Memphis, TN

on my 'delta' bus to memphis the bus driver announced at the start "let us pray for a safe journey" and ended it with ï pray the rest of your journey is safe. every street here has some sort of church on it. my hostel is attached to a church. i like this. it seems appropriate as i am on a musical pilgrammage here. its amazing, evem just walking down the street you pass the first black radio station or arethra franklins house or the booker t washington high school where ike turner, rufus thomas, booker t and the mgs, the mar-keys, the bar-keys, hell, everyone went to school. theres even a whole district called soulsville where stax records was situated. i went to the stax museum. they have a whole mississippi gospel church transplanted there and issac hayes' gold cadillac. its upholstirred in fur. ive decided rufus thomas is one of my heroes. there loads of interviews with him and he seems really safe, also amazingly he recorded do the funky chicken when he was 53. i have sam and dave's hold on, im comin' stuck in my head but theres worse curses i think. im also commiting sacrillage by not going to graceland. franky, i can't be bothered, and its really expensive. i'm not sure where that moneys going - probably towards reconstructing priscella presley's face - but i think its better spent on records. i did go to elvis' old outfitter, lansky's and bought a hat though. its no longer on beale street (the only original retailer there is a schwarb which deserves a mention as they seemingly have not refitted since it opened in 1870) but in the old fancy hotel, the peabody, which is famous for having a buch of ducks in its indoor fountain. theyre pretty smart looking ducks and they arrive everyday on a red carpet. memphis is famous for some other non music related things too. dr m l king was assassinated here and they have preserved the motel now as the national civil rights museum. its very moving. holiday inn started here. as did the world's first supermarket, piggly wiggly. why you would call a supermarket this, im not entriely sure. the logo is a smiling little piggy, that seems to say i'm so tasty, stick me on a bar-b-que. memphis is the capital of bar-b-que. i narrowly missed the world championships they stage here. however its all pork, no beef. hell, this isnt texas.