¶ Podcast Intro and One-Handed Musician
🔇 Silence
It's seven o'clock. Do you know where your freedom is? Do you want this? I said, do you want this? But if you want to transcend the game,
🎵 Music
Your mind and your body have to be in sync.
🎵 Music
How hard you're willing to work.
🎵 Music
I'm never good enough
So you're gonna have to ask yourself
What am I willing to sacrifice?
Sacrifice.
Want this.
What do you want to know? Everything!
And show me.
You know, you will a little bit like a friend of mine. Oh from Cincinnati. Yeah. But he's learning like...
A living offshore account?
¶ Friend's Journey and Father's Passing
I'm sure he does. I mean that's partly this is my friend who's a drummer and bassist who has only one hand.
Wait. Either I'm having one of those moments where you've just described him very well to me. But I also feel like I have to do that. One handed musician. Either in Columbus or in Cincinnati'cause I've played plenty of shows
He may have been in a band that went to
Yeah. And they were and they were called lefty, but I figured anybody that's that's a one-handed musician has a chance.
But they would play gigs and I would g I mean I would go sometimes with my girlfriend's cover band'cause she that's the band that she was with, it was some cover band, they would do gigs all around and I would go with them and then she would later on and he was in it and and uh Adam was in it and yeah, they would go all around that kinda area between You know, Cincinn that whole hub Cincinnati to Columbus, Dayton, you know to Indianapolis.
You know, into northern Kentucky, you know, that whole kinda
Who played guitar?
Summer and bases.
Yeah, I'm I'm confident. I feel like I'm gonna send some people.
I will see if I can find a picture of him. And I'm once I find one, I will send it to you.
Yeah.
It will be very funny. If you two did cross paths and it wouldn't surprise me because that musical scene Isn't very big. Ohio. Yeah, Ohio. There are a lot of music. But it seemed to be everybody kind of
And he has a beard or had a beard.
Yeah, he has a beard and um I guess as he started losing his hair he just shaved all of it. And he you all of a sudden had a smile that it was yeah, he just never had a mo But no, I think he maybe just had a like a tennis ball yellow green like Shaved shaved like closely shaved head for a while a little bit. See, you don't look as much like him with.
Since you clearly like him more than you like me, I
No, my hat back. That's a compliment because I like him a lot. He's one of my friends from that area that you know, I still like and you know, he moved away as did I. It was always my plan to move away.
¶ Saying Goodbye and FOIA Request
Anyway, I was gonna say um And then my dad got sick and died. says that October of twenty four I did get to go down there and kind of visit with him. I mean, he was on oxygen But mobile oxygen, you know, or portable he could do that. I'm glad I got to spend s at least some'cause there he did get a little bit better towards the end. And um even though I was back up here at the time, the he was in a like Catholic run facility and the had nun that runs it.
had an iPhone and my stepmother wasn't there. This was in in the morning and it I'm so happy it was the day I was working from home and not in the office. And anyway she had an iPhone and so she was able to FaceTime me. and I was able to talk to my father right before and while he took his Final breath. That meant a lot. And it wasn't like it was sudden. I mean he had been in ill health for for a while. But he made it to eighty. So there was that. I kinda n expected it
October. Yeah. I was like I it was I knew it was a matter of time, but I don't know that on a funny note. My'cause you know my dad worked for the government. And he was in the National Guard. Well he was my roommate when I first moved to New York. But he and I have known each other. Since nineteen ninety, okay. Like I went to Russia with him and
you know, like he's gone he went down to Mobile with me like a couple of times. Like one time was during Maudigra and we were in a parade and with my mom well helped her with her clown and stuff. But anyway something that uh just tickled me about Adam. As he my father passes away, he's like 'Cause my father's government and military stuff, he's like, Well now we can file that Freedom of Information Act Requests that we've always wanted
my dad was so I'm totally gonna do it. I'm like, yeah, I wanna know. Um
¶ Life Updates: Work, Wedding, Art Classes
We can go on then. I think I'm pretty caught up you know it's I'm in a toxic work environment. So sometime we can talk the movie No Other Choice and Corporations and My Fucking Job. I don't even want to think about it right now. And mom's doing it.
My uh little sister got married.
¶ Teaching Art at the Museum
In North Carolina, was gonna go, but then I was Yeah, I don't know if you knew that I I teach art classes at the museum now. My thang. Well when I first started there I just kind of sat in the We've got a area on the first floor uh just past the cat hallway. Cat art, photographs, sculpture, Um at the end of the hallway we've got we've got all different kinds of Make up. No fire, no glitter. There's basically the only things you can't. And I
It just I tell ya.
Um so yeah when I first started there that I just Was a person in the room? Background checked person. I mean and me. Uh children love me. Uh weird old ladies love. Uh so I just sort of started helping a teacher our boss got hurt, so she was pretty much So it was just me and her for most of the big group of homeschool kids. Social time, field trips would come in. Do something something.
¶ Art Class Challenges and COVID Concerns
And then Last sight. I will not call myself a teacher because I but I'm one of the main education. Um today Ninety kids.
Um All at once.
No, split into two groups.
Uh
But usually it's it's more like a private school number of kids. There's you know
But but still I'm saying
With art.
Or cracked class. Yeah. Even you need a slightly more contained Group.
Exactly.
Just to control like accident.
And these were third grade.
Okay.
Um but anyway I work with a bunch of And uh br shortly before I might have been exposed to COVID. And I was sitting there, I was like, I really don't think you know, it was within the window where it might not show up on a test. I was like, So am I gonna go fly? To a wedding, said Am I gonna be that guy? And I I mean the only person I really Really stressed out but I just I was like, Hey, this is what's up. I'm thinking I Are you okay with that? And I mean you still wouldn't have gone.
But I just wanted to do that. She's like, Yeah, don't please. Please don't come. And I was like fine, great. I feel great.
Yeah.
¶ Mom's Reaction and Political Shift
My mom When you uh it came to mind a little bit. She is refounding. She sent me a text like the next day.
She said.
Five in the morning. We have four or five in the morning. Your sister told me That sounds like something. Like one thing You know I hate this person, so you know doing is gonna make the happen.
Yeah.
And second What the fuck do you mean? Totally good.
Exactly. With COVID.
He wouldn't.
That's the truth. Yeah, okay. That's kinda this brings me to A pol another political Here in New York City.
¶ Political Candidates and Class Disparity
Okay. Recently I was with girlfriend that the one I was with here and um Sylvia She's more Okay. registered democrat but more moderate. Like her mo her Ecuadorian mother. And e and she told her not to, like that kind of thing. Okay. Well so Sylvia, I'm with her'cause we're gonna go like to the movie. after my birth. We're out there by Union Square, which was new near the movie theater. And like a few days a week they set up like farmers market and like different vendors sell things.
They have routinely have a booth of like Mandani stuff up there. So I went over and Like I want to buy, you know, a tote bag. And I buy an I buy one, whatever, bodega cats for Zoaran. And you know within in like the design and like colors and every re and they were all reasonable prices, everything that was there, you know, good variety and There was like no justice on stolen land type stuff was there too. You know, it after I bought the tote bag and we're walking to the theater.
Sylvia says to me I don't like Mondani. He's from a rich family. I didn't say it at the time. I bit I knew she won she voted for Cuomo. Totally not Super Rich fan. And that's what I was thinking to myself on the subway ride home later. I'm like, I could have made several arguments against this. One You voted for Cuomo. His daddy was gov a former governor of New York State. They're both multimillionaires, okay?
Plus, he had the backing of several billionaires, including our former mayor, Michael Bloomberg. The groping that and the whole covet controversy and then on the other hand, you look at Mandani I mean, he's not perfect, but he's not from a rich background. His parents are academics. Like
All the academic elites that run this country.
You mean tenure exists. That's like a cap on I mean, even if you go to a different school to teach. You'd never get that much of a raise if you ever do. 'Cause you usually have to work your way back up to get tenure. You know, that's just how the system works. And his mother being a filmmaker, making independent films. You certainly don't make money they and they didn't pay his way into college. Like he got scholarships, like'cause he studied. Like and so I you know, I got my tote back.
I guess this was maybe Monday? I was coming home from work and one of my neighbors on my floor, he saw my bag in the elevator. And he's g you know, we're getting out on the same floor and he's like I ha I had to tell him where the stand was'cause he's like, I've been wanting something. Like some somebody appreciates But Cracking up that You know, I just go I go into work and physer
think at least six floors. Cause it's their corporate headquarters. It it's at least six floors. Anyway, um, but then there are This is like In my building and right next to it. Like, so I'm sporting that little bag like around all that.
¶ Eastern State Penitentiary Tour
Screw you. Yeah, I mean like when my mom and I went for we did like a long weekend trip for my birthday in twenty four. We went to Philly and What did we do on my birthday? What did Vanessa want to do on her birthday? Because I'm that person. I wanted to visit. The eastern state penetratory. Yeah, it was very fascinating. Um We went on a tr a regul like a regular Like haunted You could it's definitely give you the heebie jeebies'cause it's And the way it's built is just very off.
The only cell that they have. preserved like kinda or that they've preserved and like is intact is where Al Capone was kept. And
A banjo at that time?
It's just crazy uh it was used up until the nineteenth seventy. And there are elementary schools right by it. So that if inmates were in the yard, they could ha hear children having re But the solitary confinement cells there Everything was premature. when they I mean, when they like the way that they had it, it was they would put bags over your head there and like move you. Anytime you were being moved in between like between
public areas or stuff so because they didn't want inmates to see each other or potentially plan escape and get the lay of to you know the land. It's kind of meant to confuse. But initially when it was started, like women, children, and even some animals were locked up there. There is a story of one dog that was locked up. and it became a mascot for the prison. Um, because it bit the mayor.
Like on multiple occasions. It's it was a very interesting tour, especially since the guy who led it had been incarcerated himself. My name is John Johnson, but everyone here calls me Vicky. Not there. He was he was younger guy, but he at least had experience of being behind bars in including solitary confinement. I was glad that we had someone who That could give that insight.
¶ Justice System and Movie Introduction
You've always been as long as I've known.
The criminal and justice system, as we say. Yeah. Oh I have notes about that.
As you would,
I well I didn't realize I hadn't watched the movie until I realized oh this has been on my to-do list until I watched For getting me to watch it now. Um, I already had some ideas ahead of time that I Thought might I saw the tree.
¶ Discussing 'Him' and Sports Patriotism
Okay, we're are we gonna start talking about it?
Sure, whenever.
I had I had not heard of it until I saw that it was And Amanda said, Well, why don't we watch this?
It's all poor.
Horror movie that people say is supposed to be good, and Jordan Peele has something to do with it. That's all I knew.
He's a producer. What was that the last movie we talked about? Candyman?
Yes, that was a monkey paw.
He did not direct that. Stepping on your toes. No no no. It was supposed to have an amped up top. I mean'cause America fuck yeah. That was the first thing I thought when the film opens.
Jet flyover.
Blue, exactly, with the stars in stripes like graphics and everything. America particularly with football, they do it with some other sports. You know, they always say Baseball's America's pastime. I don't feel the media and fans get us hyped about it. like in the same patriotic way as they do about foot I'm talking American.
US American.
US Americans. I'm not talking Canadian Americans. I would go maybe high. Or curling. Yeah. Other people like Central and South America. More like actual football. But interestingly enough, American sports are invading parts of central and south. Like I was surprised when I went to Ecuador to s see Well, there was a certain amount of NFL stuff. Bye. a lot of NBA and is someone who basketball is my primary sport. I know I know that stuff.
But it's just I knew like recognized like all these different players and the different teams and it wasn't even just one team.
¶ CTE and Football's Dark Side
But American football. You said you hadn't seen this movie or the trailer.
I had not seen it.
No one. On Peacock, if you look on Peacock, which is where I streamed it, I don't know if where you streamed.
Yeah, I saw it on
They have like the rating low on there.
They do.
And I know this wasn't as commercially successful as other Jordan Peel projects, whatever which whatever, that doesn't necessarily mean anything. But... I think still it you know, it has its its definite merits, you know, as a film. But when it comes to American football and this can happen in any sport,'cause I had it happen to me Playing floor hockey. Of course I shouldn't I needed a helmet in any protected gear at all.
hockey pot to the head, to the face, knock you unconscious. That's never a good thing. Um but I just think with American football there's such a discussion about C T E. Isn't that what concussion?
I forget what it all stands for, but something
Concussive traumatic.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Yeah. Gotcha. Progressive degenerative brain disease. I think I saw something Oh like ninety something percent.
I know someone who died there. who was who used to play for the New York G and I mean my mom Was I I mean I only met him really. But my mom was like friends with done in Alabama'cause that's where he ended up retiring. And and I mean like this you know, before It's like he ended up with kinda really the suffering from it. Which it was almost like he had Alzheimer's. And but he was in a clear enough headspace where he knew that he had this.
And he said after I die I want my brain to be studied. There's such the debate. a main s became a mainstream discussion because it wasn't it was it wasn't like we all of a sudden scientists like they been doing research on it for years. You know, in fact The first or one of the first um researchers It was a black man and he's was the one who gave it the name. Yeah. Off hand, I cannot remember his name. I can barely remember what the the the condition is. Um,'cause they didn't ha write that down.
¶ Youth Sports and Concussion Risks
It's just the debate about Do you put a child into a sport? Where They can get tackled or have a I mean and I also want to ask you this. Darren as a parent. Now granted he looks in the pictures like he's pretty padded and well guarded.
Tends to be a lower occurrence than
I was gonna ask.
Uh yeah, it it tends to be lower in goalies and it tends to be lower in I knew that's a good thing. Yeah. I think I mean it's not like perfectly safe, but I even one time he played flag football for a And he said, This shit is too rough. Which is a weird thing to say.
No, actually that makes sense to me.
So he's it it is a concern Uh his mom really didn't want him to play football. Um and she's I mean, she's more concerned than I am with hockey and everything like that, but He gets slammed out. So less often. And if anybody gets close, it's still at this age, you get close to the goalie, somebody is grabbing you, shoving you. So it it it is like
Yeah.
We definitely got him. The top notch goalie parent complaining where your most successful
He uh
I wish he would wear the throat dangler, but he wears a padded.
But I figured you would, um, knowing you as a parent. But uh I wanted to ask like how hockey compares and particularly for youth hockey. Um, I know that even youth Very easy to get concussion.
The same with Lacra yeah, exactly. Uh he's They don't have a boys lacrosse team at his school, they do have a girls.
probably because they probably don't have a girls football.
No, they don't have either football team. They have a baseball team. uh which I think is co ed. They've got two soccer teams. His hockey, even though we have NHL players that won't be They don't have a hockey team yet. But there are So many hockey teams. Yeah. So comparing with with the football y with youth youth hockey.
¶ Sports Injuries and Career Impact
Yeah. Main question. I would say he's been playing hot.
Really I hadn't heard about
So uh But he's been playing uh this this was his Which is a step up, you know, it's when they add the He was playing in a house league before. But in the five or six years. One kid on his way.
And he took the
Good. I mean I I'm glad time rather than running back, which that's uh a point I had wanted to bring up about this movie. And Athletes and If you've seen black swan like dancers. And I used to dance but I can say this as someone who I did play mostly basketball little soccer, but I ran cross country My senior year of high school and that ended it all for me. I had to have reconstructive surgery in my ankle and that basically ended my dancing career.
sports, like, even now That was I mean that was in I don't know, nineteen eighty-nine that I had that surgery. And even now I still have problems and uh and physic and am physically limited. I I their career can easily be ended. by some sort of injury. And and I had pushed myself too many times on a sprained like or twisted ankle. And like I had coaches like tell me, I don't care if you're injured.
Just go. And I'm like, it's gonna make it worse. They didn't care. They didn't wanna hear. They thought I was making an excuse. I'm like, You do not understand Especially because I already had a history of I knew when I sprained my ankles the time they needed to heal. Yeah. Didn't make the mentality didn't make sense to me. I I mean, I don't know. It wasn't something I was gonna do competitively, or nor did I really enjoy it that much. So there wasn't even that.
But Yeah, it was it was like wasn't worth it but what if it What if it were something that it had been my dream and you know I had wanted to become some sort of professional act?
¶ Athlete Pay and Gender Equality
You know, or dancer or what then I injure myself. We talk about People will talk about athletes and I guess make fun of the fact or belittle them. Complain. Um these athletes are being paid so much?
Paid to play a game.
Paid to p you're paid to play a game and they're talking and and what gets me is Keep in mind there's not equal equal pay here on this. Women sport. Get the same But we've been making gains. I mean, like just recently the WNBA with collective bargaining agreement. And thanks to like Brianna Stewart from the New York Liberty. I mean, like, she was one of the people who in the league who helped create that offseason league unrivaled.
just so that those players didn't have to go go through what Brittany Greiner went through and go overseas you know, to get a paycheck during the off season the WNBA because their regular salary wasn't that much. Well now You know okay, sure the unrivaled off season league Was formed, but the regular WNBA through collective bargaining, um they got this deal so that like the starting salaries are like a minimum of six figure. I think Very meager amount, like twenty five.
I mean like thirty thousand. It was insult i I mean it was a really small amount for beginning and don't quote me on the exact uh numbered. But it was it was just kind of like no w no wonder you had to go to overseas in the off season. and like try to make money because these overseas leagues would pay larger amounts of money. And so you could save some of it for when you come back here. you know, for your regular team and because it's also they've proven by now.
They can get the butts in the seats, said You know, mainstream media is starting to take notice. Like showing more of these kind of things. Same with women. You know, Megan Rapino wanna like me a ham. Like they were some of the women doing that. Because especially after the past couple of World Cups, the women's World Cup team has gotten more audience. sold more tickets than the men's teams. Like a ma it's really it because the men's team were losing so much. The women were winning. You know?
Just keeps going with sports. Like I don't know as much about European soccer or
Yeah.
Her wife.
They play But uh, you know, all the pretty much all the uh women Olympia uh'cause what that league I think was the first. Some of the most successful hockey players.
It's like there's now um is it women's baseball or women's professional? They're getting a pro league. Like it's gone from like it's no longer just okay, you stop at coffee.
¶ NCAA Athlete Compensation Changes
And that was something else that I was thinking about with this movie. You have all these deals and things dangled in front of you. if you're a uh big time athlete or, you know, that's up and coming, like as a robot. And if you're in college i it was for years, you know, if you in engaged in NCAA sport, you couldn't earn money. And the schools could make so much money. It was disgusting.
Like they'd make so much money on these plays and the athletes weren't seeing a cent of it until they went pro, if they could go pro. Uh You know what I mean? Or until they got out of the school and just retire like stopped playing sports completely. But thankfully they changed that, I mean So that those players can make money while they're in NCAA sport. It's their name and likeness that these'cause that that money was going to the school.
Yeah. Right.
¶ Sports as Religion and Cult Imagery
inappropriate gifts or whatever. And that yeah, with this movie, I know we I feel like we're being a little spoiler avoidant because people that haven't watched it yet because it was somewhat uh panned by a handful of people From what I understand, Studio choices? Yeah, it touches. A lot of that stuff, the dual imagery of religion and cult and
Alright.
Owners.
Well and now sometimes I mean there are people who refer to like football as religion. And I'm I mean like and I grew up mostly in Alabama and there you are either for Alabama or Auburn. And I re this is how outrageous. I have members of my family who were such gung ho Alabama families. and one of my cousins, he's a few year a few years older than me, but he would be wearing these Auburn pajamas. you know and Like his dad liked Auburn.
You know, the kid also liked the colors of Auburn better. Like he wanted blue and orange instead of, you know, Alabama crimson tie, you know. Red and white.
And
He wanted the tiger logo. He didn't want the elephant logo of Alabama. You know, I get it. It appeals for a kid. But I had members of my family that were for so for Like University of Alabama that Any time they would see my cousin wearing those pajamas, they would just Like hurl insults and say all this stuff like nasty stuff to him, you know, because he liked Auburn. It was it's like Is so ridiculous that kind of rivalry is so ridiculous down there. And I know there are plenty of places.
You know. Um And
It's
¶ Movie Themes: Race and Exploitation
It's just it seems with football. And this film really Like amps it up and brings it it ha it really hammers How it can be held. And I think even just by naming the film him. I mean th that's not a spoiler. You get that and if you saw the trailer ahead of time I stopped and Seeking out trailers for movies like years ago. Because I don't they show too much in trailers sometimes and I don't want to be spoiled. Sure I want to be interested, but I don't want to be want things to be spoiled.
the what I had seen in the theaters as a trailer for it. did pique my interest, but it which was good and I also knew that I would visu I f I would find it visually interesting because of the cinematography in part. Um African and Native American imagery. There was a point in here Where did I write this down and was thinking about So many sports team professional sports. owned by white have white owners. Um or eight. Kind of running. seem you know, running the game. Most of the athletes
are people of color. Definitely not all, but I'm just saying it's a disproportionate amount. And It r and one and even once you get to like the dress. in all of these kinds of things. It just reeks of slavery and colonization.
What and the the combine uh yeah, the draft
Yes.
¶ Broadcaster Issues and Sports Capitalism
And I mean yeah, sports symbolism and the weight of the feelings of the people in power within it. How often even now is there a broadcaster Ridicul that they should not have said. Especially For people to hear, let alone think it in their head.
I mean like how long did it take before Brent Musberger? Watch sports all the time, but I watch enough, and uh you know, I was aware enough of him announcing. Especially because like, you know, I watch basketball. Just like oh my god, like no wonder. He ended up being fired. for like sexual harassment and other kind of things. Like just the like the shit that he said but And even like I mean some of the stuff Howard counts. Kinda racist. Yeah.
Yeah.
For back then it was kinda racist. Uh now I would hate to hear it. They just let him retire.
Over ninety percent uh M FL and M. Fort Worth stuff. So yeah, it's the exploitation of the labor of others, it's capitalism, it's America
¶ Athlete Agents and Financial Exploitation
Oh it certainly is all about who can make the most me the most amount of money and you really they don't have the handlers, the trainers the coaches, you know, the managers, agents, whatever, they don't necessarily have the person's best interest in mind. As part of my job, you know, I I deal with agents and managers all the time. It like it's a regular thing. And and I've had I mean and I've worked
managers for big name celebrities like and athletes over the years since I've done it. Uh You know, and on super bowl spots on Olympic spots. Um I was really busy, let me put it this way, in January and February. It did kind of s they at least started trickling in in December, but It really got to be crazy. from early January, but um You know, I Sit there and Talk on the phone. like an e you know
involved emails and all this stuff with some of these athletes managers before. Even though that's technically I shouldn't be the one doing it. It should be The agency that because I'm kind of like a third party company that I work for that works with multiple ad agencies. And so it's supposed to be the What do you call it? The um the client the ad agencies doing this themselves but sometimes you just end up getting pulled into things And s I'm patient to a vault.
And having worked in theater, I can tell you I know I know just how to deal with the egos and um the temperament. Of both uh talent and um management. You know, their managers. Which I get it. I mean, the the talent wants to get paid for their work just like I wanna get paid for my nine to five job job. I mean
Just eight hours in a day, but day in a perfect world I do. And um still Just because you work I mean, that's no different if you work on one commercial than you know, that you wanna be paid for your work. And I if a your celebrity appearing in you know, in a commercial and it's like an endorsement deal Those can be multi million dollar deals. Like some of the money that's spent on celebrity talent, you know, particularly for athletes when it comes to like Super Bowl and Olympic time.
For l like the endorsement deals. They you know. and what after around the time of whatever specific sports season, you know. I've got commercials for hockey I get that the the talent wants to get paid and Sometimes sometimes These endorsement deals. is where they can make more money. Bye. the agents or the I mean the managers sometimes can just be so difficult and then or just be so greedy about the whole situation that they're worrying about more
what they get than what the talent gets. Because sometimes I mean I've had there have been situations where there have been entire talent agencies, you like companies. That represent all kinds of like actors and athletes and I've seen where We've sent checks or you know, wired funds. to the talent agency or management and they just haven't given that to the talent or the athletes.
And like the union has had to go in and close those, you know, companies down and not allow and like ban them from doing business anymore. Um, you know, and then there's all these lawsuits with the you know people from the commercials. And I'm saying this this happened not just to small actors in commercials like this has happened to like b behooves the management, you know, to look out for their talent there, you know
¶ Agent Fees and Movie Relevance
They're eight they're athlete, whatever. But there's some pretty Still because industry standard He's supposed to be an agent gets ten percent. A manager gets fifteen percent. If you have both, that means you have twenty five percent taken out. Like, I think You know, there are some celebrity actors. Who might have both you know. And so but then there are certain, you know, sports management, you know, agents that
There's only, you know, there's not an additional agent. It's just, you know, but I guess they take out me Since it's not having to put in an extra per you know. group of people. It's um But yeah, I mean I thought about that. Because my job, you know, I do like I said, deal with all you know, agents and managers all the time and Uh with athletes, they can sometimes and I'm thinking of one in particular and I won't say it. Um Because like certain details, like specific details.
I will say it was so From last year's Super Bowl and It was someone in the athletic world. That was in the commercial. And I ended up having to deal with their manager. That's all I'll say. It was a much more involved situation. actually negotiating the contracts with these people. Like that kind of thing because I know the I see sometimes the red line contracts like after they'd gone back and forth so many times and
you know, what it takes to get to a certain consensus, you know. But yeah, I mean I've had my fair share of the NFL. had to pay and that I do pay on a Some good, some not so good. But I I have experiences of both that I could talk about, but I again can't talk about
But you had a lot of two real life experience. your interpretation of the characters.
Correct. And I but I also I knew, you know, obviously going in Again, I had seen the trailer, but I didn't want to see any extended trailers or, you know, anything I'cause I didn't want to spoil it more than I saw in the movie theaters. Which thankfully they didn't spoil it. The trailers I saw in the movie theater,'cause sometimes like they initially don't spoil anything, then they'll put out another trailer and then it Fuck, they've spoiled it, you know, or something at that point. Um
I don't understand that. Yeah, I mean I knew I had I w would have my job experience that I could it bring to the movie For Because I knew There would be the component of of agents or managers.
¶ Movie Impressions and Body Horror
involved um in the athlete situation. Uh Because that was shown in the trailer. Where he's talking to his um his agent at one point. Um Ciao! I knew there was at least gonna be that was gonna come up. This does have a lot more going for it. In my opinion. I know. I can see where some people might be
🔇 Silence
turned off by it. For me it's this kind of It's got these Full core body horror elements that I like. You know.
¶ Critique of Modern Movie Runtimes
Sounds like you liked the movie.
I did I didn't love it, but I was I was it's been a while since I've seen a movie. that was a nice hour and a half. You know, and I felt like that was the right length of time. I mean, sure maybe you could have added another five minutes. Wouldn't have been a big deal, but we're fine without it. Um I just don't know when we've gotten to the point where every movie Has to be
I'm fine sometimes with a two-hour movie, but not every movie needs to be two hours. Certainly, why are we at two and a half, three hour movies? I don't get it. It doesn't make sense that you not everything that's like an epic. You know, Killers of the Flower Moon was three hours. But that was an epic of a book and they left things out from the book. They did. I mean I love the book. And they did do I mean the movie they they did do it justice. Marty did it.
Although I think deca he was too old for the role when he If he had played it ten years prior, maybe twenty years prior, it's just because he looks so much older. You know, um it which I know we all age, but it was like he was playing a character that was significantly younger. And it was like I'm confused. It i you know, it was just like he Perfect cast. Um, I love her anyway. Um, but Yeah, I mean
🔇 Silence
It was just uh That kind of thing deserves a three hour movie, you know, but There's so many things that are even just like two and a half hours now and I'm like, I don't understand why it would be I'm like, when did we stop editing?
¶ Horror Film Length and Character Depth
You're you're definitely right because For me, there's n absolutely no reason horror needs to be really shouldn't be longer than an hour and forty-five minutes. Like that's pushing it. No, I mean unless you have a I know some I I like slow burns sometimes, but you have to have a really You have to have a day like a hereditary. And that wasn't even two hours.
Just over two hours, I think.
Oh was it?
Yep, two hours and seven minutes. That probably counts the crap.
But still, there's a lot going on in it. And you didn't feel like it was two hours or allegedly over two hours while you were there. I saw it in the theater. I saw it at home. I mean, like, doesn't
I don't even think mid summar went past two and a half.
That was longer I n than than two, I know, but yeah, I it certainly wasn't two and a half. But now it's like It's far too many things are over. We just mentioned hereditary midsomar. Horror movie. have more going on to them. They're they're much more three, four dimensional, if y if you even want to say it. There's so much going on in those movies. and all the characters feel so
Formed.
That it doesn't feel like that's why it doesn't feel like it's dragging because you wanna know what's going what's w what uh it's gonna happen next with this character. Even if they're a side character.
This was mostly Myr uh Marlon Wayans and uh Tyreek. Uh whatever his name is. Cameron Cade.
Yeah, I see a white.
¶ Julia Fox and Character Portrayal
What is she supposed to be?
And just general like influence. kinda that crowd, but she's yeah, very Gweneth and the influencers. I mean I love that I heard from the They were talking about they actually listen to the audio her audio book. Of her memoir. And she reads it. And They were like singing its praises'cause she's apparent I mean, like I didn't know a lot about her. I knew she was a model and They're like, she led such a crazy life.
Wild like growing up and everything and as an adult and uh to where she is now, it's kind of like it made it sound really interesting and so I ended up I listened to it and I mean it's not a very long, you know, book, but I was I was very impressed, I have to say. And she
has had a certainly a crazy life. I mean like I think she was emancipated, like at a young age because her parents were pretty like negligent and that kind of thing and lived all over like the world before You know, like all over Europe and all No, it's definitely all over. Europe, uh in addition to the But um Yeah, she uh she was partly making fun of like like the ditzy like
Personality that sometimes people think she is. Like she see she even brought it up in her book. She's really smart at Um And um but she was So it wouldn't surprise me if some of it was things that were almost like she just was playing around an improv, like, what about if I did this? What if I did th you know? Um just because, you know, it really was a very much A cardboard cutout. It was a three dimensional cardboard cut out. Like One of the a cardboard cutout insane.
When I say that I mean like it was three dimensional in showing someone who is very Yeah. But she was still a formed fully formed enough character that you felt like she felt real to you. Didn't I love the cat up there.
¶ Athlete Relationships and Public Image
Yeah, Wednesday she's giving me the evil in the eye now. Talking saying her name. Ever since I set up the mic and was trying to get, you know, settled, she's like jumped away. Of course. Fizzle fizzle. Hence her name. Um but yeah, so I I loved it. It was like Julia Fox really amped up that.
Yeah, the the cookie cutter league issued sport water.
Yes. Doesn't sound different to me, but doesn't mean it isn't on your
Cas sabotaged and she is now just rolling around She did not distract me from you talking. Julia Fox cares.
No, you're absolutely right though. Like the trophy wife who's gonna be there, whatever and it's usually a model. you know, sometimes it's a singer or an actress You know, although it's funny now you've Certain female athletes. With male athletes. Mm-hmm. Like Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty. She's married um a football player. Um I think he's
And then with the new in the well, in the case of the New York Liberty, you have a married couple on the team. Which the WNBA actually tries to if there are like if there's a couple, they try to keep them on the same team. Doesn't always that they stay on the same team. There are trades, do you know how that goes. But at least there's one league.
¶ High-Profile Athlete Romances
Doing that. Um
Butch.
Oh, right, her husband replied.
Yeah, I didn't know what team he was.
I think he was on'cause Amanda will watch NFL occasionally. She was more into it before she got
Yeah. And now she I mean, she watches more s different sports than I do. She watches a lot of European football and Premier League and stuff like that. But
So that's all I think. Watching for the most part. Yeah, he was he was on the Bears. Uh I think no He still plays, but I like I feel like he's kind of Simone Biles' husband. Her being his wife.
I know. Well and it's kinda like you had the one um player Was it on the sea hog? Who was uh engaged to Cardi B and just and she just had their baby and then like right after the Super Bowl she broke up with I'm I'm kind of like I'm sure she had her reasons, but she's obviously she's got plenty of You know you do you girl, whatever. It's
She probably knew already beforehand that Didn't want to throw that wrench out.
¶ Music, Politics, and Capitalism
But yeah, i i it is kind of I I enjoy I am not a tailor. But I like that. She is way more famous and Pop music is popular.
I mean there's certain But I mean I've gotten into like like Chapel Roan. I actually saw her last year. But of course that's a little different. I mean, she's openly queer and you
Yeah.
Yeah, politically active. Exactly. Um And She started You know, multiple like non profits You know, uh same like with Rapper Dochy. Um, Billy Eilish. I mean, like you're seeing These people being outspoken about politics and this kind of thing. Um like dance music to some extent because I mean I w I was a dancer for many years, so I would listen to a lot of different kinds of music. Just whatever I could dance And so I've really gotten into Charlie Xiao.
few years. Like I had liked some of her stuff a along the way, but didn't necessarily realize it was her. You know? One of those kind of things. Because I'd hear the song and I'm like, Oh, I really like that but I wouldn't hear the name of the artist with it or see where it was, like if it was on streaming or something. Um, just randomly. And her movie The Moment, um that's one that could be a political Yeah, that came out that we're going to be able to do
I'll write that down.
'Cause you're talking about capitalism in the sport. That is partially the music.
¶ Taylor Swift, Kelce, and Sports Marketing
that you see. Um but anyway, back to him. Yeah, it's like the how they look in public and, you know, they try to get them set up with Different people in South. I mean... For goodness sake. Travis Kelsey and Taylor Swift. I know.
Would believe it.
Yeah, I unfortunately know about this. Because his mother gave an interview. He brought up the fact that he had a crush on her and or something. And so Mama Kelsey. reached out to Taylor Swift's mom. Whatever this is a personal thing, my own conspiracy on the that relationship. 'cause I don't give them long if they get married. They actually get married. I don't even know if that wedding's gonna happen. But if it does I
Okay.
There's a little too media man And not that I'm not one of these people who doesn't want people like Sure, why not have happiness? I want to have happiness.
Yeah.
But
As a person who comes from the marketing world.
picking up. Exactly. That's part of it. It I see that and Some of it just it's like The influencers. These Instagram feeds their TikTok whatever, they're so carefully carefully curated.
You know.
with whatever has come to the press and all this stuff. And yeah, it's just The media interest. and the storyline of athletes. It's very financial. It's not just entertainment. They've got a financial stake.
That's big business.
Yeah, that's, I mean... Like I'm saying. for these teams like professional teams getting the butts and seats You know, whatever. Athletes getting endorsement deals, you know, the agents getting their cuts. You know, there's so much at stake. what lengths people will go to for that. In part because of the greed behind it.
¶ Green Bay Packers Ownership and Family
Um which is one reason Even though I'm not a Football fan US American. I will say, I will always say, if people say what's your favorite team, I will say the Green Bay Packers. And I will tell you why. You probably know. What do you think it is? Exactly.
And who doesn't own it?
Exactly. They're communally owned. Well and I have a cousin that went to school. From preschool. All the way through yeah, twelfth grade. Oh in California.
I he seems like a like he has an intellect
He's always just kind of been an asshole. Um And just has never. treated most people around him. Cousin was never the closest of friends with him, but they I guess they did hang out for a while. Um He left you know. Lost touch.
Yeah.
No tears, no tears lost, you know, you know, shed over there.
¶ Athlete Salaries and PEDs in Sports
But um Yeah, it's just the ma uh the money that ha that drives it all, it's just so frustrating and and especially when you see Certain players like this is and this is one thing that frustrates me with the Yankees. is I see some of the salaries that they give some of their players that I mean like for so long, the ones that they were giving, like A Rod and that kind of thing, you know, and here they were, like, at the center of all these like steroid scandals.
And all of this stuff. And it's like, wait a minute, they're not deserving, you know, but that I was also gonna bring. Forin's enhancing drugs are not anything new, unfortunately. Um they there there was talk about that I remember back in the eighties at the Olympics. You know, I think that's the first time I was aware of Like some of that but and I wasn't I didn't know that much about like wrestling at that time.
So I didn't know about the steroids how they had invaded that space. I mean I s Who'll just Didn't look it just didn't look right. I knew that. You know, I just knew it didn't look right. But I didn't know like death that it went to. Like the abuse. And that kind of drugging like with performance enhancing drugs. That kind of abuse. in often the physical abuse That can be placed on an athlete.
¶ Isolation and Abuse in Sports Training
And you know, just like I was saying, the way they have to play through injuries and then you'll end up injuring yourself so much that you just it ruins your career. Even just the way in this movie He's going out to This training place. Training ranch. And how it's so isolated. It made me think of The Coroli ranch. Down in Texas,
Well Bayla, Corolla, the gym.
Yeah, that used to train the US gymnastics team and Larry Nasser was down there. And how the sexual abuse then was rampant because that in addition to physical abuse occurred. I mean those kids that were, you know, training as gymnasts were being starved. Like they were being worked ungodly hours without being given food. Like that's a different that's a reverse.
You know.
Do all these things but they were st they still, yeah, work through your injuries and that kind of thing. And that was another th that was one extent like you want to take away distractions. Sure, take away your phones. There's a Point where How isolated is isolated is How much do you trust? All the people. around you. Do they ha again, do they have your best interest at
¶ Youth Sports Camps and Isolation
Yeah, that is a great point and something that I was considering Um the Yeah. Regular hockey and spring hockey. Camps. Uh at this age level, like yeah, I have to really read between the lines with hockey camps and a goalie, having a goalie, because sometimes it's just go get the puck shot out. For an hour and nobody's really Yeah, you're just there to be Which he hates, and I get it.
That's completely unfair.
And so we pretty much have to do it. There was one uh that was mixed that marketed itself as mixed. For a week. Okay. Uh they take your electronic devices when you get there. From my understanding it was one phone call home for the week. For ten, eleven. And that was pretty much we were like fuck no. But just to see what he would think. Say hey buddy. Yeah. With that.
You know, and I'm sure it's some weird old sport thing, but you never know. You you never know. Uh so but it's like why what's the point, you know?
Well, yes.
Like I would be on the phone with you.
Right. Or every other day even. Yeah. Like I I think that's still acceptable, but That makes it seem like No. Absolutely not.
¶ Isolation, Drugs, and Cult Tactics
Um
Because kids that age, I mean, let's face it, some kids at that age you know, eat can wet the bed or you know they might not have slept away from home that much. You know.
Sleepovers aren't really
When I don't even think I went to a sleepover until Maybe Yeah, eleven twelve. Yeah, maybe yeah, that was around that time.
And you know, Cameron. in this movie. Yeah. older kid, but I mean even his his family thought it was weird that Yeah.
Or that they didn't know he wouldn't be able to contact. That's what I think. He couldn't give call and give them warning. Yeah. Don't freak out. Don't panic. You know what I mean? Like That kind of isolation is Combined with the drugging? And this abuse It's the same kind of things. that same tactics that sports can use That like I'm gonna say it, you know.
¶ Cults and Commercial Enterprises
Colts can use I mean Scientology. Um I'm gonna go on record and say I I'm con I know Scientology is a cult, even though it still has tax status in the United States. Um Uh you know, there are plenty of other ones like that were of other cults that I had to tell my mother recently there's a Basically, Kundalini yoga. And forget the leader's name off hand, but they started these different businesses, as sometimes cults do.
And One of the places they one of the companies they started is a tea company. And you see it in grocery. All the time. I have purchased it before. I can't remember the name of it off. Don't want to say the wrong one.
Thank you. Or something.
No, no, it's not. But it's I know what it definitely isn't. But it's not like twinnings or celestial seasonings, you know, like or big. Is um Yeah it's But it's like I'm kind of Yeah. started this however many decades ago at this point and they are still actively operating and this is one of their active businesses. Yeah.
Yogi?
I wanted to say that, but I didn't want to get it wrong.
The primary
Not just because they were expensive.
And the
And they promote themselves as like I used to buy their stuff, but after I found that out. I don't buy it now. I thought it was yogi but I didn't want to
I mean that would have been a good guess in the dark. Yeah.
I could have said allegedly that
I mean Did a bunch of shit talking about Scientology yesterday. It's because we haven't started talking about Shelly Miss Gabbage yet. Oh God.
¶ Sports, Religion, and Politics
But it you know, it's just And that's that is also the way like I think Fans can be. around sports. Some of them are just so like yeah, it's like I said, it's that sport is like a religion to them.
That's what they're doing. That's probably part of why, you know, there is that Horror's not political. But this is and religion. Like religion this this I probably like this movie more than I should. I don't think it's great. Like like you said, I don't think it's Yeah. A horror movie that intertwines cults and
And I will say, um A lot of people don't Sports are political. Untrue. And actually I He has a regular just on the intersection of sports and politics and has published like multiple books including one with John Carlos, uh the you know, one of the Olympians who did the black power fist in nineteen sixty eight Olympics. Um And yeah, Dave Zyron. Edges sports. I highly r if you're into sports and politics, I highly recommend it. I think he also wrote something with Chuck.
But you know I love my Um Like he's he often will have um Like he did a Colin Kaepernick book. You know, he he did a book with him. Uh like but he's done you know, other he's did one book that's like the history of sports It's a really good book. Um not very long either.
¶ Jim Thorpe: Greatest Football Player
that I would recommend like as an introductory like To get because And one th and one thing I'll bring up, since we're again talking football specifically in the NFL. There was a book that came out Couple of months. And I can't remember the full name of it, but it's something about the history of like history of football. Uh oh. So it kinda goes through the history of football and how it operates.
And the author of it, this interview that I saw um with him on the morning national news was he was making the argument and that he that he would say The greatest of all time when it comes to football players is not Tom Brady, regardless what all these people go on and on. He's like no. He would say Maybe you can say The current era Like he worded it very specifically. He said, But of all time in football, it's Jim Thorpe.
Oh the guy isn't المترجم للقناة
American.
Was did he run track? Was he the guy that also ran?
Yeah, he ran track as well. But And he broke this one racial barrier. in football. But in addition. Like which that was one thing in and of itself. But why He's considered a great the greatest of all. Football is When he was playing, the the moves and plays that he did and cre in the plays that he had never been done before.
he basically started like doing these different things and created these different things of that led to basically things that are still used now and It was a basically a major like a major step in the evolution of football. As like the game as we know it. And I thought that was very inter How many people would just be Who love Tom Brady so much. Arguing, like, no, that's so wrong. Blah blah blah. Um, I am not one of them. Uh, if you can't tell, I don't.
Is it like New England sports?
No, it's not that at all. Tom Bree hasn't done all these innovative things. He's won more whatever. He's also had a longer career than How long did it take before he retired? I mean seriously. And Jim Thorpe's career was much shorter. And look and he accomplished so much and such a
So he played baseball, professional baseball too?
Yeah, I mean like
One season with the Cincinnati Reds, among other two. Um but Jim Thorpe, real quickly, the only thing I remember was I thought that he was the model for the Heisman Trophy.
You say that.
And I feel like I've heard something about either In football or when he was running track that like somebody threw away his shoes or some shit and he took some out of the garbage and still was Jim Thor.
That's one of the common stories you hear about.
Okay. Yeah. And I'm derailing you.
¶ Athlete Mentorship and Career Expiration
Yeah. You've been weaving through the timeline of the movie with all of this. extra stuff like you're bringing it to the the body brain
Uh very smoothly.
Well and it's you C the Marlon Wayans character.
Isaiah White.
He knows. His expiration.
He knows it.
And you see this I I think with a number of athletes. Like i I mean Go back to Tom Brady. N again, not my favorite person to talk about, but it works in this example. He took Rob Gronkowski underneath his wing. And ha and help give like Gronk. Kinda a little bit the lay of the land and You know, when they were on the Patriots and then Grant followed Tom wherever he went. Whatever the next Was it Florida? Yes.
Yeah.
Yeah, it was I knew it was in Florida. But yeah, Gronk went because you know and he had that connection'cause it was kind of like, oh, this my mentor in a way or He showed me a certain amount like that a coach didn't have. And you s again you see that in this movie where Isaiah's Showing Cam. Not just the ropes.
But I mean the Wayne Gretzky had his guy. Especially in the seventies and eighties. documentary called The Ice Guardians, I think it was, about about those sorts of players. Um, you know
Uh
¶ Tragedy in Hockey: Johnny Gaudreau
Anecdotally. Dr. It may or may not have partially had Come with a deal for Who's a giant defenseman that could smash Yeah, he came and everybody's like, Wow, how did he get, you know? A four million and this is hot. football and baseball contractors like how did he get a four million He's he's you know, okay and he's best buds with the guys that
And membership has its privileges.
Columbus has a few men.
Yeah. But sadly, uh Johnny Gaudreau uh was killed.
That trial is still going on, so it's sort of like still a fresh wound.
I did I did hear that he died.
He and his brother were riding bike they were back on the Columbus actually has had a few deaths. Two years before that. Goalie was killed in a fireworks out.
Triggering to say the least.
Um
No no pun intended.
But uh yeah, Johnny and his brother who was also They were on the side they were riding their bikes on the side of the road when Drunk driver was road rage driver. He passed somebody on the right in the shoulder and hit them with a body.
Um
It is legal to have alcohol in your system when you're riding your bike on the side of the road, but there's no But they were operating the bicycles within the limits of the law and they weren't drone. As any I guess They tried to get the whole case thrown. Yeah. So yeah, the guy had had some sort of past with, you know, rage and anger problems and Whatever. But so yeah, it was like a they were in town His wife was not At his funeral that she was pregnant and
like their baby who looks like him. Oh my god. It's it's been a whole like thing. And like all of his four he's he had two teams, the Calgary Flames and Calgary. Loving on the families and like his dad was a So he was just showing up randomly. Yeah. Doing a lot of Reach out to the biggest. Columbus had a big Stadium games.
Um so all the players on Columbus's team dressed like he did before games and like carried around his favorite candy and all Player like he was a player that's a little bit more than a little bit of first guy out like okay my I'm ghosting out the first time. Yeah, he'll be watching. Yeah.
¶ Personal Losses and Christine Choy's Legacy
Yeah, last year was a really shit year for me.
I knew a lot of people that passed away, not just my father.
Yeah. Yeah, one of which was actually listed in the Oscar. Mm-hmm. She was a documentary filmmaker. She's astronomical.
Uh I didn't know if the nominee.
Well no no she had been nominated while In this year's Oscars. I know. I know. Well, I'm not sure. Um we were worried like who we were kind of like, well who's gonna we really wanted to make sure, you know, he worked with her a lot. He's I met her I met her through him and'cause he like he's the one I always go to the like producer's guild screenings with and You know, and Yeah I was Did some a li some very important work. Around Asian comm American community. Uh even though she's Chinese.
still made like some of the documentary VM Vietnamese immigrants and you know, Korean w you know, like a variety of Asian Asian um ethnic
But um
Yeah, there's some I some of them I I had actually seen before I met and knew who she was. And I was like, that was really good. Like I re it really I remembered it. And then it was like once I was like found out like who she was and then I looked at like her credits on IMDb and all this Wait, that was Christine then. You know. I was very glad.'Cause you know, they don't so many people pass away. You never know. Who's gonna actually get their name up there? Yeah. Some people
And I can't remember
¶ Oscars, K-Pop, and Music Tastes
interest a big interest of yours. I feel like we did an Oscar show once forever ago. All that matters, have you seen Cape On Demon?
I could probably say if you uh not a cappella, but I could probably say
I have seen it twice. I can sing most of Golden, but that's it. I recog I recognize the soda pop song and that's it.
That that is actually one of my alarming Because I don't know uh If you know this well uh Sometimes listen to surprising things.
Yes I know.
So A lot of the music I listen to when I'm not by myself is picked by little little D, the DJ.
And uh
Although he did recently or not recently. A year or two ago, he asked.
Son, let me sit you down.
I saw them before the Um and he thought that was like super cool.'Cause he had vague memories of letting me Yeah. Then when he started having
It's inevitable for a kid that young.
So yeah, K pop demon hunters. Um and it's just a weird mix. Yeah, it then it'll be like kickstart my heart. Uh yeah, just all this stuff and then there's the music.
¶ Final Thoughts on the Movie
And I'm getting a little
Yeah. Yeah, I was gonna say we have been talking in a while and I think Everything.
Yeah. I mean it it's one of those things like we could go really deep on some shit, but like
Yeah.
Yeah.
And without giving complete like spoilers. Yeah.'Cause it's a new enough movie. Definitely wouldn't want to spoil the ending.
No no it's new enough in Neo.
I think it was good but not great. Like we b uh we both said And but I think there's enough there.
Yeah. I I think it would be good for a horror fan. I think it's good it's good for a sport. Yeah. Your neighbors. Yeah. Sh would be interested. I I would say also on a second viewing. Stuff. Uh good not great.
even if you end up not liking it
It's less than uh less than a football game. Well, I'm glad you didn't hate it. Fucking cool having a
Next time it won't be this long in between discussions. Hey there we go. Okay. I will officially stop the recording so you can talk about all those famous people and stuff.
🎵 Music