July 2009 Archives

It's just about time for me to lay to rest the Elvis-and-Michael-in-parallel meme, but for one last post, The Globe and Mail of Toronto does a side-by-side comparison of the two superstars' funerals:

Elvis Presley's sudden death in 1977 at the age of 42 prompted an outpouring of grief the likes of which had never been seen for an American musician. At the time, journalists tried to explain why the star's death had such a profound effect on fans who had never met the King. In 2009, the death of another King shares some similarities - though there are many important differences - with that 32 years earlier.

There is some interesting Elvis lore in this article, such as this passage about Elvis' burial:

Elvis was entombed in a white marble mausoleum at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis, Tenn., near the grave of his mother. Just 13 days later, a trio of would-be grave robbers was arrested near the crypt. Elvis's father then got permission to move the remains of his son and wife back to Graceland and the pair were buried there on Oct. 2, 1977.

As of this writing, it is still unknown where Michael Jackson will be laid to rest.

"Because there's more to Memphis than its music scene." That's what Envy -- an urban lifestyle magazine and Web site based in Dallas and Houston -- gives as its reason for travelers to check out Mud Island River Park. The writer says one can "learn the history behind the monumental river and escape in its beauty at the same time." While I don't see any indication that the writer actually visited Mud Island, it's nice to see some positive press for Mud Island (which seemed like the coolest place ever when it opened when I was little).

PICTURED: Steven Murphy watches his son Ryan, 2, play in the Mississippi River model at Mud Island in this May 20 file photo by Alan Spearman.

Mediabistro.com picks up on Fox News anchor Shepard Smith's comments during today's coverage of the Michael Jackson memorial service, in which the Holly Springs, Miss., native says that a similar event -- Elvis Presley's funeral in August 1977 -- inspired him to go into broadcast journalism:

"It was a hot August day in Memphis, I think it was August 16 of 1977 when Elvis died at 42 years old. And, live television events were relatively new to the nation; and, completely new to Memphis," said Smith around 1:20 this afternoon. "That was the first, to my recollection...it was the first live mini cam that a local television station had ever used in this way. And, it was a fascinating thing to see."

John Fry, owner and founder of Ardent Studios and engineer on the original Big Star sessions, returned to the mixing console after 20-some years to mix six tracks for the forthcoming Big Star box set Keep an Eye on the Sky, according to an item from Broadcast Newsroom.

"Of course I enjoyed working with Big Star back in the day, but I had forgotten what a momumental work we had created until I put up those old 2-inch tapes and listened to the individual multitracks.  It was like opening a time capsule and finding all sorts of forgotten treasures. We are all very lucky to be able to relive those days and bring Big Star's legacy to full circle completion."

Ardent's own blog runs down the tracks that Fry worked on for the box set, including a rough instrumental version of "O My Soul" and a cover of "Til the End of the Day" by the Kinks.

For further reading, check out this story on Terry Manning, who worked closely with Fry in Ardent's early years.

PICTURED: John Fry at Ardent Studios in 1970.

Gearing up for a July 4 show in Provo, Utah, Disney tween-pop superstars the Jonas Brothers tell the Salt Lake Tribune about some of their fondest memories of playing shows on Independence Day. It turns out the boys had a blast a few years back in Memphis (I haven't been able to figure out what year this was; can anyone help?):

Joe: We have one big memory when we first started touring. We were actually in --where were we, in Tennessee?

Nick: We were in Memphis.

Joe: We spent the whole day walking around, having barbecue. Just one of those memories that you kind of never forget.

Tim Spanton of British tabloid The Sun does a side-by-side comparison of Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch and Elvis Presley's Graceland (scroll down below main story). At 2,800 acres, Neverland dwarfs the 13.8-acre Graceland estate in Whitehaven. However, Jackson won't be buried on the site, as Elvis is interred at Graceland, the L.A. Times reported Wednesday:

Jackson's family wanted him interred at the Santa Barbara County estate, the site of some of the happiest and saddest times in his life, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had agreed to help clear any state bureaucratic hurdles, a source close to the situation told The Times.

But in the end, the source said, county officials could not find a way to quickly circumvent legal restrictions governing burial at a private residence.

"It's nobody's fault. Everybody in Santa Barbara feels bad about it," the source said.

Via the Memphis Business Journal ...

The Memphis Grizzlies jumped 42 spots to No. 71 in ESPN The Magazine's "Ultimate Standings" list of franchises in the four major North American sports leagues: Major League Baseball, NBA, NFL and NHL.

ESPN says the standings measure how much "franchises give back to the fans in exchange for all the time, money and emotion the fans invest in them." Included in the rankings are metrics like "Bang for the Buck" (wins divided by revenue), affordability, fan relations, ownership, players, stadium experience, title track and coaching.

Back to the MBJ for an explanation:

In 2008, the Grizzlies finished in 113th place. This year, the franchise saw significant improvement thanks to a ninth place outcome in affordability and strong gains in the players, coaching, title track and stadium experience categories.

The Griz's worst showing was in the ownership category, which is a not-uncommon area of criticism.

RELATED: "Your Memphis Grizzlies, the Biggest Losers."

NPR's Song of the Day segment today features "It Ain't Gonna Save Me" by red-hot Memphis rock-and-roller Jay Reatard. The song is the advance single from the forthcoming album Watch Me Fall, due out Aug. 18 on Matador Records.

Here's what NPR writer Alex Cohen has to say about Reatard (who I never would have described as "plus-sized"):

Reatard has a big voice and bigger stage presence: Hailing from Memphis, Tenn., he's a plus-sized guy with a huge mop of long curls that thrash wildly when he whales on the guitar. He may not look the part of a long, lean, Mick Jagger-style beanpole, but "It Ain't Gonna Save Me" demonstrates that he's got all the star quality he needs.

And, in case you missed it, here's the article from a couple of weeks ago tracing Reatard's and Amy LaVere's paths to success in music.