Browns place Scott Solomon on IR, claim DB Don Jones
October 14, 2015LeBron James is the favorite to win NBA MVP
October 15, 2015It’s Thursday, October 15, 2015, Blawg Pound. I hope this edition of “While We’re Waiting…” finds you well during your cup of coffee, lunch break, bowel movement, stay in the waiting room, inter-pitch distraction for playoff baseball, wedding, designated work “goof off” time, family dinner, procrastination session, bungee-jumping experience, or hostage situation. Let’s dispense with the pleasantries, there’s no time for dawdling today. (After all, it’s come to my attention that some of you may be in a hostage situation.)
Josh McCown is having a big week. Not only is he the leader of the Cleveland Browns suddenly prolific aerial offense, but he’s one of the principal characters on the FX show Fargo. WFNY’s Jessica first brought McCown’s presence on Fargo to my attention, and the picture below proves (in my opinion) that Josh McCown is both the Browns quarterback and the man on Fargo.1
If you haven’t seen it, Fargo is one of the most well done shows on cable in its second one-off season (not unlike True Detective) featuring an incredible cast. Like the movie, each season is based on a true-ish crime story in the Minnesota/North Dakota area where the cold and dark drive people to commit heinous and violent crimes without optimal premeditation or deliberation. Hijinks ensue.
But it wasn’t until I saw the season premiere this week that I realized what a busy week Josh McCown has been having. I know Fargo is allegedly a fictional show. But I enjoy pretending that McCown is actively involved in both the Browns and a Minnesotan murder mystery (and even if you don’t think they look alike, you might too). Doing so has dramatically enhanced my viewing experiences of both the Browns and Fargo. Consider everything McCown did this week (SPOILER ALERT):
- Led the Browns to a 33-30 victory over their nemeses the Baltimore Ravens.
- Set his eyes on running the butcher shop after Bud told him he plans to retire at the end of the year.
- Threw for 457 yards on an eye-popping 51 pass attempts with two touchdowns and zero interceptions.
- Came home from work to discover his wife’s windshield cratered in and the hood and interior of the car covered in blood.
- Won the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week award.
- Discovered a stranger in his garage, then proceeded to stab him with a gardening shovel.
- Admitted that he understands why Browns fans chant “Joh-nny!” and also confessed that he wants to be considered among the great Browns quarterbacks like Otto Graham, Brian Sipe, and Bernie Kosar.
- Suggested to his wife (who looks an awful lot like Kirsten Dunst) that they up their sexual intercourse frequency to increase chances of conception over some Hamburger Helper. She responded with … lukewarm interest.
- Earned the first Browns victory on the road against the Ravens since 2007.
- Threw a corpse in his freezer.
Holy shit! What a week this guy’s having! I can’t wait to see what McCown does next week.
It’s easy to forget about Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Petty and his band don’t receive the same acclaim and fanfare that other members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame do. Petty is easy to disregard because his lyrics often border on cliche, he’s never been known for pushing the boundaries of rock and roll as an art form, for having wild artistic convictions, and his songs are often jarringly literal.
But who cares? The man is an all-time great songwriter and a dedicated musician. Because Tom Petty’s music is made from the quintessence of American life, it cuts at the cardiac tissue of fans with the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel. Petty is a centerfielder who throws the ball with such velocity and accuracy to the catcher that the cut-off man casually tilts aside so that it can zip unimpeded toward home plate.
I forgot about Tom Petty, too. Then I watched Runnin’ Down a Dream, a marathon documentary about Petty and his band from director Peter Bogdanovich. Though Bogdanovich seems overqualified to direct a public relations vehicle like Runnin’ Down a Dream, I still walked away feeling that I’ve been under-appreciating Petty, primarily because of the people who have voluntarily collaborated with him over the years.
Petty and the Heartbreakers toured with Bob Dylan in the 80s (the first band to do so since The Band); acted as the gravitational pull that united George Harrison, Dylan, and Jeff Lynne into the Traveling Wilburys; created several albums with Rick Rubin (whose sincere and glowing praise of Petty is the weightiest in the film); played with Johnny Cash on his last great artistic achievement, The American Recordings; wrote and then (with her blessing) stole songs from Stevie Nicks; and stayed together as a mostly happy band for 40 years, a rarity in rock music. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ last album, Hypnotic Eye, is surprisingly decent. The clip below has Rick Rubin and Petty talking about the Heartbreakers’ work with Johnny Cash. As a rule, I have few hard rules in life, but one of the few truths is that if Rick Rubin thinks you’re cool, then I think you’re cool. Johnny Cash’s approval doesn’t hurt either. The end of the clip has a nice payoff.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers may not be the The Beatles or The Stones, but they’re a slice of Americana whose hits hits like “Breakdown,” “Refugee,” “Free Fallin,” “American Girl,” “You Don’t Know How it Feels,” and “Saving Grace” sound as home in 1976 as they do in 2006. Tom Petty & the Hearbreakers, Damn the Torpedoes, and Full Moon Fever2 are legitimately great albums.
Go ahead and listen to “Won’t Back Down” before an exam, an interview, or a softball game and tell me you’re not ready to grab the world by the balls. The Heartbreakres one of the few rock acts in existence that both my parents and I would see together. Tom Petty’s music is a classic rock gateway drug that had me memorizing songs before fully realizing the power of words sang alongside an electric guitar. And I thank him for that. Plus Petty’s one of the least traditionally sexy rock stars alive, so that’s an inspiration to many of us.
Your random Calvin and Hobbes strip of the day. Waiting for Cavs season to start got me like … .
And now for the random 90s song of the day. Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” sounds like it could easily be a late 70s tune, but behold! it appeared as a throwaway track on his greatest hits album in 1993. The music video is creepy — unless you’re into morgues and … maybe necrophilia? But if features a semi-comatose Kim Basinger! The lesson, as always: the 90s were weird.
It’s not hard to speculate that the “last dance with Mary Jane” is a euphemism, but I’ll let you ask the kids on your dorm floor about that. Thanks for entertaining me, readers. You’re good people to ride the river with.
29 Comments
How the heck is it easy to forget about Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers?
“Suggested to his wife (who looks an awful lot like Kirsten Dunst) that they up their sexual intercourse frequency to increase chances of conception over some Hamburger Helper. She responded with … lukewarm interest.”
That’s because she is Kirsten Dunst.
This, is Josh McCown
http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/6/68616/2426158-rocky_iv_1985_sylvester_stallone_ivan_drago_dolph_lundgren.jpg
Reading your Tom Petty love right now is so weird – last weekend I was cranking Full Moon Fever while cleaning the basement and a song I had forgotten, “Face in the Crowd,” came on and went right through me, stabbed me right in the heart. Always loved Petty because his stuff is only essence, not self-consciously stripped down to make a point of how authentic or rebellious he is. More like he only cooks with basic ingredients since that’s all he knows and needs, and because of that everything just wears well.
whoa. Now that’s a legit likeness (from the jawline up, anyway).
Tom Pettys greatest hits album is 18 songs worth of “dont need to skip a track”. They’re all phenomenal. And dont forget the video for “Dont come round here no more”. Really freaked my 11 year old self out. AND he was awesome on King of the Hill
What? Just cuz the end up as cannibals eating Alice in Wonderland?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0JvF9vpqx8
I always have been a big Tom Petty fan. Simple, elegant songs worthy of a listen. Echo is one of the more under-appreciated albums from the 90s.
it was him as the mad hatter…gave me the heebie jeebies, not sure why
For me, a crucial part of pregaming for the Browns (aside from enough alcohol to numb the impending pain) is at least one listen to “Runnin’ Down a Dream”. I seem to recall that song being played on the pregame radio show just about every year growing up, and it was always a staple at tailgates. It just immediately gets me in the mood for Cleveland football. Then the first quarter usually gets me in the mood for watching anything else.
I have never really understood her appeal. Though I will say, whoever cast her in the movie “Melancholia” could not have found a more appropriate for the role.
There’s a double album anthology that picks up some tracks that easily could of been on the first hits CD. And it didnt even catch up his last few CDs.
Hypnotic was weak but there were about 4 really good songs on MOJO.
One of fav cuts that gets overlooked, Mike Campbell just goes off a the end
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQFCF9KESic
http://tompetty.rocks
I find her to be a pretty atrocious actress.
I still remember the first time I saw that video. I was in the 8th grade at a new school, and I was invited to hang out at somebody’s house after school where three of us watched TV while one couple made out.
The only thing notable about this story is that I actually have a memory associated with first seeing the video.
When i think of McCown I think of a government-engineered super hero, created to be the team leader of other superheroes. He’s not the strongest or most important character on the team but he has all the stable mental qualities that makes him the ideal leader.
Pretty much Spartan from WILDCATS or Shaft from Youngblood.
AHHHHH LIEFELD.
McCown jawbone/haircut is definitely a Liefeld monstrosity.
Dear lord his art.
Lets hope he breaks the Broncos this weekend!
Crush them
Sorry, I never check WFNY during hostage situations. It’s so hard as it is keeping everyone on the floor with their mouths shut. I can’t deal with distractions like that. But I will listen to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Helps with focus, and standing my ground, and whatnot.
Oh, and Jesse Plemmons’s character in Breaking Bad was the worst – the vilest of the vile. Calm, clear thinking, and just plain evil.
yeah, one of the the most chilling parts ever. Partly because they lifted the curtain on his evil so slowly, episode by episode.
His character was THE game changer of the series, in my opinion.
1. Tom Petty is a fantastic live act, for exactly the same reasons his albums are. They are utterly authentic and he plays to the crowd, so you hear what you came to hear. One show that stands out was probably 7 or 8 years ago at Blossom. It was torrential rain, and he comes out, and says something to the effect of, “Man, you guys are the best! Thank you for sitting out there in the rain just to hear us play. We love you and we’re going to put on an especially great show for you tonght!” And they did. While most acclaimed rock artists are about as genuine as Tom Brady, Tom Petty is as genuine as Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry.
2. That picture of McCown is like the prototypical comic book hero. The guy’s a walking caricature.
NEEDS MORE POCKETS
If I’m ever working on a new art project and need a reminder of how to NOT draw human anatomy I take a quick look here:
http://www.progressiveboink.com/2012/4/21/2960508/worst-rob-liefeld-drawings
Into the Great Wide Open gets forgotten for top Music Vids often from him… Depp at his finest.
McCown = villain from the Dick Tracy live action movie.
Liked all of this but want to comment on Petty. Love Tom Petty. He and Springsteen were at the head of the guitar rock artists that seemed to have to fight to survive the keyboard-heavy 1980s. I think they and others (Neil Young, eg.) they bridged the gap to the Seattle grunge stuff, which really brought the guitar back.
His stuff is about as good as you can find, when it comes to quality rock that semi-novice guitar hacks like me can play.
The Petty live anthology is a must-listen. It’s on YouTube. Check out the laid-back, acoustic “Won’t Back Down.” Lots and lots of great tracks on there, including one from Blossom.
Here’s one of my favorite Petty recordings. It’s from a 1985 live album. Much of the song is just him and his guitar, and at about 4:40, the entire band joins him with the quintessential Petty sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNR9sMypNfg
Never really knew about Rubin. Just did some reading on him.
REALLY enjoyed the clip with Johnny Cash. Had no idea of their collaboration. Started my family in the 90s and really kind of drifted from a lot of pop culture.
This was a really fun piece to stumble on today.