Hi folks. Sorry there isn't a new episode this week. The short version is I recorded one then did something dumb that deleted it before I even got to the editing process. I know what I did and I know how to avoid it. I was just stupid. So, so stupid.
But I wanted to put something up anyway. So here we are.
I guess the big thing I should talk about is the news that broke this morning that Aretha Franklin passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer. I'll be completely honest and say that I've never been a big fan--just casually familiar. That's not to say that I didn't appreciate her, of course. She had a huge, powerful voice and got to walk around knowing she could sing circles around just about anybody. You don't get called the Queen of something without being able to back it up.
Franklin's voice was incredible. It's noticeable though that she rarely sang anything the same way twice. That's both a blessing and a curse. There's a spontaneity and specific passion that comes from that. But the downside is that when you look at things like her scene in the Blues Brothers, her sync is WAY off and it's unmissable. People have sung "Think" at karaoke nights and been closer to the pacing than she was in that movie.
But...that's lip-syncing. That's barely an art at all, despite what the "lip-sync battle" shows would have you believe. She was off-sync because she sang from the heart. People who do that sometimes don't hit their mark, but they usually blow some minds.
Google Aretha Franklin's hits. Those are songs that you don't even need to own...you're going to hear them anyway. Even guys like me who are just baseline familiar with her work know that the landscape of music wouldn't be the same without her.
This is the part in the podcast where I'd put a musical break. So...I don't know...go listen to something from my last record on Bandcamp (it's free). Moving on.
I've got a lot of stuff coming in the mail. I lost a capo for my guitar somewhere last week. For those who don't know what that is, it's basically a clamp that you put on your fret-board and it makes it easier to play songs in different keys. Basic cheater-stuff. The one I lost is a "cut" capo, which is a capo that doesn't cover all six strings, but only a few of them. It makes you think differently and allows playing bigger, weirder chords more easily. And it's gone. I'm pretty sure it's somewhere inside my couch, but I've dug through it as far as I can reach and I can't find it. So I've ordered TWO new ones. I use Shubb capos, by the way. They do the best job of preserving your intonation on the market. If you're a guitarist, use those instead of those Kyser ones you've probably got in your case. The rest of the band will thank you. So those are on their way.
Also on their way are some custom guitar picks. I'd been using custom picks for several years but finally ran out of them. So I did a new design and they're on their way. Should be here Monday. In case you're wondering, they're Clayton picks. Because their designer was the easiest to use.
ALSO on its way, and contrary to what I said in last week's episode, is the Loot Crate Mission Crate! I got a shipping notice for it on 8/11 (Saturday). It *might* be here tomorrow. After a six month delay in shipping, Loot Crate chose to send it with the SLOWEST shipping possible. They sent it through FedEx who are now handing it off to my local post office--who are TERRIBLE. The FedEx tracker is saying it should deliver tomorrow, but my experience with this USPS branch tells me it'll probably be Monday as well. You'd think that with a legion of pissed off nerds, they'd want to expedite it, but here we are.
So the mailbox is going to be jumping next week and you'll hear all about it, I'm sure.
There'd be another music break here. So now go listen to something from "Out from the Light." Thanks.
Lastly, here's some TV talk...
I caught up on Kimmy Schmidt. I'm a little disappointed that they only released half the season and we've got to wait until January for the rest. But I enjoyed the half-season a lot. It was a slightly different feel (which the show needed) and had some really fun beats. Since it's new and I don't think my brother has watched it yet, I'll spare you the spoilers. But I liked it.
I also greatly enjoyed this week's new episode of The Venture Bros. It left me wanting more and that's always good. I'm loving what they're doing with the Monarch and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch. That show's always hilarious. I found out via re-tweet from show-creator Jackson Publick that they're doing the "Shirt of the Week" club again and I...uhh...might have signed up to get them all. So...those...uhh...might be discussed on future podcasts as well.
And last but not least, of course, I watched this week's WWE shows, building toward SummerSlam this Sunday. RAW was a great episode that opened up with Ronda Rousey paying very classy and moving tribute to Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart who passed away this week. The show featured the debut of Renee Young as the first woman to ever do commentary for a full episode of Raw. She was great. I wish she'd do it all the time.
I've been enjoying the hell out of Barron Corbin lately. I don't know...it just seems like he's comfortable and having fun for the first time on the main roster. He's been great.
Then we had Heyman and Lesnar tricking and beating down Roman Reigns. After a several-week-long build, Heyman came out, offered his managerial services to Reigns, then blinded him with pepper spray and Heyman and Brock walked out friends. Umm... Wouldn't this have been the type of payoff you'd want to save for the PPV on Sunday? Where does the angle have to go now? I guess only to Reigns winning the belt?
And of course, we ended Raw with the return of a JACKED looking Dean (new hair!) Ambrose. It was a good segment and made me want to see the match at the PPV. So good there.
Raw definitely was the stronger show this week as SmackDown just kind of left me feel like it was a standard episode. I was late getting home and missed the opening, but watched enough of it online afterward to know I didn't miss much. I like the Women's Division a lot and both Becky and Charlotte are fun to watch, but the booking of this angle is lackluster and I wish they'd just book a one-on-one with either of those two vs. Carmella to get the belt off of her.
The three part history of Bryan/Miz videos were well done, but they didn't really add anything. It felt like the kind of teaser the cable stations would have run on the channel hosting the PPV in the hour before it just to catch you up if you don't watch all the time. And I feel like they could've done a stronger in-ring segment with that time.
The Old Hat (New Day) took on Sanity in a match that did nothing for Sanity, who they really need to build. So...there's that.
Hardy vs. Benjamin was fine but forgettable... Samoa Joe's promo saying AJ's wife wrote him a letter was well delivered but ultimately didn't add anything... And then the show ended kind of abruptly because for some reason Raw has a quarter-hour overrun but SmackDown doesn't.
So...I'm looking forward to the Raw matches at Summerslam, anyway. I'm sure a couple of the SmackDown ones will be good. AJ/Joe promises to be a CLINIC and I'm sure I'll be raving about it once it happens, but ultimately Raw felt like a go-home show before the PPV and SmackDown didn't.
I'd do another musical break here... So... Did you know the theme song for the podcast is actually just a snip of a full single called "Bite the Habanero?" You can listen to that song here.
Thanks for reading. Sorry it wasn't listening. I'll be back up and running next week and I promise I won't make the specific mistake I made tonight again. I might make some OTHER mistake...but it won't be that one.
As I say on the show, even though I'm suddenly realizing there's no reason for it to be plural since I do this alone...
Check us out next time!
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Current Listening: Frank Black - Show Me Your Tears
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