RIP Adam Yauch

--RIP Adam Yauch.  I’m not going to pretend to have the words that can adequately sum up the brilliance of The Beastie Boys, but I can try and tell you how much their music means to me.  There are a million bad things about growing older and maybe one of the most sobering is seeing idols of your youth grow old and/or pass away.  It just seems like some giants of your youth should remain untouchable.  I remember the first time I heard License to Ill walking down the street while someone walked past the opposite direction blasting “Time To Get Ill.”  I stopped in my tracks trying to figure out if I just heard Phyllis Diller’s name in a rap song.  I remember our group in English writing our own lyrics to “Paul Revere” to fit into an Easter party for elementary kids.  I remember Paul’s Boutique coming out and wondering how in the hell they could combine sounds, effects and lyrics like that.  It’s by far the album I’ve played the most and its replay-ability is among the best all-time regardless of genre.  A murderer’s row like no other:  “Shake Your Rump,” “Johnny Ryall,” “Egg Man,” “High Plains Drifter,” “The Sounds of Science,” “3-Minute Rule,” and “Hey Ladies.”  I remember them being the only group that I’d pay attention to the lyrics folding out those cassette inserts and straining my eyes to read.  I remember rewinding “The Sounds of Science” repeatedly when they break it down with, “time and money for girls covered with honey...”  The group that would make me look up who Sadaharu Oh was or sinsemilla or crack me up by mentioning Defender or Robotron.  I remember (miraculously) the first time I saw them in concert in ’92 at the Sam Houston Coliseum.  It was also the first time I had some, uhhh, show vitamins.  There was a huge pink elephant above the stage (pretty sure) and on the stage those crazy kids tearing shit up.  I remember getting Check Your Head the first day it was released.  If I had a dollar for every time since then I’ve uttered “cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce” I wouldn’t be at work right now.  And dammit if “Netty’s Girl” doesn’t have me singing “Georgie Girl” for days on end.  I remember Ill Communication coming out and watching “Sabotage” over and over and over.  Pretty sure it’s still a valid cool test to say “phone is ringing” and expect an “oh my god” in return.  I remember picking up “Some Old Bullshit” and thinking how cool it would have been to see these punk rockers at one of their early shows.  I remember introducing my decade younger brothers to the Beastie Boys with Hello Nasty.  I remember the Boys getting more political with To The Five Boroughs.  I remember being told to listen to The Mix-Up by the guy who drove me to the concert in ’92.  I was hesitant because of the whole no lyrics thing, but damn if I didn’t use the hell out of that album as bumper music on 610.  I remember wracking my brain for something different to do to title my blog posts.  Beastie Boys lyrics were perfect.  I remember watching Awesome; I Fucking Shot That! and Fight For Your Right Revisited.  I remember the day the entire Hot Sauce Committee came out for download.  Crazy.  Cassettes to compact discs to MP3’s the Beastie Boys never stopped.  Can’t, they won’t, they didn’t.  Until that m’f’er cancer entered the room and more specifically Adam.  I remember on May 4, 2012 looking at The Daily Beast and seeing the headline and then seeing Twitter explode into lyrics, videos and tributes.  Their legacy is something different to everybody.  If I had to narrow their impact down to one word: innovators. The crazy brash coolest kids in their teens, twenties, thirties, forties and as long as Mike D. and Ad-Rock continue to hold it down.
RIP Adam Yauch…and thanks.  I can’t speak for everyone my age, but I can say for me that my life would not have been the same without you.

--I now have a favorite Coldplay song.  Thanks for sending it my way @RGraves04.




--Burt Macklin owned NBC Thursday night.  He had a little help from “Been There, Done That” (Ann), “Currently Doing That” (April), “I’d Be Lying If I Said I Hadn’t Thought About It (Leslie) and “Eagle Two” (Ben).  Loved Eagle Two’s going Admiral Ackbar with, “It’s a trap!”  We really need a webisode with Burt Macklin joining Carrie and Saul from Homeland.  I need, nay, demand five minutes of the three of them together in a room solving a crime.
Two words:  Yogurt Platinum.


--I haven’t watched The Office in a few weeks and it looks like I haven’t missed much.  I’m trying to think of a sitcom that had an effective blazing fastball for multiple seasons out of the chute only to inexplicably become an ineffective knuckleball pitcher for multiple seasons.


--All I could think of during Community’s Starburns memorial service was “it should have been Chang.”
Annie – “Edison out (drops $50 microphone)!”
Regardless of whether or not Community gets renewed two of its producers won’t be around anymore after signing a deal with 20th Century Fox.

--Mother’s Day is just around the corner and Tammy Day of Killeen is angling for something good from her daughter.  Momma Tammy wanted to help Brandy become prom queen.  Step One:  Put Brandy’s face on a billboard.  Step Two:  Print fliers for Brandy.  Step Three:  Prom Queen!  Yeah, only those first two steps were completed.  All three could’ve been completed if “Step Three” was embarrass the hell out of your daughter.  Although it doesn’t sound like Brandy was embarrassed by her mom spending $1,500 on her prom queen campaign which is probably the really scary part.  Oh yeah, she didn’t win.


--I finally got around to watching Being Elmo.  Good stuff.  Kevin Clash has a pretty amazing story from his quick rise through the puppeteer ranks to landing Elmo.  Lots of clips of puppets he tried out and one awesome clip of Elmo with a caveman-like voice before Kevin stepped in.  The guy was certainly lucky to have supportive parents because I wouldn’t let my kid keep all the tens and tens of puppets he made on a shelf in my bedroom.  How do you sleep or have relations with 50 puppets staring at you?  Uncomfortably, I guess. 


--The only good part of Eli Manning hosting SNL will be when Peyton Manning makes a cameo.  Peyton Manning is going to make a cameo, right?  Pretty crafty how SNL booked Mick Jagger to host to make Eli hosting look better.  Unfortunately for them..ya know..Mick Jagger hosting.


--And may that be the last we see of Justin Long on New Girl.  I hope the finale next week knocks it out and swerves on the expected Jess and Nick kiss.


--Loved reading this list from Cracked on the Five Most Implausible Rap Songs.  I wonder what happened to that 12-year-old runaway that Will Smith almost spent hard time for in “Parents Just Don’t Understand.”  “Paul Revere” finds itself at #1.


--It is his restaurant, but I have a hard time believing the below crème brulee bread pudding from Killen’s Steakhouse is only the third best dessert on its menu.  Ridiculously good even after 30 minutes in a car.  Ronnie Killen from the aptly named Killen’s and Steve Sharma from El Gran Malo on Southbound Food this Saturday at 4pm on 740 KTRH.

--Reminder Zach Galifianakis and Between Two Ferns makes its television debut Sunday night on Comedy Central.  Cannot wait.


--Michael Bay with a Treasure Island prequel on Starz?!  I’m in as long as it can be a destination for some of the Spartacus characters we lost like Mira and Oenomaus.


--Never try to invoke the rule of finders-keepers-losers-weepers in Arkansas.  They don’t play that.  Sharon Duncan bought a lottery ticket hoping to win a $1 million dollars.  Apparently the ticket scanner said, “Sorry.  Not a winner.”  Sharon Jones then, as was her usual practice apparently, went by the convenience store trash can and gathered discarded tickets including Ms. Duncan’s.  Turns out it was a million dollar winner.  Sucks for you Ms. Duncan.  I guess because the store owner thought that was his trash he sued Ms. Jones and Ms. Duncan joined that lawsuit.  The judge somehow came to the conclusion that the ticket wasn’t “found money” even though it kind of sounds like it to me and awarded the money to Ms. Duncan while the store got nothing.  Obviously this is going to be appealed and by the end of it I imagine whoever wins the money will be spending a large portion of it on attorney fees.


--Now that’s how you use Legos.



--It’s one thing to hold force somebody at gunpoint to moonwalk like we had last week.  I mean, that’s understandable.  But making inmates dance to Usher for privileges is just plain wrong.


--Our nation’s obesity problem is so puzzling.  I mean caramel popcorn in cob form surely makes it 50% healthier than just eating caramel popcorn, right?

 
--Having said that some things are meant to be married.  Like Eatsie Boys ice cream and Shipley’s combining for a “Glazed and Confused” doughnut ice cream.  Hell to the yes. 


--Normally the TNT photoshops don’t do much for me, but I love the one at the end of this Big Baby/Little Baby clip.  And seriously Glen who taught you how to hold a baby?




--Can’t think of a better way to spend Halloween than at a Leonard Cohen concert in Austin.


--Buzzfeed.com with 16 gross pizzas from around the globe.  Shrimp and Mayo Roll Stuffed Crust Pizza.  Salmon Cream Stuffed Crust with Shrimp Topping.  Mmmmm…wait, what?!  C’mon Japan.


Questions, comments or if you ever unlocked MCA on NBA Jam…