Desirable Friction
Friends,
The guys from the Smartless (Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett) have been promoting a new podcast under their brand called Owned with Rex Chapman. Rex is a former NBA player who brings on guests to discuss good and bad owners of professional sports teams both today and in the past. Every episode is just one insane story after the other.
Start with this one.
🎙️The DeBartolo Family, The SF 49ers (with Drew Magary and Michael Cruz Kayne) [Spotify Link]
This particular episode is just amazing because of the stories and the quality of both its guests.
I’ve also listened to the episodes about Wayne Huizenga (Dolphins/Panthers/Rays), Steve Cohen (Mets), and Dr. Jerry Buss (Lakers). The guest for the Jerry Buss episode is none other than his daughter, Lakers owner and president, Jeanie Buss! If you watched Winning Time you’ll want to hear this interview.
Sidenote: I read Drew Magary’s fiction The Postmortal over a decade ago. The premise is there’s a drug that allows you to live forever (except from unnatural deaths) in say your 25-year-old body. But some people choose to reject the drug, society splits into different factions between those who do and those who don’t. Customs and laws need to be altered. For example, marriages have fixed terms instead of being “forever”. The book is thought-provoking but dystopian and depressing.
From My Actual Life
The not-for-profit social club/co-working space I helped start in town just had its one-year anniversary. I’ve written about this idea before in I Swear It’s Not Old School. I’m stoked that at this milestone the membership and engagement continue to grow(>80 members now!)
The mission is to foster in-person connection, fun, and personal growth. There is usually an event going on at least once a week, whether it’s bringing in a speaker, happy hour, poker night, mixology, pickleball, family kickball, board games, music jams, brown bag wine event, babysitting nights so parents can have dates, book clubs, or bringing in experts to help navigate family issues(kids and cell phones, applying to college, life with aging parents). Another member and I are about to do a 4-session experiment where we introduce kids 7+ to business and personal finance topics. The membership is also an amazing resource to crowdsource help from warm connections. The chat groups are what Nextdoor and Angie’s List wish they were.
(As some readers know, if we meet for coffee, this is where I’ll take you. I love sharing the idea and the space.)
The pics below are from our last Vinyl Listening Party. Everyone brings some records, puts a track on, and explains why they picked that song or what was going on in their life at the time when they were listening to it. A lot of really personal stories emerged from a super fun night. We’re doing another one this week.
Some of the songs that were played:
One of my friends is in a vinyl club that reminds me of Columbia House/BMG. You pay a monthly fee and get a new record every month. If you don’t like it, send it back. But it’s been a way for him to discover music where the experience has a bit more sanctity than just letting Spotify drive. Similar to how older readers discovered music. Looking at the record or cassette cover. Reading the liner notes or lyrics after ripping off all the plastic. If I let myself, I can still smell the record store next to my house when I was a teen. Staring at rock tees with their forbidden imagery, flipping through the alphabetical displays, hoping those 14 hard-to-come-by dollar bills that you dropped on album roulette were buying more replayability than just that one single you heard on the radio.
No shade to streaming, the convenience and price are untouchable (although of questionable health[$]), but sometimes you want listening to be the point not just the background. A vinyl party manufactures the type of friction that rewards you.
Anyway, my bud who subs to monthly record service brought an LP that was exclusive to the service when it was released — the Fruitbats’ cover of the entire Siamese Dream album in their own style. Apparently, the lead singer is a huge Pumpkins fan.
Been totally vibing with this track:
Stay groovy ☮️
Substack Meetings
I was invited to be a part of the Substack Meetings beta. You can book a time to chat. I’m more expensive than a 900 number from 1988 and have a less sexy voice.
Book a meeting with Kris Abdelmessih
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