Random Things (mostly sports related)
First, the most outstanding thing I've done lately (or nearly ever, in music viewing terms) is see Prince play at a venue with about a 1000 person capacity from less than 20 metres away. It was, without a doubt, one of my all time top five concerts, and worth every minute of dragging myself off the couch after a long day of work and standing in line in the cold for more than 2 hours.
To put the waiting in perspective, we got in line outside the venue at about 10pm, we were let inside the venue at about 12.15am, Prince's DJ played from about 12.30 to 2am, and then Prince played from just after 2 to 3.30am. I got home at about 4.45am... It was epic, and yet I get a buzz every time I think about it. I never thought I'd get a shot to see Prince in a small venue. He's one of those artists I expected I'd have to pony up the $300 plus to see in a shitty large venue (e.g. an entertainment centre); a prospect I find difficult to reconcile, as my loathing of entertainment centres is as strong as my love for almost any musician or band I enjoy. And yet here I am, having seen Prince at a local venue I go to frequently for small to moderately popular bands. I'm still not sure I believe it happened. Amazing.
A day and a half later and I'm still recovering.
In other news:
To put the waiting in perspective, we got in line outside the venue at about 10pm, we were let inside the venue at about 12.15am, Prince's DJ played from about 12.30 to 2am, and then Prince played from just after 2 to 3.30am. I got home at about 4.45am... It was epic, and yet I get a buzz every time I think about it. I never thought I'd get a shot to see Prince in a small venue. He's one of those artists I expected I'd have to pony up the $300 plus to see in a shitty large venue (e.g. an entertainment centre); a prospect I find difficult to reconcile, as my loathing of entertainment centres is as strong as my love for almost any musician or band I enjoy. And yet here I am, having seen Prince at a local venue I go to frequently for small to moderately popular bands. I'm still not sure I believe it happened. Amazing.
A day and a half later and I'm still recovering.
In other news:
- I've been bemused by my reaction to other people's reactions to Patrick Kane's drunken antics. My brain has been running on a loop of 'did he shit in a hotel hallway? is there a picture of him in a sexually compromising situation with an animal? did he glass a competitor? was he arrested for assaulting his girlfriend? has he been questioned in relation to a gang rape? did an underage girl post naked pictures of him on facebook? did he get caught screwing a team mate's wife? was he arrested for cocaine possession? did he make unwelcome advances towards a woman and then hospitalise her fiance when he intervened on her behalf? was he arrested for breaking into a girl's room and attempted rape? no? pfft, he's got a long way to go.' Oh, Australian sportsmen, look at how comprehensively you've lowered the bar. My expectations for good behaviour from professional athletes are so low they're practically non-existent. And for the record, all of those questions are things that actually happened...
- Watching more football, of varying codes, has reminded me how attractive I find Adam Goodes when he's in motion (he's the one in red), and how much I appreciate the Swans and their 'no dickheads' policy.
- Which means, yes, I did pick up following AFL again, but I have also been following the Super Rugby. I'm enjoying both, but am having surprising trouble keeping up with the positional nuances of rugby. Surprising, because I spent so many years as a league fan. Weirdly, instead of following the teams I should be, I'm finding myself supporting the Rebels and Cheetahs (with a side of the Reds and a bit of 'oh, waratahs')
- But following the super rugby has lead me to discover the Ruck podcast with Tony Squires, Matt Burke and Tim Horan, who were playing the last time I was following rugby and are surprisingly entertaining (Matt sleeps in his car before the show! Tim is addicted to Bunnings!) and from there, I've been reminded of how hilarious commentators can be. Especially Murray Mexted, who was responsible for epic lines such as "You don't like to see hookers going down on players like that" and "Spencer's running across the field calling out 'come inside me, come inside me'". Seriously, click on that link for a good giggle.
- I find myself wondering what hockey fandom would do if a picture of two players sharing a spa appeared, like this one with Scott Prince and Benji Marshall. Unless there's already something out there and people have been holding back in those primers...
- The discussion about concussion in the NFL and hockey has made for some very interesting reading and thinking. I've been especially interested in the theory that removing some of the equipment in NFL would lead to a safer game. I was absolutely horrified when I read that players are taught to hit with their head first. It's no wonder that tackles in NFL look all wrong to me. If anyone has any interesting links or thoughts on this subject, I'd love to read them. Especially if it relates to different sports learning from each other.
