My Old Virginia Home

September's back, and so am I.  Now that the semester is underway and I'm settled in my old Virginia home, we'll be back in business in the next few days.  Until then, enjoy this seasonal mega jam.



Ba de ya,

J.J. Gittes

The Virginia Gentlemen Endorse: Podcasts

I may have had the whitest conversation ever three weeks ago.  And for me, that's saying something.  I was sitting in a Starbucks in Shadyside with the Dreamboat, my copy of the Sunday New York Times in tow, discussing public radio and podcasts.  So in our never-ending quest to chronicle things that dorky white people like here at the Virginia Gentlemen's Club, the time has come for the podcast primer.

For those that are unfamiliar with the medium, a podcast is nothing more than a talk radio show that may or may not be on radio itself (think of it as radio on demand).  Some are (namely the entire NPR catalog), others aren't (such as The BS Report or The Adam Carolla Show).  They're great for killing time during your commute, while you're doing chores around the house, or running errands around town.  So here's my podcast recommendations for news, stories, and interviews -- the three things that talk radio is great at.

Stories: This American Life

This American Life, hosted by Ira Glass, is the acclaimed weekly public radio show where each episode contains a handful of non-fiction stories relating to a certain theme.  The themes range from memories of summer camp to being switched at birth to discovering the original recipe of Coca Cola to life at America's top party school (it should be noted that there's more than a grain of truth to the famous The Onion article about TAL).  Although there are contributors that appear fairly regularly, a number of famous folks have told stories on TAL, including: "PC" from the Mac & PC ads John Hodgman, uproariously funny essayist David Sedaris, Moneyball and The Blind Side  author Michael Lewis, and even Virginia Gentlemen favorites Chuck Klosterman and Phil Collins.  Basically the stories are like mini-movies for the radio, which makes sense, as there were two seasons of a TAL television show on Showtime (which you can stream on Netflix).  The podcast shows up on iTunes around 8 on Sunday evenings and the show's website has the entire back catalog of fifteen years' worth of shows, including a handy primer to the best of TAL.  There's a reason why this is on the short list of the most popular podcasts out there.

News: Marketplace

This daily half-hour public radio show is, as you might guess from the title, primarily focused on business and economics.  However, it features enough current events and domestic and international politics that you don't feel like you're totally oblivious to other developments (if you want a more politics-based podcast, NPR's It's All Politics is for you).  In addition to great reporting, Marketplace's other big virtue is that it plays snippets of good music between stories, which goes a long way in distinguishing itself from the (generally correct) perception that public radio is boring and stodgy.  In the last few days, it has included Prince, T.I., and Jay-Z.  Additionally, every other week they have a segment from Freakonomics Radio, which is also a program worthy of one's time.

Interviews: The Sound of Young America

Jesse Thorn's The Sound of Young America simply and quite accurately describes itself as "a public radio show about things that are awesome" and like "'Fresh Air,' but more fun."  The Sound primarily does in-depth interviews with more under the radar type folks from entertainment and the arts, like SNL's Bill Hader, Community's Donald Glover, Matt Berninger of The National, or Michael Cera.  Jesse is such a great interviewer that I often find myself interested in guests I knew nothing about beforehand.  He also runs a phenomenal and practical men's style blog called Put This On co-hosts the Judge John Hodgman podcasts, both of which I wholeheartedly endorse.  He may not have the gravitas of Fresh Air or the guests of WTF with Marc Maron (which has an unbelievable roster of comedy folks), both of which I listen to and enjoy, but he's essentially the public radio version of The Most Interesting Man in the World and a real go-getter, and for that, he is to be saluted.

So there's a handful of podcasts that carry the Virginia Gentlemen seal of approval.  If you have any feedback about these shows or have any podcasts that you'd like to recommend to your fellow gentlemen, feel free to do so in the comments.

--J.J. Gittes

The Virginia Gentlemen Remember: Clarence Clemons

If there's one thing we do reasonably well here at the Virginia Gentlemen, it's eulogizing marginally famous pop culture figures in a timely manner.  Unfortunately, the time has come to do that again, as Clarence "The Big Man" Clemons, the star of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, died Sunday morning after suffering a stroke a week ago.

Perhaps the original sexy sax man?

I'm not going to waste your time with why Clarence was such a dynamic figure or what he meant to scores of Baby Boomers.  Much smarter people than I have already done that in other places, most notably here and here.  I will simply say this: even though it was readily apparent in the last few years that he wasn't at full strength and was not nearly as mobile as he used to be, diminished Clarence was better than nothing.  A little over two years ago in May of 2009, I had the privilege of seeing Bruce and the E Street Band for the first time on campus at Penn State minutes after finishing my last exam as an undergraduate.  The highlight of the concert, which was without question the best I've ever seen (even with their legendary reputation for marathon live shows, it's amazing how a group of folks nearly a decade older than my parents can captivate a crowd for three hours), was "Jungleland," the nine-minute epic that closes Born to Run and one of my favorite Springsteen songs.  As anyone who has heard the song knows, its most poignant passage is Clemons' two minute sax solo, which for my money is right up there with anything in the Boss' catalog.  Getting to hear a song that meant a lot to me on a night like that was a very special experience that I'll remember fondly for the rest of my life.

So without any further ado, I can't think of any better tribute to the Big Man than to show him and the band at the height of their powers -- "Jungleland" from The River tour in 1978.  The video quality isn't great by modern standards (or really any standards), but the audio is more than serviceable, and you can see why shows like this elevated Springsteen into a god and Clarence into a demi-god.  Clarence (and those white shoes!) commands the stage for his solo four minutes in, but you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't watch the whole thing.

--J.J. Gittes

Dad Rock Hall of Fame: Van Morrison

It's no secret that we love some good blue-eyed soul around these parts.  But the time has come to pay homage to one of the most versatile white dudes of all time -- Van Morrison.  He's the rich man's Wilson Valdez; he can do it all: R&B, rock, soul.  In addition to his great singles (which will be discussed in more detail below), Van the Man played a hell of a live show (It's Too Late To Stop Now is considered to be among the top live albums of all time) and could put together a great album, too.  So without further ado, it's time to take a look at his storied career.

1) Them -- "Gloria"
One of Van's earliest hits provides a total classic and perhaps the most easily remembered chorus of all time.  This jam was a pretty big deal in the early to mid 60s, a time when rock and roll drove kids nuts.  It's startling some fifty years later to see their reactions, something that appears to happen rarely in this day and age.


2) "Jackie Wilson Said"
A feel-good jam.  After all, who doesn't want to let it all hang out.  It's a testament to this song that it's still standing after Dexy's Midnight Riders' god-awful cover.


3) "Into the Mystic"
One of Tony Kornheiser's favorite songs, and with good reason.


4) "Caravan" (feat. The Band)
Having watched The Last Waltz more times than I'd like to admit, I can say with some authority that Van absolutely steals the show on this one.  So much going right here: The Band, the velour outfit, the theatrical kicks, his general "out of it" demeanor, and his grand exit (complete with dramatic point and near-stumble).


5) "Brown Eyed Girl"
This one is kind of like "Born to Run" in that anyone who listens to classic rock radio with any regularity will tell you that it's overplayed, but it's for a good reason -- it's that good.  A tune that will be played at nearly every wedding until the end of time because it's a catchy, relatively inoffensive song that everyone loves.


--J.J. Gittes

Happy Memorial Day from the Virginia Gentlemen

If temperatures in the 80s across the Mid-Atlantic coupled with all kinds of humidity didn't give it away, then the calendar surely will: it's Memorial Day weekend, and summer's officially here.  Once known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day presents the opportunity to indulge in the great American summer past times: baseball games, cookouts, parades, and trips to the beach.  Be sure to enjoy yourself, but take a minute to think of and thank those veterans who lost their lives in service.  If it wasn't for them, we'd be speaking German or be forced to use the metric system or care about royal weddings (although, to be fair, plenty of Americans care about rich familial dynasties that are coasting off successes in ages gone by).

And now, some summer jams for your three-day weekend:

1) Sly & the Family Stone "Hot Fun in the Summertime"


2) Martha & the Vandellas "Dancing in the Street"
Often imitated (one can only imagine how much coke Mick and Bowie were on here), but never duplicated.


3) Martha & the Vandellas "(Love is Like a) Heatwave"
Always considered to be the poor man's Supremes, but between "Dancing in the Street," "Heatwave," "Nowhere to Run," and "Jimmy Mack," that's a career to be proud of.


4) Kool & the Gang "Summer Madness" / Fresh Prince & DJ Jazzy Jeff "Summertime"
Yes, they made other songs (and better songs) than "Celebration."  Jazz and Will knew that if you wanted to make a summer jam, you might as well sample one of the greats.





6) People Under the Stairs "Anotha' BBQ"
You bring the beef and I'll bring the brew.  Hats off to Soul Sides for finding this gem.


7) The Hold Steady "Constructive Summer"
Because summer jams aren't limited to soul or rap.  And who doesn't like a guy whose friends are like "Double whiskey Coke, no ice"?


As Finn says, let this be the annual reminder that we can all be something bigger.  We're gonna build something this summer.

Yours in Eastern League baseball,

J.J. Gittes

The Virginia Gentlemen Remember: "Macho Man" Randy Savage

For those folks that thought "Where were you when you heard bin Laden died?" would be the most "Where were you when you heard Kennedy died?" moment since "Where were you when you heard about 9/11?", it's time to put things into perspective.  For the new cultural touchstone inquiry that young men men will ask each other for years to come is now "Where were you when you heard that the Macho Man died?"

A man who knew that you had to be bold to wear the gold.

History will remember the Macho Man for many things.  First, his excellent use of public domain music for his entrance theme cannot be denied.  Although some foolishly equate "Pomp and Circumstance" with graduations, those in the know associate the song with the Macho Man walking down that aisle.  Clearly this momentous death should serve as catalyst for the nation to re-evaluate its priorities and retire the song forever out of respect for the Macho Man.

Second, the Macho Man was an excellent entertainer outside the ring.  Obviously his prowess on the microphone and propensity for cocaine lead to his second career endorsing spiced meat sticks.  He became so synonymous with the product that his death falling on the same day as the closing of ConAgra's Slim Jim factory in North Carolina, much like Charles Schulz dying the day before the last Peanuts comic strip, is evidence of a divine plan.  However, many are not aware of his rap career, which peaked with 2003's Be a Man, an album that earned the praise of 50 Cent, a man whose endorsement is as golden as Ron Swanson's.  Although Fiddy was known for his dis tracks, he never quite mastered the art as well as Savage, whose verbal assault on Hulk Hogan on "Be a Man" rivals "Hit 'Em Up" as the apex of the medium.

Finally, Savage's in-ring ability was tops.  He won the WWF Intercontinental Title, the WWF Heavyweight Championship twice, and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship four times.  His fueds against Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat  (their bout at Wrestlemania III is considered to be among the top Wrestlemania matches of all time) and Jake "The Snake" Roberts are the stuff of late 80s-early 90s wrestling legend., as is the persistent urban legend that he slept with an underage Stephanie McMahon (which appears to be the wrestling equivalent of Delonte West sleeping with LeBron's mom).

In an effort to honor this fallen hero, the theme of the BBQ we will be hosting this Saturday afternoon has been changed to Macho Madness: A Memorial Service for Randy Savage.  The menu of hot dogs and mac and cheese will of course be replaced with Slim Jims.  Instead of flip cup and cornhole, the festivities will now include backyard wrestling and a screening of the nine-hour, 3 DVD Macho Man Collection.  We hope you will be able to join us for this celebration of life and top-turnbuckle elbow drops.

--J.J. Gittes 

Dad Rock Hall of Fame Watch: Dawes

Although the Dad Rock series has focused on the legends of yesteryear, this installment profiles an up-and-coming band that appears to be on its way to becoming the contemporary standard-bearer for the genre.  Dad Rock has largely been cast off as a dead letter, but Dawes is breathing life into the genre with its vintage 70s laid-back sound, showing that all that was old is new again.  With its harmony-infused folk rock, Dawes' 2009 debut album, North Hills, has drawn comparisons to Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds, and the other L.A. bands of the era.  It's no wonder that the band has received the stamp of approval of two Gentlemen-trusted music resources: Philadelphia's own 88.5 WXPN, and Daytrotter, having done multiple sessions with each institution.  As the band's sophomore effort, Nothing Is Wrong, is coming out in early June, it's time to learn more about a band with a great summer sound who and is on the fast track to Dad Rock stardom.  Put on your Clubmasters, roll up the sleeves on your chambray shirt, and pour yourself a tall drink.  Summer's almost here.

A band that knows the value of a well-fitting button-down shirt.

1) "When My Time Comes"

With a driving beat like this, it's no surprise that Chevrolet tapped this jam to be their everyman's anthem in some recent TV spots.

2) "Love Is All I Am"

Just a really basic, pretty song that highlights the things that Dawes does exceedingly well: vulnerability, harmonies, and bass lines.

Dawes - Love Is All I Am (Official Music Video). Watch more top selected videos about: Dawes

3) "With A Little Help From My Friends"

Bands with only one album to their name usually need to sprinkle in a cover or two into their live sets in order to fill the time.  Dawes does a faithful rendition of Joe Cocker's legendary version of "With a Little Help from My Friends," better known as the theme song from "The Wonder Years."  Without getting too off topic, how ridiculous is it that reruns of that show are buried on The Hub?  At least "Arrested Development" and "Freaks and Geeks" (not to be confused with the other "Freaks and Geeks") reruns are on IFC.

4) "If I Wanted Someone"

The lead single from the new album has some teeth to it (a pretty solid guitar solo) while still sounding like a Dawes song.  This has me excited about the direction of the album, which I suspect will be getting a lot of play this summer alongside the new album from Booker T. Jones and the Roots, which is my clubhouse leader for Album of the Summer.

There you have it -- some well-dressed dudes making some laid-back jams to make those summer days move easy.

--J.J. Gittes