Dirty Digs, 2026 Style

Many of you who read the Tallassee Tribune fondly recall the work of W.G. Eubanks and Harold “Pete” Cottle, who wrote the “Dirty Digs” column that appeared on the far-left column of the front page from 1938 until 2016. “Dirty Digs” had its own style of journalism, and everything about it was hyper-local.

This week, I have decided to recall the “Dirty Digs” style for my Tallassee Tribune column, which for several years was called “Music Matters” before transitioning into “Bird’s Eye View,” and finally just an editorial. If there’s one thing certain in life, it’s change. I am just grateful to still be there.

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Some of you like dogs, while others like cats. We have had both through the years, but the current cat Birds are maybe the most interesting we have ever had. Right now, we have Dollie, Kodak, and Keto. Dollie is the oldest, and has been with us since 2018. My wife, Sena, found her as a kitten roaming around the Tallassee High School parking lot while our music department was staging “Guys and Dolls,” so she named her Dollie.

Dollie knows how to play atonal music on the piano, but she also knows how to operate a computer. When she’s ready for us to wake up, she starts typing on the keyboard. Sometimes, she is able to play music. Sunday morning at 5:00 a.m., Dollie found a recording of the United States Air Force Singing Sergeants performing our National Anthem. I shot up in the bed ready to serve at the sound of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The version she played was what used to be the sign-on and sign-off for WSFA-TV Channel 12 in Montgomery. It is a beautiful choral arrangement.

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Speaking of Channel 12, I ran into our former editor and publisher Mrs. Jo Venable at Super Foods the other day. She told me a most fascinating story, which I will share here if she doesn’t mind, but since it’s already printed I guess it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

As you may recall, her husband Rep. Jack Venable served at WSFA-TV for a number of years. Their family knew a lot of folks, and a lot of folks knew them. They were great stewards of this newspaper for a long time.

It’s funny, sometimes you may not recognize a celebrity even when they are right there in your midst. Mrs. Venable said she was at the Corner Store gas station in Kent on the Fourth of July, getting some supplies before heading to the Lake for a family day. The parking lot was jammed full, so she had to park a ways away and walk to the store. Once she was inside, she found herself in a long circuitous line that weaved around the aisles of the store.

Mrs. Venable told me that she was noticing this well-dressed gentleman standing in front of her. He wasn’t wearing an off-the-rack suit; this was a tailor-made one. So after a few minutes of admiring the suit, Miss Jo asked the man if he was heading somewhere to preach. “No ma’am, I’m a musician,” he told her. So they chatted some more. The man, still waiting in line with Miss Jo, named some song titles and asked if she’d ever heard of Lionel Richie. She said yes, and he said he was Lionel Richie. “Do you watch American Idol?” he asked. No, she said.

Well, Miss Jo wasn’t so sure if he was the real deal but they kept talking. He told her he was visiting friends and family in Tuskegee for the holiday. They checked out and went their separate ways. Mrs. Venable noticed upon leaving the Corner Store that the man was driving a very nice Chrysler with a personalized license plate. He saw Mrs. Venable walking to her car and drove up, addressing her again. “So have you ever heard of the Commodores?” he asked, I suppose a little incredulous that this sweet southern lady was unfamiliar with some of his work. She told him she’d heard of the Commodores, but again was still uncertain if this was the real Lionel. He was so nice and humble, could it be?

Mrs. Venable said she drove to the lake house and visited with her children, relaying the story. Someone pulled out an iPad and put Lionel Richie into the Google, finding his photo. Mrs. Venable took one look and said, “that’s him!” That’s the story of how our very own Jo Venable got to spend Independence Day with Lionel Richie at the Corner Store in Kent.

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Well, it was band camp in Tallassee last week. Mr. Zach Smith and his team are set to have a bigger and better band than a year ago. Isn’t it always exciting to start back with fresh attitudes? This year was a little different. For the first time in a couple of decades, there wasn’t a Bird in the band, but there was a Bird working with the band. Our son, Gregory, taught the drum line the past couple of weeks, so while there wasn’t a Bird marching around like there has been for what seems like forever, there was one helping out. And of course, the original BirdGirl, Michaela, teaches at the high school in the theater department.

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I stopped by Brantley’s Barber Shop last week to have what little bit of hair I have left cut. Mrs. Emma Golden and Mrs. Hanna Pate were there, as always, and the conversation was entertaining as it is every time I go. I was reminded of what Ronald Brantley, the Coffee Breaker (who also wrote for this newspaper for many years) would tell me whenever he started cutting my hair: “I can’t fix what God broke.”

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See you next week.

Michael Bird is an assistant professor of music at Faulkner University.