Julian. It was after 9 at night, but Mark wanted to check out Earnestine & Hazel’s in Memphis. I wanted to do laundry, write, and go to sleep. But I said yes. Mark was excited.
Mark. It’s true. I was excited. Earnestine & Hazel’s is a dive bar in Memphis with a wild history. It used to be a brothel and an after-hours hangout for Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, and Ray Charles, among others. The Rolling Stones paid a few late-nights visits, inspiring “Honky Tonk Women”: “I met a gin-soaked bar room queen in Memphis. She tried to take me upstairs for a ride.” It’s also haunted, or so they say: Patrons report hearing unexplained noises on the second floor; the jukebox plays on its own; and, a few years ago, bones were discovered in the walls. Why wouldn’t I want to go?
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