💪Shaq & Nolte, Blue Chips, T-Shirts, David Mamet and Tony Hawk

ISSUE #76 - July 12th, 2019

ONE

STUNTS - I was a horrible skateboarder growing up. I loved Gleaming the Cube and I had an old school Powell Peralta board and I looked up to all those late 80s, early 90s skateboarders but man, I was awful. Still, I liked the sport and have always been fascinated by it.

I was doing research for a potential project this week and I came across some bad ass Tony Hawk videos. The best one was from a few years ago, where Hawk drops into an actual spiral ramp off of a jump and somehow skates a 360 circle into the lower bowl. It's insane. It looks like it's 3D or CGI. This video is 4 minutes and shows the construction of the loop, a ton of Hawk crashes (a few nasty bruises) and then the final run when he nails it.

TWO

CLOTHES - I'm a simple guy. When it's hot out, I like to wear T-Shirts. The older I get, the more I'm on the lookout for the most comfortable shirts I can find that also don't look like something I would have worn when I was thirteen. I like them soft, fitted and with a fabric that could pass for "nice", whatever that is.

I've tried a ton of shirts over the years, but what I really want is a company that sends me three or four every few months. Some V-neck. Some regular. Just a few of the colors that I like. That way I can rotate out old ones. I think I've found my company. I have no affiliation with these guys. I saw their ad and decided to try them. I got my first pack of v-necks last week and they're super comfortable, inexpensive and high quality. The company is Fresh Clean Tees and here's their site.

THREE

NOSTALGIA - I can't believe I'm typing this, but Blue Chips came out 25 years ago. I remember the day I saw it. It was an event. Shaq! Nick Nolte! Real college stars! It was very cool... And incredibly, it has aged quite well and the list of cameos in the film remains staggering. You have everyone from Bobby Knight to Bobby Hurley and the very topic itself remains front and center in college hoops.

In honor of the 25th anniversary, Sports Illustrated's Tim Rohan put together an oral history of the movie by interviewing nearly all of the main cast members. There are some outstanding stories in here about Nolte and Shaq and how they were cast. And an excellent, very on-brand Bobby Knight story. If you liked that movie this is well worth your time.

FOUR

BOOKS - Where do you stand on David Mamet? If you thoroughly enjoyed The Edge and Glengarry Glen Ross and State & Main, then you're a Mamet fan like me. You're enthralled with the dialogue and the characters and the unrelenting swearing...all of it.

I knew Mamet wrote a few novels and I came across his most recent one, Chicago, at the book store and decided to buy it. As expected, the book is very heavy on conversation and talking and more talking.... But I like it. I honestly don't know if it's even a good book... or just a lot of really good dialogue set in 1920s Chicago. Either way, it has all the hallmarks of his other work, just in book form, which I have read some people don't like. If you want to decide for yourself, here it is.

FIVE

A QUOTE ON FUN

"Everybody makes their own fun. If you don't make it yourself, it isn't fun. It's entertainment."

-- Ann Black, from David Mamet's State & Main