I have to admit, I'm impressed, guys. In the last two–plus years as editor, I've had more than a handful of experiences that have let me know a couple of things. One, our readers are a very loyal bunch, and two, they are a very vocal bunch. I like both of these qualities. Though the latter can get me into hot water at times.
Let's revisit our last issue, for example. The annual City Guide is quasi-lovingly referred to around these parts as "the beast." It's the largest issue we produce every year, clocking in anywhere from 200 to 240 pages.
That's a lot of words, folks. Not only that, it's a ton of information, from where to find hidden gems in the dining scene to the quickest location for auto-tag renewal. There are lists galore, and the daddy of 'em all is the Who's Who.
My mailbox and email inbox begin filling up about, oh, 12 seconds after the first copies hit mailboxes and newsstands around town. Questions about why and why not so-and-so from all over the city. Some are funny. Some angry. Some are very, very angry, and in the case of one letter from a guy in Los Angeles this year, just downright indecipherable. (I think the 4 a.m. time stamp on the email, and possibly some adult beverages, might explain the incoherent rant about Elvis. I think it's about the King, anyway. He never gets around to that little detail.)
Here's the thing about City Guide. Every year, there is an omission from one of the many lists we provide, or some sort of weirdness that we really can't explain. Inevitably, when we begin laying out the pages upon pages of Who's Who bios, someone gets lost in the shuffle. We check the master list, we pore over the pages, and yet, it happens. This year was no exception.
The unlucky winner? None other than Craig Brewer.
Yep. Craig. How embarrassing. For Pete's sake, he was in the first group of Who's Who we put on the cover two years ago.
Not only is Craig one of the best-known Memphians locally, he's one of the best-known nationally. Making a couple of movies and winning Oscars and the like should count for something, we guess. Sorry Craig.
But hey, you're in good company. Our friend Linda Ross at L. Ross Gallery managed to get left off the list of art hotspots, and she's one of the nicest folks we know. Then there was the year Harry Shaw got left out. He's kind of important, we think, running an organization like the United Way. But nothing can top the year we produced an entire City Guide with practically no mention of a little place called Graceland.
Call it the curse of City Guide. We do.
