This week Dave and Steel by Dave’s high-rent lawyer friend Grayson. Together the three of them discuss quick favorites from this year’s NBA playoffs, do a special legal-themed edition of Ask OTC, rank the on/off chainness of various categories of things, play angsty music from Bleached, Fugazi, The Misfits, The Hotelier, PJ Harvey, and Teenage Bottlerocket, and share some immortal book wisdom from JD Salinger’s much beloved Holden Caulfield.
Links
Unchained Melodies: Angsty Edition
Book Wisdom
This week Dave shared a brief passage from J.D. Salinger’s classic coming-of-age novel The Catcher in the Rye.
Here’s the last of our 3-part year in review for 2016. In this episode we bring on our old buddy Spencer Gardner to talk about the year in sports. It’s pretty much only for the hardcore fans (there’s a lot of nerdy talk about the NBA, among other things), but we had fun. Happy New Year to you all. We’re really holding our breath for 2017 …
Leicester City, a provincial club who were nearly relegated in 2015, win the English Premier League, the wealthiest football league in the world. [Steel]
This week Dave and Steel are joined by Steel’s old friend Jack Bangerter to talk all things Summer Olympics. We talk about our lack of world-class talent, they also throw in a segment of small talk (this week featuring edible crayons, demonic chimpmunks, and metallic hydrogen) and then spend a solid 40 minutes reliving all the great moments from the Rio Olympics 2016 and suggesting some really outstanding improvements to the lineup of events for future games. We also present to you an Unchained Melodies made up of our ideal medal winning songs and bring to you some ancient Greek poetic Book Wisdom from Pindar, whose Olympic Odes are among the earliest records we have of athletic greatness. It’s a gold medal performance, this week, for sure.
Links
Small Talk
Mastery of these three topics are sure to make you the center of any late summer social gathering you might be lucky enough to attend. You’re welcome.
Edible Crayons! Examples here, here and here [Dave]
The battle over the “demonic chipmunk” in the Mississippi legislature. UPDATE: The Mississippi Supreme Court is on the case! [Steel]
I took an art class with Alev Kolter, and Kelsey Card was a student worker in our son’s daycare last year. Had no idea that either were Olympians until after the games ended, though. [Steel]
I met Michael Phelps at a karaoke bar. We sang The Turtles’ classic hit “So Happy Together.” I feel directly responsible for at least 5 gold medal perfomances. [Dave]
I accidentally stepped on Jeret “Speedy” Peterson’s finger once and he stood up and punched me in the face. It didn’t really hurt but it broke my sunglasses. I was wearing them indoors, so I guess all’s fair? Also, my uncle, mom’s sister’s husband, Jim Osborne won a bronze medal in the 1968 games in Mexico City.
Favorite Athletic Achievement
Simone Biles and Aly Raisman‘s total dominance of the women’s gymnastics all-around. [Steel]
Mongolian wrestler celebrating too early, gives up penalty point, and loses bronze medal. Coaches strip to protest. Crowd cheers “Mongolia, Mongolia” [Steel]
Dutch gymnast faceplants on high bar. Gets up and nails rest of routine. Heroic. [Steel]
Frank “The Gorilla Hulk” Molinaro–the most ‘jersey shore’ US athlete in Olympic history, got bitten while wrestling. He narrowly lost out on a Bronze medal to an Italian guy (born in Cuba) also named Frank (heart breaker) [Steel].
In this week’s episode Steel and Dave are joined by their old friend Spencer. It’s not exactly as timely as when we recorded it (thanks a lot for being a super quick editor, Steel!!!), but this episode is mostly dedicated to the recent NBA Finals, the gripping, seven game battle between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Dave, Steel, and Spencer recap their own greatest lifetime athletic achievements (lots of running, including Dave’s epic poop marathon), share some finals observations, discuss some of Spencer’s numerous NBA conspiracy theories, discuss the influence of pro wrestling and LeBron’s film watching habits on the course of this year’s title champions, name their favorite bench players and stadium characters, dig in to the historical roots of the Cavalier-Roundhead struggle, and offer some incredible ideas for improving the NBA playoffs in future years. We also suggest songs to replace Queen’s “We Are the Champions” as the go-to post-victory tune, and Steel shared some book wisdom, a dunking-inspired poem by his friend, the poet Josh Kalscheur.
Links
City of Meridian, Idaho’s POOP SCOOT 5K Run PosterPoop Scoot Fun Run!
Favorite Bench Guys
Kevon Looney, 45 year old catfisher posing as a 20 year old rookie from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
MOZGOV [Dwight Shrute without glasses?]
Generic dad Sasha Kaun
Channing Frye (because his face is 50% skinnier than the rest of his team
This week Dave and Steel welcome their old buddy Spencer back to the show. Together, the trio discusses their dream tattoos, the NBA playoffs, great moments in terrible officiating, the best sports gambling moments in life and film, share some monumental hidden tracks from Travis, Todd Snider, Cracker, The Beatles, Wilco, and Beck, and Dave shares some beautiful Andy Pafko/Bobby Thomson-related book wisdom from Don DeLillo.
This week Dave and Steel are joined by their old buddy Jordan to discuss the biggest news of the day. They cover sportsball (NBA PLAYOFFS! LEICESTER CITY!), as well as the most important questions facing this year’s voters as they seek to decide who should become the next president of the United States, share some aspirational music for several of the leading candidates from Beyonce, Pink Floyd, Bill Frisell, Eminem, Tim McGraw, and Neil Young, and Dave shares some beheading book wisdom from A Dance with Dragons, the fifth book in George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones fantasy epic.
It’s a shorter episode this week, but we’ll release a VERY SPECIAL POLITICAL ANNOUNCEMENT in the very near future, so hang tight for that. All we’re able to say for now is that it’s going to be shifting some tectonic plates, electorally speaking.
This week Dave and Steel are joined once again by Dave’s old neighbor Matt Brown. Together the trio discusses Matt’s vinyl collection, the best and worst American sports teams owners in recent memory, give their recommendations for book of the year, play great music by Pavement, Jonathan Candido, Andrew W.K., The Baseball Project, and Barrett Strong, and share book wisdom from Don DeLillo’s first novel, Americana.
Jim Dolan [NY Knicks]. Amazing musician, bizarre friendship with Isiah Thomas
Mikhail Prokhorov [Brooklyn Nets]. Just read this. Yikes.
Ozzie and Daniel Silna [Spirits of St. Louis]. These brothers and former ABA team owners worked out a deal guaranteeing them a fixed share of TV money in perpetuity for giving up their team. Best legal deal of all time?
This week Dave and Steel are joined by their friend Spencer. Together the trio discusses Steel and Spencer’s pickup basketball escapades, give reports on their recent reading (books by Thomas Pynchon, Dan Simmons, and Sabine Heinlein) and give each other new reading assignments (books by Frank Herbert, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Ignazio Silone, Brandon Sanderson, Daniel Kahneman, and Alexander Dolgun), Dave & Steel ask Spencer all their burning questions about urban planning and transportation issues, share great music by Dawn Landes, Saintseneca, Christopher Paul Stelling, Strand of Oaks, Adult Mom, and Konono No. 1, and drop a beautiful poetic tribute to fathers from the twentieth-century American poet Robert Hayden.
Links
Assigned Reading
For Dave:
Brandon Sanderson’s fantasy epic Warbreaker [from Steel]
Ignazio Silone’s classic Italian novel Bread and Wine [from Spencer]
For Spencer:
Israeli-American psychologist and behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow [from Steel]
Portland’s spending on bike infrastructure relative to the cost of 1 mile of urban freeway, as checked by Polifact.
Unchained Melodies
Dawn Landes — Straight Lines
Saintseneca — Or or No
Christopher Paul Stelling — Every Last Extremist
Strand of Oaks — Kill Dragon
Adult Mom — Survival
Konono No. 1 — Lufuala Ndongo
Book Wisdom
This week’s passage of Book Wisdom was Robert Hayden’s moving tribute to his father, the poem “Those Winter Sundays.” Fathers everywhere, we thank you.
This week Dave and Steel are joined by their old friend Spencer. The whole episode is sports themed, so brace yourself for some incredible wingspan and raw athleticism. They discuss Spencer and Dave’s impressions of the latest Fast & Furious film, the NBA sneaker landscape circa 1993, their favorite basketball video games, best basketball haircuts, the most prolific reproducers in NBA history, and their favorite sports friendships and rivalries. They also have a special sports-themed segment of Unchained Melodies, featuring songs by Belle and Sebastian, Public Enemy, Simon and Garfunkel, Skee-Lo, Camper Van Beethoven, and The Duckworth Lewis Method, and close the episode with some poetic reflections on the ignominy of the goalkeeper from the great, and recently deceased, Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano.
Links
Sports!
NBA Shoes
The spreadsheet made by 11 year old Steel to document what kind of sneakers NBA players wore in 1993, according to their basketball cards.
A list of sneaker brands currently worn by NBA players, from Hoopshype.
Thinking about buying a pair of Ewings? Check out their latest models.
Favorite Basketball Video Games
Dr. J vs. Larry Bird
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o9l9a0XWiY
NBA Jam
NBA Live 1995
Favorite NBA Hair Cuts
Complex Sports has produced several really outstanding lists of NBA things, including the 50 ugliest haircuts of all time.
