Saturday, July 18, 2009

Adventures in Hollyhood...

Memphis is a pretty interesting city. I did not see all of it, I missed the more modern downtown, and spent what few hours I had in the older part, mainly on Beale St. I first went to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. The old recording studio has been converted into the museum, and it is located in a very run down part of town. I took a wrong turn and ended wandering through some pretty rough streets, but eventually found, amongst the ruins of a forgotten people, the Stax Museum.This is what many of the houses in the area look like.

Now, even if you don't care for Soul music, and how could you not, the reach of this small company--started in a garage--is undeniable. With artists like Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Booker T. and the MGs, Rufus and Carla Thomas and many others, this label changed the face of music. I think the best comparison is to Def Jam and what that label did for Hiphop music.

There's more to the museum than simply a bunch of Stax memorabilia, they walk you through the history of Soul, beginning with Negro spirituals and work songs sung in the plantation fields, then to Gospel and Blues, to Country all of which were then combined into one form of music that eventually became R&B.
This is a 100-year old Mississippi church that was dismantled and rebuilt in the museum. It literally puts you in the beginnings of Soul music, showing you the conditions that Gospel music was born in. All that was missing was a plantation outside.

What separates Soul from R&B is the grittiness of the sound. Soul is generally harder and rougher, with an edge to the singer's voice. R&B, particularly Motown's R&B, is bassy-er and smoother. Compare Sam and Dave's Hold On, I'm Comin' to The Temptations' Get Ready, both from 1966. The Temptations have a fuller sound, while the singing of S&D and grittier. Of course, this might not hold up for each song from each label (They definitely influenced each other) but it will for most.





The museum also has every record Stax ever put out:
I almost fainted when I saw this. This is my version of heaven (part of it anyway). Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor and even Jesse Jackson recorded at Stax. These two photos are from the Stax museum's website. And then there's this:
Spinning on a giant turntable, Isaac Hayes' 1972 24-karat gold plated Cadillac El Dorado. It has a TV and fridge. It cost $26, 000 and was a signing bonus when Stax re-upped his contract. Incredibly gaudy, it has fuzzy white trim and crushed powder blue suede upholstery.

After the museum I went to Beale Street. It was fun there, but it would have been more fun if I had gone with someone. I thought I could meet people and have a good time, but I forgot who I am. Plus, everyone is there with their friends, not really looking to meet a drunk meandering by himself.As I'm relieving myself, the urinal is in the alcove behind me, all of a sudden I hear a splattering. Naturally, I assumed it was massive diarrhea; I was pleasantly surprised when I went to wash my hands and saw this choad's legs sticking out like the Wicked Witch of the West. Now that I look at this, it's no wonder people avoided me, the dangling camera bag is like a brightly colored poisonous berry, warning those that approach.24 oz. beers for $5.50. They have 100 oz. drinks but they're blue and come in a 4 foot bong-shaped plastic cup. They're much more ridiculous than they sound.
I didn't realize they were expecting me.
What's cool about Beale Street is that it's remained more-or-less unchanged for it's history. It earned it's reputation as a party central in the 1920's. But for a city that calls itself Blues City, I didn't see anyone playing the Blues, except for me.This captures perfectly how I felt at the end of the night, blurry vision and all.

Better pictures to follow.