For the Kings of Tupelo, The Defense Rests

New York City, where I misspent my youth chasing money (and other things) on Wall Street… and also where I defended Southern culture at every turn.

Now, don’t get me wrong: the New Yorkers were fascinated by me. Or, more accurately, they were self-amused by their stereotype of Southerners. They knew, for example, how many cousins I’d dated, how many cars were rusting in my front yard, or how many dogs would die if my front porch collapsed. The answer is zero to all of those, by the way.

Several times a day, one of them would shout over the trading floor, “Hey Timmy, have you heard you might be a redneck if….”

“Yes. Yes, I have. And it’s Tim, without a Y.”

Damn you, Jeff Foxworthy.

If you’ve ever defended your roots against folks who think the South is just fried food, football, and folksy ignorance, you’ll understand my frustration. Their thoughts on the South were as welcome as a polecat at a garden party, bless their frozen hearts.

Some of y’all have been upset about how Mississippians are portrayed in the Kings of Tupelo Netflix series, and I was right there with you. I’ve pointlessly battled the stereotypes armed with nothing but righteous indignation. But then someone—maybe it was Steve Holland in the series—said something that hit me like a mule kick: “Southerners love our characters.”

YES!

Southerners don’t shy away from our eccentricities; we lean into them. Our stories, our characters, our lives are richer than a peach cobbler with ‘nilla ice cream. And that reminds me of what I’ve learned from living from coast to coast: the rest of the country is frightfully dull. The South has grit, flavor, and unrestrained audacity. We have great literature because everything worth writing about happens here. It’s not in the towers of Manhattan or a California wine bar. It’s here, where the tea is sweet, the stories are sweeter, and the people — well, they’re as colorful as the Kings of Tupelo.

Tim Heaton is a HottyToddy.com contributor and can be reached at tim.h.heaton@gmail.com.

His book, “Bless Your Heart, You Freakin’ Idiot: Southern Sayings Translated” can be found on here on Amazon: https://a.co/d/fQ4SouZ