SeedSing Listens to Vampire Weekend's "Father of the Bride"

Let me say at the very beginning that I am a huge fan of Vampire Weekend.

Let me have it. Hipster, pretentious, whiny white boy rock lover, I have heard it all. Recently one of my favorite writers flat out crushed the band and all of their fans. The comments in the article are even more cutting.

The hipster act of criticizing other hipsters is in full force with Vampire Weekend. I lived through it with Beck, Radiohead, and Arcade Fire. I am ready to live through it when my family, friends, and readers, want to tweak me about my love for a band called Vampire Weekend and their 21st century version of whiny white boy rock. I will not apologize. I loved their first three albums, I am sure their fourth one will be just as good.

Here is the thing, I predictably really like “Father of the Bride”. As long as the band keeps putting out songs like “Oxford Comma”, “M79”, “Giving Up the Gun”, and everything on “Modern Vampires of the City” I was going to like “Father of the Bride”. Not only do I like it, I love it. I may be so bold and say that this is Vampire Weekend’s masterpiece.

The album starts of with a strange little song called “Hold You Now”. It is odd, but it has grown on me, and yes it does have a sample of children’s choir singing from the movie “The Thin Red Line”. The next song, “Harmony Hall” has been out for a while now and I believe this is the song that will define Vampire Weekend. It is their “Thunder Road”. From there on the record gets better. The B side of the vinyl, yes I bought “Father of the Bride” on vinyl, is flawless. The unfortunately named “Unbearable White” is a jazzy tune that I love, and I hate jazz. The final song on the B side, “Married in a Gold Rush” is in my opinion the best song on a killer record. It is awesome.

The second record/disc is more experimental, yet still incredible. Songs like “My Mistake” and “2021” feel like the tunes of a different band with a Vampire Weekend flavor. The record ends with the melancholy “Jerusalem, New York, Berlin” a fitting cool down to a great run of music.

I, like many Vampire Weekend fans, was a little concerned that founding member Rostam Batmanglij had left before “Father of the Bride was recorded. Rostam released his solo record “Half-Light” in late 2017 and he was not not going to record any new music with his old band for the time being. He is still listed as a writer and producer on a few songs, so his influence is not completely gone.

I do want to highlight Danielle Haim from the band HAIM. She is featured on a couple of great tracks on “Father of the Bride”. Her duets with front man Ezra Koenig are incredible. She is the number one reason that the opening track is worth listening to, and Haim and Koenig on the aforementioned “Married in a Gold Rush” plus the D side track “We Belong Together” propels the record from good to great.

I was pretty sure I was going to like “Father of the Bride” before I heard the first note. I was also pretty sure the hipster on hipster hate was going to follow the release of the album. I was ready for all of it. Yet being biased towards one of my favorite bands, I was not expecting to like “Father of the Bride” as much as I have. Months ago I downloaded “Harmony Hall”, and I figured that would be the key track. I love that song, and the all of the rest that surround it on the latest from Vampire Weekend.

Final word is that if you love Vampire Weekend, you will love “Father of the Bride”. If you are new to Vampire Weekend, this record will make you a convert. Unless you support hipster on hipster fighting.

RD

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

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Let the Kyrie Irving Speculation Begin

NBA free agency is still about a month and a half away. But, it officially started for Kyrie Irving last night. The Celtics and Irving laid down and let the Bucks walk over them on their way to the East Finals. This was pretty much written in stone after game 4. The Bucks ripped the Celtics apart and all but sewed up the series. Last night was simply needed to get the clinching win for Milwaukee.

And man was Irving bad, on both ends of the floor, after game 1 of this series. He was a zero on defense. It didn’t look like he was even trying. As far as offense, he took a lot of shots, said he should take more, but missed most of them. He was not good when he needed to be his best. He reverted to how he played in Cleveland before LeBron came back.

I do put a good amount of blame on Irving, because he’s the star player and number one option, but he’s not alone. Gordon Hayward was an absolute zero in this series. He played scared. Al Horford is starting to show his age. Giannis bullies him. Terry Rozier didn’t get enough playing time. Jayson Tatum regressed all year. The only guy that looked engaged, and played well, was Jaylen Brown. He looked good.

We also need to re-evaluate Brad Stevens. He may not be the boy wonder some thought. This was, by far, his best roster, and they choked harder than ever. Stevens deserves as much blame as credit he got when the Celtics overachieved. He allowed all of this to happen. He also proved he cannot handle big stars. That was the biggest take away I got from his coaching this year.

But, back to their big time free agent. I know Horford is a free agent, and he’s very important to this team. But, he’s not Irving. Some team is going to go after Irving, and go after him hard. He is a wizard with the ball. He can create with the best of them. He is a solid passer. When engaged, he plays okay enough defense. But, the way he played in these last 4 games, or the whole year, and how he’s treated his teammates and the media, I’d be a little hesitant to back up the truck for him. He is such an enticing player, and he’s still relatively young. But his attitude, the stuff he says, the way he acts towards teammates, his willingness to leave when it doesn’t go his way, all of that makes me pause. All of that would make me think twice. Two years ago, after demanding his trade from Cleveland, when he landed in Boston, he seemed so happy. He seemed like he was going to be there for awhile. He was finally back to being “the guy”. Two years later, he’s already ready to leave. In October he wanted to stay, then a month later he said “I don’t owe Boston shit”. Look, I’m stoked when any team from Boston gets bounced early from the playoffs. But, he say two totally opposite things only a month apart, that’s childish. This is why I’d be so hesitant to sign him long term.

Say Irving and KD, who I will write about his injury tomorrow, but man is that a bummer, go to the Knicks. How quick until he’s upset that he’s second fiddle again? KD is a far superior player. I don’t think Irving would be too happy after one season. Let’s say he joins LeBron again in LA. How long until he trashes the youth on that team? Or, how upset would he be if he were the third option behind LeBron and Anthony Davis if they get him? If he signs with the Lakers, they would be disastrous. Say he goes to the Nets. How is that any different than his situation right now in Boston? He’d be done there in one season.

The only team that I think makes a bit of sense is Phoenix. The young core would buckle to his whims. He could help pick a coach. He would be the alpha, no disrespect to Devin Booker, but Irving is better. And he could kind of hide away there. He wouldn’t be all in the media for the first time in his career, which I think would be great for him. He could stay away from social media and simply focus on basketball. That is truly the only team I think he would stay and help.

We will have to wait to see until July 1, and I cannot wait. But, Irving did not help himself at all thus post season. If anything, he only hurt his stock and I’d think twice before offering him a max this offseason. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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The NBA Coaching Carousel is Starting Up

I'm going to talk about the NBA today, but I want to wait until we are fully set with the East and West Finals before I talk about the playoffs. What I want to touch on is some recent head coaching news.

First, I think the Suns, who seem to be a real mess right now, which is a bummer for me since I pledged my fandom to them earlier this year, made a solid head coaching hire in Monty Williams. If he is given the extent of his contract, which I believe is 5 years, I think he can turn them into a playoff team. They have 2 young guys that have a shot to be all stars, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. They just need to fill the team out with solid role players, and they seem to have some on the roster right now. Josh Jackson may never live up to the hyper coming out of college, but he has shown flashes. Mikail Bridges is the prototypical NBA role player. Kelly Oubre looks like he is ready to take the next step into full time, reliable starter. TJ Warren is a solid NBA player. And I really like their rookie from last year, Elie Okobo. They kept him in the G League for most of the year, a very smart move, and now, I think he is ready for the NBA. The Suns have some pieces, and I feel like Williams can succeed if given a real chance.

But, the main head coach rumor I want to talk about is Ty Lue possibly to the Lakers. I have mixed feelings on this move. For one, I am very conflicted because I think, from a player standpoint, this is a good move. Lue has shown that he doesn't back down to LeBron. He challenged him when they were in Cleveland together. He didn't put up with all of his demands. He, along with Erik Spoelstra, may be the only coaches that actually have LeBron;s respect. I also think it would be good for them to bring over a former player, a former champion at that, that wasn't a super star. This isn't like hiring Magic. Lue isn't Byron Scott. He is so much better than Kurt Rambis. What those guys had was star power as players, and I think the Lakers brass thought they could bring that over to coaching. What Lue has is coaching prowess, titles as a player and coach, but he was a role guy. He knew what he needed to do, did it and won. I think that is a smart choice as far as head coach.

The problem I keep having with the possibility of the Lakers hiring him is the roster construct of this iteration of the team. Lue is a solid coach that knows how to deal with a big time star like LeBron. But, while in Cleveland he also had other stars like Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. The rest of that roster had vets. They had guys that had been around for awhile in the NBA, had playoff experience and knew how to live the NBA life. Outside of LeBron, and a very few others, the Lakers do not have that. They are filled with young talent. They are filled with players that haven't fully grown into their NBA bodies yet. They are filled with a bunch of young guys that don't trust the front office after the whole Anthony Davis thing last year. It is a roster filled with the unknown, and I don't know how, or if, Lue can handle that. How is he going to deal with his three young guys that they were supposed to build this team around before LeBron signed there? Will Brandon Ingram be okay with becoming a very rich man's JR Smith? I think that is what LeBron and Lue want, but Ingram is so much better creating that just waiting for open shots. Lonzo Ball, while a much better defender, is no Kyrie Irving on offense. He is also hurt constantly. How is he going to perform when Lue completely turns the offense over to LeBron? He has a broken jumper, he doesn't get to the line and he is a much, much better passer than shooter. He needs to run the offense to be as effective as he can be. That won't happen when Lue is coach and he defers to LeBron. Kyle Kuzma, while being a very streaky shooter, is not Kevin Love or even, I mention him again, JR Smith. Kuzma can score, sometimes at will. But, he can be ice cold as well. He also doesn't rebound or outlet pass like Love does. He also isn't a great spot up shooter like Smith. Say what you will about JR Smith, but he was good at finding open spots while playing with LeBron, and hitting shots when he needed to. Kuzma isn't there yet, but I think Lue and LeBron will expect that now.

Outside of those three guys, and whoever they get in the late lottery, they don't have much in the way of solid veterans. JaVale McGee completely regressed last year. Lance Stephenson is washed. Mike Muscala is very blah. Josh Hart is okay, but he stumbled at the end of the year. Moe Wagner is nearly unplayable because he is a horrendous defender. I mean, they don't really have the guys, especially in the West, to compete. That is where I stop and really question if Lue is the guy to turn this Lakers team around. I will say that the roster could be vastly different after July 1. But for now I have to go with what they have. And what they have doesn't fit a LeBron led team coached by Ty Lue. They are not the 2016 and 17 Cavs. That was a roster built by LeBron for Lue to coach. This Lakers roster was totally messed up by what Magic and Rob Pelinka did this past offseason, and it isn't one that I put a lot of faith in with a 35 year old LeBron and Ty Lue. I think they are a playoff team, but no more than a 5 or 6 seed, at best, in the West. It is a whole different game in that conference.

All this hire truly shows me is that LeBorn and Klutch Sports are now in full control of the Lakers. While that may have been great 3 or 4 years ago, it doesn't hold the weight it once did. LeBron is old, and the AD thing really showed me a lot about Klutch when they don't get their way. Ty Lue is a solid, championship winning NBA head coach. I just don't think he is a good fit with this Lakers team the way it is constructed as of today. We will have to wait and see.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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My War with the Moles and Chipmunks in My Yard

ARRRGHHH

My topic is a little odd today, but as RD and I have many times, we have a platform for venting about weird stuff sometimes. So today I want to talk about my total disdain for moles and chipmunks.

I never really had much of a yard before we moved into the house I currently live in. I grew up in a townhouse, spent the first part of dating/married life in a townhouse and, at our first house, our lawn was the size of a very, very small park. Think about the "Littlest Park" episode of "Parks and Rec", double that, that was the size of our front and backyard. But now, I have a pretty decent sized backyard. The front isn't humongous, but it isn't too terribly small either.

Anyway, last year I decided that I was going to take pride in my yard. We have a veggie garden now, and instead of just letting grass and weeds and dandelions and whatever else destroy the yard, I was going to do it all. It also helps that my mother in law is a master gardener. She gave a lot of advice, and the tools, to keep my yard looking fresh. So I did the weeding. I made sure to mow whenever the grass needed it, sometimes when it even could have waited a bit. I tended to the veggie garden. I mulched the entire front and back. I did whatever I was instructed to do so my yard would look solid. And for awhile, boy did it loom good. I was proud of what I had accomplished. Everything seemed to be going great.

About a few months into the fall, right around when the leaves started to fall, my wife and I noticed odd little hills popping up in our backyard hill. We have a flat backyard, but at the end, we have a decent hill. This is where the little hills started to show. I went outside, investigated and decided that stomping the ground back in would do the trick. Nope, I would wake up the next day to the same hills, plus a few extras here and there. We looked up what may cause this and found out it could be moles. I called a local exterminator to rid our yard of these monsters, and at first, I thought they did. They kept telling us they were weeding out and that our yard would look like old anytime soon.

That did not happen. I kept seeing newer hills popping up. One day it would seem fine, the next, it was like the moles had an underground party. I contacted the exterminator, and they wouldn't come back out because I canceled my business after they said they eradicated the problem. I was hot. So, I decided to take matters into my own hand. I bought poison worms and supersonic sound machines. I planted devices in the yard to trap them. I even thought about getting a BB gun.

None of this worked.

These moles, and chipmunks, continued to find a way. I figured with how cold it was this past winter, it would freeze them out. And it seemed like it had. But, when it started to warm up recently, I noticed that the hills in the backyard where mostly gone, but the front, not so much. Mole hills have popped up everywhere in the front. It looks like our backyard did last fall. They are all over the mulch, by my hoop, near the sidewalk, everywhere. I even see a bunch in our neighbors yards. It is out of control. It feels like they dug deeper in the frigid cold, stored up all their energy, and are now taking it out on mine, and my neighbors, lawns. It is insane.

I don't get it. I don't know what else to do. I keep stamping the ground with tools. I put some newer, seemingly more effective grub and worm killer in my yard. I have laid a ton of new grass seed. I even bought more powerful supersonic sound wave machines. Yet, the moles and chipmunks seem to be getting stronger.

I hope that this problem will go away. I'm sick and tired of seeing new tunnels and bumps every morning. I'm getting past frustration to, dare I say, acceptance that the moles have taken over. This has only gotten worse. If any of you have any advice out there, please let me know because I am so sick and tired of these damn things. I'm going to continue to tend to my yard and veggie garden, but I would be lying if I said that this whole mole/chipmunk thing hasn't made me reconsider my ways of yard work. Should I go back to not caring about my yard? Will this get rid of the moles/chipmunks? I hope I don't have to try that again, but with how much stronger this has become since winter, that may be my last resort.

Gosh do I despise these varmint. Big time.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. If you see Ty with a gun and a crazy look in his eye, no worries. He is just getting ready to escalate his war with the varmints.

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Ty Watches "Avengers: Endgame"

I was finally able to see "Endgame" yesterday. My parents took our kids overnight, and my wife and I went to the movie early in the day so we could get home at a decent hour. I have been rather hesitant about this movie, I voiced as much on a recent podcast. I wasn't crazy about the running time, I was bored by "Infinity War", I feel a bit overwhelmed by all the superheroes in the movie and I said it felt like "homework" having to see this movie. But, I had to see it. My OCD wouldn't allow me to skip it.

Now, before I go into my review, I need to say that this is going to be spoiler free. I know the movie has been out for 2 weeks, and people are starting to spoil stuff online. But, I also know that there are people like me out there, or people that cannot go immediately to see movies anymore. I want those people to be as surprised by this movie as I was. Now lets get into it.

I want to say right off the bat, I LOVED this movie. It was immediately better, to me, than "Infinity War". What I disliked about "Infinity War", all the backstory and each and every hero getting some kind of grand intro, "Endgame" didn't do that. It didn't have to do that. There was such a short amount of time between the 2 movies, the viewer didn't need to get everyone's backstory. I will say, if you haven't seen all, or most, of the MCU movies, "Endgame" may be confusing at first, but after an hour, you get the gist. And even for those that said the first hour may be boring, or a slog, I did not find it that way at all. They gave you the pertinent info, let you know who was still around and went from there. From there, it was so awesome. I mean, it had everything in it that I wanted "Infinity War" to have. And the last 2 to 2 and a half hours were, pretty much, all action or fighting. This is what I crave when it comes to comic book or super hero movies. It was straight up action and adventure. There was some wild and baller fights.

I do have to say, I enjoyed the story that was written for "Endgame". It was so much more cohesive and just better written than "Infinity War". I also liked some of the character choices. Thor's "arc" was amazing, and hilarious. The stuff with Cap actually made me kind of, sort of, like him. Again, this movie made me appreciate Hawkeye. Hulk was great. Captain Marvel is a true badass. She is the best hero of them all, by far. My Wakandan folk ruled as always. Black Widow got a poor rap, but she was great. All of them were just great. But the one that stood out most to me, and it was like this in the beginning, was Ironman. He was tremendous, and man oh man did his story make me weep. I was legit sobbing. I cried so hard that the child next to me asked me if I was okay. I did not expect this movie to move me the way it did. But that is just another feather in its cap.

Finally, what made "Endgame" so good, was the finality of it. This felt like an ending to something humongous. I know they won't ever stop making super hero movies, it is a goldmine, but for some, this was clearly the end. And that was awesome. It was a great sendoff, for most, to some awesome heroes that we have grown to adore.

"Endgame" is more than worth your time. It may be over three hours long, but it never felt that way. I didn't even get up to use the restroom because I didn't want to miss a thing. This washed a bad taste out of my mouth, and made me realize how, and why, I love/loved these movies. It was a total delight.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is a bit disappointed that Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman did not make an appearance. He feels like those characters deserve a good team up movie and not the crap they have been doing these last few years.

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The Greatest American Music: Lizzo's "Soulmate"

Last week I raved over Lizzo's new record, "Cuz I Love You", and today I want to talk about one specific song on there that I think will have a long lasting impact, especially as a wedding song. As I stated in my review, I am obsessed with this new record. I love the message, her voice, the lyrics and how catchy every single song is. I have been listening to it at least once a day since last Monday. I love every track on the record. My favorite is "Better in Color", because of the blending of old and new sounds.

But, the more I listen to the record the more the song "Soulmate" really, really stands out. This song, at least to me, ranks right up there for single people as Beyoncé's "All the Single Lady's". I mean, the message behind each song is to be independent and love yourself. But Lizzo takes it one step further. Where Beyoncé says stuff like, "if you liked it than you should have put a ring on it", Lizzo talks about how she doesn't need anyone, but herself, to be as happy as she can be. When listening, and then looking at the lyrics, this couldn't be more true. There are certain parts of this song that make "All the Single Lady's" seem timid and not nearly as empowering. Lizzo starts out with a bang. The opening verse has her saying, "they used to say get a man you had to know how to look/they used to say to keep a man you had to know how to cook/but I'm solo in Soho, sippin Soju in Malibu/It's a me, myself kinda attitude". That is some epic stuff right there. She rehashes what people may have told her her whole life, but then says she doesn’t need that stuff, and in fact, she is so much happier chilling at the beach and drinking by herself. She doesn't need to cook to get a dude. She doesn't need to do herself up just to get a guy. That is awesome.

The chorus is what really took me by storm when I actually looked at the lyrics. "All the Single Lady's" does have that catchy as hell chorus, but "Soulmate" is so much more profound. It goes, "Cause I'm my own soulmate/I know how to love me/I know that's always going to hold me down/yeah I'm my own soulmate/No, I'm never lonely/I know I'm a queen but I don't need no crown/Look up in the mirror like damn she's the one". Again, that is such a perfect chorus for all single people, not just ladies, to scream sing on the dance floor, especially at weddings. I mean, it doesn't get much more self empowering than that. She calls herself her own soulmate. She says she will never be letdown. She knows she is a queen, and doesn't need anyone to tell her this, or buy her nonsense. And the whole look in the mirror is just a baller ass line. It is amazing. I can picture, if I flashback to my own wedding, all of mine and my wife's single friends at the time, rocking this song. It would have been epic. Hell, I went to some weddings awhile back where "ATSL" was playing, and "Soulmate", had it been out, would have blown that song out of the water. There is another verse that I adore in the song. Lizzo says, "and she never tells me to exercise/we always get extra fries/and you know the sex is fire/and I gotta testify/I get flowers every Sunday/I'mma marry me one day". Again, perfection. In that one little verse she covers her disdain for exercise, how she eats what she wants, how she is the only one that can please herself and that she's just going to marry herself. Awesome.

Even near the end, when Lizzo talks about how you can find true love when you are by yourself, I love it. Before meeting my wife, I was by myself, and by myself a lot. I started to just be myself the more I stayed by myself. All of that led to me meeting my wife. She liked how calm and, dare I say, cool I was/am. I decided that I was fine by myself, and then I met the love of my life. I kind of think that is the message Lizzo is trying to get across. I think, I in my mind, she is saying you need to love yourself before you love someone else, and that someone else needs to love you for who you really are. I think that is just great.

"Soulmate" rules, just like every other song on this record. But, what "Soulmate" has that some of the other songs might not is the ability to become a big smash hit that resonates with all different kinds of people. I'm happily married, been with my wife for almost 13 years, 10 of which we have been husband and wife, and I yell sing this song in my car. I have other friends that listen to Lizzo, that are single, and this is far and away their favorite song on the record. I have friends that are dating that play this loudly in their home. This song truly runs the gammet. Even my three year old sings along to the chorus. It is a perfect song, and will be for the rest of time. Seriously people, start listening to Lizzo because she absolutely rules.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is all about loving yourself before you can love someone else. Maybe the incel community could learn something from Ty and Lizzo.

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Ty Watches "90 Day Fiance" Season Premier

A show that I’m pretty certain I’ve talked about on the site before came back this past Sunday night, and boy oh boy did they up the ante.

I have said many times that my wife has gotten into the whole reality TV craze, and one of our favorites, “90 Day Fiancé What Now?”, is back. This show is great because it’s so bad. It’s so poorly acted, and yes, these people are trying to be actors. I know it’s “reality” TV, but we all know now that it’s all scripted. “90 Day Fiancé What Now?” is “The Room” of reality TV. It started out as a look inside the K-1 Visa process, but now it’s blossomed into an insane portrait of couples that should not be together.

When the show first came out, it wasn’t as wild as it is now, and this newest season, they got some of the craziest and unstable people that they’ve ever had on the show. They took the worst of the bunch, making it the most gripping, I use that term very, very lightly, and engaging season so far. I mean, the couple that live in Vegas with the man’s mom, they’re nuts, in all the best reality TV ways. Since we last saw them, the wife may get deported, she flushed her wedding ring down the toilet, they got a new cat, the guy is even creepier than before and the mom is even more stressed out. We have the couple where the guy got a Tinder account only days after he was married to his girlfriend, who broke off 2 previous engagements because of infidelity. When these 2 are on screen, it’s so cringeworthy. It’s all fighting, the young guy trying to justify his scumbag decision, and the wife leaving him to walk home on the side of the road. We get the couple with the husband that legit looks like The Penguin, and is subjecting his wife to living in a storage unit, with no stove. Every time they interview her, I swear she wants to scream out, “help!, I’m a prisoner”. She looks so unhappy and uncomfortable. She’s also so bored, she’s taking an ESL class taught by her husband. The most “normal” couple is the one that lives in North Carolina, but we find out very soon that they aren’t together anymore, and then they flash back to 3 months prior. The husband is terrified to move, and the wife wants to become an actress and thinks Chicago is the best place to achieve this goal. She is also 20 and very much acts that way. The husband also gives off a real peaked in high school vibe.

But the best, at least so far, is the couple that lives in Atlanta. They’re a real mess. The wife’s family wants to hire a PI to investigate the husband. The husband started a huge fight with the wife’s family that he won’t own up to. They constantly bicker and fight. They can’t seem to agree on anything. The wife’s family is super duper crazy. The husband seems like he could be running a scam. It makes for great reality TV.

After the episode was over, we got a coming up on thing, and they’re going to bring back some classics for viewers of this ridiculous dumb, but addicting show. I cannot wait. Also, the premiere episode was 2 hours long, followed by a “where are they now” hour long show. That’s great. TLC knows what they have in this show, and they’re capitalizing on its popularity right now.

I literally cannot wait to see the next episode, and the whole season for that matter. I know it’s bad she dumb and pointless and predictable, but damn do I love “90 Day Fiancé What Now”. Check it out if you just want a hilarious escape for a few hours every week. It’s a delight.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is waiting for TLC to do a show about thoughtful people who get married. It can be called 900 Day Fiance.

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Ty Listens to Comedy Bang Bang's 10th Anniversary Podcast

The “Comedy Bang! Bang!” podcast is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and to honor this achievement, Scott Aukerman decided he was going to do a 10 hour long episode bringing back as many famous guests as possible. So far I’m about 5 and a half hours in, and it is a treat. I’ve loved every single second of this record long podcast. It’s like hearing a ten of Best Of episodes of the show. It is awesome.

The guest list, so far, has been absolutely incredible. Jon Hamm was on for a bit because he’s been on the show from the start. Jon Gabrus as Geno the Intern has made his always funny appearance. Thomas Lennon and Rob Heubel, the first guests on the first show, returned. Lennon also brought back a very old, and hilarious character. Jason Mantzoukas was the first guest of the episode, and he and Aukerman were great as usual. Andy Daly showed up during their interview and played both Dalton Wilcox and Hot Dog, two of his best characters. We’ve been visited by Entre Penure, Bone Queaf and Chief. Those three were absolutely hilarious. I think, so far, I laughed hardest when they were on. Chief, played by Carl Tart, also performed as Sugarloaf, a rapper from the 80’s who just woke up from a coma recently. It was awesome. I just heard from Chelsea Perreti and Adam Scott. When they did the famous “Farts and Procreation” episodes, I’d cry with laughter. Unfortunately Harris Wittles has since passed. But, Scott and Perreti still brought the humor. They’re so funny when they get together. Nick Kroll brought back a famous character. Thomas Middleditch played one of his absurd characters. Seth Morris came on as Bob Ducca. I could go on and on. It’s been truly amazing.

This is such a tremendous collection of super talented comedians and actors. I love how much they love, and appreciate all that “Comedy Bang! Bang!” has done for them and their fans. I first heard of a lot of these people because of this podcast. Jon Gabrus, Nick Kroll, Lauren Lapkus, Seth Morris and Jason Mantzoukas are just a few that I was introduced to by “CBB”.

I highly, highly recommend people check this out. This was such a great idea, and it has given me so much pleasure as a fan. I have been laughing and reminiscing since I started to listen to it on Monday. You do have to be a fan to truly appreciate all the characters, but I’d even go as far as to say that fans of comedy podcast should check this out because it’s a tour de force. I’m so happy with this, and I cannot wait to hear all the characters I will get to hear in the last 4 and a half hours.

Happy 10th anniversary “CBB”, and congrats Scott Aukerman. I really appreciate all the comedy you’ve provided for the past ten years. Here’s to many, many more. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is gearing up for the X Millennial Man 4 hour 4 year anniversary podcast. He is going to sit back with RD and do nothing but Simpsons references for four hours. Stay tuned.

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Is Urban Meyer Looking for a New Miracle Cure at USC?

Here we go again

I had another piece I wanted to write about today, another sports piece, but that will have to wait because of a text I got from my dad this morning.

I was driving my son to school, and my dad sent me a story from 247 Sports with the title, "Former Stars will Recruit Meyer to USC". I immediately started to crack up. I have written and said, to anyone that will listen to me, or read my stuff, that Urban Meyer's "health issues" are all very, very phony. I have also stated that, since he left The University of Ohio State, if USC didn't get back to being a title contender, he would find his way to becoming their head coach. It's not that far fetched, he has done it before.

Remember when he left Florida because of "heart concerns"? He left Florida with an "illness", but was that really the real reason? I mean, Florida football is just now getting back to being a perennial top 15 team. They had to go through a couple guys before finally getting Dan Mullen to come back. But, I feel like Meyer was starting to see the writing on the wall. Alabama was coming for him. Georgia was getting better. Auburn had solid teams. Even Arkansas, back then, was an eight or nine win team. And let us not forget about the recruiting violations and sanctions that were about to come to light. Also, he vouched for a guy like Aaron Hernandez. All the major journalist forgave him because he coached Tim Tebow, who is so awful on TV by the way. But, I'm pretty sure everyone knew that, not only was Florida not the cream of the crop in the SEC anymore, but their program, and Meyer himself, were doing some shady stuff.

So, he made up some health excuse, ESPN bought it, and he was able to walk away unscathed. ESPN bought his "health" issue so hard in fact, they hired him to call games that same season he stepped away. He was not very good at this, but the whole Jim Tressel and tattoo stuff, and years upon years of cheating, opened up the University of Ohio State job. Meyer openly talked about how he still had "health" issues, but this was his dream job. He is from Ohio, so he would love to finish his coaching career in Columbus. Of course he was cleared by doctors to coach, after only taking a year off because of his "heart" condition, and he accepted the job only one short year after leaving Florida.

After one down year, and only minor sanctions from the Jim Tressel era, the University of Ohio State went undefeated in Meyer's first year. They then went on to win a title, win the Big Ten a few times, win most of their bowl games and beat my team, Michigan. But, this most recent season, Meyer started to complain about "terrible headaches". I wrote about how insane the coverage of all this stuff was during games. It is also very fitting that these "headaches" started to come right after it was found out that Meyer had been lying to cover up for a former coach that physically abused his ex wife and did cocaine in the White House. After all of that was released, Meyer started to suffer "headaches". He would clutch his head on the sidelines of close games. The cameras would zoom in on his face to show him in "excruciating pain". The announcers would cover for him and call him "courageous". It was all so ridiculous. Meyer then announced, after missing out on the playoff, that he would be stepping away again because the "headaches" were too much, and he needed to get healthy for his family. Again, I think he saw the writing on the wall. The University of Ohio State was losing a ton of players to the draft. The stories and whispers of him covering up for this former coach got louder. Some journalists said he should have been fired. Some people didn't believe his headaches. It was all eerily similar to his departure form Florida.

Now, not even 4 months into his "retirement", former USC players, guys like Reggie Bush, according to this 247 Sports story, are saying they will "recruit" Meyer to USC if they don't improve this season. This was absurdly predictable. Their were only 2 jobs that I thought he would take after taking a year off, Notre Dame or USC. And surprise surprise, USC is struggling, and their former famous alumni are aching for a big name coach. I wouldn't be shocked either, if/when he gets the job, if he says that USC is his "dream job". Meyer is a compulsive liar that constantly looks for sympathy from the major media. When things start to get tough for him, he makes up an excuse so it is easier for him to quit. He is also a sanction just waiting to happen. Utah dealt with it, Florida dealt with it and I'm sure the University of Ohio State will get some kind of violations notice.

I hope USC makes the mistake of hiring him because that would be fitting. They did the same thing with Pete Carroll, and he left that program in shambles. Meyer will leave it in even worse shape when he gets some other "ailment" in 6 or 7 years. This is so stupid. I wish colleges and alumni would learn some kind of lesson. But, all some colleges care about is winning football games, and that is the most disturbing thing. Urban Meyer is a liar and a coward. We will have to see how all this plays out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has to deal with an “Urban Meyer” headache everytime he listens to the sports media cover for the guy. It is quite debilitating.

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Who Did Good and Who Did Not So Good in NFL Draft

The NFL draft finally ended on Saturday night. As I have done the past couple of years I want to single out a few teams that I thought did good, and a few that did not do so good. I don't do the whole losers and winners thing because, honestly, none of us know how these players are going to pan out. The draft in any major sport is the biggest crap shoot because there are no real guarantees. Yes, they are some guys that are deemed "can't miss" that go on to have great careers, but there are just as many that flame out of the league in less than 3 years. So, we will not know for awhile who lost or won the 2019 draft. It takes time.

With that being said, lets get the teams that I didn't think did so well out of the way first. First, and this is the easiest one for me, the Giants made one of the worst reaches in draft history when they traded all the way up to 6 to take Duke QB Daniel Jones. I have read since the first day of the draft that the Giants heard that Denver and Washington really wanted him, and he wouldn't be there at 17, and the new GM saying, "we will see how dumb I am in three years". I don't think any of that is true. I  don't think those two teams wanted him. All I heard from Denver was how much they loved Drew Lock. Then they traded the 10th overall pick, so they didn't seem to keen on picking up a QB in the top 10. Washington seemingly wanted a QB, but I think they liked both Lock and Dwayne Haskins. I did not read one story about how much they loved Jones. That was never a thing. All that talk was just that, talk. And the new GM, Dave Gettleman, while he thinks he may be a genius in three years, he looks like a colossal idiot today. Jones was never the top QB in this draft. If anything, he was the fourth ranked one behind Kyler Murray, Haskins and Lock. Hell, I even saw people rating Will Grier ahead of him. This was a rough decision made by a GM that has screwed up 2 straight drafts. Last year he took Saquon Barkley second overall, and while Barkley was tremendous as a rookie, the Giants won 4 games. Last year they could've taken a QB and it would have been much better for them in the near future. And then this year, with the trade up to get Jones, he sets this team back even more. He took the wrong QB this year, he took the wrong skill guy last year, and his undying loyalty to the washed Eli Manning will inevitably be his downfall. The Giants are one of the worst teams heading into the 2019 NFL season.

The other team that I thought really screwed up their draft was the San Francisco 49ers. First off, Nick Bosa is an overrated tool. He is not as good as his brother. He is a racist. He barely played last year. And he is an ego maniac. I hope that kid busts like Steve Entmann. Beyond that though, this team needed young defense, and instead, they went with young skill guys in the later rounds. They didn't get any of the top receivers, they took 2 different running backs, they got no O line help, it was a mess. They outdid the Raiders in taking athletic players as opposed to players they needed. I wasn't too high on the 49ers to begin with, I thought they were vastly overrated last year, I don't think Jimmy Garoppolo is a top tier QB, and Kyle Shanahan is proving he may be better suited as a coordinator, not a head coach. He has some nice new weapons, but it won't matter when teams are scoring 35 points a game because their secondary is so bad. The 49ers had a chance to shore that side of the ball up and they didn't. Their draft was baffling to me. And again, I hope Nick Bosa is so awful because he is a truly awful human being.

Now to the teams that I thought did a fine job in the draft. As much as I hate to praise this team because it's like giving the bad guys in "Star Wars" credit, the Patriots crushed the draft yet again. They got N'Keal Harry at the end of the first round. He is going to fit in just perfectly with this team, and he gets to have Tom Brady throw the ball to him. They got Chase Winovich in the mid third round, and he is going to be a plug and play energy guy for them. They got more backs that can catch. They tool O lineman that will get to sit a year and learn under Dante Scarnecki. And they got a QB very late that can sit behind Brady for a few years. I think Jarrett Stidham should be thanking his stars that the Patriots took him. That could not be a better situation for him. He's going to get the best coaching in the NFL and he gets to learn behind the greatest QB of all time. I feel so dirty giving the Patriots any credit, but man did they crush this draft.

Finally, the team that laid a total egg against the Patriots in the Super Bowl, the LA Rams, probably had my favorite draft, and they didn't even have a first round pick. But what they did in the later rounds was very impressive. They got the best safety in the second round with the 61st pick, Taylor Rapp. He's hard hitting, will start right away and helps put a secondary in desperate need. They also took David Long, a corner from Michigan, in the third round. He is from LA, he too will start from day one and he is a shut down type player. I watched him dominant his side of the field for the last two years. He didn't have eye popping stats because no one threw his way. He is going to be a steal. They got some Todd Gurley insurance by taking Memphis running back Darrell Henderson. That kid averaged almost 8 yards a carry in college. That is insane. He is also super fast and a solid pass catcher. That was a great pick. They got some O and D line help in the later rounds, and they took Dakota Allen, he was on the second season of "Last Chance U", and he is a very solid linebacker. I could see him as a special teams stud for a few seasons, then taking over as a starting linebacker very soon. The Rams addressed what they needed to, got some insurance and just really hit a homerun.

As I said at the top, we will see how all of these players truly pan out in about 2 or 3 years, but from where I sit today, these are the teams that I thought did not so good, and did some great things.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He forgot to mention the greatness of the Cincinnati Bengals and their draft strategy of taking guys available. Every year Ty short changes the Bengals and their ability to win 6-9 games a year.

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Ty Watches "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson"

I have always really liked the comedy of Tim Robinson. He is absurd and goofy and goes for it all the time. Some times his bits work, sometimes they don't, but he goes for it 100 percent regardless. I love that. I enjoyed him when he was on "SNL", he did a great Gary Busey. I also felt like he didn't get a fair shot on the show. He could have been great. I also really, really loved the show "Detroiters". I was on board with that show from episode one. I feel like that show didn't get a fair shot. Season 2 got so much better, and I felt like that could have been a major cult hit for Comedy Central. But, they bailed too early on it, and that was a mistake. I was hoping that Robinson and Sam Richardson, I'm pretty sure they are very good friends, would get another chance. Well, Richardson still has his role on "Veep", which he crushes, and he is in a ton of movies and TV shows. He works, and works frequently.

With Robinson, I was listening to "Comedy Bang! Bang!" this week, and found out that he has a new show on Netflix. Robinson was the guest of honor, and was there to promote the show, "I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson". After listening to the pod, I immediately went to Netflix to check the show out.

As I said, I love his sense of humor, so I had high expectations. I'm 4 episodes into the first season, which has 6 episodes, and I love love love this show. It is so weird and odd and absurd and goofy and ridiculous and hilarious. I have found myself belly laughing while I watch the show. Some shows make me chuckle, giggle and I can occasionally get a little loud with my laugh. This show makes me howl. I mean, in tears from laughing so hard at what I am seeing. It is a sketch show, but it is like all the odd sketches that get cut from "SNL", which are usually my favorite. I love the stuff Kyle Mooney does for "SNL" now, but it always gets cut. That is what this show is like. Robinson has such an odd sense of humor, but for me, it works.

The show is bizarre. The sketches are absolutely ridiculous, but they work. Robinson is tremendous. Richardson shows up from time to time, and the chemistry is up front and center. People still on "SNL", like Cecily Strong and Vanessa Bayer, especially Bayer, are so good in the sketches they are in. That Bayer sketch is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Fred Willard was in a sketch I saw yesterday, and my god it reminded me of how funny he is. It's a great performance. Conner O'Malley, who was tremendous on "Detroiters", is just as good, if not better on "ITYSL". The whole "honk if you're horny" bumper sticker sketch is amazing. Also, each episode is abut 16, 17 minutes long. It is the perfect amount of time for a sketch show like this. They jump from sketch to sketch with ease, and I laugh even harder at the next one. I love it. I am a big, big fan of this show. I also like that it is on Netflix because they will not really mess with Robinson and his crew. It really seems like he has carte blanche to do the show he wants to do.

I hope this show gets multiple seasons. It seems like it will, it has gotten a great social media response, and I will be there to watch every episode. Check this show out if you like absurdist humor. It is hilarious, short and executed to perfection. It is really, really good.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is in the weird inbetween of television fandom. He does not watch crap like “The Big Bang Theory”, yet he will not start petition drives to bring back his favorite shows. That is Ty’s tv fandom.

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Ty's 2019 Not Mock NFL Draft

The first round of the 2019 NFL draft is tonight. I know I did a mock last year but this year I want to change things up a bit. Mock drafts are all good and fun, but I want to do my list of who I think are the 20 best players in the draft. I’ll rank them in descending order and give a sentence or two as to why I have the players where I have them. I am also going to give you 5 players that I don’t think will be as good as others do after I rank  my top 20. My list is also going to be boring. In this draft I love the defensive line and offensive line. I also think linebacker is solid. I needed you to know this going in. Spoiler alert, I have zero QB’s in my top 20. More to come on that near the end. Okay, here it goes. 

20-Nasir Adderly. Adderly played lower level college ball, but the dude is a ball hawk and a heavy hitter. I’d love for the Packers to take him late in the first round. Whoever takes him will get a steal. 

19-Chris Lindstrom- Lindstrom is a bulldozing O lineman that paved the way for one of the best rushing attacks in college. He’s big, has quick hands and feet and will start from day one. He’s a solid late first rounder.

18-AJ Brown- Brown is only one of 2 receivers that I like in this draft. Brown is a solid route runner with excellent hands. If the right team takes him, either Green Bay or New England, he’s going to be a star. 

17-Marquise Brown- This is the other wideout I like. Yes he’s very, very small, but he is a speed freak. He’s also a great route runner. He’s going to be a burner, and I think he’s going to be so much better than Percy Harvin ever was

16-Taylor Rapp- He may be “slow”, as far as 40 yard dash times go, but he can cover. He’s the best secondary player in the draft as well. He’s an instant starter with ten year career easily 

15-Jerry Tillery- As much as I dislike his college team, this dude is a disrupter. He destroys backfields and can get to the passer. He’s one of the better D lineman in this draft

14-Greg Little- Here’s another big, dominant O lineman. Little is humongous and a road grater. He’s going to be a right tackle projecting ahead, and he has future pro bowler written all over him

13-Cody Ford- Much like Little, Ford is enormous. He’s a better pass blocker though, and with the NFL shifting that way, he’s going to excel. He will be a late first steal

12- Rashan Gary- I’ve heard the criticism, but I don’t buy it. I watched this kid take on double and triple teams for three years and it allowed other guys to shine. Gary is a beast, the physical traits are amazing, and he’s going to make teams that pass on him regret it. He’s an amazing football player 

11-Greedy Williams- He’s fast, he has great ball skills, he was the guy on a dominant defense and can be a shutdown corner. He’s also got a kickass name

10- Devin Bush- Bush is a wrecking ball. He’s a hitter. He plays with an immense passion. I watched him for three years as well, and loved everything I saw. He’s going to be a very, very good pro. I’ll miss him most next season 

9-Brian Burns- Burns is tall, but explosive and can make moves that put him in the correct spot. He can make himself small and flexible. He’s so big and agile. He’s got quality traits for such a big D lineman

8- Jawaan Taylor- Sure, he was a lineman in a spread option offense that focused on the run, but this kid can learn to pass block as well. I watched him crush Michigan’s D line in the bowl game, and thought then that he was going to be good. He’s also 6’5, which is an added feather in his cap. He’s going to be solid 

7-Andre Dillard- Dillard is the opposite of Taylor. He was in a spread pass offense, but he too has the tools to run block, and to do it well. He also exploded at the combine. He’s a legit top 5 pick to me

6-Christian Wilkins- He was the best D lineman on the best D line in college football last year. He has great hands, feet and technique. He’s also humongous. He is destined to start and shine from day one 

5-Montez Sweat- I know he has some red flags, but his on field performance should have teams aching to draft him. He’s big, fast and physical. He will also relentlessly get to the opposing QB. If he fumbles on draft day, he’s going to be the steal of the draft

4- Jeffery Simmons- Simmons is Sweat’s lesser known teammate, but he’s just as good and has zero red flags. He’s a pure run stopper, perfectly placed as a nose guard 

3-Devin White- White is the best linebacker in the draft. He’s speedy and can cover. He also has range sideline to sideline. He’s the prototype of the modern linebacker. I might take him first overall if I were a GM

2- Quinnen Williams- I mean, when you’re the best player on Alabama, that speaks volumes. He does it all on the D line. He can stop the run and pass. He takes on multiple O lineman to open things up for linebackers and the secondary. He’s as good as it gets

1- Josh Allen- This Josh Allen, from Kentucky, I adore. He is a great, great edge rusher. He reminds me of Khalil Mack, except with more shine coming out of college. He can also cover. He is the type of hybrid D lineman that is taking over the NFL. I’d run to the podium to take him

Those are my top 20 guys. I think all of them will, at the very least, have solid careers. They’ll all contribute, and some, will become stars. Now let’s get to the players I’m a bit down on. 

5- Nick Bosa- This has nothing to do with my fandom. This kid sat out all of last year with an injury. He likes the “president”. He called “Black Panther” overrated, and he’s not his brother. I feel like he’s going to flop and flop hard. I think he’s egotistical and I think he thinks it’s going to be easy for him. It won’t be. I think he’s extremely overrated

4- Kyler Murray- I think Murray is a fine QB, but I wouldn’t put my franchise in his hands. I also think he picked the wrong sport. I don’t think Baker Mayfield is as good as some do, and I get the same feeling from Murray. He’s also small and frail. And he can always quit to play baseball. No way I’d take him first overall

3- Dwayne Haskins- He’s the only QB I “like” in this draft, but I truly don’t like any of them. He’s also very immobile, played in a gimmick college offense, seemed disinterested at times and has sloppy footwork outside of the pocket. I don’t think he’s a first rounder, let alone a top 10 pick

2- Drew Locke- I’ve already written a whole thing on him, and my mind hasn’t changed since then. He’s sloppier than Haskins, he believes in his arm to a concerning extent, he never really shined in big games and is more lucky than good. He is a smaller Blaine Gabbert. He’s a bust

1- Daniel Jones- Jones is a Ryan Leaf level red flag to me. He may look like a prototypical NFL QB, but that’s the only NFL thing about him. He’s inconsistent, never played well in big games, choked when he was on national TV, tried too often to rely on his legs and cannot throw the deep ball with any kind of accuracy. I think it’s hilarious that Washington and the Giants are reportedly “enamored” with him. That would be so fitting if one of those teams traded up to get him. He’s going to be a major bust. This I’m almost sure of. 

Alright, there you have it. I’ll be curious to see where everyone ends up, and if I was wrong or right. It all starts tonight. Let’s get to it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is wondering why the Kipers and McShays of the world have said nothing about Nick Bosa’s tweets. Color and content might have something to do with that.

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Ty Listen to "On the Line"

I’ve been a Jenny Lewis fan for some time now. The first time I really remember getting into her music was when I saw her band Rilo Kiley open for Coldplay. That sure was a lifetime ago. From that night on though, I was taken by her music. I loved the music I heard that night. I went out and listened to a bunch of Rilo Kiley after that.

Then, she ventured away from the band and did some solo, and side projects. Her first solo record, “Acid Tongue” came out at a pivotal time for me with alternative rock/folk music. I was heavy into that style, and her record really spoke to me. I listened to it so much that I had to buy a few copies. She then teamed up with The Watson Twins, and while don’t like country music, I liked their take on it. That record was heavily listened to as well. That album also came out right around the time I started to date my wife, and we listened to it together a ton. It was our album of choice.

Lewis then took some time off. I was craving some new Jenny Lewis music, and in 2010 she released the album “Jenny and Johnny”. I bought it, but I wasn’t crazy about it. It strayed from what I liked about her. It was too poppy. She came back in a big way in 2014 with “The Voyager”. That album ruled. She seemed to be coming into her own.

Fat forward to the present. Her newest record, “On the Line”, this is a work of art. This record was worth the wait. As I said, I had kind of grown a bit fatigued, a lot of her stuff sounded too similar. But, she apparently went through some personal stuff, used that for this new record, and man, it is her best. It is my favorite record of hers, by far. I love every song on the album. I have been blown away at the lyrics, music, production quality and many different genres she does. It is such an eclectic record. It’s different from her other stuff, while still sounding a bit like her old self, the stuff that hit me just right.

The opener to the record, “Heads Gonna Roll”, is great. It blends the Watson Twins stuff with rock. It is a great opening track. And from there on out, the record is a major achievement. Some of my favorite tracks are “Do Si Do”, “Party Clown”, “Wasted Youth” and “Little White Dove”. On “Do Si Do”, she gets some help from Beck, and they make some beautiful music together. Lewis is front and center, as she should be, but you can feel the Beck influence. “Party Clown” has this fanciful piano riff, but the lyrics are crushing. It’s one of my favorite types of songs, the ones that sound fun, but they’re tragic. I listen to that song once a day. “Wasted Youth” is an awesome rock song. It reminds me most of her Rilo Kiley days. It has that great alt rock feel, and it’s a great way to follow up the opening track. And “Little White Dove” is a great Fleetwood Mac impression. My wife pointed that out to me when she heard it, and it is a spot on comparison.

This whole record is awesome. It has that girl power that I’m trying to help instill in my daughter as the other 2 records I’ve written about this week. I also really like that you can hear the life she’s lived in the past 5 years between records on this album. “On the Line” is awesome, it’s continuing the trend of great new music in early 2019. She is touring with this record too, and I’m heavily leaning towards seeing her because I love the album so much.

Seriously people, check this album out. It’s tremendous. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He likes it when an old favorite artist comes out with new great stuff. Will Ma$e be the next old favorite of Ty’s to come back?

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Ty Listens to "Lux Prima"

About a month ago I saw some stuff online saying that Danger Mouse and Karen O, of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, were working together on a new record. I was intrigued by this news.

I am a big time Danger Mouse fan. I wrote a whole thing about him and Rick Rubin during our greatest American band series. I think he is the best current producer, and only second to Rubin. What I love about Danger Mouse the most is how he gets these great musicians to try stuff seemingly way out of their comfort zone. He did it with Cee Lo Green, turning their band Gnarls Barkley into a major pop success. He did it with The Black Keys, getting them to add more instruments than just guitar and drums. He did it with Jack White, who is an asshole, and Norah Jones on the record the three of them collaborated on. He has worked with a ton of modern musicians, and all the stuff they put out works, in my opinion.

I was very late to the game with Karen O. I had friends in college that always tried to get me to listen to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but I never did. Then, when Spike Jonze made his version of "Where the Wild Things Are", he got her to do all the music with a bunch of kids. I loved that soundtrack. I still do. I still listen to it on occasion. From that, I finally checked out the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and I liked what I heard, and that was all due to O's voice. She has a great voice for rock and roll. She also does great things on that "Where the Wild Things Are" soundtrack. I just recently listened to some of her solo stuff, and B side stuff, and I really liked all of that.

So, when the first couple of singles from this new collaboration came out, I listened intently. The first song, "Lux Prima", was beautiful. It has a super long, and awesome, intro and outro. But, when the intro ends, Karen O comes in and just blasts that song to a whole new level. It is perfection. It is the type of odd ball rock song that I eat up. I listened to that track over and over again. A few days later they released a second song, "Woman", and while it couldn't be more different, it was just as good. "Woman" is more anthem like and straight up rock and roll. It is also a great song for me to play when my daughter is in the car with me. It is so upbeat and powerful and forward thinking. It is about the greatness that being a woman in modern America can be. I love this song. So does my daughter. So do my wife and son for that matter. It hits us in all the right ways.

The full album came out about a month ago, titled "Lux Prima", and I have listened to it at least a dozen times now. The whole record just oozes of Danger Mouse, but it has Karen O's spectacular vocals and song writing attached. I already mentioned the 2 singles, but there are so many other good songs on the record. I love "Redeemer", another straight up rock song. "Turn the Light" is a bit more poppy, but I love it. It is fast paced and quick too. "Ministry" slows things down a bit, and it is almost haunting. It is such a good song. "Leopard's Song" totally rules. And the closer, "Nox Prima" tidies everything up like it should.

I love this record, but I already kind of new I would. I am at a point where I do not doubt Danger Mouse anymore. I'm getting there with Karen O as well. I love all the different styles they do on this record. I love Karen O trying out newer and wilder things with her music. There is some really good music coming out right now. So far 2019 has been much better early on than all of 2018, and "Lux Prima" is just further proof. Check this album out, it has a little something for pretty much everyone.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He may think that Jack White is a major league asshole, but Ty still wants to try the musician’s famous guacamole.

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Ty Listens to Lizzo's "Cuz I Love You"

After seeing a ton of stuff on social media, and hearing from friends and family members, I finally listened to Lizzo's newest record, "Cuz I Love You" this morning.

Oh, I am listening to it as I type this by the way.

I have never listened to Lizzo before, but I have to say, this record is rad. I am blown away by how much I like each and every song on it. I have listened to it on repeat today. Luckily my wife has the day off, so I got to run my errands solo today, and that gave me extra chances to hear the record. It isn't safe for children's ears, even though I will listen to it with my kids in the car, as I have said, I want them to be exposed to good music.

Man, this lady can sing. Her voice is like the perfect mixture of funk, soul and hip hop. The opener has all three of those styles blended to perfection. It is a great, great way to open a record. In fact it reminds me of my first experience with Har Mar Superstar's music. I didn't start listening to him until he put out "Bye Bye 17", and I haven't looked back. He had that funk sound that attracted me. Lizzo has that, but she adds the soul and hip hop, and it is just awesome all the way around. She can even dip into pop music from time to time, but it is good, and fun, pop music. The song "Juice" has top 25 written all over it. From the music to the lyrics, it is all there to be a top song. I can picture a bunch of teens bumping the song at parties. What I love most about the record is the confidence that she brings. Her voice is already super powerful, but when you actually listen to what she is saying, she has no problem saying exactly how she feels, and what she wants. I wish I had that confidence.

Take a song like the closer, "Lingerie". That song is sexy as hell for one, and when she gets into the words, damn she exudes that powerful confidence. The same can be said for the song "Soulmate". That song is all about self empowerment, and it is great. The hook on the track is wonderful as well. "Like A Girl" is another track that I will play so my 3 year old daughter can hear a powerful, confident woman sing about how she is proud to be a powerful and confident woman. The whole record is going to be like that for my daughter and I listening to it together. I have been trying to expose her to more female singers, I will be writing about some more new albums from women singers this week that we listen to, but Lizzo is tops right now for the easy reason that she is doing ti best right now. She has no fear, she has no qualms about who she is, she knows what she wants and she puts it up front and center on this record. Even her Erykah Badu impression, "Jerome", is a far superior song to "Tyrone", of which I adore. I mean "Jerome" is a hit. The music is so mellow and cool and her vocals, I mean come on, she blasts it out of the park.

I am so glad that I have so many cool people in my life that introduce to me to dope stuff like Lizzo. This record will now be played on repeat in my car and house for a long, long time now. This is the record of the Spring by far, and it may be the best of the summer. I am already feeling like this is going to be on my best of 2019. It is that good.

I highly, highly recommend people listen to "Cuz I Love You". It is amazing.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is holding all his Streisand records for when his daughter reaches the right age to enjoy them. Sixty seems to be the right age.

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Should Have Skipped the Not So Good "Venom"

Last night my wife and I sat down and watched "Venom". It was on Starz awhile back, I recorded it, and we finally had some time to check it out.

Before I get into it, the cast for this movie is really incredible. Tom Hardy is Eddie Brock/Venom. He is one of my favorite actors. I enjoy pretty much everything he does. Hell, I was one of the few people that liked "Taboo". Michelle Williams has a big role in this movie. She is a multi Academy Award nominee. She has been in some great movies. She has had the best career of anyone that was on "Dawson's Creek". Fight me on this, I dare you. Riz Ahmed was the bad guy. He is a legit soon to be star. He was excellent on that crime show on HBO a year or so back. Jenny Slate has a small yet prominent role. I don't think anyone has made it bigger than she has after her snafu on "SNL". She has a solid and growing career right now. Also, "Obvious Child" is one of the most underrated movies. It's a gem. And there is a Woody Harrelson cameo. Harrelson is also one of my favorite actors of all time. He is a super duper star.

All of this is being said because I had high hopes for "Venom". It did not live up to my hype. I'm not going to openly be mean and trash the movie because I am trying to be better about stuff like that. But man, "Venom" was confounding and dull and slow and poorly CGI'd and just not very fun. I was utterly confused by the dynamic that was created by Hardy when Venom took him on as a host. It seemed as if Hardy decided he was just going to totally go for it and be as wild as possible, also trying to be funny, and it simply didn't work. It was confusing. When he was talking to Venom, it felt like the movie shifted into a romantic comedy about Brock and Venom, which could have worked oddly, but it was too far fetched. And Williams looked liked she would rather be anywhere else. She seemed to really phone it in. I read some interviews where she pretty much conceded she did the movie just to do a super hero movie. Her and Hardy had zero chemistry. Her relationship with the guy that plays Dan Egan on "Veep" was much more believable. Slate gave it her all, but her role was added to the movie, she is not from the comic books, and it just felt forced. She was good. I put the onus on the 7 writers, that's right, 7, as to why her character didn't really belong. Ahmed goes full Eddie Redmayne from "Jupiter Ascending", and it was bizarre. He constantly contradicts himself. He isn't believable as the bad guy, and when he turns into his symbiote, that is what they call the alien host, Riot, it was far too similar to Venom. He just had some added moves, and it was pretty blah. I respect that all these actors, for the most part, went for it, it just didn't work. I was very disappointed in the outcome.

I really wanted to like this movie. I even tried to make excuses while we were watching it. But, I just can't. It just isn't a very good movie. There are a few decent scenes, but they are immediately erased the very next moment. And man was Hardy's choice for Venom's voice totally absurd. It really takes you out of the movie. I am also bummed that it got the dreaded PG-13 rating. "Venom" should be R, and possibly a hard R. Look at how great a movie like "Deadpool" is because of the R rating. Venom is scary and gross and an alien that likes to eat people. Don't rate a movie like that PG-13. It takes away so much.

Needless to say, I do not recommend "Venom". It just isn't very good.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. It is weird that Ty does not think Katie Holmes is the best actor from the “Dawson’s Creek” crew. She really sold her role as wife of Tom Cruise.

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The Greatest American Music: Pusha T's "If You Know You Know"

Awhile back RD and I did a podcast about the best opening songs to records. I’ve gone back and listened to every song I picked, then the record, to see if I still loved them, and I do. With that being said, we left out some great songs. That’s to be expected though. There’s so much great music, and everyone has their own personal taste. But today I want to add a song that I feel I really, really snubbed big time.

In my year end best of’s I do, I picked Pusha T’s record DAYTONA as my number one album of 2018. I still stand by that. And the opening song, “If You Know You Know”, should have most definitely been on my list of best opening songs. This is, not only his best song in my opinion, but one of the best hip hop songs ever recorded. This song really, really sets the tone for the whole record.

When the song opens, it’s a light beat with Pusha talking about a lot of things. It’s almost as if he is reintroducing himself to the public. It’s awesome and unassuming. It reminds me so much of Jay Z’s opener(s) on “The Black Album”. But, I like “If You Know You Know” better. But, when the main beat drops in, this song goes from great to classic. The beat is ridiculously bouncy and incredible. I’ve listened to the song 100’s of times, and I still dance incessantly to it every time it plays. The “bop bop’s” are an amazing touch. And when the beat drops and Pusha comes back on, I mean, come on. He is a great, great rapper. His verses are simply wonderful on the song. He also spans not just his career, but his life in this song. He talks about his drug dealing days all way to his fame and fortune. One of my favorite lyrics is, “I’ve been hiding right where you can see me, the skyboxes right next to Ri Ri”. I mean, that’s poetic man. That lyric says so much about his career. Yes, he’s famous, and yes, true hip hop fans know him, but he’s underrated. He’s so good, yet no one mentions him when they talk about the best rappers alive. That’s why I love the “hiding where you can see me” so much. It’s perfect. Then, he makes it known that he hangs with the biggest pop stars in the world. Ri Ri is Rihanna, I’m pretty sure. That’s incredible to me that he goes to games, and sits with or near Rihanna. I love that he put that in the song. I also love the chorus of the song. He talks about trap doors, car ports, and says more than once, “if you know you know”. Simply saying, the people who get this, will appreciate it. I like to think I understand what he’s talking about. Yes, I grew up in the suburbs, and I’m a white dude, but I know things. I’ve lived a kind of adventurous life. That’s why I feel like I can semi relate to this song.

All in all, what Pusha T packs into less than 3 minutes to open this incredible album is nothing short of amazing. As I said, I get hyped every time the song plays in my car. My kids, who probably shouldn’t listen to it, but I want them to be exposed to good music, love to dance to the song too. My daughter LOVES this song. “If You Know You Know” is one of the best openers to any album ever, and I felt like I had to remedy me not mentioning it during the podcast. This song rules, and everyone, if you haven’t listened to it yet, stop what you’re doing and listen to it right now. It’s that good. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty understands when Pusha T is talking about being the guy next to the celebrity. After all Ty is the guy next to world famous podcaster, and extremely attractive man, RD.

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Is Drew Locke the Next Great NFL QB Bust?

With the NFL draft a little over a week away, and yes, I will be doing a mock draft, I want to take a moment to talk about GM's, and how they get so enamored with one prospect, they are almost willing to set their franchise back a decade.

This came to mind when I had a conversation with my father earlier today. We were talking about the upcoming draft, and how we aren't really impressed with any of the top QB's. I think Kyler Murray is a bit too small and fragile. I do not like Daniel Jones at all. He has bust written all over him. I think Dwayne Haskins has the skills to be okay, but it is going to take a lot of time, and he played in a gimmicky offense in college. And then there is Drew Locke.

Let me start off by apologizing to 2 of my brothers, RD and Ross, but I do not think Locke is a first round talent. I have actually seen this kid a few times live, and I left kind of shrugging. Yes he is good, and I think he will be a fine backup QB, but I saw a mock the other day that had him at 2nd overall, with the Broncos trading all the way up from 10 to get him.

This is insane to me. He is inconsistent. He makes poor choices. He lucks into throws. He has horrendous footwork. But, John Elway is obsessed with him. Sure, he traded for Joe Flacco, but he is just about done. In fact, he is done. So, I think Elway looks at Flacco as a one year starter, then it will be Drew Locke time.

This is nuts. Elway seems to think that he will be able to will Locke into being a top tier NFL QB. He seems to think that he can put him on this team, with this defense, that is going to start to change and age out, and he will lead them to a Super Bowl like he did, and Peyton Manning did. I do not see that at all. I get big time Blaine Gabbart vibes from Locke, except he isn't nearly as tall as Gabbart. And yes, Gabbart is still in the league, but he is a joke now.

But, Elway could care less. He is damn determined to get Drew Locke, and if any of these mock drafts are to be believed, he is willing to trade a ton of current and future picks to get him. If this is to happen, I feel like it will just push this team back 5,6, 7 years, at least. If I were a player like Von Miller or Bradley Chubb, I would not be happy with this infatuation from Elway towards Locke. The offense is not that young, save for Phillip Lindsay, and putting Locke back there, even if it doesn't happen until 2020, would spell doom.

As I said, this reminds me of when the Jaguars took Blaine Gabbart. The GM then was obsessed with his size. We can also look at when the Jags moved on from Gabbart and took Blake Bortles. He was more mobile and had just as strong an arm. Neither guy is there anymore, and both are cautionary tales. We can go back further and look at when the Bears and Bengals became obsessed with Cade McNown and Akili Smith. McNown was a mobile lefty and he was going to be the face of the Bears. Smith was this superstar athlete that would make the Bengals fun again. I think both lasted less than 3 years in the league. We can go back just a few years and look at Washington taking RG3 third overall. That worked out great for about 16 games, then he wrecked his knee, played in a playoff game he shouldn't have played in, and now, he is more known for getting his hair lined for the first time ever. Look at the Raiders and Jamarcus Russell, The Davis family was fascinated by his size and arm. He is one of the biggest busts of all time. I can even go back to last year when the Bills traded up a few picks to take Josh Allen. He has this humongous arm, but he is wildly inaccurate and likes to break the pocket more than scan the field for receiver. Or look at the Bears 2 years ago. They traded away a ton of future picks to take Mitch Trubisky, and he is not that great. At least they have a good team around him. And of course we have Ryan Leaf. I know that Peyton Manning was taken one pick before him, but the Chargers could have had Charles Woodson, who is a Hall of Famer. The GM felt that they needed a QB, and he assumed that Leaf was the second best. He was very, very wrong. And I think the very same thing will happen if John Elway, who is a racist jackass, and loves this current "government", trades the farm to get Drew Locke. I think it would be a bad, franchise changing move.

Final word. The draft is always a crap shoot, and Drew Locke is about as uncertain a prospect as I have ever seen.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. This is not the first time Ty has been annoyed by some Mizzou football hype. He has thoughts on the program as a whole.

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Timothy Simons is the Star in the Final Season of "Veep"

For the past 6 plus seasons of the show "Veep", currently airing its 7th and final season, I have been amazed at how funny and overall great the show is. It's dark and satirical and filthy and hilarious in all the right ways. My wife and I started late on the show, binge watching the first four seasons, and now watching in real time, and it has to be one of the best comedies to ever be on TV.

The performances on “Veep” are second to none. Julia Louis Dreyfuss is so wonderful, and so very deserving of all the awards she has won. She is gritty and angry and, probably, the filthiest one on the show. Her accolades are more than deserved. Matt Walsh, in a smaller role, is goofy and dumb and a total fish out of water, which I feel like is perfect for him. Tony Hale is tremendous as Selina's aid. He is a total whipping boy, who is the boorish son that Meyer never had. Sam Richardson was a great addition. I crack up every time he is on screen. Gary Cole is always consistent, and on "Veep", he adds so much greatness. Anna Chlumsky is as dirty as anyone, and her character Amy is at times insane, but other times, you feel for her. She really crushes this role. And even some of the people that are just side characters, actors like Patton Oswalt and Diedrach Bader and Andrea Savage, among others, are wonderful. But today I want to focus on the great, and I feel underrated at times, Timothy Simons.

Simons is a gem on the show. He plays Jonah Ryan, and each and every season, just when you don't think he can get any worse, or become more of a joke, he ups the ante. He started out as basically an intern on the show, and now, in the final season, he is running for president. I mean, it's insanely funny to see him mess up at every single turn, yet failing upward. It's funny, but also a little bit scary considering the day and age we live in now. Ryan has connections in the government, and that is the only way he has moved all the way up to a presidential candidate. And man, does Simons nail this. I find myself cracking up at him every time he is on screen. He is never not funny. Every word that comes out of his mouth is wrong and rude and crude and ignorant, and I find myself laughing, and then looking internally at America right now. Jonah Ryan would fit in perfectly in current Washington D.C.

But, "Veep" isn't making him look like a real politician, I feel like, in this final season, the writers and directors and Simons are trying to show the viewers how insane politics and D.C. truly are. The last episode of "Veep" was a great representation of Simons talent to play an ignorant moron. He uses words that no one nowadays should use, and he has to go to sensitivity training, where he is so much of an asshole he makes one of the workers there cuss him out. He also has a scene at a fair where he is, sorry mom and dad, deep throating corn dogs as a joke. He is married to his step sister, and constantly gets into fights with his step dad at rallies. There was a whole scene in the season premiere where women came out and said that they never dated him, and that anytime they went out with him, it was strictly business. He is such a creep that women don't want to be associated with him. His response to this was epic and hilarious.

Timothy Simons, at least so far, has been the star of this season. I am so excited to see what they do with his character and the people that he surrounds himself with. I know it is going to be great because this show is so great, and Simons is perfectly cast. But what makes his performance so much better is the fact that he is as liberal as myself or RD. He knows he is playing a ridiculous person, and totally runs with it. He is awesome, "Veep" is awesome and lets all hope that Jonah Ryan gets the crummy sendoff that he deserves. I really hope Simons gets recognized for some kind of awards come that season because he has totally earned it. He is one the best on a show filled with awesome actors and wild characters.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was thinking of running for President in 2020. Then Ty realized that he would be like President Not Sure, the smartest man in Washington.

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Ty Watches "Game of Thrones" Final Season Premier

Awhile back I wrote about catching up with "Game of Thrones" because I felt out of the loop, as far as social media stuff went. I didn't get a lot of the jokes. I didn't understand GIF's or meme's or jokes on shows I adored that were based on "GOT". My wife kept telling me to watch, but I kept putting it off. I tried once, early on with the show, but I couldn't get into it. But, after seeing how the last season that was on ended, I then decided that I was going to power through and watch it all.

Luckily for me, I was hooked from the jump. I don't know if it was time away or having my wife explain it to me, or the fact that I just wanted to be in the loop, I was on from episode one. I watched all 7 seasons in less than a month, which is pretty quick for me. After that, I was one of the million, maybe billions of people, that were left waiting for the new episodes, the final 6. I started to feel like everyone else. I was giving my own theories, guessing what was going to happen, siding with people I never thought I'd side with. It was crazy.

Well, last night the long anticipated wait was over. The first of the last episodes premiered, and it did not disappoint.

I'm not going to spoil anything, although, I feel like if you watch the show, you aren't going to watch to binge the final episodes, I'm sure you are going to watch in real time. Anyway, the season 8 premiere, in my opinion, was a great way to open the final season. Yes, there wasn't too many action scenes, although we did get the boat scene, but that is okay. I felt that this episode was more so to remind everyone of the big war that is coming, and reunions. The reunions in this episode were just awesome. I was so excited for the main characters who got to see one another again. The fact that Aarya got to see Jon Snow, Gendry and The Hound was perfect. Her interaction with each of them was so fitting for their respective pasts. I absolutely loved the 5 seconds her and The Hound had together. It was great. Jon Snow got the most scenes with people he hadn't been with in awhile. I already mentioned Aarya, but he also got to see Bran and Samwell. This was awesome, especially when he met up with Samwell. This was a very important scene, and totally sets the stage for the rest of the season, and it was great. To hear the news that was spilled, and to see the reactions, it was excellent. But the biggest "reunion", I don't even want to really call it that, lets go with "sighting", happened at the very end. This isn't a spoiler because it happened in season one, but at the very end, Jaime Lannister arrives in Winterfell, and he locks eyes with Bran. I mean, this has been years I the making. I was stunned, and I knew it was coming. It was such a baller move to end the first episode on that image. It has me very pumped for the rest of the episodes.

Outside of all that, I thought this was a very strong way to start the final season. I don't know why I was worried, this show has always delivered. I'm pumped for the rest, but I will be bummed when it is over. But, I have 5 more weeks, and I bet they are going to start getting very, very action heavy. "GOT" is back, and I'm fully back on board already. What a great, great show.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He also liked the scene where Jack, Hurley, and Kate got to meet up with Sawyer and Juliet in the past. Wait, that was a different show with a cast of many. 

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