Mornings on Main Street

In 1976, my grandparents moved from their house in Hendersonville to a brand new retirement center just off of Gallatin Road in Madison near Briley Parkway. It was called Chippington Towers and stood about 12 stories tall. They lived on the ninth floor. I have very fond memories of visiting …

One time playing football I got double-teamed while on defense and they blocked me about 15 yards down the field. I remember coming to the sideline and my coach saying, “Next time you feel that happening, fall down. Make a giant pile. That makes it difficult for anyone to go through. Make it…

As with many places growing up my little piece of heaven is long gone. There are no signs it ever existed, and even if you tried to describe how it looked based on what is there now, you still wouldn’t be able to process it.

Years ago, when the movie “Twilight” was all the rage, I had a friend who told me it was the worst movie ever made and he could not believe his kids wanted to see that “garbage,” as he referred to it.

One of my favorite movies, and I am sure yours as well, is “Forrest Gump.” Since it is on just about every day we all have seen it, in parts, a million times. There are scenes that really hit us deep and one that involves Forrest and Lt. Dan and is the genesis for this story.

Spoiler alert: This will not be a groundbreaking, earth-shattering column, but I hope it goes a long, long way toward settling a debate.

Some may call it being star-struck. I prefer to call it “extreme reverence.” There are two times in my life when I have seen it in full effect and it is something I will never forget.

Summer is here and that means all the high school kids and the college kids will embark on the greatest lesson they can possibly get.

It was Memorial Day 2005. I was working at WKRN at the time doing the morning show and I had volunteered to work that Monday, while most of the other reporters were off.

Seriously, y’all have to stop doing this.

When I was around 14, I asked my brother to teach me to drive. He agreed to do it and, man, I was so excited I could barely stand it.

As Facebook rolled out about 14 or so years ago, I scanned a ton of pictures of my kids and friends and cool things I have done throughout my life to upload to the site, not only for people to see, but also for posterity. A place they would be forever in case I lost the pics or anything happ…

In 1996, I was a 28-year-old intern at WKRN in the sports department. Yes, not your typical intern.

If you grew up in Nashville in the ‘70s, ‘80s or ‘90s, there was a special place that was your second home. Your parents would drop you off there and pick you up at closing time.

It can be our best friend or it can be our worst enemy, and oftentimes it is both. I am talking about something that every single one of us has whether we like it or not. It is our “inner voice.” It can talk us in or out of many things.

On Saturday, April 23, I ran my 13th half-marathon in Nashville and my 15th overall. I don’t write that to hear, “great job, Joe.” Oh no. It is much grander than that.

Every week, I make a trek to a certain store in Donelson where I buy a Powerball and Mega-Millions lottery ticket. Yes, I know it is a waste of money, but my justification is always, “it only takes one.”

For those who grew up in Nashville, Municipal Auditorium is and will always be a special place. Legendary shows took place there and so many memories happened in that building.

Recently, I ran across an old friend and he was wearing a T-shirt that read, “You Look Like You Might Need A Ride To The Train Station.” I asked what it meant and the following conversation ensued.

It has now been about 37 years since it happened, and yet it is still crystal clear in my mind and will probably be there forever.

By now you have probably heard about the ex-girlfriend who broke up with her boyfriend but, before she did, went into his Netflix account and set up her own profile under the “name” of Settings. It took him about two years to figure out what was going on but, by then, she had probably watche…

It is simply the happiest place on earth.

My mom did it every time we went through the tunnel on Thompson Lane.

Every year when spring break rolls around, I think back to a pivotal moment in my life that I am most sure if my mother had known about, I would still be grounded.

Recently, I stopped by a Thai restaurant for lunch with a friend and this conversation happened.