Memphis, Tennessee: blues city

I put on my blue converse shoes and got into my Toyota Yaris. Hmmm, not quite as lyrical as suede shoes, but you get my drift. Yes folks, I touched down in the land of the Delta Blues, starting with Memphis, Tennessee. The wonderful Spring weather has continued, and I've scored myself a room in a funky 1960s apartment in Midtown, a great area which incorporates the Overton Square and Cooper-Young districts. It's all very Stokey/Newtown-esque, a fine balance between contemporary sophistication and shabby chic, replete with bars, arthouse cinemas, indie theatres and late-night blues-playing coffee shops. My host is a fabulously camp Memphian producer with ridiculously good taste in furniture and 'business class' internet, with whom I've enjoyed several late-night conversations about art, politics, history, culture and other lighthearted bullshit.

Still harbouring the dregs of my virus I spent the first couple of days in the city relaxing and trying to shake the illness for good. No late-night whiskeys in Memphis blues bars for me, sadly, but I thoroughly enjoyed the city's parks and sunset walks along the mighty Mississippi river.

Chillin' in the park

Theatre in Overton Square

YoLo FroYo

Memphis College of Art

Blues City streets

Hanging by Ole Miss

Sunset walkers

Steamboat on the Mississippi

River history

Boat on the Mississippi

Sunset over the Mississippi

Memphis sure has its pockets of menace and squalor, more than other cities I've visited so far. The funky parts of town feel very up and coming and the areas steeped in ancient blues history have a faded glamour about them. Not without their charm but they've almost turned into a parody of themselves in order to maintain the tourist appeal. I visited Graceland which had me riveted, despite myself. I'm not that much of an Elvis fan but I suppose I couldn't help but be exposed to his music and image growing up. I came to the conclusion that he was a man in the right place at the right time. Sure, he had talent, but he also captured the zeitgeist while also starting something fresh and new. He emerged on the cusp of mass media and his star ascended far quicker and more enduringly than if he had been born earlier. It surprised me how nervous and fearful he came across. He also had fab kitsch taste, judging by the way his house was decorated, which of course I loved. One room was completely decorated with brightly coloured fabric adorning the walls and ceiling. Another had green shag-pile carpet all over the walls. My favourite was the TV den which was blue and yellow, with his signature logo, TCB (Taking Care of Business) and the lightning bolt. So kitsch-tastic.

Elvis' living room

Elvis' living room

Amazing light fitting

Love his wallpaper

The dining room

Kitchen

Mirror-ceilinged TV den

Fabric-covered pool room

The jungle room

Graceland from the garden

Gig poster with the Louvin Brothers and Carter Family

Elvis' grave

Elvis' pink Cadillac

Onesie

Vegas onesies

Bathroom on Elvis' plane, the Lisa Marie

Taking Care of Business

I continued my music pilgrimage by visiting the Rock 'n' Soul museum, a thoroughly comprehensive exploration of the roots of rock and soul music, filled with fascinating memorabilia. Again, I loved the blurring of the genres and the way each different type of music influenced each other. The impact of the civil rights movement in the US was also hugely significant.

Early radio

Original Heartbreak Hotel lyrics

Ike Turner's first piano

Isaac Hayes: Black Moses

Original lyric scribbles for Suspicious Minds

I spent about 4 hours in the CivilRights Museum which was located in the building where Dr Martin Luther King Jr was tragically shot in the 60s. The museum was a brilliantly-curated exploration of the history of slavery and the civil rights movement in the US, and was incredibly moving. It had lots of information about early segregation, black voter registration, diner sit-ins, Rosa Parks, protest marches and of course MLK's involvement across the States. I feel as though I understand so much more about this country the more I learn about its history of racism and segregation. I also realise how hugely significant Obama's election has been to the course of civil rights in the US. My brain is a bit on overload now, but I'm so glad I had the chance to spend time in this museum.

Balcony where MLK was shot

Bus from Rosa Parks' era

Multiracial protest group who travelled the buses to fight segregation

The South becomes Republican

Early use of the black panther in art

Gay protest echoing race protests

Near the Civil Rights Museum I enjoyed the best barbecued pulled pork I've had (outside of Kim's dining room in Sydney of course) at Central BBQ. Seriously, I think this is a strong contender for my 'final meal' request. Other notable meals I had in Memphis were a Louisiana style gumbo at The Second Line in Overton Square and a delicious fish dinner at Sweet Grass on Cooper St.

At the Gibson Guitar Factory I had a guided tour around the factory floor, to see how the famous guitars were made. We weren't allowed to take photographs (trade secrets!) but we got to see the whole process from carving the wood to assembling the guitar to painting and varnishing the finished product. It was incredible to see that each guitar is made by hand and takes around three weeks. And rockstars smash them onstage with such abandon! Outrageous. The Stax Museum was my favourite museum in this city, dedicated to one of my favourite genres, soul music, on the site of Stax Records. The Sun Studio tour was also fab – singing in Elvis' microphone made me feel like a star!

Isaac Hayes memorabilia

Another kitsch event in Memphis is the daily duck parade at the Peabody Hotel. Every morning at 11am a family of ducks parade from their home on the roof to the fountain in the middle of the foyer, and they return at 5pm each day. It's adorably cute, and I got the chance to explore some of the beautiful hotel's history while I was there.

Original hotel bar till

There will be no dead ducks at The Peabody!

I left Memphis to begin the Mississippi Blues Trail in earnest, which I'll blog about next. Although it was incredible to walk down Beale Street, visit Schwab's dry goods store, tread the hallowed grounds of recording studios and Elvis' house, I couldn't help but feel that so much of this city harks back to a hallowed era which is long gone. My favourite moments were more about the 'now' – seeing an unknown suburban band in a late-night coffee shop was more interesting to me than checking out a blues band parody on Beale Street. But so much of one's appreciation of a city is down to chance, the timing of your trip and the uncontrollable external influences which govern chance encounters and spontaneous diversions. Something I'm learning increasingly as my road trip progresses. One has to simply relax and go with the flow.

"Muriel played piano, every Friday at the Hollywood..."

Memphis street art

Cooper-Young district