Dennis Rodman Clowned Nashville on ‘The Last Dance,’ And *Sigh* He Wasn’t Wrong
There are two major shows that air every Sunday night: The Last Dance and Homeland. And this week, the two had a crossover. At least for me, because my homeland is Nashville, and during a clip of Dennis Rodman signing autographs in The Last Dance, he completely clowned on Music City.
First of all, pretty ballsy for this dude to go on a limb and invite Dennis to Nashville in 1998. Especially with the thickest southern draw Dennis has probably ever heard. And Dennis is from Oklahoma. I mean, damn, that dude is a walking cliché.
Also, his laugh after Dennis turns him down is the saddest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. This guy knows Dennis wouldn’t hang out with him, even on his drunkest of nights, let alone hang out in the city this dude is from. Dennis isn’t spending a weekend with you in 1998 Nashville, going to the Cumberland Science Museum or Laser Quest on 2nd Avenue, followed by dinner at NASCAR Cafe, and then joining you at your Baptist church on Sunday morning. Dennis has seen and done more in a 48-hour bender to Vegas than this guy could’ve searched for with a 48 free hours disc of America Online.
Anyone who knows me knows I love Nashville. It’s my home. Moved there at a young age and was raised there, which isn’t saying much because Nashville wasn’t worth much of a damn during my childhood. I mean, we didn’t even get a Planet Hollywood until 1996. It would be completely naive of me to not agree it wasn’t worth it to go back to Nashville after one visit. Hell, I don’t even know what could’ve led him there for the first trip. There weren’t even any pro sports teams until ’97. Only thing I can think of are the plethora of adult bookstores Nashville had back then. Dennis in one of Nashville’s adult book stores would’ve been the literal definition of a kid in a candy store.
But I get it. Dennis and the Bulls were larger than life in ’98. Nashville wasn’t even larger than Memphis in ’98. The biggest attraction in downtown Nashville in the late 90s was the Cumberland River. If you were hosting people from out of town, you’d take them to the end of Lower Broadway and say, “Well, there’s the river.” Then you’d both quietly and awkwardly look at it for a bit, and then you’d ask, “Wanna go to Opryland?”
There were no pedal taverns, there were no rooftop or multi-story bars on Lower Broad, which wasn’t all bad because it also meant there was no traffic. The Country Music Hall of Fame was in like some dude’s house. Now, it wasn’t all bad. There was a Tower Records and a Tower Books (not to brag), a Fudruckers, and an Eckard pharmacy near Centennial Park on West End.
In fact, here’s my timeline of Nashville’s emergence from “Dennis Rodman wouldn’t be caught dead there” to what it is today:
- 1997 – Nashville started getting better (thanks Titans and Preds)
- 2005 – Nashville started getting pretty good
- 2011 – Nashville got great
- 2015 – Nashville got awesome
It’s ironic how the man who’s known for wearing fake wedding dresses turned down a city that is now known for hoards of women running around in fake wedding dresses. Nashville, now is the Dennis Rodman of cities. It’s always a fun time, it’s wild, it’s blanketed with art/tattoos, it’s hungover every morning, and it works hard. But back in ’98, when Dennis Rodman was Dennis Rodman, Nashville was merely 2020 Bill Wennington.
