Arkansas Street and the Memphis Inferiority Complex

Last night a friend texted me, asking about my whereabouts. My response was "Driving around looking for the residences of fictional characters." Shelby Foote has long been one of my favorite historians/Memphians and I just finished one of his later novels- September, September. Set in Downtown in 1957, it is the odd and humorous tale of three cons who kidnap the grandson of a prominent black businessman and attempt to pin the crime on white supremacists. Since Foote is a much better historian than storyteller, the book is full of minutely detailed specifics of Memphis in the 1950s. It tickled me to no end to read a book set in my own neighborhood and of course I had to attempt to find the featured locations. The house inhabited by the kidnappers was set in the South Bluffs neighborhood Foote himself lived in when he first came to Memphis in the 1950s. Interestingly I found an interview with him from a 1954 Commercial Appeal where he makes eerily accurate predictions about the future of Memphis-- "Foote believes the area where he is living in Memphis-- on Arkansas St-- may well become the Sutton Place of Memphis. Sutton Place in New York City was once a slum area jammed against the side of the East River. However, it has been taken over by the very rich and is now probably the most expensive real estate site in Manhattan. 'It's going to be a nice neighborhood' said Foote." True to his prediction, Arkansas St, once a two block stretch at the west end of Carolina; has now been engulfed by high rise condominiums. The bungalow his September, September protagonist inhabits at 279 Vance is now an empty field.

In reading more of Shelby Foote's interviews I found him to be quite the kindred spirit as I could wholeheartedly relate to his love of Memphis-- a mature, realistic love where he recognizes the city's flaws and history, yet still sees the potential she has and the impact she has made on the world. Like us, Foote didn't move here until he was grown. This backs my belief that it takes an outsider to truly appreciate this city. Since our arrival we have seen much of the infamous Memphis Inferiority Complex, always from natives and interestingly enough always ones who live out east rather than Downtown or Midtown. When they learn we came from the Midwest we are met with raised eyebrows and disbelief that we would choose Memphis. They ask "why?" and our response is always "it's home." After they blink a few times they usually give us a few words of warning such as "Your car will get broken into!" or a patronizing "Well... I hope you stay..." with absolutely no faith that we will stay once we see the Memphis they know.

We see the bad parts of Memphis. We hear the tales and we watch the news and we walk past Jackie outside the Civil Rights Museum nearly everytime we walk our dogs. We see shady people case our neighborhood bar (and watch the bartender chase them out with a stick,) we padlock our grill to our patio, and never leave anything in our cars. We see panhandlers posing as tour guides and our neighbors calling the police on robbers breaking into businesses on our street. However, we were fortunate enough to have spent the 80s and 90s safely some 500+ miles away. We missed Memphis at her worst-- we never shopped at the Mall of Murder, we never even had Herenton as mayor. The Downtown we know is safe and vibrant. Had we grown up here I am sure we would suffer from the same jaded attitudes and inferiority complex that many locals harbor. Since we didn't, it is far easier to focus on the positives when you've never seen the negatives. Memphis is held hostage by its past to say the very least. On the Commercial Appeal boards recently I saw someone post "I never take my family Downtown because I love them too much for them to get shot." I can only assume the last time this person was Downtown was 1989. As long as Memphians keep their eyes on the past rather than the now and the future, the city will never reach its full potential. Don't get me wrong, Memphis' past will always shape it. As Shelby Foote said "I find it hard to think of Memphis without thinking in terms of the past." Unfortunately, letting the past shield them from the current reality robs these naysayer natives of the beautiful city that already surrounds them.

One month ago today...

we quit our jobs down at the car wash and left our Mama a goodbye note...hitchhiked all the way down to Memphis, got a room at the YMCA. Not exactly, but Jerry Reed has a much better way with words than I.

In one month we have had any expectations we had knocked off the box and surpassed by astronomical proportions. The apartment is absolutely gorgeous and perfect and eerily all of the paint and carpet colors match all of our stuff. The exact moment our house was closing I was enjoying pedicures at the Peabody with my new sidekick neighbor/LBF 5.0. The first weekend we were here we had our minds blown by the spectacle that is the Downtown Olympics and we fortunate to be involved as videographer and trophy girl/assistant to the director. The weekend after that was River Arts Fest right outside our front door, where we found the first new pieces for our new place coincidentally made by a talented friend. I've ventured to the West Memphis Wal-Mart and vowed to never return again. I've gotten hooked up at the Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma outlet and purchased gold schrunchies from American Apparel just down the street. We attended a party at an indoor trailer court-- easily the coolest thing we've ever seen. We've thrifted like nobodies business and was delighted to find the Goodwills are still priced reasonably as opposed to where we come from. We've joined MPACT and the South Main Association and Memphis Heritage. Most importantly, we both got our first paid acting gigs with a new troupe that will be performing in the Beignet Cafe. Yes, paid. Money for something I would do for free. Theatre used to be such a huge part of my life and for the longest time I assumed I would never act again. As LBF 5.0 says "Everyday in Memphis there is opportunity for an adventure." Truer words have never been spoken (except perhaps those of Dennis Quaid portraying Jerry Lee Lewis... "If I'm goin' ta hell, I'm goin' there playin' the peeeano!)


The only real negative we've experienced is the good ol' Memphis inferiority complex, but that is another entry in itself.

We arrived at our new place last night...

and found this along with a TCB shot glass and a bottle of Mongolian fire oil. Brought a tear to my eye as soon as I finished screaming.

Outing myself...

on account of the very kind article on the Smart City Memphis blog about the mister.

Another 48 hours...

Today I had to return some things at the mall. I had forgotten my credit card so they had to look it up using my license. It didn't work for my current zip code and the sales clerk wondered if it could be under another. I realized that I had already changed my address on that account and for the first time I got to give 38103 as my zip code.


It's supposed to snow here on Sunday so we are getting out in the nick of time.

Things I cannot even fathom from where I am at the moment...

but I'm really looking forward to...


1. Historical markers right outside my door!
2. The ability to walk and procure just about anything we could ever need!
3. Having a best friend who just lives on the other side of my living room wall!
4. Easily attainable fried pickles!
5. NBA games just a stones throw away!
6. Green license plates!
7. Living in a place that necessitates the purchase of FLOR!
8. Drinkable tap water!
9. Snow being the exception and not the rule!
10. Only one month of the year having the average low be below freezing (and only 31 degrees at that!)
11. Having actual things to do and people to see!
12. Never having to negotiate designated driver duty again!
13. Pink mace keychains!
14. The free meditation hour at 7am daily at the Graceland meditation gardens!
15. Cheap booze! (relatively speaking)
16. Whole Foods, Sephora, and the Williams Sonoma outlet all within a 30 minute drive!
17. Meyer lemon trees indoors!
18. Price Chompers also known as movie night!
19. Patio gardens!
20. Being surrounded by like minded individuals!

A title escapes me at the moment...

but just in the nick of time we accepted an offer on our house today, sealing our fate. As of 10/10/09 we're Memphians complete with a 901 phone number and tequila.

Way Down

He had dreamt of Beale Street long before he ever saw it, from the stories Uncle Silas had spun, and his first view of it, at sixteen had not failed to live up to his expectations... he was drawn, it seemed, almost inexorably to Beale because "to me Beale Street was the most famous place in the South. We got in at five or six o'clock in the morning and it was pouring down rain, but we judt drove up and down, and it was so much more than I had ever envisioned. I don't know if I can explain it to this day-- my eyes had to be very big, because I saw everything, from winos to people dressed up fit to kill, young, old, city slickers, and people straight out of the cotton fields, somehow or another you could tell: every damn one of them was glad to be there. Beale Street represented for me something that I hoped to see one day for all people, something that they could say, I'm a part of this somehow." This was Sam Phillips' vision, and he kept it with him when he moved to Memphis with his wife and infant son some six years later. Memphis had drawn him like a magnet, but not for the elegant appointments of the Hotel Peabody or the big band broadcasts from the Skyway. It was Beale Street that lured him in a way he would never be able to fully explain and Beale Street with which, as it was, he could never be fully comfortable.
-Peter Guralnick Last Train to Memphis

We got the house up for sale two weeks ago and were fortunate enough to get two offers within the first three days, and we were unfortunate enough to have them both fall through. Now we have no potential buyers and a house that looks like a storage facility for Better Homes and Gardens. As my Memphis lifeline (or LBF 5.0) says "fate hasn't cooperated this much just to let you down." However, I fear it has. It is terrible to feel completely powerless, to know that we have done all we can and that it is out of our hands. This wouldn't be half as bad if we didn't have our dream apartment to lose. Whether we sell now or two years from now, South Main will always be there, but this apartment wont. I also feel guilty for worrying about such a petty problem and not counting our countless blessings. We have each other and a roof over our heads and a steady paycheck and a safe neighborhood and three of the best pets anyone could ask for and our health and a path to follow in life. I just wish I could be satisfied with those things until we get on our path.

Check's in the mail...

for the deposit on the best damn apartment in all of South Main if I do say so myself. A great big thank you to LBF 5.0 for the hookup, without her we'd still be stuck in red tape over an overpriced and too small condo. The house will be listed on Tuesday, which just happens to be my birthday so here's hoping I'll receive the gift that keeps on giving-- a solid offer on this suburban monstrosity.

The Penultimate

Each day brings us closer to moving as my favorite pen pal/Libra best friend version 5.0 has provided us the invaluable service of condo detective. Also, I have spent the past week on an Adderall and piss and vinegar filled bender of working on getting this house up for sale. Gone are the Miami Vice-ish pastel entryway and the chartreuse walkout basement, replaced with the far more palatable "Basket Beige" and a color that I can only define as "Asshole Green*." Overhauling this house has been quite cathartic and rather than making me all sentimental and wanting to stay (as I feared it would) it has been a real eyeopener to the mire we have allowed ourselves to wallow in for the past four years. The #1 rule of packing for Memphis is to only bring the stuff we truly love, which ends up equaling maybe 1/4 of all our crap. We don't need this. All we need is this ashtray... and this paddleball game. But that's it...

LBF 5.0 has been enticing me daily with her sweet siren songs of malt liquor and vodka drank out of mason jars and 96.1 FM The Pig. Listening to The Pig while painting led to some tears on my paint brush as "You Aint Woman Enough to Take My Man" by Loretta Lynn came on. It just keeps getting better.


And now is the time for Freaks and Geeks, taco pizza, and Moet et Chandon. And the nightly firefly show. Gotta enjoy these last few midwestern pleasures while the gettin' is good, because my God- we are really getting out of here!










*not the color of an asshole, but the type of color that an asshole would paint their kitchen.