John Shearer: Random Thoughts About Gloria Johnson And Watching UT Scrimmage And ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’

  • Saturday, April 15, 2023
  • John Shearer

As we continue to mourn so many mass shootings in America – while thankful the alarm at CHI Memorial in Hixson Thursday was something like a bad muffler on busy Highway 153 instead of a real shot – I followed the recent Tennessee General Assembly happenings.

As some citizens had descended on the state capitol to protest gun laws after the Nashville school shooting, and three representatives had joined them in what some called a disruptive and out-of-order manner, I started thinking about one of the three – Rep. Gloria Johnson.

Unlike the other two, she was not expelled from the General Assembly, in part because she was not quite as antagonistic and did not use a bullhorn. Some, including her, thought it might have also been due to her white race, since the other two, the now-reinstated Justin Jones and Justin Pearson of Nashville and Memphis, respectively, were black.

This may be my naïve nature, but I also wondered if it is because she also seems to have a generally likable manner. At least she seemed that way to me a few years ago before politics took on so much an “us versus them” perspective.

I say that because I used to help the Knoxville News Sentinel occasionally cover a politically related event on a freelance basis while living in Knoxville, and I would sometimes run into her, or she would be speaking. While she would not remember me these days from Adam, she always struck me as someone who was generally approachable and likable with a straightforward demeanor. She in many ways to me seemed to be a little bit of an overachiever, and good for her.

That was in part because she also did not strike me as the type who had a natural charisma or pied piper type manner that would naturally draw people to her, an inborn skill some politicians have. The 60-year-old former educator had simply worked hard to get where she is and built a constituency. At least it seemed that way to me as someone just looking at her then from a distance.

Whether she seems entirely different in the state legislature among Republicans, I do not know. Rep. Johnson has been elected and defeated in various state races for more than 10 years in those apparently rare districts that are neither overly Republican or Democratic, and now serves District 90 that includes the individually different areas of West, North and Northeast Knoxville.

Whether a politician is a Republican or Democrat, I am always interested as much as anything in if they have a pleasant and sincere manner and demeanor, and she seemed to pass the test in that regard.

And lastly, I mean this as a sincere compliment as someone who admires and follows women’s sports, but the Farragut High grad also reminded me of maybe a former women’s basketball player or a person once involved in sports in some way with her gait.

And speaking of sports and Knoxville, I still travel up to that city twice a week to teach some adjunct journalism classes at the University of Tennessee and write mostly feature-like stories for the Shopper News there. And for the first time since I started teaching in 2008, I have a football player in class.

As a result, I received an invitation to a faculty appreciation breakfast on Saturday, April 1, with an opportunity to watch the football scrimmage afterward. And I could bring up to two guests.

A couple of people could not go for one reason or another, although I later learned a family member might have gone if he had been asked, so I got up early that Saturday morning and drove the 90-plus minutes up Interstate 75 by myself. It would make a third drive that week for this person who usually must discipline himself just to get through the normal two, but I figured I might not get such an opportunity to see UT football up close again.

Knowing a buffet breakfast would not be served until 9 a.m., and I am used to taking my first bite on a sweet roll or biscuit by 7 a.m., I had to discipline myself a little in the eating realm as well, although I did drink a little milk and eat a banana beforehand.

Once I arrived at UT before 9 a.m., I made my way into the Wolf-Kaplan Room below Neyland Stadium and enjoyed a breakfast catered by Copper Cellar, I think. After amicably talking with one or two other faculty people I did not previously know while heartily sampling the free meal, I and the roughly 100 other faculty members and guests were welcomed by Chris Johnson of the athletic academic tutor center named for Chattanoogan John Thornton.

And then, as I predicted and hoped, head football coach Josh Heupel came in and sincerely talked to the faculty members, saying that academics and building character are paramount to him as coach of UT. He even answered two or three questions, including from one youngster asking if he ever might coach in the pros. He laughed that one off, saying he was happy at UT.

Another faculty member wearing unusual clothing from perhaps his native country said he appreciated the school’s focus on academics.

Coach Heupel, whom I enjoyed seeing in person after watching him countless times on TV, was then escorted out by an aide of some sort to get ready for the scrimmage.

We then got to tour the game day home locker room, which for this weekend for recruits was decorated with current-day jerseys of all the greats of the past. Besides the usual Peyton Manning and Reggie White jerseys, I was touched to find the No. 21 jersey of one of my heroes from my junior high and high school days – Stanley Morgan. Of course, it looked a little different from the more yellowish style orange jerseys worn in the days under coach Bill Battle.

We were then invited to watch the scrimmage, although instructed as is typical protocol not to photograph or video any of it. I stayed for about an hour and 15 minutes of the roughly two-hour scrimmage and enjoyed watching it.

I saw good plays and not-so-great plays, and I saw stars and walk-ons all getting to play. I even learned that highly touted incoming freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava will wear No. 12, which anybody else would know as well simply by looking at the roster online.

I even heard one defensive coach use a few choice words as I was sitting behind the endzone with several hundred others, including some high school coaches there for a clinic. Of course, cursing has long been part of football coaching at more places than not, whether that is right or wrong.

In other words, it was all a typical spring practice. In fact, it did not seem nearly as different from my one spring practice I took part in at the University of Georgia as a lowly walk-on way back in 1979 as I thought it might be, other than some contemporary music played on the loudspeaker between series.

After leaving and walking out, I saw a former female student who was working with the UT football recruiting office at a table outside a stadium gate. And then when I walked up to the Student Union and ordered a Chick-fil-A sandwich for the road after the buffet breakfast by then was wearing off, I was handed my order by one of my current female students.

I was reminded several times how blessed I feel to get to teach at the state’s flagship university.

Back in Chattanooga, I six days later got to enjoy some more nice free entertainment. One of my wife’s friends had an extra ticket to see the touring Broadway production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” at Memorial Auditorium, so I went on that Friday night.

I had been meaning to see it for a long time, although I did see part of the NBC live production on TV a few years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed the in-person experience Friday from a seat near the front. The show did not start until 8:30 p.m. and I was afraid I would not get home until well after 11 p.m. and not have any time to wind down as I normally desire before going to bed.

But when I looked at the program, it said the show would not have any intermission and would last only 90 minutes, so I felt a little better. Not only that, but it had a list of the songs to be sung in order.

My favorite song from it, “I Don’t Know How To Love Him,” was to be in about the middle, so I anticipated it as the show began. Sometimes Broadway shows can almost stand alone in one sense with one good song – like “Seasons of Love” in “Rent” or “Memory” from “Cats” – so I knew I was going to be at least happy for a few moments.

And Faith Jones, whom I learned was a graduate of the University of North Carolina, did not disappoint with a stirring and powerful rendition of the “How To Love Him” song.

But that was not all. I also loved the “Everything’s Alright” song I had forgotten about, and it was neat to hear the main song, “Superstar,” near the end. The latter sounded much more powerful than I envisioned it would be when multiple singers belted out those famous words, “Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, who are you what have you sacrificed…”

It was a great show overall, including the electric guitar playing that took me back to the 1970s, and I felt energized as I left the auditorium not long after 10 – much earlier than I originally feared.

Out of curiosity, I wanted after seeing it to know both why this musical focusing primarily on the last few days of Jesus’ life was once considered controversial and how often it played in Chattanooga. With the help of David Carroll’s great resource book, “Hello, Chattanooga,” I found out it had played at Memorial Auditorium in 1971, 1973, 1975, 1995, 1996, and 2008, and at the Tivoli in 1990.

In several of the later productions here, longtime lead actor Ted Neeley played the role of Jesus, Mr. Carroll said.

In the 2023 version, Jesus was played by Jack Hopewell and Judas by Elvie Ellis, with people of color being well represented, too, including in the role of Mary by Ms. Jones. The latter has historically been a part of the show, with Ben Vereen playing the original Judas in New York more than 50 years ago.

And when it first played in Chattanooga in 1971, Carl Anderson, who was also black, played Judas. Jeff Fenholt was Jesus and Yvonne Elliman was Mary Magdalene.

This show by musical composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, the son of a London Methodist headquarters organist and composer, and lyricist Tim Rice was considered controversial when it first came out for several reasons. Mr. Rice was quoted early on as saying Jesus was just the right man at the right time and was not divine, the Resurrection is not referenced, Judas is made to be a sympathetic character, and some thought the Jewish people were portrayed as being too villainous.

When the production came to Chattanooga for the first time for two basically sold-out shows on Aug. 14, 1971, a few protesters stood in front and across the street from the auditorium and passed out leaflets, but it never went beyond a raised voice or two. However, a police bomb unit did walk through the auditorium before the evening show.

To offer an alternative to the show, Woodland Park Baptist Church under the Rev. Larry Draper that same night held a “Stand Up for Jesus” rally at its church. Some 1,000 people packed it to hear evangelist James Ellis speak and new Chattanooga City Commissioner Pat Rose offer his testimony.

Mr. Draper, who also addressed the gathering, told the attendees also representing different churches at one point, “This rally is not to tell how terrible ‘Superstar’ is but how wonderful Jesus is.”

They were cheering there, and they also were at Memorial Auditorium, where both performances received standing ovations at the end.

And in 2023, we were all standing and cheering inside Memorial Auditorium as well.

* * *

jcshearer2@comcast.net

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