Thinking of Studs in the American South
The Big Doors at Under the Hill, May 1, 2014
NATCHEZ, Ms.- It is hard to place a number on all the great things about drinking at the Under the Hill Saloon.
There’s the stunning sunset on the Mississippi River. The bar has a dwarf bartender. As my friend Bill FitzGerald pointed out last night there likely is no other tavern so close to the Mississippi River.
Then there are the characters you encounter.
I meet them every spring on my way to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Last night was no different. (For my 2002 take on Under the Hill circle back to this site’s home page and click on the Mississippi River icon.)
Bill, his wife Kate and I had a few drinks with a posse from New Zealand who were exploring the American South.
They were excited to know that Sir Tom Jones recently performed at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. They couldn’t wait to see Bruce Springsteen Saturday at Jazz Fest and reassured us he is even “The Boss” in New Zealand.
They asked me why everyone in America talks about “The Cubs.”
I answered how it had a lot to do with hope.
We learned that one of the women is an attorney for News UK. That opened uo a can of worms. We talked about the difference between European newspapers and American newspapers, especially with the European commitment to long form storytelling. She seemed to be having a good time and said, ” I love talking to old newspapermen.”
She then blushed. Bill and Kate laughed.
This was the first time I really felt sort of like Studs Terkel. I had talked about wanting to embrace incongruity. I riffed on the common tactile thread in our DNA about reading printed books and newspapers and the undying love of vinyl.
The touch of real life.
We’ll be revisiting the conversation on storytelling May 9-11 at “Let’s Get Working: Chicago Celebrates Studs Terkel” at the University of Chicago. This is a mind blowing tribute –can’t wait to see Manual Cinema’s new animation on StoryCorps oral history–and I’m humbled just to be a small part of this event. Please come by. Stories abound in high cotton. We pick them and pass them on with heart and dignity.
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