 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
| Abraham Shopping Center. This is a fucking masterpiece which was being bullied and overshadowed by the frame of a bigger sign (background). Great scale, great type, great arrow. Really good stuff. | Now we're driving in rural Mississippi again, this is Benoit. Draplin almost left without paying for gas (on accident), that would've been ugly. | Ice service, Benoit, MS gas station. |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
| Colorful trailer homes. Lots of great, bold colors in the South. | Incredible landscape off of Hwy 1. I'd hoped to see lots more of these crazy trees with the roots growing into the water (like we'd seen on our earlier trip to NOLA in '99), but was mostly disappointed and had to settle for this, which is just okay. | Here we are in Rosedale, home of many juke joints from the Juke Joints book. Hallowed grounds, suspicious stares, another world. |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
| A Touch of Beauty Hair Salon, Rosedale, MS. Just a touch, mind you. | Fast food, Rosedale-style. | More of the same |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
| I loved this illustration on the side of the building, but didn't get all of it. It's a front end loader or something. | Holy fuck. Club Millenium, Rosedale. I can't even imagine what's behind the door. I wish so much that I could enter and assimilate... | Bug's Place at the end of the block, Rosedale. Had very nice signage on the other side, which I wasn't able to get. Lots of locals sitting around outside giving unwelcoming stares at two obvious aliens in their town. |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
| Draplin at the wheel. | So when they pick the cotton, it gets compressed into giant goddamn bricks the size of semi truck trailers. Then they spray paint numbers on it and haul it away. One guy had "tagged" one (not in photo) in a graffiti style. We wanted to steal some. | Duncan, MS was a sad little shell of a town with almost nothing left. They'd torn up the railroad through part of town (Draplin thinks). This kind of scene kills me. |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
| Duncan, MS Town Hall | Houses and sidewalk, Duncan. | Duncan, MS |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
| Poor old building, Duncan | I was a HUGE fan of the design of these signs in Mississippi. Masterful use of the silhouette! Bravo to that designer. | Headed towards Memphis, a break in an otherwise ominous sky. |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
| Safeway Tire Shop, Memphis area | Elvis Presley Blvd. Inn, Memphis | Creepy old Motel entrance, Memphis |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
| It rained like a sonofabitch for part of our time in Memphis | We dodged rain to head over to Soulsville at the Stax Museum. This beautiful art was just across the street. | As was the Cozy Lounge II. Old School. With the BBQ out front. Wow. |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
| Draplin weighs his options for renting a booth at Shirleys, Memphis | Cuts & Styles, near Stax Museum, Memphis. | Back to the Basic Market Place, vacant lot, Memphis |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
| J Ray's Grill, Grillin' and Chillin', Memphis | Club 2004, Memphis. Great little sparing use of line art illustrations. Wonder if the club name changes annually? | More of the same club, other wall. Apparently "color paint" wasn't in the illustration budget. Gotta love that. |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
| Gnarly bridges from Memphis to West Memphis. | Memphis, looking towards bridge we'd accidentally crossed into West Memphis. | Panoramic pan of previous shot to show scale. |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
| Nice little office building dowtown, Memphis | One of the largest buildings in Memphis is also one of the most beautiful and ornamental. | Up-above shot of same building as last |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
| Advance Rubber Stamps, Memphis. Check the goddamn neon action on that sign! | Wonder Bread factory, Memphis. The loaf of choice in these parts, didn't see anything BUT in gas stations. | Wonder Bread sign has marvelous color palette and type, Memphis |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
| A. Schwab, Beale St., Memphis. If I lived around here, I wouldn't shop anywhere else. Goddamn national treasure. I bought a bunch of stuff here including some new jeans for $24 that were made in Tennessee...Pointer Brand, w/ a great tag. | Club 51, heading north out of Memphis on 51. | Lazarov Surplus Sales, Hwy 51, Memphis |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
| Memphis Hardwood Lumber Co had a very classy old sign. "Your feet will never be sore as long as you walk on a hardwood floor." It's a masterpiece. | The Log Cabin looked like a dump from the outside. We stopped to photograph the sign and ended up going in for Hot Plate Lunches. I like the South because they believe in a la carte vegetables more than the North does. Amazing place, cute waitress. | Draplin prays for his daily bread inside the Log Cabin, Memphis. Check the rich upholstery on those booths. |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
 Mon, Oct 18, 2004 |
| Shot a game of pool where Aaron totally slaughtered me. Did I mention those goddamn booths? | The bit of red in the rear booth was an insane old man who kept cursing and talking to himself, and I think the waitress kept calling him "grandma?" Weird. Good character. | Well if the booths and sign weren't enough to sell you on this place, maybe the Bear Claw logo will help seal the deal... |