Saturday, April 23, 2016

What (One) Gheorgh(i)e Is Listening To

Generally, when we regale our reading public with the sonic salve we find ourselves jamming on repeat, we're talking about tunes. But lately, this ear has been drawn more to the talkers than the players.

I'm a sports radio commuter, and ESPN Radio is my general go-to. But lately, SiriusXM's 'The Football Show' has been making a run for my morning loyalty. It features a somewhat-rotating cast of characters, but former New York Metrostars general manager and soccer raconteur Charlie Stillitano gets a lot of run, as does veteran broadcaster Phil Schoen and former Chelsea voice Neil Barnett.

But it's the singular voice of Ray Hudson that keeps me tuned in. The former Newcastle man also played in the NASL with Fort Lauderdale and Tampa Bay, and coached the Miami Fusion and DC United of MLS, but he was made to talk about soccer. He's by turns erudite and lunatic in his evocative use of the language and his unbridled passion for the game. He's also got one of U.S. sports' most distinctive accent, his Wearside brogue a lilting, careening thing.

Check out this compilation of his greatest broadcasting hits from 2007. I can't think of an equivalent in American sports, unless you gave Gus Johnson a thesaurus, the compiled works of the greatest English authors, a Geordi lilt, and an eight-ball of coke.



If Hudson gets me to work, then I'm happy to have Bomani Jones to take me home. His voice is distinctive both in the way it sounds and the things it says. In a sports radio landscape long dominated  by polished, stentorian, mostly white voices, Jones' patois is sui generis, an artifact of his Atlanta/Houston upbringing.

He's also smart as hell, with masters degrees in economics from both Claremont and North Carolina. A former music critic, he seamlessly mixes sports with politics, race, and popular culture in a style that's unlike anything else on the radio. There aren't many people in sports radio that teach me things on a regular basis, but Bomani Jones is one of them. And I'm not learning something, I'm at least thinking about things in a different way - Jones' comparison of Allen Iverson to Tupac Shakur drew on literary, cultural, and sporting allusions in framing both men in ways totally new to me.

He called into his own show from a vacation in France to talk about Prince's passing, and wrote an insightful remembrance on Playboy.com. He's a renaissance man in a Victorian era.



Dumb racists hate him, too, as is in frequent evidence on his Twitter feed, which is a one-man trolling session for people who aren't smart enough to realize that they're being manipulated like puppets.

Lots of people listen to music when they run, but I find myself needing something upon which I can concentrate, rather than background and beats. Men in Blazers has been my go to for some time, but recently I've taken a wonky turn.

Vox.com's The Weeds podcast is, admittedly, a nerd-fest, a political, legislative and public policy deep dive leavened with the occasional f-bomb and self-mockery from co-hosts Matthew Yglesias and Ezra Klein. But on a weekly basis, it digs way deeper than the usual media fare on a one or two subjects. Dave would be interested in the March 25 episode, which tunnels into public education policy. That is, if Dave has any time left over after 24/7 recordings of his own podcast.

It's not all been radio and podcasts, for sure. Since my kids don't suffer my interest in sports radio, I have a chance to catch up on the pop music. Aside from the new, dark, and predictably great (his first-ever Billboard number one, even if that's only in the vinyl listings) Bob Mould record, SiriusXM has been playing live and recorded sets from Coachella 2016 and earlier festivals. Gheorghies will dig hard on the Run the Jewels set from last weekend, but The Arcs, Foals, and CHVRCHES also delivered. None moreso than Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, though. Those dudes are for real as a live act.

What am I missing out on, people of Gheorghe?

26 comments:

Dave said...

nice-- looking for a new podcast, i will check out "the weeds"

Dave said...

i will subscribe to it using my new smartphone!

you heard it first on g:tb, i have a smartphone!

Shlara said...

Bomani is a good dude--totally agree that Gheorghies should listen and read his stuff

Several other good podcasts to check out:
1. Surprisingly Awesome--good listening for the whole family
2. NPR's pop culture happy hour
3. JJ Reddick's podcast is my new #1 basketball podcast
4. Death, Sex & Money--Anna is a great interviewer

rob said...

'bomani is a good dude' as in, you've met him?

Clarence said...

Going to the Bob Mould show this week?

rob said...

sadly, no. i'll be out of town from tuesday through next wednesday.

TR said...

Added Bob Marley's Kaya and a Marvin Gaye Anthology to the vinyl collection. Also ponied up for a nicer record player.

Those purchases and some clandestine treats brought home from Denver are setting up a fun Saturday night.

Clarence said...


Sun is shining
The weather is sweet
Make you wanna move
Your dancin feet

Clarence said...

TR and others, please send recs for turntables. Need a new one. Nice but not super expensive?

Mark said...

Went to a local art show with the wife and kid today. Bought multiple pieces (one from a favorite artist of ours who we have a couple of other originals from). Money well spent and time even better spent. Getting old isn't all bad.

I second Rob's Bomani Jones endorsement. Smart, original and unapologetic. He went to Clark though. Not Claremont. Claremont (lounge) is a famous and shady Atlanta strip club. Not a HBCU.

rob said...

clark undergrad, pretty sure he's got a masters from claremont.

Mark said...

You are correct.

Dave said...

thumbs up for "the weeds." if you like that one, you'll like slate money . . . gets into that sort of wonky stuff, except on the economic end but a little more profane and they have a guy with an amazing british accent (felix salmon)

Danimal said...

between the father's-in-law recent mishap (he's doing better btw but will have left eye removed on Monday - it's all good...he could be dead), travel and lots of upcoming travel, uncommon work-related stress, and the wife being away the better part of the last 11 days, I couldn't be happier to be laying on the lanai couch drinking a woodford manhattan listening to redneck radio with a baseball game on the telly, which by the way is upgraded and newly mounted on the wall which was my mr. man Saturday project. drills and shit.

zman said...

zson's school's art show was today. One of his chef d'oeuvres was a painting of Uranus, which is his "favorite planet because it's full of gas." Well then.

rob said...

good on you, danimal. i tried and failed to figure out how to fix my outside spigot. mowed the lawn, though, so slightly redeemed myself.

Mark said...

I had a TV related project on the docket for today. But we stopped for a couple beers and a (very) late lunch (split a bacon cheeseburger and a BAT (a for arugula) with a fried egg included so that project is pushed until tomorrow.

Hung a couple of the new pieces of art though so I've used a hammer and nails today.

mr kq said...

With the missus and kids out of town for the wknd, my Mr KQMan Saturday project was drinking good beer and sharing rugby/life stories with 3 of my best mates at various bars (seafood, cheese, and sports) at Whole Foods in Fair Lakes. I love super market day drinking.

Oh and big Bomani fan.

rob said...

springsteen opened with purple rain tonight. i believe i'd like to see that.

rob said...

and here it is: https://www.periscope.tv/w/1PlKQozwQEMJE

rob said...

there's a beyonce thing on hbo this evening - sort of a movie/video that people are speculating is a preview of her new album. but what it really is is an hour of full-on shade thrown at jay z. it's amazing, and it ain't subtle.

Mark said...

Going to see Beyoncé next Friday. I have no idea what to expect from the show but imagine it will be very entertaining.

Shlara said...

I'm 5 mins in to the Beyonce show Lemonade.
Wow.
She is my spirit animal.

Mark said...

Golovkin is a fucking monster.

Larry David is my spirit animal.

TR said...

I spent the night eating dinner, then playing Thin Lizzy at a friend. Prince is better than MJ. Not even close. Drunk.

Danimal said...

Last night's snl honored the purple rocker. It of course includes his performances through the years which interestingly include none of his hits, but also never been seen footage of the 40th anniversary after party. It's pretty cool stuff. An snl after party is on the bucket list.