Austin-based filmmaker Melissa Kirkendall makes frequent forays to her old stomping grounds in Fort Worth, where she once ran Mad Hatters punk bar on Magnolia Avenue. The bar was located in the building where King Tut restaurant now sits. In the Toadies “Mister Love” video, you can see those old tin ceiling tiles that still remain at Tuts. Melissa meets us at Panther City Vinyl to discuss when the Toadies went from local bar band to national phenoms. Melissa and host Jeff Prince sing “Mister Love,” the Toadies hit song that was made into an MTV video at Kirkendall’s old bar in 1993. We toast with frozen margaritas at Benito’s. I hadn’t drank alcohol in quite a while and hadn’t eaten yet that day and got hammered on one margarita. Man, I’m a lightweight now compared to my glory days when I could have drank Benito’s dry in an afternoon. Melissa is usually fairly quiet and reserved but she stepped outside of her comfort zone to do this show, and director Wyatt Newquist and I appreciate it. A cancer scare last year prompted Melissa to live life with more boldness, and Toast & Jam is the beneficiary of her new approach to life. Thanks for being a fun guest, Melissa! — Jeff Prince
