<\/p>\n
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In the course of cross-checking details and sources for my upcoming (and long-intended) post about the late James \u201cChef Ra\u201d Wilson<\/strong>, it was surely a rainbow of karma that pointed me to the following video. Probably created for class work a la<\/em> MAKING A MURAL<\/strong>, the award-winning short completed by Illinois State University<\/strong> undergraduates<\/a><\/span> earlier this spring while in quarantine, ANYTHING BUT NORMAL<\/strong> briefly explores how a singular local business can survive in a modernized shopping district. Opened by Betty Anderson<\/strong> and Charlotte Radka<\/strong> (n\u00e9e Murphy) in 1968, Mother Murphy\u2019s Rock-n-Roll Emporium<\/strong> is the seminal “head shop\u201d of downstate Illinois<\/strong> that serves the offbeat needs of counterculture leaning students and residents. Between 1990 and this year, Mike Williams<\/strong> and his wife Becky<\/strong> operated the hippy mecca<\/a><\/span> from its second floor location at 111 W. North Street<\/strong> in Normal<\/strong> where it shares space with its younger retail brother, Shockwaves<\/strong>, a supplier of skater gear<\/a><\/span>. One can\u2019t help but feel pretty cozy when awash in the relaxing sights, sounds, and scents of the conjoined stores, even if it\u2019s not quite one\u2019s scene.<\/p>\n After receiving a mention in the December 2018 issue of High Times<\/span><\/strong> magazine<\/a><\/span> as one of the longest-lasting joints of its kind in the United States<\/strong>, Mother Murphy\u2019s turned to face the strange changes necessary in order to continue serving its loyal clientele. The Pantagraph<\/span><\/strong> and other news media reported in December 2019 that both endeavors were listed for sale<\/a><\/span> by the Williamses, who wished to retire and preferred handing them over to young upstarts instead of liquidating the assets. The same month, ANYTHING BUT NORMAL<\/strong> appeared at the YouTube<\/strong> channel of \u201cFell Hall Productions<\/strong>,\u201d named for the location of the School of Communication<\/strong><\/a><\/span> on the ISU campus. (A postscript at the end of the piece mentions this turn of events and may have been added at the last minute.) Good vibes would soon coalesce in late February when Noah Anderson, Colton Walsh<\/strong>, and Griffin Burns<\/strong> announced through the Mother Murphy\u2019s Facebook<\/strong> page they had assumed ownership of Shockwaves and the Emporium. Despite the unfortunate timing of the changeover with the beginning of our coronavirus crisis, the trio is actively sustaining the shops by offering new products and responding to customer suggestions<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n