Culture Greyhound

Rant: The Fail Mary

Oh man, guys. What a colossal screwup. I mean, wow. We knew this day would come, though, didn’t we? I mean, come on. Replacement officials were getting calls wrong all weekend, so of course the final play of the final game of the weekend would come down to a historically botched, game-changing false victory and loss. In my mind, this was inevitable. We’ve continued to see the progression of regression from these unqualified officials, how the owners and the league allow these people to decide games, defend them for what can be clearly seen to the naked eye as incorrect and what the public as a vast majority disagrees with. The aftermath from players, coaches, the media, the public is to be expected, as is the predictable “the call stands” nonsense the NFL came out with today. Props to Aaron Rodgers, always the better man in a situation like this, for apologizing to the fans in his radio interview this morning. Shame on Pete Carroll for being a generally terrible person. Shame on Goodell and the league for allowing this to continue; hopefully last night was the final straw, but I really doubt it. An outright boycott isn’t happening, and in the end, this is about business. As an MBA student, I get it, but as a Packers fan, man I’m pissed. Why did it have to happen to MY team? Mark my words, we haven’t seen the last of this, especially if this one game (that needs an asterisk forever by its final score) determines the postseason fate for Green Bay. It’s nice, though, that, at least for today, almost everyone in the USA was a Cheesehead, standing up for the integrity of the game and declaring my boys got robbed and tweeting “The NFL is a joke” and comparing the current state to Vince McMahon proportions of ridiculousness. Everyone in the USA except, of course, Seahawks fans. But how many of those are there anyway?

Rave: Beltre FTW

In much better sports news, Adrian Beltre added another walk-off RBI to his career stats as the Rangers beat the A’s at home 5-4 last night. Why is this victory important? This reduces the magic number for Texas to 5, and Oakland continues to nip at our heels, threatening to relinquish our AL West lead, as we still have six more games to play with them, and nine more games left in the regular season. And with Darvish benched tonight after complaints of a stiff neck, it looks like tonight may be as crucial and nail-biting as last night was. But you know what? I’m not worried, at least not as much as I was before last night’s game, or when Holland was benched for Oswalt (who admittedly saved us, even though his season-long habit has been to sink us), or when we were down 4-2. We’ve still got a long way to go, but with Hamilton returning after being diagnosed with some sort of vision disorder only to…well, be Josh Hamilton and slam it into the stands, and with Beltre coming through in the clutch in the bottom of the 9th, and with Nathan saving like he’s saved all season, you can bet this team looks pumped for the postseason. Now let’s get it done.

Rant/Rave Hybrid: The Green Day/Billie Joe Debacle

Today’s Green Day post has taken on a whole new life since the events of this weekend. Today, of course, marks the release of Uno!, the first of the new trilogy I’ve talked so much about, but instead of appearances on television and record release parties in San Francisco, Billie Joe is in rehab, and promotional appearances have been canceled. I’m sure by now you’ve seen the “meltdown” or “tantrum” or whatever you want to call it that transpired Friday night, and of course I have many thoughts about it, as the biggest Green Day fan you will ever know.

First of all, “meltdown?” Anyone remember when the Who and the Rolling Stones smashed their guitars and we called it “rock and roll?” Now it’s a meltdown? The fact of the matter is, if the organizers at the iHeartRadio Fest had ever even seen a Green Day show, even a recent one, they would know the band, particularly Billie Joe, HATES getting cut off or telling him he has a few minutes left. (Of course, it could be debated very few people in that venue had any idea who Green Day are, if you watch the videos and look at the various bored crowd members, that seems apparent. I feel sorry for the Green Day fans that attended this awful, awful festival.) Organizers at Reading tried to unplug his guitar this summer, and he chased them off the stage. The band loves to play for hours; they’re used to it, they love it, their fans love it. They’re one of the hardest working bands out there, no doubt about it, and anyone who’s seen them play knows it. So, yeah, don’t tell Billie Joe he has one minute left.

As for the Bieber thing, why even bother? It obviously wasn’t a jab at the kid, even though I wish it was, he was not-so-eloquently stating the disrespect he felt for being a tenured rock star to be given such a short set for younger acts. Honestly, the fact that Green Day even signed up for this abomination of a fest blows my mind. And the apology? I guarantee you Billie had nothing to do with that. Check his Instagram photo the next day….he regrets nothing. So yeah, the apology? Damage control. After all, Clear Channel is a huge radio conglomerate who own more radio stations than any other company in the nation, and Green Day is one of the twenty rock bands left who actually get played on the radio, so yeah. PR move. I hate it, but bidness is bidness.

As for the speculation that this whole thing is fake, you better believe it’s not. This is the old Green Day, the crew that would jabber like juveniles in between songs coked out of their minds, who would wreck entire stages of monitors and amps and drum sets that didn’t belong to them….on national television, no less. Who would drop kick unruly fans in the pit at their own shows. And look at it from a business perspective….sure, the video’s gone viral and that might be seen as a way to boost album sales, but you can bet major appearances on Ellen, KROQ, and Jimmy Kimmel Live, which have all been postponed, as well as a show in San Fran, and possibly more appearances later, don’t cost money? Exposure? If Warner Bros. planned this whole thing, only to burn bridges at reputable radio and TV outlets, that would be pretty stupid, right?

And Billie getting treatment….well, that puts a very dark spin on everything. On the acts of Friday night. Of all previous interviews and performances. Of the album and its lyrical content, which you can read about here. And apparently this is long overdue, which leads me as a fan to question: how long exactly? That’s a scary thought, that Billie’s been fighting through this for a long time.

Bottom line after everything: get well, Billie Joe. Cancel all the appearances, the concerts, the interviews, your health is what matters more than anything. More than corporation musical snooze fests (doesn’t the name “iHeartRadio” just say it all?), more than performances on TV, hell, more than legit Green Day secret shows or a worldwide tour. More than all this dumb media speculation and nonsense from non-fans weighing in because they liked Dookie in junior high. And when you’re ready, we’ll be waiting. And you can bet I’ll be there, throwing all my money at you. I just bought the new album on pink vinyl!

And the new album’s fantastic. Go listen to it. Now.

Koi No Yokan drops November 13th, and Deftones’ first single has me all kinds of pumped for the new album, their first since the excellent Diamond Eyes back in 2010. “Leathers” picks up where the previous album left off, and it likely means the group will continue to ride this wave of amazing output. Download the track at Deftones.Com for free.

Last year’s debut from this crew was easily one of my favorites, and now this Portland-based band returns with a poppy, spacey single that highlights the trademark sound and nuanced style these guys always deliver.

It’s been a long, long time, but the dynamic duo that brought you such classic tracks as “Work It” and “Get Your Freak On,” among numerous others, have added to the catalog. Hear two new leaked Missy songs, “9th Inning” and “Triple Threat.”

It may not be a hangout jam session with groupies or a blood-soaked disco, but the video for “Nuclear Family,” the third video to emerge in promotion of Green Day’s upcoming album trilogy, is still pretty cool. Maybe even my favorite; it’s just the band rocking out to the strong opener to Uno! Apparently, it’s slated to be the third domestic single for the album, after “Oh Love” and “Let Yourself Go” – the UK’s first single was “Kill the DJ,” if I’m keeping score correctly. Anywho, the track itself is already on Spotify and is more reminiscent of classic Green Day like “Let Yourself Go” was.

After dropping a new single, Hooray For Earth have released an amazing single for Zambri’s “Carry.” Play it loud while you study for a business law midterm. Or you know….whatever.

Quick post. This song, a new original from Star Slinger, is excellent.

“Ready For the Weekend,” indeed, and it’s only Monday. That’s exactly what this track sounds like. Can’t wait to see this dynamic duo on the Blue stage at Fun Fun Fun come November.

-Yeezy has dropped another banger from his G.O.O.D. Music comp, which drops later this month. This one’s a doozy, featuring Jay-Z and Big Sean, and a pretty hilarious shout-out to West’s lady of the moment, Kim Kardashian, a “superstar all from a home movie!” Listen at Pitchfork.

-Ben Folds Five just gave us a track from their new album, but they’ve already delivered two more. The Sound of the Life of the Mind will be released September 18th. Listen to “Sky High” and “Michael Praytor, Five Years Later” at Consequence of Sound.

-The Joy Formidable’s new album isn’t set to be released until January 2013, but we already have another taste called “Cholla,” which you can hear below.

-Finally, a trio of ambitious British DJs have completed what many have tried for years: discovered and compiled every sample from the Beastie Boys’ seminal album Paul’s Boutique. The hour-long mixtape is as sprawling and awesome as the original inspiration, and is aptly dedicated to the sorely missed MCA. Read more and listen at Consequence of Sound.

Ben Folds Five’s first album in 13 years, The Sound of the Life of the Mind, drops September 18th. We’ve already heard “Do It Anyway,” and now we have another taste, “Erase Me.” Listen at SPIN. Can’t wait to hear the new material, as well as old favorites, at Stubb’s on September 24th!