I'm not making this up:
The latest stop on band touring schedules in the southern US is
the tiny, conservative hamlet of
Skullbone, TN.
Named after a form of bare-knuckle boxing, Skullbone and its environs are
a sort of redneck homeland; Confederate flags are everywhere, and at the local
band venue, which has played host to acts like Nazareth and Eddie Money (who,
I'm told, are well-known), vendors sell Ku Klux Klan merchandise.
Not surprisingly, the legendary Southern hospitality is not extended to all:
Asked whether it was safe for black people to attend concerts at Skullbone, one vendor of concert souvenirs, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "I'd advise against it. It's not a good idea. They're liable to get beat up. Last year there were two blacks in the alcohol-free area, and when the sun went down, people started saying things like, `Those two trees there look mighty sturdy to me.' They got out of there pretty quick."
(via Plastic)