The David Royer

David Royer - Editor of the LampLighter

There are those people, and we all know them. They are the, "right place, right time" people. No matter what they are doing, some type of story comes out of it. I'm talking about the kind of people who take detours on a road trip and end up sampling the best homemade food/whisky/etc. by someone they just met in a country diner. They are the kind of people who live like they are hosting a show on the travel channel. David Royer is this kind of person. I'm trying to be more like David Royer, but for now I'm his dog sitter while he is away on his adventures. 


I asked him to for some input on the content of my blog. Here are the questions I asked, and his responses.


1. As a person who seems willing to seek out new experiences, whether in food, music, or novelty, what would you want to read or write about in a blog like mine?

• Trying out extreme foods is always a big hit with people. It might be eating something off the wall weird or excruciatingly hot or nauseatingly huge. Locally, it might just mean trying out the grungiest restaurants in the worst neighborhoods to find the hidden gems (Deja Vu, Four Way Grill, etc.) Or you could try every beer in the Flying Saucer. Actually, I might try that one. Urban exploring is also a popular topic. That might mean finding an entrance to some awesome building like the Tennessee Brewery or Sears Crosstown, or it might just mean legally going interesting places that average Memphians aren't likely to know about, like Voodoo Village or Wild Bill's or Chucalissa. Or finding the best rambling religious graffiti on the side of a nightclub at Third and Firestone. Or finding the giant metal bulldog sculpture in a front yard at Midland at Boston. Or visiting less adventurous places like Hewlett & Dunn Boot Barn in Collierville, which is one of my favorite stores, or taking a day trip to buy a t-shirt in the lovely town of Bucksnort.

Sometimes it's all about your attitude

2. What type of voice do you think would fit a blog like this better? 

• Clearly, this should all be written in the quietly hilarious voice of Daniel Scruggs. Humor is key.

3.  How do you think I could better use social media to promote my blog?

• I'm attracted by good Twitter "headlines," in an episodic style, like, "This week, Daniel gets a haircut at (insert name of South Memphis barbershop)" or "Daniel gets cursed by angry gods after buying creepy African mask at Gary's Antiques. Hilarity ensues." 

4. Do you have any suggestions for posts… or do you have anything upcoming that you would want to do that would be blog worthy?

• Overton Square Crawfish Festival is April 7 and the big one is downtown April 15. Challenge somebody to eat the most crawfish in a minute, or until you puke, or something.
• You could challenge a roller derby girl to a face-off. Like the ilovememphis chick. Or it could be you vs. the team.
• Would your friends at the zoo let you clean an elephant cage or feed the snakes or something?
• Too bad it's not September. You could live-tweet from Goat Days in Millington, my favorite local festival. I'll try to think of some other ridiculous local festivals.