Now for non-Royals links. I’ve been sitting on some of these for nearly a month. I hope they’re still worth it!

First, something brand new. Actor/comedian Aziz Ansari wrote in the New York Times about many issues surrounding minorities in TV and movies. It is funny and surprisingly great.

Aziz Ansari on Acting, Race and Hollywood

At Grantland (RIP), Mike Thomas wrote this wonderful profile of the late Jan Hooks.

The Laughs, Pathos, and Overwhelming Talent of Jan Hooks

Now a whole mess of music-related links.

Yes, I was very excited to read this GQ profile of Taylor Swift. We all have our guilty pleasures.

Taylor Swift on “Bad Blood,” Kanye West, and How People Interpret Her Lyrics

Remember Terence Trent D’Arby? If you do, you likely remember how he completely disappeared after he had that one, fantastic year (at least here in the States). This profile is fascinating.

“I was killed when I was 27”: the curious afterlife of Terence Trent D’Arby

I enjoyed this quite a bit. Instead of looking back on a classic album and finding new ways to praise it, Ryan Bray decided to look at a legendary band’s one, terrible misstep: the Clash’s Cut The Crap. It’s telling that the band did not include any songs from Crap on either of their two box sets. “This Is England” is a good song.

This Is (Not) Radio Clash: Cut The Crap Was a Snapshot of a Legendary Band’s Low Point

And for your listening pleasure, check out The War On Drugs’ recent Radio City Music Hall performance.

The War on Drugs: October 8, 2015 Radio City Music Hall

I know I put two Joe Posnanski pieces in my Royals Links post. But hare are two more. First, he and Michael Schur “debated” the Jose Bautista bat flip from game five of the ALDS is awesome.

Flipping Out

And then, for people visiting Kansas City during the World Series, he broke down the local barbecue scene. Aficionados will catch a few factual errors.

The Proper Way To Order Bryant’s Burnt Ends

College basketball kicks off this weekend. Which is way too early. Here’s a proposal to move the season back at least one month. Which seems a little extreme, especially when you see what it does to the back half of the season.

My opinion: Every team can play one game per week in November, beginning with the week before Thanksgiving. Exemptions will be made the week of Thanksgiving only for teams playing in holiday tournaments. Part two of my idea is why it will never work: cut 2–3 games from the schedule so the tournament still ends right around April 1. Schools aren’t giving up that money, though.

NCAA men’s basketball VP Dan Gavitt on moving the season (and the NCAA Tournament) back one month: “There are merits on a lot of levels”

I still have many pieces stocked up that I need to read. Fortunately I’ll be spending about seven hours on planes over the weekend, so I should be able to share them next week.