Black Lodge Video will host a telethon March 19 and 20, featuring live music, stand-up comedy and locally produced short films to be livestreamed free on the store’s website.

The telethon will feature performances that were prerecorded over the past two weeks, but will also include live performances from musicians Jack Oblivian, The Sheiks and Louise Page. Between music sets, viewers will see stand-up comedy, drag performances, and short films, including several made by local film luminaries such as Craig Brewer and Mike McCarthy.

The unique variety show honors the video rental source and live music venue now located in the Crosstown neighborhood. With a collection of more than 30,000 films, Black Lodge has been a Memphis staple since its founding in 1999. Originally located in the Cooper-Young neighborhood, it relocated to 405 N. Cleveland St. in 2019, and describes itself as one of the last physical video rental stores in the U.S. 

“As we began to do more shows and host more live events in our original location, it became clear that we were becoming more than just a simple video store,” Black Lodge owner and co-founder Matthew Martin said.

“By the mid-2000s, the Lodge had become a cultural crossroads, where musicians, filmmakers and artists of all sorts began to meet and work on projects together.” 

Although the first year in the Crosstown location proved to be a success, the COVID-19 pandemic the following year threatened the business’ existence.

“At some point, we decided to do something that we had never done before, which is reach out to the community and let them know that we needed assistance,” Martin says.

Black Lodge’s Indiegogo campaign reached its financial goal before the campaign was set to end. Recent figures on the Save Black Lodge campaign site showed 481 backers had contributed $27,909.

“The public’s reaction to the campaign was unbelievable, and very humbling,” said Martin, who points to an inspiring number of small donors.

“Most people were giving $5 or $10, which is beautiful to see in a time when we all have so little. It proved again what we’ve always known: that the people of Memphis care about artists and the places where they create art.”

After seeing Black Lodge’s Indiegogo campaign, artist Sara Moseley wanted to support the business, which she calls “a pure bastion of creativity and an indispensable community resource.” Her idea led to “The Black Lodge Telethon,” which Moseley has been planning for the past five weeks.

“I’m not rich when it comes to money, but I do have a ton of friends in the arts and a pretty good insight into how these types of events work, so I knew that this was how I could contribute,” she says.

Moseley began planning the telethon in early February, reaching out to friends and acquaintances. “To be honest, it was much easier than I expected to get people to agree to volunteer their time, which I think is a testament to Black Lodge’s reputation within the artistic community,” she said.

In the end, Moseley was able to assemble a collection of local talent that resembles a full-fledged music festival more than the typical live-streamed event.

While the telethon was created to support a struggling business, Martin says that he now sees the event as a way to express appreciation to the people who provided assistance during a trying time.

“Sara conceived of this event as being the major capstone to our fundraising campaign, but after we reached our fundraising goal earlier than expected, we thought the telethon could become a great way to thank the city,” he says.

True to form, Black Lodge will be ending each night’s event with a screening of full-length films that illustrate their oddball tastes.

“On Friday, we wanted something fun and new, so we’ll be streaming the 2020 film ‘Freaky,’ which isn’t yet available on streaming services and which most people didn’t get to see in theaters. It’s a fantastic horror-comedy that riffs off of the old original film ‘Freaky Friday.’

“Then, on Saturday, we’ll be showing two films that are the opposite of fresh and well-regarded. In fact, they’re considered two of the worst films ever made, ‘Troll 2’ and ‘Mac and Me,’” Martin said.

Though Black Lodge Video appears to have weathered the worst of the damage brought on by the coronavirus, both Martin and Moseley point out that the artistic community writ large is still in need of assistance. For that reason, while the event will be free for viewers, each performance will include a link that will allow users to donate to a specific artist or band.

“With the overwhelming success of the Indiegogo campaign, I hope that this event can become a way for people to support Memphis musicians and artists during what has been a really tough year,” Moseley says. “These artists have all been so generous with their time and talents, and I’d love to see them receive that same level of love from viewers.”

For more information about the Black Lodge Telethon, visit the store’s website.