Only on Salem Now, featuring one of Charlie Kirk's final interviews, the new documentary "Can You Hear Me Now?" investigates modern prophets and divine messages influencing us today.
Some people absolutely have the gift of prophecy. If God exists, how would He inject His information into our world? More than likely, He would use humans. Satan would love Christians to just be a spectator, not engage, not participate. Is there something He's trying to say?
Can you hear me now? Watch it today at SalemNow.com. SalemNow.com. From the Principal Toyota Studios, it's morning in Memphis with Todd Starnes. And it is a very busy morning in Memphis.
Hello, everybody. I am Todd Starnes. Great to have you with us today. A lot of big news stories happening. A lot of politics to talk about.
And coming up in just a few moments, we're going to be talking to Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder in Memphis today. He'll drop by, and then, well, we're going to be talking to one of the cast members from the theater Memphis show, Million Dollar Quartet. The young man playing Elvis will be in studio and might even get him to play the guitar a little bit. A lot of news happening, a lot of breaking news around the mid South. We're going to get to that in just a few moments.
Sort of a war zone out there, the wild, wild west over the weekend, and we'll get to all of those stories here in just a moment. But I want to play something that happened over the weekend. President Trump in Clarksville and a huge contingent of. Shelby County Republicans, there, many of them, right there on the stage with the president. Let's play cut number four, please.
And Brent Taylor in the ninth district, come on up, fella. And Brent is running against one of the most radical candidates in the country. His name is Justin Pearson, a communist endorsed by AOC. Elon Omar. How about Elon Omar?
She comes from Somalia. She comes from Somalia. They don't have a government. They don't have police. They don't.
All they have is crime and squalor. And she comes into our country, and she says, "My constitution allows me." She's talking about our constitution. What they've done to Minnesota, these people from Somalia, what they've done to Minnesota, should never be allowed. And let's see what happens. J.D.
Vance and our people are looking at it very strongly.
So, Justin opposes deporting even one illegal. Alien, even murderers, they should stay here. This guy that he's running against is the worst. We're not going to let communists. We are not going to allow communists to take over Tennessee or this country in any way, shape, or form.
All right, there you have it. The president and the guy he was talking about is sitting right across from me this morning. State Senator Brent Taylor, the Republican nominee for the ninth congressional district. Senator, first, good to have you with us. What was that like being up on the stage with the president?
Well, thank you for having me, and Todd. I don't know how you do this, but it is incredibly early to have to get up and come into studio. But there's no other person I'd rather do it for than my friend Todd Stone.
Well, thank you for that, or maybe not. Donald Trump or Donald Trump, yeah.
So, yeah, look, we we went to the rally. The president, I think, he perfectly described my Democrat socialist opponent, who has accomplished nothing in his time in the General Assembly, but yet wants to go to Congress. And and he demonstrated the president did that everywhere my opponent goes, chaos ensues. And and Ty, let's just think about it. Go go through this.
My opponent, Democrat Socialist Justin Pearson, got expelled from the House because of a demonstration he carried out on the House floor. Then he got reinstated to the general assembly. Then he had to be physically restrained in a committee to keep from attacking Representative Andrew Farmer. And then he gets into a shouting match with a state trooper in the house chamber where he called him a stupid mf'er and a boy. And then most recently, he got banned from the city council for the next couple of meetings because of a demonstration he led there.
And the message I have. To the other counties in the ninth congressional district, is if this guy is elected to Congress, you can bet he will show up at your county commission meeting. He will show up at your city council meeting. He will show up at your board of alderman meeting, and he will lead demonstrations because chaos follows this guy. He he cannot have.
He does not have any accomplishments. He only has his activism with a bullhorn. I'm wondering if you're hearing from Democrats in the district because, again, the Memphis City Council nonpartisan, but they're all Democrats.
So he literally got banned from the council chambers by his fellow Democrats. And I'm wondering if you're hearing privately from Democrats who say, you know what, we can't support this guy. Interesting, Todd. I I have had multiple phone calls since the city council incident. Multiple phone calls from longtime Democrats in Memphis who have told me you're you're going to win this race, and that that Democrats are disillusioned with how he's conducting himself.
That this is not. Their brand of of Democrat politics, and it's interesting if you remember Todd back in I don't know what year it was, but when Bob Corker and Harold Ford Jr. were running against one another, and Ford was making a real race of it. And there was one incident that occurred, and that was when Harold Ford Jr. confronted Bob Corker going into a meeting in a parking lot with cameras in tow, and challenging him to a debate.
And Corker said, "Look, I'm going in to speak to a group of Republicans. You're welcome to go in." Pundits have said that that was the singular incident where the wheels came off the wagon for Harold Ford Jr. I think the city council ban. Is where the wheels came off the bus for Justin Pearson, and that was the beginning of the end of his campaign. State Senator Brent Taylor joining us today, and the Democrats are making your this race one of their key national races, pouring in millions of dollars.
And it looks like local media has fallen in line here. I know the commercial appeal, especially putting out a fake news story that you yanked all of your your support from President Trump off of your website. You did not do that, and it's my understanding they didn't even bother to cover the fact that you, a local guy. I was on stage with the leader of the free world over the weekend. Yeah, it turns out the only people yanking Taylor support from Trump was the media because they did not even cover the fact that I was at the event nor that I even spoke at the rally.
Look, Channel Five had someone there and they covered a minute by minute. Explanation of who was on stage, who was coming up next, what their remarks were, and they they covered every single speaker except for me, and they skipped right over my my time, and that was Channel Five, and then the commercial appeal, they did the same thing. They they had this long article. About all the speakers and what they said, and they even had had subtitles for each candidate that spoke. Skipped right over my race.
Make no mistake, the media is anti-conservative there, anti-Tennessean, and they will do anything they can to to to prevent me from winning this race. They want. Democrat socialist Justin Pearson and all his chaos because it'll give them plenty of fodder for the next two years. Should the Democrat socialist actually win this race, Senator? We're coming into the home stretch here, real quick, and we're going to get you back on between now and election day.
What do you What are you hearing from your constituents? What are you hearing from the ninth district of voters? What's the big issue on their minds? You know, believe it or not, obviously. A couple of things.
Obviously, the the high prices, inflation, gas prices being you know five dollars, nearly five dollars, four or five dollars a gallon, diesel being five, six dollars a gallon. Those are the things. And look, we're going to go to DC and we're going to do everything. That that is needed to lower those prices. We're going to unleash American energy.
We're going to cut regulation on family businesses and farms, and we're going to cut wasteful Washington spending. But I tell you something else that people are concerned about. They're concerned about the elect possible election of a Democrat socialist from Tennessee, who has a long history of chaos. the The choice is clear in this election. Voters are going to be able to choose between competence and chaos.
All right, Senator Taylor. Good to see you this morning. And where can people go if they want to get more information about the campaign? They can go to brenttaylorforcongress dot com, brenttaylorforcongress dot com. They can follow our campaign there.
If they would like to contribute, they're welcome to do so at the donate page. But it's critically important. I need people to in the in West and Middle Tennessee to pray for us first. Tell your friends to get out and vote. Early voting starts in two days, and election day is November third.
It's Wednesday. Early voting starts. State Senator Brent Taylor on your number one news talk radio station in the mid South, KWAM. Gotta take a break. Commander Chuck standing by with a look at traffic and coming up.
Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder right here on the mighty nine ninety. Looking for the perfect rental. Discover top-rated stays loved by guests, rated highest by real guests through authentic reviews. These traveler-loved stays are recognized by the details that matter most and validated by real experiences. Choose confidently from rentals you can trust.
Verbo, book now a vacation rental loved by guests. All right, welcome back, everybody. I'm Todd Starnes. It is going to be a warm day. Our chief meteorologist, Laura Huckabee, along in just a little while with your forecast.
Good news is the cool down is coming, and looking forward to some much cooler football weather this weekend. By the way, congratulations to the Memphis Tigers' big victory over UAB and the Battle of the Bones on. Saturday.
Well, as promised, we are fair and balanced to hear on the ninety nine ninety, and we're honored to have Mayor of Columbia, Tennessee, with us, Chaz Molder, Mister Mayor. Good to have you with us, and possibly, ladies and gentlemen, if you're believing all the stories out there, the front runner in the fifth congressional district race, Mister Mayor. Welcome back to Memphis, Todd. Great to be back with you today. All right.
First of all, how is the campaign going? You have been spending a lot of time here in the Memphis. This area.
Well, the campaign's going great, and you're right. We're spending a lot of time in Memphis, not not because of any reason other than we want to be in Memphis. We know that Memphis deserves a voice in Congress that will represent them, that will lead and bring constituent services to Memphis in ways that it's needed. And so things feel really good. We've been here all weekend.
We have a big day in Memphis today, and we want Memphis to know that we're going to show up for them. You know, this gerrymandering really threw things off, Todd, when they came and carved Memphis into three separate. Districts. It was an unfortunate thing, but we're looking forward, not backward, and we're looking forward to representing the city of Memphis in the United States Congress. I'm hearing from a lot of Republicans and a lot of Independents who listen to this radio station, and they like you.
They like your message. They like the campaign. They like everything about you. But they always come back to this: where there's always a butt there, and they say, "But how do we know that this guy is going to be the same guy that's out there campaigning? You know, how do we know he's not going Be an AOC when he if he gets elected.
Well, I think the beauty of that is that I have a track record. I've been the mayor of a community for eight years, two terms in a heavily Republican district that has balanced budgets without property tax increases. That's focused on the issues that matter. I think the reason we have so much support right now from Republicans, Independents, and Democrats is because we're focused on the issues. Todd, you know we we don't support the tariffs.
We know that the tariffs are bringing prices up. We don't support the war in Iran because we know that that's causing diesel and gas to go up. We don't support entering into deals with Russia for fuel and oil. That's going to now provide resources to Russia at a time when we're helping support Ukraine in a war against Russia. These are bad deals.
I have a lot of folks, Todd, that tell me I voted for President Trump, but I didn't vote for this. And when they say this, they mean the tariffs with our trading allies like Canada. They mean the war of choice with Iran. And so that's why we feel so much support. And again, our track record of of bringing People together of being a responsible, pragmatic mayor, I think positions me very well for this race to win this race in November, and more importantly, to be a good member of Congress that will bring people together and be a representative of all people.
If nothing else, I think the congressional races do portray the extremes to some extent. Big, big national news story happening right here in Memphis with the and the ninth congressional district. You have Justin Pearson and the City Council going at it. First of all, Do you condone what Mr. Pearson has done, disrupting the council proceedings like he did last week?
Well, look, I think the data center issue is one that is a very important topic right now. I think, frankly, Todd, it's the it's the topic of our time. With AI and and the new technology and the data centers that are required, I think the data centers can be a very emotional issue. I certainly, in Columbia, we just approved on second reading last week a moratorium, a temporary pause on data centers. I'm a big believer that local control is what is most important on these data centers and these developments.
And I think the city council and the city of Memphis, you know, have dealt with with how that needs to be approached going forward. And I have confidence that the city will will be able to do. Accordingly, but that sort of behavior, though, I mean, if if that had happened, you know, at your city council meeting, somebody comes in with a bullhorn and starts shouting down, is that appropriate?
Well, I think you know everybody has their own approach, and you know what our approach is is one that, frankly, some pundits have called boring. And you know what, I take that as a badge of honor that that people call me boring because actually, what it means is is that we're pragmatic and we focus on issues that matter, and we do it in a way that is our own way, and so. We're focused on our approach. We think our approach is resonating with the voters in this congressional district, and that's where our focus is going to. Fair enough, and just to be clear, that but no condemnation.
Again, again, my approach is different from from others' approaches, and you know, folks can be their own judge as to whether or not they think it's appropriate or not. Your opponent, his has been offering some interesting comments. First of all, about beef prices, this has led to meat turkey, and then he said.
Something about making chocolate milk, and that gives him qualifications to be a member of Congress. What's going on there? You know, you tell me, Todd. I mean, we were first of all wondering if if Charlie Hatcher would even show up to the Trump rally in Clarksville on Saturday because he has now removed his pro-Trump stance from his own website. In fact, just last night on his social media page, he further removed himself from the president, saying he might not agree with the president on everything, despite two weeks ago, Todd, when asked.
Asked what he disagreed with the president on, he couldn't name one thing.
So now he, you know, he couldn't name one thing, but now he's distancing himself. He gets on the stage on Saturday and says that he should be elected to Congress because he can make good milk. And frankly, I just don't think that that's what the voters are are wanting in their congressman at this point. This is a serious time; they want serious candidates, and this is not about who can be the best milk man. It's about who can be the best congressman.
I'm I'm wondering about President Trump and his influence. That arena seat seat six thousand people. Forty five hundred people showed up, and I know the weather was bad. And it's college football. There is a Politico story out quoting unnamed Republican sources in Tennessee saying that there are concerns about Republican turnout.
You're out on the trail. What do you see out there?
Well, I think a lot of folks are paying attention these races, and I don't know that what I'm hearing is that folks are concerned. I think folks are happy about the fact that we represent an opportunity to win this race because we're focused on issues that matter. We want to bring prices down. We're against the tariffs. We're against the war, and we're we're for supporting the working class.
We're for promoting rural hospitals, and we want to find solutions to problems that matter. I think I represent Todd, a new generation of leadership in this country that's tired of the same chaos and corruption that they're seeing in Washington D.C. and they want to send someone to Congress who's going to be reasonable in their Approach pragmatic in their thought and independent in their thinking, and that's what we're doing. That's what we're talking about, and I think you know you look at folks from all across the spectrum that are paying attention, and they know that this is a race that we can win because of the approach that we're taking here. You know, again, with as far as these are huge districts and covering a lot of ground, and we just had State Senator Brent Taylor.
I know you guys had a chance to say hello, everybody. They were very cordial, ladies and gentlemen. No fist were thrown, but you guys have. Families, and it has to. I'm just wondering how are how are your families doing through through all of this because it's a lot.
Well, you're right. I mean, and and the challenge is that you know being away from home is is difficult. I have three kids at home. My wife and I are raising our three kids, sixteen, thirteen, and ten. I had a chance to FaceTime with them last night at the hotel here in Memphis, and you know I do miss them.
They miss me. But we all know how important this race is, and how important this is not just for our community, our state, but our country. The gerrymandering through a logistical challenge in that you know forcing us to to be three hours away from home on a lot of times, but on the other hand, Todd, it's worth it. Public service is a sacrifice; it's a sacrifice worth taking here. And we know that we're running for the right reasons, and that we're focused on the right issues.
And I certainly miss my kids. I'm going to look forward to to to vacation when this is over. But right now, we're full steam ahead, and we're in it to win it. Real quick, I've noticed that we had about thirty seconds. You have some bracelets and things around your what Tom.
Well, you know, one is my my son gave to me so that I would think about him whenever I'm away. Of course, I do bleed orange, and you pointed out that the Tigers were successful on Saturday. As were the Vols, very happy for that. We have a big game this weekend against Alabama. Go Vols!
And then, of course, my USA band that I like to wear, just because at the end of the day, I think it's important to remember that Republican, Democrat aside, we're all Americans, and that's what we should remember first and foremost.
Well said.
Well, it's always a pleasure to have you here in in studio, and we're going Try to get you back in before election day. We're in the home stretch. That's right.
Sounds good, Todd. I will come back if you'll have me. And remember, early voting starts Wednesday. Yes, it does. And folks, get out there.
You will see me in Germantown. That's a big tradition in our family. Is to vote on on early voting, the first day of early voting.
So get out there and vote. You never know what's going to happen on election day.
So you want to get out there and and do that. All right, folks. We're going to take a quick break. Theater Memphis. Has a huge show coming up, and we're going to be interviewing Elvis.
Only unseen them now, featuring one of Charlie Kirk's final interviews. The new documentary, Can You Hear Me Now, investigates modern prophets and divine messages shaping our political and cultural destiny. I would have dreams, and then they would come to pass.
Some people absolutely have the gift of prophecy. If God exists, how would He inject His information into our world? More than likely, He would use humans. Jesus. Appeared in the dream.
I heard a voice, and it began to speak to me. Follow Director Matthew Fair's investigation, examining the evidence, weighing today's most prominent prophetic voices against scripture, history, political, and scientific scrutiny. It is the word of God that needs to be the bedrock of any functioning and flourishing civilization. Why would God have me be one of the last people to interview Charlie before he died? Satan would love Christians to just be a spectator, not engage, not participate.
Is there something? He's trying to say, "Don't miss." Can you hear me now? Watch it today at salemnow.com. Salemnow.com.
Now, more of Morning in Memphis from the Principal Toyota Studios with Todd Starnes. And welcome back, everybody. It has been a very busy news day here across the mid south, and we're going to take a little bit of a pivot here in just a few moments and talk about an incredible musical performance coming up. By the way, I got some messages over the weekend about where to find the Golden Age, my brand new book. You're going to be able to get a copy.
We have plenty of copies at Novel Memphis, also all three Barnes and Noble locations. That would be Wolf Chase, Germantown, and Carriage Crossing. You can get signed copies of the Golden Age: How Trump Saved America.
So, I and by the way, they make terrific Christmas presents.
So, if you're already doing some early Christmas shopping, head on over and get yourself a copy, a signed copy of the Golden Age: How Trump Saved America. Also, want to remind you, folks, of the Mighty Nine Ninety app. You can download our app. And you can listen to our radio station wherever you are—not just in the Mid South, but really all around the world. Thousands of you have already downloaded the app, and we want thousands more as well.
So be sure to head over to kwaymradio dot com. You can read all of our great news and all of our great content. You can check out our exclusive weather radar, and you can also download the Mighty Nine Ninety app. It is free of charge. We don't charge you a single.
Penny for that, just something we do to make sure that you can hear our great radio station crystal clear, no matter where you are across the mid south.
Well, I think just about everybody in Memphis has been waiting for this huge production theater, Memphis Million Dollar Quartet, and the show launches opening night October the sixteenth, and it is really going to be a fantastic musical performance and celebration. And there's also a KWM tie-in because this radio station is the very first radio station in the mid south that aired Elvis. Presley playing at our annual jamboree back in the nineteen well the nineteen forties and fifties.
So a great musical heritage here on the mighty nine ninety, and we are just so excited to welcome the actor who is portraying Elvis in Million Dollar Quartet. Russell Lindeman joins us. Russell, congratulations and welcome to the show. Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to be here.
All right, so you know, and I don't want to be like stereotypical here, but Has anybody told you you kind of bear a resemblance to the King of Rock and Roll? Oh, absolutely. You know when our makeup artist came in for the first time and was talking about stage makeup and like what she was planning to give us, she was like, "You already have the face structure. I just need to give you some contour." And I think that's definitely something else they took into consideration when casting the show. Hey, look when you when you've got the face structure, I mean, what else do you need?
You know, in in life, really.
So, hey, look, let's. Let's talk about the the show, and and we're also you are also going to be performing some music from the the show in just in just a little while. What was it like to to jump into the role of Elvis Presley? Oh, I mean, it was such a deep dive early on. I did a lot of research, you know, about Elvis.
But, you know, I tell a lot of people this. I was, I grew up surrounded by Elvis lovers in my family. Like, I remember when I was growing up, my mom would take me to school, and it was either the jazz lover on the radio or Elvis radio, and I loved to listen to Elvis radio. And I was wearing the Elvis Halloween costumes at an early age, so it's been not too hard of a transition to become Elvis. But familiarizing myself with the story has been more of a challenge.
Just because you know. You know, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash were people who I didn't really know as well as Elvis, so that's been really cool to familiarize myself with those people. You know, it's it's amazing because we have so much you know Elvis history here in Memphis, the Peabody Hotel where he signed the contract on the back of the napkin. Of course, you and you actually got to meet Mr. Lansky himself not too long ago.
Yes, sir. We got to go be on the Earl Carroll Show over at Lansky's Clotheer to the King in the Peabody Hotel and. Mr. Halansky, who was the clothier for Elvis during his career, was there, and he was. It was really cool to meet him and just kind of see.
You know the kind of things that he was wearing, but also the connection that he had with these people who he never really left them, even after he was famous. And he always loved, you know, come back to Memphis and enjoy those people.
So you are you are preparing for for the role. What is what is that experience like? Because you are a young guy. You know, Elvis passed away many many years ago, back when I was a little kid. What was that like for you connecting with with someone you know that you actually did not know?
Well, I mean, you know, I've talked a lot about this, but playing Elvis in Memphis, especially, is quite the challenge, just because of how near and dear people hold Elvis to themselves. And there's a fine line when it comes to acting between being an impersonator and you know making the role your own. And so I've been talking a lot about that with the directors and the creative team about. You know how can we find that fine line in between being Elvis and you know being Russell's version of Elvis? But I think in terms of how I've prepared myself.
I've watched a lot of YouTube videos, lots of interviews, the Baz Luhrmann films, like the Austin Butler biopic and the recent film that they put out, where it's just Elvis Presley playing concerts for an hour and a half. Those things are great. It's just been a really cool process to kind of immerse myself in the world of Elvis and his performances. And what's interesting is nobody's going to be backstage. You're not going to be like you know mimicking this or just moving your moving your your mouth.
You're actually singing. You're actually performing.
So you are you're a musician. Yourself, yes, sir. Yeah, I think that's something really cool about this show is because not only is it more of a concert, especially towards the end, than most other musicals, but also you know. Like every single one of the cast members, we are the orchestra. Like, there's no orchestra pit.
There's nobody off stage playing the instruments. We are playing the instruments. We are singing. And you know, I've had to kind of teach myself how to do the speaking voice and the singing voice and some of you know Elvis's mannerisms along the way.
So that's been a really cool process to do. You know, it is interesting. You mentioned the Austin Butler and what a fascinating film that was. And I'm wondering, do you think that movie really introduced your generation to who Elvis was? I think certainly.
I think the way they portrayed Elvis and the way they portrayed Colonel Parker, especially you know Tom Hanks' performance, was wonderful. But I think that really put him into a new light, rather than just you know a rock star from fifty years ago. It really humanized him and kind of introduced him and put him in context with the younger generation, especially with someone like Austin Butler. All right, for somebody who doesn't know anything about the Million Dollar Quartet, give us give us a little glimpse of what the show is about. Absolutely.
So, on December fourth, nineteen fifty-six, at Sun Studio on Union, Mr. Sam Phillips, who was in charge of Sun Recording, was having a recording session for Mr. Carl Perkins, who was a famous you know performer at the time, and Jerry Lee Lewis was the hired pianist on the session. And then it just so happens that Elvis and Johnny Cash, who were former Sun recording artists, were also in town, and they came together, and there was a magical night of just rock and roll, and they made history, and they became known as the Million Dollar Quartet. I'm I'm trying to imagine who that would be today if if there was like a a million dollar quartet of modern day you know musicians.
I wonder who that would be. I mean, you know. I think the music scene, especially in Tennessee, is so diverse because you know you have the Memphis, yeah, sort of like blues and rock and roll history, but also the emerging rap scene. And then in Nashville, obviously, you have music row and country.
So I think you know t here is so many options to choose from now. I think it would be way more difficult in this day and age to choose a million dollar quartet, maybe a million dollar. Hundred people, you know. Russell Lindeman is joining us this morning, talking about the great new musical that's going to be launched October sixteenth at Theater Memphis Million Dollar Quartet. If you'd like to get information on tickets, you can go to theatermemphis dot org.
That's theatermemphis dot org, and we'll give out the box office number here in just a moment. But that's probably the easiest way to get tickets. I'm wondering, was there something in all of your research, something about Elvis that maybe you didn't know, or something that really impressed you about Elvis? I mean, I think the biggest thing to me is, I guess, how kind Elvis came across. You know, we think of Elvis as like the king of rock and roll, and you know, really.
I guess kind of above everything, but when you kind of dig in, and like we said, the Elvis movie directed by Baz Luhrmann with Austin Butler did a really, really good job. I guess kind of humanizing him in a sense. You know, you watch any kind of press conference with Elvis and any intimate conversation with him, and he was very quick to you know kind of make the conversation not as much about him and just kind of appreciate the music. And Elvis was a really kind guy, and I think he struggled a lot with you know, like you were saying earlier, like the stereotypical. I guess reactions to his music.
So I think that's something that really surprised me was how, you know, I guess human he was because that's a struggle with how famous he was. All right. So now that you're a world famous, you know, actor and musician, but you're also a student. And what I think I'm more impressed with is you're the editor of the student newspaper. Oh yes, sir.
Actually, I go to Memphis University School over on Park, and our school newspaper, the Owls Hoot, is. An award-winning newspaper. We have a website. Actually, if you go to theowlshoot dot org, you can read some of our stuff and look at our staff. But that's been a really cool step I've done recently.
Just kind of immersing myself in the world of journalism and having the privilege of becoming editor this year has been really, really cool.
So hopefully, going to break some hard-hitting stories. I hope so. Expose grift. I'm we're just kidding.
So it's well, look, that's that's a big deal because again, I think journalism is just. Another form of storytelling. I mean, you are telling a story on stage, and you also get to tell a story in in print. And I think that is a a great art art form. Yes, sir.
I agree. I think, like you were saying, it's just another form of telling a story. And especially with a school newspaper, you know, you can really, I guess. Inform the student body about things about their school that they really didn't know, and I think it provides a good opportunity for students to fully appreciate the culture of their school since they're only there for four years. All right, we got to take a break.
Can you stick around because I noticed you brought a guitar? Oh yes, sir. So all right, so I think we're going to play that guitar when we come back. But first, we've got to take a quick break. Hang tight, everybody.
We have more with with Russell Lindeman, who is starring as Elvis Presley in the theater Memphis production of Million Dollar Quartet. Let's check in with Commander Chuck, standing by with a look at your morning commute. And welcome back to the Principal Toyota Memphis Studios. I am Todd Starnes, and we are so excited to have Russell Lindeman with us. He is starring as Elvis Presley in Theater Memphis's production of Million Dollar Quartet.
And you know it's interesting, Russell, when you think about how great Elvis Presley is, and people think of him really as the king of rock and roll. But all of the Grammys he won were actually for his his gospel songs that he that he used to sing. And I just I always find that fascinating that it was it was the religious music that really earned him you know accolades. Yes, certainly. I think.
It was really cool to see, especially later in his career, when he was playing at the International Hotel in Vegas. A lot of the times during his shows, he would pause and say, "All right, now we're going to play a gospel song." And he and his band would literally break, and they would play, you know, "How Great Thou Art" or another of his favorite gospel songs. And I think that's a really cool testament to like his upbringing and how religious his family was, and you know, just how close he was with God. I'm a Baptist, so our denomination we're not known for having much rhythm, but The Pentecostals, you know, and that's you know Elvis went to a Pentecostal church, a black Pentecostal church, and that's really where he learned a lot of those moves that that he did. Did that come easy for you, learning the Elvis hip swivel?
So I, you know, having been in theater my whole life, I have been introduced to a lot of dancing, but that that kind of just freedom to, I guess, move that Elvis really embodied was something that didn't come as naturally as I thought it would. Surprisingly. But I think, like you said, the fact that he was grew growing up in the Black Pentecostal Church and like he was introduced to a lot of things that, you know, he never would have been had he not been there. I think he did a really good job of, I guess, popularizing music that was largely played by Black artists at the time. Like in the show, well, actually, I won't spoil it, but he was very he did a very good job of, you know, I guess, introducing a form of music that would become incredibly popular.
Through his time at Sun Records. All right, you've got your guitar, I do, and we're about to hear some music. Tell us what what we're going to hear.
So I'm going to perform his song "That's All Right," which was his you know largely his first big hit, and you know it kind of served to introduce him to Sam Phillips as not just another you know white boy coming in and singing a song, a country song with a guitar, and so I think it serves really well to just. Kind of provide an example of what he was doing in his music career, and kind of I guess it was very groundbreaking.
So I'm excited to perform it.
Well, that's all right, Mama. That's all right for you. That's all right, Mama. Just any way you do, now that's all right.
Well, that's all right. That's all right now, Mama. Any way you do.
Well, Mama, she done told me. Papa done told me too.
Son, that gal you're fooling with, she ain't no good for you. But that's all right.
Well, that's all right. That's all right now, Mama. Any way. You do.
Well, one and one is two. Two and two is four. I love that woman, but I got to let her go.
Now that's all right.
Well, that's all right. That's all right.
Now, Mama, any way you do.
Well, I'm leaving town, baby, and I'm leaving town for sure. Then you won't be bothered with me hanging round your door now. That's all right.
Well, that's all right. That's all right now, Mama. Anyway you do.
Well, dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee. I need your loving.
Well, that's all right. That's all right now, Mama. Just any way you do. Oh my gosh, that's that is remarkable. Thank you so much.
And again, it sounds like Elvis, but you're not like impersonating Elvis. It's kind of like your own twist. Yes, sir. It's been something I've been working on a lot because you know he has such a recognizable voice, and especially that song.
So it's got to be recognizable, especially for our audience. But you know, as an actor, I also like to make it as Make it my own as much as I can. I mean, you can't like go out there with like a country voice or an opera voice, but at the same time, how did you do that? I mean, you know, that's something I've always been able to do pretty naturally. Is just kind of mimic the way other people sound, and like you can ask my mom.
From an early age, I was impersonating Billy Joel in the car, and you know, we used to listen to Michael Jackson all the time, and especially when I was younger, that was something that I liked to do.
So, you know, just making my voice sound like people who I really you. Know idolizes something I've always done. What was it like working with? Because you're not the only musician here. As some incredibly talented folks, tell us about the rest of the cast and what it was like working with them.
I mean, it's been such a gift to work with these incredible people over at Theater Memphis, especially because, like you said, I'm younger.
So you know, kind of stepping into the world of a more like professional level of theater rather than high school theater has been such a gift. And you know, we have our incredible music director Nathan McHenry, who's also portraying the role of Jerry Lee Lewis. You know. plays the guitar or not the guitar plays the piano piano actually beautifully every night and we have Dylan Wheeler playing Carl Perkins which is our lead guitarist and he plays some amazing solos and then we have Aaron Bloodworth portraying Johnny Cash and he plays some of the iconic Johnny Cash songs and we have Miss Chasity Alliston who is playing Diane which is the girlfriend of Elvis who sings two incredibly difficult songs amazingly every night so just being able to step into these world. Of like older actors, it's really cool to see how you know they kind of just accept me into the art form and really ignore the fact that I'm younger than they are.
Well, you've done a tremendous job. Congratulations! And this is going to be so much fun, folks. This is a great production. Get your family.
Go to see the great theater Memphis production of Million Dollar Quartet. And you can get tickets at theatermemphis.org. We also have the box office nine zero one. This is the number nine zero one six eight two. Eighty three twenty three.
I have to take my glasses off to read. This makes no sense at all. Nine zero one six eight to eighty three twenty three. If you'd like to get tickets to see Russell and the Great Team Million Dollar Quartet at Theater Memphis. All right, you know what?
I want to hear that again as we go out. You know, we're about to wrap up the show. We've only got about sixty seconds. But why don't you lead us out, Russell, and Serenade Memphis in their morning commute? All right, I'll give us a.
A little outro. Here we go.
Well, that's all right, Mama. Well, that's all right for you.
Well, that's all right, Mama. Just any way you do. Now that's all right.
Well, that's all right. That's all right now, Mama.
