America 2015: Day Eighteen (16 August 2015)

When I was walking in Memphis
I was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
But do I really feel the way I feel?

Now, they've got catfish on the table
They've got gospel in the air
And Reverend Green, be glad to see you
When you haven't got a prayer
But boy you got a prayer in Memphis

                                                                                                                   - Marc Cohn

 

Sunday 16 August

In Nashville, we’re so close to Memphis – less than three hours’ drive – so it seemed crazy to not drive down to check out the city famous for being the birthplace of rock and roll, and, of course, home to Elvis Presley. Memphis BBQ is pretty famous, too.

About twenty minutes out of Nashville, we ran into one of the biggest storms I’ve seen. I thought the one we got mixed up in coming out of Milwaukee last week – has it really been nearly a week since that trip? – but that had nothing on the one we saw in Holladay, Tennessee. At it’s worst, the downpour was so torrential that the gas station we stopped in was actually flooding. Thankfully, we were back in sunshine about ten minutes later, and we didn’t see another drop of rain all day.

 

Memphis is probably best described as a downsized version of Nashville. Beale Street is their version of Broadway, and Memphis does it right, because they’ve stopped traffic from using the main block of what is a major tourist strip. In Nashville, the bars are playing country music. In Memphis, it’s blues and classic rock, and there are just as many amazing BBQ joints to check out.

We ate at Pig on Beale, a bar-b-que joint that’s actually won a bunch of awards. Having demolished a plate of smoked chicken – along with traditional coleslaw and a very hot cob of corn – I can see why. If you’re ever in Memphis (and I highly recommend it if you’re in this neck of the woods), check out this place.

Done with lunch, we drove out to Graceland. The size and scope of this place now is incredible. Aside from the mansion itself (and a scattering of outbuildings) there is as giant complex across the road, featuring more exhibitions, featuring things like Elvis’ cars, aeroplanes and his well-documented obsession with Hawaii. You buy your ticket there, and get trucked across the road and up to the mansion on a tour bus.

 

Rather than having a tour guide, you’re loaned an iPad for the duration of the tour, which means you can control the pace of proceedings. There’s also some great archival footage you can view on the screen, which adds to the narration of what you’re looking at. We came at the back end of Elvis Week 2015, commemorating 38 years since Elvis died of a “heart attack”.

Now, look, I’m not the biggest Elvis fan in the world, but even I thought the place was impressive. The furniture, décor and everything else is just as it was the day Elvis died. The famous Jungle Room is fairly garish by today’s standards, but it obviously worked for Elvis, who used it as a studio for some of his later recordings.

The place has the feel of some sort of religious pilgrimage, particularly the meditation garden, where Elvis and his parents are now buried. The amount of floral displays, signs and other keepsakes around the graves is just extraordinary. Today was probably the first day that I really began to understand the sort of passion people still have for Elvis and his music. The Graceland mansion is a fitting tribute.

 

Sadly, the TomTom bit the dust today. So we had to rely on Google Maps to get us to Graceland and then to a local BestBuy store to buy a new one. Not having it for that sort time really makes you remember and realise what an awesome invention it is.

Unfortunately, I developed a raging headache sometime in the afternoon – too much Elvis, I guess – and it kinda soured the evening for me. It didn’t, however, stop me from enjoying Memphis-style shrimp, served on a skillet in a wonderful Cajun sauce, with amazing steak fries. Some pain killers and an early night tonight!

Sunset on Beale Street