In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin and Rebecca tell you why they have been missing in case you've been wondering. But don't fret, they'll be back! In the meantime, tune in to hear what's brewing for Memphis Type History and look ahead for a new batch of episodes to come.

There is so much more history in this city to discover so of course they will continue. In the meantime, take a moment to catch up on listening or listen back to some of our personal favorites that we mention in this episode.

For full show notes, visit memphistypehistory.com/hiatus

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Rebecca has a conversation with Erica S. Qualy to learn all about the art of zines. What are they? What is the purpose? Can anyone make their own? We answer those questions and more for your enlightenment and for the annual Memphis Zine Fest that is open for all to attend!

If you're familiar with our book, you may recognize Erica's name from our chapter of the Lorraine Motel. She's actually the one who sparked Rebecca's interest in zines in the first place.

A zine is a do-it-yourself publication produced in editions of less than 100. Usually it's just an 8.5x11 piece of paper folded up and stapled with whatever content you want to tell. At first, everything was cut and paste and hand-drawn, but now people have the ability to include photoshop elements. Erica states that she herself is a purist and sticks to the cut and paste method. She also gives insight on what her process is which you can hear on this episode. For example, Erica uses her own typewriter.

That's a good question. Some people would consider tracing zines back to Martin Luther's Ninety-five Theses written in 1517. But the fandom of science fiction works in the 1930s is what really set it off. Fans published and traded their own stories and those became known as "fanzines" the abbreviation of fan magazine and later shortened to just zine (zeen).

Erica touches on some great material she researched but makes a point to call out that the zines we most commonly reference came from 70s because that was the start of newer technologies that allowed these to be easier to produce. In the 70s and 80s is when the punk scene entered influencing the voice and art of zines. Even into the 90s a lot of band used zines to produce their own voice, awareness, feminism, and empowerment.

Thanks to Erica and Crosstown Arts, artists are able to showcase and sell their own zines each year during the Memphis Zine Fest. This year's fest will be Friday, July 20 at the theater stairs in the central atrium of Crosstown Concourse. It's free to attend and open to all ages from 4P–7P but bring some cash so you can buy some fun zines and support the arts.

And if you're interested in becoming a zine maker (which you probably are now), you can apply to be a vendor at the event! Just visit crosstownarts.org.

For full show notes, visit memphistypehistory.com/zine

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Rebecca meets Sheena and Savannah, two spectacular ladies of Graceland, who currently run a Podcast series entitled "Starring Elvis." Whether you're an Elvis fan or not, learning about the movies the artist put his heart into and the songs that came from them is surprising. You'll hear about Sheena and Savannah's Elvis favorites, some Elvis movie history, and what inspired the the two to start this charming series in the first place.

It all started with Dawson's Creek. Well, not the show, but the podcast with fans of the show talking about each and every episode. While Sheena and Savannah were inspired by that show's podcast, their Elvis movies podcast takes a whole other bent on the idea, focusing on the movies that really solidified the status of the king in the years after he returned from war.

The hosts even run down the list of all the world-renowned actors that were in those early films with Elvis. That's just one reason they say, be careful if you assume all the films are silly or campy. One of the films in particular featured has a really interesting connection to Casablanca.

Elvis made 31 feature films and even did a couple of concert documentaries, as well. Of those, our guests had some favorites. Our guests are particularly impressed with King Creole because it gives Elvis a real opportunity to show acting skills that were often left out in his films in favor of assumed commercial success. He portrays a character with some real depth, co-stars with Anne Margaret, and the film was directed by Michael Curtiz.

Of course, Elvis really shines in the dancing and singing sequences in his films. The ones especially worth checking out—Jailhouse Rock and Love Me Tender. The ladies say those films demonstrate his star power was really connected to his performances within the films.

Elvis' leading ladies are well-known and many went on to have pretty impressive careers themselves. Ann Margaret, Nancy Sinatra, and Shelley Fabares are just some of the names that came up in our conversation. Of particular note was Ann Margaret performing her own song and having her name in the same size font as Elvis on the movie poster—a bit controversial at the time. Nancy Sinatra also played a big role. When the ladies talked about her connect to Elvis, the former star tweeted at them a note of thanks and that she missed Elvis.

The movies were really groundbreaking because the films were often just opportunities to push out more Elvis music between records. The soundtracks were 45's with 4-5 songs on them. The movie names were often connected to the title song such as "Love Me Tender". If you want to listen to some of the music that true fans often love the most, check out "Pocket Full of Rainbows" or even the song "So Close Yet So Far Away from Paradise" in the movie Harem Scarem. In fact, many of the songs we all know as classic Elvis singles came from film soundtracks and weren't released in any other form.

Some people believe another of Elvis' many innovations was the old-style movie karate chop move. Our guests tell us about how the fights were a key part of the Elvis films. And yes, he is known for a signature karate chop move. In one movie... he may have karate chopped a Jaguar. Elvis was actually known for being a passionate practicioner of karate. He loved integrating the moves he practiced on his own into any of the fight scenes. He almost never had a stunt double. One night, he was so into practicing for a fight scene, that he stayed up really late chopping wooden blocks until he felt he got the move down for the movie scene. You also may have seen Elvis' custom Gi he had made.

We heard a lot more about the various pop culture connections Elvis brought to our country and the world. The craziest thing to think about, is at a time when there was barely tv, no internet or youtube, no social media, etc... he was doing as many as three movies a year and keeping himself connected to his audience. He showed different variations of his work in these films while retaining his place as a star singer and performer. It was a brilliant strategy for keeping relevant and some would say, ultimately, pushed him too far. Sheena and Savannah tell us about the next episode they are producing, but you'll have to listen to hear about that

For full show notes visit memphistypehistory.com/elvis