Jack White’s new album arrived this morning. I’ve listened to it once so far and am not terribly enthused by it. So I won’t share any songs from it in today’s playlist but will offer this link to a fine piece by Steven Hyden about the album and a connection between White and another legendary musician.
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“What Are You Like” - Pugwash. Man, I was sure this band was some California band that was mining all the greatness of Tom Petty’s sound to launch their career.
Since my bracket is allllllll messed up, I might as well re-pick the field based on who is left. Either that or finish the Reader’s Notebook post that has been languishing for a few days.
To the games it is, then!
South Region No. 11 Loyola-Chicago vs. No. 7 Nevada. I’ve only caught bits of both teams’ games. In each case the good bits, too, as I saw Loyola win their two games at the buzzer and most of Nevada’s big comeback vs.
Now for some KU talk.
Looking back on the weekend, I have to laugh at myself - and other KU fans - a little. After all that talk about Penn having a decent chance to upset KU, 10 minutes into the game on Thursday the Quakers led by 10 points and most of us were ready to throw up. Or throw things. Or both. It was a good thing the girls were at school as the expletives were flying in our basement.
I had to sacrifice any writing activities yesterday because it was the one day in the next 10 that looked decent enough to get outside and get some early spring yard work done. So apologies for being late with my NCAA tournament weekend one wrap up.
Something I think we can all agree on, whether your team won or lost, whether your brackets are shredded or pristine, is that was the god-damndest weekend in the history of the tournament!
Apologies for missing Friday. I had the double-whammy of watching my 22-month nephew and having to head downtown to watch L march in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. And when I got home there were hoops to be watched. So there was no time for blogging activities.
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“M.A.H.” - U.S. Girls. A political song with a twist. This track, which channels turn of the decade Blondie, definitely comes from the political left.
It’s go time. I’m taking a last look at my picks here in the next hour or so before I lock them in. Them I’m going outside and setting $20 on fire, which is the grand total I’m wagering on pools this year. Or perhaps I should take that $20 and hand it to a homeless person when I’m downtown for the St. Patrick’s parade tomorrow. That’s how much faith I have in my picks.
I hate it when my favorite team makes me look dumb.
I pick this as the year KU’s Big 12 title streak ends and they go out and win the conference by two games.
They lose their only effective big man going into the conference tournament, and have to play a team that dominated them twice, so I figure they’re either one-and-done or maybe win Thursday and lose Friday. So of course they cruise on Thursday, fight through a sloppy game Friday, and play their best game of the season Saturday to wrap up the tournament title and secure a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament in the process.
Chart Week: March 5, 1983
Song: “Allentown” - Billy Joel
Chart Position: #17, 15th week on the chart. Peaked at #17 for six straight weeks from February through March.
This week’s edition is the first that draws from SiriusXM’s VJ Big 40 show on its Eighties on 8 channel. For those not familiar, Eighties on 8 features three of the original MTV VJs - Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, and Alan Hunter - pumping out classic tunes all day.
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“Espionage” - Preoccupations. Going back to their days performing as Viet Cong, this band has always mined the dark, post-punk sounds that came straight from Joy Division. I wasn’t crazy about this song at first, but it’s really grown on me in recent weeks.
“Living” - EERA. Another dark and brooding song. I must be drawn to this stuff because it’s been so damn cold for the past few days after our spring preview of late February.
As the Billy Preston saga wrapped up in February someone posted the following list of how KU’s recent top front court recruits had performed in the NCAA tournament their freshman year:
2014 - Joel Embiid played 0 minutes in two games due to injury. 2015 - Cliff Alexander played 0 minutes in two games due to eligibility issues. 2016 - Cheick Diallo played 7 minutes and scored 9 points in a first round win over Austin Peay.
My torrid pace of reading in 2018 continues. I knocked out two more books in the Y: The Last Man comic series and am still enjoying it. And I’m still working through Nick Hornby’s Ten Years in the Tub. And then I knocked out a few other books over the past couple weeks.
End of Watch - Stephen King “End of watch” is the term used when a police officer is killed in the line of duty.
It’s been awhile since I’ve done a random notes post. As I’m kind of between longer posts, right now feels like the perfect moment to revisit that favorite of blog readers worldwide.
Hoops A shame KU got blown out at Oklahoma State Saturday. But I A) wasn’t super surprised and B) didn’t really care. My blood pressure rose only slightly because so many of the KU players seemed utterly uninterested in competing.
I love stuff like this: deep explanations into everyday things that are amazingly complex.
We all know that it’s a logistical miracle how fast products can get shipped from one side of the globe to the other. Or even, say, some warehouse in Utah to your front door.
This video breaks down how the major shipping companies in the US manage getting products from point A to B so quickly. So simple yet equally complex.
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“Blue Rose” - Amen Dunes. Amen Dunes is the project of New Yorker Damon McMahon. I knew nothing about him before I heard this song. I love it’s trippy, atmospheric, nostalgic vibe. “6&5” - Jesse Marchant. I was so looking forward to Marchant’s Illusion of Love album after hearing the first two singles. Unfortunately the rest of the album did not match the quality of those two tracks. The first, “Frame for One,” is one of the best songs of the year.
And now for the not-so-fun stuff surrounding college basketball.
That’s right, no more Big Mondays this year. That’s sad.
I’m kidding, of course. The real thing we need to discuss regarding college hoops is why in the hell the Big 10 is playing their tournament this week. Getting bumped by the lowly Big East and having to adjust your entire schedule by a week, then letting all your teams sit around for nearly two weeks before they play an NCAA tournament game?
Lots of college hoops news to discuss. I’ll begin today with the good stuff.
Just like I have been predicting all year, KU won the Big 12 for the fourteenth straight year.
There was no way West Virginia or Oklahoma or Texas Tech or Kansas State was going to be good enough to take the crown away. There was no way the rest of the league was to steal a win or two throughout the season that might give one of those other contenders a boost.
I feel bad. As a loyal Olympics viewer and long-time blogger, I’ve shirked my responsibilities waiting until after this year’s Winter Olympics wrapped up to share any thoughts. Yeah, we were watching the games pretty much every evening. But with the oddness of this year’s time difference, there was usually one thing on a night that I was interested in.
I think this could be a problem going forward, as this is the first of three-straight Olympics to be hosted in Asia.
Chart Week: February 18, 1984
Song: “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” - Elton John
Chart Position: #18, 17th week on the chart. Peaked at #4 the week of January 28, 1984.
A countdown from 1984, my favorite musical year! So many fantastic songs to pick from. “Thriller” had just hit the top 10 in its second week in the top 40, the fastest rising song since 1972.
All of a sudden I have a glut of new music. Which is a good thing, of course. Sadly, it’s still all singles; no good album releases today, at least that I’ve seen so far. I did add two more exciting releases to April and May this week, so spring promises to be a beast.
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“Always Ascending” - Franz Ferdinand. Not crazy about their new album, but this song, after its slow build, hits all the right FF spots: ass-shakin’ indie rock.
After you have a parent die, you think of them in odd moments and ways.
Example: one day last fall I was shaving. As I stood there, scraping metal against skin and stubble, for some reason my brain jumped back 31 years to the night my stepdad taught me how to shave. I remembered him showing me the proper amount of pressure to use, how to avoid nicking the edges of my lips but still get the area around them cleaned up, and his amazement at my ability to shave with either hand.