And let’s be honest about Mr Catfish Hole’s motives.. he just wants to use “the dark side of Dickson” as an excuse to build the new event center right next to his Catfish Hole. I’m sure he’s slipping the news crew a few extra sides of “hush puppies” to drum up that buzz.

A story begins with a passing thought (Is Dickson St. safe?) the producer likely brought the question in and the studio decided they would likely get more ratings if the answer was ‘no’. During shooting that bias is carried with the crew and it becomes less likely they’ll roll camera on anything that suggests the opposite of their thesis.

Sadly it doesn’t matter what the truth is, people are more likely to watch and remember a news story about a murder two towns over than a story about the hero next door who donates a kidney. That’s why news stations lean that way especially when there’s competition in the area like KFSM and KNWA.

Dickson St. is totally safe. In fact, I’ve gone there many times, not to drink but to listen to some bands, grab a sub at Jimmy Johns and then go home.

Did his 1975 Guitar Voice Box Break or did he just not “Feel Like We Do”…

?????????

Remember guys, “The Party Ends In Hell”…..

Let us know what you find.

Another thing that I have been wondering about is the state of George’s these days.. I was talking to some people recently who told me that George’s now has high priced drinks and is a very “Yuppie” crowd..

I have not been to George’s since I moved back to town. Is that what George’s is like now????????

What is up with all of the wacky religious people that hang out near STIR on the weekends!!!!

One of those guys always has a sign that says something like “IF YOU ARE DIVORCED, YOU WILL GO TO HELL”, or something like that…

My personal favorite is “THE PARTY ENDS IN HELL”…

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

so Dragonlady, if ArtAmiss broadened it’s definition of art to incorporate hip hop then it could draw twice as many people, more often than twice a year? That’s your point, right? And Mike, there’s probably a fainting couch around here somewhere if it all gets to be too much for you. All those exclamation points can wear a guy out.

@ Mischki upthread, thanks for the kind words. I blame it all on Arkansawyer and Joe Strummer.

@Wade & Mullva – reading through you all working out how to handle the intra-neighborhood tensions was very cool. Kudos to both of y’all.

-Now, it strikes me that the elephant in the room in this discussion about the DST is that it draws a large black crowd, right? for a long, long time the musical economy of Dickson Street was based mostly on white folks playing their versions of musical forms that had been developed and nurtured previously by black audiences, blues, R&B, & soul. When Dickson first stated becoming an entertainment area those styles were much more firmly “black” (in practice, not in essence) styles than they are now, but it was mostly white performers who got the gigs on the street and mostly white audiences who came there. Except for the Theatre it still is, as far as I can tell.

Now, I want to be careful here. I’m NOT calling anyone who doesn’t like hip hop, or is aggravated by the activity at the DST a racist. That’s NOT what I’m saying. But, a club that draws a large black audience to Dickson on a regular basis is a new thing in the identity of the street. Because of the difference that it represents, I think some folks are going to think the worst of it, notice trouble that occurs there and with those people more than they notice trouble at other bars, and react more vehemently to what they notice. Really, I’m curious about how this is playing out in town, and not just in this discussion here.

@ Mike – C’mon man. I offer humorous anecdote and you cheapshot me. FYI, that fight occurred at the property line because I would NOT allow those idiots entry. Unable to accept it, a punch-up ensued. They were arrested and went to jail. As far as I can tell, I did my job. While I can’t say for certain, I imagine people like this having difficulty just about anywhere they go. Watch out for ‘em. They’re out there.

Yet another example of great things to look forward to at the Dickson Street Theater!!!!!!!!

Is there a cure for it?