mo photos

more pictures are now over on flickr

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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.

Fridays Pictures

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.

Thursday Pictures

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.

Wednesdays Pictures

Yall have mountains in England?

the next day i head down to the smokey mountain visitors center to get some books as gifts for family members before heading to Dollywood. Dollywood is a theme park in Pigeon Forge which was 2 other parks before it became its current namesake in 1986. its relavtley small as a park and has few rides, however it is one of the finest parks ive ever been to, clean with freindly staff and insainley good food. Areas include blacksmiths and glassblowers plying thier trade along side classic theme park rides. ironically in the 8 hours i was thier i went on a total of 4 rides, that said quite a few times. even thiough the park was packed i didnt wait more than 15-20 miniutes for any ride (with the exception of Mystery Mine) so here is a quick run down of the rides & things i did go on.

Chaseing Rainbows,

Dolly Parton Museum, memrobillia, costumes etc.

Blazing Fury,

small dark ride ending with a drop into water, kinda fun.

Thunderhead

woodern rollercoaster, which will scramble your insides, rough but oh so good.

Tennesse Tornado

3 looping steel coaster, excellent.

Mystey Mine

new coaster, pyro, props, vertical drops. this ride is excellent, though the themeing is a little ropey outside.

following the day at dollywood. i hum ans haw, before buying a ticket to the Dixie Stampede. the Stampede is a dinner show (one of many in PF) which has been running for 21 years, considering the Florida one had closed, i kinda thought this would be only chance for a while i would have to go see the show. i luck out on a ticket for the nearly sold out show and get front row on face on to the arena. the food was excellent (soup, potato, ham, a whole chicken, corn, pudding) and the stunt riders were faultless, the show started at 830 and i was out of there by 1030, well worth the money. the preshow was kinda neat as well, it featured a band of musicians all of them talented in thier own right, but the banjo player stole the show, specifically when he played the banjo behind his head, while spinning round in circles.

i head over to walmart to find some jeans before i sort my bags out, finally crawling into bed at 2am.

Tuesdays Pictures

not many for today,

Hes Worried you are Going to go out and Party European Style

i left the hotel early with the intention of getting to Cades Cove, a small area of the smoky mountains, where some of the first settlers to the region made their homes. in all honesty it was a big crap, a big field in the middle of the mountains. the drive to Cades Cove was more interesting. after this i make the journey over the mountain on the Newfound Gap Pass which had been closed the night before. a few inches of snow on the ground and icicles hanging from the rocks at higher elevations made my dream of visiting the Smokeys during the winter true. I arrive in Cherokee and head to the Indian History Museum, a small museum detailing the different tribes of Indians in the area and then their encounter with outsiders. following this i head back over the mountain to Severville (north of Pigeon Forge.) to Bass Pro to look for a new sweatshirt after seeing no bears in the daylight, i stop at a bear pit to see 4 obese lethargic brown bears being pelted with apple by little kids.  on the drive up to the store i listen to talk radio and a relations doctor who uttered the above phrase. after no luck finding a sweatshirt at the Shop i head back into the mountains to Gatlingburg. Gatlingburg is like Pigeon Forge a small town which relies heavily on tourists. I wander round for a bit heading into the Car Museum and Ripleys Odditortium. Ripleys is Ripleys the same the world over, the car museum used to have the prefix name Barris, as its mostly his stuff. Herbie, Ecto 1, Kit, Jurassic Park are all here, but the icing on the cake for me was the Dragula from the Munsters (a coffin dragster capable of 70mph!) after wandering round for a bit longer i head back to the hotel to rest. 

Mondays Pictures

You can have the snow.

first off, apologies for not writing the last few days, its been a case of long days (leaving the hotel at 8am-ish returning around 10-11pm) and not being awake enough to write anything.

anyway, Monday

i get out of the hotel in the morning with the intention of heading to Rock City on Lookout Mountain, a tourist attraction i first heard about in the book American Gods. Supposedly on a clear day you can see 5 different states, but today not only is it thick fog, its FREAKIN SNOWING!!!! after jumping up and down in the car park for a while like a 5 year old i go to the waffle house across the street for breakfast. by the time I'm out (15 minutes) its stopped snowing and the sky has cleared. i head to lookout mountain. 

Lookout mountain is a area of Chattanooga which is a high steep rocky outcrop, it was the site of a major battle in the civil war (viewpoint) and is home to Ruby Falls, Rock City and an incline railway. Rock  City was set up as a visitor attraction in 1932 by a rich family working out a pathway in their garden. its a mixture of caverns bridges and viewpoints, a proper old school visitor attraction and it rocks (pun intended). for decades they used to pay farmers to paint "see rock city" on their barn walls and roofs, and although they have ceased doing this, you can buy birdhouses painted with the slogan in the gift shop. 

Originally i had intended to see Ruby Falls as well on the mountain, however every person i spoke to in Tennessee when i mentioned Ruby Falls said to skip it and go to the aquarium instead. I take their advice and go, and it is very neat, 2 separate buildings (salt and fresh water) featuring turtles, snakes, gators as well as sharks, stingrays etc. The Aquarium was the catalyst in the rejuvenation of the riverfront in Chattanooga, paid for entirely by wealthy citizens and local businesses, no state or government money paid for the place. 

Following the aquarium, i swung by the old train station, now a hotel the station features on of the original trains that the song Chattanooga Choo Choo sung about. following this i make a move to the 64 to Cherokee stopping off at a shopping center on the way to pick up a copy of Spiral (adam greens new film). i drive out to Cherokee, through valley gouges and mountain passageways, arriving in Cherokee around 6. after a brief break, I drive onto the Newfound gap road to find its been closed because of ice. fuck, a 2 hour detour. a drive though Cherokee more than planned (past the Indian casino and santaland theme park) i make it around the mountains and into a completely deserted Gatlingburg, through to an equally dead Pigeon Forge i reach the hotel around 10. I grab some food at the local IHOP and crash out. 

Sundays Photos

what on earth are you doing here?

Still feeling rough from the night before, (and now sworn off fish again for another few years,) the main purpose of today was getting to Chattanooga. its a 5 hour drive if you take the interstate, but where is the fun in that? instead i took the old highways the 64, 50 and then interstate 24. the other plus with this route is to visit a small distillery where they make the good stuff, JD. i leave Memphis at around 830 and get to the distillery about 2ish. the tour was brilliant, very interesting, and the tour guide (Billy) was a complete character. one of the best images of the day, was driving into lynchburg. as situated on the hills around the town is the barrel houses. From the distillery it was another 2 hours to Chattanooga (where i am now.) I head to cracker barrel for food and get a huge meal for less than a mcdonalds meal and a apple pie back home. 2 cokes, meatloaf, ham, chicken and dumplings, green beans, biscuits, macaroni cheese and has browns, $11!! considering the stupid prices ive been paying in Memphis, this is great, the food wasn't all that hot, but i didn't care it was tasty and just what i needed. 

Saturdays Pictures

Some ribs (and a couple of interns.)

Considering how little i had managed to do Friday, i knew there was a lot to pack in today. 

I started off heading to Stax, the museum about the label that brought us Booker T and the MGs, Issa Hayes and Sam and Dave. the museum is built on the site of the original building, and is in a run down area, like really scary run down area, which would explain why i was by myself in the entire museum. 

I drove back to the hotel to catch the Peabody ducks, the morning performance of the ducks is much better and more ridiculous than the afternoon one. music starts, the lift door opens, and 3 duck hightail it through the lobby and into the fountain. From here i nip into Lanskys clothing in the Peabody. For those of you who dont know, Bernard Lansky ran Lansky Bros on Beale Street, from here he clothed alot of the Stax roster, he also clothed a kid by the name of Elvis. the gold lame suit was Lanskys doing. i purchase a very nice shirt, and shake hands with Mr Lansky. The  only problem with Lanksys is that they are very upfront and short with people as they walk in (especially when they dress like me.) But as soon as i started asking about a specific shirt i had seen on the internet, they were really nice and helpful. Its understandable, they are an upmarket gentleman's clothiers and tourists walk in repeatedly because of the name. 

i catch the trolley down to the Civil Rights Museum, the museum is housed in a mixture of a purpose built building and the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated.  its a really heavy experience walking round and realising how f**ked up we can be as a race, one image stuck with me, a young girl carrying the sign 'integration is communism'. using a almost boogieman like fear and attaching it to racial issues is so messed up i don't know where to start. its like telling a kid his pet died because he wasn't a good christian. they two have nothing to do with each other. 

from here i walk back into downtown and while looking for food end up back at rendezvous again, and it was just as good as the first time. the waitress told me that the last 5 presidents have all eaten there, and when Bill Clinton is passing they will take him a order to go to the airport. 

from here i wander down to the Gibson factory and shop, shop was silly prices (ie $400 more than guitar center for a double neck epiphone, $600 more for a Les Paul classic.) the tour was interesting, me and another guy on the tour tried to devise a distraction so we could steal the guitars, but we couldn't work out how to disguise them as old ladies to pass by the guards. 

i walk across the street to the Rock and Soul museum, which was the most disappointing of the 3, i think because i had visited Sun and Stax,  there was allot of ground already covered. the museum seemed to stop around 1969 as well, which was strange. 

i grab some food at Rum Bar Boogie, which was an interesting little bar (it has alot of signed guitars as well as the original Stax neon signs. Gumbo was good, the catfish I wasnt sure was cooked properly, which when mixed with alcohol made me quite ill.  managed to catch an hour or so of Dueling Pianos at SilkyOSullivans before i had to leave feeling bad. 

friday pictures 2

Friday Pictures

LOVE ELVIS & jesus

You Know one of those moments when something finally sinks in, the kinda 'holy crap' moment, 

that's the way i started the day. 'next exit UNION AVENUE'!!!!! holy crap I'm actually in MEMPHIS!! 

i did first what everyone asked me if i was going to do as soon as i said i was going, Graceland.  its only very recently i got into Elvis, Ive always been a bigger fan of Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, but i was interested to see so i went. its a weird setup, the house is one attraction, the rest set up in a small gaggle of buildings housing museums and and gift shops. Tippex graffiti is everywhere, one brilliant one says "The Leighmans love Elvis and Jesus", nice to see the saviour is second fiddle to the guitar man. The house was quite busy, but nothing compared to when i left, 2 hour queue for tickets? anyone that dedicated? (for the record the queue for tickets when i got there 3 hours previous, 2 people.)  

I then drove up to the aforementioned Union Avenue, to find Sun Records, after not finding it,  i drive back to the hotel and venture on foot. I found it on the other side of the road from where Google maps showed it! its small, dingy and awe inspiring. Interesting to note the sun records corner building you see on all the photographs isn't the studio, that's a cafe, the studio is next door. 

I wander back ending up at Rendezvous BBQ, somewhere which had been recommended to me as excellent. It Was, some of the most flavourful and juicy ribs i had ever eaten. 

spent the rest of the afternoon wandering Beale Street, and checkin out the Peabody before wandering to find Gus' Fried Chicken. This too is aweinspringly good, hot spicy fried chicken. 

not wanting to go drinking in the evening, i catch Neil Marshalls new film Doomsday, its great. 

Spring Breakers making shitload of noise still, funny enough they are auguring about Doomsday.  fridge still sounds like a toy pig being raped. 

yeah thats great, but how do i get back?

Thursday, a travel day which put me arriving in Memphis around 6 in the morning (or 12am GMT) leaving from Heathrow was no problem, plane was as comfortable as the cheap seats are for 11 hours. Plane had the new video on demand system, meaning nearly 250 films to choose, Italian Job, Casablanca and Jurassic park all to choose, nice! 

Opt for Enchanted (switched off after 30 min, it was dire) Mr Magoriums Wonder Emporium, (really nice, until the saccharine sweet ending.) Juno, (loved) Batman Begins (Ok) and House on Haunted Hill ( which was the recent gory version, and was uncut gore, nudity and all) arrive in Huston with 3 hours till my connection, grab some food and watch Farther Ted on the Macbook, 

"folks were going to have to cancel the flight"

a 3 hour layover becomes 8 YAY! i get given a voucher to get some food and a $100 voucher for Continental next time i fly. I grab an overpriced beer and a burger at chillis and watch New York Doll, the documentary about Aurthur Killer Kane.

following flight was ok, i crashed for most of it, got to Memphis and grabbed a car. 

drove to the hotel and fell asleep. 

Hotel is ok, slightly ruined by the room being in between 2 groups of  Spring Breakers (read- loud annoying students) and the fridge sounds like a oinking toy pig. 

Ok, you are probably reading this because

a - i sent you the link

b - you found it by accident

c - you are stalking me, again.

Either way this is the deal, after suggestions from a few friends ive set up this blog to detail the trip i am takeing from one side of Tennessee to the other, then back again, spelling mistakes, awful grammar and all. Its something Ive wanted to do ever since i was a kid. and now, thanks to noting B.B. King was playing the Ryman on the 29th of March, (a place I always wanted to visit,) I decided to make the trip I had shaped in my head the previous 16 years.

the trip goes as such,

fly in, 2 days in Memphis, drive to Chattanooga via Lynchburg. Drive to the smokey mountains, 2 days in the Smokeys, early early morning drive to Nashville / 2 days (ish) in Nashville, drive like crazy back to Memphis and fly home.

crazy shedule, should be fun.

(oh and the photograph is from Nuremberg, was trying working out the picture side of things)