more pictures are now over on flickr
linky
Thursday 3 April 2008
Monday 31 March 2008
whats duty free?
Offically the day i go home,
i get my stuff together and pack my bag. i drive to Memphis with the intention of stopping at a walmart to grab some macaroni cheese to take home, but when i get to the airport turnoff i decide i cannot be bothered braving the traffic on Elvis Presley Blvd so i just return the car and go to the airport. this means i have a few hours to kill, so i head in and go to Terminal A to grab some Popeys Chicken. after getting my fill of spicy fried chicken and biscuits i run through the terminal shops getting mints and Rendevouz seasoning (though not to eat at the same time.) i sleep on the flight from Memphis to Huston, before wandering Huston airport for the 31/2 hour layover. I go to the duty free but im kind of ok for alcohol at the moment. I sit at a seat down from my terminal (more seats) and pull out my laptop to watch a few hours of my name is earl. When it is time to board i walk up to the gate to see the remnats of the press conference which had taken place as well as the piles of free food and champaign which was given to the passengers, which i had missed out on. I get on the plane and i am handed a passport wallet with the Continental logo and the date on (this is the first continental flight landing at heathrow.) Again the plane has Video on demand, but its the same selection as last time. i watch Sidney Moon (Amanda Bynes teen outcast movie, kind of funny) Chris Rock: Never Scared (awesome) and Almost Famous (dont need to say a thing) i slept for the rest.
on a side note, putting images up on this blog is a seriously time consumeing pain in the ass. im going to try and set up a flickr account in the next few days will link from here when i have.
its a shame the trip is over but on a plus side very few things were a let down. Of the places i wanted to visit for years none of them lacked from my expectations, even seeing BB King was as great as i remembered. I had an abersloute blast, am i going to return to Tennessee? f**k yes.
i get my stuff together and pack my bag. i drive to Memphis with the intention of stopping at a walmart to grab some macaroni cheese to take home, but when i get to the airport turnoff i decide i cannot be bothered braving the traffic on Elvis Presley Blvd so i just return the car and go to the airport. this means i have a few hours to kill, so i head in and go to Terminal A to grab some Popeys Chicken. after getting my fill of spicy fried chicken and biscuits i run through the terminal shops getting mints and Rendevouz seasoning (though not to eat at the same time.) i sleep on the flight from Memphis to Huston, before wandering Huston airport for the 31/2 hour layover. I go to the duty free but im kind of ok for alcohol at the moment. I sit at a seat down from my terminal (more seats) and pull out my laptop to watch a few hours of my name is earl. When it is time to board i walk up to the gate to see the remnats of the press conference which had taken place as well as the piles of free food and champaign which was given to the passengers, which i had missed out on. I get on the plane and i am handed a passport wallet with the Continental logo and the date on (this is the first continental flight landing at heathrow.) Again the plane has Video on demand, but its the same selection as last time. i watch Sidney Moon (Amanda Bynes teen outcast movie, kind of funny) Chris Rock: Never Scared (awesome) and Almost Famous (dont need to say a thing) i slept for the rest.
on a side note, putting images up on this blog is a seriously time consumeing pain in the ass. im going to try and set up a flickr account in the next few days will link from here when i have.
its a shame the trip is over but on a plus side very few things were a let down. Of the places i wanted to visit for years none of them lacked from my expectations, even seeing BB King was as great as i remembered. I had an abersloute blast, am i going to return to Tennessee? f**k yes.
if youre a man my age, dont do that.
the last day of the holiday, for the most part i wandered around downtown doing last minute shopping (posters from the hatch show print, cds from Ernest Tubbs in downtown etc) i did a few specific things though.
to begin with i went to the hall of fame museum to see the new Hank Williams exhibit, the hall of fame is brilliant and puts the rock and soul museum to shame. for the most part its a museum full of memorabilia (Chet Atkins and mother Maybelle's guitars, johnny cashes suit) but it is all arranged in a somewhat chronological order. the end of the museum is a huge circular room featuring bronze plaques of all the members of the hall of fame, all with thier biography as well as their dob and dod. its cool and features old Gospel lyrics around the rim of the room (will the circle be unbroken) i have a funny feeling its a Carl Perkins song. following this i cruse through the record shops downtown bumping into the organizers of the Hank Williams protest rally taking place Saturday morning which i cannot make. i sign their petition (24ooo signatures so far) and wish them luck, its a good cause and supported by hank the 3rd. Williams was kicked out of the Opry cast for missing too many performances due to alcohol in 1952, plans were underway for his return (sober) in march 53, but Williams died from a mix of prescription drugs and alcohol in the back of a Cadillac new years eve 52. the Opry uses his name and likeness to promote themselves but he never has been reinstated as a cast member. considering his status and modern reverence as one of the original country and western stars, it seems they should at least recognise him. thier site is reinstatehank.org
from here i go to the Ryman to collect my BB King Ticket i ask about the tours and find out the last one of the day leaves in 5 minutes, which i get a ticket for. The Ryman was built in the 1890s as a church with a balcony being added in 1897, it was renovated in 1994 adding in dressing rooms and the like turning it into a modern theatre. the place is stunning and really worth a visit. During the tour the guide takes us to the only permanent set room for a Opry member (the Opry still plays here a few months out of the year) Little Jimmy Dickens. annoyingly the Guide says he is on the roster for the Opry this weekend (would liked to have seen that.) after the tour i grab some posters at the hatch (spending WAY too much money.) I then head out to the Riverside Mall, knowing it was on the 31 i spot the road going north and take it, after 40 minutes i am in the middle of nowhere, and i haven't passed anything remotely looking like a shopping centre or a walmart. i check the map to find 2 31s one 31e and one 31w both going north and south (shut up ok) i drive back listening to talk radio and finally find my way. i grab some sweatshirts and head back to the hotel.
later on after getting my stuff sorted out i head to jacks BBQ on Broadway, getting caught in a torrential downpour on the way. the queue for food is silly so i decide it must be good, it wasn't the meat was dry but edible, guess i was spoiled by the ribs in Memphis. I walk round the corner to the Ryman getting to my seat in time to catch Joanna Cotton. nice support playing 'funkabilly' she had a great voice but wasn't a patch on Gary Moore who was Kings support last time. BB King comes on and well is BB King! he was as good as i remembered and i loved every minute of the 2ish hours he played. Following the show i walk down to Tootsies but just go in the gift shop next door after i see the queue to get in. Lisa had recommended a show at Lylas that night featuring a guy playing rockabilly piano, but as BB King had overrun he had already finished. I go in the gift shop and buy some Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson shirts to use up some of my dollars and chat to the cute girl behind the counter who had just moved down to Nashville from Maine. i got the usual question i get the evening before moving on "so how long you in town for?" um like 6 hours?
i nip across the road to Ernest Tubbs to pick up another CD (hank3's new one) which i forgot to get earlier. The guy behind the counter asks where I'm from and then asks if i want to go the Jamboree (Ernest Tubbs Jamboree broadcasts every Saturday night at midnight on WSM its a cool loose performance in front of the audience at the record shop near the Opry.)
Unfortunately I'm on a plane to England.
to begin with i went to the hall of fame museum to see the new Hank Williams exhibit, the hall of fame is brilliant and puts the rock and soul museum to shame. for the most part its a museum full of memorabilia (Chet Atkins and mother Maybelle's guitars, johnny cashes suit) but it is all arranged in a somewhat chronological order. the end of the museum is a huge circular room featuring bronze plaques of all the members of the hall of fame, all with thier biography as well as their dob and dod. its cool and features old Gospel lyrics around the rim of the room (will the circle be unbroken) i have a funny feeling its a Carl Perkins song. following this i cruse through the record shops downtown bumping into the organizers of the Hank Williams protest rally taking place Saturday morning which i cannot make. i sign their petition (24ooo signatures so far) and wish them luck, its a good cause and supported by hank the 3rd. Williams was kicked out of the Opry cast for missing too many performances due to alcohol in 1952, plans were underway for his return (sober) in march 53, but Williams died from a mix of prescription drugs and alcohol in the back of a Cadillac new years eve 52. the Opry uses his name and likeness to promote themselves but he never has been reinstated as a cast member. considering his status and modern reverence as one of the original country and western stars, it seems they should at least recognise him. thier site is reinstatehank.org
from here i go to the Ryman to collect my BB King Ticket i ask about the tours and find out the last one of the day leaves in 5 minutes, which i get a ticket for. The Ryman was built in the 1890s as a church with a balcony being added in 1897, it was renovated in 1994 adding in dressing rooms and the like turning it into a modern theatre. the place is stunning and really worth a visit. During the tour the guide takes us to the only permanent set room for a Opry member (the Opry still plays here a few months out of the year) Little Jimmy Dickens. annoyingly the Guide says he is on the roster for the Opry this weekend (would liked to have seen that.) after the tour i grab some posters at the hatch (spending WAY too much money.) I then head out to the Riverside Mall, knowing it was on the 31 i spot the road going north and take it, after 40 minutes i am in the middle of nowhere, and i haven't passed anything remotely looking like a shopping centre or a walmart. i check the map to find 2 31s one 31e and one 31w both going north and south (shut up ok) i drive back listening to talk radio and finally find my way. i grab some sweatshirts and head back to the hotel.
later on after getting my stuff sorted out i head to jacks BBQ on Broadway, getting caught in a torrential downpour on the way. the queue for food is silly so i decide it must be good, it wasn't the meat was dry but edible, guess i was spoiled by the ribs in Memphis. I walk round the corner to the Ryman getting to my seat in time to catch Joanna Cotton. nice support playing 'funkabilly' she had a great voice but wasn't a patch on Gary Moore who was Kings support last time. BB King comes on and well is BB King! he was as good as i remembered and i loved every minute of the 2ish hours he played. Following the show i walk down to Tootsies but just go in the gift shop next door after i see the queue to get in. Lisa had recommended a show at Lylas that night featuring a guy playing rockabilly piano, but as BB King had overrun he had already finished. I go in the gift shop and buy some Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson shirts to use up some of my dollars and chat to the cute girl behind the counter who had just moved down to Nashville from Maine. i got the usual question i get the evening before moving on "so how long you in town for?" um like 6 hours?
i nip across the road to Ernest Tubbs to pick up another CD (hank3's new one) which i forgot to get earlier. The guy behind the counter asks where I'm from and then asks if i want to go the Jamboree (Ernest Tubbs Jamboree broadcasts every Saturday night at midnight on WSM its a cool loose performance in front of the audience at the record shop near the Opry.)
Unfortunately I'm on a plane to England.
This is what us rednecks drink
After crashing out at 2am i was glad for the 1 hour time difference between Pigeon Forge and Nashville in my favour. I get on the road local time 730 to make the 200+ mile trip to the House of Cash. Before leaving on this trip I put a message on the Johnny Cash forum asking for suggestions on what to do and where to go in Tennessee, one member (Gren) offered to show me around. We were to meet at the House of Cash at 1030, by 1010 i had only got to the turn off for the 31E and I knew it was quite a way on the map from here and couldn't check how long it would take. I stop at Walmart and phone Lisa to say I'm going to be a little late. I get going again and soon notice the sign on the side of the road looks like the new House of Cash company board, i realise it is and break hard to make the turn, its 1025.
we jump in her car and head past Conway Twittys house and head toward the house on the lake. after stopping to take photos of his parents home (which is for sale, anyone?) and arrive at whats left of Johnny Cash's Hendersonville home. i bite my lip hard to stop it quivering, it is one of the most upsetting sights I've seen in a while. While renovations started by new owner Barry Gibb were taking place some varnish caught alight and the house was gone. Walking up and down the wall Lisa shows me the Bell Garden and across the street where Johnny Cash kept his animals. (this area is still owned by Johnnys son.) Through the trees on the other side of the fence i spot a horse, before Lisa points out its more larma-ish in appearance. She was right as the heard of Lamas and Deer (now visible because in motion) took off. I even did the sad thing and picked a rock up out the garden through the gate.
from here we went to the graveyard to Visit Johnny and Junes grave as well as the Carter Families and Luther Perkins, it was a strange and weird experience as I've never been to the grave of someone I admire so much. Then we drove into downtown Nashville and towards Music Row. This is an area of Nashville full of songwriting houses, record labels and recording studios. Here we grabbed some food and went to Manuels. Manuel is a tailor who designs the incredibly loud suits for country artists. the walls are lined with $3-4000 dollar jackets and photos of Manuel with Elton John, Cash, Dylan and the Stones.
After this Lisa shows me around downtown before stopping and we went into Grhun Guitars. an awesome place you go when you want a 57 les paul jr or Ace Frheelys own Les Paul prototype (which was sold a few weeks before went.) after this we walked the half block to the Hatch Show Print. I have wanted to go here for years, it is a proper old school printing house where everything is printed by hand using printing presses (ie not screened) one side of the shop is the old stamps for typesetting. I made a mental note to return Friday to get some posters.
At this point Lisa had to get to the studio so we convoyed out to the Opryland before she left (so i could find it) Opryland is a large hotel with rooms surrounding a number of large greenhouses, the Grand Ole Opry theatre which is the current home of the Opry and a shopping centre which is ridiculously huge. I go in looking for sweatshirts and guitars (old navy and Gibson outlet shop) I look around the Gibson store but have no plan on purchasing anything at the prices they listed. Old navy don't have the shirt I'm after but tell me another store has.
From here i head back to the hotel to check in (swinging by guitar center on the way - which isn't on the way) and i head into downtown. I go to Laylas which is dead but have a great female singer on stage, I stay for 2 beers, both 'local' one is Pabst Blue Ribbon which the bar man described to me as 'what us rednecks drink' what I would describe as fizzy water. the bar is quiet so I decide to go to see Tootsies. The bar is rammed full and has a loud rock group playing. I go to the bar and try to ask for a newcastle brown, after blank looks twice from the barmaid, I just say one of them and point to a bottle on the bar. I end up with coors light. I watch the band for a bit drinking the fizzy water and watching the girls on their hen night now dancing on the bar. I am knackered and have eaten only a burger all day, so I call it a night around 11ish and a few more 'beers'. I head back to the hotel which has a McD's accross the street (across the other street is a christian department store.)
which is closed except for drive thru, I dont want to drive the car after a few beers.
I can see a white castle but it looks too far, so I do the British thing and go to the petrol station to buy munchies.
we jump in her car and head past Conway Twittys house and head toward the house on the lake. after stopping to take photos of his parents home (which is for sale, anyone?) and arrive at whats left of Johnny Cash's Hendersonville home. i bite my lip hard to stop it quivering, it is one of the most upsetting sights I've seen in a while. While renovations started by new owner Barry Gibb were taking place some varnish caught alight and the house was gone. Walking up and down the wall Lisa shows me the Bell Garden and across the street where Johnny Cash kept his animals. (this area is still owned by Johnnys son.) Through the trees on the other side of the fence i spot a horse, before Lisa points out its more larma-ish in appearance. She was right as the heard of Lamas and Deer (now visible because in motion) took off. I even did the sad thing and picked a rock up out the garden through the gate.
from here we went to the graveyard to Visit Johnny and Junes grave as well as the Carter Families and Luther Perkins, it was a strange and weird experience as I've never been to the grave of someone I admire so much. Then we drove into downtown Nashville and towards Music Row. This is an area of Nashville full of songwriting houses, record labels and recording studios. Here we grabbed some food and went to Manuels. Manuel is a tailor who designs the incredibly loud suits for country artists. the walls are lined with $3-4000 dollar jackets and photos of Manuel with Elton John, Cash, Dylan and the Stones.
After this Lisa shows me around downtown before stopping and we went into Grhun Guitars. an awesome place you go when you want a 57 les paul jr or Ace Frheelys own Les Paul prototype (which was sold a few weeks before went.) after this we walked the half block to the Hatch Show Print. I have wanted to go here for years, it is a proper old school printing house where everything is printed by hand using printing presses (ie not screened) one side of the shop is the old stamps for typesetting. I made a mental note to return Friday to get some posters.
At this point Lisa had to get to the studio so we convoyed out to the Opryland before she left (so i could find it) Opryland is a large hotel with rooms surrounding a number of large greenhouses, the Grand Ole Opry theatre which is the current home of the Opry and a shopping centre which is ridiculously huge. I go in looking for sweatshirts and guitars (old navy and Gibson outlet shop) I look around the Gibson store but have no plan on purchasing anything at the prices they listed. Old navy don't have the shirt I'm after but tell me another store has.
From here i head back to the hotel to check in (swinging by guitar center on the way - which isn't on the way) and i head into downtown. I go to Laylas which is dead but have a great female singer on stage, I stay for 2 beers, both 'local' one is Pabst Blue Ribbon which the bar man described to me as 'what us rednecks drink' what I would describe as fizzy water. the bar is quiet so I decide to go to see Tootsies. The bar is rammed full and has a loud rock group playing. I go to the bar and try to ask for a newcastle brown, after blank looks twice from the barmaid, I just say one of them and point to a bottle on the bar. I end up with coors light. I watch the band for a bit drinking the fizzy water and watching the girls on their hen night now dancing on the bar. I am knackered and have eaten only a burger all day, so I call it a night around 11ish and a few more 'beers'. I head back to the hotel which has a McD's accross the street (across the other street is a christian department store.)
which is closed except for drive thru, I dont want to drive the car after a few beers.
I can see a white castle but it looks too far, so I do the British thing and go to the petrol station to buy munchies.
Thursday 27 March 2008
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