Sports: I bet in some ways the Yankees wish A-Rod had crashed and burned this year, instead of just getting his 3,000 hit with a home run in a winning effort last night. I am so not a moralist on this stuff, I don’t see why he shouldn’t get paid his millions, if only for coming back from a horrendous couple of years and still being able to play the game at a ridiculously high standard.
News: Two days after a white supremacist shot to death nine parishioners worshipping at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, instead of fomenting a civil war, he seems to have fomented one of those tipping point moments where the country stands together (more or less) to repudiate the vilest act imaginable. How can you fight terrorism when you are terrorism?
Live: On the way to Bennett and Gaga at Radio City, I was listening to my Sufjan Stevens live boot from the Beacon Theatre this winter. Such a great show.
Recorded: Some Ibeyi, some Jungle, and a whole lotta Hudson Mohawke, that’s all.
New York: The rent stabilization laws have been extended for five days.
Death: From USA Today: “James “Jimmy” Lee, a well-known Wall Street dealmaker who was in the process of helping General Electric dismantle its financial unit, died unexpectedly Wednesday at the age of 62.Lee, vice-chairman of JP Morgan, was not a household name, but he was often called upon to advise some of the nation’s most powerful CEOs and directors, including guiding Comcast on its now-thwarted plan to acquire Tim Warner Cable, and Facebook on its 2012 IPO.” Money won’t change you but time will take you down.
Rock Journalism: Former Trouser Press owner Ira Robbins made an unprovoked ad hominem attack on me calling me “Iman Labebidi (sic) is a piece of shit who doesn’t have any right to criticize…” in response to Mark Pringle in “rock’s backpages” Facebook page, posting my opinion piece. I’ve never met the guy, and I think his words speak for themselves. Pringle’s response: ” I have to say, having been up to my neck in this stuff for the last 15 years, I’d rather read Iman than Fricke any day of the week. But then, I’m much more a Creem than Rolling Stone man.”. I think this speaks for itself, however I will add one more thing. All these folks making extremely rude comments about me, haven’t said a single word about Jann firing a 63 year old man. One of Friends Of Fricke said essentially “hey, that’s showbiz”. If I was Fricke I’d side with truthers like me, admit my faults, and nail Rolling Stone to a cross.