Keep reading until someone knocks, then get up and flush. Wash your hands more than thoroughly, with your phone on the soap dispenser. Scroll with your nose.
A few years ago a friend sent me a self published book written by someone we both knew. Along with the book was a note saying, "I bet you can't get as far into this book as I did."
He won.
That's how I feel about the "musical" selection provided herein.
Probably the one Metheny track that doesn't make me want to slap him with a frozen fish, and God knows I've tried to like his music (my respect for his craftsmanship notwithstanding, which is off the charts high).
Wow! I don't listen to Kenny G at all (don't like him, he sucks) but I had zero idea that he'd done that to a Louie Armstrong song. Yeah, that's like a bridge too far. Armstrong was, and still is, the man.
Oh man! Bolton got so upset over the 'No Talent Assclown' comment, because fans used to joke with him about it. However, he's since gotten the joke and (I've been told) will now sign autographs that way, if asked.
I dislike Mike Bolton's pseudo blue eyed soul less than Kenny-G's jerry curl bullcrap. I don't even know if he's technically good in a session musician kind of way because he just sucks. Like who plays a soprano sax? C'mon.
"When Larry Coryell presumed to overdub himself on top of a Wes Montgomery track, I lost a lot of the respect that I ever had for him - and I have to seriously question the fact that I did have respect for someone who could turn out to have such unbelievably bad taste and be that disrespectful to one of my personal heroes."
Coryell wasn't drawing a mustache on the Mona Lisa with a Sharpie. The original Wes Montgomery recording still exists.
It's probably a coincidence, but in both cases, Coryell/Montgomery and Gorelick/Armstrong, Metheny is essentially criticizing musicians of pallor for exploiting and appropriating the music of black musicians. I wonder if he would publicly criticize rappers and hip-hop performers for sampling others' music?
That screed of Metheny makes me think of words like arrogant and pretentious, even if he has a bit of a point and I happen to agree that Kenny G makes musical dreck (even though he's a much better musician than I'll ever be).
It'd be interesting to hear Metheny's critique of Robert Johnson or Muddy Waters as players, or even better, John Lee Hooker, who couldn't keep time.
“That screed of Metheny makes me think of words like arrogant and pretentious, even if he has a bit of a point and I happen to agree that Kenny G makes musical dreck (even though he's a much better musician than I'll ever be).”
Pat could have gotten away with his initial interview responses, and the Web clarification, if he played a woodwind. Guitarists, in the jazz world, are literally not considered musicians -- I've been in a big band where the director would say "Just the musicians", meaning "no bass/drum/guitar" -- so Metheny is climbing a bigger hill than he perhaps intended.
A couple of weeks ago I went to the Cadieux Cafe's Monday night jam and there were a couple of harmonica players who sat in. One was barely rudimentary and the other was at least an intermediate player. He knew the licks and had some stage presence, but he didn't sound very musical to me. Kind of like he was going through the numbers.
I'm barely rudimentary these days myself because, like Leo Fender and Laurens Hammond, I've spent my time working on a musical instrument, not practicing making music. Is it appropriate or fair of me to criticize musicians that A) are technically more proficient than I am or play an instrument that I can't play at all, and B) at least they're willing to get up on stage, which I'm not, at least at my current skill level?
The good thing is that when I got home, I got out a Lee Oskar in C, and opened up the harmonica exercises app on my phone. Gonna take a couple of weeks till my embouchure doesn't make my lips feel weird after playing. My goal is to be able to play my own gizmo at a jam and not embarrass myself.
I didn't discover Pat Metheny until the 80's so I was unaware of this album (Not a big fan, but a bit of a fan). I've always liked Jocko, I first heard him after he joined Weather Report and he was really what kept me interested in them.
As for the Book?
Yeah, part of the process. Just move on. Everyone goes through it.
Yes, especially if tens or hundreds of thousands will hear it.
Plus it's a lot easier to record a song you've been performing, than to re-write a novel.
My first novel is ~180K words. There is no way I will ever rewrite it. It would take weeks, (more likely months) to do it. You have to forgive yourself for past shortcomings and mistakes in your art and give yourself permission to move on and grow.
I've listened to that Pat Metheny album several times now since I got it. I think it's great. The flubs and such are not really out front where I've noticed them. Maybe if I sat down and gave it a critical ear I would, but, even then, it wouldn't detract from the beauty of the album. Same as your minor issues (which I'm not sure I'd even call them that) don't detract from the book.
It's art. Art is HUMAN. It's why I hate autotune and pitch correction. Perfect, actual perfection, is worthless when a machine achieves it. Or when you need a machine to achieve it. It is the Human flaws that makes art, art. That give you an appreciation for it.
There's a song (Instrumental) by Mogwai that I really happen to love. And part of why I love it is there's a tiny mistake right in the middle of it. And they didn't fix it. They left it there.
I didn't really become aware of Metheny until 'Question And Answer'. I enjoy that one even though his music never really grabbed a hold of me. I attribute this to the fact that somebody (a guitar teacher?) put a Bill Frisell record in my older brother's hands first, which he played one or more times driving the '84 Maxima on the way to or from high school, that one year we were in the same school. Being a fresh faced freshman-frosh, there was a lot of head spinning that year; an ECM Bill Frisell record didn't help, especially juxtaposed with the usual punk/garage/proto-indie stuff in rotation. Pastorius, on the other hand, I became aware of within a few years after hearing his first solo stuff; he became a little bit of an obsession for a while after that. Learning of his work with Metheny, Joni etc. didn't happen until much later. I should give this Bright SL one an actual listen....SOMEDAY
As a very casual jazz fan that rarely strays from the hard rock and prog rock categories, this kind of post is very helpful in pointing me in the right direction when I’m looking to add artists to my favourites. I’m having a listen right now.
I know that it's rather popular in some circles to diss the Beatles because they weren't virtuoso players, but I've been around the Detroit music scene for over a decade and I don't know a single professional drummer or guitar who doesn't respect Starr and Harrison. Sure, I can play harmonica better than Lennon could but I didn't come up with the solo on Love Me Do, which probably inspired more people to pick up harmonica than Little Walter, Sonny Boy I, and Sonny Boy II, combined. If Harmonicaster sales were to reach 1% of the units that Beatles' branded Hohners sold, I'd probably be a wealthy man. Hell, Hohner still sells a Beatles' branded harp and a John Lennon signature one.
Lennon was pretty open about his shortcomings as a guitar player, there's a reason why they asked Harrison to join the band. As for McCartney, he's at least competent on bass, guitar, and piano.
It's kind of routine for harmonica enthusiasts to criticize Bob Dylan's first position, melody based played, but the question for me is the same as with the Beatles' playing abilities: does it serve the music and inspire/entertain the listeners?
i do like come together and the beatles in general but i just wanted to make a crack at ringo being bad at bass (apparently). i dont know enough about bass players but i get the impression that jaco pastorius is better than any of the beatles though
None of the Beatles were virtuosos at their instruments, but like I said, drummers and guitarists hold Ringo and George in regard. Seems to me that virtuoso players may not necessarily be the best songwriters or performers, at least in terms of popular music (a lot of the greatest composers were the best players of their day). Irving Berlin famously had a piano that could mechanically transpose musical keys because he could only play in F sharp major.
Hendrix is an exception, Little Wing and Hey Baby are two of my favorite songs, though to be honest he wasn't the greatest lyricist.
Sometimes I think the best songs come out of collaborations: Rodgers & Hammerstein, Hunter & Garcia, Lerner & Loewe, Lieber & Stoller, Lennon & McCartney.
I was never a Jazzbo but did enjoy seeing PMG in 1989 at Chastain Park Amphitheatre in Atlanta.
Funny that Setlist.FM omits that concert, maybe because it was a part of the Montreux Atlanta International Music Festival. But it was a single-artist show.
i was surprised when jack hyped this album in a previous post. i've never even considered this to be one of metheny's best albums. i've re-listened to it several times since that post and it has grown on me considerably. it's metheny's record for sure but it's not an overstatement to say that jaco's playing here redefined the electric bass guitar. i missed bright side life on it's release. what did it for me came in 1980, in a sam goody store at the mall. they were demoing a laser disc player with joni mitchell's "shadow and light" concert movie. the talent on the stage was staggering: pat metheny, jaco pastorius, don alias, lyle mays and michael brecker. they were so tight!
Big fan of Pat Metheny's work up to about the late 80's early 90s's. I thought the early Brazilian Jazz influence was novel at the time and it really pulled me in. Also introduced me to the guitar work and vocals of Nando Lauria, Lyle Mays and of course Wacko Jaco. Don't know what happened to Lauria. He had two albums from, I think, 1993 & 94. Novo Brasil and Points of View respectively. Narada released them both in a double CD, 2003. I have a copy. Lyle Mays played on several cuts, it's obvious. Maybe Metheny as well but no credits. Check it out. The vocal improvisations are really good.
I think Metheney got lot of hate from purists early on. Most things he did by mid nineties seemed aimed at gaining their acceptance or he just wanted a change. Either way doesn't change his technical ability as a guitarist. I miss Mays presence on the new work.
40+ years ago i subscribed to jazz magazine; hardly recognized anyone in it; let the subscription lapse. otherwise have 6' of lps of jazz from the early '50s to about 1970.
That is how I feel about the NBA now. Charles Barkley will be like "Zoran Kovács got a monster block on Gérard LeFrenchie" and I'll just be like I have no idea who these people are.
Have you seen the clips of current NBA players running to the basket compared to how traveling used to be called?
Can you imagine how LeBron James would cry if defenders used the Bad Boy Pistons' "Jordan rules" on him?
With the exception of the NHL, all of the major sports leagues have degraded their games by mucking with the rules. There's no defense in the NBA and the players are softer than butter. NFL kickoffs are a joke. MLB putting a runner on 2nd base at the top of the 10th is genuinely t-ball level nonsense. It effectively eliminates home field advantage by giving the away team a high probability chance to score first in extra innings.
I had a whole screed about traveling and carrying but the site crapped out. Suffice to say I echo your sentiments about the current state of pro sports in general and the NBA in particular.
I bet (pun fully intended) Fanduel is laying odds on the "rock the baby" dunk happening this year. On a completely unrelated note, I am confident that there is no way that the massive influx of legalized gambling, especially prop bets, will influence sports.
My favorite story concerning sports gambling is when Detroit Lions' defensive tackle Alex Karras went out for the coin toss at his first game back from being suspended for year (along with Green Bay's Paul Hornung) for gambling (not on their own games). When the ref asked him to call the toss, he replied, "I'm sorry, sir, I'm not permitted to gamble."
Has a team ever matched a city as well as the Bad Boys? The Celtics earned their titles playing through the Pistons, and had the bruises to show for it. Screw the Lakers. Even Pat Riley admitted it was a phantom foul of Jabbar that ended up preventing the Pistons from winning three in a row.
Just like the Pistons had to get past the Celtics, the Bulls had to get past the Pistons. I respect Jordan and despite the rivalry with the Pistons, I think he's in the "greatest ever" discussion, along with Doctor J, Oscar Robertson, and Bill Russell (honorable mention to Wilt), and maybe Magic. I have little regard for LeBron James.
Saw your IG, sat on the toilet after lunch, started up BSL on Tidal, and waiting for the turds to finish falling up pops an ACF email.
Who says the internet isn't glorious.
🤣
Potentially TMI here, but you're among friends, so...
No, definitely TMI.
Keep reading until someone knocks, then get up and flush. Wash your hands more than thoroughly, with your phone on the soap dispenser. Scroll with your nose.
thanks for the play by play there hoss
Multiple data centers round the world know every detail, why be discrete?
A few years ago a friend sent me a self published book written by someone we both knew. Along with the book was a note saying, "I bet you can't get as far into this book as I did."
He won.
That's how I feel about the "musical" selection provided herein.
k
Oh let the man show his arty side.
Grandpa used to say if we all liked the same things, everyone would be after your grandma.
Probably the one Metheny track that doesn't make me want to slap him with a frozen fish, and God knows I've tried to like his music (my respect for his craftsmanship notwithstanding, which is off the charts high).
Have you ever read this rant? https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic_id=29779
Well, that escalated quickly.
Wow! I don't listen to Kenny G at all (don't like him, he sucks) but I had zero idea that he'd done that to a Louie Armstrong song. Yeah, that's like a bridge too far. Armstrong was, and still is, the man.
Seems like Pat chose violence when he woke up that day.
In this case, I can forgive him :-)
Words are violence, or if only ’twere that way.
Kenny G sucks so bad that I literally get him confused with Michael Bolton. He's the one who should change his name.
Oh man! Bolton got so upset over the 'No Talent Assclown' comment, because fans used to joke with him about it. However, he's since gotten the joke and (I've been told) will now sign autographs that way, if asked.
I dislike Mike Bolton's pseudo blue eyed soul less than Kenny-G's jerry curl bullcrap. I don't even know if he's technically good in a session musician kind of way because he just sucks. Like who plays a soprano sax? C'mon.
I have seen people play it. It’s HARD to play it good.
"Like who plays a soprano sax? C'mon."
OKAY, JOHN COLTRANE FOR ONE :)
The exception that proves the rule.
I told those fudge packers I liked Michael Bolton's music.
Wow, that was great! I love a good rant.
"When Larry Coryell presumed to overdub himself on top of a Wes Montgomery track, I lost a lot of the respect that I ever had for him - and I have to seriously question the fact that I did have respect for someone who could turn out to have such unbelievably bad taste and be that disrespectful to one of my personal heroes."
Coryell wasn't drawing a mustache on the Mona Lisa with a Sharpie. The original Wes Montgomery recording still exists.
It's probably a coincidence, but in both cases, Coryell/Montgomery and Gorelick/Armstrong, Metheny is essentially criticizing musicians of pallor for exploiting and appropriating the music of black musicians. I wonder if he would publicly criticize rappers and hip-hop performers for sampling others' music?
That screed of Metheny makes me think of words like arrogant and pretentious, even if he has a bit of a point and I happen to agree that Kenny G makes musical dreck (even though he's a much better musician than I'll ever be).
It'd be interesting to hear Metheny's critique of Robert Johnson or Muddy Waters as players, or even better, John Lee Hooker, who couldn't keep time.
“That screed of Metheny makes me think of words like arrogant and pretentious, even if he has a bit of a point and I happen to agree that Kenny G makes musical dreck (even though he's a much better musician than I'll ever be).”
This. 100% this.
Pat could have gotten away with his initial interview responses, and the Web clarification, if he played a woodwind. Guitarists, in the jazz world, are literally not considered musicians -- I've been in a big band where the director would say "Just the musicians", meaning "no bass/drum/guitar" -- so Metheny is climbing a bigger hill than he perhaps intended.
A couple of weeks ago I went to the Cadieux Cafe's Monday night jam and there were a couple of harmonica players who sat in. One was barely rudimentary and the other was at least an intermediate player. He knew the licks and had some stage presence, but he didn't sound very musical to me. Kind of like he was going through the numbers.
I'm barely rudimentary these days myself because, like Leo Fender and Laurens Hammond, I've spent my time working on a musical instrument, not practicing making music. Is it appropriate or fair of me to criticize musicians that A) are technically more proficient than I am or play an instrument that I can't play at all, and B) at least they're willing to get up on stage, which I'm not, at least at my current skill level?
The good thing is that when I got home, I got out a Lee Oskar in C, and opened up the harmonica exercises app on my phone. Gonna take a couple of weeks till my embouchure doesn't make my lips feel weird after playing. My goal is to be able to play my own gizmo at a jam and not embarrass myself.
My kids play softball way better than I ever did. Does that stop me from, uh, providing useful feedback? You best believe it does not.
Bought.
I didn't discover Pat Metheny until the 80's so I was unaware of this album (Not a big fan, but a bit of a fan). I've always liked Jocko, I first heard him after he joined Weather Report and he was really what kept me interested in them.
As for the Book?
Yeah, part of the process. Just move on. Everyone goes through it.
Jocko Homo, the Devo song? Now we're talking!
Good joke!
Also, good song!
And yes, I realized later that i'd typo'd the name when I came back to look at the comment.
I just can't be arsed to fix it now :-)
'Yeah, part of the process. Just move on. Everyone goes through it.'
I know. But now I understand why Natalie Merchant re-recorded Tigerlily.
Yes, especially if tens or hundreds of thousands will hear it.
Plus it's a lot easier to record a song you've been performing, than to re-write a novel.
My first novel is ~180K words. There is no way I will ever rewrite it. It would take weeks, (more likely months) to do it. You have to forgive yourself for past shortcomings and mistakes in your art and give yourself permission to move on and grow.
I've listened to that Pat Metheny album several times now since I got it. I think it's great. The flubs and such are not really out front where I've noticed them. Maybe if I sat down and gave it a critical ear I would, but, even then, it wouldn't detract from the beauty of the album. Same as your minor issues (which I'm not sure I'd even call them that) don't detract from the book.
It's art. Art is HUMAN. It's why I hate autotune and pitch correction. Perfect, actual perfection, is worthless when a machine achieves it. Or when you need a machine to achieve it. It is the Human flaws that makes art, art. That give you an appreciation for it.
There's a song (Instrumental) by Mogwai that I really happen to love. And part of why I love it is there's a tiny mistake right in the middle of it. And they didn't fix it. They left it there.
Don't worry about the past, chase the future.
I didn't really become aware of Metheny until 'Question And Answer'. I enjoy that one even though his music never really grabbed a hold of me. I attribute this to the fact that somebody (a guitar teacher?) put a Bill Frisell record in my older brother's hands first, which he played one or more times driving the '84 Maxima on the way to or from high school, that one year we were in the same school. Being a fresh faced freshman-frosh, there was a lot of head spinning that year; an ECM Bill Frisell record didn't help, especially juxtaposed with the usual punk/garage/proto-indie stuff in rotation. Pastorius, on the other hand, I became aware of within a few years after hearing his first solo stuff; he became a little bit of an obsession for a while after that. Learning of his work with Metheny, Joni etc. didn't happen until much later. I should give this Bright SL one an actual listen....SOMEDAY
As a very casual jazz fan that rarely strays from the hard rock and prog rock categories, this kind of post is very helpful in pointing me in the right direction when I’m looking to add artists to my favourites. I’m having a listen right now.
I might slap Big Bunny with the aforementioned fish.
https://youtu.be/ZnvzTKFoaT0?si=QfxPxil5dRp1s5ve
I don't dislike it (and would not slap him with a fish if I saw him), but it is music I am too dumb to enjoy.
"Which is reasonable, as Jaco was four years old..."
OldER, I think the man meant to say.
NO! HE WAS A CHILD PRODIGY!
"It was Fifty Years Ago Today"
WHEN SEGEANT PEEPER TAUGHT THE BAND TO PLAY
wait sorry i got confused and was reminded of a worse bass player
He's not even the best bass player on substack.
I see what you did there!
You don't like the bass line for Come Together?
I know that it's rather popular in some circles to diss the Beatles because they weren't virtuoso players, but I've been around the Detroit music scene for over a decade and I don't know a single professional drummer or guitar who doesn't respect Starr and Harrison. Sure, I can play harmonica better than Lennon could but I didn't come up with the solo on Love Me Do, which probably inspired more people to pick up harmonica than Little Walter, Sonny Boy I, and Sonny Boy II, combined. If Harmonicaster sales were to reach 1% of the units that Beatles' branded Hohners sold, I'd probably be a wealthy man. Hell, Hohner still sells a Beatles' branded harp and a John Lennon signature one.
Lennon was pretty open about his shortcomings as a guitar player, there's a reason why they asked Harrison to join the band. As for McCartney, he's at least competent on bass, guitar, and piano.
It's kind of routine for harmonica enthusiasts to criticize Bob Dylan's first position, melody based played, but the question for me is the same as with the Beatles' playing abilities: does it serve the music and inspire/entertain the listeners?
i do like come together and the beatles in general but i just wanted to make a crack at ringo being bad at bass (apparently). i dont know enough about bass players but i get the impression that jaco pastorius is better than any of the beatles though
None of the Beatles were virtuosos at their instruments, but like I said, drummers and guitarists hold Ringo and George in regard. Seems to me that virtuoso players may not necessarily be the best songwriters or performers, at least in terms of popular music (a lot of the greatest composers were the best players of their day). Irving Berlin famously had a piano that could mechanically transpose musical keys because he could only play in F sharp major.
Hendrix is an exception, Little Wing and Hey Baby are two of my favorite songs, though to be honest he wasn't the greatest lyricist.
Sometimes I think the best songs come out of collaborations: Rodgers & Hammerstein, Hunter & Garcia, Lerner & Loewe, Lieber & Stoller, Lennon & McCartney.
Jagger and Richards.
Yeah no. Paul was the one with talent. Look at the after Beatles songs and sales Paul won
I'm not sure the Beatles would have been one whit worse without John Lennon. Hell, swapping him out for Clapton would have made them *better*.
Paul was the bass player, but he was indeed not as good as Jaco. He was no slouch, but not a technical virtuoso.
I was never a Jazzbo but did enjoy seeing PMG in 1989 at Chastain Park Amphitheatre in Atlanta.
Funny that Setlist.FM omits that concert, maybe because it was a part of the Montreux Atlanta International Music Festival. But it was a single-artist show.
Loved the tune, and I loved hearing you and your son jamming on it. Thanks for sharing. 🫡
i was surprised when jack hyped this album in a previous post. i've never even considered this to be one of metheny's best albums. i've re-listened to it several times since that post and it has grown on me considerably. it's metheny's record for sure but it's not an overstatement to say that jaco's playing here redefined the electric bass guitar. i missed bright side life on it's release. what did it for me came in 1980, in a sam goody store at the mall. they were demoing a laser disc player with joni mitchell's "shadow and light" concert movie. the talent on the stage was staggering: pat metheny, jaco pastorius, don alias, lyle mays and michael brecker. they were so tight!
That Shadows and Light concert is ALWAYS worth watching.
Big fan of Pat Metheny's work up to about the late 80's early 90s's. I thought the early Brazilian Jazz influence was novel at the time and it really pulled me in. Also introduced me to the guitar work and vocals of Nando Lauria, Lyle Mays and of course Wacko Jaco. Don't know what happened to Lauria. He had two albums from, I think, 1993 & 94. Novo Brasil and Points of View respectively. Narada released them both in a double CD, 2003. I have a copy. Lyle Mays played on several cuts, it's obvious. Maybe Metheny as well but no credits. Check it out. The vocal improvisations are really good.
Metheny is infamously hard on his multi-instrumentalists/vocalists. No one stays. Mark Ledford DIED.
I think Metheney got lot of hate from purists early on. Most things he did by mid nineties seemed aimed at gaining their acceptance or he just wanted a change. Either way doesn't change his technical ability as a guitarist. I miss Mays presence on the new work.
40+ years ago i subscribed to jazz magazine; hardly recognized anyone in it; let the subscription lapse. otherwise have 6' of lps of jazz from the early '50s to about 1970.
That is how I feel about the NBA now. Charles Barkley will be like "Zoran Kovács got a monster block on Gérard LeFrenchie" and I'll just be like I have no idea who these people are.
Have you seen the clips of current NBA players running to the basket compared to how traveling used to be called?
Can you imagine how LeBron James would cry if defenders used the Bad Boy Pistons' "Jordan rules" on him?
With the exception of the NHL, all of the major sports leagues have degraded their games by mucking with the rules. There's no defense in the NBA and the players are softer than butter. NFL kickoffs are a joke. MLB putting a runner on 2nd base at the top of the 10th is genuinely t-ball level nonsense. It effectively eliminates home field advantage by giving the away team a high probability chance to score first in extra innings.
I had a whole screed about traveling and carrying but the site crapped out. Suffice to say I echo your sentiments about the current state of pro sports in general and the NBA in particular.
Could any current NBA players reproduce Doctor J's "rock the baby" dunk, even if you let them travel?
One could arge that it's the rules that force players to make the great plays. Both feet down in bounds for a catch.
I bet (pun fully intended) Fanduel is laying odds on the "rock the baby" dunk happening this year. On a completely unrelated note, I am confident that there is no way that the massive influx of legalized gambling, especially prop bets, will influence sports.
My favorite story concerning sports gambling is when Detroit Lions' defensive tackle Alex Karras went out for the coin toss at his first game back from being suspended for year (along with Green Bay's Paul Hornung) for gambling (not on their own games). When the ref asked him to call the toss, he replied, "I'm sorry, sir, I'm not permitted to gamble."
Did you know who World B Free was?
I do. Also remember when Bill Laimbeer was one of the only NBA players whose Dad made more money than he did.
Has a team ever matched a city as well as the Bad Boys? The Celtics earned their titles playing through the Pistons, and had the bruises to show for it. Screw the Lakers. Even Pat Riley admitted it was a phantom foul of Jabbar that ended up preventing the Pistons from winning three in a row.
Meh, I spent the mid 80s and early 90s in Chicago and watched Jordan. Liked the Pistons but he was peak.
Just like the Pistons had to get past the Celtics, the Bulls had to get past the Pistons. I respect Jordan and despite the rivalry with the Pistons, I think he's in the "greatest ever" discussion, along with Doctor J, Oscar Robertson, and Bill Russell (honorable mention to Wilt), and maybe Magic. I have little regard for LeBron James.
Eh, you can have the jazz stuff. I’m going to go crank up some Deep Purple videos on YT.
Don't get blinded by that smoke on the water or burned by the fire in the sky.
nah, gonna break the speed of sound