Loosely Connected Thoughts From This Past Weekends’ Baseball Games

18 Oct

Some of you may have noticed that there was no ALCS ADHD Playoff Preview this past weekend on Fullsass.com. It is not because I think American League ball is inferior (even though I do), and it is not because I think that Cleveland is racist for their dismissive attitude in demeaning depictions of Indigenous Peoples (although I do).

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We had a post lined up, but we experienced some site difficulties and the series was already 2-0, in favor of Cleveland by the time we got things right (as of 1:30 pm today, Cleveland is up 3-0 and have yet another game in an hour and a half). For what it is worth, I had Cleveland winning in 7 games, but that is a moot point, because that organization is wack, and their fans are wack for perpetuating something so blatantly disrespectful as Chief Wahoo.

 

Anyway, here are some thoughts that I had over the weekend while watching America’s favorite past time:

 

  • A Cleveland-Chicago World Series would be a great storyline for both franchises and the MLB as a whole; all but guaranteeing that one city’s team would be breaking a curse that has spanned multiple decades and generations of fanbases. That alone could carry the World Series, and it would matter little how competitive the games were.
  • This is not the Cito Gaston/Pat Gillick lovable 90’s Blue Jays we’re seeing right now. Eff these Jays, and eff their Drake and Danny Gladden look-alikes. It is too bad I don’t watch much A.L. ball (outside of the Rangers) because I feel like I  should be enjoying this Toronto beat down more. I miss the Devon White, Joe Carter, John Olerud, Juan Guzman, David Cone, Roberto Alomar, Jack Morris, Dave Stewart, Dave Winfield led squads. NOW THOSE GUYS WERE FUN TO WATCH PLAY BASEBALL!!!!
  • How am I just now finding out that Eddie Vedder is a Cubs fan? How did he avoid being a fan of the number of teams strung along the west coast that were winning when he was a child? I can see why Mariners fever somehow missed him, but Oakland was a good franchise up until the mid 90’s, and the Dodgers were easy to like back in the day. I wonder if Eddie was like the rest of us during summer vacation, watching Harry Caray on WGN, doing the play-by-play for those Ryne Sandberg, Shawon Dunston, Andre Dawson, and Mark Grace teams. I actually always liked the Cubs. It is Cubs fans that make you want to root against them. I’ve been to quite a few baseball stadiums in the 25 years I’ve been a baseball fan, and Chicago Cubs fans are some of the least knowledgeable, frontrunning fans north of Cowboys stadium. I’ve been to Wrigley Field, and although the field is nice, the fans make you want to avoid any establishment that serves Budweiser products for the rest of your life.
  • National League baseball is incredible to watch during the month of October. Those formative years I spent living in Houston molded my love for the game. As much as I loved watching the Rangers with my grandmother, I never found A.L. games as stimulating as I did watching those late 80’s early 90’s Dodgers,Giants,Cubs, and Mets play. I still get giddy whenever I see a pitcher hit a homerun. I think the reason Joe Maddon was underrated all those years in the American League (other than coaching for Tampa Bay) is that he wasn’t able to utilize the full extent of his baseball genius. Those wacky moves he pulled at Tropicana Field (how do they still have a team down there again?) don’t seem so crazy now that he has to master using that number 9 spot in the lineup. Seriously, the difference between the two leagues is like checkers vs. chess. I’m happy to see Maddon get his due finally. I think he is the best manager in the game right now.
  • Lastly, as much shit as I’ve talked about Cubs fans, I have to say the playoff games at Wrigley have been electric. I could feel the energy from the crowd when Miguel Montero came out for his curtain call after that 8th inning grand slam. It gave me chills. This is what postseason baseball is all about. Well that and this here.

 

Enjoy the rest of the LCS series.
BM

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The Most Perfect Rap Song Ever Written

30 Aug

 

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I can’t front like I was one of the first wave of people to hear “Illmatic” when it became a Source instant classic. The first Nas album I copped was “It was Written”.  Later in the year I bought “Illmatic” but I didn’t really give it much listen til about 1998.  I first discovered Nas my junior year in high school watching Rap City.

It is easy to say that “Illmatic” was a far superior product (fairly or unfairly, this remains his best album), but there is no telling how long it would have been until I discovered “Nasty: Nas had it not been for his sophomore album, and his hit single, If I ruled The World.

Even though the song is 20 years old, it resonates for me even stronger today than when I first heard it. In my opinion, this is the rap equivalent to Prince’s “Take Me With U” as far as constructing the perfect song.

What makes this song so perfect?

Well, the nods to old heads like Whodini and Kurtis Blow, with the Friends sample and Lauryn Hill sung chorus help, but if the lyrics were wack, then it would all be for naught. The lyrics to this song evoke a modern day Langston Hughes, idealistic and inspirational. Only a young man could write a song so idealistic and not have it met with sarcasm or cynicism.

Before he even goes in on the beat, Nas says “Life, I wonder  will it take me under? I don’t know.”

Verse 1 [Imagine smoking weed in the streets without cops harassin’
Imagine going to court with no trial
Lifestyle cruising blue Bahama waters
No welfare supporters
More conscious of the way we raise our daughters
Days are shorter, nights are colder
Feeling like life is over, these snakes strike like a cobra
The world’s hot my son got knocked, evidently
It’s elementary, they want us all gone eventually
Trooping out of state for a plate of knowledge
If coke was cooked without the garbage
We’d all have the top dollars
Imagine everybody flashin’, fashion, designer clothes
Lacing your clique up with diamond Roles
Your people holding dough, no parole, no rubbers
Go in raw, imagine law with no undercovers
Just some thoughts for the mind
I take a glimpse into time
Watch the blimp read “The World Is Mine” ]

If the first verse were the only rap in the song, it would read a lot like your average 21 yr old rapper’s daydreams. Legal weed, uncut coke, nice cars, designer threads, and a shout out to Brian DePalma’s hood classic, Scarface are interlaced throughout it. Nas is just warming the listener up. The first verse is reserved for the more hedonist fantasies, court with no trial, lots of money and being able to have unlimited unprotected sex was my dream from the ages of 18-21. I can see where he was coming from there.

Verse 2 [The way to be, paradise like relaxin’
Black, Latino and Anglo-Saxon
Armani Exchange deranged
Cash, Lost Tribe of Shabazz, free at last
Brand new whips to crash, then we laugh in the iller path
The Villa house is for the crew, how we do
Trees for breakfast, dime sexes and Benz stretches
So many years of depression make me vision
The better livin’, type of place to raise kids in
Open they eyes to the lies history’s told foul
But I’m as wise as the old owl, plus the Gold Child
Seeing things like I was controllin’, click rollin’
Tricking six digits on kicks and still holdin’
Trips to Paris, I civilized every savage
Give me one shot, I turn trife life to lavish
Political prisoner set free, stress free
No work release, purple M3’s and jet skis
Feel the wind breeze in West Indies
I make Coretta Scott-King mayor the cities
And reverse fiends to Willies
It sounds foul, but every girl I meet’d go downtown
I’d open every cell in Attica, send ’em to Africa]

Nas dots the rhyme scheme of verse 2 with more images of good weed in the morning, hot chicks and Benz stretch limos. He even manages to throw a little shade at chicks who don’t perform fellatio. Nas was kinda low key savage.

The bridge of the song, sung by Lauryn Hill,  is an interpolation of the Delfonics’ Walk Right Up To The Sun. It creates a beautiful apex in the song that is almost becomes gospel. Getting Lauyrn Hill on to sing the hook in this track was a genius move. This would be a much different kind of song altogether if Nate Dogg were singing instead–of course no disrespect to Nate. #GodBlessTheDead

Nas goes in on verse 3 though:

[You’d love to hear the story how the thugs live in worry
Duck down in car seats, heat’s mandatory
Running from Jake, getting chased, hunger for papes
These are the breaks, many mistakes go down out of state
Wait, I had to let it marinate, we carry weight
Trying to get laced, flip the ace, stack the safe
Millionaire plan to keep the gat with the cocked hammer
Making moves in Atlanta, back-and-forth scrambler
‘Cause you could have all the chips, be poor or rich
Still nobody want a nigga having shit
If I ruled the world and everything in it, sky’s the limit
I push a Q-45 Infinit(i)
It wouldn’t be no such thing as jealousies or B Felonies
Strictly living longevity to the destiny
I thought I’d never see, but reality struck
Better find out before your time’s out, what the fuck?]

By this point he has the listener sucked in. He goes #fullsass by describing the downsides of living the hustler lifestyle. Nas is saying that there is alternative to this life and he was fortunate enough to see it crystallize for himself. This is like some John Lennon shit for the hood. Nas is rapping for those dreamers caught up in the neighborhood struggles. This song illustrates to all the folks in his neighborhood that there is another reality, and he knows because he is living it.

 

The video to the song, full of images of everyday hood folk, is a contrast to the lofty fantasy scenarios Nas is rapping about. The only hint of the materialism that Nas aspires for is the lighting during the city shots at night. By filming Nas atop the roof of a limo, its almost if Nas is saying “Yea I made it, but I’m still a man of my people.”

Much like the song, the video has balance. It balances the everyday people from his neighborhood with the newfound things he is privy to with his (then) recent fame. The song itself balances materialism with the everyday desires of people from the working class. Sex and money are great, but so is being able to get through the day with as little unnecessary hassles as possible.

When you come from places like the area Nas grew up, there is an overwhelming abundance of people who want to fuck with you (drug dealers, stick-up kids, the police, even the system itself). Sometimes being able to smoke weed in peace is as good of a moment a person can achieve for the day. The video has elements of empathy sprinkled in with moments of flashiness. Neither tactic is over the top however.

There used to be a balance in the hip-hop world, and funnily enough, 1996 was beginning of the end to that. By 1998, materialism  or “bling rap” would almost completely take over the airwaves; taking Nas’ career with it (though he would come back to the side of the proletariat with later music). Before anyone could “hate Nas now” because of his exclusionary rap lyrics, he wanted to take his people along for the ride. If I Ruled The World was an attempt to uplift its listeners not taunt them. I would be hard pressed to think of another hip-hop song to achieve this without coming off as corny or naive. I’ll take this song over “Ether” any day of the week.

 

BM

Bobby Mickey is the alter ego of writer and poet Edward Austin Robertson. When he isn’t involved in some basketball related activity, actively looking for parties to deejay or venues to perform comedy, he can be found recording podcasts with Craig Stein at Fullsass Studios. Follow him on twitter @clickpicka79. For booking inquiries, send contact info to thisagoodassgame@gmail.com. 

 

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Capin’ for Kaepernick

29 Aug

 

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Full disclosure: Sometimes I arrive to sporting events late on purpose just so I can avoid the National Anthem. I stand during it because it is easier than having  to address each person about my reason for not standing for not doing so. Nevertheless, my face intuitively becomes a scowl as I stand still with my hands behind my back. Normally I just think of every black person ever treated unjustly in the name of the American flag.

I don’t celebrate the 4th of July. If I can help it, I leave the country as to not be inundated with all the patriotism that can’t  be faked on my end. In fact, I find it odd that any black person celebrates this day as a holiday, because blacks were not free citizens on the 4th of July, 1776. I also secretly root against the United States during the World Cup, cheering instead for the African countries–especially the Ghana, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast teams.

During the 2 years that I taught social studies in Oklahoma, I was pretty conflicted upon having to needle my students out of their desks in order to “Pledge to the Flag.” I could understand a student not wanting to stand, but I also expressed to them that it was a “matter of respect.” And besides that, it kept the higher ups off my ass, in case I was being observed for the day. The last thing I needed was a controversy like that on my teacher evaluation. It was hard enough being the only black in my social studies department. In my mind I was picking my battles.

I remember the first debate I had with white people about the National Anthem issue. It was 1996. I was a junior on my high school varsity baseball team. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf had just taken a lot of flak for doing the very same thing Colin Kaepernick is getting shit for. The only difference is Abdul-Rauf had not been observing the anthem for quite some time. Someone from the media finally noticed it and it became this huge shit storm–even for back then.

Even then my white teammates were railing against this kind of action, and me being 1 of 3 blacks on the team, was the only one to be a contrarian. I spent the whole bus ride to Waco, Texas, arguing with these guys about why anyone of color would feel “oppressed” or marginalized. The irony is that these same teammates were known to make “jokes” about me giving up a front bus seat to the white players, or calling my attention to any passing cotton field we may have driven by.

We got off the bus and got our asses waxed, and a few of the seniors blamed me for causing a distraction from the approaching game. I may or may not have taken delight in getting that L. I can say that it was the first time that I’d had the thought that maybe baseball wasn’t as important to me as I’d originally thought.

Any time a dissenter expresses their displeasure at the rampant injustices that occur in this country, the same miseducated scholars give the same canned responses. The obvious one is that “men and women gave up their lives so that you can have the freedom to show your displeasure.” To which I want to say , “Word? Then why are you so bent out of shape about it then?” It almost seems a slap in their faces to not invoke this freedom that they so dearly fought for. The other canned response tends to be along the lines of “America. Like it or leave it.” I find this to be an irrational reaction at best, at worst, an insane one.

Do you know how crazy this sounds? The majority of blacks in this country did not ask to be here. Racist whites who say “If you don’t like it here, then leave.” are akin to kidnappers who after 20 years, go down into their basement and say to their victims, “Well I know I took you away from your home and loved ones, but I just realized that I’ve done something horrible. Your presence in my basement is nothing but a reminder of the bad deeds I have done, and because of that, I need you to leave my house. No. I’m not going to give you a ride back to your house. Your family probably has already given up on you being alive. Yeah I have the obituary clipping in my scrapbook. Wanna see it? I doubt they even live in the same neighborhood I snatched you from. Sorry. It is time for you to pull yourself by the bootstraps like I did, and make something of yourself. Good luck out there. The world is a terribly unfair place.”

First of all, do you know how difficult it is to emigrate to another country? Half the problems in the world are due to tensions stemming from peoples of other nations seeking asylum in safer parts of the world. Even if they manage to get through all the paperwork, if they have children, it is almost impossible to make it happen without a lot of money.

Secondly, blacks and other “minorities” helped build this nation and took the proverbial hometown discount. Why should WE leave? How about all you bigots pull a Joseph Smith and go live in a deserted part of the world where you are free to be homophobic, racists and sexists? Have at it. You can start your own Bigotopia. Need money to do this? Start a Kickstarter in the same fervent manner that you do for cops who kill citizens and lose their jobs.

I absolutely love controversies like these because it becomes a nice filter to smoke out all the closeted bigots. They lose their shit when they find out that people don’t think the United States is the greatest country in the world. They trip over themselves to express their anger at these dissatisfied ingrates. I find it hilarious. My white friend base on Facebook has been cut in half, and its a glorious feeling. At least once a week, I find myself saying out loud , “Tell me what you really think Devin from Duncanville, TX. I always knew you were racist!”

The worst part of all this is that I now have to stick up for Colin “fricking” Kaepernick. This guy went from being one of my favorite football players to watch, to stinking up the joint, to becoming one of my modern day heroes. I don’t care if he plays another down in the NFL (and he may not), what this man has done is beyond brave. This young “spoiled” millionaire has put his earning power on the line to express his displeasure at what flies in the face of common decency. This is no time to be on the fence about this. It is impossible for me to understand how someone can look themselves in the mirror and not stand up against the unjust and immoral killings of American “citizens”.

The only rationalization for this is that blacks really were not meant to be part of the system, and that the abolition of slavery threw a kink into the way this country was supposed to run. Maybe blacks should just embrace the fact that the rules were not meant for us to thrive and prosper. Maybe blacks should consider the legal speak of the 13th amendment, which abolished slavery and indebted servitude “except as punishment for crime.” Perhaps it is time for blacks to consider why blacks are only 12 % of the U.S. population, but account for over 60 % of the prison population.

Enough of the double speak. Either this country is trying to live up to its original ideals, or those ideals aren’t really for everyone. Either way, let’s be honest and transparent about what you white Americans want. I can deal with xenophobia, racism, and prejudice. It is the hypocrisy that grinds my  gears. If you don’t want us around just say so, and we can figure it out from there. But white America can’t keep asking why black Americans why they feel oppressed if  they are not going to at least try to create a better America. It is dishonest and an insult to black people’s intelligence.

BM

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Love is Free, But Sex Will Cost You $$$

11 Aug

 

Being single in Oklahoma felt akin to shopping in the frozen food section at Walmart. The choices in that state are somewhat limited. Most of the normal women there have pursued a path so different in life that dating was unrealistic, while the rest of the lot were either too entitled, or too damaged to get involved with.

I realized this early on upon my return from summer vacation last August, and gave up with dating altogether. To which its no surprise to wake up a year later and realize its been about 14 months since my last full on sexual encounter. The first 3 months were purely by accident, but then I decided to just lean into it.

When someone finds out I’ve been “celibate”, they look me like I’m A.C. Green. Then they ask how can I go that long without sex. My only answer is a practical one. I lived in a place that was a bad dating pool. When you come across a polluted stream, you don’t drink from it, you don’t fish from it, and you certainly don’t bathe in it. I chose to spend what little time I had in Tulsa with the people who I knew cared about me.

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Its been so long now that I’m almost afraid to break my streak. Suddenly my next sexual experience is weighted differently than my last. Choosing a woman to achieve coitus with brings the scrutiny and anxiety of losing one’s virginity. Having sex with a woman now is almost the last thing I want to do with someone I am romantically interested

Number one would be talking and watching or even playing basketball. Then (in no particular order) maybe chess, watching a movie, getting high and listening to music, and cooking and eating dinner together, and THEN working up to making out on the couch and grinding until the zippers on our jeans caught fire .

As much as I miss sex, I miss good massages even more. Something that made my first serious relationship different from so many others was that we’d do weird shit like meditate in my dimly lit studio, then give each other full body massages. Now that kind of stuff is way more rare (and intimate) than a random hook-up.

I actually enjoy and appreciate a legitimate conversation with the opposite sex even more than I did when I was younger. It is something that I took for granted back in college. That and cuddling. For an average looking good dude who has managed to squander most of every penny I ever earned, my swagger bewilders women. What do I regular ass dude have to offer that they can’t get from the next Joe Blow?

My confidence comes from the fact that I’m an excellent cuddler, and I give great conversation. Dirty talk now sounds like “yeah gurl, you like this good conversation I’m giving you? Told you it was gonna to be good to you. Came here to give you some of that GREAT conversation. You aint neva had conversation like this have you? You LOVE this conversation don’t you?

 

BM

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Hot For Teacher

25 Jul

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Every now and then, something happens in the world that makes sane people wonder “What the fuck?”

No moment screams this louder than a hot female teacher hooking up with one of her high school students. Every time I see some news report about a female teacher hooking up with a student I shake my head in confusion. Is the deficiency of male teachers that bad in public school system?

It doesn’t make any sense. As someone who keeps an “open door” policy  (meaning whenever a student–especially if they are female–enters my classroom while I’m alone I make sure the cameras can see us), it is hard to fathom the mindset of these women who choose young boys (or girls) over a warm blooded adult male teacher. I’m overly paranoid about being along with a student. I don’t offer rides to students unless there are witnesses to ride along with us, and I certainly don’t see how they can enjoy a decision that could jeopardize their career.

I love it when men my age say,  “WHERE WERE THESE TEACHERS WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL?” Get the fuck out of here. I get it. I get it. If it would have happened to you, then you wouldn’t have told anyone. Maybe that is true for some of you. But for most kids my age back then, I don’t see how that would end well.

If I would have had my way and been able to bed my 7th grade science teacher, I would have been all kinds of fucked up. I would have gotten us busted in so many ways: doodling her name on my spiral notebook, riding my bike by her house, hoping that her husband was out of town for the weekend, writing really bad AB/AB rhyme scheme poetry to her, and accidentally leaving it on my desk.

My family life would have been in ruins, my parents would have been even more strict than they already were.

“But I AM spending the night at Michael’s house. You can call and ask his mama. What’s their number? Ummmmmm hold on a sec, lemme grab the cordless from my room.” Whispers on phone, “Hey! You have to pretend like you are Michael Ivey’s mother……no it doesn’t matter if you don’t sound like her! My Mom has never even met her. She won’t know the difference.”

I can imagine the chaos in my house when I finally got caught. My pops would have been highly inappropriate, “Aw c’mon boy. Let ya daddy get a whiff of some 7th grade biology. You ain’t washed ya hands have you?” *Sniffs* “Mmmmmmmm I knew this was gon’be a good school district for you boy.”

My mother and I would have just had screaming matches.  “WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO RUIN MY LIFE MOTHER? CAN’T YOU SEE THAT I LOVE HER AND SHE LOVES ME? THAT’S ALL THAT MATTERS ISN’T IT? WHAT? I DO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS. WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE TOO OLD FOR ME? YOU HEARD THAT ALIYAH SONG. AGE AIN’T NUTHIN BUT A NUMBER MAMA!!!”

But for real. My science teacher was smoking hot. Shout out to Mrs. Sitton wherever she is. I’m a grown man now. I can finally get on her level. If I saw her today it’d be on. “Sup Shirlene? Yeah I’ve been thinking about this moment for 24 years. Remember how you used to think it was cute that I took notes from the board without even looking at my paper? Well I’ve picked up a trick or two since then. I’m ready to go, just you say the word. Oh yeah? You’re down? Well let’s get out of here. But before we go, I just need you to do one thing for me. Will you please call my house and pretend that you’re Michael Ivey’s mother. Yeah tell my dad I’m spending the night with ya’ll so I can go to church with your family in the morning.”

 

Still Chasing…….

25 Jul

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This summer was supposed to be a chill one. I had a wedding on the east coast, but other than that, my plan was to read books and lay up under the air conditioning all summer. Much like my 2006 plans, things took on a life of their own, and I found myself criss-crossing the country again.

2016 Summer Observations:

  1. Now that Mommy jeans are in full effect, it may be smart to re-invest in Fanny packs. Young hipsters have brought back something so puzzling, that I can’t help but think this is backlash against the increasing creepiness of men’s boorish behavior. It is the only rational explanation I can think of. Why else would young women purposely wear jeans that make them appear bloated and unattractive? Has the buffoonery of our catcalling, drink spiking, leg grinding, and upskirting finally worn away the magic of women leaving their homes feeling beautiful? Is this a retort to the victim blaming laden statement “Well she had it coming, look how she was dressed.”? I hope this isn’t the case, but I also hope it isn’t women being ironic. Not all women age as fine as wine,  and there will come a day when Mommy jeans will be a necessity, not an option. Those wasted days of beauty will be missed down the road ladies.
  2. Seattle is still extremely white. Seattle is so white that it feels like a foreign country. Seattle is so white that when black people see other black people, they not only introduce themselves to each other, they also get invited to dinner and church services. “Come out to Colombia City and fellowship with us. The whole congregation will be there. All ten of us.” One day when I was walking around downtown, I saw a well dressed white man with a cast on his right arm. It took everything I had not to yell out “Ted Bundy” the same way someone yells out “Kobe” when shooting paper into a wastebasket.
  3. I feel sorry for anyone who sits near me on a bus or an airplane. I feel like handing them a card before I fall asleep that reads,” 1-800 How’s My Snoring?” I should just carry a mouth guard with me at all times when I travel, because its inevitable I’m going to konk out as soon as we take off for our destination.
  4. As much as I miss my Okie friends, I do not miss Oklahoma–especially now that its vogue again to be openly bigoted. You will hear some people brag about Oklahoma being the first state to send a man into outer space. I don’t see how this is flattering. I think it displays the extremes people will go to get away from the God forsaken state. The moon suddenly isn’t far enough away from a state that says if a person puts their penis inside another person’s mouth while they are unconscious it isn’t rape. Ironically, sodomy laws are still in effect there. No wonder Oklahoma is 49th in education in the United States.
  5. My top four favorite cities in North America:   1) Montreal Pound for pound the most dime pieces per capita in any city I’ve ever been. Great food. Well designed layout. Reliable transportation and diverse. Tons of street art, and affordable rent. I could tell who the Americans were in the city by their Valley Girl speak. It was rare that I heard people say the words, “Like, you know, and whatever.” Montreal is a world class city. 2) New York, but more specifically Queens. Brooklyn is too trendy to me. Manhattan just feels like white noise. I know very little about Staten Island and the Bronx. Queens though may be the most diverse of all the boroughs. The food is phenomenal. It is a good place to live whether you have a family or you are single. Taking the N,Q, or 7 trains is a convenient way to travel to the other four boroughs. Plus the Mets play there. I do wonder how long it will be cool though. Its becoming harder and harder to live in New York if you aren’t rich. 3) Portland. I forgot how much I love this city–especially during the summer time. I love the heady highs, and the high trees. Now that legislature has caught up with the times, it has become an even more enjoyable place to visit. Even though the town has more happy hours than black people, and buying a house there has become almost impossible for people not making six figures, it is still an extremely fun place. The women aren’t quite as “hot” as the ones in Texas, but they score well because there are an abundance of cuties living there. If hot women were a currency, then Portland would be the Uruguay among North American cities. There is a thriving middle class of cuties who happen to be pretty chill. I dig it. 4) Austin. Of course. Austin is douchier than it was 10 years ago when I first left, but it is also more going on there than 10 years ago. The food is better. There are more places to eat and drink, and its more diverse. Yes its getting “whiter” by the day, but its not all the same kind of white people–at least for now. Much like New York, it may not be as cool of a place 10 years from now.
  6. I left Texas ten years ago hoping to find a new place to settle into–a new career in a new town in a new region. Much of this journey was captured in my collection of poems, Chasing Kerouac with my Credit Card. The trip that I embarked on during the summer of 2006 was a means to explore parts of the United States, and then plop my ass down somewhere.My criteria eventually became: a) A city near the water–namely the Pacific Ocean. b) A city where I wouldn’t be entirely dependent upon driving a car.c) A racially tolerant city where I could at least feel safe as a black man.

    Many people have wondered why I move around so much, and it is because C) has been an elusive find. Some cities are safer than others for black men, but this summer (and the frankly the last 5 years) has proven that nowhere in America is a minority safe–especially blacks. Now that we are on the heels of a Trump presidency, what once felt like paranoia (to other people) is soon to be a reality. To spare us all the unnecessary bloodshed, I just wish all the whites in America who don’t want to interact with gays, blacks, Muslims, Jews, Arabs, Asians, Mexicans, and anyone else not straight, white and conservative, would map out a place in the Midwest (we could call it Bigotopia) where they can live with all their distorted beliefs, and not bother (or be bothered by) anyone different from them. The government should just give everybody relocation grants and call it “The Mulligan Act of 2017.” Everyone wins.

  7. Its crazy how fast ten years just flew by. In some ways this summer paralleled summer of 2006. Moving out of town and being technically homeless for two months was again a theme. The World Cup was the social milieu back in 2006 (where France lost in penalty kicks just like this year’s Eurocup), while the Copa America and Eurocup were going on while I was on the road this year. Though this summer wasn’t nearly as messy as 2006, there were certainly some curveballs that have forced me to stay on my toes. Of course this year’s travels wouldn’t have gone nearly as smoothly without all the people I managed to meet and befriend in the last ten years. My Texas, California and Oregon connections have taken me to some cool places that would have been almost impossible to know without them. I can’t imagine my life had things gone the way I had originally planned back in 2004–before my first visit to the Pacific Northwest. Had you asked me what I thought my life would be like at 37, I would have probably said a wife and kids, teaching at a school in Fort Worth; owning two cars and paying on a mortgage. None of that sounds bad, but I can’t believe I would have been successful at that lifestyle at that time.I would have spent all my free time staring out the window wondering WHAT IF? I can’t say that these things won’t eventually happen (probably not the part about living in Dallas), but I can say that I’m at least a couple of years away from that being my reality. We still have a lot to accomplish before that happens. I’m still chasing……….

 

Ciao,

BM

 

 

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Still Chasing….. mini playlist

21 Jul

Soren Juul –Dear Child

De La Soul- Royalty Capes

Beck- Cellphone’s Dead

B-52’s- Whammy Kiss

Pete Shelley- Telephone Operator 

Willy Wonka- What is House?

Logic- The Warning

Fabio Macor- Suddenly

Chromatics- Ceremony

Devo-Gut Feeling

Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet- Having an Average Weekend

Elvis Costello- Accidents Will Happen

Spacemen 3- Its Allright

Janet Jackson –Night

 

 

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Down the Rabbithole Playlist

8 Jun

 

De La Soul-Pain

Beastie Boys-And Me

Bent-A Ribbon For My Hair

Rui Da Silva Touch Me

Jay-Z & Pharrell- FCK All Night

All Night Long-Mary Jane Girls

Sebastian-Arabest

Flume-Holdin’ On (Kaytranada Edit)

Jaye Williams-Let Me Be The One

Run The Jewels-DDFH

Satin Jackets- Girl, Forever

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Top 10 Radiohead B-sides (in no particular order)

5 Jun

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In honor of Radiohead officially becoming “Dad Rock”with the release of A Moon Shaped Pool, I wanted to take a second and celebrate their immense songwriting catalog. I hate to say it, but this is their All That You Can’t Leave Behind (U2’s tenth album while AMSP is Radiohead’s 9th LP). It happens though, everyone loses their fastball at one time or another, even writers. It is crazy to cull the archives and look at just how many good songs were not good enough to make their albums.  It really goes to show how productive the band was from 1995 to 2001 (Bends, then OK Computer, but I’ve always thought there could have been 3 albums from Kid-A/Amnesiac era).

 

Bishop’s Robes When I went off to college, I was thrilled to meet a guy in my dorm who was an even bigger Radiohead fan than I was. He made me a CD with all of the B-sides from their (then) 3 albums. From the period between the Bends and OK Computer, this was immediately one of my favorites.

Gagging Order One of the prettiest songs from the Hail To The Thief era. The band decided it was better off being just a B-side. Listening to the album, you can see that it doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the playlist, but that doesn’t change how beautiful it is.

India Rubber A true throwaway that never really went anywhere. Every time I hear this song, I want to throw on my Chuck Taylors, blue jeans, and my old Speed Racer T-shirt. This was also the first time I heard the word “supplicate”.

Trickster  A great one from the Bends era, that has that pure 90’s guitar sound. I wouldn’t have complained if this were included on the album.

Pearly OK Computer could have been a bloated double album like  the Smashing Pumpkins’ Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness, but instead Radiohead released a bunch of EP’s and B-sides to accompany the album. A pretty smart move in my opinion. This period also featured my favorite cover art by Stanley Donwood. I would get chills looking at the album art as I spaced out on my headphones.

Worrywort This one sounds like a video game. Very mellow, but also a good message in the lyrics. I spent a great deal of my early 20’s with the Amnesiac B-sides playing through my earphones.

Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong This one is a slow build, but its climax is glorious. I may or may not have put this on a mix CD for a girl in college.

Fog  Probably the second best B-side the band has ever done. For some reason they really don’t dig the studio version–which I love. “Hey man!You like Radiohead? Have you ever heard the studio version of Fog? I mean have you ever heard the studio version of Fog….. ON WEEEEEDDD?”

Talk show Host The first time I heard this song was on a field trip to Houston. One of the girls in the van convinced the business teacher to put the Romeo and Juliet Soundtrack. I dug it immediately,( but was still a closet Radiohead fan) so I filed it to memory, and bought the cassette tape at Sam Goody the following week. Probably one of the sexiest songs ever written. The girls in the audience went crazy when they played this on the OK Computer tour.

Million Dollar Question  Maybe the best B-side from Pablo Honey. The bassline during the bridge is phenomenal. The breakdown at the end is pretty fun as well.

 

 

Honorable Mention

Banana Co. This one has that trademark Jonny Greenwood guitar solo that earmarks the mid 90’s era. Its not their best B-side, but its a hard one for me to skip when it comes up on a playlist.

Butcher This is a good one from the King of Limbs sessions. Instead of doing a full album with everything they recorded this session, they put out a couple of EP’s to accompany the album. This song may have been as good as anything from The King of Limbs

Lull  (4:27) A great song to wake up to in the morning. This was usually the first thing I heard before heading off to Biology class.

I Will (L.A. Version)  My preference to the one released on the Hail to the Thief album. Colin Greenwood’s bass playing adds another dimension to it. They probably took it out because it sounded too much like something they would play.

Transatlantic Drawl Feedback, and a killer bassline make this song a nice change of pace for the Kid A/Amnesiac sessions. They do get a little weird with some effects at the end. I think my brain would have exploded had I heard this on either album.

How I Made My Millions One of the more beautiful songs to never be developed. The band says they simply can’t add anything to it.

Palo Alto An upbeat rocker that is a great number to throw on during your Saturday morning cleaning.

Cuttooth The B-side that bred the lyrics to Myxomatosis. Good work by the rhythm section on this one.

Meeting in The Aisle Precursor to the direction that the band was going during the Kid A/Amnesiac sessions.

Kinetic A very haunting industrial track. Its a grower for sure. Best listened to on headphones.

Maquiladora This song really captures the three guitar attack best.

Yes I am This is nice groove with a little bit of whine and cheese to it. Jonny’s guitar playing provides a nice edge to it that keeps it from sounding like old Pavement.

Permanent Daylight This was before they killed their guitars, played super repetitive melodies on piano, and built their songs around that riff. This is another echo of a distant time, evoking a bit of Sonic Youth.

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Company

4 Jun

So easy to love

the sound of your adorable laugh.

You placated my silly, frustrated rants;

railing about our classmates’ hacky stories

over post workshop drinks at

the bar across the street from campus.

 

We’d amicably disagree over we liked most,

which classmates we found irritating,

whose comments were the most annoying,

and which classmate would make a fun date.

 

For being old friends,

we barely knew each other,

but now was our chance

to share our mutual disasters;

both being newly single.

 

It didn’t bother me that half the time

you asked me to hang out was to push away

any lonely feelings you were having.

 

I liked the company.

Being with you was easy

and it was fun. And for the most part

it was innocent.

 

I loved you differently

than the rest of the girls I spent my

time chasing–the ones you’d listen to me

bitch about while you rubbed my scalp.

 

I just wanted you to be happy.

Most guys back then were terrible for you

(Including myself).

 

When you moved,

you were alone again.

We emailed and talked

(Back when I liked using telephones).

 

I came around when I could.

 

The distance and abstinence

created some funny feelings.

I blame it on the turn of the seasons.

 

When we were drunk and in the hot tub,

I (unsuccessfully) fought the urge to kiss you

because it felt so predictable.

You turned away

and I was worried that the rest of the night would be awkward.

But we held hands in the car,

at the stop lights,

while I drove you home.

“Two hands on the wheel.”

You said,

“The 10 and the 2.”

 

There was no pressure.

I had my own plans after school

and you were living yours.

It was always laughs

until it got serious–

until it got awkward.

Our comically bad attempts at romance

only seem funny now.

 

I’m not sure how many nights of watching

Home Movies in your bed happened, before I started

wondering about what else was out there–

beyond our lunches and dinners–

you begging me to engage you in some entertaining

conversation.

 

And maybe I was unstable.

But stability wasn’t in staying.

The stability was in leaving

because you wouldn’t give me a reason to stay.

 

We both knew the outcome.

I knew the score, and 

I wasn’t going to stay around

for someone whose defenses 

mirrored the ’85 Chicago Bears.

 

As much as I liked the heavy petting,

you can’t win a super bowl settling for field goals.

I saw myself as more of a full time starter

than a stop gap backup QB.

 

I knew that you loved me

but you no longer needed me

and I no longer needed you.

I only needed somewhere I could settle

once settling was no longer an option with you.

 

 

~Edward Austin Robertson

 

 

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