THE SWISH: New York Yankee and former member of the Chicago White Sox, Nick Swisher pitched in the Rays 15-5 blowout of the Yankees last night. Swisher hasn’t pitched since he was a freshman in high school. Amazingly, no one scored. Funny piece. Swisher used to do segments on Comcast Sports Net in Chicago when he was here, and he always seemed like a nice dude.
1. I’m looking for contributors for this site. If you feel you have something interesting and thought provoking, find me on Facebook or on Twitter. We’ll chat.
2. It’s most certainly the ‘uncool’ thing to like, but I’m anticipating the inaugural episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Jimmy has yet to prove he can prevent himself from laughing through a segment of SNL – let’s see if he can do it on his own show. For all intents and purposes, he’s taking this INCREDIBLY seriously. Click here to see a vlog about a gift from Conan to Jimmy.
4. Word is that Andy Richter is on his way to The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien starting June 1. He’ll be announcing/participating in segments. I’m really excited for this. Despite the article stating he won’t be a ‘sidekick’, I still hope he’ll be the Ed McMahon to Conan’s Johnny Carson. Yes, I just made that comparison. Deal with it.
5. Add Dick Durbin to the list of people who are calling for Roland Burris’s resignation. I’m for it. After all of this Blagojevich mess, someone needs to hit the reset button. Special elections should determine Senate seats, not Governors. We learned our lesson already.
6. After President Obama’s address to Congress tonight, Republicans responded in the form of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. It’s no secret that the GOP is trying to position this guy as a rock star. The October 2008 profile piece in Esquire Magazine is an interesting read. I don’t agree with him on his policy stances, but he’s definitely a name that will be floating around come 2012.
7. I’m totally digging Heads Will Roll by the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, off the forthcoming It’s Blitz! due April 14.
9. Since I’m hungry, I should mention we’re becoming huge fans of Sushi Station out here, which offers cheap (but pretty good) conveyer belt sushi. A ton of different varieties of rolls. Good stuff.
10. I’m waiting for my local library to get in the copy of Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Has anyone dared to tackle it yet? I’ve bookmarked the Infinite Jest Vocabulary Glossary to prepare.
My initial reaction to this clip was: “This kid’s got some serious Obama love. That praise thing was a little messianic,and he’s REALLY FUCKING EXCITED to meet the President!”
As he said, he’s been working at McDonalds for 4.5 years, and he’s in his second semester of college, wanting to study Communications with either being an announcer or DJ.
Today, he probably woke up thinking today would be just like every other day. Then he met the President. Then media went nuts. Now he gets his shot being a color commentator for the Fort Meyers Miracle. It’s remarkable how your life can change within seconds.
3. I’m starting to fall in love with the album Hummingbird, Go! by Swedish singer-songwriter Theresa Andersson. She’s set up like a one-woman band. Her appearance on Conan mesmerized me with her use of loop pedals, guitar, violin, and even her record player. She has surprisingly rich and full sound. Check out Birds Fly Away, which like the rest of her album, was recorded in her kitchen.
4. Bad Boys and Bad Boys II: The only two movies where Martin Lawrence gets top billing over Will Smith.
6. I’m watching Who Framed Roger Rabbit? for the first time right now. It’s fascinating. I don’t know if I should be watching it from the perspective as a an adult comedy or as an animated feature. It’s like it wants to be both. For a movie that’s twenty years old, it’s holding up well. I like the cinematography. Also, Christopher Lloyd is creepy as hell.
7. At long last, the first teaser trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s next opus, the long-awaited Inglorious Basterds has been released. (No, that’s not a typo, either, jerky.) Brad Pitt looks key, B.J. “Ryan Howard” Novak is in the trailer, and there’s also some Eli Roth action. Not seen is Mike Myers as a British General… which could be either awesome or awful.
Check it out:
8. The National have announced a new round of tour dates for the spring. Unfortunately, none are remotely close to Chicago. Road trip? Washington D.C. and Philly seem appetizing. Maybe. Realistically, not at all. They totally blew my mind at last year’s Lollapalooza. I sincerely hope they get out here, and release a new disc sometime soon.
9. File this one under the “I like it now, but will characteristically mock it until the end of days in about 1.5 weeks” category: Lonely Island ft. T-Pain – I’m On A Boat.
1. I started writing for Static Multimedia as an intern. So far, they’ve posted two of my reviews, one on an album by the Miniature Tigers and another by a rapper named Savage.
2. Spinning Tonight: Franz Ferdinand. Their shift in sound was an attractive move, but the results I’m not too interested in.
3. I’m very proud and very excited to announce that the new Hold Steady website was launched today! Yours truly acted as project manager. However, that pales in comparison to Mike Ross and Jersey Mike for designing and necessitating this whole project.
7. I changed the site’s Twitter page design to reflect what it looks like on this site. Fun, AND it matches. Wheee.
8. The Hold Steady’s cover of Bruce Springsteen’s classic Atlantic City is up (albeit, likely illegally) on YouTube. I’m absolutely biased, but it’s a definite reinvention of the original. The solo is rippin’. I’m loving the horns too.
9. On that note, I very badly want to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at the United Center on May 12.
10. Flipping through channels…Crispin Glover and Sam Rockwell were in Charlie’s Angels? Really?
I was inspired today watching the inaugural festivities, and decided to cobble together a mixtape featuring songs I felt were appropriate for the occasion. Enjoy!
Change Is Gonna Come – Otis Redding
The World Is An Open Door – Franz Nicolay
Sorrow – Bad Religion
Afrobama – Cody Chesnutt
Come Together – The Beatles
The Times They Are A-Changin’ – Bob Dylan
Black Man – Stevie Wonder
Constructive Summer – The Hold Steady
I Want To Take You Higher – Sly & The Family Stone
The Start of Something – Voxtrot
