My peoples,
What a time. The 50th Digesta. We made it.
I’ve been a fan of shortening my introductions lately and just getting right to it, so I’ll try to keep that same energy here. But first, a bit of reflection and a word of appreciation.
Doing this week after week is a bit strange. I started the newsletter as a foray into expressing myself publicly and communicating more widely with friends about what I find interesting in the worlds of sports/pop culture/music. It started off incredibly fun and came with a lot of tangential benefits - staying in better touch with close friends, hearing from friends I hadn’t talked to in a long time, etc. But once I started doing it more and realized that this was the type of work I wanted to do full time, things changed. I put more pressure on myself, and when a post didn’t perform well I’d get bummed out a bit. And that’s hard! And I can’t deny that some weeks it has felt harder to sit down and pump things out than others.
But guys, last week was a good week! I put a lot of effort into the Alison Roman piece, and I was proud of what came of it. I heard a ton of positive feedback from friends and even from a couple random acquaintances who happened upon last week’s edition. I got more new sign ups to this thing last week than I had in quite some time. I also heard some constructive criticism, which is also great! Can’t get too comfortable, strive for greatness, stay hungry, etc. etc.
It was a good week. I appreciate y’all for reading and being on this journey with your pal. Appreciative intro rant over.
It’s the 50th Digesta - Let’s ditch the long piece this week and get back to some things Joe likes and dislikes. Woop!
Four Things Joe Likes This Week
1) Spice Adams
Anthony “Spice” Adams is, and I don’t say this lightly, a national treasure.
If you don’t think you know of Adams, or if you think you might vaguely know of him, you probably DO know of him from the classic UH HAH HAH video-turned-meme.
But there’s oh so much more to my guy Spice. Adams played in the NFL from 2003 to 2011 as a relatively unknown defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears. While grinding in the trenches through his football career, Adams was well known among his peers for being the consummate “locker room guy” - someone who got along with everyone, boosted team morale, and kept everyone laughing with his jokes. Towards the end of his playing run, a couple teammates pushed him to start posting to his Twitter page to boost his public profile. Cue the next, possibly more exciting, definitely more hilarious phase of Adams’ career as a comedian and entertainer.
I vividly remember first being struck by Spice - courtesy of one of his recurring characters, Cream Biggums. Adams posted the first video of Biggums during the 2017 NBA Finals, when millions of NBA fans like myself were locked in on basketball. Out of nowhere on my Instagram feed, there was Biggums: suited up head to toe in an orange uniform, rec specs tightly fitted around his head, shooting video of his moves in his garage. He was clearly exaggerating certain flourishes to dramatic effect, but he also showcased real athleticism - little hesitation moves, step backs, and subtle effects that basketball players do. It was enchanting, and more importantly it was hilarious.
Give Spice a chance. Let him into your life and he’ll provide you with so much joy. Whether it’s his obsession with how “oldheads” carry themselves, his wide array of velour tracksuits that look straight out of the 70s, or just his general positive and upbeat nature, there’s something for everyone in the content universe of Spice Adams.
2) Chloe Fineman
From one comedic entertainer to another, let’s roll. Contestant #2 is Chloe Fineman. Chloe Fineman is damned hilarious.
Fineman has taken off from relative obscurity to rising stardom in a short time, as she was selected to be one of two new cast members on Saturday Night Live for the current season (along with Bowen Yang). As a newbie in the midst of a cast full of established sketch comedy stars, Fineman’s role on the show thus far has been a bit limited. But the dirty little secret is….her Instagram feed is full of nonstop comedy better than SNL anyway!
Fineman’s got wigs for days and impressions for weeks - providing laughs for months (not sure about that line - it was either too clever or fire). From Carole Baskin to Meryl Streep and Maisie Williams to Judy Dench, there’s not an impression sketch that’s outside of this chick’s wheelhouse. And some of her funniest bits come when she ditches the impressions and draws up sketches with her pals, like friend of the Digesta Casey Brown.
Fineman’s comfort performing solo skits on her phone has provided her with the opportunity to expand her role on SNL during the pandemic, and she’s taken the chance and run with it. I for one have watched the Timothée Chalamet sketch more times than I can count:
Fineman has certainly benefited from the elevated platform of SNL, but one could argue that the show benefits just as much if not more from a hyper-talented female upstart. Keep the chuckles comin’, Chloe!
3) Nostalgia - it’s a good thing
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again - nostalgia is fire.
A couple of weeks ago, I was on a lengthy road trip en route to visit my family. As the trip rolled in to hour 7, the audiobook became a bit static, and the scenery remained unchanged for miles, I scrambled my brain for how to brighten the mood - my wife Becca and I were bored.
The playlists of modern day jams weren’t really doing the trick either, so I reached deep within the recesses of my brain to play a track that neither of us had heard for years - Keri Hilson’s classic “Knock You Down.” From that moment, we were off on an hours-long detour into hits from our college years. Soon enough, we were pulling up DJ Earworm’s classic United State of Pop mashups and singing along to every word.
I sent “Knock You Down” in a text to some of my college freshman year dorm-mates and prompted them to send their favorite songs from that year back. It prompted a full-on trip down memory lane - recollections of beer pong games in our dorm rooms, champagne bottles in the hallways, and dancing on fraternity dining room tables as green young kiddos.
Amidst that reminiscing, I came up with an idea: why not host a little event with some college friends and create that vibe for a larger group, while raising some money for a good cause during the pandemic as well? Long story short, that’s exactly what I did. I invited a bunch of homies from the Stanford days onto a Zoom, put together a playlist of the essential jams from our college days (2008-2012, the golden years), and ran a power hour with everyone jamming along. In the process, we raised hundreds of dollars for Bay Area independent music venues that are near and dear to my heart and struggling during the crisis.
And it was really fun! Here’s a video of some my pals getting lit to the timeless “Rack City” by Tyga:
Rack city, bitch.
This week, I’ve embraced the wistful vibes that come from bumping a couple classic records, Frank Ocean’s nostalgia/ULTRA and The Beatles’ Abbey Road. Playing these ageless hits transports me to a different time - my senior year of college for one and road trips in my mom’s car for the other. Music clearly brings about reflection and inspiration for me - I’d love to hear what types of nostalgic influences do the same for others!
4) This tweet
Gotta say I agree. Clean it up, teachers out there.
Two Things Joe Dislikes This Week
1) Plastic Wrap
In a time where we’re all indoors, shacked up in one place, and cooking more than ever, can we all agree on one thing: isn’t plastic wrap the freaking worst?
I hope we’re all in lock step on this. Plastic wrap sucks.
I think it’s well established by this point that I’m not a very savvy, hands-on, technical type of person. Don’t ask me to show up to your house and help with home improvement projects. So it should come as no surprise that I cannot for the life of me figure out how to properly tear off a slice of plastic wrap and properly fit it over my leftover food items that so badly need proper sealing and storage (I know I over-used the word “proper” in that sentence. I’m sorry. I’m better than that).
But the question is, can anybody do this??? Plastic wrap sticks to itself more than the strongest adhesive. It congeals faster than curdled milk. It gets in its own way, and as a result gets in my way.
It’s 2020, y’all. Can we do better than plastic wrap?
2) This video
What is even going on here? Not a fan. Strong dislike.
One Musing for the Real Ones
Man, it’s been a while since I provided a musing. I might be a bit rusty.
This week’s musing comes courtesy of my brother. Did I highlight his tweet to make clear the fact that he shady bounced my Zoom party over the weekend? Maybe.
But seriously - virtual hangouts are fun until they’re not. It’s fun to catch up or play a game with friends until the hangout largely becomes passively staring at your friends in tiny squares and not saying a lot.
What’s the best way to leave a Zoom/virtual hang? Irish goodbye? Make up an excuse (“gotta go make dinner!”)? Be brutally honest and say you’re over it?
It’s a pressing question during this phase of our lives.
Three Song Recommendations from Your Old Pal Joe
1) Gmac Cash - Big Gretch
Is the COVID19 pandemic going to bring on a new era of political raps and diss tracks? If Detroit’s Gmac Cash is any indication, it sure looks like it! His new single is an ode to Michigan governor Gretchen “Big Gretch” Whitmer, who has found herself in quite the political brouhaha these last few weeks. Don’t worry, Gretch - you’re invited to the cookout after this is all over.
2) Dorrough Music - Ice Cream Paint Job
Y’all really should have seen this one coming what with the nostalgia and college bangers discussion up above. I don’t care who you are, “Ice Cream Paint Job” is an absolute show-stopper - a song that immediately turns up the dancefloor and gets the people going. What a hit.
3) Khruangbin - So We Won’t Forget
This band just will not stop. After two albums of largely lyric-less instrumental jams, Khruangbin is on to a new phase in their growth - one that has them mixing in vocals with their infectious grooves. So far, so freaking good. This is already one of my favorite of their songs in their whole discography, and it just came out last week.
That does it. Thanks for being on this journey with me. Love and good health to all.
Joey