. The GrizzFit crew will be there to assist with skates.

Maze featuring Frankie Beverley with special guest Regina Belle play the Orpheum tonight at 8. One other Orpheum note – tomorrow night’s show, Vishal & Shekar Live in Concert, has been canceled.

This Saturday at 11 AM on local TV station CW30, there will be a special edition of Classic Memphis Wrestling, remembering the life of Brian Christopher Lawler. Lawler passed away this week at age 46. He wrestled under the stage names of “Too Sexy” Brian Christopher and Grandmaster Sexay.

Roll into Watermelons is the theme at this Saturday’s Memphis Farmers Market. Watermelons get their name from being 98% water. They’re rich in vitamins A and C, magnesium, and potassium. The Market folks posted their favorite roasted watermelon seed recipe.  Operation Heart, a group of UT Health Sciences students, will be at the Market from 8 until 12 to talk about the risks of cardiovascular disease and how to prevent it. Live music all day long. The Market runs from 8 AM to 1 PM every Saturday under the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson.

Elvis Week is right around the corner. If you want a look at Elvis Week from the perspective of someone who is an active participant, check out this Deena’s Days post recapping Elvis Week of last year. Deena is a former Memphian who now lives in Baltimore.

This year Elvis Week is going to be a particularly big celebration because it is the 50th anniversary of the ’68 Comeback Special.

Meeting some friends for 25 cent martini lunch at Felicia Suzanne Restaurant. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

Thursday update

Season tickets are now available for the inaugural season of professional soccer in Memphis. USL Memphis season tickets will include at least 17 home games at AutoZone Park, as well as select U.S. Open games and preseason games. To reserve season tickets, all you have to do is select your seating area and put a 20% down payment. Prices range from $170 to $500 for the season. Section types include Club Premium, Midfield, Sideline, and Supporters. The Supporters sections are general admission and will be subject to excessive noise, drum-beating, flag-waving, and just extreme fandom in general.

When you put down your 20% down payment, you will receive a ticket to the September 1 exhibition game for each season ticket purchased. This game will feature Tim Howard and the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer versus the United Soccer League’s Tulsa Roughnecks FC. Order tickets here. Single-game tickets to the September 1 exhibition will go on sale Saturday at 10 AM.

Voting is now open in the Memphis Flyer’s Best of Memphis 2018. Although there are other polls/votes about the best of Memphis, the Flyer’s poll is generally the one that is most respected. You can only vote once (as opposed to once per day/hour/etc.) and the poll is operated by an editorial department rather than a marketing department. I’m very proud to be a former winner in Best of Memphis, having taken Best Blog 2006-2009.

ESPN FPI has predicted the 10 college football teams most likely to go undefeated this season and look who made the list:

Yesterday I blogged about the 50 cent oysters at 117 Prime for happy hour every day from 4 to 7. I forgot to mention that the oysters are not the only screaming deal 117 Prime has. Every day for lunch they have a Draper Special: soup or salad, lunch special of the day, and a drink (iced tea, soda, lemonade, or a MARTINI!!!) for $16 including tax and tip. Follow 117 Prime on Twitter to find out what the Draper Special is each day. Here’s today’s Draper:

My friend Jason Davenport at the Sunday Slowdown songwriter showcase at the Ghost River taproom this Sunday at 5 PM. If you ever saw South Side Supper Club perform, Jason was the guy playing the accordion. A solo accordion act should be interesting.

Those of you who went to EP Delta Kitchen back in the day surely remember house band The Garry Goin Group, also known as G3. They’ll be back downtown tonight playing the weekly Peabody rooftop party, with R&B tunes from the ’50s through today. $10 admission, $20 VIP with hotel guests and ladies free before 7, and your admission includes a buffet of Sloppy Joes and chips. Those in VIP will have a second buffet of chicken, sliders, beef sliders, steak fries, and a cheese tray.

The Silly Goose kicks off a new Sunday brunch this Sunday 11 AM-3 PM featuring Wok’n in Memphis and London Underground-inspired DJ Maverick. The bunch cuisine will be Asian-themed with drink pairings.

The Civil War replica cannons were removed yesterday from Fourth Bluff Park by Greenspace, the new owner of the park. The cannons were sold to Sons of Confederate Veterans.

There’s an all-you-can-eat specialty ticket for tonight’s Redbirds game featuring sweet and sour chicken, fried rice, spring rolls, and hot dogs. $2 Thirsty Thursday beers around the park.

As your number-one source of news and information about The Edge District, I have links to two stories concerning the area. One is that the former Commercial Appeal building at 495 Union has new owners. When the CA moved their printing operation to Jackson last year, they no longer needed that much space. The CA will be moving into a 17,000 square foot space in the first floor of the Toyota Center, a space formerly occupied by Sullivan Branding.

The Memphis Business Journal has a first look at a building redevelopment in The Edge, at 647 Madison. The 12,000 square foot space is the new home of Karen Adams Designs.

Ongoing drama in the sports world: Prospect D.J. Jeffries decommitted from Kentucky, and it is believed that the reason he did that is because Penny Hardaway was named as Memphis men’s head basketball coach. Calipari has never had a recruit decommit at Kentucky. Wouldn’t it be sweet revenge if Memphis stole Jeffries from Cal? Remember, Memphis was on track to have Boogie Cousins and John Wall play for the Tigers, until Cal went to Kentucky and stole them away. Turnabout is fair play, Cal. Read more at SBNation.

That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with more.

Tuesday update

A few days ago I posted that there was going to be a National Night Out in Court Square on Tuesday, August 7. However, yesterday I learned that South Main is having its own National Night Out on the 7th, and this year you won’t sweat to death under an outdoor pavilion as you socialize with your neighbors and thank police officers for their service. They’re moving NNO indoors to 409 S. Main. Three words for ya: Jack Pirtle’s Chicken. Get there right when the event starts and getcha a box. It’s very possible you may get to meet the Pirtles themselves.

A new brewery, Delta Sunshine Brewing, is coming to Memphis. The founders are clearly passionate about beer. Follow them on Facebook to keep up with news about their beers.

Holly has 13 new places to eat in Memphis on the I Love Memphis Blog this week, and many of them are Downtown: 117 Prime, Curry ‘n’ Jerk, Grecian Gourmet, Krewe of DejaVu, and Sleep Out Louie’s. Last night a friend of mine was raving about the 50 cent oysters 117 Prime has every day 4-7 PM for happy hour, saying they are of the quality that they could easily sell for $3 apiece.

Okay… time for me to get on my social media soapbox again. I was in a restaurant recently, and two people came in and asked the bartender, “Are you open?” They weren’t sure because Google lists the place as opening at time A, and the restaurant’s website lists them opening at time B… but they actually open at time C, which is earlier than A or B. Business owners, check every place you are listed – Google, Facebook, Yelp, Urbanspoon, your own website – and make sure your listed hours are correct. You could be missing out on customers if you don’t.

Congratulations to the staff of the Memphis Flyer, which scored three awards at the recent convention of the national Association of Alternative NewsMedia in San Diego. Bruce VanWyngarden, Chris McCoy, and Chris Davis took home awards for outstanding writing.

The MBJ has coverage of what happened to Memphis Wahlburger. A Wahlburger location was announced for Fourth and Beale over a year ago, but it’s not even close to being open. Wahlburger is a chain of burger joints founded by Marky Mark Wahlberg and his family.

First United Methodist Church’s main building will re-open for worship this Sunday. The church was destroyed in an October 2006 fire and it has taken nearly 12 years to rebuild.

Great meme on Facebook: “Nothing says one of us cheated like a joint Facebook account”

Want to be truly evil? Download the tone that goes off on an Uber Eats tablet every time there’s a new order. Then go to a restaurant that has Uber Eats, get a seat near the tablet, and play the tone at random times.

The Butcher Board Festival now has a website including a newsletter signup. They are already planning for 2019 after this year’s festival was so successful.

Blade and Bow Whiskey is the half-off special this week (through Sunday) at Belle Tavern.

Random, interesting story I found: Why many old houses in Ireland have horse skulls buried beneath the floors

That’s it! Back tomorrow with more news.

Monday update: RIP Brian Christopher

Yesterday about 10:45 AM, I wrote that I had seen an RIP tweet about a local Memphis professional wrestler, but I couldn’t find other sources to confirm it and I hoped it was a hoax. Unfortunately it turned out to be true. Brian Lawler, who went by the stage name Brian Christopher, was awaiting trial on a DUI charge in a jail about an hour east of Memphis. Sunday morning he was found barely alive, having hanged himself in his cell. At the time I blogged yesterday, he was still alive on life support, although some sources said he was being kept on life support so his father Jerry Lawler would have time to get to the hospital to kiss Brian goodbye.

I’m going to come back at the end of this post and write more about Brian, but I want to get on to the news first. My condolences to Brian’s family and to any readers I have who knew him personally.

The Daily Beast has an absolutely fascinating read on how the McDonald’s Monopoly game was rigged by an ex-cop with the help of the Colombo crime family. The article is a bit long but it is a great piece of investigative journalism.

My friend, career coach Angie Copeland NAILED IT on her weekly blog post/email about open offices.

For my readers who are into disc golf, the Flying Saucer will celebrate the release of the Saucer disc this Wednesday from 7 to 11 PM. The disc is a Discraft Pro-D Hawk 160g. Quantities are said to be very limited, so I would recommend getting there a little before 7 and telling your bartender or server you would like to order one as soon as they are released.

City Block Butcher and Deli is now open in the 409 South Main food hall. I snapped this photo of their case when I was in there for the Butcher Board Festival.

As I strolled down Main Street yesterday, I saw the Boll Weevils. They are part of the Carnival scene here in Memphis, best known for their green masks, green outfits, and their green bus. They were handing out food and care packages to the homeless. Good guys.

For dinner I tried something different: the Cali Style hot dog at Max’s Sports Bar.

It comes with basil pesto, balsamic glaze, lettuce, tomato, and onion. For $4.75 this is an inexpensive and tasty snack.

My troll wanted her picture taken with my picture from the 2012 Max’s group photo.

The inaugural Bluff City Jazz Fest will be held at the Cannon Center at 5 PM on Labor Day. Najee, Leela James, Pieces of a Dream, Alex Bugnon, Miki Howard, and the PC Band will perform.

Back to Brian Christopher… Brian was an outstanding heel for several years of his time in Memphis. He had that maniacal laugh, that in-your-face personality that made fans just want to see him get smacked. If he’d been born about 10-12 years earlier, I think he could have enjoyed great success as a heel in the old territory system, moving from territory to territory every 1 to 2 years. Imagine him paired with Paul E. Dangerously (Paul Heyman) as a manager, Heyman also having an over-the-top personality. Or pair him with a manager who was all business like Skandor Akbar to highlight the personality contrast. He would have been money. However, Memphis was one of very few regional territories left when Brian came of age in the early 1990s.

Brian’s biggest run in WWE came as a face (good guy) teaming with Scotty 2 Hotty. That run came to an end in 2002, when Brian was only 30. Although the team was brought back for some comedy/enhancement type stuff later on, it seemed like Brian spent the rest of his life trying to recapture the magic he had in his 20s. Vince McMahon in that day and age just wouldn’t see someone Brian’s size as anything more than a midcard tag team wrestler. Of course, Brian could always go back home, but by the early ’00s the Memphis territory was not nearly as hot and lucrative as it used to be. I’m sure Brian had trouble accepting that he peaked so early in a business where many wrestlers don’t hit their prime until 40. Oddly enough, promoter Jerry Jarrett was a guest on Cerrito Live this past Saturday and wrestlers dealing with their inner demons was a topic. Brian was mentioned.

Also sad to hear of the passing of Nikolai Volkoff yesterday. Volkoff a “Russian” who was one half of a great heel team of the 1980s, an anti-American team with the Iron Sheik. Despite his persona he was known as a kind and gentle man backstage.

That’s it for today’s news. Back tomorrow.