Something special on the way
What I was up to this weekend, plus Links of the Week: old rock stars, a spring delicacy, reggae does country, and much more
This newsletter is a few days late because I wanted to let you know how I spent my weekend: I was down in my homeland of coastal Georgia shooting an episode of the TV show TrueSouth for the SEC Network. The episode should air sometime this fall.
If you haven’t seen TrueSouth, you have some catching up to do. (If you have the SEC Network, they often run old episodes, and it’s also available on Hulu.) Even though it airs on a sports network, it’s not a sports show. Each episode takes a look at one town or city in the South through its food, its history and its culture. Here’s a promo that gives you a little flavor of what the show is like:
The voice you hear is John T. Edge, the host and the longtime director of the Southern Foodways Alliance. The executive producer is ESPN’s Wright Thompson, author of PAPPYLAND. They’re both brilliant writers and two of the smartest people I know, especially when it comes to the complications and contradictions of the South. They’re also tremendous fun to hang with, as is the crew from Bluefoot Entertainment, which does the video and audio work for the show. They all do such good work that TrueSouth just got nominated for a James Beard award, which is sort of the Oscars of the food world.
The episode I’m in features Brunswick and St. Simons Island, Georgia, where I grew up. I don’t want to give away too much—partially because we shot a ton of stuff and I don’t know what will make it into the final product. But I think it’s fair to say that we spent some time talking about THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, and how it ties into that place, and my family, and memory.
We also had some excellent food and drinks, including a boozy milkshake called a Raccoon that I’m still feeling a couple of days later.
TrueSouth has been one of my favorite shows since it first aired back in 2018. I’m thrilled to be a part of their upcoming season. I’ll let you know more as I find out. The best way to keep track is to mash the blue button:
10 things I wanted to share this week:
If you’re in the Charlotte area, I’m having a conversation about memoir with Judy Goldman (author of the upcoming memoir CHILD) on May 11 at Charlotte Lit. Come out and see us!
If you missed my previous newsletter post, it was about whether Twitter is worth the trouble, Elon Musk or no.
My latest episode of SouthBound featured Mary Tribble, whose great-great-great-great-grandmother came to North Carolina on an evangelical mission and ended up helping found Wake Forest University. Tribble wrote a book about her called PIOUS AMBITIONS.
My weekly for WFAE was about another school superintendent in Charlotte leaving after just a short time in the job.
DOG NEWS: While I work on my book about the Westminster Dog Show and the bond between dogs and their people, I’m devoting this slot to dog stories. This week: ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt with a beautiful tribute to a great old dog named Otis.
PREORDER ALERT: My friend Jonathan Abrams announced his new book, THE COME UP, an oral history of hip-hop. Jonathan has been working on this book for years, and if you care about American music at all, it’s going to be essential. It’s out in October but order now—it’s a gift to your future self!
What a bittersweet story by Nick Duerden in the Guardian about rock stars who had no idea it would all go away so fast.
One spring tradition among some mountain Southerners is hunting for ramps—a type of wild onion that has a rich flavor all its own. Brett Anderson of the New York Times went ramp hunting with Allan Benton, who makes the best ham and bacon in America out of his smokehouse in Tennessee.
The latest in our survey of British TV mysteries: HARRY WILD, which stars Jane Seymour as a foul-mouthed, wine-guzzling retired literature professor who turns out to be great at solving murders.
Our previous British TV mystery, DEATH IN PARADISE, has a great reggae soundtrack that led me to this John Holt cover of the country standard “Help Me Make It Through the Night.”
So excited about your work with True South!