This little intro is probably textbook Dozie being too hard on himself swag, but I know my shortcomings in understanding the Beatles and their complex yet brief history. When I was born, John Lennon had already been dead longer than The Beatles' run lasted, so it's safe to say they were before my time. But I'm not some hardo that thinks they suck or are overrated; quite the contrary, I know they revolutionized music, influenced countless musicians, and for lack of a better term, changed the world forever.
Dozie's got nothing love and respect for The Beatles, they're just not my first choice (I'd rather listen to Steely Dan, but they, like basically every other group that came out after 1966, were influenced by the Beatles; even though my favorite Steely Dan song "Only a Fool Would Say That" mocks John Lennon's "Imagine") For those curious, my favorite Beatles songs are "Don't Let Me Down," "Help," "Here Comes the Sun," and "Tomorrow Never Knows."
I'm ânot here to debate John Lennon's potential hashtag bad guy-ness, whether or not the song itself should've been made, or what John and George would've thought of it. I'm simply here to talk about the song itself and acknowledge the remarkable fact that a "new" Beatles song hit #1 on the "Big 40" (which I guess is a global chart, but based out of England?) in 2023 (the same year that a potential WWIII debuted!).
Sure, John Lennon could've recorded himself mocking the mentally disabled or armpit-farting the alphabet with Paul and Ringo laying down the rhythm section 45 years later, and it would've topped the charts, but it's still pretty incredible...especially with how hot Taylor Swift is rn (I love "Cruel Summer" and don't care who knows it!) that a band half-full of dead guys accomplished this.
So how did we get here? Why is this 1970s demo seeing the light of day? I'm gonna outsource that to another publication. Work smarter, not harder.
via The Ringer:
"The song, which was written by John Lennon in the late 1970s and demoed on a handheld cassette recorder perched on his piano, was considered for the full-band treatment during the 1995 Beatles Anthology project, when the surviving âThreetlesâ (Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr) worked with producer Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra and Traveling Wilburys fame to finish a few of Lennonâs songs."
I'm terrified of AI. Sure, I have fun with CrAIyon, but the technology and its potential harm to society keep me up at night. I hope and want to live in a world where AI is used for good in situations like this (or solving all of life's problems), but it also feels like a fast-forward button to living in 1984.
We currently live in what I like to call the "Toy Story era of AI." Toy Story was, of course, the first fully-computer animated full-length film. At the time, the technology was groundbreaking, and while it still holds up pretty well for rewatches, it is clearly outdated. I'm sure in 10 years, we'll look back at 2023 AI and laugh (if that hasn't been outlawed) at its quality. We'll probably live to see a day where fully AI artists "perform" at the Las Vegas Sphere and other similar venues, but for now, we still gotta work out some of the kinks, as you'll see in the music video.
I'm no Beatles superfan. I appreciate and respect their music and impact on the art form itself, but this song gets ya boi a little emotional. "Now and Then" is not exactly Johnny Cash's "Hurt" when it comes to the emotions it resonates, but it undeniably has a little bit of an end-your-life vibe to it. You can't help but think about the Beatles ride, Lennon and Harrison's deaths, and the fact that Ringo and Paul are getting up there.
To director Peter Jackson's credit, the video isn't ALL weird, just ever-so-slightly-off animation that makes the John Lennon and George Harrison reanimations look creepy AF (it features them a little too much for my liking...but the archival footage was awesome). Despite the creepiness, I'm a grown fucking man; I can get past it and enjoy the song for what it is. Now, what that "is" may be is different to every set of ears, but I genuinely like it and have listened to it a bunch since it dropped last week. I just have to acknowledge how weird and low-key unnecessary the AI versions of Lennon and Harrison were. It was a little off-putting. Like there are undoubtedly people that watched this video and got the chills or had to straight-up look away. I bet it even caused a few cases of the "Heebie Jeebies." Despite PJ's acid-trip nightmare of a music video (FTR, I am NOT a LOTR guy), "Now and Then" is a beautiful track and a fitting official goodbye to the Beatles; it might even end up cracking my top 100 most played songs on Apple Music, which would be quite the feat considering it came out in November.
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Song: ballad of a homeschooled girl (live on Kimmel) Artist: Olivia Rodrigo Album: GUTS (2023) I fucking love this album and this song is my favorite. I have no shame in admitting that! Buuuuuut, as a nearly 32 year old man, I do feel a lil' weird being super into Olivia Rodrigo's MUSIC (...and face). Yes, she's super commercially successful, like, children love her shit, but that doesn't mean it's not genuinely good (it has heart & actually connects with multiple generations). MGK could NEVER!
I've loved what we've seen from the new look C's to start the season. Sure, the Knicks game felt a little too familiar (in the worst ways), but Porzingis saved us late.
Last night, the C's scored 155 points (2nd highest in team history) and beat the Pacers by a cool 51.
That's all well and good. I had fun watching, but we're the fucking Boston Celtics. Blowing out a shitty Pacers team on November 1st isn't what we're playing for. We know it's all about 18 (even though I hate the Yankee-ness of that slogan). We've gotten so close. There's been so many close calls and heartbreaks. I'm trying to enjoy the ride but I'm ready for the playoffs...where the ball truly matters (and it's spring, so it's nice out. Fall's barely started, and I'm already over the cold). It's stressful. Not like playoff stressful, but it's sometimes hard to enjoy the regular season when the expectations are so high. Like the I.T. years and early Jays C's,,,,,those were fun ass years. The 2018 playoff run was a delight. Now, the pressure is on, but it does seem like the Jays are hungrier than ever and ready to take the next step. #cliche. Jrue and Porzingis have been fantastic. You'd like to see such a tall guy be better on the glass, but I mean, woke Dozo can say it...Euro bigs aren't exactly tough. Dare I even say #soft?
But as for the C's new threads... After leaking some sneak peaks here and there over the past week, the Celtics officially unveiled their 2023-24 City Edition unis today, and they are gorgeous. If I had a better body that could pull off a jersey, I'd cop one.
That may sound like a biased Boston homer take, but I genuinely mean it. These are wicked aesthetically pleasing and jam-packed with detail (which I LOVE as a history guy).
I have no qualms shitting on one of my teams' unis. I've hated the 2020s Pats uniforms since the instant I saw them. I stopped pouring my heart and soul into the Red Sox because John Henry ruined that wonderful game for me. You can trust me here. These are just straight-up beautiful jerseys. I just wish they said "Celtics" instead of Boston. I know they're the "city edition" jerseys, but there are teams' with their real name or a nickname on them. It doesn't take anything away from these; I just like the uniforms that say "Celtics" better, and it feels like we have too many that say Boston. I wish our road greens still did. These were simple but perfect uniforms.
The 4-0 Celtics debut these new threads on November 10th in the franchise's first-ever in-season tournament game. I still don't entirely understand how this thing works, but it feels too gimmicky and try-hard from the Association. I'm going to give it a chance, it's just like...who fucking cares? It's just a money grab. We're playing for another banner. All that matters to me this season is staying healthy. Homecourt would be nice, but the C's are high-key trash at home in the playoffs.
I will gladly admit the in-season tourney courts are sick.
But the NBA needs to bring these floors back! The NBA Finals: Presented by YoutubeTV needs that extra pizzazz!!
Song: Rescued (live on SNL) Artist: Foo Fighters Album: But Here We Are (2023) This performance is from last week's SNL and just so happens to be my favorite song on the latest *Christopher Walken voice* Foo FiiiiigHTers' album (I've only heard like 4 songs). I still can't believe Taylor is gone, but I'm glad to see the boys back at it. People forget that I would've seen Foo Fighters, Rage Against the Machine and RHCP live if Boston Calling 2020 wasn't cancelled for some reason I can't remember. If you don't have Paramount +, either subscribe or find yourself a password like I did because this documentary is phenomenal. I'm definitely going to watch it again. I've been fascinated with Milli Vanilli's story since I first learned about them, thanks to VH1 literally decades ago. I told their story to countless people, but if you somehow don't know who they are...for about two years, they were one of the biggest duos on earth (culminating with the 1990 Grammy for Best New Artist), except they were actually lip-syncing. People weren't super thrilled to learn that little factoid. Whatever you may think about them or the entire situation, there's no denying the music was actually good. There's a reason "their" first five singles went to #2, #1, #1, #1, and #1 respectively. I pride myself on my music tastes, and I love Milli Vanilli with zero shame. Quick Power Rankings of my favorite songs: 3. Blame it on the Rain; 2. Girl, You Know It's True; 1. Baby Don't Forget My Number. Some people love to bitch about how "soft" today's society is becoming, but those people are usually Neanderthals. It's a good thing that some people want to evolve and improve and (excuse me for using one of my favorite cliches) see that the world is not black and white. Understanding and accepting nuance is crucial. Unfortunately for Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus, too many people were missing that key emotional skill in 1990. The reactions they dealt with from fans and the media were cruel, and the anger channeled at them was misdirected. It's like when I was a kid, and I'd get mad at an athlete for signing with another team and call them "greedy," when in reality, it was their team's owner being cheap and not valuing their asset. It's like the idiots who blame inflation and other economic issues on workers getting paid a living wage and not CEOs making tens of millions. The scene where they show news footage from a parent suing them for how they deceived her son is so cringe. Fuck that mom and her shitty kid. I bet that guy grew up to be a cuck. Milli Vanilli's rollercoaster rise and fall is both fascinating and tragic. What ultimately should've been a victimless crime cost a man his life. There's no denying that Milli Vanilli deceived people, but they didn't just come up out of thin air. Record producer Frank Farian carefully crafted them. It's crazy that scumbag is still alive. Checkout in birthplace! How fitting for a piece of shit? Rob and Fab were simply a cog in the record industry machine (which is notoriously scuzzy). A few years after Milli, boy bands like Backstreet Boys and NSYNC were victims of a Ponzi Scheme under Lou Pearlman (rest in piss). John Mulaney's Berry Gordy joke is funny..because it's true. Watch the Elvis movie. There are probably thousands of examples of artists being fucked over in one way or another. Again, Rob and Fab aren't blameless here (as you'll see in the doc, Rob says some outrageous things about other artists), but they were pretty powerless in this situation. As Fab explains throughout the doc, it's easy to see why they'd participate in this elaborate ruse. If I had the chance and was in their shoes, I'd probably do the same thing. It's just so fucking sad to see how many talented people were hurt during these displays of greed at any cost. Frank Farian is an evil man and it's fucked up he basically sold them out and moved on. Meanwhile, the actual talent dealt with the wrath and consequences. The actual singers were fantastic, and had to watch other people get rich from their gifts. Rob and Fab were great dancers and models that people in power positions manipulated. They just wanted a chance to live their dreams, but they were used to sell a product to the world. The backup singers were more in the shadows than usual. I feel so bad for everybody involved. The story of Milli Vanilli is one of the most unusual in music history, but they are far from the first or last lip-synch group. In 1990, the music video for C+C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat" used model Zelma Davis to "sing" parts actually sung by Martha Walsh (of The Weather Girls!..aka the group that gave us "It's Raining Men!"). Regardless of your take on Milli Vanilli, this is a must-watch documentary for music and non-music (what kind of weird doesn't like music???) fans alike. I learned a lot, so you'll learn a ton. While I don't think they should get their Grammy back, Reggie Bush should absolutely get his Heisman back. P.S. Fab can actually kind of sing. I'm glad he's doing well and at peace. It's kind of ironic that he's singing the song that Rob "sang" lead on. Song: TK421 Artist: Lenny Kravitz Album: Blue Electric Light (2024) I heard this song in public the other day and was like, "is this new Lenny Kravitz?" and was obvi right since Lenny has one of the most unique voices in music. I'm glad to see he's back in the mix. Loyal DOL readers know the 2014 Lenny Kravitz discussion during an old Barstool Rundown is one of my all-time favorite internet things. I'm totally gonna listen to it while I edit this SOD. It's (to borrow a word I've heard 400% more in 2023) iconic. I'm not a Star Wars guy, so I didn't get the reference initially (I thought it was a cologne or maybe a gun?), but thanks to Google, now I do. Pumped to hear this whole album when it comes out in 2024.
This blog, which I haven't even written yet (but has been on my mind since I saw the reason that inspired it), has got me thinking...I gotta do an all-time best Jasons' blog because there are plenty. Ja(y)son Tatum obviously counts. Jason Segel will undoubtedly be in that blog as well. I've been a fan of his for like 15 years now. He seems like a celeb you could actually be friends with as a regular folk. Even though I still haven't seen the now series finale of Winning Time, I'm still kinda bummed HBO canceled it. Since Segel's character's (Paul Westhead) arc was over and we wouldn't see much of him anymore...that does make the loss a little easier to take. Shrinking is a million times better and if you haven't watched it yet, check it out ASAP (but after you finish reading this blog).
So what the fuck is my zooted ass (it's legal and Halloween) even talking about? Well, I'll tell ya, loyal DOL reader! Earlier today, I came across a video of Jason Segel reprising some of his Dracula Rock Opera from Forgetting Sarah Marshall in LA, and it legit made my day. I already posted this on my personal IG story, but I love it so much that it's getting a full-fledged blog!
I seriously hope someone got the entire performance on video. The only downside to this TikTok is that it doesn't feature the best part, but I'm trying to be a more positive person, so I'm glad it exists and that some people got to experience the magic live. Enjoy :)
I've seen plenty of comments along the lines, "It's crazy he's doing this now with how much drama/trouble there is around the rest of the Forgetting Sarah Marshall cast," and I gotta say, I wholeheartedly disagree. The world fucking needs it. There's so much hate, terror, fear, greed, inequality, and other buzzkill words I don't wanna dwell on rn in the world, and it's getting kind of a hard time believing things are going to get better; we need incredibly beautiful and inspiring Puppet-ed Rock Operas to help pass the time before WWIII/we all die (whichever comes first).
I FOUND THE WHOLE THING!!! LET'S FUCKINNNNNNN GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Some incredible person unloaded the entire song onto TikTok. This video should have millions of views!!!
I could be wrong because I don't follow it, but I feel like theatre has never been bigger than it is right now. Hamilton was fucking everywhere for what felt like over five years. Did you see this year's Hard Knocks? It's in for NFL guys to go to Broadway now. TBH, I loved musicals as a kid. My grandma played hundreds for me and my sister growing up. Plays are cool, too. I wanna add both to my life repertoire. That feels like a solid early 30s move. If Jason Segel brought the Dracula Musical to the stage, I would totally go. If you would, too, throw this blog a comment so we can build a little stream in making this play a reality.
P.S. I can't write this blog and not give the people the goods!!! Song: Creep (Unplugged) Artist: Stone Temple Pilots Album: Core (1992) Cause it's Halloween, get it? Of course you do. I almost used "I put a spell on you," but the sound quality stunk! I Don't See It Happening, but it's Officially Time For the 2023 New England Patriots to Tank10/30/2023
I'm not going to sit here and make excuses about the refs because even if they didn't fuck us raw (multiple rounds) with no lube, I can admit the Dolphins are currently much better than the Patriots. They actually have talent on their roster!
It's just a major bummer when your season is on the brink, and you're on the wrong side of multiple no-calls in a game where despite looking like shit, you were sorta in it.
The Patriots are currently the AFC's #16 seed, which has them barely out of the playoff picture.
New England's 31-17 loss dropped their record to 2-6, and like a Hot Pocket after two minutes in the microwave... they're fucking done. The Bills game was fool's gold (slash Josh Allen is a fraud). What we saw yesterday is more indicative of what the Pats are; a shitty team.
When fully healthy, this roster doesn't have a lot of studs, and we've already lost Judon and Gonzo for the year. Now, our (arguably) best offensive weapon is out for 2023; Kendrick Bourne tore his ACL yesterday. Major Bummer Volume II!
Even though I don't see Bill Belichick ever tanking, it's against everything he stands for. This guy used to play catch with Roger Staubach when he was a kid. He worked under Ted Marchibroda. The man can talk about Lawrence Taylor for days without notes. He's a historian who loves everything football. I respect him for not being that guy that gives up on the year, but we fucking need to; it's what's best for the team long-term. Only three teams in NFL history that started 2-6 made the playoffs, and one of them was the '22 Jags. It prob ain't happening back-to-back years. BLOW. IT. UPPPPPPP!!!!!!
This team is going nowhere fast, and while this may sound like loser talk to some (likely haters), I've watched this franchise win six Super Bowls. We were spoiled. That doesn't last forever. If you aren't a contender, you might as well be awful to try and get a QB or game-changing defensive player or WR that can make you a contender again. I've said it 50 times this season, but there's no point in going 7-10 (tbh, I don't even think we could if we tried with our current available talent pool). I know it's different in the NFL, but you gotta try to sell what you can and focus on getting the best pick available. I want to hold on to guys like Dugger, Barmore, Dave Andrews, Onwenu, Pop, and all the defensive Joneses, but if you can move someone for a 3rd or 4th rounder...fucking do it. Sure, Bill will probably use it on some DE that ends up with three career snaps, but that's precisely why you need to stockpile picks. Can we be on the right side of a Mohamed Sanu for a 2nd rounder-type deal? If you can get a 6th for DeVante Parker, that's basically the same level of fleecing.
Speaking of Barmore, he was a bright spot on a team lacking true NFL talent.
As for the quarterback, I feel bad for Mac. He had better weapons at Alabama. There's no excusing the INT; it changed the game, but it's tough to evaluate the guy fairly with the lack of time and weapons he was given. His development is the only reason you shouldn't tank, but with Caleb Williams within reach, it's a conversation worth having. If Belichick is worried about how a 10 to 15 loss season will affect his record, I say pull a Coach K. and fake an injury. If you call like, Lovie Smith and ask him to be the interim coach while Bill "recovers," he'll prob take the job.
P.S. It's Celtics season. As I hit publish, we're up 33 vs. the Wizards.
Song: Keep Going (2023)
Artist: Taking Back Sunday Album: 152
It's never easy, but we all have to keep going.
P.S.
TBS recently crashed a wedding. How cool is this? |
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