It’s always a positive experience when you hang out with Dick Wilson, the world-class connector and philanthropist, who invited to me to a birthday lunch at the Louisville Thoroughbred Club. Prior to feasting on a Chorizo Flatbread, Dick and I found a quiet spot to talk about keeping things optimistic, even when the world seems to be falling apart. We’re planning to re-start the Breakfast of Champions, our decades-old meeting for go-getters, in September.
When Gill Holland suggested I get Johnny Berry on the show, I remembered a concert at Gerstle’s I went to back in the early 2000s. Berry was the opening act for Steve Forbert on a magical night in which a lot of local musicians were in the crowd. What I didn’t know was that Berry was new to Louisville and also working in the kitchen. Now he’s got some new music coming out under Holland’s SonaBlast label, and plays a lot of festivals and events, like next month’s NuLu Festival.
You’ll love hearing Johnny’s story about Opryland, and he even recorded a new promo for the show. Check out the Halfway to Louisville song on YouTube.
Speaking of shows, I’m celebrating my birthday with my favorite artist, Paul Thorn, who is playing Old Forester Hall in Paristown. But I’ve got a complaint. Those behind the decision to not require proof of vaccination to get in are, in my view, gutless. Especially when other venues around town are doing it. And I’ve got a complaint about the Mayor and Metro Council, who’ve come up with a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist — shutting down local bars at 2 a.m., instead of 4, a seemingly small move that won’t reduce crime and will hurt the bottom line for bars.
OK. so that’s all the complaining. I’m turning 61 on Saturday and have a big weekend ahead, and I hope you enjoy this 407th episode of the city’s longest-running and most interesting podcast. Thanks to Salsarita’s Fresh Mexican Grill. Hectare’s CBD story in NuLu, and eXp Realty for sponsoring the show.
