An Open Letter to a New Yankee Fan

A friend of mine has a child who's really into baseball (he's about 5). She's not really into sports (though she graciously went to a PSU/USC football game with me in 1993). In any case, that's neither here nor there. The kid has recently decided that his favorite team is the Yankees, so I thought that I'd offer a primer to life as a Yankees fan.

• Now that you've picked your team, you can't change your mind. You have the same team for your entire life (unless they leave town or something). This is good news for you, having picked a team that has won twenty-seven World Championships, including one in your lifetime (2009). Had I the foresight to pick a team when I was five, I would not have picked the Chicago Cubs. They haven't won the series since they went back-to-back in 1907-08. They haven't even been to a World Series since they lost to the Tigers in 1945, two months after Tojo surrendered to end World War II. I would never encourage a small child to root for the Cubs, but I use them to demonstrate that allegiance to a team is paramount. I've been a Cubs fan since they made the playoffs in 1984, when I was seven-years-old, and came one game away from going to the World Series. They've still never made it to the Series, but I'm still a Cubs fan.

• The Yankees come with a built-in rival, which provides a very convenient narrative for watching baseball. You're going to find that most things in the world are complicated, and that it's often wrought with confusion and contradictions. This is simultaneously what makes the world awesome, as well as frustrating. The good news is that baseball provides one area of life in which things are simple. As a Yankees fan, you hold as self-evident that the Yankees are good and the Boston Red Sox are bad. It's beautiful simplicity in a complicated world. The rivalry goes back to the beginning of the 20th century, but took on a life of its own after the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth (arguably the greatest player in the history of the game) to the Yankees in 1914. The Yankees proceeded to dominate baseball and won 26 world titles between the trade and 2003. The Red Sox sadly did not win any titles over that same span, and the drought was titled "The Curse of the Bambino" (Babe Ruth's nickname). The Red Sox finally won in 2004 and 2007, but the rivalry lives on.

• Because the Yankees have been so successful, fans of other teams are often resentful of the team. The team has been called "The Evil Empire" (an allusion to Reagan's characterization of the Soviets in the 1980s). As a Yankee fan, you'll have to endure this, but you can rest assured that your team is the most successful baseball team of all time and the most famous (non-soccer) team in the world. When the "haters" try to get you down, you can take comfort in the unparallelled success and history of the team. Learn about the storied history of your team: Babe Ruth's home run records (and the famous called home run against my beloved Cubs in the 1932 series); Lou Gehrig's consecutive games streak, and Gary Cooper's iconic portrayal of him; Joe DiMaggio's hits streak and his marriage to Marilyn Monroe. The tragic tale of DiMaggio's jealousy, Micky Mantle's knees, and The Mick's unfulfilled potential; Roger Maris's 61 home runs in 1961, and the decade when a bunch of cheaters sullied that record. Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series; Reggie Jackson's three home runs in three pitches in the1977 series; The tragic story of Thurman Munson, who true Yankee's fan still know as "The Captain." There are many others, but you should learn to know the players, know the culture, learn their numbers, their stats, Defend yourself from the doubters who might assume that you are a fair-weather fan by showing that you are a true historian of the game. 

•  Remember that baseball is fun, but it brings inevitable heartache. However, it's a great way to understand the highs and the lows of life. The promise of baseball is a yearly rebirth. Every October, all teams but one end their season in disappointment;but, no matter how bad "last year" was, hope springs eternal when pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in February and the season starts anew in April. The Cubs had a particularly atrocious season last year, but I'm already thinking about seeing them in the Spring. There's not a lot in life that you can take for granted, but I have no doubt that when the season starts in April, the Cubs will be tied with everyone else, and so will the Yankees.

November Media Journal

God Bless America. Dir. Bobcat Goldthwait. Darko Entertainment, 2011.

Daniel Johnston—1990 (High Wire Records, 2008).

Donald Fagen—Sunken Condos (Reprise, 2012).

Grindstaff, Laura. The Money Shot: Trash, Class, and the Making of TV Talk Shows. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002.

And the Band Played On. Dir. Robert Spottiswoode. HBO Productions, 1993.

Loose Fur—Loose Fur (Drag City, 2003).

Mansome. Dir. Morgan Spurlock. Electus, 2012.

Beasts of the Southern Wild. Dir. Benh Zeitlin. Fox Searchlight, 2012.

Skocpol, Theda and Vanessa Williamson. The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.

Various Artists—Hope: War Child. Wea International, 2003.

Van Zoonen, Liesbet. Entertaining the Citizen: When Politics and Popular Culture Converge. Lanham, MD: Roman & Littlefield, 2005.

Female Trouble. Dir. John Waters. Dreamland, 1974.

Goats. Dir. Christopher Neil. Eva Daniels Productions, 2012.

Lincoln. Dir. Steven Spielberg. DreamWorks Pictures, 2012.

The Girl. Dir. Julian Jarrold. British Broadcasting Corporation, 2012.

30 Rock (Season 7)

Butter. Dir. Jim Field Smith. Michael De Luca Productions, 2011.

Daniel Tosh: Completely Seriousy. Dir. Manny Rodriguez. Levity Entertainment Group, 2007.

Various Artists—Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan. Amnesty International, 2012.

Japandroids at Crowbar (Tampa, FL)

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Live From Alabama (Lightning Rod Records)

Seven cool things POTUS should do with his political capital.

1. Statehood -- A Puerto Rican referendum voted for statehood. D.C. has wanted statehood for years. Getting them through congress would be difficult, but this seems to be a good time to start that discussion.

2. Cuba -- It's been fifty-three years since Castro took power. Cuba has lifted the travel ban. Obama could help out a lot of people by normalizing relations with the closest noncontinuous country to the U.S.

3. Currency -- We waste a lot of money on dollar bills and pennies. This would be an easy common-sense thing that he could do that would save money. Also, I'd like to get Andrew Jackson off the twenty because of his role in the genocide of American Indians. Perhaps MLK or Rosa Parks would be a good replacement? We don't have any African Americans on currency.

4. Corn -- He doesn't have to primary in Iowa in four years, so this seems like a good time to get off the corn subsidies that waste energy and discourage biodiversity in our farming and our diet. It also seems like the kind of "government handout" that republicans hate.

5. The Drug War -- CO and WA voted for the "sticky icky," which is going to conflict with federal law. Obama could just stop prioritizing the drug war and could pardon those who are in jail for minor pot charges, (which would again save lots of money).

6. Lower Drinking Age -- It's absurd that one can get sent overseas to die in war and can't buy a beer. College students are criminalized for doing the most "college" thing one can do.

7. Pull out the troops...from Germany and Japan. It's been sixty-two years since the end of WWII. I think it's time to let them have a military again.

Rocktober 2010

The Byrds—“So You Want to be a Rock N’ Roll Star”

Def Leppard—“Rock! Rock! ‘Til You Drop”

Dead Milkmen—“Punk Rock Girl”

Europe—“Rock The Night”

Rick Derringer—“Rock N’ Roll Hoochie-Koo”

The Kinks—“A Rock N’ Roll Fantasy”

Starship—“We Built This City”

Elton John—“Crocodile Rock”

AC/DC—“Let There Be Rock”

Drive-By Truckers—“Let There Be Rock”

.38 Special—“Rockin’ Into The Night”

Dio—“We Rock”

Sammy Hagar—“There’s Only One Way to Rock”

Argent, K.I.S.S.—“God Gave Rock N’ Roll to You”

Neil Young & Pearl Jam—“Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World”

The Clash—“Revolution Rock”

Twisted Sister—“I Wanna Rock”

Michael Jackson—“Rock with You”

Jackson Browne—“Rock Me on the Water”

The Hold Steady—“Rock Problems”

The Whispers—“Rock Steady”

Bad Company—“Rock Steady”

Queen—“We Will Rock You”

Buffalo Springfield—“Rock N’ Roll Woman”

The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Chuck Berry—“Rock N’ Roll Music”

Elvis Presley—“Jailhouse Rock,” “Good Rockin’ Tonight”

Huey Lewis and the News—“Heart of Rock N’ Roll”

Bruce Springsteen—“Seven Nights to Rock”

Billy Joel—“It’s Still Rock N’ Roll to Me.”

Falco—“Rock Me Amadeus”

The Who—“Long Live Rock”

Rolling Stones—“It’s Only Rock N’ Roll (But I Like It).

Stray Cats—“Rock This Town”

Jethro Tull—“Too Old to Rock N’ Roll, Too Young to Die.”

Concert Archive

Fall, 1992—Violent Femmes (Rec Hall, State College, PA)

Summer 1993—The Guess Who (Bland’s Park, Tyrone, PA)

Sept. 26, 1993—Fugazi (HUB, State College, PA)

May 8, 1995 –Mike Watt, Foo Fighters, Hovercraft (First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN)

May 29, 1995—The Band, Kansas (Tussey Mt. Ampitheatre, Boalsburg, PA)

July 15, 1995—Sponge, Letters to Cleo, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin (The Edge, Ft . Lauderdale, FL)

July 21, 1995--Live, Buffalo Tom, The Catherine Wheel (Hershey Park Stadium, Hershey, PA)

Aug 5, 1995—H.O.R.D.E. Festival: Black Crowes, Blues Traveler, Ziggy Marley, G. Love & Special Sauce, Joan Osborne (Star Lake Ampitheatre, Pittsburgh, PA)

Sept 27, 1995—Mike Watt, Run Westy Run (First Ave, Minneapolis, MN)

October 14, 1995—Fugazi (First Ave, Minneapolis, MN)

Oct 15, 1995—Fugazi (First Ave, Minneapolis, MN)

Nov 3, 1995—Superchunk, Seaweed (First Ave., Minneapolis, MN)

Dec 9, 1995—Edgecpapades; Oasis, Goo Goo Dolls, Meat Puppets, Toadies, Del Amitri, Lisa Loeb. (Target Center, Minneapolis, MN)

Feb 11, 1996—Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories (First Ave, Minneapolis, MN)

April 1, 1996—Ministry (Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, MN)

June 9, 1996—Moody Blues (Coral Sky Ampitheatre, West Palm Beach, FL)

September 7, 1996 – Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Sponge (Target Center, Minneapolis, MN)

September 14, 1996—Toad the Wet Sprocket, Robert Cray (Loring Park, Minneapolis, MN)

September 15, 1996 – Rage Against the Machine (Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, MN)

April 20, 1997—Violent Femmes (First Ave, Minneapolis, MN)

Aug 24, 1997—Rage Against the Machine, Wu Tang Clan (Star Lake Ampitheatre, Pittsburgh, PA)

Nov 17, 1997—Ben Folds Five (First Ave, Minneapolis, MN)

January 4, 1998—Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (Gulfstream Park, Hallandale Beach, FL)

February 27, 1998—Violent Femmes (First Ave, Minneapolis, MN)

May 23, 1998—Mike Watt (7^th St. Entry, Minneapolis, MN)

May 24, 1998—Mike Watt (7^th St. Entry, Minneapolis, MN)

June 23, 1998—George Clinton and P-Funk All Stars (The Quest, Minneapolis, MN

June 26, 1998—Pearl Jam, Frank Black (Alpine Valley, East Troy, WI)

June 27, 1998 – Pearl Jam, Frank Black (Alpine Valley, East Troy, WI)

June 30, 1998—Pearl Jam, Frank Black (Target Center, Minneapolis, MN)

July 17, 1998—Smashing Pumpkins, Cracker (Hennepin Ave. Block Party, Minneapolis, MN)

August 21, 1998—Lilith Fair; Sarah McLaughlin, Paula Cole, Natalie Merchant, Lisa Loeb (Canterbury Park, Shakopee, MN)

October 22, 1998—Violent Femmes (First Ave, Minneapolis, MN)

October 23, 1998—Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell (Target Center, MN)

October 31, 1998—Mike Watt (7^th St. Entry, Minneapolis, MN)

November 1, 1998—Mike Watt (7^th St. Entry, Minneapolis, MN)

November 5, 1998—Cheap Trick (First Ave, Minneapolis, MN)

November 15, 1998—Fugazi (First Ave, Minneapolis, MN)

November 29, 1998—Leo Kottke (The Ordway, St. Paul, MN)

May 22, 1999—Neil Young (The Orpheum, Minneapolis, MN)

July 2, 1999—Bob Dylan, Paul Simon (Canterbury Park, Shakopee, MN)

July 2?, 1999—Pat Benatar (Rib Fest, Minneapolis, MN)

August 21, 1999—R.E.M., Wilco (Midway Stadium, St. Paul, MN)

October 5, 1999—Ben Folds Five (First Ave, Minneapolis, MN)

October 8, 1999—Mike Watt (7^th St. Entry, Minneapolis, MN)

November 28, 1999 – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (Target Center, Minneapolis, MN)

November 29, 1999—Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (Target Center, Minneapolis, MN)

January 8, 2000—Styx (Gulfstream Park, Hallandale Beach, FL)

February 26, 2000—Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (Target Center, Minneapolis, MN)

February 28, 2000—Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (Bryce Jordan Center, State College, PA)

July 6, 2000 – Roger Waters (Target Center, Minneapolis, MN)

July 14, 2000—Cheap Trick (Hennepin Ave. Block Party, Minneapolis, MN)

July 14, 2000—Phil Lesh & Friends (Target Center, Minneapolis, MN)

July 16, 2000—Joe Walsh (Grand Casino Outdoor Ampitheatre, Hinckley, MN)

August 20, 2000—Pearl Jam, Sonic Youth (Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH).

August 21, 2000—Pearl Jam, Sonic Youth (Polaris Ampitheatre, Columbus, OH)

February 18, 2001—Barenaked Ladies (Savage Hall, Toledo, OH)

March 15, 2001 – Mike Watt & J. Mascus (Emo’s, Austin, TX)

March 17, 2001—Blake Babies (Waterloo Records, Austin, TX)

May 7, 2001 – U2, P.J. Harvey (Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH)

May 18, 2001—Eric Clampton (National Car Rental Center, Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

June 24, 2001—Radiohead (Thunderbird Stadium, Vancouver, BC)

July 23, 2001—Cheap Trick (Roseland Theater, Portland, OR)

July 27, 2001—Queensryche (Moore Theatre, Seattle, WA)

August 5, 2001—Radiohead (Parc Jean-Dreapeau, Montreal, QC)

Sept 30, 2001—Ben Folds, Citizen Cope (Clutch Cargo, Pontiac, MI)

Dec. 7, 2001—Ben Folds, Clem Snide (Piere’s, Ft. Wayne, IN)

February 17, 2002—Banyan  (Lazy Moon, Salt Lake City, UT)

March 1, 2002 – Ben Folds (Michigan Theatre, Ann Arbor, MI)

May 29, 2002—Mike Watt (Turf Club, St. Paul, MN)

June 7, 2002—Elvis Costello, Billy Bob Thornton (DTE Energy Music Theater, Clarkston, MI)

August 14, 2002—Bruce Springsteen & E. Street Band (Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH)

August 16 2002 – Reverend Horton Heat (Beaubont, Kansas City, MN)

August 17 2002—Drive-By Truckers (Boulder, CO)

August 23, 2002 –Ozomatli (Mishawaka Theatre, Poudre Canyon, CO)

September 19, 2002—The Who, Counting Crows (Fiddler’s Green, Denver, CO)

October 16, 2002—The Strokes, The Donnas, Rooney (Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO)

November 6, 2002—Brad (Soiled Dove Night Club, Denver, CO)

November 18, 2002—Beck, Flaming Lips (Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO)

December 4, 2002—Counting Crows (Magness Arena, Denver, CO)

February 4, 2003—Steve Earle (Boulder Theatre, Boulder, CO)

February 27, 2003—Hell’s Belles (Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO)

March 12, 2003—Kelly Osbourne (Gothic Theatre, Denver, CO)

Mar 27, 2003—Joe Jackson Band (Fox Theater, Boulder, CO)

April 1, 2003—Pearl Jam, Sleater-Kinney (Pepsi Arena, Denver, CO)

April 5, 2003—Cheap Trick (Fox Theater, Boulder, CO)

April 9, 2003—Mike Watt (Fox Theater, Boulder, CO)

April 25, 2003—Pearl Jam (Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH)

April 27, 2003—Flaming Lips (Metropol, Pittsburgh, PA)

May 19, 2003—.38 Special (Grizzly Rose, Denver, CO)

May 28, 2003 – Pearl Jam (Adams Center, Missoula, MT)

May 30, 2003—Journey, REO Speedwagon, Styx (Fiddlers Green, Denver, CO)

June 3, 2003—Flaming Lips, Liz Phair (Ogden Theater, Denver, CO)

June 14, 2003—Beck, Dashboard Confessional, Black Keys (Red Rocks Ampitheatre, Morrison, CO)

June 15, 2003—Crosby, Stills, Nash (Fiddler’s Green, Denver, CO)

July 16, 2003—Elvis Costello, Chris Robinson (Universal Lending Pavillion, Denver, CO)

August 4, 2003—Steely Dan (Fiddler’s Green, Denver, CO)

August 7, 2003—Tori Amos, Ben Folds (Red Rocks Ampitheatre, Morrison, CO)

September 18, 2003—Adler’s Appetite (Galaxy Concert Theatre, Santa Ana, CA)

September 20, 2003—Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Elvis Costello (Verizon Ampitheatre, Irvine, CA)

November 7, 2003—Ben Folds (Pershing Auditoriaum, Kirksville, MO)

November 21, 2003—The Jayhawks (The Mill, Iowa City, IA)

January 18, 2004—Evan Dando (Gabe’s Oasis, Iowa City, IA)

Feb 5, 2004—Drive-By Truckers (The Mill, Iowa City, IA)

April 2, 2004—Drive-By Truckers (Mississippi Nights, St. Louis, MO)

May 2, 2004—Ben Folds (Iowa Memorial Union, Iowa City, IA)

July 14, 2004—Fleetwood Mac (UNI-Dome, Cedar Falls, IA)

August 28, 2004—Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan (SEC Taylor, Des Moines, IA)

September 30, 2004—Mike Watt (Gabe’s Oasis, Iowa City, IA)

October 28, 2004—Drive-By Truckers (Iowa Memorial Union, Iowa City, IA)

October 29, 2004—Bob Dylan (Carver Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, IA)

December 31, 2004—George Clinton & P-Funk All Stars (Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

February 24, 2005—Modest Mouse (Iowa Memorial Union, Iowa City, IA)

April 1, 2005—Drive-By Truckers (Mississippi Nights, St. Louis, MO)

May 7, 2005 – Wilco (Vic Theater, Chicago, IL)

May 10, 2005—Bruce Springsteen (Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN)

May 31, 2005—The Killers, Tegan & Sara (Moson Ampitheatre, Toronto, ON)

July 18, 2005—Tom Petty & Heartbreakers, Black Crowes (Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, IA)

July 22, 2005—Weezer, Ben Folds (Sauvis Center, St. Louis, MO)

September 9, 2005—Pearl Jam, Supersuckers (Ft. Williams Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON)

November 1, 2005—GWAR (Quad City Live, Davenport, IA)

November 3, 2005—Cracker (The Mill, Iowa City, IA)

December 30, 2005—Drive-By Truckers (Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO)

March 6, 2006 – Ben Folds (West Gym, Cedar Falls, IA)

March 10, 2006—Drive-By Truckers (Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

March 17-18, 2006 – Langerado Music Festival; Black Crowes, Wilco, Flaming Lips, Drive-By Truckers, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

June 3, 2006—Ben Lee (Iowa Artsfest, Iowa City, IA)

June 26, 2006—Tom Petty & Heartbreakers, Pearl Jam (Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN)

June 27, 2006—Tom Petty & Heartbreakers, Pearl Jam (Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN)

August 10, 2006—Steely Dan, Michael McDonald (Ford Ampitheatre, Tampa, FL)

August 26, 2006—Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth (The Pageant, St. Louis, MO)

October 25, 2006—Drive-By Truckers (Mississippi Nights, St. Louis, MO)

November 9, 2006—Ben Lee, Rooney (Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO)

December 1, 2006—Guns N’ Roses, Sebastian Bach (Hilton Coliseum, Ames, IA)

December 7, 2006—The Hold Steady (The Picador, Iowa City, IA)

December 16, 2006—Kenny Loggins (Riverside Theater, Riverside, IA)

May 12, 2007—Drive-By Truckers (Fox Theater, Boulder, CO)

May 13, 2007—Drive-By Truckers (Fox Theater, Boulder, CO)

April 8, 2007—Jason Isbell (The Picador, Iowa City, IA)

April 10, 2007—Son Volt (Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL)

April 20, 2007 – Decemberists (Orpheum Theatre, Madison, WI)

June 13, 2007—Wilco (Adler Theatre, Davenport, IA)

September 15, 2007—Okkervil River (The Picador, Iowa City, IA)

September 24, 2007—Three Dog Night, Ben Kweller (Homecoming, Iowa City, IA)

September 27, 2007—Two Gallants, Blitzen Trapper (The Picador, Iowa City, IA)

October 14, 2007 – Wilco (Iowa Memorial Union, Iowa City, IA)

October 18, 2007—Drive-By Truckers (Englert Civic Theatre, Iowa City, IA)

October 19, 2007—Drive-By Truckers (First Ave, Minneapolis, MN)

March 2, 2008 – Ben Folds (Iowa Memorial Union, Iowa City, IA)

April 15, 2008—Counting Crows (Iowa Memorial Union, Iowa City, IA)

July 3, 2008—Summerfest; Drive-By Truckers (Milwaukee, WI)

July 4, 2008—80/30 Festival; Flaming Lips, Andrew Bird, Cracker (Des Moines, IA)

August 19, 2008—Eddie Vedder (Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee, WI)

August 30, 2008—Bruce Springsteen & E. Street Band) Roadhouse at the Lakefront, Milwaukee, WI)

Sept 5, 2008—Lupe Fiasco (Marcus Ampitheatre, Milwaukee, WI)

October 26, 2008 (Of Montreal, Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee, WI)

November 1, 2008 (Jason Isbell & 400 Unit, Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI)

November 14, 2008—Hold Steady, Drive-By Truckers (Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL)

November 20, 2008—Fastball (Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI)

January 12, 2009—Metallica (Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI).

January 30, 2009—Big Head Todd & Monsters (Eagles Club, Milwaukee, WI)

April 2, 2009—Tallest Man on Earth (Turf Club, St. Paul, MN)

April 14, 2009 – Wilco (Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee, WI)

October 10, 2009 – Ben Folds (Providence Performing Arts Center, Providence, RI)

February 18, 2010—Supersuckers (Brickhouse, Dover, NH)

May 23, 2010—Hold Steady (The Social, Orland, FL)

July 11, 2010 – Hold Steady (Hi-Tone, Memphis, TN)

July 28, 2010 – Lady Gaga (Pepsi Center, Denver, CO)

October 19, 2010—Hold Steady (Port City Music Hall, Portland, ME)

October 21, 2010 – Jason Isbell, Lanhorne Slim (Middle East, Cambridge, MA)

November 2, 2010 – Social Distortion, Lucero (State Theatre, Portland, ME)

January 1, 2011—Drive-By Truckers (Theater of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA)

March 16, 2011 –Jeff Tweedy (State Theatre, Portland, ME)

April 6, 2011—Mike Watt (T.T. the Bear’s Place, Cambridge, MA)

July 27, 2011 – Flaming Lips (Bank of America Pavilion, Boston, MA)

July 17, 2012—Hold Steady (Royale, Boston, MA)

September 20, 2012—Supersuckers (Local 662, St. Petersburg, FL)

October 1, 2012 – Edward Sharpe and Magnetic Zeros (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg, FL)

October 9, 2012 – Lanhorne Slim (Crowbar, Tampa, FL)

Non Confirmed Dates

Honeydogs (Grand Old Day 2000/2002)

Soul Asylum (Grand Old Day 2002)

Built to Spill (Grand Old Day 2000/2002)

Violent Femmes (Rec Hall, 1992)

Guess Who (Bland’s Park, 1993)

Sunny Day Real Estate (First Ave, 1998/99)

L.A. Guns (St. Paul, 1999/2000)
Nashville Pussy (Howards, Bowling Green 2001-02)

Man or Astroman (Howards, Bowling Green 2000)

The Cows (Howards, Bowling Green, 2000-02)

Leftover Salmon (Boulder Theatre, 2002-03)

The Bodeens ?

The Mars Volta ?

July-Sept 2012 Media Journal

July

Ted (Seth McFarlane, 2012)

Newman, Michael Z. Indie:  An American Film Culture.  New York:  Columbia University Press, 2011.

Thumbsucker (Mike Mills, 2005)

Louie (Season 3)

Newsroom (Season 1)

Weeds (Season 8)

Horrible Bosses (Seth Gordon, 2011)

Waitress! (Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman, 1981)

Anger Management (Season 1)

McDonald, Christopher J. Rush, Rock Music, and the Middle Class:  Dreaming in Middletown. Bloomington:  University of Indiana Press, 2009.

Episodes (Season 2)

Savages (Oliver Stone, 2012).

Hung (Season 3)

Take This Waltz (Sarah Polley, 2011).

The Hold Steady at Royale Boston (Boston, MA)

The Wire (Season 4)

Hayes, Christopher.  Twilight of the Elites:  America After Meritocracy.  New York:  Crown Publishers, 2012.

Newman, Michael Z. and Elana Levine. Legitimating Television:  Media Convergence and Cultural Status. New York: Routledge, 2012.

August

Safety Not Guaranteed (Colin Trevarrow, 2012)

The Campaign (Jay Roach, 2012)

Project X (Nima Nourizadeh, 2012)

Jeff, Who Lives at Home (Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass, 2012)

Dawes – North Hills (Ato, 2009)

Dead Milkmen – The King in Yellow (Quid Ergo, 2011)

The Gaslight Anthem – Handwritten (Mercury, 2012)

The Gaslight Anthem – The ’59 Sound (Side One Dummy, 2008)

The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang (Side One Dummy, 2010)

The Hunger Games (Gary Ross, 2012)

Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel… (Epic, 2012)

The Rum Diary (Bruce Robinson, 2011)

The Gaslight Anthem (XOXO Records, 2007)

Dawes – Nothing is Wrong (Ato, 2011)

Casa de mi Padre (Matt Piedmont, 2012)

Wanderlust (David Wain, 2012)

Bishop, Bill. The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart. Boston, Mariner Books, 2008

The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends (Warner Brothers, 2012)

The Sitter (David Gordon Green, 2011)

Martha Marcy May Marlene (Sean Durkin, 2011)

Kimmel, Michael. Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men. New York:  Harper Collins, 2008

The Ides of March (George Clooney, 2011)

Hick (Derick Martini, 2011)

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, pt. 1 (Bill Condon, 2011)

Shell, Ellen Ruppel. Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. New York: Penguin, 2009.

21 Jump Street (Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, 2012)

Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie (Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, 2012)

The Perfect Family (Anne Renton, 2011)

Everything Must Go (Dan Rush, 2010)

Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls (Ato, 2012)

Moneyball (Bennett Miller, 2011)

The Change-Up (David Dobkin, 2011)

Willie Nelson – Building Heartaches (Delta, 1999)

September

Little River Band – One Night in Mississippi (Abstract Sounds, 2008)

The Day He Arrives (Sang-soo Hong, 2011)

Go On (Season 1)

The New Normal (Season 1)

Revolution (Season 1)

Bachelorette (Leslye Headland, 2012)

Patterson Hood – Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance (Ato, 2012)

The Killers – Battle Born (Island, 2012)

The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012)

Ben Folds Five – The Sound of the Life of the Mind (Self Released, 2012)

The Supersuckers at Local 662 (St. Petersburg, FL)

The Office (Season 9)

Parks and Recreation (Season 5)

Cateforis, Theo. Are We Not New Wave?: Modern Pop at the Turn of the 1980s. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2011.

Animal Practice (Season 1)

Khan, Abraham Iqbal. Curt Flood in the Media: Baseball, Race, and the Demise of the Activist-Athlete. Oxford: University of Mississippi Press, 2012.

The Mindy Project (Season 1)

Miss Representation (Jennifer Siebel Newsom, 2011)

Joe Jack Talcum—Live in the Studio (CD Baby, 2010)

Gray, Jonathan and Amanda D. Lotz. Television Studies. Malden MA: Polity Press, 2012.

Homeland (Season 2)