An Ode to the Greatness of "Napoleon Dynamite"

Once again I am under the weather. It is not COVID, I've tested multiple times, but I just feel very blah. I am bummed out that I have gotten sick twice in the past three weeks. I think it is definitely due to the fact that I did not get sick at all for two years and now, when I do get a virus, it hits me hard. I'm still moving around and doing daily house stuff, but when I have down time, instead of running, which I really, really, really want to be doing right now, I have been watching movies the past two days.

This morning I felt very blah, so I wanted comfort food from my movie. I wanted comedy and something I knew that, if I fell asleep, it would not be a big deal. I searched the streaming services and found "Napoleon Dynamite".

This is an all time favorite for me. I have spoken about this movie a ton on the pod. I saw this movie in the theaters six times. It is a classic. So I put it on and proceeded to watch the whole thing. I laid on my couch and figured I would doze off a bit. But this movie is so good, so well made and so well acted that I was as intrigued today as I was the first three or four times I watched it.

This movie works on every single level for me. It is perfection. It is like the perfect indie comedy. It is quiet, shot in a weird location, has cool music and was made for cheap. But I think what made this watch different was something I haven't noticed ever in my watches. I think what makes "Napoleon Dynamite" so good, why it worked so well and why it has and will stand the test of time is how well they handle the mundaneness of everyday life, especially in high school. Watching today, I just happened to really notice how mundane real life can be. There is not a ton of dialogue at the top, but Napoleon does sigh an awful lot. I know we all did that in our high school years. When we would get frustrated it wasn't using our words, we would walk around and moan and groan hoping someone would notice us. There is also all the little nonsense that people do not like to do that we all complain about as well. Napoleon has to feed Tina, and that frustrates him. He gets mad, he groans, he yells, but in the end he feeds her. He also gets into little fights with Kip throughout the movie. I grew up with three brothers and we would fight over nonsense all the time, and it was seemingly the littlest stuff that would be the most frustrating. Napoleon wants his chapstick, Kip won't bring it to him. Napoleon wants chips, Kip tells him he needs them to become a cage fighter. They argue about the computer. There's fights over Uncle Rico's videotape. It is all real and all ridiculous. The stuff with Pedro and Napoleon, becoming friends and hitting on classmates, felt so real and so true to life. I was brought back to my high school days talking to my close friends. And there is that scene when Napoleon and Pedro test out his bike on a ramp. It is the funniest thing in the movie in my opinion and it rings true. Napoleon fights with his grandma and uncle. He tells Uncle Rico he has to leave because he is "eating all the steak and ruining everyone's lives". I swear I have said similar words to my uncle's before.

There is so much more. I was kind of floored watching from that point of view this morning. It made me appreciate the movie even more because of how real it all felt. "Napoleon Dynamite" is so great for a million reasons. And capturing the mundane is another feather in its cap.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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RIP Gary Moeller

Gary Moeller passed away at 81 yesterday. For the people who may not know who that is, he was a football coach. To be even more specific, he took over for Michigan after Bo Schembechler retired.

Moeller was the first Michigan coach I truly remember. Schembechler stepped down in 1989 and Moeller took over from 90-94. I think he would have lasted longer, but he got a DUI and Michigan has low tolerance for that type of thing. He was let go, replaced by Lloyd Carr, and the rest is history.

Gary Moeller was a very, very good coach. He accomplished quite a bit in his five seasons as the head man, and he climbed the ranks when he was an assistant under Schembechler. He vacillated between defensive and offensive coordinator from 1973-1989. In between that time he was a QB coach and helmed one of the better offenses in the Big 10 in the mid to late 80's. He also modernized Michigan's offense as much as he could when he was the OC. Then when Bo resigned, Moeller was the heir apparent. He stepped in and had immediate success. He won the Big 10 three times. He was coach of the conference twice. He won at least eight games every year. His lowest finish in the conference was tied for 4th. Michigan won four of the five bowl games they played in under Moeller. They won one of two Rose Bowls they played in. Moeller's record at Michigan was 44-13-3. He was 30-8-2 in the Big 10. He averaged nine wins a year. Moeller recruited and coached guys like Desmond Howard and Erick Anderson. Howard won the Heisman while Moeller was the head coach. Elvis Grback got a pro career based on Moeller's coaching acumen.

Even after the DUI it wasn't long before Moeller got another job. He was hired by the Bengals as their tight end coach in 1995. In 97 he took a job with the Detroit Lions that eventually turned out to be a head coaching job after Bobby Ross suddenly resigned. But he did not last too long when the new regime came along. He returned for a bit with the Jaguars as defensive coordinator but left after one year. He then coached the linebackers for the Bears before fully retiring in 2003.

All in all Moeller left the biggest impression at Michigan. He had a .758 winning percentage. He coached a Heisman winner. He kept the train rolling at Michigan. They didn't miss a step. He left the team in good hands when Carr took over. I feel like the whole DUI thing would have been brushed under a rug nowadays. It would have been dealt with internally and he would have stuck around longer. That being said, Moeller was a solid head coach. He wasn't brash or loud or annoying or a TV personality. He was a coach through and through. He stuck around the game so long because he knew the game so well. People respected him and he returned the favor by doing good to great things on a football field.

I was kind of stunned when RD texted me yesterday to tell me of Moeller’s passing. I had not forgotten, but had not thought about Gary Moeller in quite some time. It is kind of crazy when you think about my fandom for Michigan football. Gary Moeller will be missed. He meant a lot to the game and a whole lot more to Michigan. Rest In Peace Gary Moeller. You will be missed.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "The Boys" Season Three Finale

I really want to talk about the season three finale of "The Boys", so I'm going to. That being said, this will be as spoiler free as possible for those of you that have not watched it yet.

"The Boys" is fast becoming one of my favorite TV shows. It is so well written, well acted, precisely directed and uses superhero culture the way I like to see it done. I'm a fan of when they show how violent these powers can be when they are used. That is why I love a movie like "Logan", and why I adore this show. It is the most violent and NSFW TV show I think I have seen. But, when it is done right, like "The Boys" does, it works.

This past season has been the most disturbing one for me to watch though. They take on the new world of politics we live in, they just add these wild, company created superheroes. The "heroes" represent two factions of politics we have in our country now. But since this show is "fantasy", they can take far more chances. They did that tenfold this past season. Homelander is the alt right conservative and Starlight represents the left. Both actors nail it too. But the fact that I grew to hate Homelander even more this season means that the actor is nailing his role. I despise him. I loathe his every move. I want them to kill him off, but he is the star of the show. I find it hilarious that real alt right conservatives were stunned when they found out that Homelander is the bad guy of the show. I cannot fathom how god damn dumb those mouth breathing alt right conservatives are that they had no idea that Homelander was the bad guy, and that they got all up in arms when it was revealed by the creators that Homelander is the bad guy. But the thing that threw me the most in this finale, and for the whole season for that matter, was how realistic it all felt. Homelander would say things that felt like they were lifted from alt right rallies. The stuff they did at these rallies looked horrifying because it felt so real. When Starlight's supporters came out, they were marginalized and looked at as less than by the right. They called them names and talked about how "weak" her supporters are. They would try to start actual fist fights. They would use violence as opposed to words or simply acting like an adult.

In the finale, especially in the final thing we saw this past season, I swear I got some kind of crazy PTSD. I was scared by what I saw because it wouldn't shock me if something similar happens in real life. The way Homelander's supporters responded to what he did had me horrified. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. I told my wife we had to watch something more upbeat before going to bed because I just couldn't seem to shake what we had just witnessed. She agreed. We had to cleanse our palette if you will. We were both shaken. It was terrifying to see what we saw and think about if something like this actually happened. It literally shook me to my core. I still cannot shake the image three days later. I have spoken at length with my wife and dad, he watches the show too, and we all feel the same way.

"The Boys" is a wonderful show that I really think most people would love and should watch. And the direction they went this season, the stories they told, were done so well. But it is almost too close to real life. And that is what scares me the most. Oof, I am still kind of messed up from this. Boy oh boy.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ice Cream Belongs in a Damn Sugar Cone

I took my kids out for ice cream last night and my son and I got into a debate. I have also gotten into this exact same debate with my wife a few times. I ordered my cookies and cream scoop in a sugar cone. My son said that sugar cones were good, but waffle cones and cake cones are better.

I agree that waffle cones are better, but those are more of a treat. It also means I'm going to eat far too much ice cream if I'm getting a waffle cone. But a cake cone, come on man. I'm not here to say that cake cones are not good, but a sugar cone is far, far better. Cake cones are like eating styrofoam. They get all weird and cold and taste even harder when you get further down on the cone. The ice cream gets trapped in those little rectangles that are at the bottom and makes the cone frozen. The ice cream is packed all tight in there and it is like eating ice. Also, the cake cone doesn't stand up to the ice cream like a sugar cone. I'm forever worried that the ice cream is going to topple out of a cake cone whenever I order one. And it is not like I'm some doofus who doesn't know how to properly eat ice cream from a cone.

The sugar cone, it is perfect. It is nice and pointy at the bottom and easily holds the ice cream within its triangle. The taste is so much better than the cake cone. It tastes like a waffle cone, only a bit sweeter. It is also nice and crisp. It doesn't over freeze or trap the ice cream. It stands up nice and tall. The ice cream stands firm in the cone. It is the better of the two I've mentioned today, vessel for ice cream. I am also a big time fan of sugar cookies, so a sugar cone is almost the same. It is harder, but it still has the sweetness and feel of a nice sugar cookie. It is also cooler, like if ice cream cones could have a personality. Cake cones are the squares of the group. They are the soc's. Sugar cones are the greasers. They may be rough around the edges, but they are cool. They know how to fight and dance and talk to the people you like. They have cool hairdos and wear dope clothes and leather jackets. Cake cones are dorks that sit online and complain about "Star Wars" movies. Cake cones still live in their parents' basements. Cake cones live online and never have anything good to say.

That is how I truly feel if I give these inanimate objects personality. But I am curious what you all think. When it comes to cones for ice cream, which do you prefer, cake or sugar? I also don't want a ton of waffle cone or cup answers. Those are off the table. I want to know between the 2 which you prefer and why. Please let me know. But I do need you all to know in the long run that sugar is, and always will be, the best cone for ice cream.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches “The Bear”

Last night I started the show "The Bear". I had heard a ton of good things about it, some people I follow on social media were singing its praises.

I like what FX does in the world of TV and I am a sucker for cooking shows. In our house we watch a ton of cooking shows in fact. We like them all. Be it Ina Garten or some kind of competition show, we will usually watch. Hell, I even really enjoy a show like "Carnival Eats". That may be one of my favorites.

The problem with those shows, for the most part, is they are very nice. Even the reality competition ones. Sure they have their "villain", and there have been plenty of contestants I don't like, and my goodness do they take themselves far too seriously, but in the end it is all happiness and fun and games. "The Bear" is not like that, and I think that has been what has drawn me in so much.

Over the past day and a half I have watched the first four episodes. It was all I was thinking about watching this morning when I was out running errands. It stayed with me. To me that is a sign that this show works. This is what I am looking for in a show about food. The cast is amazing. It is an ensemble, but that ensemble is led by Carmy, played by Jeremy Allen White. He is so good. He is a once in a generation chef, but he is back home working in a sandwich shop. We find out more and more about him as the series is going on, and I cannot wait to see where they take him. His "cousin", to whom there is much discontent, is skillfully played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach. He is so good at being the hot headed "know it all" who doesn't want any change to his "system". Ayo Edebiri is so good as the new up and coming chef who wants to learn from Carmy. She is awesome in this role. She really gets to stretch and try some new things. She should get way more work after people watch her in this. The rest of the crew is great. Lionel Boyce is Marcus and he wants to be a pastry chef so bad. Liza Colon-Zayas is Tina and she has no time for nonsense and has been at the shop since day one. Edwin Lee Gibson is the old soul that likes having stuff to do. And the rest of the crew is there to crack a few jokes every now and then. We also get a nice turn from Abby Elliot as Carmy's sister. It is pretty cool to see her do drama. Oliver Platt has been in a few episodes and he does a low leverage gangster pretty well. And Joel McHale is there being a total dick, which he thrives at doing.

This show has me hooked. Outside the cast, the food looks amazing. They do long, slow motion shots of people cooking and the finished product, and I get hungry just watching. I love Italian Beef sandwiches, and the way they make them look on this show makes me want to travel to Chicago right now. They also have some of the best shots of donuts I have ever seen. They look better on this show than they do on some Food Network or Cooking Channel shows. The sandwich shop is old and dingy and perfect for what they do. The kitchen looks and feels real. The alleys are grimy. Some of the neighborhoods look sketchy. It all works.

This is the best cooking show on TV. It is also one of the better comedy/drama shows that are out there right now. It is also unique and new. It is not a reboot or a retread. It is a new idea that they are nailing. Go watch "The Bear". It is really for anyone that likes cooking shows and great TV. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "The Northman"

My wife is out of town for work and when she leaves I tend to watch movies that she is not interested in when we do date night. I've seen some solid and not so solid movies during these work trips. I've also seen "Titane", and I'm still confused by it. Last night I watched "The Northman".

I've wanted to see this for quite some time. My dad is really into viking culture lately, the preview looked badass, I like Alexander Skarsgard and I have enjoyed every Robert Eggers directed movie I have seen, especially "The Lighthouse". I had high hopes going into this movie.

“The Northman” did not disappoint. Sure it was a bit too long and some stuff could have been cut out, but for the most part, this movie was very, very well made. I am not as into the viking stuff as my dad, but I do like the stories I have been told. I am also kind of enamored with their lifestyle back in the early 1000's. It is all intriguing to me. This movie, from what I've read and watched, has to be one of the more accurate portrayals of life back then. It was brutal. It looked old. It looked archaic. Eggers and the writers did not sugarcoat the awfulness that some vikings lived with. There was pillaging and murdering and assaults happening left and right. I appreciate the fact that they put it out there bare bones. I do not like when other movie makers glorify and deify these people. They were not the best. There is one battle scene in particular, right in the first 45 minutes, that is one of the best and most brutal things I have ever watched. This group of vikings pillages a town during the day. At one point a person throws a spear at Skarsgard's character, he catches it and throws it back, impaling someone else in the process. After that, Skarsgard proceeds to murder three or four people, and when he gets to the last person, he bites into their neck, as if he is a dog feeding on his prey. That was another thing. There are so many dog references in this movie. From start to finish, dogs are involved and it is gruesome. But I liked what I was seeing.

I liked how they made this movie. I was fully in on Skarsgard. I'm relatively new to him. My wife watched "True Blood", but I did not. And I loved when he was on the most recent season of "Atlanta". But this was a juicy leading role for him and he nailed it. He was magnetic. He put in a ton of work on his body and it showed. He played his character to perfection. He was the only viking I rooted for, but there were times when he was just as bad as the rest. As for the rest of the cast, they were up to the task. Anya Taylor Joy was great. She looked and acted like a viking queen. She was a total badass as well. I loved her in this. Ethan Hawke was dope. He is having a bit of a renaissance. Nicole Kidman was ruthless and evil and totally nailed it. Claes Bang was a bad, bad dude, but I kind of sided with him a little bit in the end. Willem Dafoe was as creepy as ever and it was so fitting for this movie. Bjork had a bit part and it was exactly what she thrives at doing, being weird and using her cool voice. It was just a perfect cast in a very good movie.

I mentioned that one fight scene at the top, but this movie was filled with some of the best, and most real, fight scenes I've watched in a movie. There was one where they were playing some kind of old game, and when Skarsgard goes to protect a child, oh my was that nuts. There was another one where he takes on multiple fighters and beats them, until he is contained and proceeds to get repeatedly punched in the face. When he was tied up it was the most real looking torture thing I have seen since "Zero Dark Thirty". When he gets Taylor Joy to feed the guards hallucinogenic mushrooms, and what happens next, it was wild. My favorite was when Skarsgard returned to the site of his capture and freed the people at night time. That was rad. And brutal. And gory. And kind of sad. But it was so well done. And the final battle scene, no spoilers, was totally worth the anticipation and build up. It ended on a perfect crescendo. I sat on my couch and just kind of stewed in what I had just watched. I really thought about it all. And I came away thinking this was one of the better movies I have watched in some time. It is beautiful to look at, well acted and directed, very well written and super interesting.

I definitely recommend the movie under the caveat that it is slow in certain parts and that the movie is very heavy with viking and Icelandic language. But Skarsgard, Taylor Joy and those battle scenes are totally worth it in the end. "The Northman" lived up to my personal hype.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Thoughts on the Latest KD Drama

Okay I guess I will talk about Kevin Durant.

I am not shocked by him asking out, and maybe that is part of the problem for me as a basketball fan. This was almost inevitable to me after seeing the Warriors win the title this season. And now I do not think the chips he won with them are moot. He was great for them. He won the MVP twice in the finals for a reason. He was an added weapon that made that iteration of the Warriors unbeatable, until they all got hurt except Steph.

I'm not a hater of KD's at all. That being said, the way he handles himself via social media or on TV is kind of wack. He is sensitive, and that is fine. I'm sensitive too. And I'm sure if millions of people lashed out at me on Twitter and what not I'd lose it from time to time. He loses it all the time. It is like he is on social media whenever he is not on a basketball court. I've been called out here and there, but I avoid it because I'm not glued to my phone. I think KD is glued to his. It has to be hard for him to go out and live a normal life because of his fame so I guess the phone and tv are his only real outlets. So I would imagine seeing all the people saying that this is Steph's first real ring or that they did it the hard way or that they don't need a stacked team that might have gotten to KD. And that is fine. If it makes him angry, that is totally normal.

KD is an incredible basketball player. Guys his size shouldn't be able to do what he does on a nightly basis. He is an all time great. But the Nets were swept in round one. Kyrie Irving is a nut job. James Harden looks like the smartest guy in the room now for wanting out. Steve Nash is not a very good coach. The supporting parts in Brooklyn just aren't championship quality. But I will say, this was all that KD and Kyrie wanted. They decided to go to the Nets together. They wanted Nash as the head coach. They wanted Deandre Jordan to play over Jarrett Allen. They were more than willing to let Caris Levert go. They urged the front office to sign guys like Blake Griffin. This was their design. This was their hand picked team. They chose and the front office gave them their every want. Then COVID happened. The Nets were going to be average in KD's first year since he wasn't going to play. Then he came back and was great again. And so was Kyrie. And they got Harden. All looked perfect. But then Kyrie wouldn't get vaxxed because he is a moron. That meant he couldn't play any home games. He was non-existent. Harden asked out because he knew he couldn't handle the load anymore. KD got hurt again. It was all just a mess.

This was a team that I picked to win the title this year, and I thought they would do it with ease. Instead they got swept pretty easily by Boston, another team that is built from within for the most part. And then KD had to watch the Warriors win it all. He saw them play Dallas in the West Finals, a team built within. He watched Boston beat Milwaukee in round 2. Milwaukee, minus Jrue Holiday, is a draft and process team. Boston beat Miami in the East Finals, and Jimmy Butler was a free agent signing, but that whole team is a culture. KD had to see all this and be extremely frustrated that his plan didn't work. He is uber talented, but when the guys you sign up to play with don't play, you get swept in round one. And now he wants out.

I don't know where he is going to end up, or if he gets traded at all. He signed a four year deal with no player option. He is in year two of the deal. Whatever team trades for him is on the books for three years at a big, big number. And I get the allure of trading for a guy like KD, I just don't know if it will be worth mortgaging the future of your team. The teams he wants to go to, like Miami, will not give up what Brooklyn will/should want. KD said he would go there only if Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo were still on the team. What does that leave Brooklyn with? Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and filler? No thank you. Philly is on his list. Who are they going to give up that will make Brooklyn stoked? They are not getting Joel Embiid or Harden. So that leaves parts like Matisse Thybulle, who isn't fully vaccinated, Tobias Harris who is past his prime and Tyrese Maxey. I like Maxey, but I do not know that he is ready to be the number one dude on a playoff team. Phoenix has been mentioned. I do like getting Deandre Ayton, Mikaail Bridges, Jae Crowder and picks, but why would Phoenix do that? Who does that leave them with? KD, Chris Paul and Devin Booker are a great Big 3, but the rest of that roster would be decimated.

I do want what is best for KD because I do really like him as a basketball player. He is amazing. He is an absolute joy to watch play the most beautiful game. But I just do not know what team is going to facilitate exactly what he wants and get a fair return. It just doesn't seem possible, especially after seeing what the Timberwolves gave up for Rudy Gobert, and KD is a far, far better player. Time will tell, but this is a messed up situation and the resolution seems way further off than us normal fans can even fathom. This is going to take some time and may not be solved until the season has started. We will 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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Thoughts on the New Big 10

The college football landscape is changing yet again. I figured after Texas and Oklahoma decided to join the SEC last season that this was going to quiet down a bit. Quite the opposite has happened. I was checking out the sports news, mainly to see where NBA free agents were signing, and saw that the Big Ten was going to vote later in the day on adding USC and UCLA to the conference.

This news shocked me. I was, for real, stunned. I am an old school fan when it comes to college football. I like the conferences. I like how they align with bowl games. The conferences, for the most part, make geographical sense. Even when Missouri joined the SEC, or when Maryland and Rutgers joined the Big 10, that made some kind of sense. Those teams have pull in the South and Midwest and East. It also made recruiting sense. Hell, even Oklahoma and Texas make sense on paper in the SEC. Most of their fans have southern roots, or still live in the South. But USC and UCLA joining the Big 10 is just wild. It makes no sense. It is so far out of the way from the rest of the Big 10 teams. The time zones don't work. The recruiting is totally different. The game times are completely different. The style of play is not the same. It just doesn't make sense to me at all.

This is the way college football is going. There is, eventually, going to be two, maybe three mega conferences, and it will probably happen before 2030. It is what is going to happen. There is no sense in me being surprised by this news anymore. The fact that the conference I watch the most, with my favorite sports team of all time, is going to stay relevant should make me happy. The Big 10 is more than secure with USC and UCLA joining. I cannot think that Notre Dame, Washington and Oregon are going to be far behind joining. I can see Arizona and Arizona State leaving for the SEC soon.

This is the death knell for the Pac 12. They are all but done as a conference come 2024. They have one full season left, and that is going to be that. The money is just too much for these schools to pass up. That is the main reason this is all happening. The Pac 12 is a big deal, but they are the lowest of the power five conferences. Their games are on too late, no one really watches them after the primetime night game, usually featuring a Big 10 or SEC matchup and the Pac 12 network is the bottom of the barrell. The amount of money, some people are saying upwards of 100 million a season, that USC and UCLA are going to make in 2024 is too good. It is too much of a lure. It is too hard to pass up. The matchups are also way, way better and more TV friendly. USC-Michigan is going to become an instant rivalry. As will the university of Ohio State-USC. Penn State-Washington is a dope old school matchup. Michigan-Washington was a great Rose Bowl matchup. Wisconsin-UCLA is going to be modern 3 yards and a cloud of dust. Oregon-the university of Ohio State has given us great out of conference games, now imagine that in conference. This benefits the Big 10, and helps the teams at the top get an even better hold on the CFP. Michigan, Michigan State, the university of Ohio State, Wisconsin, Iowa and Purdue will all benefit from the addition of USC and UCLA, with Washington and Oregon soon to follow. But those former Pac 12 schools will benefit even more. They get better matchups, better competition, better game time slots, better TV times and millions upon millions of more dollars coming into their programs.

The old fan in me despises this. But the fan I am now, more logical and older, understands why this is happening. This is the new world of college sports. We all have to get used to it. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "The World's Greatest Mixtape"

Last night I watched the 30 for 30 documentary "The World's Greatest Mixtape". This is a short movie about the sensation that was the And 1 Mixtape tour.

The And 1 Mixtape tour came around at the perfect time for me as a basketball fan. In my late teens I had become kind of disillusioned with basketball. I still played but barely watched. The early 2000's were not great as far as the NBA goes. There were great players, but I just wasn't into it at all. But then one day, while scrolling some channels, I happened upon the "And 1 Mixtape" on ESPN. I was instantly in love. This was the coolest. This was the most balletic basketball I had ever seen, and the trash talk was absolutely amazing. I was all in right away. I watched the 30 minute episodes every single day they were on. I followed the players. I bought And 1 clothes. I tried to do the stuff these guys did. I talked about it all with my friends that watched. It was the best. So I was primed for this documentary.

Tis doc was solid. I thought it was a good representation of the time. I loved how they told the story. It was fascinating to hear the backstory of how it started. I loved seeing the older players talk about how they came to be an And 1 athlete. I thought it was so cool how they got the music for the mixtapes. I liked hearing these guys find out that they were on the tapes and then finding a way to get paid. I loved hearing about Rafer Alston, the first real streetball legend. Then to see all the guys I watched regularly, to hear some of their stories, to hear about their time on the And 1 tour, it blew me away. It was so cool. I thought that whole part of the show was perfectly done. I also loved seeing NBA players talk about the And 1 players and mixtapes. It was cool to get their input. I liked hearing someone like Kemba Walker, a former all star, talk about the influence And 1 had on him. It was also dope to see guys like Iman Shumpert and Lou Williams talk about And 1. They may not be stars, but they were guys that stuck around in the league for a long time, did some nice things and even win a ring.

My absolute favorite part with the NBA guys was hearing them fervently state that And 1 players could not make it in the league. There is a reason that only one, Alston, stuck around. There is a famous And 1 guy, Hot Sauce, and the NBA guys clowned him in this doc. Shumpert said that he came into some tryouts as "Hot Sauce", and left being called "Ketchup". That line killed me. And it is so true. While the And 1 guys are incredible basketball players, and do things I can only dream of doing with a basketball, they are not NBA talents. They just do not have that in them. But they sure did try. And I respect that they found a way to get paid to play basketball the way they loved to play the game. That takes a whole lot to do.

I think my only criticism with this movie is that it is far too short. It is only about 45 minutes long. I could watch two hours of this easily. I want to know every single thing about this league, from formation to dissolution. I want the fully in depth story of everything And 1. That would be dope. But this movie will do for now. Maybe they will make more volumes a la the And 1 mixtapes. One can only hope. But for those of you that watched this back in the early 2000's, check out this movie. It is a great trip down memory lane.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Thoughts on the 2022 NBA Draft

I know it has been almost a week since the draft, but with the country taking a tremendous step backward, and seeing two very good movies, today is the day I am going to talk about my NBA draft thoughts. It may seem out of date, but I have had a very good amount of time to sit and think about the draft. I'm not just going off the cuff. This isn't a rapid reaction. This isn't a grade the day following. And I have thought about this draft a good amount. I use the draft to forget about the horribleness that is our country right now.

With all that being said, the Pistons came out as big time winners from draft night. They got the guy they wanted at five in Jaden Ivey. He fits like a glove with this squad. He can be inserted at the two, next to Cade Cunnigham, from day one. He is a good slashing guard, will fix his shot and can play defense. He is also happy to be there. He was crying tears of joy. It was the best fit of the night. They also traded for the rights to Jalen Duren. He is an extremely athletic center. He will eventually stretch the court. He is a rebound machine. He can block shots. I love his addition to this young core. They got a stash project in Gabriele Procida. They can bring him along super slow and he is the prototype 6-7 wing forward combo the NBA covets right now. They also just traded for Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel. Those guys may not stay, but if they do, that is two extra vets to help out this young team. The Pistons are going to be a fun team to watch next season, and then they should, if they can coexist, become a playoff threat in the next two to three years. They nailed draft night.

I also love what the Houston Rockets did. They got Jabari Smith Jr at three. He was the consensus number one guy on everyone else's mock drafts, but he "fell" into the Rockets lap at three. They can play him right away at the five. He can shoot, defend, rebound and create shots. He and Jalen Green make for a great young duo. They also have Kevin Porter Jr and Alpernun Sengun. This is a young team loaded with potential and talent. They also got TyTy Washington in the late first to be a backup point guard, which is perfect for him to learn. They also got Tari Eason from LSU in the late teens. He is big and switchy and has a bit more experience coming in. Houston is building a team with so much talent, it just has to find a way to come together and coalesce. They have a few years ahead of them before they are true competitors, but they are going to be fun as hell to watch.

Another draft I liked was the Spurs. They got some good pieces. They got Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley in the late first round. These guys were considered lottery talent and they fell into the Spurs lap. They will get the best out of those two guys. They also had a lottery pick and took Jeremy Sochan at nine. I love this pick. He is such a Spurs guy. He is going to be one of the better players in this draft, and going to San Antonio is like a dream destination for NBA players. The Spurs made sure their "rebuild" won't take as long as other teams.

Finally, for a team I liked, the Magic got the best overall guy at number one. Paolo Banchero is a 20 ppg guy from day one. He is so gifted offensively. And adding him to a roster with Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs is wonderful. They went out and took the best guy on the board. They also got potential in round two with Caleb Houstan. The kid can shoot, he just needs to grow up a bit. He is also barely 19. He is a young dude.

There were only a few teams that puzzled me. First off, the Knicks did some wild stuff during the draft. They traded picks for future picks. They cleared cap space. I get that they want a big name free agent, but Jalen Brunson, as much as I like him as a player, is not the "big name" guy they want to reel in. They have also traded away good vets to clear more space. Maybe that will work next season, but for this year, I don't know. I like when the Knicks are good because it is good for the NBA. But draft night was a real head scratcher.

And then we have the Kings. I mean, this just seems like this is what they do. They had two picks. They took Keegan Murray at four. He is an okay enough shooter, but I think he is what he will be. He is also a bigger guard now on a team filled with guards. This pick does absolutely nothing to move the needle for me. The Kings are just kind of stuck in the mud. They also had a decent pick in round two with Jaden Hardy, but then they traded him to Dallas. I don't even know what they got in return. It was baffling. Hardy could have helped the Kings but now he will help the Mavs. The Kings are going to Kings things on draft night I guess. I will say,

I am excited to watch these kids play next season. I watched a good amount of them play in college or in the G League and I am stoked to see how they adjust to the pros. The NBA has the best draft night coverage and this year was no different. Now we just need to get to the season.

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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Ty Watches "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent"

The other movie I wanted to discuss this week was the date night pick coming from yours truly. It was on me and it was easy because "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" is now on VOD and available to stream. I was close to seeing this movie in the theaters, that is how much I wanted to watch it. My wife was also completely on board, so that made it even easier.

This movie did not disappoint. It was so funny, so well made, so well acted and surprisingly touching. I enjoyed every single second of this movie. For the people that may not know, this movie is a meta version of Nicolas Cage. Nicolas Cage plays a version of himself named Nic Cage. He is a struggling actor, cannot stick with his family and decides to quit. Before he fully gives up his agent, played by Neil Patrick Harris, convinces him to go to Majorca, Spain and appear at a party for a million dollars. Cage reluctantly agrees. But when he gets there he realizes that the person who invited him to the party is part of a massive drug cartel. Cage also is found out by two CIA agents and he has to help them take down the cartel. From this point on the movie just gets better and better. And it stays funny and continues to be touching.

Speaking of the actors. Ike Barinholtz and Tiffany Haddish play the CIA agents. They are great. Barinholtz cannot deal with his nonsense and Haddish knows how to make him work, she just hates doing it. They do a wonderful job. Cage's ex wife and daughter are great additions. They make the story work more than it actually should. But this movie is truly all about Cage and Pedro Pascal, the super fan. Cage does a great job making fun of himself in this movie. The jokes about him working too much, being too self serious, going nuts at the drop of the hat, all of it works to perfection. They also have a CGI younger version of him that the current Cage talks to and that is great. My favorite part of the young Cage is when he kisses the old Cage and yells, "NIC CAGE IS GOOD AT SMOOCHING!". It is a wonderful joke that totally lands. It is great. Nicolas Cage seems more than up to the task in this role. I am so glad that he took it, ran with it and nailed it. He was tremendous. It shows that, given the right material, Cage can act very well. And Pedro Pascal, he is simply the best. He is funny. He is touching. He is derpy and goofy. He is fully in on the joke and he goes for it as hard as Cage does. The whole story line of him and Cage writing a movie together about their lives is perfect. Pascal is also great at playing this derpy, naive guy. He has too much money and does not know how to use it properly, so he just buys whatever he wants whenever he wants. But he is also touching and nice and you root for him. I was openly hoping he wasn't going to be the bad guy. I wanted there to be a twist where he was actually a good guy. Pascal was phenomenal in this movie. And he and Cage have tremendous chemistry. This movie works because the two of them work so well together. I loved it. Their friendship was the absolute best thing in this movie. Their adventures together were funny and moving. The two of them watching "Paddington 2" was gold.

I adore this movie. I was telling my dad about it all morning over coffee. Watch this movie please. It is so worth it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "RRR"

Last week I watched two movies that I really want to tell you all about this week.

The first is "RRR". I had heard things from people that I listen to on podcasts about this movie. Then spoke glowingly of it. Then I went and read some reviews, and this movie was getting super gassed up by the critics. Then I saw the description of it on Netflix and I was in. The only thing that made me hesitate was the run time, three hours and five minutes. That is a very, very, very long movie. But I broke it up over three different viewings over two different days. Both were in a row so I wouldn't lose too much from the story. But none of that matters.

This movie is amazing. All three hours and five minutes are more than worth it. I loved every second of "RRR". The long and short synopsis of the movie is, it is about two Indian revolutionaries in the 1920's overthrowing the British Imperialists. And it rules. I have become kind of weary with all the superhero stuff and all the retread stuff. There are way more "Doctor Strange 2" movies than there are "Everything Everywhere All at Once". The movie landscape has become kind of dull. But then a movie like "RRR" comes along and I get all excited again. The version I watched was in Hindi with English subtitles and then some people spoke English. All of that did not matter. Sure it helped to follow the story, but what makes this movie so incredible was the action sequences, which seem to go on forever and I still want more. These action sequences are some of the most incredible scenes I have ever watched in a movie. The director shoots them perfectly. Slow motion is used better here than in any other movie I have ever seen. The fighting looks and feels real. The CGI animals are so well made and so believable. They make the two main guys act and feel like superheros, but they are also just regular dudes. I have never seen a Bollywood movie before, but I understand dancing is a big deal, and the dance numbers in this movie were amazing. I was never really bored watching "RRR". There were some slower moments that they maybe could have cut out of the movie, cut it down to two hours forty minutes maybe. But all of that would be followed by another incredible action scene that would immediately pull you right back in. I also really enjoyed the flashback scenes. Not only did they tell the full story, but they had some of the coolest training and fight scenes I have seen in a movie in quite some time. Oh, and the music was cheesy and weird and glorious. Everytime they broke into song, and the lyrics would appear on the subtitles, I would laugh and smile and find myself bouncing my foot up and down. I was all in.

I was also glad that, outside the few people and reviews I heard, I knew very little going in. I didn't know until it started that it was over three hours. I had no idea it was going to be superhero-esque. I was oblivious to the dance scenes. I did not know the story whatsoever. But after watching it, I want to tell everyone I know to watch this movie. "RRR" is so worth your time. It is so good. It is what I want Hollywood to make, but they don't have the guts. This is one of the coolest and most unique movies I have seen in quite some time.

Obviously I recommend "RRR". Please watch it so we can all talk about it. This is one of the coolest movies that has ever been made.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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This Sucks

The Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade this morning. I'm at a loss. I wanted to write about the draft so much today, but yet again America decided to kick me in the ass with this horrific news.

We are living in some futuristic dystopic world right now and it is awful. We will now have states telling women what they can and cannot do with their bodies. This is sickening. This is backwards. We are supposed to be living in the 21st century. Everyone is created equal. Everyone should have fair rights. Everyone should be able to do whatever they choose to do with the body they have. Now we are going to have white men telling women they cannot get abortions and it sickens me to my core. White men like Ron Desantis will be trying to jail women in Florida if they seek an abortion. The state I live in, with our horrific governor, will do the same. All the red states, and there are far too many of them, their governors are licking their chops just waiting to enforce rules to stop people from getting safe and legal abortions.

We are going in the wrong direction as a country. We are not the best and brightest. We sure as hell are not the land of the free. This is wrong on so many levels. The Supreme Court members that passed this should be absolutely ashamed and disgusted with themselves. This is not a win by any means. This is a problem. This is exactly why I stopped believing in any religion when I was a young teenager. This is not a religious thing anymore. Anyone that says it's about religion is way, way off base. There is no god anywhere that would have you believe that they would want old white men telling women what to do with their bodies.

This is all about power and getting more votes. That is all these monsters care about anymore. They will say whatever they need to say to their mouth breathing supporters so they will go out and vote for them. They could care less what a woman wants to do with her body. They want that baby to be born come hell or high water. I want to quote my dad here because he is 100 percent right. He told me months ago that these politicians and Supreme Court members are not pro life, they are pro birth. They could care less about that child after it is born as long as it is born.

This is a disaster. This is going to cause a massive amount of new problems in our country. There is going to be uproar and fights. People are not going to take this lying down. I know I'm sure as hell not going to sit here and let this happen. This is nonsense. This is scary. This is, as I stated earlier, dystopian. This is not a world that I want to live in. This is horrifying. This does not make America a better place. It makes it much, much worse.

And for these politicians who think they are going to eradicate abortion, you are wrong. Women will find a way. It will not be safe and could be harmful, but if a pregnant person wants, or needs an abortion, they will find a way. They will get it done. It happened before Roe vs Wade. And now in a post Roe vs Wade world, it will happen again.

I'm so sick of waking up to a living nightmare everyday in this country. When this news broke this morning I was on a walk with my wife and I told her we should seriously consider leaving. And I wasn't joking. I went so far as to ask if her company has locations in other countries. America is so backward. We don't have free health care. School is expensive. Racism is rampant. Mass shootings happen seemingly everyday. And now the Supreme Court has overturned Roe vs Wade. I tremble at the thought of what is next.

I am having a hard time dealing with this. This is awful, horrible news. And it comes at a bad time in this country's history. I truly do not like the state or country I live in. It is becoming a police state. It is becoming scary and bad and unlawful. I'm terrified for my kids future. I want to leave but don't think I can. I'm at a loss. This one hurts. This one is bad. I simply do not know what to do except fight. I will continue the fight. We can be better. We just need to show it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty's 2022 NBA Draft Preview

The NBA draft happens this evening. I used to get super pumped up for this when I was a kid. I don't watch anymore, but my son is as hype as I used to get. I love that he is this involved with basketball now. Anyway, I am going to do my annual draft preview. I'll give you five guys I like and a few sentences why, five I'm not so high on and a few sentences why, and finish it off with a sleeper or two that I'm high on.

This draft is pretty solid. The top three picks, maybe even four, are pretty set, but I have one of those guys in my dudes I'm not so high on. But this draft is deep and there looks to be some solid rotation players that will be picked tonight. Here we go.

As for the guys I like, first off, I adore Jaden Ivey. He is going to be very good. He is fast and can get to the rim. His shot is not great yet, but that could come with time, just look at Kawhi Leonard. Ivey also plays defense. He is as ready to go from day one as any prospect in this draft. I think that, even if the Kings draft him, he is going to have a very, very good career.

I also really like consensus number 1 pick Jabari Smith. He is 6'10 first off. He has a calm demeanor. I watched him play a few times this year and he was always the best player on the floor. He can shoot. He is a great rebounder. He has all the skill set you want in a modern big. And he is very young. He is only going to get bigger. Smith is a top tier prospect.

Speaking of top tier prospects, I love Paolo Banchero as an NBA player. He is also 6'10. He is as good, maybe even better, at cutting to the rim than Ivey is. He is a bully going to the rim. He is bigger than a good chunk of NBA players now. He may loaf off on defense from time to time, but he is also only 19. He will get better at that. I also like his attitude. He is not cocky, he is confident. I usually do not like Duke guys, but Banchero is different. He has been ready to play in the NBA for a few years now. College was just another year to grow and learn. I truly think he will end up being the best player in this draft.

I'm pretty high on Ochai Agbaji. I've always been a fan of guys that stay in school longer to get better. He was also the best player on the team that won it all. Even when he wasn't shooting well he was old enough to do other things to help his team win. He can shoot. He can play defense. He is ready to go. He will be a late lottery pick which means he will end up on a team fighting for the playoffs, which will only help him more. This kid is good and will be a very good bench player in the NBA.

My final prospect I like is Johnny Davis. I watched this kid a ton this year since he played in the Big Ten and he is legit. He can score from anywhere. He has confidence for days. Without him Wisconsin would have been a below .500 team. He took over games at times. He made me so mad because he always seemed to make big shots against teams I was rooting for. He is an offensive machine already. I could see him, depending on which team drafts him, scoring 16-17 points a night in his rookie year. Johnny Davis is an elite level scorer. He is a very, very poor man's Devin Booker right now who will only get better.

Now to the prospects I'm not crazy about.

First off, and most importantly, I have Chet Holmgren here. I have been hearing about this kid since his senior year in high school. I heard all of the KD comparisons. I heard people say he could be like Giannis. I even heard Anthony Davis stuff. But when I watched him this past season at Gonzaga I was left unimpressed. He wasn't even the best player on that team. Drew Timme and Andrew Nembhard were better. There were times where Holmgren looked lost. He fouled a lot. He can block shots because he is so tall, but he had to track the block more than actually make it. He was not an impressive scorer. Going to Gonzaga let him play against lesser college level competition. And when he played the best of the best he disappeared. He is too skinny and will need, at the very least, two years to put on real weight. He is going to get destroyed in the paint by most centers in the NBA. He needs to bulk up and he needs time. I don't know that he'll get either.

I'm not crazy about Keegan Murray. This is another guy I watched a lot, Big Ten team, and he did not leave me feeling like Johnny Davis did. Murray would not do stuff for long stretches. There were games where he'd get numbers, but they felt hollow. His release is slow. He is not a great defender. He flops a lot. He is a lot like Jimmer Fredette, but doesn't shoot threes at the clip Fredette did in college. Keegan Murray is going to be a high pick, but I do not think he has the goods to be a starter or early bench guy. He feels like a deep bench player at best.

I do not know what to make of Shaedon Sharpe. This kid is high on all the "experts" lists, but I have never seen him play basketball before. Darius Garland at least played a few games at Wake. Michael Porter Jr got some run at Mizzou. The G League guys are playing against former pros every day. Sharpe has not played a real game in over a year. I simply do not know what type of player he will be, and I am not going to lose my mind over some high school highlights from two years ago. I would not take a risk on a player like Sharpe in the lottery. I do not know what I am getting at all. I would not want to wager the future of my team on a kid that hasn't played a real game since he was 17 years old. There is too much unknown about Shaedon Sharpe.

I am flabbergasted that Chritian Braun is being mocked in the late first round. This kid is a late second rounder at best. He doesn't shoot the three like a Duncan Robinson or Buddy Hield. He can't get to the rim with ease like other guards can in the NBA. He isn't much of a defensive guy. He has energy, but so did Matthew Dellavedova. I just don't see him being more than a deep bench guy at best. I saw him mocked to the Warriors at 28, and people said they could stash him in the G League for a few years, akin to what they did with Jordan Poole, but Poole was a proven scorer in college. I don't think the same can be said for Braun. I just do not see first round talent in this kid.

Finally, as much as I like his name, TyTy Washington has a long road ahead of him before he is a real NBA player. He was oft injured at Kentucky. He would get hit lightly on drives to the basket and went down like a heap. He isn't a sharp shooter. His defense is average. He is short for his position in the NBA. He has a ton of work. Of the five kids I mentioned in this group I will be rooting for Washington the most, but he has a ton of work to do. I have noticed that he is slipping down draft boards as of late too. Maybe these teams are seeing what I saw all season. Washington is a major work in progress.

To end this draft preview I want to point out two "sleepers" in this draft. My first is Bryce McGowens, yet another Big Ten player I saw a ton of this past season. Nebraska was a nightmare to watch, with the exception of McGowens. This kid is a pure scorer. He may be one of the better offensive players in the entire draft. He is going to be an absolute microwave off the bench. I think a player like McGowens has way more in common with someone like Jordan Poole than a player like Christian Braun does. McGowens is going to need to gain weight and learn to take and use contact. But when he does he is going to be a nightmare to guard in the NBA. He is going to be a top bench player in about three or four years, when he is only 21 or 22 years old. McGowens is an elite scorer, and whatever team takes him in round 2 is going to be thrilled.

Finally I'd like to point out David Roddy from Colorado State. He is big. He can score. He can shoot. He is a good rebounder. He is an okay enough defender. He was the all around leader of a team that won 25 plus games last year and earned a 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. I saw him in the tourney and he nearly torched Michigan. This kid is good. He is a big body who can out muscle guys and pull 4's and 5's out of the post due to the threat of his shot. I feel like he may go undrafted, or be picked very late, but he will end up having a PJ Tucker type career with a little more scoring. Roddy is a good ball player.

Alright there is my 2022 NBA draft preview. Hopefully there will be crazy trades and the kids I am not so high on prove me wrong. And I know my son is stoked to watch. Should be a good time.

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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Ty Plays "Beatstar"

Recently I was in the market for a new game on my phone. I play Scrabble, NBA Jam, Candy Crush and Wordscapes. I like these games, but sometimes I want to try something new. So I went on the app store and did some searching. I like to go for the free games, but I am not opposed to paying if the game is good. I tried a few things out. I tried Dingbats. That's a word puzzle game and I like those because they keep me sharp. But there were too many ads. I tried a few baseball games and found them rather boring or way too hard. I tried mobile Madden and NBA 2k. They were too clunky, they had too many ads and I own these games on the Xbox and Switch. I don't need them on my phone. But then I came across a game called Beatstar.

I love music as you all know. I also like to hear new music or music I am new to. I also like games that keep me interested after one or two tries. And I used to play the absolute hell out of Guitar Hero. The reason I mention Guitar Hero is, Beatstar is a game where you have to tap squares on your phone to the beat of the song. As the screen scrolls you get more and more squares that go faster and faster as the song progresses, just like Guitar Hero. And just like Guitar Hero, Beatstar plays a snippet of the song. Each song is about 2-3 minutes long. You get a few verses and you get the chorus once or maybe twice. It is so much fun. They also have boxes that you can open by using gems or watching ads. This is one time I don't mind a 30 second ad because each time you do it adds cards to a box and when the box is full that means a new song. I have had this game for a few weeks now and I have 66 songs, with hundreds more to go. My wife is playing it too, and she has upwards of 70 plus songs. She is much better at the game than I am. But it is all good. I love the game.

I really enjoy most of the music that they play. I have a Bob Marley song. There are Gorillaz tracks, songs from The White Stripes and one hit wonders like Wiz Khalifa and Vanessa Carlton. The game also has songs dating back to the 70's. Their catalog is thick and that makes the game even more fun. I think about this game when I am not playing it. I'm still in that honeymoon phase, and it has been a few weeks. I am not even close to being bored with it yet. I also like to go back and try songs over and over again to get 5 stars. The songs range from easy to extreme, and the extreme songs are tough. "Gangam Style" is one of the extreme songs I have, and yesterday was the first day I finished it. It was tough. They have a Dizzee Rascal song that I cannot beat. They also have the song "Sandstorm" by Darude, you will know it instantly once you hear it, and I can barely get past the intro stage. But this game has made me go back and replay songs by bands I am not even close to being a fan of. I have played multiple Fall Out Boy songs. I fully enjoy the Soulja Boy stuff they have. I have played Papa Roach's one hit more often than I'd like to admit. I played "Skater Boi" twice yesterday. But again, they have stuff I genuinely enjoy. I mentioned the Gorillaz and Bob Marley. They have Outkast. I discovered Tessa Violet playing this game. I have an Erykah Badu song. Bassment Jaxx is there. Khalid has a very fun song.

This game is rad. I enjoy the hell out of it. My wife got it after me and now my kids ask to play it when they hear us turn it on. I highly recommend this game, especially for the people who used to play Guitar Hero as much as I did back in the day. Do yourself a favor and download Beatstar. You will not be disappointed.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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My First Adventure with New Food at Balkan Treat Box

Today for lunch my dad and I hit a spot that we have been talking about for almost a year now. Let’s discuss.

Every Tuesday I go have coffee with my dad. This started when COVID started. We decided we were going to try and taste all the coffee that Saint Louis has to offer. I usually pick it up, and lately we go together and bring it back to his house and drink it there. There is a place we go to quite a bit now called The Annex in Webster here in Saint Louis. It is a cool little shop that has great coffee and a cool grocery shop is attached. Right across the street is a restaurant called Balkan Treat Box. It wins awards every year here in the STL. They are constantly mentioned as a must try spot. I do not know why we have never gone, but we rectified that this afternoon. I couldn't meet up with my dad in the morning like we normally do, my son had an orthodontist appointment. So I told him that I would come by after that and that would put me at his house around 10:30am or 11. He said great. He then called me back and told me we should go to Balkan Treat Box. I was immediately on board.

When I was in the waiting room at the doctor I looked over the menu to get a feel for what I may want to try. I am not very versed in Balkan food. I did some research via google and it said that Balkan food "has traits of European and Western Asia cuisines". I was still kind of at a loss. But I am alway more than willing to try new foods. There isn't much I dislike. During my research I found some good looking dishes. They have a limited menu, one of my favorite things about a restaurant, and when they are sold out, they are out. So we decided to get there right around opening time and wait. When looking at the menu I saw names of dishes I could not pronounce. Stuff like Cevapi, Pide, Doner, Lahmacun, Pleskavica, Balik Ekmek, Patlidzan and Sopska. But, what I also appreciated about this place was they told you to order by number. Each dish has a number next to it and all you have to do is specify if you want it veggie, vegan or with meat. My dad ordered the number 5, Pleskavica, and I ordered the number 4, Lahmacun. For the other dumb Americans such as myself, my dad got a humongous burger and I got a spicy wrap with beef.

Boy oh boy was this food amazing. I did not have any of my dad's, although he gave me half of it to eat later. My dad's burger was humongous. It was one of the biggest burgers I had ever seen. And he said he loved it. He said the patty was thin and the bread, which is like a mix between pita and naan, made the burger. It also had this gooey looking cheese and looked like it was properly spiced. My wrap was incredible. It had the same bread, there was parsley, lemon, onion, sumac, BTB sauce, which was dynamite and a side of cabbage salad. The beef was tender and delicious. The parsley was chopped and placed on top of the sandwich adding a freshness to it. The lemon came through in each bite and it was the burst of citrus I love in any sandwich. I don't know what sumac tastes like, but however much they put in this wrap worked. And that BTB sauce, I mentioned how great it was. It is like a spicy mayo that isn't overkill. They put just the right amount on the sandwich. And that side cabbage salad was refreshing and great.

I love this spot. I kept taking bites of my sandwich and exclaiming how tasty it was. I can still kind of taste the seasoning as I write this. I told my dad that this is a place I want to go back to and try the whole menu. And it is not overly expensive given current spending tends. Lunch for us was 30 bucks. I do not consider that too much. In fact most of the mains on the menu are 13-15 dollars a pop. That is a good deal in my mind. I am so glad we finally found a proper time to check out Balkan Treat Box. The hype is real. The food is great. The prices are fair. And I will most definitely be going back time and time again. This spot is very, very good. Go check it out if you live in Saint Louis. It is worth the wait.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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An Ode to the Taco Bell Chicken Soft Taco

I have been pretty critical on the site and podcast about Taco Bell. I think their food all tastes the same. It all comes out of a flavor gun. I wish I could remember what comedian said a joke along those lines, the food gun, but whoever it was had it spot on. Most of the food still does taste the same to me too.

My wife and son love to go there. I usually do not get anything, but the past two times I have gone there I have indulged. And the stuff I get, for the most part, has no real distance from the other food save for a sauce here or the addition of sour cream there. The crunchwrap supreme is a concoction of every food gun they have, and it tastes like goo. The burritos are all the same. I honestly cannot tell the difference. The Doritos tacos all are similar and they do not put enough dust on them. I haven't tried the rehashed Mexican pizza yet, but if I had to go out on a limb, I bet it tastes just like it did in 2001 when I ate them all the time. But there is one food that I have had the past two times that I keep thinking about. I keep going back and reminiscing on how good it was. I truly enjoyed the flavor. I found it different from what I have had there before.

That Taco Bell food item is the simple chicken soft taco. There is no real difference in ingredients, save for the chicken. The tortilla is flour. There is shredded cheddar, I assume that is the cheese they use. And there is shredded lettuce. It is all the same. But going for the chicken over the "beef" makes all the difference in the world. I honestly do not know what they season it with, but it has real flavor. It kind of punches you in the face after eating all the other food they have to offer. It is juicy and has fake grill lines in it. It has that rotisserie feel to it. It mixes those two worlds to near perfection. The spice mix is great. It tastes like a great protein for a taco. And it is plentiful in the tortilla. I swear they put as much chicken in the taco as they do with beef. There might be more chicken in the taco than there is in their burritos and other foodstuffs. Whatever they are doing, it works. I remember being a kid and when my folks would get Taco Bell, on the very rare occasion, getting the chicken soft tacos was a nice surprise treat. Now that I am an adult and can go there when I want, I think I will only, and always, get the chicken soft taco. I think what I like most about it is the simplicity too. It doesn't need to have a shell with chip dust on it. It doesn't need nacho cheese or sour cream. There is no need to add any sauce to it, but the fire sauce amps the taste up great. The great thing about the chicken soft taco is the ease.

I am still going to be tough on Taco Bell. I still give my wife and kids a hard time when asking for Taco Bell. I would still rather go to almost any other fast food place. But at least I now know that, on the rare occasion that I will be buying food from Taco Bell, I will be buying multiple chicken soft tacos. They are truly a taste sensation.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The Warriors Won the NBA Title and That Does Not Suck

Just like last season, this season I felt the urge to tune into game six of the NBA Finals last night. It had a feeling of something special. Something big was going to happen either way. The Celtics were going to push this to a winner take all game seven Sunday night, or the Warriors were going to wrap it up and become the newest dynasty.

Well, the Warriors wrapped it up. The game wasn't all that close either. This was not like last season when Giannis put up 51 points and all but willed the Bucks to the title. The Celtics got out to a torrid 14-2 start, but then the Warriors responded with a 21-0 run in the second, led by 15 at the half and the closest the Celtics would get the game in the second half was 8 points. This was a wrap with about ten minutes left in the game. The Warriors were going to get their ring. They had squeezed the will out of the Celtics. They suffocated them defensively and, even though it was not pretty, the Warriors did enough to get a 13 point win.

Steph was great. That needs to be said. He scored 32 on the DPOY Marcus Smart. He made six threes. He had seven boards and seven assists. He shot over 50 percent from the field. He more than earned the series MVP. But he had help. Draymond played a vintage game. He had 12 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. He was everywhere. He hit jumpers. Klay's shot was off, but the threat more than intimidated the Celtics into throwing a few guys his way. Kevon Looney grabbed boards and did the dirty work. Jordan Poole had 15 crucial points. Andrew Wiggins scored and completely shut down Jayson Tatum. Gary Payton II was a menace and spread the floor on the break. The guys who needed to show up did. They showed out. But make no mistake, this was all Steph. This was LeBron like. This was Jordan like. He knew he had to be great and he was for five of the six games. Hell, he was great in game five, he just missed some shots. Without this Steph, the Warriors would be a lottery team. He was majestic. He shined brightest when he needed to the most.

It also needs to be said that the Celtics had an absolute melt down. I have zero problem eating crow after writing last week that it was inevitable that they were going to win. They could not hold onto the ball. They turned it over far too much. Marcus Smart was exposed. He may be hurt, but he could not stop Steph if he were 100 percent. Al Horford had one good game and then was put on an island trying to guard the Warriors guards one on one. Jayson Tatum disappeared in the second half of games five and six. This should be a good lesson for him, but he did not play well in this series. I give Wiggins a ton of credit for that too. Jaylen Brown was good, but he became a ball stopper late in these games. Derrick White completely fell off. Robert Williams was never fully healthy. As much as it irked me at the time, Draymond was right after game one. He knew the Celtics could not duplicate that game three more times. And they didn't.

I was also so sick and tired of the griping from the Celtics, but the Warriors did the best thing. When the Celtics would complain to the refs, they would run and they usually scored. It was perfect. I have never been happier to see a team I do not root for win. I am not a Warriors fan, but I loathe the Celtics. So to see this Warriors team win in Boston, that was a thing of beauty.

It is amazing that the Warriors did this two years after they won only fifteen games. They did it a year after they were knocked out of the play in. They won three years after KD left for Brooklyn. They rebuilt this team on the fly. And they did it around the greatest shooter to ever step on an NBA court. This team is tailor made for Steph. All the cutting and screening to get open shots has worked to perfection. That is why they went out and got a Juan Toscano Anderson and Beilijica and Otto Porter Jr and drafted Poole late in the first. They got guys that fit the system with Steph and Klay and Draymond. They play beautiful basketball. To me they are the 21st century version of the Spurs. The Spurs were always good, would win titles, would constantly be in the playoffs and would rebound immediately after a bad year or two. That is what this iteration of the Warriors did. They are the 2000's Spurs, the 90's Bulls, the 80's Pistons and Celtics and Lakers. They are a legit dynasty. They have more than earned that. They have four titles in ten years. They have been to six finals in ten years. This is their least talented team and they still won it all. What a team. I may not be a fan, but I respect the hell out of them. I was happy for them. I was stoked to see Steph's emotions after the game. They earned everything they achieved this year.

My hats off to the Warriors. Congrats on a much deserved title.

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 Original "Jurassic Park" is a Masterpiece

My wife and I have been going back and watching the entirety of the "Jurassic Park" series. She is a big fan and I adore the first few movies. She also really wants to see the new movie, me not so much, so this is her passion project before she sees it.

I have zero interest in the new "Jurassic Park " universe. I have seen the first two new movies and I did care for them. I do not think Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard have any chemistry, I find it nuts that they can "train" Velociraptors, there's far too much product placement and the movies are way, way too long. I remember seeing the first new one in the theaters with a big group of my wife's family, and my mother in law and I were the only ones that did not like it. At all. We were shocked that the other people we were with enjoyed it. It is not, in my opinion, a good movie. Then my wife and I saw the second one at home on a date night and I fell asleep. I usually never fall asleep at movies, but this one put me out. So I am not stoked to see the new movie. I am stoked to go back and watch the first three originals. I remember the second and third movies being not so good, but they were fun. We have recently watched the original and that is what I want to talk about today.

I had not seen this movie in about a decade. I went back a few times in the early 2010's, watched it tons when I was a kid and saw it on opening night in the theaters as a 10 year old. I did not know what to expect on this recent rewatch, but let me tell you, this movie holds the hell up. The original "Jurassic Park" is a true masterpiece for me. I felt like a kid again watching the movie. It transformed me back to that little kid seeing it in the theater for the first time. I got excited when I saw the brachiosaurus. Seeing the triceratops was amazing, even though it was sick. The baby raptors were cute, albeit they should have never been breeding them. The grown up raptors were as relentless and ruthless as I remembered. The dilophosaurus has the best kill in the whole movie. And that T-Rex, oh man did it look amazing. Think about it for a minute. The original movie came out in 1993 and the CGI looks really good. There are moments when you can see how elementary it is, but in all seriousness, this movie looks amazing given the date it came out.

To add to the greatness, the story is still incredible and prevalent. The stuff they talk about, how they address science, the talk about creating species, it all works. It is also prescient. It makes sense today.

Also the actors, man did they show the hell up. Sam Neill is a treasure. He is masterful. Laura Dern crushes. She is a beast and she deals with some crazy stuff. The kids are not too cloying or cliche. Jeff Goldblum is at his Jeff Goldbluminess, if that is a word. The guy who runs Jurassic Park, I cannot think of his name nor do I want to look it up, is incredible. Sam Jackson and Newman from "Seinfeld" are phenomenal. Even the little side characters, like the lawyer and worker at the park, play their parts perfectly. I am stunned at how much I loved this movie, but I should not have been. It was one of my favorites as a kid. But for some reason I was a little hesitant to rewatch. I think I did not want it to be ruined. But I liked it maybe more than when I was 10. I appreciate it more. I find the adults, namely Neill and Dern, to be the ones I side with now. Seeing the dinos on screen still gave me goosebumps. It still chilled and scared me when it was supposed to. Seeing the water rumble gave me wonderful memories.

"Jurassic Park" may be one of the few flawless movies ever made. I cannot find a problem with it at all. Go rewatch it, especially if you loved it as a kid like I did. My wife told me that it is her favorite movie of all time. She said that after we finished. This movie is incredible and totally holds up.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Better Late Than Never on "The Sparks Brothers"

I am an Edgar Wright fan. I have seen most of his movies and I enjoyed pretty much all of them. I like the way he directs, I like the people, for the most part, he works with and I enjoy his comedic stylings. He also has good writers on board. So when I saw he was doing a documentary I was kind of intrigued. He usually does original stuff. Or when he does an already existing IP, "Scott Pilgrim vs the World", it is a homerun. But a documentary seemed like an odd choice. So I did not watch "The Sparks Brothers" until yesterday. Let’s discuss.

I'm not fully sure why I avoided it. I wouldn't even say avoided necessarily, I just never got around to watching. I also had no idea who Sparks was, so I didn't think I wanted to invest the time. But I have gone through a ton of movies lately, and this was next on the list. The main reason I watched was for Edgar Wright, but man did I fall in love with the Sparks brothers while watching the movie.

The long and short of the movie is a story about one of the most influential bands in the business that have been doing new and interesting and original and intriguing things for over 50 years. I believe the movie said their first full album came out in 1969 and they released a record in 2019 with Franz Ferdinand and in 2021 as Sparks. They are still plugging along. That is incredible. Think about how long that is. That is some Rolling Stones type longevity. I think what I gained most out of watching the movie was how cool and unique Sparks the band is/are. They were doing things way, way ahead of the time. They made a synthesizer record in the 70's. They made cool and fun pop music in the late 60's and early 70's. When punk ruled they went the total opposite way and made almost an easy listening record. When 80's synth music came along they did rock. When they took almost seven years off making records, they came back in the mid 90's, during grunge, that was a pop masterpiece according to the talking heads in the movie. It seems like they have never bent or changed their style just to please the masses. They do what they like to do, and for their fans it works. That is what they want. That is what the fans crave. Everytime they came out with a new record it seemed like the fans would eat it up. They have also gained new fans when they did that record with Franz Ferdinand. That was a brilliant move on their part. I think what I respect the most is how hard these two brothers have, and continue, to work. They seemingly never stop. One brother, Ron, is a musical genius. He writes most of the songs and he is a tremendous keyboard player. He is also one of the most unique musicians I have ever laid eyes on. He reminds me so very much of David Byrne, except approachable and nice. The other brother, Russ, was the quintessential pretty boy front man. But his voice was so different. He is truly one of a kind. And he is not a dick as well. Every interview, every time he was on screen, hearing other people talk about him, he was as nice as they get in the music industry. I loved that. I love that they have this cult fame status, and they are a bit pretentious, but they don't come off as pretentious. They are weird and goofy, but they seem like a good time. I would love to meet these dudes and just pick their brains. And they seem more than willing to do stuff like that.

I was also amazed at the amount of people they had talking about them in this movie. We had people like Todd Rundgren, Jason Schwatzman, band members of Duran Duran and Erasure, DJ Lance Rock, former band members of theirs, Scott Aukerman, Jane Weidlin and so many more. And all of them were just singing their praises. It was fascinating. I did listen to some of their music today, and while I dug some of it, it just isn't my cup of tea. But it is also amazing. It is also incredible to hear their influence. It is also amazing to hear them making music so far ahead of its time. I respect the hell out of Sparks. They are amazing and I wish I had heard of them a long time ago. And even though I will probably only listen to them sparingly from here on out, I am glad that I now know about them. I am stoked to see all these very good musicians and actors and people in the music business give them their just due.

I definitely recommend this movie for all music lovers out there. It is a definite must see.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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