Sunday Links
As I mentioned, some of these go back over a month. They are worth sharing despite not being the freshest links in the world.
First up, Complex did a visual representation of the best rapper alive, by year, from 1979 to the present. I disagree with a few of their choices (Chuck D. was never #1????), and I must admit my ability to critique their choices ends at about 1994. But it’s still a cool article to scroll through even if you haven’t kept up with hip-hop.
The Best Rapper Alive, Every Year Since 1979
This article, and others like it, have been making the rounds for the last month. In case you haven’t run across one, it’s a good way to help solve some of the mysteries presented by The Force Awakens from exploring the novelization of the film.
27 ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ questions answered by the novel
Joe Posnanski on the birth of one of the greatest TV memories of our generation’s youth: NFL Fantastic Finishes.
The man who purchased Columbia House out of bankruptcy last month has an interesting plan: relaunch the service as a vinyl-only business. I’m not sure if the demand for vinyl is big enough, or lasting enough, to get the idea to work. But it would be awfully cool if it was successful, since that’s how most of us bought our early vinyl.
Columbia House To Relaunch With Vinyl
I thought I’d link back to this summary of the 2015 year in music from Vice’s music site Noisey. It addresses some of my complaints about last year’s music offerings. If nothing else, it’s good to have it confirmed that I wasn’t the only one who had issues with the year.
TAME IMPALA, CHILLWAVE, AND OTHER DISPATCHES FROM THE VIBE GENERATION
(By the way, in a very good sign, the new Shearwater album that came out Friday is freaking fantastic. Better, to me, than everything from 2015 except for Courtney Barnett’s album. There is hope that 2016 will be a much better year for music.)
McSweeney’s is always good for a smart laugh. This journal of a new COBRA recruit is no exception.
Probably the best long-form piece I’ve read in a long time, Adrian Chen with a fantastic profile of Megan Phelps-Roper, who broke with her family’s infamous Topeka church after managing its social media profile and having her views challenged by folks on Twitter. Apparently there is still the potential for good in Twitter.
Finally, I loved Richard Scary books as a kid. I had a Puzzle Town set where you could build up a town and then let Lowly Worm and friends travel through it. I kept most of my books and my girls have enjoyed them over the years, although probably not as much as I did.
Alan Taylor took the original, late 60s edition he grew up on and compared it to the 1990s version his children read. The changes in language over that period are fascinating. It would be cool to see how an edition published now would change further.