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This place brings back not so great memories for me. It was off-limits to the local Marines (in training at NAS Memphis) due to too many underage girls allowed on the premises. My then husband and his friends went there at least once or twice regardless of the ban (the one time I am aware of was a week before I moved down there), and I later found a girl's phone number in ex's phone book from that night. I am surprised it is still around. The Navy and Marine guys used to call it the "Peach Pit."

This place brings back not so great memories for me.

That's Prince Mongo's Planet, which was downtown. I've never been there and thought it had been shutdown.

Ashlar Hall is on Central Ave. right before it runs into Lamar Ave. It's an old midtown style house with three floors. It was called The House in late 1973 and early 1974. The new "in" place to be, off of Overton Square and a totally different ambiance. Each of the three floors, counting the one underground, had a different theme. Downstairs had low lights with a live band. Main floor was the standard early '70s meat-market style, with a bar and tables. Upstairs was mainly a game room with Pong, Air Hockey, Foose Ball, and Shuffleboards with and without side bumper rails. It was a hot nightclub for a few months and then faded and closed. Later it was redecorated and opened as The Castle. Closed again. Then Mongo bought it.

I was fortunate enough to have frequented Mongos on what seemed like every weekend from 1984 to 1990 and play bass for several groups there.
In May 1988 I graduated from high school and went to Mongos`s planet to celebrate on a Friday night. Marines and Navy recruits were beating up on patrons and the police were getting ready to raid the place. I vividly remember being on the roof of the loft next door watching maybe 100 to 200 people getting arrested while these drunken soldiers and rednecks were fighting each other and the police. It seemed like everybody was throwing bottles and rocks at the cop cars on the West side of Union and Monroe St . My friends Crit Hunt and Ben Terrel just looked at me in amazement at the total lawlessness of that evening and knew that Mongos would be shut down for good but Mongo always had the upper hand as he would re-open his business using homeless people to secure his Liquor license.Mongo and I are friends to this day and I can honestly say that some of my most memorable moments have been at the planet.

Ah, yes - Mongo’s was the place to go when I was in Technical School while in the Navy in Millington, TN in 1991. That place never checked IDs, let young girls into the place and never kicked them out at midnight and even had wet t-shirt contests that got rather risque...even for a bunch of Squids and Jarheads. I remember my share of wet t-shirt contests at Mongo’s where 16-18 year old girls had no t-shirt on at all and the skirt made its way off as well. It didn’t help that they were trashed out of their minds at the time...

Now that I am a father of a 13 year old girl 20 years later, I see the error of my ways. Would I take back all the drunken nights at Mongo’s now? Are you kidding me? Hell no! I was 18, doing what 18 year old Squids do....drink and grope women.