Preview of Preserving Nashville's Soul, with Lorenzo Washington

It was difficult trying to choose the opening quote for this week's episode. My guest Lorenzo Washington articulated a handful of beautiful passages. So I thought I'd put the 'short list', as it were, together here. Let's call it a preview of ep.259, The Jefferson Street Sound: Preserving Nashville's Soul with Lorenzo Washington. One of my favourites.

Title slide: Lorenzo and I outside the Museum after our chat (pic: Olivia Cheng).

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Episode Transcript

Lorenzo (00:00):
If I see a person, especially an older person, in
need, although I'm an olderperson.
Now I was going to say I have arise, but the way I look at it,

(00:23):
you know, I don't feel you knowthat older person you know.
So I'm still looking to helpSee Marion James.
And these older artists werestill living.
Yeah, yeah, you know, most ofthem has died out since I

(00:57):
started the museum.
Yeah, yeah of them passed.
Then I said I've got to do itnow in order to keep their
legacy going, even with theAfrican American Museum downtown
, I went down and told some ofmy story and they brought a

(01:19):
whole busload of their peoplehere to learn my stories and I
didn't think I had any storiesworth telling that meant
anything until I started doinginterviews and I'm not a good
interviewer.

(01:40):
I tell folk in a minute.
I'm not great at interviewingat all.
I tell folk in a minute.
I'm not great at interviewingat all.
I just tell my story and hopeyou take it like it's presented
to you.
You know, from the heart, andit's all about the stories.

(02:01):
You know what folk want to hear.
When they come in this littlemuseum they look at the pictures
.
But how does it relate to whattook place on Jefferson Street?
My stories Now a couple of myfriends.
One of them bought him a newCorvette, one of them a Lexus

(02:22):
and one of them lives in one ofthese tall and skinnies
overlooking downtown.
Now I say that could have beenme.
Yes, exactly, I could haveafforded that at one time, you
know, but I chose to grind itout here in this little museum.

(02:45):
I decided that I was not goingto allow the legacy of these
great artists and musicians, andespecially the ones that didn't
make it to stardom.
I was not going to let themdown.
You know, I was going to dosomething to keep their heads

(03:07):
held high, and that's what I didwith this little museum,
because now it's being knownaround the world, not just here
in Nashville.
Well, the piece now that goesout is back in the day that
Marian James sung and it's aboutJefferson Street Brilliant.

(03:31):
We've been listening to Mariansince we were here on Saturday,
but you hadn't heard this one onMarian back in the day and it
sings about the clubs.
Let me see if I can come up withsomething here just to give you
a quick descriptio, righ?

Marion James (04:00):
¶¶ of Nashville, tennessee that's history on a
road named Jefferson Street.
Back in the day, that was allthe gold Gateway, jefferson

(04:32):
Street, jazz and blues.
That is the road oh I've beenjealous of.
You could stop at Good JellyJohn.
You can get a little moonshineand wine and it's close.

(04:54):
You can slide on in there.
Have a good time time.
Back in the day, that was allthe gold.
Jefferson Street, jazz andblues.

(05:15):
That is the road.
Back in the day.
Back in the day, back in theday, back in the day, back in

(05:43):
the day.
Oh Lord, that was all ago.