Random Detritus: Friday Edition

A Facebook comment inspired my mind to wander in the direction of '80s session super-group Toto, specifically the song Africa. Yet, somewhere along the way, I found myself confronted by the lyrics to that other '80s group, Asia and In the Heat of the Moment. I must confess that I dig the tune but I'd never actually paid much attention to the lyrics. There are some heavy, heavy words in there. Check out the last stanza:

And when your looks have gone and you're alone
How many nights you sit beside the phone
What were the things you wanted for yourself
Teenage ambitions you remember well

That, friends and Romans, is some deep thought, right there.

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In more uplifting news, I found, courtesy of NeoGAF, perhaps the finest GIF ever. EVER.

So help me, I can't stop looking at it. I can't. Who am I gonna call? Who am I gonna call!?!

We Dislike Ike

It is weird watching the great media anticipation surrounding Ike's inexorable march towards the Texas coast because, right up until a couple of years ago, I was there. I was there for Katrina and I was there for Rita. I've got plenty of friends and family who are there now. It's different watching it from afar, where the only fallout from the big storm will be some extra rain and a lot of gratuitous news coverage. There's a palpable disconnect now because I'm not there. I'm just another bystander tuning in to watch the giant storm donut churn over the gulf. It's a strange feeling.

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Am I the only one who thinks of Ike Turner every time I hear or read the name Hurricane Ike? I guess it's a silly question because I know I'm not, having received this wonderfully evocative image in my email inbox today (thanks Paul, Shaun):

Well, if there's anything that can stop Ike, it's Tina.

So, for the city of Houston, Harris county, and the state of Texas, please play the above YouTube video or any of the many great singles, EPs, or albums of the incomparable Tina Turner. It may be their only hope.

Hang in there, H-Town!

Madden For Realz, Son

Sometimes it's hard to imagine how big the Madden football games have become culturally. Everyone knows what it is. It shows up on TV, movies, and music. It's become as much a part of the fabric of the American male as the sport it simulates.

From this embedded position, it shouldn't be a surprise, that celebs would challenge each other to high stakes Madden showdowns. But it is a surprise (to me at any rate) and completely, totally awesome.

On Tuesday, Bow released a video on DimeWars.com challenging his friend to a $100,000 video game showdown.

"I seen you do your thing in 'Madden,' " Bow said. "I want to let you know I will bust your ass in that 'Madden.' We can get it poppin'.

"The winner can take the money, and we can donate it to charity," he added. "Donate it to a good cause."

A Game video blog started circulating Wednesday morning (August 20), in which the Compton concrete-smasher accepted the challenge. He crassly said he would up the stakes to 100 G's and sexual favors from Bow's ex-girlfriend Ciara.

" 'Madden' — I do this sh-- every day," Game said from his tour bus. "This is the 'Madden' bus, n---a. You can't f--- with me. I been playing this sh-- since you was in diapers. Since '89, 'Bill Walsh College Football.' You was 3 years old when 'Madden' came out." (Actually, Bow was 2 in 1989, and the first version of the game, "John Madden Football," dropped in 1988.)

Source: "Game Vs. Bow Wow: No Rap Beef Here, Just A 'Madden 09' Face-Off" by Shaheem Reid (MTV News)

This needs to happen and it needs to be televised. I know I want to see it.

She, Him, and Me

She & Him - Webster Hall, NYC
Originally uploaded by Chris | the other Chris

I wanted to see She & Him when they came to the city in April but I wasn't able to get a ticket. However, when my RSS reader spat out a pre-sale notice for a July show this morning, I jumped on it. Hooray, internets!