Jecorey’s Louisville (07/28/2022)

You know those “______’s Louisville” banners on the sides of buildings throughout the city? Ali and Jennifer Lawrence and Diane Sawyer and more “notable” names. We think the blank should be for all of us. (Who do you think Louisville Magazine should interview about our city? You can tell us here.)

Here are the answers from Metro Council member Jecorey Arthur (the musician known as 1200), whose district includes downtown (and east of there) and parts of west Louisville. Published Thursday, July 28, 2022.

Who or what should be on a future cover of Louisville Magazine?

“York. He spent most of his life in Louisville and was the true hero of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It could be an issue about hidden figures in our city.”

Since March 2020, what’s something you’ve gained?

“A wealth of knowledge about city government.”

Since March 2020, what’s something Louisville has lost?

“The patience we had with traditional political leadership.”

Since March 2020, what’s something Louisville has gained?

“A new sense of political engagement.”

What should people visit in your neighborhood?

“A Central High School football game because the marching band is the most entertaining in our region. The football team is topnotch too.”

Who’s your neighborhood’s unofficial mayor?

“Jackie Floyd. She always knows what’s going on here.”

Where are you a regular? 

“Southern Hospitality on West Broadway. I’m always eating breakfast there — French toast, scrambled eggs and potatoes.”

Closed Louisville business you miss most?

“Another Place Sandwich Shop. They had the best veggie sandwiches.”

What should be Louisville’s theme song?

“Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘Louisville, K-Y’ is perfect. Classy but brassy.”

Favorite Louisville building?

“Mercer, aka 400 W. Market. Iconic. Can you imagine the skyline without it?”

Favorite Louisville street?

“Olive. It made me who I am today. Shoutout to Parkland.”

Most memorable show/concert you’ve been to in Louisville? 

“November 2017, the Kentucky Center, the world premiere of Louisville Orchestra director Teddy Abrams’ The Greatest. It was a rap opera about Muhammad Ali, and I was playing Ali. I can’t put it into words, other than to say it was an out-of-body experience for me.” 

A Louisville law/ordinance/rule/etc. that needs to change?

“We need rent control, but the state won’t let us have it.”

If you were elected mayor, what’s the first thing you would do on day one?

“I answered this question before for Louisville Magazine and said something goofy about making everyone interact by shutting their power off. Now I know the mayor can’t just do whatever they want. Assuming I would have the same connections as our current mayor, I’d get on a call with President Joe Biden to convince him to enact a federal reparations program for Black American descendants of slavery.”

What does Louisville have that it should be known for but isn’t?

“Our hip-hop scene has the nation’s rawest talent. It’s slowly getting recognized, though.”

Something from Louisville’s past you wish people today could experience?

“Broadway Cinema was always fun.”

Fill in the blank: “_______’s Louisville” should be the next banner on the side of a building.

“Static Major, the music producer who died in 2008. This is long overdue. He was the Hometown Hero of Black Louisville before the banner program ever existed.”

In one word, what’s your biggest hope for Louisville?

“Organization.”

In one word, what’s your biggest fear for Louisville?

“Disorganization.”

In one sentence, how do you spend the majority of your weekdays? 

“Every week, I’m parenting, legislating, teaching, creating and organizing.”

Something nobody knows about you?

“I listen to audiobooks, e-articles and speeches more than I do music.”

Besides whatever it is you’re currently doing: What’s the best job you’ve ever had?

“The best job I’ll ever have is being on staff at our local HBCU, Simmons College of Kentucky.”

Your drink?

“Louisville Pure Tap™.”

Priceless possession?

“My 1942 Deagan marimba. I can’t imagine how many musicians have played it since ’42 or what they played on it. It’s surreal to think about. Deagan doesn’t make instruments anymore.”

Book you’ve given away the most?

“Two Centuries of Black Louisville. It’s everything.”

Secret talent?

“I can burp the alphabet song. My toddler loves that.”

What three people (living or dead) would be on the guest list to your ideal dinner party?

“Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X.”

If you could write it yourself, what would your headstone say?

“It would just be my favorite emoji: the casket.”

First thing on your bucket list?

“To not work for at least one full week.”

What makes somebody a Louisvillian?

“‘What high school did you go to?’ I hate it.”