These Days: Friday, June 23rd, 2017
Old Music: As I reach the conclusion of the Prince retrospective, another four or so album reviews and I am done, I’m wondering where to go to next. I’m thinking James Brown but the early years will be nearly impossible to piece together, I was thinking Elvis Costello or at least My Aim Is True: a Ramones album of George Jones songs if No Show broke up with girls before sleeping with them. Or maybe, maybe Motown: Marvin Gaye or Smokey Robinson, maybe Curtis Mayfield… I would love to review is terrific final album New World Order.
More Old Music: The deluxe Prince Purple Rain is wonderful (Grade:A), if this is the quality his heirs are going to show to Prince’s back catalog maybe it won’t be so bad. The Radiohead reboot of OK Computer is pretty excellent also.
New Music: The Vince Staples sounds better than I had hoped (Grade: B+) but the real excitement is the new Drake single “Signs”. Otherwise, this week feels a little slow. The-Dream has a good single (Grade: B+) and Romeo Santos is all wet (Grade: C+)
Terrorism: The Great Mosque of al-Nuri is destroyed in the Battle of Mosul -thanks ISIS, thanks a lot. But I thought you liked Mosques?
Sports: The Yanks have lost seven of their last eight games and are free falling out of contention. I am furious. I knew they weren’t as good as their record but after two months I allowed myself to hope. Last night was an atrocity exhibition as they coughed up a four run lead with nine unanswered runs and three errors. The Mets are just as bad.
More Sports: What the hell happened to goddamn Phil Jackson, he insults his stars and can think of nothing to do to improve upon them. Three years of Jackson twiddling his thumbs while the Knicks burn. The 2017 – 2018 season is already over. Worst draft ever.
Trumpcare: Far be it for me to agree with the New York Times, but that Trumpcare is awful, awful. Even Trump thinks so. from 1992 to 2012, the top 1 percent’s share of wealth rose by 6 percentage points to 33 percent, why are they giving them an ANYTHING BREAK.
Concerts: Jason Isbell tonight, Dead and Co Saturday, and I have my eye on XXXtentacion on Monday, I can’t decide whether it is worth the bother of Highline Ballroom on a weekday.
