The Commutes Goes on Break

Immediately after Sarah Bennett submitted her first post, the posts started drying up. Let’s not assume too much, but I think it’s fair to say that Sarah’s involvement was a classic femme fatale, wreaking havoc on the good thing we had going.

But in all honesty, the Commutes staff has had a little too much on their plate for the past week. IRL, we’re all contributors to the workforce and this week was another instance of the almighty dollar winning out again.

Consider this our sincerest apologies. We’ll have new content streaming through again as soon as next week. Dominate your Friday and enjoy the weekend

- The Commutes Team

The Kings of Leon Effect Part V: Sarah’s Picks

by Sarah Bennett

Ed. Note: This is the maiden post of the lovely Sarah Bennett, who will be joining our team here at Commutes. We’re thrilled to have her on board though Sarah’s prowess and skill will likely give you a dim view of the men of Commutes going forward. Read charitably, reader.

This week, Commutes is discussing the Kings of Leon Effect, where underrated things eventually become overrated. As a new writer for this blog, I figure that a great way to alienate readers upon first impression is by making a list of things I dislike or think are overrated:

1. Sushi. It used to be that outside of major cities, Asian restaurants were limited to places that served only Kung Pow chicken in takeout containers and suggesting you go for a bite of raw fish was a gross idea. As we’ve hit our 20s, the default dinner out suggestion with my friends seems to be sushi. I love it, but it’s constant and seems like more of a snack than a meal. I don’t know if this is actually true or it’s all a big show, but everyone else seems stuffed after five pieces of sushi, while I’m ordering my tenth roll and avoiding giving anyone a ride home so I can stop to pick up White Castle with a side of shame on the way home.

2. Liking Things Ironically. There was a time many moons ago when people were earnest and you didn’t always have to parse their sentences for level of sincerity. Irony was still funny, but could be lost on others. Now, it is the default assumption.  I could pretend that my love for 80s and 90s pop is an intellectual statement about high vs. low culture and somehow a reflection of my own intellectual superiority, but that would be a lie, not to mention exhausting. The truth is, I love it when “King of Wishful Thinking” comes on the radio. It’s OK to actually enjoy things, and a waste of time to purposefully spend your time on things you don’t like to prove your sense of irony and wit. Plus, the influx of irony makes for uncomfortable conversations: “I love this song!” “I know! Isn’t it terrible?” Awkward.

3. Johnny from Devil Went Down to Georgia. A bit out there, but it’s the end of the week. This is a musician who has continually suffered from the Kings of Leon Effect since long before Kings of Leon existed. The devil certainly underestimated Johnny in the beginning; he has talent and the Devil should have considered that.  But there is no way in Hell that Johnny beat the devil. Sure, Johnny is good, but the Devil has a BAND OF DEMONS. His version has a much more badass fiddle part, funky guitar, and an awesome bass line, while Johnny’s is nice, but nothing particularly original. Who would you rather see in concert? The Devil would have a 100-piece demon band behind him with Mephistopheles on drums. There would probably be a laser light show and a mosh pit. All Johnny has going for him is a soul and the ability to rhyme “run” with “sun.” He did not deserve that golden fiddle.

4. Pants. In college, there seemed to be a major pants shortage. People went around in tee-shirts without pants, because leggings are not now nor have they ever been pants, no matter what the occasion. On nights out, it was short skirts and dresses, trading pants in for hypothermia. Guys, too, often eschewed pants for mesh shorts, whether they were actually playing basketball or not. I scoffed at these people then. Now that everyone else seems to have jumped on the wearing pants bandwagon, I‘m beginning to think that they were on to something. While most of my friends are now young professionals with the wardrobes to match, this period of freelancing from home while in between jobs (read: without dental insurance) has made me question my commitment to proper clothing. They all seem to like how they now seem more “put together and appropriate” compared to others in the same age bracket, whereas I’ve begun to resent going in for interviews because they require me to wear real pants. Maybe I’m not a productive member of society, but at least I’m comfy.

5. Ordering Scotch. I would like to preface this by saying that I love whiskey in all its forms. It is by far my favorite drink. But for a long time, scotch was strictly an old man drink. With the advent of Mad Men—a show with characters who would now be old men in real life— young people have taken to ordering scotch on nights out. For me, still being in the “I’ll have a glass of whatever your cheapest beer is, thanks” phase of life, this is problematic because there is no Popov’s equivalent of scotch. But the greater problem with the increase in people ordering scotch is that a lot of people don’t actually like it. Once the first person orders one, though, the gauntlet has been thrown, an d anyone after has to also order a scotch or risk looking like a sissy. Nothing kills the party mood faster than the sudden hush that falls over the room as eight out of nine people try to choke back their drinks without grimacing.

The Kings of Leon Effect Part IV: Erick’s Picks

by Erick Brown

Cynicism is always fun. But this list was tough because it’s composed mostly of things that I wish were better. They once had promise in their own little ways but they have since out-worn their welcome. Thus, I present the following list with just a hint (the precise amount of Sriracha I enjoy on my Pad Thai) of regret:

1. Bill Snyder. He’s good, but this past year brought reactionary fans out of the woodwork to proclaim the superiority of Bill Snyder to the utmost levels. He took a very lousy program and turned it around during the 90′s. He had a number of really good years, reaching 10+ wins consistently and peaking at an unexpected #1. All the while he has (according to those who ignore JUCO transfers) done this with paltry, pathetic recruiting classes. Apparently this demonstrates that he is among the ‘greatest coaches of all time’. What these arguments ignore is that Synder has won just 2 conference titles in his career, is under .500 in bowls, .666 all time, and .598 in conference. A good coach, but nowhere in the discussion among the greats.

2. Smartphones. Smartphones certainly aren’t underrated in popular culture, but those that don’t have one are constantly bombarded by their smarter-phoned brethren about everything they are missing. They are assured that it will change their life, they will never be able to go back, that they don’t know what they are missing, etc. As a recent smartphone convert driven to make the switch thanks to a generous corporate phone program, I’m glad I held out as long as I did, and I don’t believe I’d have much of an issue returning to the LG EnV2 that served me well for 3+ years. Considering the prices, the expansive availability of Wi-Fi, and the relative value of Wi-Fi-based items like iPod Touches or Kindle Fires…smartphones have hit a Kings-of-Leon point from which they may never return. Wi-Fi certainly won’t be shrinking in the future.

3. The Walking Dead. The books are better than the show, and the books just aren’t very good. The graphic novel series that pre-dates the AMC TV show were recommended to me by friends and blogs alike. They were supposedly a hidden gem from the under-the-radar Image Comics, and I eventually gave in and picked up a few. I got through a solid 9 trade paperbacks before quitting and never looking back. The novelty of a zombie comic book and the writer’s willingness to kill of characters George R.R. Martin-style can only make up for incredibly awful dialogue for so long. I regret only that they sit on my shelf next to much better material. Eventually, I heard amazing things about the TV series. Another hidden gem on a TV channel that brought me Mad Men and Breaking Bad. I gave it a full two seasons before, once again, the novelty wore off and the acting and writing led to a unceremonious removal of my Tivo Season Pass. The Walking Dead is readable and watchable to a certain extent, but the ratings leave me simply baffled.

4. Agnosticism. This seems to be a term that many people use to simply mean “I don’t like going to Church”. It’s right on par with the statement: “I’m not religious, but I am spiritual”. And I for one believe both have run their course of usefulness. I’ve had many engaging conversations about theism with theists, atheists, and agnostics. The consistent feature of a conversation with an agnostic is that it’s short. Not because they are unwilling to discuss religion, but because it generally becomes pretty obvious which side of the fence they actually fall on. In the words of the always entertaining Richard Dawkins: Permanent agnosticism is “fence-sitting, intellectual cowardice.”

5. Pirating Movies. I had my pirate phase for sure. It’s easy, it can be extremely useful (especially a while back when trying out a new TV show was significantly more difficult than it is today), it’s free, and it’s mostly harmless. But there are people who download just to download. They react to any discussion about movies with: “Oh yea, I have that on my computer”, yet they have never bothered to actually watch it. I may be in the minority, but for the enjoyment I get out of a movie theater experience (and don’t be afraid to go it alone), tickets are relatively cheap (keep an eye out for AMC Gold Experience tickets and buy in bulk for $7 each). And the availability of cheap DVDs or movie-streaming services is truly astounding if you think back to 5-10 years ago. Finally, there are literally hundreds of sources out there that can help you avoid a shitty movie-going experience. If you’re upset about dropping $10 on a movie ticket, it’s my personal belief that you’re seeing the wrong movies.

The Kings of Leon Effect, Part III: Vincent’s Picks

By Vincent Kwan

Unlike the John Mayer effect, where I had to draw within myself to find the upside of things, the Kings of Leon Effect, where underrated things are now overrated, allows to exercise my naturally high levels of haterade. As always, disagree with me profusely in the comments:

1. Rush. A couple of my dearest friends are Rush fans, and it’ll pain them to read this, but there are few more sanctimonious fanbases than the one that exists for Geddy, Alex, and Neil. I kind of like Rush in that way you like something out of respect for it. But, if I’m being honest, I’ll throw on “Limelight” or “Tom Sawyer” only when I want that clichéd classic rock song feeling. Whenever I tell people I’m sort of eh about Rush, the conversation always plays out exactly like that Cheetos bit from Family Guy. NEIL PEART IS THE GREATEST, the chorus screams. WE RESPECT MUSICAL TALENT, WHY ELSE WOULD WE MENTION A DRUMMER FIRST? But beyond the initial Neil Peart hard-ons, the arguments are remarkably slim. Behind the clear technical skill , there’s an abundance of those “screeching halt” drum fills and lyrics you can only appreciate ironically, all jammed into overly-long tracks. If I had to guess, Rush fans are probably also the people constantly bemoaning how they “don’t make music like they used to anymore.” That’s something Rush fans and I can agree on: When listened to today, Rush is a markedly aged, not transcendental experience.

2. Sriracha. As a Vietnamese kid, it pains my heart to say this, but I think the Red Rooster has gotten overplayed. The condiment’s explosion in popularity over the past couple years has made it the object of abuse. My heart weeps whenever I see menus proudly proclaim their Sriracha usage, as if to prove a certain hipness or exoticness. Additionally, Sriracha should not be thought of as the hot sauce to rule all hot sauces; Frank’s Red Hot (Cameron’s favorite) and other of it’s ilk are far more appropriate when you want that hit of vinegar as much as spice. If not properly handled, Sriracha will go the way of ketchup, where whatever it is we’re eating is merely used as a  vessel to deliver the condiment to our mouths. There’s a time and place for everything under the sun, folks, and Sriracha is a prime example.

3. NFL (Fantasy) Draft Sleepers. When NFL punditry’s annual “sleeper” lists are proclaim the same 10-15 small school players as sleepers, are they really sleepers anymore? Is it really possible to have  a “consensus sleeper?” The same logic goes for your fantasy drafts. When you and your friends all do your research from the same few sites, you’re bound to get enamored with the same freakishly athletic, bench-riding tight end or some team’s third string running back who can make it big if only he picks up a few carries. As a result, unfortunate, regrettable things happen, like drafting James Casey or Robert Turbin, for instance.

4.  Reddit. As a aggregator of often great nerd-culture pieces, Reddit delivers a bunch of content you wouldn’t otherwise find (or at least not yet find) on more above-ground media sources. But spend enough time on Reddit and you’ll find parts of its community repulsive, but even worse, boring and homogenous. Aside from harboring all sorts of unsavory characters in the name of free speech, the overall mood of Reddit is one that’s not unlike a precocious high schooler, always eager to prove he’s (and lets be honest, “he” is definitely the right pronoun to use for Redditors) right by setting up and knocking down strawman arguments, usually concerning religion. I imagine if you set up a venn diagram of “People who describe themselves as libertarian” and “Redditors,” you’d have two circles spooning each other. The internet is supposed to be something that expands your worldview. Often, I find Reddit doing the opposite.

5. Your Hangover Breakfast Place. Everyone’s got one in every town, and everyone’s convinced theirs is the best. After a night of drinking, a plate of carbs and fat is usually going to taste great, regardless of the source. Don’t get me wrong, local diner/greasy spoon, I enjoy your wares as much as the next dumbass who decided that shots past midnight was a good idea. But, just realize, you’re not some underground, transcendent culinary experience. You’re no different than the rest of them.

The Kings of Leon Effect, Part II: Matt’s Picks

Yesterday, Cameron introduced the Kings of Leon Effect, which is essentially the opposite of the John Mayer Effect. The Kings of Leon Effect is the effect whereby something is considered underrated for a long period of time, eventually gains momentum for its underrated status, and thus subsequently becomes overrated. After weeks of thought and exhausting research (okay, I used my lunch break yesterday to read Wikipedia for an hour), I have my top five.

Matt’s Picks

1. Missouri Valley Conference basketball. For at least the past five or six years, college hoops pundits have raved about the Missouri Valley Conference. Creighton is so good this year! Southern Illinois is great! Wichita State is legit! I’ve even heard it suggested that the Missouri Valley Conference is so deep that it can’t really even be considered a “mid-major” anymore. Granted, the MVC usually has a team or two in the top 25 during the regular season. But when it comes to the NCAA tournament, it’s a different story.

   Since 2000, 35 teams from mid-major conferences have made the Sweet 16, and MVC teams have accounted for a mere six of those appearances. More importantly, in that same span, mid-major teams have made it to the Elite 8 or further fourteen times (when you take out Memphis and Xavier, which are relative powerhouses, there are still eight mid-major appearances in the Elite 8 or further). No MVC team has made it to the Elite 8 in that span — not Creighton, not Southern Illinois, not Wichita State, not Northern Iowa, not Bradley. That’s less Elite 8 appearances than the MAC (Kent State ‘02), Conference USA (Memphis multiple times, Tulsa ‘00), the Horizon League (Butler ‘10 and ‘11), the Colonial Athletic Association (VCU ‘11, George Mason ‘06), the Atlantic 10 (Xavier multiple times, Temple ‘01, St. Joe’s ‘04), and the Southern Conference (Davidson ‘08).

   In today’s diluted college hoops landscape, that doesn’t cut it. Butler, VCU, and others have proven that true top-tier mid-majors can make serious postseason runs, and the MVC simply hasn’t reached that level. The MVC is the Houston Texans of college basketball — perennially impressive in the regular season, and a dud when it counts.

2. Acoustic/unplugged performances. Live acoustic music certainly has its virtues, and “unplugged” performances have continued to grow in popularity for good reason. In an age where a decent-sounding finished musical product does not necessarily imply a talented musician, acoustic performances strip away the artifice and reveal the talent (or lack thereof) of the artist at a song’s core. But with the increasing popularity of these performances, an attitude — both spoken and unspoken — has emerged among some that a live acoustic performance is automatically superior to a fine studio recording.

   Take the Beatles’ “Yesterday” for example. After all, it is the most covered song in rock and roll history. I’m not a huge fan of the song, but I think it’d be hard to argue that a live acoustic performance by Paul McCartney would be automatically superior to the complex, richly textured recording on Help!. Acoustic music has its place, and there are countless instances where an acoustic performance surpasses a recording, but an appreciation for acoustic performances should not automatically override an appreciation for great studio work.

3. Craft beer. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan. Living in Madison and Chicago for the past two years, I’ve had easy access to some of the best microbrews in the country (shoutout to New Glarus, Ale Asylum, and Half Acre). The rise of craft breweries has supported local economies and driven mass producers to diversify their offerings, both unqualified good things (except in the case of Blue Moon).

   However, the popularity of craft beer has given rise to — or at least brought completely out of the woodwork — a new class of annoying pseudo-beer-snobs, many of whom have no idea what they’re talking about. It’s now pretty much impossible to order a Miller Lite without justifying yourself, which is just kind of strange. Sometimes, you’d rather pay $3 than $6, and that’s not the end of the world. But it’s now pretty difficult to do that without an eye-roll from the bartender or the hipster on the barstool next to you. So, I guess this isn’t a knock on craft beer at all — in fact, I universally prefer it to mass-produced alternatives. Rather, this is a rant about the assholes whom the craft beer scene has unfortunately but inevitably provided with an air of superiority. Sorry, craft beer, but I hope you can understand. You hate these people too, right?

4. 

   Image courtesy of Flickr user stevendepolo.

   Soccer. I get it. For decades, America ignored the most globally popular sport, one with its own unique aesthetic and distinct culture. In the states, soccer is finally getting the attention and respect it deserves. In my opinion, it’s also become really annoying. Of all the people I know who now “follow” soccer, I’d say about half actually give a shit. The rest are in love with the idea of soccer. You get to wear a scarf, drink Guinness, and avoid the type of drunks you’d find at an SEC tailgate. Call me old-fashioned, narrow-minded, and the archetypal Ugly American, but I’ll continue to pretty much ignore soccer and hang out with the raving idiots at the tailgates.

5. Horse meat. For years, it was an edgy food popular in remote villages. But, sadly, Ikea and Burger King have taken horse meat into the mainstream. I’ll reminisce about the golden days, but you can now count me out of the horse meat scene. Enjoy it on your Whoppers, posers!

The Kings of Leon Effect

I think Vincent put it extremely well in his John Mayer article that my colleague Matt Waller and I tend to post for the weekday and coffee crowd. Without further ado, grab a cup of coffee and settle in. Happy Monday morning! Welcome to another edition of ‘the Effects’. Our first series featured a very positive topic, highlighting certain products, people or players that do not receive their due respect. This week will be the opposite, focusing our attention onto entities that have received their fair share and (in our opinion only, mind you) do not necessarily deserve the level of praise.

The Kings of Leon Effect – n. the effect whereby an object becomes drastically underrated at a certain point and thus subsequently becomes overrated

1. Kings of Leon – This band has had a strange place in my hierarchy of musical taste for a long time now. I discovered them all the way back in the frigid winter of 2005, where a cherubic Cameron Daniels was still in high school. (Is it kosher to call yourself cherubic?) The reason I remember the specific winter is I remember where and when and in what circumstance my friend first played some of their songs for me. We laughed at the lyrics for the word ‘Soft’. They were bluesy, twangy, rocky and raw. I think I would call it garage rock.

Then, Only by the Night was released in 2008, featuring songs like ‘Use Somebody’ and ‘Sex on Fire’, the latter of which to me sounds like a horror film about picking up a companion at a shady bar and sweating over those test results from your doctor (!). I digress. The album to me was a major disappointment because of my super high expectations.

2. The Films of Wes Andersen – With all due respect to my colleague Vincent Kwan (who posted his opinion as the exact opposite of this), listening to Wes Anderson fans talk about the power of The Royal Tenenbaums’ soundtrack makes me wish for a fast and painless death. I don’t want to make a big fuss over this because I truly enjoy his work. For the record, Bottle Rocket is one of the funniest movies ever made. The level of criticism needs to be levied against many of the fans.

“Wes painted a rich tapestry of suburban New England in Moonrise Kingdom” – Generic Coworker #2

Moonrise Kingdom had parts of it filmed in my hometown and I had to put up with this at work. To portray you how foreign this type of praise is uncommon for fans of anything else, let me cite the timeless Simpsons in their assessment of Jim Carrey:

Hugh: I’ve never met anyone who so understood the magic of Jim Carrey

Lisa: He can make you laugh with no more than a frantic flailing of his limbs.

QED.

3. Houston Texans – Boy, were the last six years fun. Every single year I got to hear about how chronically underrated and talented the Texans were! Did you know they had a billion Pro Bowlers! Did you know how much Arian Foster could run and Andre Johnson can plow over defenders like a Mack truck? Can you tell that I am a Patriots fan?

4. Big data – Either in the media or in social circles, I have noticed more reverence for statistics as a game changer and requisite for career, political, or financial prowess. As a Math major in undergrad (are you allowed to say ‘undergrad’ as opposed to ‘college’ if you didn’t go to grad school?), I support this movement. The fact that my co-writer Matt Waller can get excited about Nate Silver’s The Signal and the Noise is a fantastic development. If this were 20 years ago, I imagine his literary attention would be only focused on writers similar to Johnathan Franzen and David Foster Wallace (whoever their late 80s corrolary would be), but I can only speculate.

Then, Bill Gates quit Microsoft and Larry Page/Sergey Brin got so rich that they don’t know what to do with their time anymore. So they go around the world and consult about the power of data and how that is where all the competitive advantages are in business, education or health care. I highly suggest listening to Bill Gates speak about education and health care. His passion for his new work really shows and having listened to him I am more confident than ever in our ability to progress on simple, measurable metrics.

In the media, big data is expressed as a simple recognition of math as a tool to use and then the rest is trivial. It is what I do every single day at work, dealing with big data (Math FTW!) and what we talk about, debate and consult over are important things to know when dealing with big data. How does your AIC or SBC compare over time, does it degrade outside build, how have we weighted observations, are there multi-collinearity concerns?

I can drone on and on.

The devil is in the details. I worked as a research assistant for an economics professor while I was at Notre Dame. This could be measured as ‘big data’-ish. When I was interviewing my senior year, having this on my resume was very interesting to talk about with the interviewer.

“Oh, I see that you have some statistics work as an undergrad. What kind of things did you do?”

“Outside of get coffee?”

<Interviewer aggressively laughs at my perfectly timed and orchestrated joke, caught in surprise at my compelling wit>

“Well, there’s a lot to it. Variable selection, build selection and the actual coding takes a lot of time. There are theoretical issues that we need to be concerned with and how we are proxying for certain exogenous factors that will adversely impact our vertical readings in this time period. What we did was….”

No job offer received on that one.

5. Frank’s Red Hot – I put that shit on everything. Mac N’ Cheese + Frank’s Red Hot for the record is what eternal bliss is for me. Except it’s not eternal because I can wolf down an Easy Mac in, maybe, 30 seconds? When I’m hungry? I haven’t timed myself. I wanted that to preface what I have to say next. I have met people who refuse to eat buffalo wings that aren’t made with Frank’s Red Hot. I have met people who have looked down on the fact that I don’t throw it on my burgers or salads (sometimes gotta stick with the classics, like Italian or Ranch).

It’s a cult. Sweet Baby Ray’s has a similar cult surrounding it and I almost put that here, but I just think the product is too good (I’m a card-carrying member of the cult).

There you have it, my top five. If you disagree with me, remember that this is just my opinion. But also know that you are wrong.

Cheers,

Cameron Daniels

Cameron Daniels works as a financial analyst in Texas. Hailing from the Greater Providence area, he is obsessed with following the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics and lets you know it ad nauseum. His other interests include chess, Good Will Hunting, Pearl Jam and playing piano. He also currently writes for Don’t Quit Your Day Job, a personal finance website dedicated to the night and weekend crowd. You can contact him through e-mail.

Weekend Miscellany, Part II: Vincent’s Picks

Some reading before you settle into 3 hours of Seth MacFarlane schtick, take some time to read some of Vincent’s weekend picks. Enjoy your Sundays, and remember: Crash sucks.

Crash: The Most Loathsome Best Picture of Them All by Mallory Ortberg and Anne Helen Peterson

“Crash is one of those movies that when someone says it’s one of their favorites, I have no choice but to dislike them. Guaranteed antipathy for the rest of our lives. Fuck being such an overdetermined signifier of worthlessness.”

Brian D. Lyons , Brian J. Hoffman , John W. Michel & Kevin J. Williams (2011): On the Predictive Efficiency of Past Performance and Physical Ability: The Case of the National Football League, Human Performance, 24:2, 158-172

Not Oscar-related, but pertaining to another massive meat market taking place over the weekend, take some time to read this journal article (it has an abstract and everything!) on the correlations between particular NFL combine drills and NFL success. All findings need to be taken with a grain of salt, however, as players’ adherence to the “Patriot Way” included in the study, leading me to believe the results are incredibly prone to omitted variable bias.

Weekend Miscellany, Part I: Matt’s Picks (Beatles Edition)

It’s a little late in the day for our usual weekend links post, but I was hungover earlier, and better late than never. I encourage you to look at this stuff with a beer rather than with a cup of coffee. I had a lot of time on my hands this week and came across some Internet gold, which mainly involved the Beatles.

Matt’s Picks

Beatles Stuff

• “We Buy White Albums”  (from Dust and Grooves). 693 copies of the White Album in one place? It’s as cool as it sounds. Dust and Grooves has a great interview/photo-essay on artist Rutherford Chang’s exhibit of hundreds of copies of the White Album in LA.
• “Is Jonathan Franzen More like John Lennon or Paul McCartney?” by Benjamin Nugent. A brief but deeply interesting read exposing the underestimated formal complexity in Jonathan Franzen’s writing (drawing a comparison to the underrated sophistication in Paul McCartney’s work). The article also begins with a great comparison of DFW and Franzen to Lennon and McCartney — then uses the rest of its space to explore the accuracy of that comparison. Probably the best thing I’ve read this month.
• George Martin‘s discussions of the Beatles (available on YouTube). Martin, “the fifth Beatle” and legendary producer/musician/polymath, shares some great insights on Beatles music in a number of videos available on YouTube. This is the guy who played piano on “In My Life,” so just shut up and listen.
  • On “A Day in the Life”
  • Revealing the “Here Comes the Sun” hidden solo
  • On mono vs. stereo

The Rest (Louis C.K., the Oscars, and more)

• “Is Louis C.K. our Gogol?” by Avi Steinberg. An in-depth look at Louis C.K.’s current stand-up material, what makes his comedy great, and what it’s like to experience a Louis C.K. show in person. A great article on one of today’s most influential comics.
• “Beer Maps: Two Giant Brewers, 210 Brands” by Caitlin Kenney. A really, really interesting infographic depicting the 210 global beer brands owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller. If you’re in Zimbabwe, settle down with a Lion Lager and check this out. 
• “The Record Books” by Christophe Gowans. Gowans’ experiment here is to imagine “if best-selling albums had been books instead.” The results are great, and often hilarious. Gowans takes on Blood on the Tracks, Abbey Road, and more. Are You Experienced? is my personal favorite.
• “‘Zero Dark Thirty’s’ Sharp Turn from Oscar Glory” by Steven Zeitchik and Nicole Sperling. A nice piece on the controversy surrounding Zero Dark Thirty and why it is no longer the Best Picture favorite. Also, I learned from this article that such things as “award consultants” exist.

What is “Hello, Again”?

by Erick Brown

The typical brand website follows a pretty standard pattern: eye-catching imagery married to well-researched copy, some form of a ‘Product News’ section, a variation on ‘Special Offers’ or a Coupon, possibly a way to learn more about the history of the brand, and, increasingly, an attempt by the brand to participate in social networks. But then some take it one step further and choose to show off something to engage the consumer in order to create a connection to the brand that goes past simple use and awareness.

I highlighted a recent example of this in the last Weekend Miscellany where the Lincoln Motor Company commissioned artist Beck and a 160 person orchestra to remake David Bowie’s Sound and Vision to be performed in front of 300 invited guests in California. The result ranks up there with one of the cooler things I’ve seen in a while. Upon completion, the video points you to a website which Lincoln has devoted to the concept of “Hello, Again”. A logical question about the relationship between the luxury car brand and the eclectic Beck performance is obvious enough to lead Lincoln to pose the question themselves in an obvious location on their site: “What is Hello, Again?”.

The answer is a few paragraphs about fresh ideas from old sources, essentially a tale of how Lincoln is or intends to reinvent themselves while remaining the same. The new from the old, the modern from the classic, the Beck from the David Bowie. It’s nothing new in marketing speak, but I find it fascinating nonetheless.

I think it is fair to say that I do probably think of the Lincoln Motor Company differently than I did just a few weeks ago. But I’m also aware that many people see the cross-links at the end of videos like this and pass right over them in the same way that I disregard many of the brand names associated with various college football bowl games. The difference for me is the effort that it takes to put something like this together compared to slapping the company logo on a billboard or relying simply on Super Bowl ads. Personally, I find it impressive.

Whether David Bowie accurately represents how people viewed Lincoln this time last year is a whole different story, but the idea is certainly interesting. The next step is simply to aim for ‘viral’, but that’s basically a wish and a prayer. I found this video on Slate and I haven’t seen it anywhere but here at The Commutes since. If Slate didn’t decide to post it, I would have never seen it and the campaign may have failed for me. I probably wouldn’t have noticed the new Lincoln ads at my local train station, I certainly wouldn’t have explored the website, and I would be extremely unlikely to view Lincoln any differently than I previously had. Does the fact that I did see it make the campaign a success?

I imagine there is a web analyst and a marketing strategist sitting behind a desk in Detroit somewhere responsible for communicating that ‘fact’. How many people watched the video? How many came to the site? How many clicked to see the explanation of ‘Hello, Again’? How many changed their opinions of Lincoln like I have? And how many of those will allow that change in opinion to affect their buying behavior?

That’s the difficult question that becomes even more difficult in a market like automobiles. A funny Old Spice ad will get consumers to drop a few bucks to when presented with the deodorant aisle, but the product itself keeps them coming back. Can an interesting music video get a consumer to give Lincoln a shot? Maybe a few of us will stop by a dealership if we’re ever in the market. Heck, maybe we’ll give it a test drive. But when it comes down to dropping 5 figures on something, is the product there to support the new interest?

Or will folks like me stick to the Honda Civic that served them so well for so long? I’m not in the market, but it’ll be interesting to see where my head, my heart, and my all-important wallet lead me the next time I’m looking.

Legends and Aging

by Cameron Daniels

I recently attended a Buddy Guy and Johnny Lang concert at Winstar casino in Thackerville, OK. The scene was atypical for a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, six-time Grammy award winner and traditional Chicago Blues guitarist. After sifting through the thousands upon thousands of slots (I’m not kidding) to find the venue inside the casino, I settled into my seat in the emporium.

The crowd was a mixture of blues fans, old people looking for something to do and casino attendees who stumbled into the concert and picked up some of the available tickets. I thoroughly enjoyed the concert itself, being a large fan of all the Chicago Blues artists who arrived before Rock and Roll: Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Howling Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter. His style is inimitable, not falling into any genre and at age 76, he still can play and perform with the best of them, so long as it ends before 10:00.

Buddy Guy can still perform.

What was shocking to me, however, was the crowd itself. The crowd was older than the typical concert that I attend, but I was more shocked at the lack of enthusiasm from the crowd. Traveling to Oklahoma in a casino on a Friday night may not guarantee a crowd conducive to high energy, but I expected a little more respect and reverence for the blues legend. Most of the fans who knew who he was would sit and nod their heads as he played while those who did not know the words or songs would scream and drink more to pretend they’re having a good time.

Coming out of the concert (which, again, I thought was fantastic) I was struck at the late career of a six-time Grammy award winner. My image of famous musicians is that they strike it so rich by age 35 that they either: a.) burn out and die of a drug overdose, b.) lose all their money in a Ponzi scheme and then appear on Celebrity Rehab or advertisements in their later career, c.) retire early and only perform in rare “Comeback concerts” or d.) play just for the fun of it. I would categorize Buddy Guy in category D, but he seemed to still be performing trying to promote his album. His career took a long time to launch and I imagine it was not the most financially lucrative.

As a daytime Financial Analyst, I now picture my career ending giving personal finance advice on a cruise ship in my old years trying to pay off some debt I incurred.

Cameron Daniels works as a financial analyst in Texas. Hailing from the Greater Providence area, he is obsessed with following the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics and lets you know it ad nauseum. His other interests include chess, Good Will Hunting, Pearl Jam and playing piano. He also currently writes for Don’t Quit Your Day Job, a personal finance website dedicated to the night and weekend crowd. You can contact him through e-mail.