MetroPulse Stories: Knoxville Culture

Turning the Corner: Is Knoxville Finally Learning How to Try?

neely@metropulse.com (Jack Neely) — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:23:00 -0000

In the city I grew up in, the motto was “That’ll do.” Anybody who tried to achieve something that stood out for its quality or individuality, whether it was a building or a plate of food, was just putting on airs and spoiling the curve for everybody else. Knoxville was, by definition, a plenty comfortable enough place to sit and wait for Glory.

The Elusive Specialty: Of Hot Dogs, Grilled Cheese, and Biscuits

neely@metropulse.com (Jack Neely) — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:41:00 -0000

But do we serve anything worth waiting in line for? Something that we’d say, “When you’re in Knoxville, you just have to try a ___”?

Q&A: Food Writer Francis Lam

gervinc@metropulse.com (Cari Wade Gervin) — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:27:00 -0000

In this era where everyone who Instagrams his lunch and posts it on Tumblr fancies himself a food writer, Francis Lam is the real deal.

Sneak Preview: Reeling Through Life

Wed, 08 May 2013 15:17:00 -0000

There are those who believe that when you die, you will be required to watch a movie of your life. The whole story will be there, reel after reel projected on some celestial screen.

Averageville: Is Knoxville the Typical American City?

neely@metropulse.com (Jack Neely) — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:14:00 -0000

I’ve been talking around that conclusion for a long time, without ever daring to suggest that particular superlative.

Where the Boxcars Are All Empty: The Mysteries of Harry McClintock's Knoxville Youth

neely@metropulse.com (Jack Neely) — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:28:00 -0000

If you’re a student of folk music, over 50, or both, you can sing along with an unusual song called “Big Rock Candy Mountain."

How Did Knox County's Bluegrass Community Get its Name?

editor@metropulse.com (Z. Heraclitus Knox) — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:22:00 -0000

Bermuda, Hercules, Virtue, Mabel, Kangaroo: those were all rural communities in Knox County, 125 years ago. How were they named? Search me.

The National Profile: Some Weird Resonance in the News, and an Appreciation of Terry Morrow

neely@metropulse.com (Jack Neely) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:18:00 -0000

Knoxvillians of a certain age have been struggling avoid a certain comparison, but maybe it’s time to go ahead and get it out. Consider two brothers, successful businessmen, the more outgoing of whom has gubernatorial aspirations.

Q&A: Designer Paulie Gibson, Appearing at Knoxville Fashion Week

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:14:00 -0000

Paulie Gibson is an up-and-coming St. Louis based designer of think-out-of-the-box men’s fashion. His work will be featured during Knoxville Fashion Week.

Q&A: Former Teen Heartthrob and Evangelical Speaker Kirk Cameron

gervinc@metropulse.com (Cari Wade Gervin) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:57:00 -0000

There was a time—before Justin Bieber, before Zac Efron, before even the New Kids on the Block—where one teen heartthrob towered o'er all the rest, ruling the hearts of prepubescent girls with a twinkle in his eye and a winsome smile. That boy was Kirk Cameron, aka Mike Seaver on the ABC sitcom Growing Pains, which had 20 million weekly viewers at the peak of it popularity in the late 1980s.

Better 'n You! A Few Reasons Why We Should Stop Citing State Rankings

neely@metropulse.com (Jack Neely) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:40:00 -0000

State rankings are kind of like ethnic slurs. We can use them as punchlines of jokes about being grateful for Mississippi, and as motivating tools to talk about ourselves. But when someone else uses them, it can rankle.

Year One: Tracking Grief's Learning Curve

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:59:00 -0000

A year ago at this time, I began to feel the earth shift under my feet. My cell phone rang in a hotel lobby, and I sat down on a leather bench and listened to my sister tell me that life as we knew it was about to change.

The Small Giant: A Spring Saturday, and a "Sudden and Brief Exclamation" About Knoxville

neely@metropulse.com (Jack Neely) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:53:00 -0000

I had things to do on Saturday afternoon, but it was such a lovely day I took a walk through Market Square.