This is the first of what I would like to call Three for the Road, where, every Friday I share three things that you might want to explore over the weekend.
Starflyer 59 - Vanity
I’ve been a fan of Jason Martin’s musical exploits since the mid-nineties, when his wall of distortion and feedback brand of shoegaze was the perfect soundtrack for the melancholy and brokenhearted.
Over the years, his style has changed, there’s a bit less distortion, but that same melancholy thread continues. With Vanity, he croons in his raspy, smoke-enhanced voice about everything from being bed-ridden (Life in Bed) to regret (Crossroads). This may not be his greatest record, but it’s a servicable addition to this era of his catalog, fitting perfectly with his last full length, Young in My Head (2019), and other albums like The Changing of the Guard (2010) and Slow (2016).
In short, this is the perfect record to listen to in a dark room, sitting with a glass of Maker’s Mark on the rocks in one hand, contemplating where one may or may not have gone wrong in life.
AEW Buy-In - Suzuki vs. Danielson
All Elite Wrestling on YouTube
I used to be ashamed of my pro-wrestling fandom. It was a dirty little secret that nobody admitted to, but everyone enjoyed. However, I’ve lost the shame. I love professional wrestling, and I’m not afraid to admit it.
The WWE has made it difficult to openly admit my fandom, but ever since it was established in 2019, All Elite Wrestling, a newer promotion owned by Tony Khan (Head of Analytics for the Jacksonville Jaguars, as well as the son of team owner Shad Khan). With high impact action and storylines that make sense (for the most part), AEW has delivered a product that has me excited to be a fan again.
With the acquisition of high profile performers like CM Punk and Brian Danielson, they are also proving that they are serious about the product as well.
WWE doesn’t really like competition, so they announced that they would be competing head to head with AEW’s Friday night program on TNT. Tony Khan responded by booking a Buy In show, for FREE on YouTube, featuring a match between Minoru Suzuki (a Japanese legend) and Brian Danielson. Both are hard hitting, incredible wrestlers, and I’m very much looking forward to the two of them kicking the crap out of each other.
Frankenstein (1931)
It’s October, and I try to watch as many monster movies as possible. Go watch Boris Karloff as Frankenstein’s Monster this weekend - it’s a performance that stands the test of time, and set the standard for the mythology that lives on almost a century later. The atmosphere, the set designs, everything about this movie is pretty much perfect. And it looks incredible in HD.