It’s Gonna Be August

Swimming In The Wake

Of this year’s inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, Rage Against the Machine are the most difficult to find any matches for. They were unique enough that the only parallels other artists have to them are on a superficial level. At their most basic they combined rap with hard rock, but by no means can they be classified as a nu metal band. Their entrance does not in any way open up a path for the likes of Korn or Limp Bizkit. (Side note, I’m not prepared to live in a future world in which a younger generation discovers and then enjoys Limp Bizkit ironically. That might be a good time for the meteor strike.)

RATM could open up a path for harder edged artists that have shared ballot space with them in the past and may now find more available votes with Rage off the ballot. Soundgarden, for example. Or this may even be a new opportunity to take another look at Motörhead. Could the nominating committee give Jane’s Addiction another shot? Could this be the right time to nominate Alice In Chains? None of the artists I’ve mentioned sound exactly like Rage Against the Machine, but they do all have similar appeal. I believe any voter that checked Rage’s name on the ballot would also be willing to vote for any of the aforementioned bands.

I’ll step a bit outside the box to mention the artist that I feel is the best comp, even though they likely have no chance at induction. One of the elements that helped them stand out from the pack has been Tom Morello’s signature guitar work. Some of the most outstanding guitar play of the late 80s and beyond was produced by the duo of Lee Renaldo and Thurston Moore in Sonic Youth. In addition, this is an important factor. There’s cool, there’s rock & roll cool, and then there’s Kim Gordon cool, which is a whole ‘nother level. When Nirvana was inducted, the surviving members recruited several female singers to sub for Kurt Cobain in their performance, one of whom was Kim Gordon. She blew the roof off the joint so fiercely that Questlove said he would lobby for Sonic Youth in the next nominating committee meeting. I suppose he wasn’t persuasive enough, as Sonic Youth have yet to receive a nomination and frankly if it hasn’t happened by now, it’s unlikely to. For all of their influence they never made much of a commercial impact, and with their roots in the downtown New York art scene and their love of feedback and atonality, they aren’t always an easy listen. It would be really cool if they were to ever receive a nomination, and who knows, maybe Rage’s induction could serve as an impetus, but I’m not holding my breath.

Who Will You Remember?

There’s one thing I mentioned in passing when I was sharing thoughts about Randy Meisner that has stuck with me. He was the original Eagles’ bass player, performing on their first 5 albums and a very high percentage of their most classic tracks. Yet many people think of the Eagles as the members from the post-reunion tours, often overlooking Meisner and Bernie Leadon, as well as Don Felder, who did perform on Hell Freezes Over, but nothing beyond that.

That’s unfair to the longtime members; I’m sure they enjoyed the royalty checks yet it still must be somewhat disheartening to not enjoy the public accolades that they deserved. The best similar example I can think of is The Rolling Stones. As they moved into the “look back on our history” phase with compilation CDs, classic hits laden tours, and a splashy coffee table book, any promotional material listed the Stones as Mick, Keith, Charlie, and Ronnie. But what about Bill Wyman? I’m not sure what types of hard feelings came with his departure from the band, but my God, he was with the band for 30 years and performed on virtually every one of their most beloved songs. Or, to put it another way, put together a list of your 40 favorite Stones songs. Unless you have an odd love for Bridges To Babylon, Bill Wyman performed on a significantly higher number of your faves than Ron Wood did. Erasing him from the band’s legacy the way his fellow Stones have done is really bad revisionist history.

It’s not just limited to members of long running rock bands. When Kirstie Alley died I was reminded of the victory lap that the cast of Cheers took when the show ended. There was a clear sense of “oh yeah, her too” when Shelley Long would be mentioned. This example is slightly different, as Alley was on the show longer than Long was. But Cheers would never have become what it was - a Mount Rushmore level sitcom IMHO - without Shelley Long. Even though she did appear in the series finale, it still felt a little wrong that she didn’t have the same chance to take a final bow the way the rest of the gang did.

The other day I used the phrase “recency bias.” It’s human nature to focus more on those who are more prominent in one’s memory. It’s still a little unfair to memory hole those who left bands or TV shows prematurely. Save a spot at the table for Chuck Cunningham.

Congratulations, You Too May Be A Former Cardinals Player

Anyone who went off the grid for a few days will return to find that the MLB team they root for is somewhat unrecognizable following the trade deadline. I’m not sure if this is better or worse (don’t worry, I’m not shaking my fist at a cloud here) but the current atmosphere is drastically different than it was in the days when the trade deadline was June 15. Way back then the deadline was often relatively quiet; there might be one or two big deals but smaller trades were more common. Even those were just as likely to be need for need transactions, rather than the veterans for prospects moves that make up the bulk of this week’s maneuvers.

That makes sense. June 15 is much too early in the season for a club to determine if it’s a viable contender and then make the buyers or sellers decision. There is a part of me that laments the days when the roster you put together is essentially the roster you’ll have in September. OK, maybe I am kind of doing the fist shake at a cloud. But the radical transformations that most of the clubs has just undergone is enough to give one whiplash.

Paul Reubens 1952-2023

Paul Reubens was more than just Pee-Wee Herman, but there have been few actors more indelibly connected to their most famous character than he was. The character worked because he had such universal appeal - everyone from kids to stoners to people with an inclination for subversive humor could find something to love. He had a tremendous influence of generations of comedians that have followed any one of his assorted paths.

Reubens created Pee-Wee Herman when he was a member of The Groundlings, and the character was a major player in the underground comedy scene of the early 80s. I recall first seeing him on a late night TV special and in a Cheech & Chong movie, but he really made his mark when he began to appear on Late Night With David Letterman. This was in the show’s early anarchic era when Letterman would have the likes of Brother Theodore or Harvey Pekar as guests. They wouldn’t have a project to plug, but Letterman enjoyed giving a spotlight to unusual people and letting them be themselves. He was especially enthralled with the Pee-Wee character; he couldn’t quite understand it but he sensed there was something there that really connected with the audience.

From there it was a short matter of time until he made his two-pronged commercial breakthrough. First came the delightful Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, which gave Tim Burton his directorial feature debut and also informed the world that there is no basement at The Alamo. And then a year later came Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.

It was both a parody of and a tribute to classic kids’ television. It was perfectly silly and over the top, bringing joy to the target audience with its “if you love it so much why don’t you marry it?” vibe that both kids and nostalgic adults could appreciate. And come on, who doesn’t love Chairry? Or Cowboy Curtis? Or Miss Yvonne? The show provided early showcases for such future stars as Phil Hartman and S. Epatha Merkerson, not to mention giving Laurence Fishburne a great post-Apocalypse Now spotlight.

Both Reubens and his character hit a major roadblock following his embarrassing arrest at an adult theatre, although his appearance at that year’s VMAs helped to stop the bleeding temporarily. The character would reappear sporadically, but his focus turned to non-Pee-Wee characters and he continued to show up in projects from creators that saw him as a clear inspiration. His appearance as Gerhardt in 30 Rock was one of the most memorable guest starring roles of all time.

Reubens silently battled cancer for several years before succumbing to the disease last weekend. He has left behind a tremendous comedic legacy. Let’s all say it together, “I know you are, but what am I?”

Young Yaz

The other day I saw a stat that blew my mind. Mike Yastrzemski is already in the top 50 all time games played list for the San Francisco Giants. Keep in mind that is San Francisco only, but even so that entails around 65 years of history, many of which took place under the old reserve clause, which severely restricted player movement. Yaz made his debut in 2019. It doesn’t seem possible that he has climbed that leader board so quickly, especially considering his tenure includes the COVID shortened season. Hard to believe.

All The Former Guy Needs Is 2 More Indictments On His Punch Card & He Earns A Free Sub

Thanks again for reading and please be sure to recommend Tending The Herd to friend and foe alike. See you all on Friday.