Memphis Wrestling and the Art of Improvisation

Gentlemen prefer blondes.
I have never been a gentleman.

- Joseph Nolan (Twenty Ought Six, The Year of Our Lord)

Hey what up yo?

Ok so I am at the library and fixin' to drop a few lines on the free and the brave from this third floor vantage point here at ground-zero N'ville in the T-see.



First, big shouts to my boy Aaron for his advice on where to get the best pig in M town. Unfortunately, Richard and I had a semi-hectic day and had to grab lunch at the most convenient spot while we were waiting for our rendezvous at Powerhouse gallery.

We ended up scarfin' yummy burgers at the Arcade diner. This is the same diner featured in Jarmusch's film "Mystery Train." The hotel in the film was also called Arcade and stood across the street, but has been torn down since then.



While we were at the Arcade, we found out that there was a special booth in the back where Elvis used to sit when he would come in. Also, there was a guy who looked just like "Classy Fred Blassie," eating lunch in a pressed white shirt with some big-ass rings on his fingers.

Memphis is a big wrestling town and I thought it might be the man himself. However, I just did a bit of sniffing about and it turns out that Mr. Blassie died of a heart attack in 2003. God speed.



Read a cool bio on the legend himself here.

In the meantime check out the new Nashville Arts for some more writing. I interviewed a talented N'ville photographer Hollis Bennett and reviewed Greg Pond's video show at Cheekwood. That show is great by the way. Also, the new issue of our zine Radically Shifted is hot off the presses and I think it's the best one yet! Check it out at Davis Kidd or Rhino books.

The trip to Memphis resulted from an invite I received from Number journal to do a gallery "round up" for their next issue. There are some great shows right now at U of Memphis, Powerhouse and Rhodes College. Check 'em out if you can.

On one last note, rest in peace Robert Altman. A true legend among celebrities, a visionary among hacks, and a magician among crafts-people, Altman helped create an actor's cinema and bucked the system at every turn.

I salute you sir. If only every artist was so brave.



"I was a heavy drinker, but the alcohol affected my heart rather than my liver. So I stopped. I smoke grass now. I say that to everybody, because marijuana should be legalized. It's ridiculous that it isn't. If at the end of the day I feel like smoking a joint I do it. It changes the perception of what I've been through all day." - Robert Altman (Member of the NORML Advisory Board).


Be humble in your sleepy hands on this world.
Be a killer in Heaven.

Love, Joe Nolan