"We are the champions!" - Freddie Mercury
"I'm so happy, I can't stop crying." - Sting
IT FINALLY HAPPENED! The St. Louis Blues are STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!!! And I'm still not sure I believe it actually happened. It's all very surreal. I've waited my entire life to watch my favorite hockey team win hockey's ultimate prize and there were honestly many times I doubted it would ever happen. 52 years and countless heartbreaking losses will do that to you.
By now, anyone with even a passing interest in hockey knows the story - last place team miraculously goes from worst to first after firing their coach and installing an unheralded rookie as their new goaltender. It's an incredible story and if you presented it as a screenplay for a sports movie, the studios would undoubtedly reject it as being too schmaltzy. But rather than recap that story, I want to step back and take a broader look at the end result and why it is so meaningful to so many people.
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a huge Blues fan and have been since I was a kid. When I was in college at Baylor, I was well known for often wearing my circa 1991 Brett Hull Blues jersey. Whenever the Blues had a game on national TV, I'd watch it, often to the chagrin of my non-hockey fan roommates. Whenever the Blues played the Stars in Dallas, I'd make the 100 mile trip north up I-35 to catch the games live. Year after year, I followed the team on TV and in person, game after game. There are thousands of other diehards like me who lived and died with the team hoping that, some day, our faith and fandom would be rewarded with a Stanley Cup championship. There were times that it never seemed that it would happen, but it finally did.
I've been fortunate to witness my favorite teams win five championships during my lifetime: three for the Cardinals (1982, 2006, 2011), one for the Rams - when they were in St. Louis (2000), and now a Stanley Cup for the Blues in 2019. While I have obviously been excited by all 5 of them, I've never been as emotional as I was when the Blues won the Cup last week. I was bawling when the clock struck zero and the players celebrated on the ice. That's the first time that I've cried over a sporting event and it got me wondering why this championship was so emotional for me and for so many others. Certainly, part of it is the wait - 52 years overall and my entire life of 45 years. But part of it is also because a part of me never thought I'd see it happen.
The Blues franchise has been blessed with a number of Hall of Fame players and coaches. Brett Hull, Bernie Federko, Al MacInnis, Chris Pronger, Brendan Shanahan, Scotty Bowman, Joel Quenneville. The list goes on and on. Every single one of those players had their best seasons while wearing the blue note and every single one of them - with the exception of Federko - won a Cup during their careers while playing for another team. It became frustrating year after year to watch our superstars win a Cup only after leaving St. Louis. As for the coaches, the Blues gave both Bowman and Quenneville their first NHL coaching jobs. While both coaches had a lot of success in St. Louis, they could never win a Cup while coaching the Blues. However, after leaving St. Louis, both coaches won multiple Cups with other teams, often at the expense of the Blues and while coaching our bitter rivals like the Blackhawks and Red Wings.
It was easy to look at the retired numbers hanging in the rafters and the statues outside of Enterprise Center and wonder why none of those very successful players and coaches could reach the pinnacle of the hockey world while with the Blues. As the seasons turned into decades, it became more and more frustrating and disappointing. To add insult to injury, while Blues fans waited for a Cup, every single other original expansion franchise won a Cup. So did teams in non-traditional hockey markets like Raleigh, Tampa Bay and Anaheim. Some of those teams came out of nowhere to win a Cup despite a history of often lousy play. The Blues, meanwhile, had one of longest continuous playoff streaks (25 years) in NHL history but rarely advanced beyond the second round, let alone threatened to win a Stanley Cup. So, you can't blame Blues fans like myself for genuinely doubting whether or not we'd ever see someone wearing a blue note on their chest raise the Stanley Cup above their heads and give it a kiss. And that's why we were so emotional when Alex Pietrangelo took the Cup from Gary Bettman and why this championship means so much.
I was fortunate enough to watch the victory parade this past weekend surrounded by my wife, kids and parents....along with a million or so of my best friends. It was a memory I'll never forget. And while I obviously hope the Blues win more Cups in the future, there's no way any of them will mean as much as this first one.
To quote the boisterous (and, no doubt, inebriated) hometown hero, Pat Maroon: "WE'RE STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS, BABY!"
And now I can die in peace...
Monday, June 17, 2019
Thursday, May 30, 2019
Confessions of a Political Agnostic
As readers of this blog already know, I am a political independent. I do not belong to any political party and, during my nearly 30 years of voting, I have voted for candidates from both major parties, as well as for 3rd party candidates. There are several reasons for this. First, I view both major parties as two sides of the same corrupt coin, more concerned with doing whatever they can to remain office and do the bidding of their high dollar donors rather than actually tackling any real problems that exist in the country. But beyond that, I consider myself a political independent - or a political agnostic, if you will - because my own beliefs don't fit nicely into the purported political dogmas of either of the two major parties.
Consider, for example, taxes. In general, I believe that lower taxes on both individuals and companies are better. When individuals pay less in taxes, it provides them more money to spend on consumer goods, housing, travel, education and other items that help support the economy. I believe that individuals know better how to spend the money they make than does the government. I also do not believe that forcing wealthier individuals to pay more taxes is the answer. Why should people who are more successful or who have more money be penalized for that success? From that standpoint, I am generally a fiscal conservative. I also believe that all people should be taxes - yes, even those who do not make very much money. With regard to corporate taxes, I believe that less money paid in taxes by companies affords them to the opportunity to invest more in research and development and possibly higher compensation for employees. However, I also do not believe that federal, state and local governments should give tax breaks to companies. Doing so is the equivalent of the government picking winners and losers and my opinion is that the government should stay out of business and certainly not be putting its sizable thumb on the scales of some companies but not others. Companies should survive and thrive on their own merits and not because they were able to cut a sweeter deal with the government. From that standpoint, I'm probably a little less of a fiscal conservative and perhaps a little further toward the left of center.
Another topic is abortion. I abhor abortion and would love to see a world where abortion doesn't exist. However, I think the answer to that isn't outlawing abortion or preaching abstinence alone. Rather, I think answer is improving access to contraception and birth control, as well as improved medical care of women and men alike. If we can focus on improved access to these things, we have a 100% of reducing the number of abortions in this country without imposing new stringent laws or penalties. Abstinence should be the ideal but we also have to be realistic. If 0 abortions is your goal and these things can get you closer to that goal, shouldn't every so-called "pro-life" person be in favor of those steps? But yet, we often see these same people railing against these same solutions. So, I'm pro-life but perhaps not in the manner some Republicans desire.
Also, let's look at the other side of the "pro-life" ledger: capital punishment. It never ceases to amaze me when people who are adamantly pro-life when it comes to abortion but who are, at the same time, very much in favor of the death penalty. If you truly believe the commandment that "thou shalt not kill," how can you be okay with capital punishment? Government-sanctioned killing is government-sanctioned killing, whether we're talking about a fetus or a convicted felon. My position on this issue is generally closer to the Democratic position than the Republican viewpoint.
Yet another hot button issue is that of gay marriage. On this topic, I take a "live and let live" approach. If two consenting adults are in love and wish to spend their lives together, who am I to interfere? I don't believe the government shouldn't interfere, either. Honestly, I'm not sure how the government got involved in "marriage" in the first place. Here's my solution: get government out of the "marriage" business altogether. Instead, the states should offer "civil partnership" licenses to the aforementioned consenting adults, regardless of whether it is to heterosexual or homosexual couples. These civil partnerships would be legal partnerships with inheritance rights akin to marriages now. Then, it would be up to the couple if they want to get "married" in a religious ceremony or if they just want to go down to the county courthouse. There would be no difference whether they did or did not. It's a legal partnership between two adults with the same benefits regardless of the sexual orientation or gender of those entering into said partnership.
Minimum wage is another area of disagreement among many people. There have been highly publicized marches and demonstrations demanding that minimum wage be raised to $15 per hour. I think such an idea is a bad one. Raising low skill, entry level wages to that level will result in fewer employees (automation has already popped up in some fast food establishments in the form of order kiosks instead of human beings) and higher prices, which will only serve to water down the value of those increased earnings by the employees who get them. Do I think that people can survive on minimum wage of $7.25 or $8 an hour? No, I don't. But I also don't think people are SUPPOSED to be able to survive on minimum wage. It is intended for entry level jobs and people who work hard and apply themselves in their jobs should be able to move up from that fairly quickly. If not, they should find another job that will provide better pay and benefits. Another viewpoint - do the sometimes lazy, disinterested people who you see working in fast food (for example) - you know, the guy rang up mustard and pickles on your cheeseburger even when you clearly said you wanted it plain - really DESERVE to make $15 an hour? Do we really think that they are going to suddenly be better at their jobs if they make a handful more dollars an hour? I think not. So, for the most part, I'm on the right end of the spectrum with regard to minimum wage.
Finally, we have the topic of healthcare. This is arguably the most difficult of all of the above topics. First of all, it's clear that the American healthcare system is broken. When even gainfully employed people with very good jobs have to fret over affording healthcare, it is clear we have issues. The question is how do we solve these issues? Is healthcare a right or is it a privilege? I struggle with this topic because I think people should be able to visit a doctor and get healthcare with as little hassle as possible. However, I'm not exactly comfortable with putting government in charge of administering our healthcare system. If there's anything government has shown us over the years, it's that the massive bureaucracy does very little very well and typically does almost everything it does poorly. However, every other industrialized nation on earth provides universal healthcare and many of them have better overall healthcare and life expectancies than we have in the U.S. I'm very fortunate to have a job that provides good benefits at a below market rate, in terms of the premiums I pay. Would I be willing to pay significantly more than I do now to ensure that everyone in the country has healthcare? No, probably not. I know that sounds like a terrible, selfish answer but it's also an honest answer. So, in general, I'm on the right side of middle on healthcare while also acknowledging that it is a bad thing that many of our fellow Americans either have no access to healthcare or the access they have is prohibitively expensive. There has to be some sort of a reasonable solution to this issue, but so far, neither party has really come up with such a solution.
Intelligent people can disagree with one's position on any or all of these topics. That's okay. But the key is to try to understand the position of those with whom you disagree and to try to find some common ground. From that common ground, we should be able to start chipping away at solutions to some of these issues. But, in our current political environment, compromise is seen as a dirty word and our elected officials have no desire to actually work with people across the aisle to solve anything. This is true of representatives from BOTH parties and it's way I remain a political agnostic.
Thanks for reading.
Consider, for example, taxes. In general, I believe that lower taxes on both individuals and companies are better. When individuals pay less in taxes, it provides them more money to spend on consumer goods, housing, travel, education and other items that help support the economy. I believe that individuals know better how to spend the money they make than does the government. I also do not believe that forcing wealthier individuals to pay more taxes is the answer. Why should people who are more successful or who have more money be penalized for that success? From that standpoint, I am generally a fiscal conservative. I also believe that all people should be taxes - yes, even those who do not make very much money. With regard to corporate taxes, I believe that less money paid in taxes by companies affords them to the opportunity to invest more in research and development and possibly higher compensation for employees. However, I also do not believe that federal, state and local governments should give tax breaks to companies. Doing so is the equivalent of the government picking winners and losers and my opinion is that the government should stay out of business and certainly not be putting its sizable thumb on the scales of some companies but not others. Companies should survive and thrive on their own merits and not because they were able to cut a sweeter deal with the government. From that standpoint, I'm probably a little less of a fiscal conservative and perhaps a little further toward the left of center.
Another topic is abortion. I abhor abortion and would love to see a world where abortion doesn't exist. However, I think the answer to that isn't outlawing abortion or preaching abstinence alone. Rather, I think answer is improving access to contraception and birth control, as well as improved medical care of women and men alike. If we can focus on improved access to these things, we have a 100% of reducing the number of abortions in this country without imposing new stringent laws or penalties. Abstinence should be the ideal but we also have to be realistic. If 0 abortions is your goal and these things can get you closer to that goal, shouldn't every so-called "pro-life" person be in favor of those steps? But yet, we often see these same people railing against these same solutions. So, I'm pro-life but perhaps not in the manner some Republicans desire.
Also, let's look at the other side of the "pro-life" ledger: capital punishment. It never ceases to amaze me when people who are adamantly pro-life when it comes to abortion but who are, at the same time, very much in favor of the death penalty. If you truly believe the commandment that "thou shalt not kill," how can you be okay with capital punishment? Government-sanctioned killing is government-sanctioned killing, whether we're talking about a fetus or a convicted felon. My position on this issue is generally closer to the Democratic position than the Republican viewpoint.
Yet another hot button issue is that of gay marriage. On this topic, I take a "live and let live" approach. If two consenting adults are in love and wish to spend their lives together, who am I to interfere? I don't believe the government shouldn't interfere, either. Honestly, I'm not sure how the government got involved in "marriage" in the first place. Here's my solution: get government out of the "marriage" business altogether. Instead, the states should offer "civil partnership" licenses to the aforementioned consenting adults, regardless of whether it is to heterosexual or homosexual couples. These civil partnerships would be legal partnerships with inheritance rights akin to marriages now. Then, it would be up to the couple if they want to get "married" in a religious ceremony or if they just want to go down to the county courthouse. There would be no difference whether they did or did not. It's a legal partnership between two adults with the same benefits regardless of the sexual orientation or gender of those entering into said partnership.
Minimum wage is another area of disagreement among many people. There have been highly publicized marches and demonstrations demanding that minimum wage be raised to $15 per hour. I think such an idea is a bad one. Raising low skill, entry level wages to that level will result in fewer employees (automation has already popped up in some fast food establishments in the form of order kiosks instead of human beings) and higher prices, which will only serve to water down the value of those increased earnings by the employees who get them. Do I think that people can survive on minimum wage of $7.25 or $8 an hour? No, I don't. But I also don't think people are SUPPOSED to be able to survive on minimum wage. It is intended for entry level jobs and people who work hard and apply themselves in their jobs should be able to move up from that fairly quickly. If not, they should find another job that will provide better pay and benefits. Another viewpoint - do the sometimes lazy, disinterested people who you see working in fast food (for example) - you know, the guy rang up mustard and pickles on your cheeseburger even when you clearly said you wanted it plain - really DESERVE to make $15 an hour? Do we really think that they are going to suddenly be better at their jobs if they make a handful more dollars an hour? I think not. So, for the most part, I'm on the right end of the spectrum with regard to minimum wage.
Finally, we have the topic of healthcare. This is arguably the most difficult of all of the above topics. First of all, it's clear that the American healthcare system is broken. When even gainfully employed people with very good jobs have to fret over affording healthcare, it is clear we have issues. The question is how do we solve these issues? Is healthcare a right or is it a privilege? I struggle with this topic because I think people should be able to visit a doctor and get healthcare with as little hassle as possible. However, I'm not exactly comfortable with putting government in charge of administering our healthcare system. If there's anything government has shown us over the years, it's that the massive bureaucracy does very little very well and typically does almost everything it does poorly. However, every other industrialized nation on earth provides universal healthcare and many of them have better overall healthcare and life expectancies than we have in the U.S. I'm very fortunate to have a job that provides good benefits at a below market rate, in terms of the premiums I pay. Would I be willing to pay significantly more than I do now to ensure that everyone in the country has healthcare? No, probably not. I know that sounds like a terrible, selfish answer but it's also an honest answer. So, in general, I'm on the right side of middle on healthcare while also acknowledging that it is a bad thing that many of our fellow Americans either have no access to healthcare or the access they have is prohibitively expensive. There has to be some sort of a reasonable solution to this issue, but so far, neither party has really come up with such a solution.
Intelligent people can disagree with one's position on any or all of these topics. That's okay. But the key is to try to understand the position of those with whom you disagree and to try to find some common ground. From that common ground, we should be able to start chipping away at solutions to some of these issues. But, in our current political environment, compromise is seen as a dirty word and our elected officials have no desire to actually work with people across the aisle to solve anything. This is true of representatives from BOTH parties and it's way I remain a political agnostic.
Thanks for reading.
Thursday, April 11, 2019
Travel Pet Peeves
I've been traveling quite a bit lately - mainly for work, but also a little for family vacation. Traveling has its perks (the chance to see different places, hotel and airline reward points) but it also has its downsides (being away from family, eating out all the time). Most of all are those annoying things that you encounter while on the road away from home - those pet peeves that get under your skin.
Here are some of my biggest travel pet peeves:
Here are some of my biggest travel pet peeves:
- Those people on an airplane who stand up and get in the aisle as soon as the plane pulls into the gate, even when they are NOWHERE near the front of the plane. You're in row 34, buddy. You're not going anywhere for at least 10 minutes, so chill out and stay in your friggin' seat.
- The people who feel the need to have loud phone conversations on the plane as soon as you land and they can get back on their phone. Sometimes, it's a giddy and giggly girl plotting her social outing that night. Usually, though, it's some self-important business windbag who wants everybody to be impressed by how "important" he is. We've all been crammed in a metal tube for a couple hours and we're all a little irritable. We don't need to hear you opine about the latest software rollout or how the market is doing, Stuart. Do us all a favor and wait a few minutes until you get off the plane before stroking yourself, you insufferable douchebag. Too often, it's the same jerks that exhibit both of these characteristics.
- Hotel room HVAC systems that have only two settings: polar vortex or record heat wave. Seriously, you either feel like you're at the North Pole or you feel like you're on the surface of the sun. It can't be that hard to find a happy medium, can there?
- Shower heads that are so low that you have to bend over to wash your hair. It's like they designed them with the Munchkins from "The Wizard of Oz" in mind. C'mon, I'm a normal size guy. It's not like I'm 6'5"! I shouldn't have to bend over or squat down to wash my hair.
- A ridiculous number of pillows on the hotel bed, none of which are comfortable. It's a hotel room with one king bed. You know from the reservation that there will only be 1 person staying in the room. So, why on earth are their 12 pillows on the bed? And if you're going to have that many pillows on the bed, shouldn't at least one of them be just right, rather than too soft or too hard?
- Places with nasty water. OK, I know I'm spoiled. St. Louis has really good water - good taste, no odor, etc. In fact, it won some sort of award a few years ago for having the best tasting water in the country. Too many cities, though, have water that either tastes gross, smells bad or both. I try to be eco friendly by drinking water out of the tap rather than drinking bottled water, but some of these places make that really hard to do.
- Big airports without moving walkways. You can afford a tram that runs between terminals but you can't afford a moving walkway within those terminals, even though some of them run the length of several football fields?
- Hotel rooms that aren't clean. Twice in the last 6 months, I've checked into a hotel only to get to my room to find that it hadn't been touched by housekeeping. There were sheets wadded up, used towels all over the floor, garbage in the trash cans. Is it really that hard to make sure that a room gets cleaned before handing it over to the next guest? It's not like this is new technology and they're still working the bugs out of it. At least I got 10,000 hotel reward points out of one of those instances. :)
- Rental car categories. Economy. Compact. Intermediate. Standard. Full-size. Premium. Premium Special. The list goes on and on. Do they really need that many different classes of cars? Consider this (and, no, I am not making this up), Enterprise has no fewer than 19 vehicle classes of rental cars. And that's only cars! That doesn't even include trucks or vans or SUVs. Navigating your way through the different classes of vehicles is akin to navigating your way through the IRS regulations and tax loopholes.
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
An Ode to San Francisco
It is another beautiful day
In the hilly city by the bay
The sun is out, the skies are blue
No fog in site, The Rock in view
Cable cars ding their way down Hyde
Tourists laughing during their ride
Lombard Street winds down Russian Hill
Eight hairpin turns provide a thrill
Sea lions play at Pier Thirty Nine
People watching them in a line
So much to do, so much to see
Chinatown to Haight-Ashbury
The Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate
Above the water, sea gulls blate
Beside the bridge, Presidio
A clear view to Sausalito
Atop Twin Peaks, breathtaking view
The hills, the parks, the water blue
Painted ladies of postcard row
Across the street Park Alamo
A ferry churns t'ward where thieves stayed
Passing sailboats along the way
Nob Hill, the Castro, Union Square
Fun sights to see most ev'rywhere
A place that's diff'rent and unique
Full of Bohemian mystique
A town that's quirky and exquisite
I really think that you should visit
In the hilly city by the bay
The sun is out, the skies are blue
No fog in site, The Rock in view
Cable cars ding their way down Hyde
Tourists laughing during their ride
Lombard Street winds down Russian Hill
Eight hairpin turns provide a thrill
Sea lions play at Pier Thirty Nine
People watching them in a line
So much to do, so much to see
Chinatown to Haight-Ashbury
The Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate
Above the water, sea gulls blate
Beside the bridge, Presidio
A clear view to Sausalito
Atop Twin Peaks, breathtaking view
The hills, the parks, the water blue
Painted ladies of postcard row
Across the street Park Alamo
A ferry churns t'ward where thieves stayed
Passing sailboats along the way
Nob Hill, the Castro, Union Square
Fun sights to see most ev'rywhere
A place that's diff'rent and unique
Full of Bohemian mystique
A town that's quirky and exquisite
I really think that you should visit
Friday, January 4, 2019
Fearless Predictions for 2019
It's that time again! New Year's! Out with the old and in with the new! Make resolutions to work less, lose weight, be better people, etc. Blah, blah, blah. I've actually never been big on New Year's resolutions. I prefer to aim low and avoid disappointment. :) Instead, I'd like to make some bold, fearless predictions about what 2019 will bring us. I think it will be interesting to some look back at these predictions at the end of the year to see how accurate they were. I'm going to break my predictions out into a couple of different categories, just for fun.
Here we go...
Sports
Politics
Personal
Random - I actually hope I'm wrong on all of these
Happy 2019, everyone! I hope it's a great one for each and every one of you!
Here we go...
Sports
- Alabama will again win the national championship in college football.
- The Baylor women's basketball team will finally get back to the Final Four.
- The Baylor men's basketball team will again fall short of making the NCAA tournament but will win at least 2 games in the NIT.
- Mizzou will make the NCAA tournament and advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009.
- The Blues will start playing better, but it will be too little, too late and they will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
- Afterwards, the Blues will make some major moves to change the lineup. As a result, some combination of Alex Pietrangelo, Vladimir Tarasenko, Alexander Steen and/or Jaden Schwartz will no longer wear the blue note come the 2019-20 season.
- The Cardinals will end their playoff drought after 3 years and make it back to the MLB playoffs.
- Matt Rhule will rebuff overtures from the NFL and remain at Baylor. The Bears' rebirth under his direction will continue and BU will win 8 games and make another bowl game.
- Tiger Woods will come close but will still fail to win another major.
- Some guy from Kenya will win the New York City and Boston Marathons.
Politics
- The government shutdown go on long enough to be the longest ever but it will eventually end before the end of January without the president's desired funding for a border wall
- Robert Mueller will finally complete the Russia investigation.
- The investigation will result in Donald Trump being indicted and articles of impeachment being drafted in the House of Representatives.
- The border wall will not get funded and will not get built.
- Someone who is not a septuagenarian will actually declare a run for U.S. president.
- Like so many of his predecessors, new Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker will come under investigation for ethics or corruption related things.
- A current member of the U.S. Supreme Court will pass away, which coupled with the aforementioned indictment/impeachment of Trump will throw the judicial branch into chaos the likes of which hasn't been seen in decades.
Personal
- My son will successfully get his driver's license this spring.
- My son will get his first job.
- I will continue to sprout more gray hair.
- My wife will finally get her beloved convertible this spring as well.
- My daughter will hit her first home run in softball and will again make the high school basketball feeder team.
- My son will compile a winning record on the JV tennis team.
Random - I actually hope I'm wrong on all of these
- There will be at least one major national disaster (earthquake, hurricane) to hit the U.S.
- There will unfortunately be more than one major mass shooting in the U.S.
- There will be some sort of a terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
- Another former U.S. president will pass away.
- Another well known celebrity will be accused of sexual assault or misconduct.
Happy 2019, everyone! I hope it's a great one for each and every one of you!
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Remembering Doug Hopkins
"The past is gone but something might be found to take its place." - Doug Hopkins
This month marks the 25th anniversary of the death of a talented but tortured musician that marked the end of one of the more bizarre and tragic rock 'n roll stories. No, I'm not talking about Kurt Cobain. I'm talking about someone who died exactly four months PRIOR to Cobain. I'm talking about Doug Hopkins. While the name Doug Hopkins may not immediately ring a bell, if you are a fan of '90s music at all, I'm fairly certain you're familiar with his work. Hopkins was the founder, original lead guitarist and one of the primary songwriters of '90s rock band Gin Blossoms. He was the mastermind behind such huge hits as "Hey Jealousy" and "Found Out About You," two singles that helped propel Gin Blossoms' major label debut New Miserable Experience, to more than four million copies sold. Seeing as how it's now been 25 years since his untimely death and seeing as how the band is soon going on the road to play the entire New Miserable Experience album live, I thought it would be a good time to pay tribute to a gifted artist whose demons got the better of him at what should have been the pinnacle of success.
Hopkins had struggled with chronic depression since his childhood and, as he got older, he turned to alcohol to self medicate. By the time Gin Blossoms was becoming one of the biggest bands in the Southwest and was gaining attention from major record labels, Hopkins was a full blown alcoholic. There were reports that, during the recording of New Miserable Experience, there were times he could hardly stand in the studio. Hopkins was leery of selling his music to a major label, whereas the rest of the bad was excited by the prospect. Record label representatives were simultaneously interested in signing and promoting the band while being concerned about Hopkins' mental state. His anxiety about signing to a major record label led to more stubborn drunkenness. Eventually being faced with the prospect of either firing Hopkins from the band or being dropped by the label, the rest of the band fired him. The band and label also withheld money owed to Hopkins until he agreed to sign over half of his publishing royalties. Because of his dire financial situation (due, in part, to his depression and alcoholism), he had little choice but to agree to the terms.
Several months after Hopkins was fired from the band, New Miserable Experience began climbing the charts, largely on the strength of songs authored by Hopkins. This success (which resulted in Hopkins being given a gold record for "Hey Jealousy") only caused Hopkins to become more withdrawn and despondent. In late 1993, he finally sought help for his addiction, but during his early days of treatment, he committed suicide.
Gin Blossoms are largely known for their jangly guitars and hooky, sing along choruses. But if you dig a little deeper, you'll notice that, beneath the upbeat music and catchy melodies, there are somber lyrics of loneliness, isolation and heartbreak.
For example, take "Hey Jealousy," the band's first hit and one of their most recognizable songs. On its surface, its about kids out on a joy ride, running from the police. But a closer listen to the lyrics reveals lines such as "If you don't expect too much from me, you might not be let down" and "Cause all I really want is to be with you, feeling like I matter too." The narrator is engaging in negative self talk and seeking self worth in the opinions of others, things that are common signs of depression.
Likewise, "Found Out About You," a tune about a cheating girlfriend who dumped the narrator without telling him, paints a picture of quiet sadness and desperation: "Streetlights blink on through the car window/I get the time too often on AM radio/You know it's all I think about/I write your name, drive past your house."
Digging into some of Hopkins' less well known tunes, "Lost Horizons" deals with drinking and an indifferent lover: "Drink enough of anything to make this world look new again" and "She had nothing left to say, so she said she loved me/And I stood there grateful for the lie." Meanwhile, "Hold Me Down" is probably the hardest rocking song in the Gin Blossoms catalog and it's also one of Hopkins' darkest lyrics. The entire song is about being alone even when you're at a party surrounded by friends and others ("when you're in the company of strangers or just the strangers you call friends") and it is clearly both an frustrated acknowledgement of his addiction ("I can't remember why I like this feeling when it always seems to let me down") and a plea asking for people to help save him from himself ("When those doors swing open and all the drinks are passed around/Anytime the pickins look too easy, hold me down.")
Considering Hopkins' ultimate fate, the last of his solo compositions on New Miserable Experience - "Pieces of the Night" - is particularly poignant. It includes the line "But you wanted to be where you are/But it looked much better from afar," which is a bit of Hopkins' career in a nutshell. He longed to have a gold record but when he finally got one, it was after he was fired from the band and was destitute. It was reported in a story about Hopkins' life that, upon receiving the gold record for "Hey Jealousy," hung it up on his wall for a few weeks, only to then take it down and destroy it. Less than two weeks later, he took his life.
While some other '90s musicians who have committed suicide or died due to overdoses (Kurt Cobain, Layne Staley, Scott Weiland, Chris Cornell) have frequently been honored or lauded for the music they left behind, Doug Hopkins has typically been relegated to little more than a footnote in the success of a band that made it big largely on his creative abilities. His demons deprived him of the enjoyment of that success and it likely deprived the world of more jangly, catchy rock songs.
As I've mentioned in previous blog posts, New Miserable Experience is my favorite album of all time, owing largely to Hopkins' skill as both a musician and a lyricist. As someone who has dealt with depression and self doubt in the past, I can relate to many of his lyrics, even if I have thankfully avoided some of the demons he wasn't able to overcome.
Rest In Peace, Doug Hopkins. Your music still lives on and is still appreciated, even a quarter of a century after you headed for that last horizon. When the band you started tours in the coming months and plays songs you wrote live in concert, you can be assured that sold out crowds will be singing along with the songs you wrote. Wherever you are, I hope you may get some peace and satisfaction from that.
This month marks the 25th anniversary of the death of a talented but tortured musician that marked the end of one of the more bizarre and tragic rock 'n roll stories. No, I'm not talking about Kurt Cobain. I'm talking about someone who died exactly four months PRIOR to Cobain. I'm talking about Doug Hopkins. While the name Doug Hopkins may not immediately ring a bell, if you are a fan of '90s music at all, I'm fairly certain you're familiar with his work. Hopkins was the founder, original lead guitarist and one of the primary songwriters of '90s rock band Gin Blossoms. He was the mastermind behind such huge hits as "Hey Jealousy" and "Found Out About You," two singles that helped propel Gin Blossoms' major label debut New Miserable Experience, to more than four million copies sold. Seeing as how it's now been 25 years since his untimely death and seeing as how the band is soon going on the road to play the entire New Miserable Experience album live, I thought it would be a good time to pay tribute to a gifted artist whose demons got the better of him at what should have been the pinnacle of success.
Hopkins had struggled with chronic depression since his childhood and, as he got older, he turned to alcohol to self medicate. By the time Gin Blossoms was becoming one of the biggest bands in the Southwest and was gaining attention from major record labels, Hopkins was a full blown alcoholic. There were reports that, during the recording of New Miserable Experience, there were times he could hardly stand in the studio. Hopkins was leery of selling his music to a major label, whereas the rest of the bad was excited by the prospect. Record label representatives were simultaneously interested in signing and promoting the band while being concerned about Hopkins' mental state. His anxiety about signing to a major record label led to more stubborn drunkenness. Eventually being faced with the prospect of either firing Hopkins from the band or being dropped by the label, the rest of the band fired him. The band and label also withheld money owed to Hopkins until he agreed to sign over half of his publishing royalties. Because of his dire financial situation (due, in part, to his depression and alcoholism), he had little choice but to agree to the terms.
Several months after Hopkins was fired from the band, New Miserable Experience began climbing the charts, largely on the strength of songs authored by Hopkins. This success (which resulted in Hopkins being given a gold record for "Hey Jealousy") only caused Hopkins to become more withdrawn and despondent. In late 1993, he finally sought help for his addiction, but during his early days of treatment, he committed suicide.
Gin Blossoms are largely known for their jangly guitars and hooky, sing along choruses. But if you dig a little deeper, you'll notice that, beneath the upbeat music and catchy melodies, there are somber lyrics of loneliness, isolation and heartbreak.
For example, take "Hey Jealousy," the band's first hit and one of their most recognizable songs. On its surface, its about kids out on a joy ride, running from the police. But a closer listen to the lyrics reveals lines such as "If you don't expect too much from me, you might not be let down" and "Cause all I really want is to be with you, feeling like I matter too." The narrator is engaging in negative self talk and seeking self worth in the opinions of others, things that are common signs of depression.
Likewise, "Found Out About You," a tune about a cheating girlfriend who dumped the narrator without telling him, paints a picture of quiet sadness and desperation: "Streetlights blink on through the car window/I get the time too often on AM radio/You know it's all I think about/I write your name, drive past your house."
Digging into some of Hopkins' less well known tunes, "Lost Horizons" deals with drinking and an indifferent lover: "Drink enough of anything to make this world look new again" and "She had nothing left to say, so she said she loved me/And I stood there grateful for the lie." Meanwhile, "Hold Me Down" is probably the hardest rocking song in the Gin Blossoms catalog and it's also one of Hopkins' darkest lyrics. The entire song is about being alone even when you're at a party surrounded by friends and others ("when you're in the company of strangers or just the strangers you call friends") and it is clearly both an frustrated acknowledgement of his addiction ("I can't remember why I like this feeling when it always seems to let me down") and a plea asking for people to help save him from himself ("When those doors swing open and all the drinks are passed around/Anytime the pickins look too easy, hold me down.")
Considering Hopkins' ultimate fate, the last of his solo compositions on New Miserable Experience - "Pieces of the Night" - is particularly poignant. It includes the line "But you wanted to be where you are/But it looked much better from afar," which is a bit of Hopkins' career in a nutshell. He longed to have a gold record but when he finally got one, it was after he was fired from the band and was destitute. It was reported in a story about Hopkins' life that, upon receiving the gold record for "Hey Jealousy," hung it up on his wall for a few weeks, only to then take it down and destroy it. Less than two weeks later, he took his life.
While some other '90s musicians who have committed suicide or died due to overdoses (Kurt Cobain, Layne Staley, Scott Weiland, Chris Cornell) have frequently been honored or lauded for the music they left behind, Doug Hopkins has typically been relegated to little more than a footnote in the success of a band that made it big largely on his creative abilities. His demons deprived him of the enjoyment of that success and it likely deprived the world of more jangly, catchy rock songs.
As I've mentioned in previous blog posts, New Miserable Experience is my favorite album of all time, owing largely to Hopkins' skill as both a musician and a lyricist. As someone who has dealt with depression and self doubt in the past, I can relate to many of his lyrics, even if I have thankfully avoided some of the demons he wasn't able to overcome.
Rest In Peace, Doug Hopkins. Your music still lives on and is still appreciated, even a quarter of a century after you headed for that last horizon. When the band you started tours in the coming months and plays songs you wrote live in concert, you can be assured that sold out crowds will be singing along with the songs you wrote. Wherever you are, I hope you may get some peace and satisfaction from that.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
The 12 Days of Christmas - 2018 Edition
About a year ago, I shared a list of my favorite Christmas songs. I considered following that up this year with a list my least favorite Christmas songs, but it's really a pretty short list. Instead, I thought I'd revise my least favorite Christmas song and update it with new lyrics that make it better...and certainly more relevant to the world in 2018.
The song? "The Twelve Days of Christmas." I genuinely dislike this song. It's not "Macarena" level hatred, mind you, but I really dislike it. Why? Because it stinks. It's repetitive. It has no chorus and not much of a melody. It's just the same thing over and over again and the list of gifts that the writer gets from his/her "true love" blows. Maids milking? Lords leaping? Ladies dancing? And what's with all of the birds? Swans, geese, calling birds, French hens, turtle doves, and a partridge? Can you imagine the stench and racket at your house if those were the gifts you received for Christmas? And if you're going to give me some birds, at least give me some turkeys or chickens or ducks or something that I can cook and that tastes good.
With that in mind, I present my updated list of gifts to make it more relevant and accessible to folks today. I've left the repetition and redundant style of the song alone because, while I can sing and make up lyrics, I can't write music or play any instruments.
Here we go...
On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me-
12 months of Netflix
11 Uber rides
10 crazy socks
9 Amazon gift cards
8 Chick-fil-A nuggets
7 Starbucks lattes
6 pack of craft beer
5 smart phones
4 Bluetooth speakers
3 Flat screen TVs
2 wireless headphones
and a wi-fi hotspot with 5G
Wouldn't you agree that these gifts are a LOT better than a bunch of smelly birds?
The song? "The Twelve Days of Christmas." I genuinely dislike this song. It's not "Macarena" level hatred, mind you, but I really dislike it. Why? Because it stinks. It's repetitive. It has no chorus and not much of a melody. It's just the same thing over and over again and the list of gifts that the writer gets from his/her "true love" blows. Maids milking? Lords leaping? Ladies dancing? And what's with all of the birds? Swans, geese, calling birds, French hens, turtle doves, and a partridge? Can you imagine the stench and racket at your house if those were the gifts you received for Christmas? And if you're going to give me some birds, at least give me some turkeys or chickens or ducks or something that I can cook and that tastes good.
With that in mind, I present my updated list of gifts to make it more relevant and accessible to folks today. I've left the repetition and redundant style of the song alone because, while I can sing and make up lyrics, I can't write music or play any instruments.
Here we go...
On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me-
12 months of Netflix
11 Uber rides
10 crazy socks
9 Amazon gift cards
8 Chick-fil-A nuggets
7 Starbucks lattes
6 pack of craft beer
5 smart phones
4 Bluetooth speakers
3 Flat screen TVs
2 wireless headphones
and a wi-fi hotspot with 5G
Wouldn't you agree that these gifts are a LOT better than a bunch of smelly birds?
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