Hypotheticals, Becks and Holding Steady

Here are some interesting hypotheticals from Chuck Klosterman, an author who contributes regularly to Spin Magazine. His recent novels, Sex, Drugs and CocoaPuffs and Chuck Klosterman IV are great pop culture reads. In my opinion, the most enjoyable aspect of these works are the hypotheticals he uses as a means of prefacing stories or to lend credence to a point he is trying to make. They are thought provoking and more high-brow than the "would you rather" scenarios you commonly hear. Here are some examples....let me know if you enjoy them, I can post more periodically..

1. Let us assume you met a rudimentary magician. Let us assume he can do five simple tricks--he can pull a rabbit out of his hat, he can make a coin disappear, he can turn the ace of spades into the Joker card, and two others in a similar vein. These are his only tricks and he can't learn any more; he can only do these five. HOWEVER, it turns out he's doing these five tricks with real magic. It's not an illusion; he can actually conjure the bunny out of the ether and he can move the coin through space. He's legitimately magical, but extremely limited in scope and influence.Would this person be more impressive than Albert Einstein? (from Sex, Drugs and CocaoPuffs)

2. At long last, someone invents "the dream VCR." This machine allows you to tape an entire evening's worth of your own dreams, which you can then watch at your leisure. However, the inventor of the dream VCR will only allow you to use this device if you agree to a strange caveat: When you watch your dreams, you must do so with your family and your closest friends in the same room. They get to watch your dreams along with you. And if you don't agree to this, you can't use the dream VCR. Would you still do this? (from Sex, Drugs and CocaoPuffs)


Given that David Beckham is all over the news today, here's a clip of what is, in my opinion, his best ever free-kick. It was also his last in a Man Utd jersey....Every time I watch this goal, I am stunned...technique, pace of the ball, accuracy, hitting the ball across the keeper from that side of the box...truly special...ya...i love him...

Becks vs. Everton


My musical post of the day concerns a band that has been around awhile, but only recently caught my ears. Their most recent album, Boys and Girls In America has received a lot of blog love, not to mention critical acclaim. I have to say that the buzz is warranted. Great instrumentation, lyrics that aren't so much sung as they are spoken...just great rock and roll...what the Counting Crows would have sounded like if they decided to let their hair down a bit...Here are some tracks from the aforementioned album:

The Hold Steady - Stuck Between Stations

The Hold Steady - Chips Ahoy


The Slip are a band who grabbed my attention with their inclusion on the original Guitar Hero. I must have played 'Even Rats' 200 times already. G-Unit...these are for you...

The Slip - Even Rats

The Slip - Children of December