Greatest Song Evah 4/26/24

Everlong

I probably wasn’t alone in my thoughts after the initial shock of Kurt Cobain’s suicide wore off. I felt that Dave Grohl is an exceptional drummer, I sure hope he’s able to find a new band that showcases his talents. As it turned out there was no need to worry, I think he turned out OK.

Everlong came from the second Foo Fighters album and the first that was a full band recording, and not Grohl recording all the parts himself. It has gone on to become their signature song, and it’s deserving of that accolade. It has a wonderful dynamic range, and it has the signature Nirvana quiet verse/loud chorus song construction without sounding as if it’s replicating the formula too easily. I love the slight tempo changes that take place over the course of the song, and the way it finally builds up to an explosive final chorus is pure perfection.

At the time Grohl was in a relationship with Louise Post from Veruca Salt, and she contributes backing vocals here. Despite what the video would lead one to believe, Taylor Hawkins had not yet joined the Foo Fighters during the recording of the album, so that is Dave Grohl’s drum work you hear on the song. Hawkins was a full-fledged member of the band by the time the video was shot, so that is why he is prominently featured in the video.

Over time this song has become indelibly connected with David Letterman. He requested that the Foos perform it on his first show back from heart surgery, and they cancelled a couple of Brazil concerts so that they could fly up to New York in order to fulfill that request. That’s the kind of story that gives me mixed feelings. It’s a wonderful gesture of friendship & respect, but how would I feel if I were a Brazilian fan with a ticket to one of the shows? Then, of course, they came back for the final episode of Late Night With David Letterman, with Everlong serving as the soundtrack for one of the most epic montages ever seen; more than 30 years of highlights condensed into a 5 minute clip reel. This was a truly special moment, and I still like to fire up the old YouTube and rewatch it on occasion. I’m pretty certain that one of the reasons I consider this a Greatest Song Evah is due to this specific memory that the song generates.

A WNBA Primer For Newbies - Part 1

Eventually the explosion of interest in women’s basketball will subside and it will reach its natural level. But every metric I see shows that the current level of popularity is so high that it will still remain insanely high even after the people who are merely sampling the game right now decide to move on to other things. The TV ratings for last week’s draft were massive, this even though there was no suspense. Everyone knew that Caitlin Clark was going to go #1. More significant was that the numbers remained high throughout the event. That proves that the phenomenon is not entirely Clark driven. This growth in the fan base is real, and it’s sustainable.

Which means that when the new WNBA season tips off next month, there will be plenty of first time viewers, as well as people who would only take passing glances at the league but will now follow it more intently. This is such an exciting time for the league; I feel as if one of my favorite indie rock bands has suddenly had a large mainstream hit. So, to the newcomers - welcome aboard. There’s plenty of room on this bandwagon.

For those of you who will be tuning in due to Caitlin Clark curiosity, please allow me to introduce you to some of the established players in the W worth keeping an eye on. I’ll go through each team, starting with the Eastern Conference today. If you were a viewer of the NCAA tournament in past years, you’ll probably recognize some of them. Before diving into this, there are a few big stars worth mentioning beforehand. Diana Taurasi is still playing for the Phoenix Mercury, and she remains a deadly shooter, but she will also turn 42 during the season. She is still as ferocious of a competitor as there is, but she is no longer as explosive as she was in her younger days, and like all aging athletes she is more susceptible to minor nicks & aches that a twentysomething Taurasi could have simply played through. Injuries have also taken their toll on another GOAT level player, Candace Parker. She just turned 38 and missed significant time last season, including Las Vegas’s entire playoff run, with a foot injury. She’s still a top level player when available, but the key phrase is “when available.” At least Taurasi and Parker - who could each very well be in their final seasons - are playing. Elena Delle Donne announced early in the offseason that she is going to take this year off. She has been dealing with disc issues for a few years; it would not surprise me at all if we have already seen her last game.

Atlanta - This looks like the year that their rebuild is going to start to come to fruition. They have a good pair of emerging stars in Rhyne Howard & Cheyenne Parker, but I’m intrigued by the return of Tina Charles. Long among the league’s upper echelon, she went unsigned in last year’s free agent season. Let’s see if there’s any rust in her game from sitting out a full season.

Chicago - The Sky won the title in 2021, but that seems like such a long time ago. The entire championship core is already gone. They added both Kamilla Cardosa and Angel Reese in the draft, but the top veteran is probably Marina Mabrey. This is a team of the future, but the present figures to be painful.

Connecticut - Last year’s MVP race was a tight battle among 3 players. Alyssa Thomas is a triple double machine, and precisely the type of player with a versatile set of skills that is so prevalent in the league. Special mention should also go out to veteran DeWanna Bonner; it’s amazing that someone that skinny has thrived for so long.

Indiana - They just drafted a rookie guard whom you may have heard of. Clark is entering into an ideal situation. She may have a more difficult time fighting through screens produced by bigger and stronger players than she faced in college, but don’t forget that she also has exceptional court vision and strong passing skills. Some of her teammates weren’t always able to finish off her passes, but she figures to accumulate lots of assists with Aaliyah Boston on the receiving end. The two of them should create an ideal inside/outside combo.

New York - The crucial difference between the Liberty & the Aces in last year’s final is that the New York superteam had only been together for one year, so they were still learning each other’s tendencies. With an additional year as a unit, they should run as an ideal machine. Breanna Stewart is one of the league’s two best players, Sabrina Ionescu is a deadly shooter, and Jonquel Jones is a force in the post.

Washington - The Mystics are another team in transition, but they look to be moving in an upward direction. Brittney Sykes is one of the league’s most underrated players, followed closely by her own teammate Ariel Atkins. Shakira Austin figures to come back strong after an injury-riddled 2023 season. They could be a victim of the league’s depth; they figure to be in the playoff hunt, but it’s likely to be a tight race until the very end.

The Real Tortured Poets Were The Friends We Made Along The Way

Of course, I’ve listened to it. As Jack Donaghy would say, I have two ears & a heart, don’t I? A lot of the discourse that I’ve read about the new Taylor Swift release has little to do about the quality of the songs. It’s that there’s A LOT of it. Mere hours after she dropped the record Swift announced that she had so many new songs that a deluxe version of the collection came out at the same time.

I kind of agree that releasing both versions at once was a bit of overkill. The original version of Tortured Poets Department is perfectly fine; she could have saved the leftovers to form the basis of her next album or simply waited a few months to present the deluxe version to the world. Having said that, however, on first listen the song that stood out the most for me was I Look In People’s Windows, which was one of the bonus tracks, so I’m already confusing myself.

The closest comparison that I can think of was when The Clash released Sandinista! as a triple album. It heard a lot of the same criticism; it contained some of their best songs, but it was a lot to take in all at once. It has stood the test of time, however. Sure, you can start to tune out at some point around Side 5, but the highlights of the record are top notch and besides, despite its seeming epic length at the time of its release it fits onto 2 CD’s, so is it really that long? (Yes, I realize I’m aging myself by using CD’s as a reference. Let me be.) Time will tell if Swift’s album will age in the same way. Be sure to read Tending the Herd in 2062 to find out!

Science Is (Still) Awesome

Lord knows there’s so much gloom and doom everywhere that we need all the good news that we can get. Look no further than deep space. After months of jumbled communication Voyager-1 is once again sending usable data back to Earth. The repair in the transmission link was largely done by retired NASA technicians, something to keep in mind the next time you hear claims that the private sector is always preferable to the public one.

There are certain things that private sector does better than the public one and vice versa. This is one instance in which a government run program is clearly the superior one. It’s not difficult to imagine a privately run company simply shrugging its shoulders at this adversity and moving on. NASA had every reason to reestablish contact with the vessel and brought all hands on deck to do so. Yay, science! Yay, your tax dollars at work, said with no snark this time!

Does Jim Anchower Know About This?

When I saw Ben Collins mention this news on social media, I thought it was a joke that had gone over my head. Nope, it’s true. In legitimately great news, G/O Media has sold The Onion and the new ownership not only promises to retain the entire existing staff, but they also plan to revive the Onion News Network.

In an age in which we constantly hear depressing news about legacy media and about some of our favorite websites, it brings me so much joy to see that The Onion will be in such good hands. (He says with fingers crossed.) The 2024 version of The Onion remains funny with a few caveats. It’s extremely rare to find an article which runs longer than a single paragraph, and there are too many damn slideshows. Call me optimistic that The Onion still has a promising future. Area Man Is Quite Pleased.

The Streaming Orphans - I’ll Fly Away

I’ll Fly Away shares several traits with many of the shows that I have discussed in this feature. Without an official streaming platform, it continues to fade from whatever limited pop culture presence it once had. The complete series can be found on YouTube, however. I can’t vouch for the quality of the uploads, and these unofficial streams always come with the concern that IP rights holders could demand the episodes be pulled at a moment’s notice. But as of now the episodes are available to view.

I’ll Fly Away ran for 2 seasons on NBC in the early 90’s. It starred Sam Waterston and Regina Taylor. Set in a fictional southern town in the 1950’s - the exact state was never specified - Waterston was the local district attorney, a widower with 3 children. He was named Forrest Bedford, which was a flip on the name of the first grand wizard of the KKK. Taylor portrayed the family’s housekeeper Lilly, and served as a maternal figure for the Bedford children. Oldest son Nate was a high school upperclassman and star athlete, middle daughter Francie was in that awkward phase of adolescence, and youngest son John Morgan was an adorable little cherub. The show also focused on Lilly’s home life, going through a divorce with a young daughter of her own.

The narrative structure involved a voiceover narration from modern day Lilly, looking back at her experiences that happened to have taken place in a crucial historical moment. At heart it’s a portrayal of an ordinary woman living through an extraordinary era, although the fact that she was working for a prominent family helped place her on the periphery of the events of such a critical moment in our history. Forrest seemed to be a basically decent man, but as a political figure in the Deep South during the Jim Crow era, he could only be so progressive. Lilly on the other hand got deeper into the movement as the show progressed. I remember a very powerful episode in which she found the courage to go out and vote, despite the apathy of all of the other women in her social circle.

The show got a little bit of Emmy love in some of the smaller categories, but no big prizes. Waterston & Taylor each received nominations but no wins, although they did each win Golden Globes for what that’s worth. Taylor was so good. I still see her pop up on occasion in a supporting role & each time I see her in something I have the same reaction - she should have become a major star. Never a ratings juggernaut, NBC cancelled the show after 2 seasons.

That would not be the end. Unlike most shows in a similar situation, PBS commissioned a movie shortly afterwards that gave it a proper conclusion. Set in modern day, we learn that her narration was actually the text of a book she had written about her experiences in the civil rights era. A stop on her book tour near the setting of the series brought back memories of the incident that led her to leave the employ of the Bedford family.

She flashed back to the summer a year after the events of the series. Nate had returned to town after his first year of college. (In a casting twist, Nate was originally portrayed by Jeremy London. He was unavailable, so for the movie he was replaced by his twin brother Jason.) He found his hometown unrecognizable; his best friend Slocum had gone from being a bit of a budding good old boy to a rabid, snarling klansman. It was a bit heartbreaking to see the “you think you’re better than me?” confrontation between the two old friends.

The real gut punch came with the central story in the movie. A young cousin of Lilly’s from Chicago was visiting for the summer and his story essentially duplicated the Emmett Till tragedy. After a minor incident with a local white woman the klan descended on Lilly’s home to take the young child to his doom. Lilly’s father pleaded for the child’s life - “He’s not from here! He doesn’t know our ways!” - to no avail. Because Lilly’s father had heard the voices of the klan members and could therefore identify them, the entire family was now in mortal danger. Bedford was able to safely sneak them out in the middle of the night, but not before she was able to give tearful goodbyes to the three children.

The movie ended with Lilly going to the Bedford house for a visit, where she found Waterston in old age makeup. The two characters - and two exceptional actors - got to share one final moment together. This really was a special show. I have no idea who owns the rights; it would be nice if it could have a legit streaming platform somewhere. And it’s never too late for Regina Taylor to achieve the stardom that she has long deserved.

Closing Laughs

Look at that, it’s already the weekend. Have a great one, everybody and I will see you all again on Monday. Black tie optional.