Update: The Hakeem interview went well.
Aside from some audio fidelity issues (this was a phone interview) and a polite decline of my request for a voicemail drop ("Wassup this is Dream, shake out a message for my all-star friend Dan Gentile") the interview went pretty well. We spoke for 40 minutes (he talks fairly slow).
I learned:
Despite his website's statement that he has a "private palace" in Jordan it is just a small house. He was upset about this, seems like somebody's gonna get fired. He would also love to have Michael Jordan visit him in Jordan.
Hakeem's dream shake would be vanilla with strawberries and bananas ("you've gotta keep it creative, mix it up, use different combinations").
When asking him about the controversy behind his height (some say 6'11, some say 7 foot) I got him to admit that he is in actuality 6 foot 5 inches. This took some convincing and included me using the phrase "Don't lie to me, Dream!"
He's not familiar enough with the ninja turtles to pick one that he most resembles, despite Dwight Howard (who he called the best big man in the game today) constantly referring to him as Master Splinter in an adorable YouTube video of the two working out together.
He has never played NBA Jam, thus making my question about whether he used the unstoppable combo of Shaq and Scott Skiles irrelevant.
We had some taco talk regarding the double decker, which he starred in a commercial for with Shaq. He said he's trying to watch his weight so he could probably only eat two of them, and that he would not want to compete with Shaq in an eating contest.
The fashion equivalent of a dream shake would be wearing a cashmere sweater with jeans. This was without a doubt the best part of the interview, Hakeem spoke very passionately about his personal style at length and how the key to fashion is to make it look like you're not trying.
He still plays 3v3 pickup games with Clyde Drexler. God help the other 4 guys that randomly end up in that game.
Those are the highlights. I might chop up some of the audio and post it soon. Watch for the Thrillist piece sometime next week.
Monday, January 24, 2011
The Dream
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Hakeem Update
So I'm trying to interview Hakeem Olajuwon for my other blog. The reason for this post is to let you know that Hakeem's PR representation casually calls him Dream, as in, "I will speak to Dream today about this matter."
Keep your fingers crossed bloggermaniacs.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Friday, August 13, 2010
Beam me up Scottie
On the eve of Scottie Pippen’s induction into basketball’s highest society, Phil Jackson recalled him as “the ultimate team player.”
Read More......Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Friday, November 20, 2009
Avery Bradley vs W Carolina
The sickest play of last game
Avery Bradley BONUS dunks from McDonald's All-American Dunk Contest last year (he won):
Monday, February 2, 2009
"It was 4th and hopeless...or so it appeared."
The Immaculate Reception:
Michael Jordan teaches you to drive off the fake:
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Slate weighs in on our recent obsession
...basketball hypotheticals
http://www.slate.com/id/2195127/
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Brown Building Rooftop Gig Report
After totally schooling Andrew in a game of 21 (fade away jumpers, skyhooks, floater along the bass line, late-game free throw streak), we made our way to DJ a private party.
Will from Lambert's hooked us up. His roommate was turning 27 years old and wanted to throw a party on the rooftop of the Brown Building downtown (8th and Colorado). It is one of the few condo/loft buildings in downtown Austin that wasn't build specifically as a residential complex, but has been converted into one. A few certified bros might remember this rooftop, Alex Fry's mother lived in the building and he had people over a few times.
If you haven't been to the top of the Brown Building, which is safeguarded by a residential key-card system, it is fucking swank. You're 10 stories up in the middle of downtown, staring at the capitol and it feels like you're really a part of the skyline. Most of the rooftop is gravel and industrial piping etc., except for a nicely furnished wood deck raised about 6 feet off of the ground. Dark stained wood chairs and tables, rope lighting, very classy.
Unfortunately the bartender (open bar provided by birthday boy) was late, so we were in a big hurry setting up, and in addition to that we had some, cough, equipment problems. Things got started late, but luckily the birthday boy didn't arrive until an hour after his party was supposed to start so it was all good.
I played hip-hop white people like and got a lot of compliments from rich white men wearing polo shirts tucked into jeans. I got one or two terrorist fist jabs in appreciation of my selections. The crowd stunk of money, and as Will put it nicely as he left at the end of the night, "In case I didn't preface it before, most of those people were actually douchebags." They were pretty nice to me, but I really had trouble telling them apart. This isn't some hipster snobbery, all thirty or so men at this party, with the exception of one or two in expensive t-shirts, looked exactly the same. Early in the party I was pressed by one of these young professionals to point out the guy who I had given the rooftop keycard to and I realized that I had no idea, they all looked the same.
The women on the other hand were phenomenal. It was like a meeting of the Trophy Girlfriends of Austin Club. These were girls who go to the gym, if you know what I'm saying. And then after the gym they go to boutiques and buy tiny cocktail dresses. And then they go to parties like this one. And then they end their night untucking the polo shirt of a man who carries a money clip thicker than my wrist. I learned that girls like this love Rhianna, but not Beyonce.
The highlight of the night had to be playing "Mo' Money Mo' Problems". Staring at young, beautiful, rich people on a downtown rooftop is really an optimal place to listen to that song, second only to the deck of a yacht. My regrets of the evening include failing to infiltrate the Trophy Girlfriends of Austin Club and forgetting to play "Money Ain't a Thing" by Jay-Z.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Nights Out on the East Side and A Rousing Game of 21 with Nat Baldwin
Hello there fellow adventurers. I would like to recount some highlights of my weekend for you. Let's start with Friday. I had just worked the first 10 hour work day of my life (more of those coming next week, yuck) and dazedly returned home around 5:30. Dinner was served and provided me with my commentary for the evening. I won't get into it, but let's just say I had a stomach ache, and it was my own damn fault for A. having poor communication skills, and B. using way too much butter to fry pasta. I tried to solve my problems by drinking beer. It sort of worked, but mostly not. We had an early X-Rays practice because among other reasons I wanted to get down to Progress Coffee for the Brazos/Nat Baldwin/Weird Weeds show.. Brazos is playing every Friday this month there and with the exception of the 25th when we play Hole in the Wall, I plan on attending all of them. It's always been known to me that that crew has got it goin on musically speaking, but on Friday lets say my reaction was less "you guys got it going on," and more "holy fuck, this is amazing, what the fuck."
Weird Weeds opened the show and were great as always. I have seen them a ton this summer---they have been playing for free most Monday nights at the Moose Lodge, which happens to be very bikable from my house. Its on EM Franklin, right north of MLK, and if you get a chance to see them there its a great time. The Moose Lodge is supposedly "members only" (and 2 of the Weird Weeds are members) but in actuality it is not members only. Most beers are 2 dollars, not just lone stars, and it is just a really great laid back atmosphere. There are tables which is cool, and a piano that more than one week someone ends up hopping on. Anyways, yes, its a great room.
Next Nat Baldwin played. It was just him solo on the stand up bass this time. I really enjoyed it and listened to it much differently than when he plays with a full setup. Nick Hennies said something about him using a "german grip" on the bow, so if you are interested in hitting up wikipedia to see what that means, I would be supportive of that. I am wondering right now sort of, actually., even though he explained it to me. What I really liked about tthe set is that you could hear all the harmonics off the bass. It was like essentially 5 notes at all times, across the full spectrum of pitch, and tons of glissandi and really controlled harmony. Really badass.
Then Brazos played. They blew my mind. You really need to go check them out. It was probably my first time seeing them in 6 months at least, but I'm going to catch them a number of times coming up here, so thats good. I suggest(ed already) you do the same.
So then a bunch of people all went down to The Broken Neck where I had never been before and where SUNSET was playing. The show was awesome. It was the first time I had seen a 2 Rhodes alignment and it was really cool. One thing you gotta say about Sunset---they are willing to carry a dickton of heavy equiptment to bring the rock. I scored a burned copy of The Glowing City off Mark Ashworth in San Francisco and listened to it on repeat nearly the entire 9 hour Greyhound ride down to Santa Barbara (which is to say....5 times since the disc is 80 minutes long). That record is stunning. I hope whats going on in Austin right now breaks, and honestly I dont see why SUNSET and Brazos wont. They really are talented above the rest.
Anyways, The Broken Neck was like my childhood fantasy, if I was a skateboarder (which is what my real childhood fantasy was). It was a giant clubhouse (aka warehouse space) with apartments in it and a giant half pipe and bands playing and it was a big party. There were people skateboarding the whole show, it was great, and you could tell the SUNSET crew was having a great time. It was my favorite show of theirs I've ever seen. So yeah, The Broken Neck. Its the shit.
---Unordered list---
Venues in this town that have lots of shows and are good to see shows at::
The Moose Lodge
Rancho Relaxo
Progress Coffee
The Broken Neck
Carousel Lounge
Beerland (only place downtown)
Hole in the Wall
I would assume Natrix Natrix house, although its so far south I have never made it there
* * *
Friday night at the show Nat had mentioned something about finding a game of basketball the next morning before his trip up to Abilene. The JCC ended up being the spot, and the crew ending up being myself, Julian and my brother Daniel and we played a couple games of 21. Then I retired to the pool and those guys played a full court 4 vs 4 game I think with some late arrivals.
So you're probably wondering: whats the inside scoop on Nat's game? It's an old story all over the press that he was MVP of a championship high school team who turned down scholarship offers to pursue music. Well I've come to report: while a new focus may have robbed him a quick first step, boy can still ball. First thing, he's got a great stroke. Everytime he would score a bucket he would nail all 3 free throws afterwards and they all looked great and exactly the same. Around the basket he could finish, and he could sink long jump shots. For me at least, his game was really mostly beautiful to watch because he has a great basketball IQ. He was rarely using more energy than needed, but often seemed to find himself in the right spot for rebounds. He knew when to drive and when to pull up (although against us he could have done both most of the time) and won 2 out of the 3 games, despite giving up significant inches against all of his opponents. And I will say I witnessed a nasty split of a double team too, so don't let it be said he lacks ball handling skills. I'm sure if I had stuck around for the full court game I would have bore witness to a different part of his skill set too. Anyways, yeah it was fun. For those of you wondering, I did manage to score 3 baskets over the course of the 2 games..
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