From Bama with Bite: Southern Sass and Sarcasm

This week we decided to try and record in Taylor’s studio in Lowe Mill because why not. We talked about the weekend protests and the strange (to me) but undeniable appeal of college football. The University of Alabama’s football team, of course, is the Crimson Tide. But all you really need to know is Roll Tide. The story I mention, of this student picking Tuscaloosa out of 53 offers is here. The event at the Planetarium on June 17 is here. Some photos from the protest, including Taylor’s favourite, are below. Also? The heat got to me, too. It’s Richard III who was the mad king Americans fought a revolutionary war against. I, ahem, knew that. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bamaqc.substack.com

It’s hot for this northern flower and I’m frizzing, but having a grand old time. And we couldn’t resist b******g about the b***h fest. You know, that one. Also cameras on trash trucks to spy on people and I can’t decide if it’s genius or stupid. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bamaqc.substack.com

This is where you’ll find information about the Lost Weekend exhibit, including a link to the documentary. Taylor and Michael should consider staying in this suite when visiting Montreal? For those who want to vote for a great candidate for governor of Alabama — this man is cool. In you’re in Huntsville on June 17, come see this storytelling show at the Planetarium! Katie Britt’s spotless kitchen: Pierre Poilievre’s weird coffee cup: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bamaqc.substack.com

Coverage of the King reading the Speech from the Throne is available in many places, including CBC. Coverage starts in the morning, around 9 am Eastern. The Speech itself is scheduled for 11 Eastern. The snake handling preacher’s story is here. The book written about it is here. The link to the documentary is available through this news article. I found it on Bell Fibe TV, Crave on demand. Also I should remember not to make fun of AI because the damn thing captured Taylor and I as we recorded and created this version… This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bamaqc.substack.com

Here is what you need to know about the Saturn rocket at the state line. This news station has a fantastic video segment on it, too. The short version is: Yay! It might be back! The previous rocket, developed at Huntsville’s Marshall Space Flight Center, had been in place at the rest stop since about 1979 before it was dismantled in 2023. There was a months-long effort to save the deteriorating rocket, but NASA and the rocket center said that after four decades of being exposed to the elements, the rocket was in no condition to be preserved and the cost would be prohibitive. The Saturn IB was smaller than the Saturn V rocket, which carried men to the moon in the Apollo program, which is on display inside the rocket center. A rocket center report from 2022 described the IB rocket as an “overlooked workhorse of the Apollo program.” Among its tasks was sending crews to Skylab.Here are some reasons why tax experts say it’s a bad idea not to tax overtime, if you want to join the Killjoy Party. Like this bunch of state Republicans, I guess, who prefer giving tax breaks to corporations. The story of the man who shot George Wallace is here. I also mention having been at a talk in Huntsville by former Attorney General Bill Baxley, who successfully prosecuted the men behind the 16th Street Baptist Church. Here’s a snippet (asterisks are mine) from Wikipedia: Baxley reopened the cold case of the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. In a letter, the Ku Klux Klan threatened him, comparing him to John F. Kennedy, and called him an “honorary n****r.” Baxley responded, on official state letterhead: “My response to your letter of February 19, 1976, is—kiss my ass.”[2][3][4]Taylor surprised me with the story of Wallace’s wife, Lurleen, who was governor of Alabama in 1967-68. She ran at her husband’s request, and as “Mrs. George C. Wallace” to boot, because at the time the constitution of Alabama outlawed consecutive terms for governors. Wikipedia says this: Wallace's most notable independent action as governor was increasing appropriations for the Bryce Hospital and the Partlow State School, a residential institution for the developmentally disabled. She visited both institutions in Tuscaloosa on her own initiative in February 1967 after reading a news story about overcrowding and poor staffing, and was horrified by the filthy, barracks-like settings.[19] She also obtained a large funding increase for Alabama state parks.[21]The story of Alys Robi, the Quebec City singer who had a lobotomy performed on her against her will in the late 1940s, is available in English here. Below, in 1992, she performed some of the songs that made her famous. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bamaqc.substack.com

Some of the pictures of Taylor’s mural!Wondering about Clear ID? Gummies are regulated. And so is vaping. Good luck on making the kids obey those rules! Juneteenth is a state holiday in Alabama now, and here’s the Obama tweet that will lead you to the whole story on the redistricting. And before Canadians get too smug, here’s the story on the Manitoba hospital *still* named after a doctor who performed starving experiments on Indigenous children for the federal Department of Indian Affairs. And last but not least, the sizzle reel from the Carney visit to the White House. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bamaqc.substack.com

Here is the review I wrote last year about the book Gender/F*****g by Florence Ashley. As I say in the video, it’s not for everyone. If you’re easily offended by evocative descriptions and sexual experiences that are a little out there, you won’t like the book. More information about Lulu’s Law for those of you who think your phone should save you from sharks. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bamaqc.substack.com

Here is the campaign ad with Mike Myers. And here is the Elections Canada video explaining how it will deal with the mind-bindingly long ballot in Carleton. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bamaqc.substack.com

I am wrapping up a week in Huntsville, looking forward to my next trip already, before I even board my flight back to Canada. This week we talked about fluffy pancakes, which are new to Huntsville and unknown (at least to me) anywhere in Canada. And cowboy caviar which for some reason I hadn’t noticed until now. There’s some controversy over whether that’s cultural appropriation and I don’t mean to be more insensitive than usual when I ask why we can’t have it anyway? It’s that good. Eldest and I also visited Dutch Bros for sugary caffeine, evidently a cool brand of coffee shops she’d noticed on some social network or other. And here’s the link to my meadery at Lowe Mill. Welcome to new knowledge! Here’s the meaning of lepton. You’re welcome! Oh, and Kristi Noem was governor of South Dakota. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bamaqc.substack.com

In my conversation this week with Huntsville, Alabama, artist Taylor McLendon I do my best to scare him with tales of snow in April. I think it worked? This is what it looked like. I mean, it’s pretty. But a little late in the year. Among the other subjects we discussed are fluffy pancakes, the criminalization of human cloning (super necessary, don’t you think), a Secretary of Education who doesn’t know the difference between AI and steak sauce (no, really), a bill to encourage people with suicidal thoughts to temporarily surrender their firearms, school cellphone bans (Taylor and I disagree on that one), the Beautiful Rainbow Cafe, and the South’s annoying habit of voting for “don’t say gay” bills. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bamaqc.substack.com

Below are pictures from two rallies in Huntsville.Below are photos I took last month in the same location. Also? We need to settle on a name. At first I was thinking From Bama with Love but maybe that’s a little too obvious. I thought From Bama with Sarcasm but it doesn’t roll off the tongue. From Bama with Bite: Southern Sass and Sarcasm. I kinda like that one. From Bama with Sass? I’m open to suggestions. Taylor works out of Lowe Mill, an incredible space that I love to visit every single time I’m in town, sometimes more than once. There’s always something new and inspiring to see. Among the things we discussed during this week’s episode is Alabama’s weird history of not allowing lottery and gambling. For a state where freedom is such a thing, not having lottery is… weird. In other states, they use surplus for good deeds — education being a top one. NPR has a very handy list of where that money goes, by state. The information for Ontario’s lottery profits is here. I also fumbled the size of the city of Ottawa pretty badly even though I meant to say 800 square kilometres, not eight (duh). It turns out its size is 2,796 square kilometres, or for those who only measure in American, just under 1,080 square miles. It’s freaking big. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bamaqc.substack.com