Music: Hall of Fame

So, in light of the recent Rock n Roll hall of fame nominees I thinkt hat it's appropriate to write this. I am a fan of music. All different types, and I'm not one to generally poo poo something without giving it a listen. With that said there is some music that I can't stand and I wish was never born. I also love a lot of weird shit, and I'm generally pretty passionate/snobby about what I do love. Not hipster, tightpants, it's not good if it's on the radio snobby, but still. This "hall of fame" has a lot of bullshit going for it. For example, Leon Russell. Who cares about Leon Russell? Name a good Leon Russell song that he actually sings...exactly. Oh and then theres ABBA. I mean seriously. So I am going to start my own Hall of Fame. Anyone can do it. I don't really have a name for it so it's tentatively Berz's Music Hall of Fame. That doesn't really sound classy though, but whatever. I am going to induct the following musicians: Iron Maiden and Dinosaur Jr. Let's start with 2 bands. I need to figure out how to get plaques or trophies or somethign made up for them. Chances are they will never hear about this, but it's cool. These 2 bands have influenced a ton of other musicians and also (perhaps more importantly) me. I grew up listening to heavy metal. I have an older brother,so whatever he listened to I listened to. Maiden changed the way I looked at music and they still do. The have excellent musicianship, the best metal scream in the business, a cool mascot( he's a half-dead zombie monster killing machine for f's sake), and most importantly, they write really long heavy cool songs about myths and old Romantic poems and historical facts. They make Coleridge a bad ass which I couldn't imagine would be an easy feat. Dinosaur Jr. helped reinvent music. In a time when bands were worried about aqua net they were making some of the loudest, oddest, and most aggressive music around. J Mascis has a mediocre voice at best and his guitar is really a bunch of noise. But he pulls it off and when those 2 elements come together his little warble and the tearing guitar of his are magical. Transportative if I may be so bold as to make shit up. You ad Lou's sly, poppy bass, and Murph's well timed and often subtly brilliant drumming and you will not have a bad time listening to this. Plus, they arguably helped pave the way for the 20+ years of rock/alternative music that came after them. And the craziest thing about it is that these bands are still playing and touring and releasing new, good music.
So Iron Maiden & Dinosaur Jr. for what it's worth you're the first inductees in my hall of fame & I salute you.

Good Songs
Iron Maiden: Hallowed Be Thy Name (the Live After Death Version), Losfer Words, Back in the Village, Revelations, The Clairvoyant, The Trooper (of course), and anything else that Steve Harris goes completely bonkers on.

Dinosaur Jr.: In A Jar (Lou rips your face off on this one), The Lung (J = face ripping), Let It Ride, The Post, Keep The Glove, We're Not Alone (the solo makes me tear up), Over It, Drawerings, The Wagon, Puke+Cry

Labels

I'm tired man. Politics are one of, if not the single most divisive force in our country. Our politicians are getting nothing done while the media (both sides) divides the country into 2 distinctively narrow-minded categories. Liberals think that conservatives are dumb rich bigots out to read the bible, shoot guns and hate non-whites. Conservatives think that liberals are dumb media-blinded anarchists ready to undermine the political order for the sake of saving one homeless aids baby. Both labels are stupid and far too narrow. And the act of placing yourself into one category and extolling the virtues of this one category is also silly. We are far too complex to be one or the other. We can be a little of both. It is impossible to have a civilized open discourse if you're too busy thinking that the other guy is an idiot. I don't claim to be anything close to a political expert, obviously, but these damn labels aren't doing any good for anyone. On either side.

My 5 favorite Lakers

There is an extent to which I am an organized person. I like to make lists of things. It helps to make life seem a little bit orderly I suppose. I grew up in the late 80's-90's in Southern California. This weighs heavily on all aspects of my life including sports. I've been a fan of The Lakers since I could remember, and I was thinking about this list yeaterday, so what better way to start this blog off.

Here are my top 5 Lakers with grossly oversimplified explanations...

5. Byron Scott
When I was a kid I remember thinking that Byron was automatic. He could rain down threes all day, come up with crucial steals, and have the sweetest high-top fade on the team (not to mention the stache). He made things happen and he looked good doing it.

4. Kobe Bryant
He has to be on the list for longevity alone. He's been a Laker his entire career and he has been consistently awesome. He helped bring Showtime back to L.A., makes amazing shots look easy, and plays aggressively. He plays through pain and he frequently hands defenders their asses. Okay, so he is a bit of a primadonna, but if you were that good for that long wouldn't you be?

3. Orlando Woolridge
Yeah, I know. This is really high for a bench player, but I loved Orlando. LOVED him. My brother and I would cheer insanely whenever Orlando got the ball because we knew that some amazing shit was about to happen. He would always dunk hard. His dunks looked like they hurt the rim and he always made them look easy even when they were mind-numbingly difficult. Look him up on Youtube. Freakin' awesome.

2. Chick Hearn
Now, he was never technically on the court, but he was a Laker nonetheless. There is arguably no one that has been more of a Laker. Chick's voice was like a hot cup of cocoa on a cold day. It was soothing. Whether someone was put in the popcorn machine or the jello was jiggling he was never at a loss for words. His delivery was smooth and he made you feel like you were sitting down in your living room watching the game with your Grandpa. I cannot imagine growing up and not hearing Chick's voice.

1. Magic Johnson
So, he's probably my favorite player ever. He was flashy, but somehow humble. Hard working, but somehow easy going. There's a little thing called the no-look pass, and then there's the Magic Johnson shake-my-head-back-and-forth-and-jelly-leg-my-defender-into-Dyann-Cannon's-lap-no-look pass. He played every position and he was never a detriment or a ball-hog or a liability. And he had a song written about him at the height of his awesomeness. It's a good song too.

Honorable Mentions:
Big Game James, Bobert Horry,Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaq-Fu: Da Return, A.C. Green, Mark Mad Dog, Anthony Peeler, Sedale Threatt, Nick Van Quick