The Ohio Problem: The Capitulation of Ted Strickland

Ohio has once again become ground zero for Presidential politics. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump desperately need to win the Buckeye state. Professional surrogates and dedicated volunteers have been dispatched all over the state to gain us much ground as possible for their respective major party nominee. With early voting about to begin, the battle for Ohio’s electoral votes has begun.

Here we go again.

The voters in Ohio will not only be casting their votes for President this October and November, they will also vote for a number of local officials and one national Senator. Republican incumbent Rob Portman will face off against former Democratic Governor Ted Strickland. There are a few fringe party candidates on the ticket, but the real race is between Portman and Strickland. Both candidates faced primary opponents, with Portman winning with no struggle and Strickland easily besting upstart Cincinnati Councilman PG Sittenfeld. The Democratic and Republican candidates have spent two years, or longer, preparing for the 2016 Ohio Senate race through back door strategy meetings and very public fundraising. Outside of the race for President, the Ohio Senate election has captured the minds, and opinions, of all registered Buckeye voters.

With a few weeks left in the 2016 election, Republican Rob Portman has been assumed as the victor in the Ohio Senate race. The polls give Portman a commanding lead over Democrat Strickland. The money is still steadily coming in for Portman, while the Strickland is cutting staff and cancelling ad buys. The race for President is still a tossup in Ohio, the race for Senate ended in the summer.

The Ohio Problem has once again been a detrimental force to any Democrat who is not the Presidential nominee. A big reason Ted Strickland decided to run for the US Senate was his tight relationship with the Clintons. It was thought having Strickland on the ticket would further enhance Hillary Clinton’s ability to win Ohio’s crucial electoral votes. Unfortunately, once Republican nominee Donald Trump started to close the gap in Ohio, the Clinton campaign started to consolidate as much of the money and manpower in the state. Since Strickland was willingly playing second fiddle to the Presidential nominee, there were no table scraps left for the former governor. The political operatives in Ohio starved their own homegrown candidate so the national party could once again consume every available resource. A contest at the national level meant no time for a race at the state level. The people of Ohio were once again told a Democratic President is so much more important than any state representation in Washington DC.

Governor Ted Strickland never had the chance, or the will, to mount a credible campaign against Republican Senator Rob Portman. During the Democratic Primary, Councilman Sittenfeld was travelling the state and running ads portraying his vision for Ohio and America. Strickland ran no ads, traveled only to meet with Democratic Party leaders, and refused to debate Sittenfeld. Once the primary was over, Portman started to conduct voter outreach while Strickland only appeared in public to promote Hillary Clinton. In the middle of the summer, ads painting Ted Strickland as a bad choice for Ohio started to appear on the airwaves all over the state. No ads supporting Strickland could be found. By the end of the summer, Senator Portman was being featured in ads as a positive, and inspirational figure for Ohio. The only time anyone would see and hear Ted Strickland’s name were in ads that highlighted the failures of the former Governor. By Labor Day, the race between Portman and Strickland was already cast as a race between the positive Republican incumbent who cared for Ohioans, and the out of touch and failure to the people that is the Democrat Strickland. First week of September, Portman and his political allies put the Ohio Senate race away.

Many things said about Ted Strickland’s time as Governor were true, when all context is removed. Ohio did see many economic problems during the Democrat’s four years in Columbus. Ted Strickland easily won the Ohio Governor election in 2006, and officially took office in 2007. Strickland inherited a state teetering economically due to the corruption of the previous governor’s regime, Republican Bob Taft. As Strickland was getting his policies in place to heal Ohio’s economic woes, the 2008 economic collapse hit the nation. Ohio, like most of the nation, was in financial hot water due to the terrible economic decisions made by the Bush administration in Washington DC. Ohio lost jobs, Ohio lost economic stability, and Ted Strickland was governor. With a reelection bid only two short years away, Governor Strickland had to move fast. New President Barrack Obama was interested in spurring economic growth with upgrades to the US passenger rail system. Ohio was to be the recipient of some of these infrastructure funds to create a high speed passenger rail line from Cleveland to Cincinnati. Other new economic measures were being put in motion by Governor Strickland’s office all the way up to the 2010 election. The future was looking a little brighter for the Buckeye state.

Even after the 2008 economic collapse, the 2010 contest looked like an easy reelection for Governor Strickland. The Republicans nominated former congressman, Fox News talking head, Lehman Brothers associate, and generally rude human being John Kasich. The republican candidate's work history for failed banking firm Lehman Brothers should have been enough to sink his campaign. Unfortunately since it was not a Presidential election year, the skilled Democratic party operatives were no where to be found in Ohio. The big money Democratic party donors sat out of the 2010 Governor’s race. Ted Strickland himself seemed to be giving up, even when the polls in late October were showing the democrat having the electoral advantage. Due to the total Democratic party giving up, a man who unapologetically defended his work with one of the banking firms responsible for the 2008 economic collapse won a very narrow election against the Governor Ted Strickland. National Democratic Party malaise gave the country John Kasich.

2012 saw the Democratic party, and its donors, back in Ohio in full force. President Obama won the state, and nearly every other democrat lost. 2014 saw the absolute disaster of the Ed Fitzgerald campaign, and former Lehman Brother associate John Kasich easily won reelection. A few higher ups in the state Democratic party left in disgrace, a new group of insiders took over, and the regional leaders of the party stayed the same. Their failures were not punished. 2016 was coming, and Ohio had many of the same faces who should be focused on the local elections being used to only enlarge the Presidential candidate. Former Governor Ted Strickland was primarily being used to help the Clinton campaign, and secondarily he was trying to win a Senate race. That is the playbook for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Since the Senate was a second concern for Ted Strickland, his full attention was never on his own race. PG Sittenfeld tried to run a race for the US Senate, but the national Democrats wanted a candidate who would defer to the top of the ticket. While Rob Portman and his allies were painting Ted Strickland as a failed politician, Ohio Democrats turned all of their attention to the Presidential campaign. The Strickland campaign was not even trying to show how their candidate compared to the Republican incumbent. Even Senior Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, has not been seen assisting the Strickland campaign. Like in 2014, Democrats in Ohio have been failed by their own party in trying to be competitive in any local race.

The Strickland campaign could have easily put Senator Rob Portman on the defense and made the election about the incumbent Senator's support for some very bad ideas. While in the US House of Representatives, Portman voted for NAFTA and was a yes in the decision to impeach President Bill Clinton. He was briefly the United States Trade Representative under President George W. Bush. During Portman's time as the trade representative, the US trade deficit with China increased by over 20%. Also under President Bush, Rob Portman served as Director of the Office of Management and Budget. This appointment positioned Portman as one of the key architects of the US economy. Shortly after Portman left this position, the United States economy collapsed. As a current US Senator, Rob Portman signed onto the UnConstitutional, disrespectful, and pointless Tom Cotton letter to Iran. With a record spanning over two decades in Washington DC, there are many problematic decisions Rob Portman has made. There are many ads the Ted Strickland for Senate campaign could make to show Portman is unworthy of reelection.

Yet there were no ads connecting Rob Portman to the failed Bush economy. There has been talk of the waste, and pettiness, of the Senator signing the Cottan letter that disrespects the US Constitution. Democratic leaders, like Senator Sherrod Brown, have not been travelling the state and tell the people of Ohio how Senator Portman has put party ideology above his constituents interest. The Ohio Democratic Party has been cowering to the national party, and Ted Strickland capitulated to Rob Portman by the time summer ended.   

The Ohio Problem is not going away while we have the same failed local leaders, and the same disinterested candidates, populating the Democratic Party. The professional political operatives in the Buckeye state have once again focused all of their energy on the Presidential campaign, and voters have once again been left with no support to have people in Congress that represent their ideals. Ted Strickland may have official thrown in the towel in September, but he never had the will to put up a credible fight. Ohio will once again be talked about as being a crucial swing state for Presidential race, but when it comes to local politics it is as red as any other Republican stronghold. Thanks to inept leadership, Ohio Democrats continue to let the Ohio Problem grow. The voters deserve leaders who care.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Do you have a thought about the Ohio Problem. Tell us all about it. 

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Kevin Garnett Showed Us all that Anything is Possible

Another legend hangs them up

Last week one of my all time favorite NBA players decided to retire. In fact, he is probably my second favorite player all time behind only Charles Barkley. That player is Kevin Garnett. I am such a big KG fan, I knew this day was coming sooner rather than later, but I was still in shock when I saw that the Timberwolves were buying him out, and he was going to retire. He has been a staple in my NBA watching life for as long as I can remember. I have vivid memories of hearing about KG when he was in high school. He is only 6 years older than I am, so it was neat to see someone that was relatively my same age be so dominant at basketball, which is my favorite sport.

I remember hearing about him transferring out of his small high school in South Carolina for many different reasons. There was the whole fight situation, that I still believe he had nothing to do with, which seemed to be the main reason for his departure. I also remember hearing other reasons such as, Farragaut Academy was a basketball factory and he was next in a long line of stars that they loaded their team with. He was not a great student, and at his high school in South Carolina let him pass because he was so good at basketball. He needed to be challenged academically as well as athletically. But, no matter what we believe or not, transferring out of the smaller school to the mighty Farragaut Academy was the best thing for him.

I also followed him a lot because he had Michigan on his short list of colleges, and me being a Michigan fan, that would have been great. But, after leading Farragaut to an incredible record, and winning Gatorade Player of the Year in Illinois, he opted for the NBA draft. I think his decision was made a bit easier because he wasn't getting the scores he needed on his SAT's and ACT as well. He declared for the draft right before this whole "prep to pro" boom took off. In fact, Garnett was one of the first people to do this since Moses Malone or Shawn Kemp.

When he was taken with the fifth overall pick in the 1995 draft by the Timberwolves. I immediately became a T'Wolves fan. As I said, I loved Garnett's game, and the tenacity with which he played. You could tell just by watching him that he put his blood, sweat and tears into this game. He was a guy that was going to put in the necessary work to make himself better and better every year. He was going to mold his game to fit in the NBA. I remember people saying he was too skinny and he would get pushed around. Now, he never got huge, but he found a way to beat bigger guys with his quickness, his work ethic and his trash talking. He played a decent amount as a rookie, but it wasn't until about year 3 when he really became an all time great. His blend of speed, size, skill, quickness, the ability to go inside and outside, his rebounding and his defense, he became a force to be reckoned with.

Before the start of the 1997 season, that was when he got his huge deal. People didn't think he deserved it, but I couldn't have disagreed more. This dude had gotten better every year, and now, he was opposing teams biggest threat. To prove his doubters wrong, he worked extra hard after getting that contract, and the proof was in the pudding. He would go to multiple All Star games. He made the Timberwolves a perennial threat. He made people think that Stephon Marbury was a legit NBA point guard. He gave Flip Saunders, RIP, all he had and turned him into a much better coach. Unfortunately, the Timberwolves could not get any further than the West Finals, but that wasn't for lack of effort and skill on KG's part. He won me over during his first go round in Minnesota, and there was no other player I tried to mimic my game after. I started to rebound and focus on defense more. I developed a low post game. I even started to trash talk, something I never did.

NBA fans know of his otherworldly trash talking. He was an all time great trash talker, right up there with Gary Payton and Michael Jordan. He would cut you down any way possible so he could have any advantage. Trash talking is such an underrated part of the game, and KG is one of the best of all time.

In 2007, KG was traded to Boston. I think we all saw the tea leaves and knew that he had done all he could in Minnesota. They couldn't go any further. So, with his growing frustration, Minnesota traded him to Boston and he paired up with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, to form the first "big three". This worked out great for all three of those guys. They won a title in their first season together. Garnett was the star of this "big three", but he never acted bigger than any of his new Boston teammates. That's another great trait of KG. He sacrificed and always did what was best for the team. While in Boston, if they needed him to score, he scored, if they needed rebounding, KG was their guy, if they needed to step up on defense, KG led the charge. He did it all. Even after that title, we all expected so much more from the first "big three", and the start of the 2008-2009 season looked like Boston would be an all time great team. But, injuries beset KG. They still made the East Finals, but they were ousted by a young Dwight Howard led Orlando Magic team. In 2010, led by KG again, Boston made it all the way to the Finals, even though they stumbled their way to a fourth seed during the regular season. They had the Lakers on the ropes, but they couldn't close it out, much to my chagrin. I'm not a Celtics fan, but I loathe the Lakers. I will say though, KG made me root for the Celtics during his 6 years there.

In 2013, on draft day, KG and Paul Pierce were traded to the Nets, as the Celtics went into full tank mode. This trade now looks horrible, but at the time it looked great for the Nets. They needed some tough veterans, and who better than KG and Pierce to be those guys. Well, this did not go as well as most predicted. the Nets made the playoffs, but KG was hurt a lot, and the Nets never made it past round 2.

After the failed Nets experiment, KG returned to his first NBA home, Minnesota. He looked older and a bit slower, but he was the perfect griseled vet for the young T'Wolves. He got to mentor 2 of the better young players in the NBA right now in Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins. If I were in my early 20's, and in the NBA, I would one hundred percent choose KG as my mentor. He knows the game in and out, and gave his all to basketball.

I will always be a big, big KG fan. I walk around my house yelling "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!" all the time. I called myself the "Big Ticket" when I played high school basketball. I developed a jumper at the free throw line because KG did. I started to play defense because KG talked about how it wins titles. He was my basketball mentor without him even knowing it, and I know that I'm not the only fan that feels this way.

This upcoming NBA season is going to be odd to not see him or Tim Duncan out there. Kobe Bryant, I could care less about you.

Thank you Kevin Garnett for 21 wonderful, All Star filled, MVP winning, title winning and perennial playoff appearances years of basketball. You are one of the greatest to ever play. I cannot wait for your Hall of Fame induction ceremony. It will be well deserved and great.

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Milllennial Man Podcast. Last year he ranked all the NBA teams, and got so very close to a true prediction. Will he do it again this year? Follow Ty on instagram and twitter to find out. 

Ty Watches Bar Rescue: Ynot Edition

"Bar Rescue" had another great episode this past Sunday. This whole season has been pretty great,  but this episode was really good and really weird.

This time around Taffer and crew traveled to a bar called "Ynot" in Everett, Washington. This bar, like all the other bars on this show, was thriving when they first opened, but now, they have fallen on hard times. The bartenders drink on the job, they give out free drinks and they don't listen to management. The kitchen staff is defiant and makes terrible, old food. The inside of the bar is falling apart and it's dirty. The kitchen walk in, instead of having an air tight door, they have a sloppily put together front door of a house door for the walk in freezer. That doesn't keep anything cold enough, so they have to throw out a lot of food.

The biggest problem though, the "Ynot" bar is located directly across the street from a 10,000 seat arena, and they still can't get any regular business. The owners, a boyfriend and girlfriend, were running this bar into the ground. Oh, and before I forget, this bar's biggest "attraction", was goldfish races. It was as stupid as it sounds.

When Taffer and crew come to do recon, they are not happy with what they see, obviously. The first thing they see is the goldfish races. This makes Taffer irate. He cannot stop saying how stupid and pointless this whole thing was, and I couldn't have agreed more with him. The patrons grew weary of the races very quick, and the other patrons that were not doing the goldfish races, they could have cared less. No one was paying attention, except for the boyfriend that was co owner. He was way too invested in these stupid goldfish races.

Then, Taffer sends in his recon spies. It was a group of about 8 people, that were going to a show at the arena in 40 minutes, so Taffer had them order multiple shots and food, so he could see how long everything took. The shots came out quick. Shots are easy to pour. But, the spies did not like the shots. They complained that the liquor did not taste good. But, the food took forever. And it wasn't like they ordered high end food, it was bar fare. They ordered pulled pork nachos, tater tots, basically, your typical bar food. The fact that this food took this long to come out is a problem.

As soon as the staff finished, the spies had to go because the show was about to start. They walked when the staff was bringing out all the food. After this, Taffer and his "experts" entered the bar and told the waitress that they would take all the food that was just ordered. The whole time all this was going on, the boyfriend owner was obsessing over the goldfish races, and the girlfriend owner was outside smoking cigarette after cigarette. They had no interest in running this bar. Anyway, Taffer and the "experts" tried all this food, and, surprise, surprise, the food was terrible. The tater tots were cold. The French dip was gross. The other food just didn't taste right, or it was way too greasy. But, the topping on the crap cake was the nachos. They were so poorly made and so cold, that Taffer picked up a huge pile of them, held it from the top, and it stood still like a concrete. It was so, so gross. Taffer even held it up to the wall and said they should use it as décor. The owners were embarrassed, as they should be.  

Taffer and crew walked through the bar, realized how gross and disgusting it was, he told the owners that if the place wasn't clean by morning, he would not rescue the bar. The staff worked all night, and I have to say, they did a great job of cleaning that bar. So, Taffer and his "experts" chose to stay. This time around, instead of forcing the owners to fire the employees stealing from the bar, the female owner straight up fired 2 employees without batting an eyelash. The other bartender quit, so they were sans bartenders. This posed a problem, but they were able to hire 3 new bartenders. Instead of doing a stress test, they did a bartender audition. I like when they do this. We get to see how good the new bartenders really are. Some were experienced, others not, but, for the most part, all 3 new bartenders tried very hard. At the end of the night Taffer asked the owners which bartenders they wanted to keep, and they kept all 3. That made me happy.

After the audition, the new crew got trained, and Taffer's staff did their whole renovation. When they reopened the bar, Taffer renamed it "Forbidden Bar and Grill". I hated this name. "Ynot" wasn't a good name, but "Forbidden" was a horrendous name change. Taffer's crew also changed the whole inside aesthetic to an Asian theme. This also made no sense. The new menu had bahn mi sandwiches, but that was about it as far as Asian inspired stuff in this bar went. It was nonsensical, hence this episode being very bizarre.

To no one's surprise, "Forbidden" was doing great at reopen, and 6 weeks later. The 2 owners came on and thanked Taffer for everything that he did, and said that the new bar was thriving, they even had regulars now. This was a good and weird episode. It is everything that I like about "Bar Rescue". Taffer yelled, people got fired, the bar was messy and the owners were a disaster. Keep doing what you are doing "Bar Rescue", because it is working.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. What does Ty watch, check it out here. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

Ty Watches the "Eric Andre Show" Season 4 Episode 7

This most recent episode of the "Eric Andre Show" started off like most of them do. He attacked the stage with his usual vigor, and crushed pretty much everything in site. He did tackle the drummer this time, and proceeded to destroy the drummer's kit. He also ran into metal shelves again, like last week. He absolutely just demolished everything in site. It was glorious. Then, they put new set pieces in, and Andre sat down at his chair, out of breath. Hannibal Buress was introduced. He walked on stage, and took his seat. When Andre approached the stage to do his monologue, I was hoping for some hilarity. He got to the microphone, but didn't say a word. He sat there, looked angry and then proceeded to lash out and attack Buress. He started to slap him and yell at him. It was all fake, obviously, but I was rolling with laughter. Buress started to fight back, and the two of them got into a slap fight. I was hoping for hilarity, and I got exactly what I wanted. I loved this "monologue".

During the slap fight, they did their famous freeze screen with the words, "we'll be right back" frozen in mid slap. They then cut to a pre taped segment. This segment showed the return of the 2 person horse. This time, the two person horse entered a subway car. In the front, we could see that it was a female, I believe it was comedian Michelle Buteau, and Andre was in the rear. When they entered the subway car, Buteau immediately began to moan. It was all very bizarre, but I found myself laughing. Then, Andre would appear from the back, and he would say some of the most foul things I have ever heard to the passengers. It was gross and shocking and funny. They did this for about 2 minutes, and I was laughing the whole time.

Back to the stage and they introduced their first guest, Raymond Cruz. Cruz, for those that don't know, played Tuco on "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul". During the interview, some weird stuff happened, but Cruz just smiled and rolled with the punches. He was a very pleasant guest. At one point, Buress said he had to go, and they replaced him with a robot they called the "Hannibal 9000". Cruz didn't bat an eye. At one point Kraft Punk showed up, and Cruz talked to him. Andre's desk gave "birth" to a smaller desk, and instead of leaving the stage like most guests usually do, Cruz made jokes. I thought this was Andre's best interview, and it happened all by chance.

After the Cruz interview was done, they went to another pre taped segment called "Mail Man Eric". This segment had Andre in a fat suit and found him getting caught in mailboxes. He would scream for help, but onlookers either paid him no mind, or they yelled at him and called him names. It was funny, but also a little sad.

Once we got back to the main stage and the next guest, Amber Rose, was brought out. She was put off immediately. She thought the stage was too dirty. Andre kept asking for her phone number and address. Andre repeatedly picked his nose. He kept claiming that she had a single, and was singing words from a song that didn't exist. Rose did not care for the "Hannibal 9000". This was your typical Eric Andre interview. He gets someone that isn't famous, but thinks they are, and he makes them as uncomfortable as he possibly can. I love when he does this, and this was no exception. This was all very funny.

We then get to see the "Ranch Dude" in the final pre taped segment. This is my all time favorite Andre character. I love how weird and downright stupid this character is. He wears goofy clothes and says goofy things. He asked random people if he could air DJ in their free space. He kept asking people if they wanted a hit off his ranch bottle. He would say complete nonsense that made passerby's uncomfortable. This character is an Eric Andre staple. I get very excited when I see the "Ranch Dude" show up. In fact, in New York, they opened up a ranch dispensary. Go look it up, it is hilarious and a great take on weed dispensaries.

After this last pre taped bit, they had their musical guest, Thundercat, come out on stage. I'm a huge Thundercat fan, so I was pumped to see him on the show. This time around, Thundercat has been on a bunch, they had him do a bass off against the "Hannibal 9000". This was so funny. Thundercat would play something totally funky and awesome, and the "Hannibal 9000" would do nothing. Then, at one point, the "Hannibal 9000"'s "dad" showed up, and all he had on was a collared shirt and a tie, nothing below the waist. This man came up and hugged Thundercat during the bass off, and Thundercat was laughing, but you could tell he was uncomfortable.

This was a very good episode of the "Eric Andre Show". In fact, this whole season has been great. Come back next week for the next review.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Before every review, Ty destroys his living room. His wife is not happy. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

Jose Fernandez - A Great Baseball Talent, and a Better Human Being, Gone Too Soon

My "Eric Andre Show" and "Bar Rescue" reviews are going to have to wait until tomorrow and Thursday because I need to talk about the tragic loss of Jose Fernandez.

I could not believe it when I saw the news on Sunday. I took that day, and yesterday for that matter, to process the whole thing. I was at a loss. I could not believe what I was reading and watching on television. I just did not think it was true. How could someone so young and filled with life and potential all the sudden be gone? It just didn't make sense. Then, I was watching the beginning of the Marlins-Mets game, and that's when it all came together for me. This is when I realized that Jose Fernandez was actually gone.

First off, the tribute that the Marlins gave him was one of the most moving things that I have ever seen. It was more moving than any movie, TV show or other thing that is written to move people. This was such a wonderful, yet very painful tribute to a fallen teammate. Then, watching Dee Gordon hit that leadoff homerun and run around the bases in tears, I mean, man, I feel like tearing up myself right now.

Jose Fernandez, if you don't know his story, was a 24 year old ace pitcher for the Miami Marlins, who defected from Cuba, and it took him 4 times to make it to America. On the fourth try, he had to save his drowning mother, which he did, and they finally made it to America. He was a hero, literally, from the moment he finally made it to America. Then, he showed off his pitching prowess. This kid was a phenom. He had an incredible array of pitches, and he had an arm that allowed him to be a starting pitcher that could go 7+ innings and throw 100 pitches a game. He had an incredible home record and ERA in his young career. He was a lock down pitcher from the moment he made the major leagues. He and Giancarlo Stanton were the cornerstones for the Marlins. The team was just starting to become a bit competitive, and it was due to Stanton and Fernandez.

But, he was so much more than a baseball player. I mean, this is coming from someone that does not watch a lot of baseball, but when I had a chance to watch Fernandez pitch, I did. He was a joy to watch, not only because he was dominant, but because of the joy with which he played baseball. He played baseball like the game that it is. He was never too serious, but he was elite. He always seemed to have a smile on his face when he was on the mound. One of my favorite highlights that has been reappearing lately is when he robbed Troy Tulowitzki on a line shot back to him. Fernandez threw the pitch, Tulo ripped it right back at him, he stuck his glove up and the ball was in his glove. He acted like this was normal. He and Tulo were both amazed at this catch. They both laughed, not believing what had just happened. That showed right there that, not only did he have the respect of his teammates, but he also had the respect of his counterparts. That does not happen too often in professional sports, unless you are a star. Go watch that highlight, that is the epitome of Jose Fernandez. Great athlete, but also played with such joy and passion.

After his tragic death, more stories came out that he was just like this off the field. He was everyone's friend. He was always smiling. He brought joy to those around him at all times. He was in a great mood most of the time. He just seemed to be a great kid, both on and off the field.

Next, the tragic news on Sunday. As I said, I did not believe it at first. I thought this was a hoax. He was too young, and had too much time left in his pro career to be gone so sudden. I started to search the internet fervently to see if this was all false. I, unfortunately, found out that all the reports were true. I still did not believe it, until last night. This is a great tragedy. Don't be fooled and just think that it was another young player that lived fast and died young. By all accounts, Fernandez was a good kid that just happened to be involved in a horrific accident that took his life, and the lives of 2 others. This is such a freak thing, and no one deserves this. I am still kind of in shock. I cannot believe that I will never see him pitch again. He was such a tremendous pitcher who had such a long career ahead of him. He was going to be a surefire, multiple Cy Young award winner, and he and Stanton were going to lead the Marlins back to being contenders. This is a true sports tragedy.

Jose Fernandez brought so much joy to his teammates, fans, friends and his family. He will be greatly missed. His life is gone, and he was so young, and so full of life. I cannot believe that he is gone, I just can't wrap my mind around it. I'm at a loss. I hope wherever you are now Jose Fernandez you are at peace. You will be greatly missed. RIP

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Follow him on instagram and twitter.

Semi - Instant 2016 Presidential Debate Reaction

Let the debates begin

One debate down, I do not want to even count how many more times we have to do this.

The very first debate between Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump, and Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton, is mercifully over. NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt attempted to ask questions and keep control of the event. He failed terribly.  The newsman began the night be reminding the audience not to be emotional humans, Holt then reminded the candidates that there were many questions to get through. Why do we need so many questions to be unanswered? Then we were underway.

Secretary Hillary Clinton and multiple bankruptcy declaring businessman Donald Trump proceeded to trade jabs, oldies from Trump and a few new focus tested ones from Clinton, and not answer any of Holt's questions. Clinton attacked, Trump defended and babbled, and Holt begged to move on. For ninety plus minutes the nation got to witness the exact same two candidates that were packaged and sold to us earlier in the year. Nothing new happened.

Hillary Clinton looked way more polished and in control during the debate. Everything she said seemed rehersed and extremely prepared. During certain moments of the debate I could tell her team were trying to come up with phrases that could be easily hash tagged. Anyone looking for some warmth and humanity in the former Secretary of State were not going to be in luck. Clinton was well aware that Trump was going to be combative and unpredictable. Here biggest victory was to be dismissive of the Republican nominee, and to land crushing blows to his record and ego. While she may have come off as cold, Hillary Clinton definitely looked more Presidential than her opponent during the debate.

Donald Trump was the same disaster of a candidate we have witnessed for a year now. The only difference is that the stage is not filled with a cast of thousands of other Republican clowns. Now Trump has to face off against an extremely well prepared, and extremely experienced, politician in Hillary Clinton. He did not do well. Trump was unprofessional in constantly interrupting Clinton and Holt. Trump would not give up on all of his lies and divisive tactics. Trump was flustered and incoherent whenever Clinton challenged his wealth or business failures. Trump was loudly breathing into the microphone. Donald Trump as bad as he has always been, and on the Presidential debate stage next to Hillary Clinton, he looked so much worse. The Trump campaign has been one of doom and hate, and Donald Trump embraced those ideals once again on the debate stage. He was played by Clinton, and his lack of ideas was clear to the audience who tuned in.

There we have it. One cold and calculating politician who spouts off hashtag campaigns, and one rambling lunatic who is clearly a danger to the country. Both candidates have to make some improvement before the next debate to convince the majority of voters. Hillary Clinton needs to be a bit warmer and present a positive agenda for America's future. Donald Trump needs to attend anger management classes and maybe sit down with the best psychaitrist the world has ever known. The candidates have a few weeks to get it together. Can not wait to see what happens.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor at SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. 

Beck Exceeds Already High Expectations in His St. Louis Live Show

The only thing missing is two turntables

This past Friday I had the pleasure of seeing Beck live at the Peabody Opera House in Saint Louis. Beck was on my personal "bucket list", or a "white whale" of sorts for me. He was a musician that I wanted to see before he quit doing live shows. So, when I found out he was coming to my hometown, I was going to find a way to go. My wife got myself and my brother tickets as an early birthday present. I was very enthused when she told me.

So the show came, and it was great. The opener wasn't so good, they were called CRX, and that is Julian Casablancas, of Strokes fame, new band. They sounded like a heavier, wannabe version of the Strokes. They only played for 30 minutes, which was the best thing about their set, the fact it was over so quick.

Then, after about a 20 minute break, to set up everything, Beck and his band took the stage. Beck came out on fire. He seemed pumped to be doing a show. He was very energetic from the get go. I think it helped that it was a Friday night. There is something about the beginning of the weekend that gives everyone a little extra pep in their step. And Beck was no exception. He opened the show with "Devil's Haircut". A classic right out of the gate. I loved it. The band was great all night, and it started with the shows opener. After that, Beck proceeded to play 20 songs that ran through almost his entire catalog. After "Devil's Haircut", we got some great gems like, "Black Tambourine", "Loser", "New Pollution" and "Que Ondo Guero". Each song sounded great. "Black Tambourine" was just as bouncy and poppy as I hoped it would be. He turned "Loser" into a funkier song than it ever seemed possible. "New Pollution" was straight up. It sounded like it was the original recording in the studio. He started "Que Ondo Guero" by stating that, when he was a young kid this is what the Spanish people would say to him all the time, and then Beck and the band played the song incredibly. So far, so great.

After these first 5 classics, he added other such great tunes like "Think I'm in Love/I Feel Love", "Soul of a Man", "Mixed Bizzness" and "Go it Alone". "Think I'm in Love" was awesome, and the fact that he added a little cover of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" at the end made the song that much better. That's the great thing about live shows, the unpredictability of what covers the band might do. This was a great choice. "Soul of a Man", which is probably my personal favorite Beck song, was great. It had that great distorted guitar, and Beck and his lead guitarist traded 2 awesome solos. It was a thing of beauty. We then got some funk with "Mixed Bizzness". "Soul of a Man" may be my favorite song, but "Midnite Vultures" is my favorite Beck album, and "Mixed Bizzness" is a classic. The band sounded great, and it was a great, funky change of pace.

To follow that up with the somber, yet upbeat "Go It Alone" surprisingly worked to perfection. This was a great way to go into the next portion of his show, which I call the "acoustic/moody" portion of the show. He played "Paper Tiger", "Lost Cause", "Heart is a Drum", "Wave" and "Blue Moon" all in a row. Now, I know it sounds like I may have disliked this part, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I thought it was a great time to slow down, and build up to the end of a show. "Paper Tiger" was great, and I liked that he used electric guitars for the live show, as opposed to the acoustic he used on the record. It sounded great. "Lost Cause" was phenomenal. Again, he used an electric guitar, but the song had the same somber mood that it always had. This is a great Beck song, and it was great to hear live.

Then he went into his "Morning Phase" portion, this being his big Grammy winning record, and played three songs in a row from the record. I got a bit nervous that he was going to play some of the weirder, slower songs,  but he only picked one of those, that single one being "Wave", which I really like. The other 2 from that record were the more upbeat in music on the record, being "Heart of a Drum" and "Blue Moon". This time he busted out the acoustic guitar, and it was the perfect choice. This slower portion was very good, and as I said, a very good change of pace and build up to the end of the show.

After the "acoustic/moody" portion, Beck played his 2 new singles, "Dreams" and "Wow". "Dreams" was a great throwback Beck song. It sounded like something that could have easily been on "Mutations". It was a bit more poppy, but it still had that folksy/acoustic feel to it. "Wow" is a hit. That song is incredible. I hope his entire new album follows the sound of "Wow". The song is uniquely Beck.

I loved everything, including the show that went on behind the band on stage. "Wow" was the absolute highlight of the night. He then finished out his set with "Girl", "Sexx Laws" and "E-Pro". "Girl" was awesome. It sounded great and Beck's vocals were awesome. We got some more funk with "Sexx Laws". We also got to see some of Beck's famous dance moves and he implored the crowd to show him some of their sexy moves. It was great. "E-Pro" was a great rocker to end his set with. The band crushed the song, and Beck had an awesome solo. It was tremendous.

The band did come out and they did one encore song, but it was an epic song, with 4 short covers in the middle. First off, the band started to play the opening riffs to "Debra", but instead of that, they went into "Where It's At", another mega hit. It sounded awesome. Then, in the middle of the song, Beck decided to introduce his whole band, and this is where the short covers came into play. He introduced his bass player first, and he played a few bars of "Good Times". It was very cool. Next up, the guitar player played and sang a bit of "China Girl". Again, it was awesome. The keyboard player was next, and he played a few lines from "Pocket Calculator" which were awesome. Then, the drummer, and for that fact, the whole band chimed in and they did some lines from "1999". It was stupendous. Who can cover Prince better than Beck? No one. They then went back into "Where It's At", and ended it with a bang.

This show was everything I hoped for, but it was so, so much more. This was one of the better live shows that I have ever seen. Thank you so much Beck for all the great music that you have made, and continue to make. I had such a great time at this show. Beck is an absolute legend. Everyone must see him live.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Are you playing live in St. Louis, tell us and Ty will come to your show. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

Famous Fisherman and Tattoo Wearer Kevin Durant does not want to be Questioned about Basketball

All Durant fans know he averages 5.45 pounds per catch

On the most recent episode of "Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons", which has gotten so much worse with each episode, Kevin Durant was on as one of his guests, along with Nas. I was kind of excited because I thought Durant would shed some light on why he chose to go to the Warriors in free agency. Everyone that reads this site knows how I feel. I was hurt, I felt like it was a cheap move to get an easy title and it seemed a little weak. After a week or so of introspection, I started to think of other reasons why he might have left OKC. Maybe he wanted a change of scenery, may be he was tired of playing with Russ, maybe he thought OKC had gone as far as they could, or maybe he wanted to play in the most free flowing offense I have ever seen. I was still upset, being a former OKC fan, but I started to think outside of me being upset, and thought about why Kevin Durant, the basketball player, would want a change of scenery.

So, with his appearance on "AGW", I thought he just may give us a little bit of an explanation as to why he left. But, and this is a very recent development in Kevin Durant the person, he was quiet, and seemed angry any time the question of him leaving was brought up. Look, I understand that it is infuriating to answer the same question over and over again, I have a 4 year old, but, in this day and age of athletes being ultra famous, I'm sorry to say Mr. Durant, but that question will be asked one million more times. Get used to it. You can be gloomy and ask people to stop talking about it, but they won't.

Then, as he went into some kind of a half answer, he said that he was hurt by all the bad press. Really?! Hurt?! Of course people are going to be mad at your decision. Sports are irrational, and fans are the most irrational. We lose our minds at the smallest possible thing. My first reaction when I heard the news that Durant was leaving was to tell my family that he broke my heart. And when I say family, I don't just mean my wife and kids, we were on vacation and I told my parents and my brother, our head editor RD, and his wife and kid that Durant broke my heart. All these people did not care about the decision, but I did, because I was not only a huge OKC fan, but I am a huge Kevin Durant fan. I was as irrational as most people. I didn't burn jerseys or make videos chastising Durant, but I did say that he broke my heart. I don't know him personally. I have never met him. I've only ever seen him play live twice, but I felt like a kid who just lost his first crush to someone who was cooler than I am. So for Durant to say that he was hurt, get over it. Being a famous athlete means stuff like this is going to happen.

Then, he went on to complain that no one cares about him as a person. First off, that is not true. I'm sure the people he lets close to him care very much about him. Simmons seemed to care, and he is more plugged in than any NBA writer, with the lone exception being Zach Lowe. I'm sure his former teammates and his new teammates care about him. But, instead of pointing all that out, he seemed to be singling people out like me, the fan, as being people that don't; care about him outside of basketball.

Well, you know what, he is right. I could care less what he does with his free time because, as I have already said, I don't know him personally, I only know him as a basketball player. I do not care if he wants to go fishing on a Tuesday, one example he pointed out on the show, or how many Tupac or Rick James tattoos he has. That stuff does not interest me. To be quite callous, I only care how he performs on the basketball court. That is the one place that I can see him do his thing. I don't want to watch him fish. I don't want to go with him to the tattoo parlor and I don't want to be around when he is playing the victim, as he has done lately. Dude, you are an uber famous basketball player that makes millions upon millions of dollars. The common fan does not care about your personal life. that comes with the territory. When you get to the level that Kevin Durant is at, people only care about your game.

When LeBron left Cleveland the first time, I don't remember him complaining about being the villain, in fact, he took it on. It was unsuccessful, be he tried to be the villain. That made me like LeBron way more because he wasn't griping and complaining that no one cared about him as a person. LeBron understands that his personal stuff is of no interest to anyone outside of his inner circle. Kevin Durant needs to grow thicker skin it seems.

Look, I still love watching him play basketball, and even though I will be rooting against him now, I hope he is still as electric as he has been his whole career, but he needs to get over his personal pity party. You made your choice and you have to live with fans being upset. That comes with the job. I'm sorry that you may feel hurt, but I say, get over it. You are a great player, and stop trying to put the blame on other people, just go out there and play basketball as great as you've always been. People will boo you and cheer against you, and I hope that doesn't hurt your feelings, because it is coming in droves this season. You are a great player Kevin Durant, but right now, you are coming off as a bit whiny.

Get over it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He will one day leave SeedSing for the greener pastures of a big time sports blog, and he will be a villain to the head editor. Get over it RD. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

The Greatest American Band Debate: Band of Gypsys

SeedSing is filled with music lovers. We can not agree on who is the best band from the States. The Greatest American Band Debate will be a regular feature where we discuss and compare bands started in the good old USA. If you have any suggestions of bands we should debate Contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

During this whole greatest American band debate on the site I have been trying to find a way to put Jimi Hendrix on it some way, any way possible. I thought about doing his first band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but Hendrix is the only American in the band. The other 2 guys are English, and if I put them in the conversation, that opens a whole new can of worms. If I were to put them in, I'd have to look at a band like The Band. They are all Canadian, with Levon Helm being the lone exception. So, since the band is 2/3 English, I decided against putting them in.

Then, I looked at doing the same thing with Hendrix that I did with Robert Johnson. I thought that maybe I could put him in based on his tremendous and unparalleled guitar playing,  but when I thought about it more, I decided against this as well. Yes, Hendrix is an all time great musician, but he is not on Robert Johnson's level. I'm sorry, but it is true. Robert Johnson wrote some of the most iconic songs ever, songs that Hendrix himself became famous for covering, and Hendrix is just not on that Robert Johnson level. Robert Johnson is a pioneer, Hendrix just improved on Johnson's invention. While Hendrix is an all timer, he is not Robert Johnson.

But, the other day, while listening to some Hendrix music, I came across my Band of Gypsys record. Now, this was a one off, live record, but it cannot be understated how great this band truly was. This was a time when 3 wonderful musicians came together and put on excellent shows, and released one of the best live albums of all time. This my friends, is how I will finally get Jimi Hendrix in the conversation. Today, I nominate the Band of Gypsys as one of America's greatest rock bands.

Band of Gypsys consisted of three guys, Hendrix on lead guitar and vocals, the incomparable Buddy Miles on drums and vocals and Billy Cox on bass and vocals. These three coming together was a stroke of genius, or "lightening in a bottle", if you will. The three of them are some of the best to play their instruments. We all know how truly exceptional of a guitar player Hendrix was. He is one of, if not the, greatest guitar players ever. He was a genius, he was ahead of his time, and he did things that no one else could ever do on guitar. Billy Cox was a phenomenal bass player, but also a pretty decent singer. His bass on this one record is so, so good. When the band plays their first song, the first thing you hear is one of his bass lines, and it totally gets you in the mood for some great psycadelic rock and roll music. He also does some great backing vocals and lead vocals on the record. Then, we have Buddy Miles. I mean come on, is their a more underrated drummer ever than Buddy Miles? He is to drums what Booker T is to keys. They are both probably the best ever, that no one talks about. Buddy Miles was a tremendous drummer. The give and take that he and Hendrix have on "Machine Gun" is made extra great by Buddy Miles drumming. Miles was also a very, very good singer. His singing on this particular record is the best of all three members. When he sings "Changes", it is one of the best mixes of R&B and rock that I have ever heard. He had a great voice. When the three of them teamed up, they created something so special, it gave me an opportunity to finally put Hendrix in this particular conversation.

Band of Gypsys did a 2 night run, consisting of four shows, that ran from December 31st 1969 to January 1st 1970 at the Fillmore in New York. These four shows produced 6 of the greatest live songs that have ever been put on an album. The record opens with "Who Knows", which has that Billy Cox bass line that I mentioned earlier. Then, Hendrix comes in with his iconic guitar and Miles hammers home the drums. The song is epic, Hendrix does some of his better vocal work and the band sounds incredibly tight. The record then follows that song with my favorite Hendrix song ever, "Machine Gun". I have already talked about the back and forth between Hendrix and Miles, but that song is so much more. The lyrics have a great message. The instrumentation is wonderful. The fact that Hendrix gets his guitar to sound like a machine gun is exceptional. Same goes for Buddy Miles on drums. The solo that Hendrix does on this recording is one of the best solos ever. I love, love, love this song. "Machine Gun" is a must listen. Then we get "Changes". Buddy Miles vocals on this track are great. He belts this song and Hendrix and Cox do some great work on a more upbeat, faster paced song. Hendrix again has a great solo. "Power of Love" has some great back and forth vocals from both Miles and Hendrix, and it is a pretty great psychedelic rock song. Again, Hendrix slays guitar, and I love Buddy miles vocals and drums. Billy Cox's bass is great as well. Another love song follows with, "Message of Love". This song is all Hendrix all the time, and it is great because of that. They close out the record with "We Gotta Live Together". This song showcases all three of them at their absolute best. It is a very great way to close out this very iconic record.

I know the album only has 6 songs, and it may seem like an unfair way, or that I'm shoehorning Hendrix in, but I seriously believe, even though they only did 4 shows and put out one live record, that Band of Gypsys is definitely one of America's greatest rock bands. I mean, Buddy Miles and Hendrix played a lot before they did this four show run. Billy Cox also showed up here and there on earlier Hendrix jam sessions and recordings. The three of them knew each other pretty well, and they used that friendship totally to their benefit when they decided to do these shows together. I love Band of Gypsys, but more importantly, I love Jimi Hendrix. He belongs in this conversation, and if I have to find a backwards way to put him in, I'm glad that Band of Gypsys put out this one record, making them more than eligible.

So yes, I firmly believe that Band of Gypsys is one of America's greatest bands for all the reasons I listed above. They also belong because these three guys are some of the all time greats at their respective instruments. If you like Hendrix, go check out Band of Gypsys, I bet you will love them.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. If you think Ty is cheating, nominate your own Greatest American Band, write for us. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

Paul Finebaum fits Right in with Sports Talk Idiots

Finebaum's bulb is not half this bright

One year ago on this date and on this website, I wrote about how terrible football announcer Chris Collinsworth really is. Today, to kind of try and keep a tradition, I'm going to write about another nitwit that acts like he is way too big for his britches, and thinks he knows more about college football than anyone else. The person I'm going to crush today is ESPN's own, Paul Finebaum.

I have really, really disliked this guy since the moment I saw him on the SEC channel on ESPN. He became widely known when he let an, I don't know if it was Alabama or Auburn fan, but some crazed fan go off on his radio show. The whole thing was bizarre, but it let the world know who Paul Finebaum, the person, is. He is your typical, I'm going to say something so stupid and ridiculous, that it will make people talk about me type of person. Hell, I'm talking about today and I loathe him.

But lately, he is turning into the new version of Skip Bayless, and that is by no means a complement. I guess ESPN needs a blowhard, no matter how many leave, or they "fire", They had Colin Cowherd, Skip Bayless and Stephen A Smith, and now, they have Paul Finebaum. The one thing these guys have in common, they are blowhard racists. I guess they do have another thing in common, they are so blinded by their homerism, they can't see good in any other team or conference.

Finebaum, as I have already stated, works for ESPN's SEC channel, so he is completely in the bag for the SEC. But, he does not like the whole SEC, but he LOVES Alabama. They can do no wrong in Finebaum's opinion. Yes, they are dominant, but as a sports journalists, I don't know how many times I have said this on this site, but I'm going to say it again, you cannot be biased when you are a journalist that appears on TV. This is what makes Kirk Herbstreit great. He can call any game, and you would never know that he played at the University of Ohio State(I know that's wrong, but when a star player calls his college that, that is what I'm going to call it from now on). But Finebaum, a guy that have never played a down of football it seems, acts like he is on the staff at Alabama. He will not say one bad thing about them, but he will crush other college teams. He is a big basher of Michigan football. I don't know why he has this vendetta, but he has chastised the fans, calls Jim Harbaugh an idiot, amongst other things and blasts them for being overrated. But, bring up another SEC school, Tennessee for example, he will say that they are turning it around, and that Butch Jones is a good guy.

What a crock.

Yeah, Harbaugh is loud and boisterous and finds loopholes that other SEC coaches can't find, but he is nowhere near as bad a person as Butch Jones, and he is not an all time curmudgeon like Nick Saban. but, bring up Harbaugh, or any other Big Ten coach, with the exception being Urban Meyer, and Finebaum feels that it is his place to put them in line.

First off, who in the hell cares what Paul finebaum has to say. He is a very, very poor man's version of John Clayton. At least Clayton worked in the NFL, and is very knowledgeable. Finebaum, he is, at best, a fan boy. When Cam Robinson, who I have written about twice on this site, got arrested for stealing guns, he sided with the people at Alabama, saying that it was a mistake and we can't let this ruin his college career. I bet if Robinson played for Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan State or Northwestern, he'd be at his pulpit saying this kid needs to be kicked out of college football and school. But, since he is at Alabama, he gives this kid a pass.

Second, Finebaum is terrible on TV. Whenever he is on "College Football Live", or any iteration of some college football talk show on ESPN, I change the channel. He has no idea what he is talking about, and it all sounds like gibberish. He goes on and on about nonsensical topics, and I think he talks just because he likes to hear his own voice. I also think that he truly believes that if Nick Saban is watching, he may contact Finebaum and tell him how great he is, like a child waits for an autograph.

The fact that he came out recently and said that the Big Ten conference is the best in college football right now is a crock. He does not like any school in the Big Ten, except for the University of Ohio State, and that is just because their coach is a former SEC coach. If anyone else coached that school, he would never talk about the Big Ten.

There is also a reason that Finebaum never calls any college games, because he can't. He is incapable of calling a game properly. I truly believes he has no idea how the game of football actually works. He may know about recruiting and stuff in the South, but I truly believe that he does not know the rules of the game. I have never seen him call a game ever, on any network. This should speak volumes to people.

Paul Finebaum represents all the problems that a network like ESPN has right now. He is a blowhard, he is stupid, he is a fan boy, he only cares about hot takes and he doesn't really know anything about the sport that he is supposed to be an "expert" on. I would rather listen to guys like Todd McShay and Tom Luginbill call games, and I HATE those guys. At least they played and know the game of football. Paul Finebaum is a joke and an embarrassment to the people at ESPN, which is an embarrassment itself. This dude is inept, and until he is off the air, we, the college football fanatics, will have to deal with his nonsense. Screw you Paul Finebaum. You are TERRIBLE.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has a long going beef with ESPN. Maybe if he added some squash. Follow Ty on instagram, twitter.

Is Soylent the Food For People? Fifteen Days Later

As of today, I have been using Soylent as a big part of my diet for 15 days. That is half of the month that I had originally planned to test this diet with. You can read my first two accounts here and here. In the second week and a day of having a least half of my calories come from Soylent here are some of my observations:

Not only have I noticed that I have more energy when I wake up in the morning, but I have less desire for coffee lately as well. I have always had to force myself to stop drinking coffee when I notice it gets to unhealthy levels. The past few days I have been forcing myself to make some coffee when I can sense the oncoming headache from caffeine withdrawal. I like to drink some coffee when I want to drink some coffee, but I could use less dependence on coffee. Therefore I consider this a welcome change.

I have really been noticing a strong urge to want to eat solid food when I'm planning on having Soylent. Particularly when I am around family that is eating or snacking. At first I was only noticing it when I wanted to eat junk food, but I have also started noticing it with something like carrots. I snacked on a lot of junk, but also on a lot of carrots. Still, these cravings are never really hunger. It is part desire for the taste and part unhealthy eating habits that I have learned over the years. While experiencing this does cause me a small amount of suffering, I can usually move my mind on to something else pretty easily.

On the other hand, when I do eat, the food has a richer flavor. I really enjoy it more than I had before. I can taste and actually take time to notice the individual ingredients and their subtle flavors in my food. By the time I eat a meal for the day, I am really looking forward to it. So I am going to make sure I take the time to enjoy it. I still eat way faster than I need to, but I also spend much more time appreciating the deliciousness of what I am eating.

I have noticed a change in my digestive system. Not that I think it was a huge issue (although you would have to ask my family for their opinion) I have had less gas issues coming from either end. I have read some reports that defecation levels of some Soylent users are reduced. If that is true of me, the change has been minimal.

Overall, I feel much better than I have in awhile. I feel more mentally focused. Physically, I feel less dragging from poor nutrition. I have certainly lost weight, but again I think this has more to do with tracking my calories than with using Soylent. I have lost a lot of weight by tracking calories before. The difference this time is that I am getting much more balanced nutrition. So instead of getting an “oh shit I am about to black out” feeling when I stand up after sitting for awhile, I simply stand up and feel the same as when I was sitting.

So there you have it. If you ever wanted to know what it would be like to have Soylent as a major part of your diet for half of a month, these are my impressions. I plan to update with any further observations in another week or so and a final conclusion at the 30 day mark where I will look back and weigh out whether I feel this experience has been beneficial enough to continue. Thanks for reading and feel free to ask any questions in the comments.

Kirk Aug

Kirk sometimes wishes that Soylent followed it's pop culture roots and was made in chip form. Follow Kirk on instagram @kirkaug and twitter @kirkaug.

Ty Watches "Bar Rescue": Celebrities Edition

This past Sunday, after a 2 week break, "Bar Rescue" was back. This episode featured a bar called "Celebrities" that was about 30 miles outside of Palm Springs, Florida. The bar was being run by 2 brothers that were former Army men. They were deployed in Afghanistan, which is where they were from, but they were raised in America, and when they got home, they wanted to run a bar. The main reason they were sent home, one of the brothers had a bomb go off very close to his face. He has a lot of PTSD from this incident, and he has many, many problems with his eyes, as one would expect. The other brother never really got over what he saw, and asked to leave the Army, which they obliged, so he could go home with his brother. I felt bad for these guys off the bat.

We come to find out that when they first opened "Celebrities", they were raking in the dough. They were making 6 figures every month, breaking even after only 2 months in the business. After making a good amount of money for almost a year, the brothers decided that they were going to give back to the community, and mainly, the veterans. They gave a good amount of money to charity. In fact, one of the brothers filmed himself picking up what seemed to be a homeless veteran, and giving him a good amount of money. After he filmed all this, he put it on social media.

Well, some people did some deep internet diving, and they found out that the homeless man was actually a scam artist. After people realized this, you'd think the brother that gave the money to this guy would apologize, but he did the exact opposite. He attacked people that attacked him on social media. When people came to the bar to confront him, he would yell and scream at these people and eventually would kick them out of the bar. He had become very angry at his mistake, but instead of owning up to it and swallowing his pride, he decided to take the offensive. Seeing his outbursts in person, and on social media, this made people stop coming to the bar. They didn't want to deal with a confrontational owner and a guy that wouldn't take heed of his own mistakes. They immediately started to lose lots and lots of money. They even tried to sell the space because they could not make ends meet.

By the time Taffer and crew showed up, they were 750,000 dollars in debt. When Taffer and crew got there, they had it set up so people that have confronted the main owner on social media would be the patrons of the bar that night. This escalated very quickly. Many complaints started right away. People were waiting 30 or 40 minutes for drinks. A lot of people would leave after 20 minutes of waiting. The food that patrons were ordering would arrive at their table cold and 40 minutes late. Bartenders were even giving away drinks without making people pay. It was a total mess. But, instead of trying to make things right, the owner argued with customers, and kicked the majority of them out. He is a hot head for sure.

Taffer came in and laid into this guy. But, the owner did not take his berating sitting down. He fought back and told Taffer that he did not like being treated like a child. After cooler heads prevailed, Taffer sat down with the staff and they got to the root of the problem. We come to find out that the bartenders have no real training. The kitchen staff is good, but they get no help from the owner on anything, in fact, he spends most of his time yelling at them. We finally realize that the brother who is the main owner has taken a lot of money from his brother to keep the bar running, and he feels that he has failed him. The owner is also very skeptical about giving more money to the community because he thinks that people will come at him even harder on social media, and he doesn't want to take it anymore. For the most part, this was a pretty laid back episode. There was the yelling and screaming, but everyone involved knew they needed to change if they wanted to become successful again.

After the whole heart to heart with the staff and owners, Taffer and crew got to work. They painted the whole bar with brighter and nicer colors. The staff got proper training from a renowned mixologist, a word I loathe. The kitchen staff got a new menu, which they knocked out of the park. And the owner, he started to act like a real person, instead of an asshole. He knew he needed to change his attitude, so he could help pay his brother back, and get back in good terms with the community and the social media people.

Once Taffer and crew did their thing, they revealed the new bar. They changed the name from "Celebrities" to "The Victory". I think that is a dumb name, but what do I know. The inside looked much more inviting, and everyone loved what they were seeing. He set them up with new POS systems, flat screen TV's, better liquor, all your basic "Bar Rescue" stuff. During the re opening, the bar seemed to be doing much better, and the owner seemed very grateful to Taffer.

This was your classic, right down the middle episode of "Bar Rescue". It is nice to have it back on air, that 2 week break seemed much longer, and I'll be here to review every episode until this season ends. Come back next week for more.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is not one to lash out on social media at anyone. Want proof? Go follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Ty Watches the "Eric Andre Show" Season 4 Episode 6

This past Friday's "Eric Andre Show" was one of the weirder ones I have ever seen, and that is saying something, because his show is weird and wonderful. He did his thing during introduction, but as he went to tackle his drummer, he stopped short, and then proceeded to shake all the band members hands and give them praise. He then proceeded to destroy shelves on an aluminum built rack. He actually ran through the middle of two of them. While destroying the stage, pro skater Tony Hawk showed up and did some tricks, and also helped Andre wreck the stage. The two of them were doing damage. A guy dressed like a mummy came on the stage and went on to choke Andre with some of his wrapping. After that, Tony Hawk started to beat up Andre. Andre exclaimed, "why are you doing this? I thought we were friends", but Hawk just kept pummeling him. After all this, Andre threw a vase, and the destruction was over. Then, Hannibal Buress shot out from the top of the ceiling right into his chair. After all that, Andre got on stage and did his monologue. It was all nonsense and bizarre and funny. It even included a "Looper" reference, that was hilarious. I have really enjoyed the addition of the monologues this season.

After the monologue, the first guest, Warren G, came on stage. Warren G looked confused from the start. First off, Andre proclaimed that he was a rapper, and started to freestyle. It was terrible, on purpose, and Warren G was not impressed. Andre made Buress freestyle, and his rapping was worse than Andre's, and louder. Warren G was dumbfounded. Then, my new favorite character, Kraft Punk showed up. He came out on fire, throwing cheese slices at Andre and Buress. We then cut to his new pre taped segment, "The Kraftolor". It was like "The Bachelor", but Kraft Punk would show up in a random café, tell people that he could not die, then ask ladies if they would be his "cheese wife". I LOVED this. It was hilarious. Kraft Punk was ushered off stage, as usual, and then Andre asked Warren G if he would do adult stuff with Martha Stewart. Warren G paused, and then said yeah, with a huge smile on his face. The show then cut to a picture of Martha Stewart.

We then got another pre taped segment, where it starts out like an "And 1" mixtape video, but then it turns out that Andre is playing a dad whose son is flying away on a balloon. The guys playing basketball did not care for all this nonsense. They wanted him off the court, and they kept asking how little his baby was, if 4 helium balloons could carry it away. During this segment, the camera kept cutting back to Andre, and he was asking ridiculously ludicrous questions to himself, but the show made it seem deep. It was weird and funny. There was also an early pre taped segment, that took place in a café of some sort, and some wacky hijinks went on. It was bizarre, but in a good way.

After Warren G leaves the set, the next guest that comes on is Kelly Osbourne. She is immediately turned off by everything that Andre is doing. He asked ridiculous questions, he has a PA fly into his desk, thus crushing it, he speaks in an English accent, but he just says lines from the movie "Austin Powers" and he tells her that he heard that her dad was famous for eating animal feces. She is so angry at him, and at one point she says a very bad thing, and Andre runs with it. He puts up pictures with her face and the quote, and Kelly Osbourne is made very upset by all this. I thought it was hilarious. I won't type the quote, but go look it up online, or watch the episode, it makes her look really bad.

The show cuts to another pre taped segment, where Andre bursts out of a dryer at a laundry mat, covered in goo, and keeps asking people what year is it. The patrons are not amused. I was cracking up. He keeps pushing and pushing until one guy physically pushes him out of the laundry mat. The segment then turns into a "TV" show that Andre is making called "Alien Dad". He goes back into the laundry mat to tell people he just wants to find his kid, but they are not buying it. Once again, he gets shoved out a second time.

After all this, instead of having a musical guest on, they have comedian Jim Norton come on to do some jokes. But, the rub with this bit, Norton is hooked to an electrical shock machine, and any loud noise causes him to get shocked. He is doing fine at first, but then Andre sends out some angry, barking German Shepard's, and a lot of other noise causing things. Norton looks like he is in a world of pain by the end of the bit.

This was one of the more unusual episodes, as I said at the top, but I still was laughing throughout. Warren G is one of the first people that I haven't seen walk off during the first interview also. He was a good sport. There are only a few episodes left in this season, but I will be here to review the rest for you when they are on. Come back next week for the next one.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty needs new shows to watch, give us some suggestions. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Human Joke Jimmy Fallon Plays with Human Trash Donald Trump

Jimmy Fallon did this to my tv

So today, I'm going to keep it short and angry.

I awoke this morning to the horror that was the "Jimmy Fallon Show" interview of the garbage monster Donald Trump. Right off the bat it needs to be known that I am not a Jimmy Fallon fan. I did not like him on "SNL". He broke too much. He couldn't get through a scene without laughing. I also did not like any of his characters or his impressions. He was, and always will be, a hack. I also do not think he is a leading man type actor. Hell, he'd be lucky to be a character actor, let alone a leading man. He proved how terrible of an actor he is in such movies like "Taxi" and "Fever Pitch". I know that people say that his talk show is different and better, but I don't buy it. He is too nice to everyone, and he wants to be everyone's friend. The good thing about guys like David Letterman, Stephen Colbert, Conan O'Brien, and even to a lesser extent, Jay Leno, when they had a controversial figure on, they asked tough questions, or they just flat out wouldn't have someone on that they did not like or agree with. Look at Seth Myers, he said he will not put that piece of trash Trump on his show. Where Meyers has integrity, Fallon lacks any sense of any kind of integrity.

The Trump interview last night was an absolute joke and a complete ratings grab. Fallon is clearly losing the late night audience to guys like Conan and James Corden, so what does he do, he invites that racist asshole Trump to be on his show, and it was a total puff piece. You need look no further than all the media outlets showing photos of Fallon tosselling that monster's "hair". What a piece of trash the two of them are. You'd think a young guy like Fallon would have more sense, but clearly, he doesn't.

Who is he trying to get to watch his show by having that stupid idiot Trump as a guest? If he is looking for the 18-49 viewing audience, the goal of all shows, he is shit out of luck. I know zero 18-30 year olds that support that stupid son of a bitch. There are a few 30-40 year old moronic racist assholes that support that piece of trash, but I guarantee that they are not watching Fallon because they are too busy being brain washed by Fox News. The only group in the coveted TV watching group that may have had more dumbass Trump supporters are the 41-49 year olds, but those people clearly have no souls and they only care about rich people that will make them richer. And that is exactly what this interview was, 2 rich guys laughing and having a good time like a couple of dickheads. I cannot believe that something like this was allowed to happen.

This, in my opinion, is so much worse than when that punk ass Trump hosted "SNL". "SNL" has been very, very bad for the past 5 or 6 years, so the fact that they let that douchebag host, who cares, no one was watching. But, to have that ass face on a late night talk show as a guest, what a crock. And then, to make it a puff piece, that is a straight up shame. If you are going to put a real life super villain on your late night talk show, at least give him some tough questions. Don't laugh and joke with him and play with his hair.

I'm also very curious to know how the Roots, Fallon's house band, felt about this. They are one of the most politically conscious hip hop groups of all time, and they had to sit there and watch this nonsense. I mean, Questlove and Black Thought had to be losing their minds. If it was me, I would have refused to step on the same stage as that piece of trash. That was a low, cheap and dirty move by Fallon, and his staff, to schedule that sorry excuse of a human being on their show, and then to have a laugh with him while his house band has to sit there and watch this all unfold, that's embarrassing.

I guess what I really want to say, first, screw you Jimmy Fallon, but also, this showed me everything I needed to know about your true character. You are clearly a money and ratings grubbing asshole that is afraid to ask any tough questions because you want to be the late night host that is everybody's friend. This was disgusting and a slap in the face to the people that watch your show regularly. Anyone that allows that racist, arrogant, selfish, bullish piece of shit to speak on a late night talk show deserves the ill fate that is assuredly coming their way. I hope Jimmy Fallon reads everything that is being written about him today, and I hope it makes him literally sick. That is what you deserve you punk. I did not like him before last night, and I hate him even more now after last night's atrocity. Screw you and I hope Trump knows how much of a loathesome figure he truly is, no matter how much he lets Fallon play with his stupid hair.

This was an absolute travesty.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is not a fan of Donald Trump. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Ty Watches "Last Chance U"

Yesterday I finished another great documentary series on Netflix called "Last Chance U". Now, Netflix has been known, at least in the past year or so, to put out very good documentary series. You need look no further than the excellent "Making A Murderer", which is coming back for a second season. That show was damn near perfection. Everyone I know loved it, and everyone has an opinion, as one should when watching documentaries. "Last chance U" does not have the same stakes, not even close, as "Making A Murderer", but it is still very, very good. I was turned on to this show by a buddy of mine that I work with. He too, is a big fan of college football, and he told me to check the show out. It took me some time to get around to it, but I'm glad I finally did.

All of you know by now that I'm a huge college football fan, and "Last Chance U" focuses on a junior college team in the state of Mississippi. The team is the East Mississippi Junior College Lions. The thing that makes this school "special" or "unique", they take on transfers from big time division 1 colleges, or kids that were stars in high school, but couldn't make the grades to play D-1 football. EMJC is also an absolute powerhouse, obviously. When you are getting guys from major D-1 programs to come to your junior college for 1 or 2 years, you should dominate. They won the last 2 NJCAA national titles, and the title games weren't even close. In fact, they have won 3 titles in the last 6 years. They are the Alabama of junior colleges.

I sat down to watch the show, and we first meet the head coach, Buddy Stephens. He is a big guy, that immediately commands your attention. He has a southern twang to his voice, but his voice is booming. He is a salesman, but he is a damn good one. He convinces these kids that still want to play football and move on to another D-1 school to come to the middle of nowhere Mississippi to play football. He is a legend in the town and a legend in the junior college ranks. He is one of the greatest junior college coaches of all time. Not to be outdone, his staff is equally great. His offensive and defensive coordinators have a ton of experience, and they coach the hell out of these kids. He also has great, some former pro and college football players, as positional coaches. This staff is much, much to good to be coaching junior college, but Buddy Stephens has convinced these guys that this is where they should, and want, to be.

After meeting the head coach and the staff, we start to meet the players. This is the best part of this mini series, the players. There's two QB's at EMJC. One, Jonathan Franklin, was a former D-1 QB at Florida State. He was a star in high school, and was highly recruited. He got to FSU and saw his playing time was non existent. He was a good enough student, but he was upset at his lack of playing time, so he transferred out to EMJC. But, he had to split time with the other QB, Wyatt Roberts. Roberts was smaller, not as fast, but had better accuracy, and was more coachable. Roberts is also your typical country boy. He could have went to a 4 year university, but he didn't want to end his football career after high school. He wanted to keep going. He also loves hunting and living close to home, that is why he chose EMJC. The skill position players are boiled down to two of the running backs. They have receivers and tight ends, but we don't hear too much from them. The 2 running backs though, DJ Law and Isiah Washington, we get to meet both of them, and get their stories. Washington is the back up to Law. He is a true freshman, with lighting speed and the ability to find a hole in the smallest crease. But, he is not a good student. He does not care about school, so major D-1 straight out of high school is out of the question. He has to go to junior college to up his grades before he can go play D-1. DJ Law is the starter at EMJC. He is big, fast, strong, quick, finds space, can catch out of the backfield and block. He is the total package, but he also loathes school. He coasted in high school because he was so good at football, but no one offered him a scholarship because his grades were terrible. He would skip school constantly and, when he was in class, he couldn't keep up, so he was destined for junior college.

Flipping over to the defensive side of the ball, they point out linebackers and some secondary guys, but the mini series mainly focuses on one of the 2 defensive lineman. That D lineman is Ronald Ollie. Ronald Ollie is a kid who grew up with no parents. His dad shot his mom and then took his own life. He had to live with his aunts and his sisters kind of became his adult supervision. Needless to say, he had a very, very tough upbringing. But, he was always bigger than everyone else, and he dominated on a football field. Like the majority of the players on EMJC, he did not do well in school. Going to class was the last thing on his mind. School was boring, and he only showed up so he could play football. Man, what a great football player he can be. He was so dominant on the D line. Quick feet, heavy hitter and explodes through the hole to blow up QB's or running backs.

After meeting all these people, we go through the 9 game season with them. We see the ups and the downs. Early in their season, they get beat for the first time in 26 games. We come to find out later that the team they played had an ineligible player. We also see them regroup after the loss and go on to destroy any opponent that comes their way. They win games by 3, 4 and sometimes 5 touchdowns. We also see injuries and skipping classes come into play. Ronald Ollie suffers a concussion and misses 3 games. This is a big deal for a junior college player, because scouts will forget about a guy out with injuries, and move on to the next player. DJ Law also hurts his knee. This makes him question if he still wants to play football, and he flat out stops going to class. With Law out though, we got to see Isiah Washington, and that kid is great. There is also the QB competition all season long. Roberts becomes the starter, shockingly, and he does an adequate job, until he gets hurt. When Roberts gets hurt, we get to see Jonathan Franklin shine. He goes for 6 TD's, 4 rushing and 2 passing, in the first half of a game that will eventually ruin EMJC's shot at a third straight title.

We can see this title shot getting ruined earlier in the mini series. A few players and Coach Stephens get suspended for fighting with officials. The problem with running up the score, that makes the opponents take late shots, but the guys winning are always the ones to get caught, or made example of. That's exactly what happened in their final regular season game. They were crushing a far inferior opponent, 48-0 in the first half. Coach Stephens called a timeout, to give Franklin another series before half, and this incited an all out brawl. There were fights, people stomping on other people, trash cans were thrown, helmets were used as weapons, it was bad. Being the powerhouse they were, EMJC was forced to call the game, and their season was deemed over before the playoffs started. This made everyone upset. Some kids questioned being at the school. Others, they just wanted to get out of there quick, with graduation being around the corner.

The interesting thing about this part though, the recruiting didn't stop there. There was still another episode that showed how recruiting still goes on, even when your season ends. Most of the kids did get D-1 or D-1AA scholarships. Ronald Ollie ended up at Nicholls State in Louisiana. DJ Law got his act together and his grades up, and he ended up at UAB. Wyatt Roberts refused to go D-2, so he retired from football and decided to attend Mississippi State as a student. Jonathan Franklin ended up singing with Auburn, thus being the kid who got the best scholarship offer. I believe he is still there playing right now too.

"Last Chance U" is a must watch for football fans. It shows you everything you could want to know about the life of student athletes. The ups, the downs, the coaches, the academics and academic advisers, it's all there. I really hope Netflix continues with this series because I will watch every season. The show ended, spoiler alert, but not really, with Coach Stephens out on the recruiting trail, so that gives me hope that they will do another season. I also want to see what happens with Isiah Washington, because he already has offers from FSU and Auburn, so imagine what a good sophomore season can do for him. This show is great, and I think a lot of people would enjoy it. I know I sure did.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He used to load up his NCAA Football rosters with juco transfers, and he was unstoppable. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: The Coup

SeedSing is filled with music lovers. We can not agree on who is the best band from the States. The Greatest American Band Debate will be a regular feature where we discuss and compare bands who started in the good old USA. If you have any suggestions of bands we should debate Contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

Today I'm going to get back to my greatest American band debate, and the band I'm going to nominate is a very underrated, yet super conscious hip hop group, the Coup. The Coup is comprised of 2 people, emcee Boots Riley and DJ Madame Funkress. There are other members, but these 2 are the driving force behind this wonderful hip hop group.

I was introduced to the Coup about 10 years ago by one of my brothers. I was getting into politically conscious rap, i.e., Mr. Lif, Dead Prez and Talib Kweli, among many others, and my brother had just discovered the Coup, and he thought I would enjoy them. The first record he gave me was "Pick A Bigger Weapon". This was their fifth of six albums, but it was a great gateway to the awesomeness that is the Coup. I was blown away by Boots Riley. His rhyming was fantastic. He was fast, but also clear. It was conscious music as well. I was getting angry about dirty politics, and the way minorities were being treated, I still think the stuff that is happening now is disgusting, and the Coup, but mainly Boots Riley, was telling these stories.

The opening track, "Pick a Bigger Weapon", kicked off the anger and showed that Boots had something to say. He was angry about the way his people were being treated, and he put it all out there on the opening track. Then, from there on out on the record, Boots and Madame Funkress cover everything from racism to having babies to being underpaid to starting a revolution. "My Favorite Mutiny", featuring Talib Kweli and Black Thought, has the three emcees trading verses about over taking the government and taking a stand. Each emcee crushes on this song. Kweli has the best verse, but both Black Thought and Boots Riley are nearly as good. This is probably my favorite track on the record. They follow that song up with "IJustWannaLayAroundAllDayInBedWithYou", which is just Boots talking to his lady about wanting to stay at home with her all day and make love. But, he also takes a stand against the low wages given out to the working class. He complains about his alarm clock. He just wants to be with his lady all day. But, that divulges into some great takes about being underpaid, or even worse, being paid in IOU's from a crooked boss. Boots, the song makes it seem like he is just having a conversation with his lady, really takes a stance on how the working class gets screwed over by crooked companies. It's a great, funky and heady song. Some other tracks that showcase his distaste for being underpaid and undervalued are songs like "Ass Breath Killers" and "Yes 'Em To Death". Both of these tracks have a skit at the top, and then the song starts. They are both excellent. As far as starting a revolution, the very last track on this record, "The Stand", is a 6 and a half minute epic. The track is beautiful and poignant and has Boots Riley at his absolute best. This is a great, great song that has a very important message. Boots states that he is not going to take this stuff from the big wigs, the government and the crooked bosses of crooked companies, and it still, to this day, holds so much weight for me. This is an essential track for anyone new to the Coup.

I know that I have focused primarily on this one record, "Pick A Bigger Weapon", but it was my introduction, and it is their absolute best record, in my opinion, to date. Their early stuff is great, don't get me wrong. "Genocide and Juice" and "Steal This Album" are both phenomenal and they both have the same message. You could tell early on that Boots and Funkress had some important things to say, and that comes off ten fold on their first three records. But, they really hit their stride on "Pick A Bigger Weapon". They absolutely knocked it out of the park with that record. But, as I said, listen to their early stuff too. It's a bit rougher, they weren't totally solid yet, still great though. I actually like older stuff a bit more, but there is something special about "Pick A Bigger Weapon".

They released another record 4 years after, "Sorry to Bother You", which is also pretty good. It has the same message as all their stuff, but this time around, they sound like they are having fun making this politically conscious rap music. It's a bit poppier, in a good way. Boots is still there crushing it, it just has more of a radio sound.

I have talked almost primarily about Boots Riley, but Madame Funkress is not to be left alone. She is a great DJ, first and foremost. The stuff she does on their records is truly awesome. She is also an excellent singer. She has a soulful voice and can belt it out. She can rap too. Madame Funkress is awesome and she deserves just as much credit for the success of this band as Boots Riley does.

Boots Riley has also branched out and done other stuff with other musicians that is pretty great. He started another band with Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine, Street Sweeper Social Club. This band had the same mood as the Coup, but instead of beat machines, record scratching and drum machines, it's just Tom Morello playing guitar and Boots emceeing. It's like a funkier version of Rage. I really like the record they put out. And, when you put one of my favorite rappers along with one of the greatest guitar players ever, I'm going to like it. Other than his many collaborations with Morello, Boots Riley has done stuff with Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, Les Claypool, Galactic, Del the Funky Homosapien and Killer Mike. That is a lot of different genres of music that he has leant his talents to. That should prove to any disbelievers that Boots Riley can do almost anything. Boots Riley is one of the most underrated emcees of all time. I know that true hip hop people and fans know him, but the common fan needs to know his name and listen to his music.

If you like hip hop, you will love Boots Riley, and the Coup. Look, this band is great and the world needs to know more about them. The Coup has gotten little to no recognition from the mainstream media, but I will sing their praises all day long. The Coup is not only one of America's greatest bands, but they are one of the most important bands too. They more than belong in this conversation. Do yourself a favor and go listen to anything by the Coup. I guarantee you will fall in love with their sound immediately.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Check out all of his nominees of the Greatest American Band. Make sure to follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The NBA Hall of Fame Just Added Three of the Best Players Ever

I want to take my time today to point out how great this most recent NBA hall of fame class truly is. The three players that were enshrined last week are three of the biggest influences on me, growing up as a huge basketball fan and player. The class included Yao Ming, Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson. I'm going to tell you why each one of these players were important for me. Some are much more important, thus they will get more words, but I truly think and believe that all three of these guys absolutely belong in the hall of fame.

First off, lets look at Yao Ming. I remember hearing about Ming when I was in high school. I heard that there was a 7 foot 6 inch guy that was coming to the NBA from China. I had never seen anyone that big before. I know Manute Bol was either 7'7 or 7'8, but he was a beanpole. Not only was Ming tall, but he was thick. I remember seeing him on draft day, and I could not believe how big he actually was. He was towering over his parents, and I just simply could not believe he was real. I thought that he would barely last in the NBA, as Bol had a very short career, because tall guys break down so easily. But, Ming had a pretty productive, and quite frankly, a great career. His body did break down, but it wasn't until the very end. When Ming was a rookie, he was already a beast. Another player I will talk about shortly, Shaq, said he was going to go straight at him, which he did, but Ming did not back down, blocking his first shot attempt. Ming immediately won my respect. From then on, Ming was a great rim protector, an excellent rebounder, a beast on the low block and a double digit career scorer. Ming was a very good, very underrated pro. He was a multiple all star, made the Rockets relevant again, and brought the NBA to China. Ming was a huge influence on many young big men that are playing in China now. I'm a big Yao Ming fan, and I'm very happy he is a hall of famer.

Next, we have Shaquille O'Neal. I remember hearing about Shaq when I was a pre teen. I was very heavily into college basketball, and Shaq was one of the best players in the mid 90's. He made me want to watch LSU basketball. He dominated in college, and he did much of the same in the NBA. When he was first in the league, he made the Magic relevant. He was the main piece of the puzzle that led that team to its one of only 2 NBA finals appearances. That whole team was built around Shaq. O'Neal was so good in the low post. He was basically unstoppable. The one thing I liked most about the Orlando Magic version of Shaq was how many times he broke the rims. He would dunk with such ferocity that the whole rim would come down, or the backboard would shatter. He was like a bigger version of Daryl Dawkins. After he left Orlando and signed with LA, I was mad, but I understood. The Magic went as far as they could, and Shaq wanted titles. When he was a Laker, that was when he became the most dominant player in the league. Shaq could not be stopped. He got bigger, yet his quick feet remained. He got stronger, but he was not much slower. Shaq could do everything, except shoot free throws. The whole hack a whoever, that started with Shaq. Teams could not stop him, unless they fouled him. He was one of the most battered stars of all time, but that did not stop him from dominating. He would still put up 30 points, grab 10 rebounds, block 5 shots and win. He was the reason the Lakers became great in the early 2000's, not Kobe Bryant. Even after he left LA, Shaq won another title, this time with the Heat. He wasn't the same, but he still commanded the respect and attention of opposing defenses. Shaq was a big part in helping Dwayne Wade win his first title. He bounced around to a few other teams, but Shaq got into the hall for his time with the Lakers and the Magic. Shaq was a monster of a player, he redefined rules and bent what a traditional big man could do. Shaq may be the second greatest center of all time, behind only Bill Russell. Shaq was a sure fire hall of famer. This was more than due and deserved.

The last, but most important person that got inducted, at least to me, was Allen Iverson. I mean, Iverson is the best pound for pound player to ever play the game of basketball. He did things that no one his size should have been able to do against high level NBA competition. Iverson would go into the trees and come out with points. I didn't know how he did it, I don't think his opponents knew how he did it, hell, I bet Iverson was even shocked, but he could score in the paint against any big man that was out there trying to defend him. But, he was also a wizard of the crossover dribble. He perfected it in college, and it only got better when he was a pro. He crossed up so many great defenders, but the time he crossed Jordan, as a rookie, that was the best. Michael Jordan, who is the greatest player of all time, was also an otherworldly defender, and Iverson shook him out of his shorts. It's still incredible to watch to this day. Iverson also made the 76ers relevant again. They were nothing for about a decade until they drafted him. He never really got the supporting cast he needed, but he had that team in the playoffs constantly, and thy even made the finals once, even stealing one game in LA, against the Shaq led Lakers. Allen Iverson was incredible on the court. He was also very influential off the court. He made the NBA hip. He was to the NBA in the early 21st century what the Fab five was to college basketball in the 90's. He was so cool, brash, in your face, did not care what others thought of him and he owned all this. He would say what was on his mind, and then some. This made me respect him even more than I already did. He was the coolest dude, playing the coolest sport when he was in his prime. He had a few forgettable seasons in Denver and Memphis, but he was electric when he was the man in Philadelphia. So many young players owe the way they play to Allen Iverson. He was the first to come and truly be the person he wanted to be. He did not answer to anyone. He did his thing, and he did it exceptionally. Allen Iverson is one of my personal favorite players, and he is one of the ten best players to ever play the game of basketball. Iverson was a beast, and him being in the hall of fame makes me very, very happy. Almost no one deserves it more than him. Go check out his hall of fame induction speech, it is incredible. 

This class was a great class and I feel like the NBA hall of fame ceremony, at least for the next couple of decades, is going to feature some truly great players that I got to watch when they were in their primes. This was just the beginning of much more greatness to come.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Podcast. The head editor wanted to practice some podcasts, but Ty said he is not talking about practice. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

Is Soylent the Food For People? One Week Later.

It has been a week with Soylent now. I have been recording my thoughts related to diet daily since I first wrote about my Soylent experiment a few days in. Those thoughts are what follow.

DAY 4

Today I got up bright and early and had plenty of energy to actually stay awake and complete tasks before the rest of the house woke up. I have been having trouble with that lately. Is Soylent helping me get more energy? The jury is still out on that.

I do find myself more aware of what I am eating. I am going for 50% or about 1000 of my calories coming from Soylent. I am also changing my diet. I do not think that the ingestion of Soylent is causing more awareness. Rather, it probably has more to do with the change from habitual diet to something non-habitual. I’m not just using muscle memory right now, so that probably makes me more aware.

I have not really been snacking. I had a lunch today prepared by my partner from HelloFresh (a fresh food and recipe shipping service). I have a meal like this three times a week and they are all pretty nutritionally complete. HelloFresh or not, I am having a meal each day that has anywhere from 400 to 1200 calories.

DAY 5

I had two servings of Soylent during the day and I started feeling pretty hungry before it was time to start making supper. I ended up snacking on some baby carrots and hummus, but I am starting to think that three servings of Soylent per day is going to need to be the standard to keep me satisfied until supper time. I wake up pretty early and, with my partner's work schedule the way it is, I sometimes eat supper pretty late. Not that I think snacking on baby carrots and hummus is such a bad thing.

I was thinking about an article I read about how we get more out of eating than just nutrition. The article focused on the chewing part of eating and reasons that may be an essential part of our diet that we do not typically think about. Besides my desire to prepare and eat some meals with my family, this is another big part of why I would probably not attempt to go on a 100% Soylent diet. I thought about how someone who wanted to go all Soylent might deal with this. Chewing gum might be an option, but it is pretty soft. I guess someone could chew on a harder object like leather or a stick. In that case though, one might suffer the ability to socialize in our culture.

DAY 6

This morning I made bacon and hard boiled eggs and sat down and watched my family eat them. It seems a little strange, but not as much as I expected. Maybe it has already become a little familiar to me since I often prepare meat for them to eat. I have been enjoying a vegetarian diet for about a year already and as the person in the house who accepts the responsibility of preparing much of the food, I try to fill everyone's dietary desires to the extent that I am able. Maybe that is part of why it does not seem so strange to sit with people eating and not eat that myself.

Bacon does not do this, but I am starting to feel cravings when certain foods are being eaten around me. It is only those foods I am trying to get away from eating anyway though. The junk with little or no nutritional value. If I want to get away from that, there is going to be some of this no matter what change I make to my diet.

DAY 7

This evening I went to the movies and had some popcorn. I can usually go through the whole bag of popcorn without thinking much about it. Tonight however, I stopped eating and put it down after about a quarter of the bag. I picked it up a little later and had a bit more, but I did not even finish half of it. I am mentioning this to mark the fact that I have noticed that I am aware of feeling full before it reaches levels of discomfort. I welcome this change.

I am still getting up early without crawling back into bed or falling asleep on the couch during my morning meditation. I feel like I have a lot of healthy energy after my rest. Sometimes I nap a little in the middle of the day, but my urge to do that has decreased as well.

A couple of friends have mentioned doing something similar to what I am to lose weight. Any time you keep track of calories the way I am right now and if you are consuming a lower amount than you were otherwise, you will lose weight.

I lost over 100 pounds a few years back simply by paying attention to calories. The dangerous thing about that is that simply counting calories can still be very unhealthy. Many days while doing that before I ate low calorie foods so that I could eat more throughout the day. This means a lot of vegetables many times. But it also meant a lot of popcorn (sans butter) sometimes. There were also more days than I probably care to remember when my entire day's calories was donuts or some other high calorie pastry.

I have been losing a little weight since my calorie intake had been higher than I prefer. I did not get on the scale recently enough before I started to have an exact figure, but I can see it going down and I can feel it.

To conclude the first week, I feel an increased sense of satisfaction with my wellness both mentally and physically, I am definitely feeling and increased awareness of nutritional value of food intake, and feel much less like snacking between meals.

Kirk Aug

Kirk is interested in all things new and exciting, like drones. Follow his Soylent journey here on SeedSing and twitter @kirkaug.

Ty Watches the "Eric Andre Show" Season 4 Episode 5

After a one week hiatus, "The Eric Andre Show" was back this past Friday. This one started as usual, with the announcer saying Andre's name, and he proceeded to run at the stage, with intentions to destroy, but before he could crash the stage, he slipped into a portal. This wouldn't allow him to trash the stage, at first. But, after floating through the portal for a minute, he was dropped back on the stage, and this was when he proceeded to do his usual damage. He crushed his desk. He attacked the band. He threw vases and pots. His other new wrinkle this week, there was a guy dressed like a scientist that looked to be doing some blood work. Andre found this man and repeatedly punched him in the face. Just when you thought the bit was going to end, it went on for an extra 10 to 15 seconds. This is one of the things I love about Eric Andre, his willingness to push a bit too its outer most limits.

After the destruction, Hannibal Buress was announced, and he entered the stage on a kayak attached to a pallet of wood. Buress has been making some pretty cool entrances this season. After Buress exited the kayak, Andre started his monologue. This time around, very angrily, Andre just kept saying "joke, joke, joke, punchline", over and over again. He did this a few times, and Buress started to laugh. After Buress was filmed laughing, the band was laughing and so was the studio audience. Andre ate this up. Buress proclaimed that he figured out the secret to comedy. Andre continued with the words, "joke, joke, joke, punchline", and some dancers came on the stage. They were talking gibberish that was overlapped with Andre's words. Then, Penn Jillette entered the stage and said the words, "magic, magic, magic, atheism" over and over again. All the talking was overlapped, and, much like the opening with the scientist, the bit was pushed to the very edge.

Before they introduced the first guest, they immediately cut to a pre taped segment. This segment was called "Grocery Goofs". It was meant to be a blooper type show, a la "America's Funniest Home Videos", but it had Andre's twist to it. Instead of being a blooper show, when a customer entered and tried to buy a juice, Andre told him it cost 47 dollars. The customer was confused, but that was just the start. This was the only "blooper" type thing because right after charging way too much for a juice, Andre emerged from behind the counter, wearing nothing except a T shirt. This was very awkward for the customer. Andre kept talking to the customer like nothing was weird at all, but then we see another man, fully nude, emerge from behind the counter. Andre tells the customer that this guy is his "sex slave", and the customer can't leave fast enough. Andre tries to make it hard for the man to leave, but the guy makes his way out. It was all meant to be a spoof, but it was still disturbing and hilarious, two things only Eric Andre can pull off.

Then, we get back to the show, and they introduce their first guest, actor Jesse Williams. The interview was weird, as always, and at one point, Andre tells Williams that the interview is going to become extreme, and he straps some head gear on Williams that is fully equipped with 5 or 6 Go Pro's, and the camera it shot from Williams point of view. It was very shaky and nauseating, and when Williams noticed that Andre was trying to have a bowel movement on his desk, that was when he decided to leave.

Next up was the Brotendo segment. This was weird and wild, as always. Andre would approach people on the street, I should mention that he wears a bikini top, a Dr. Seuss hat, weird sunglasses and super high top boots, and says nonsense to them like, "I just got my crystal meth medical card", or " I just returned from Burning Man and it just isn't the same anymore". This time around, he had a fake double guitar, and pretended to shred in front of many confused onlookers.

They then cut back to the set and they had their second guest, Jillian Barberi on. This interview went off the rails quick. Andre started to complain about his messed up desk, and he ripped the top off to reveal a little person dressed like him and another little person that looked like Jillian Barberi. Not to be outdone, Hannibal Buress had a person that was dressed just like him as well. They were all talking over one another, saying the same thing. Barberi was very quickly turned off, saying it was like an acid trip, and she left the stage.

We are then transported back to their "Grocery Goofs" segment, but this time, it focused on the fully nude man, saying he was hosting a show for hostages. He tried to interview people, and as to be expected, they all turned him away. It was gross and weird, but still, it made me laugh.

At the end Andre had a rapper and a professional eater do a rap battle, while also having a hot dog eating contest. The rapper continually vomited and the eater was a terrible rapper. It was pretty funny actually. I don't like throwing up personally, but I find humor in others doing it, especially on TV.

The show ended there, and it was great to have "The Eric Andre Show" back after its short hiatus. I love his weird humor and I very much looked forward to watching the next episode. There will be another new episode this Friday, so come back next week for my review.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Is there any other absurd show Ty should be watching? Come on over to SeedSing and tell us all about it. 

The Ease to Forget: 9-11 and a lost generation.

The new normal

Today is the 15th Anniversary of the September 11th attacks. We wanted to reprint our thoughts about the aftermath of the tragedy and what has happened to our country in the years since that terrible day. This article originally appeared on September 11th, 2015.

At the dawn of the 21st century I was a twenty five year old man who just started to get his life in order. Many of my peers had started their careers, a few had even started families. I was already attempting my second career and had finally moved out of my parents home. I had a college education and skills needed in a booming economy, but various personal missteps had slowed my entry into independent adulthood. In my circle of friends I was an anomaly, someone who just could not figure out how to grow up. Twenty five may have been a little late to grow up, yet I was comfortable that my life was back on a forward trajectory.

September 11th, 2001 was a very sunny and mild Tuesday in St. Louis Missouri. I was on my way to watch the best golfers in the world practice for an upcoming event in the area. I was to meet a fellow friend at a nearby hotel where we would get breakfast and carpool to the golf course. On my way the local radio broke the news that something seemed to hit one building of the World Trade Center. The initial reports said it was a small plane or a news helicopter. Less than an hour later I was standing in a packed lobby of a hotel watching the true horror unfold. This is going to sound like a cliche,  I did not know at the time how much the world was about to change.

Fourteen years later I start my day like any other. It is a bright mild Friday morning in Cincinnati Ohio. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. My life has continued a forward trajectory, everything seems the same as it ever was. I start every morning looking through the news and social media to see what trends SeedSing wants to tackle next week. On the morning of September 11th, 2015 my feed is filled with "Never Forget" memes from  the old and new media.  Like Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Never Forget has become this programmed response everyone feels they should give on this one day of the year. There is very little thought given to what this means. Why should we Never Forget? Who should we Never Forget? What will not forgetting give us?

We have forgotten and society has been radically altered because of our memories. The national reaction, fed by the politicians and media, was one of extreme vengeance. The grounds was still smoking when President Bush boasted of leveling other nations. The public applauded his strength, the press gave the administration a pass on any faulty intelligence, and the congress gleefully accepted war. All of the grand estates of the American society were controlled by greedy baby boomers who were already gearing up for a war in Iraq. The September 11th attacks caused the public to line up behind the warmongers. Instead of attacking Iraq, we were invested in going into another nation. There was no way to question our ill advised blood lust. To question was to not honor the dead. The baby boomers in charge consolidated their power, increased their wealth, and sacrificed the millennials.

The millennial generation were mostly in high school or college when the September 11th attacks took place. The baby boomers and generation xers were in the work force, shaping the future for the millennials. In the aftermath of the attacks, the millennials were called upon to defend their country. The millennials were recruited into a holy war that had not been won by over a hundred generations before them. The ones who belonged to the lower economic classes sacrificed their lives and sanity for our irrational wars.  All the millennials had their economic futures sacrificed by the greed of those in power. Concepts like freedom and patriotism were being co-opted by right wing corporate and religious institutions after September 11th. Our society started to deify rich white CEOs as some kind of economic savior, they were the job creators. We allowed the polluters to have more free reign, so we do not allow the terrorists to dictate our lives. The thieves on Wall Street were absolved because they were the champions of american capitalism. The boomers got rich, the gen xers tried to tread water, and the millennials were lost.

In 2000, at the age of twenty five, I was behind my peers. Searching for a career, living at home, and being generally without direction. This was not society, this was my own doing. Since September 11th, our society has fundamentally changed. What we forget is how the boomers changed this society. It has become the norm for a college educated twenty five year old to be living at home. In fourteen short years we have allowed the politicians, corporations, and media to create an economic wasteland for future generations. The boomers are still mostly in charge, and they have gotten wealthier. The gen xers are still mostly treading water, waiting for their opportunity. The millennials are learning how to survive a new social and economic reality, and they have no guidance. We have failed the millennials, and we need their help to fix our problems.

September 11th and the aftermath has seen way too much death and suffering. On that mild and sunny Tuesday morning all but twenty of the victims were living their lives and looking forward to their next happy moment. The many powerful people who exploited this event for their greed and racism should not be left off the hook. The architects of today's society, one that is leaving the majority behind, have allowed the fear of that day to flourish. They have lost a generation. Never Forget.   

RD Kulik

RD is the creator and Head editor of SeedSing. Have another opinion? Let us know.