Matt Perrault

Top 10 Songs of 2011

2011-12-31T11:27:00.000-08:00

So I'm not going to go into too much detail as to why I like each of these but as 2011 comes to a close, I thought I share my favorite tracks of 2011. I'm pretty diverse so knocking this down to 10 songs WAS HARD! Feel free to comment and let me know your favorites of the year.

10. Pistol Annies Hell on Heels

9. Jay-Z and Kayne West H.A.M.

8. Dropkick Murphy's 1953

7. Coldplay Paradise

6. Fitz and the Tantrums MoneyGrabber

5. Bon Iver Holocene

4. Adele Set Fire To The Rain

3. Drake I'm On One

2. The Civil Wars Poison And Wine

1. The Head and The Heart Down In The Valley

HERE'S TO A GREAT 2012 FOR MUSIC!!

The Best Albums of 2011

2011-12-07T21:32:00.000-08:00

Every December, like many people, I tend to reflect back on the year that just ended in hopes I can remember the lessons that I learned. I'm 34 now but it's amazing how similar my interests are from say, when I was 21.

You would think I would spend time listing my favorite sports moments of the year for a blog post about 2011 but I talk sports all year long (I'll probably do that list later though lol). The list I enjoy making the most is my favorite 10 albums of the year. I spend way too much time and money on music but I simply love it. It's my escape. My muse in a lot of ways.

This was an awesome year musicically for me because I returned home to Boston, the city that started my love of the medium in the first place. WFNX, the Boston radio station, will always be special to me and artists that it exposed me to still are played on my iPod. That internship actually gave me my career because I learned I wanted work in sports and play around in music. It's worked out pretty well for me.

In 2011, I saw bands like The Head and The Heart, Taylor Swift, The DropKick Murphys (at Fenway as well as 2 other times) Ani DiFranco, The Indigo Girls, Florence and The Machine, Laura Marling, Two Door Cinema Club and other great acts around the country. Live music will always be a part of my life and learning about new bands is probably my favorite hobby.

This was the year of "Americana" for me. Mumford and Sons (see link below) was my favorite album in 2010 and that just sent me down a path of musical discovery that was truly wonderful. So many amazing acts in that genre right now like Old Crow Medicine Show and the Avett Brothers, both whom did not put out an album in 2011, so they aren't below.

While I don't review music for a living and don't listen to everything that is out there ... here are my favorite albums for 2011. For reference - here is my 2010 list.

10. Ellie Goulding: Lights

Let me be honest right off the bat....Ellie can't sing live. Her performances I saw in support of this album were not good. HOWEVER, this is not about that. This is about recorded albums and this album is just really fun brit-pop. The title track Lights is one of my favorite songs of the year and Starry Eyed was a huge hit in clubs with its multiple remixed versions (like the one above).

9. Florence and the Machine: Ceremonials

The sophomore album from the talented singer was highly anticipated by me and it did not disappoint one bit. Florence was on my list of Top 5 bucket concerts and I'm happy to say I got to see her in December in Kansas City. The album is big - really big and tough to recreate live but Florence's voice is glorious. I'm not going to bother listing my favorite tracks because there are too many but if you liked her first album, you will love Florence's second.

8. Death Cab for Cutie: Codes and Keyes

In May, the seventh studio album was released by the alternative rock idols. I have been a fan of Death Cab since the early 2000's and they continue to produce amazing, mind-melting albums. They capture so many wonderful emotions in their songs and the sounds they continue to come up with so unique. For anyone with an appreciation for something that sounds different than your normal rock songs, this album is for you.

7. Laura Marling: A Creature I Don't Know

The (now) 21-year old brit singer/songwriter continues to show signs that she will be a tremendous force in the music industry for years to come. Her latest album puts her once again on my list of favorite albums of the year. Just like last year, her guitar playing and lyrics are something you MUST hear if you love folk music. I got to see her in Boston in late October with only around 500 people in the club. It was an awesome experience and I can't wait to see her again soon.

6. The Dropkick Murphys: Going Out In Style

Boston's punk-rock boys dropped their best album to date in my opinion in 2011. From start to finish, the record is extremely strong. Influences of folk, punk, ska, and rock are heard throughout the album and I got the chance to see the band 3 times in 2011 in support of the release. They have become one of the best live acts touring in the country and a band you should not miss if they come to your town.

5. Bon Iver: Bon Iver

Late in 2011, I finally came around to buying a full album from the Midwest folk group, fronted by the supremely talented Justin Vernon. I had been hearing amazing things about the band for years but never got around to buying an album of theirs. Shame on me because the self-titled record is phenomental. It's haunting, loving, and scary all at the same time. It might be the best driving album I've ever heard. Check it out - I'm serious. This band's second album is crazy good.

4. Jay-Z and Kayne West: Watch the Throne

This wasn't a great year for hip-hop or rap music in my opinion. It was the year of Americana, which you will see coming up but this album matches two of the best ever together. Genius on so many levels. Great beats, rhymes, and lyrics. I'll always like these two solo, so when you put them together, it's awesome.

3. The Civil Wars: Barton Hallow

I'm not ashamed to say that I learned about this group from twitter ... Taylor Swift's twitter account to be exact. The young country singer said that Poison and Wine was her favorite duet maybe ever, so I had I hear it for myself. If you can listen to the above song without being moved, you have no heart. It's simple as that for me. It's the most emotional song of the year. Spectacular and gut-wrenching.

2B. Alison Krauss and Union Station: Paper Airplanes

What can I say about Alison that hasn't already been written? She is a legend, an icon. I'm not going to try to say anything that will make me sound stupid but I finally saw her live in 2011. Her music is something that I will always treasure for the rest of my life. Her latest album is as strong from start to finish as anything she has produced. If you don't have this album, you have to own it. Again, "Americana" is the strength of 2011.

2A. The Head and The Heart: The Head and The Heart

"Down in the Valley with Whiskey Rivers, These are the places you will find me hiding" ... what an awesome lyric and awesome song. My favorite of 2011. "Americana" music for me really started with Alison and then moved into Mumford and Sons and Laura Marling. However, it exploded for me 2011 when I found this band. It led me to the Avett Brothers and other wonderful artists in the genre. I saw The Head and The Heart in Boston this fall and they were UNREAL. This band is only just beginning.

(Yes, there was a tie. I couldn't decide lol)

1. Adele: 21

I will admit that Adele's first album, 19, was not one that I fell in love with. I liked it but my reaction was nothing compared to what I felt after listening to 21 for the first time. From start to finish, it's the strongest, most timeless album of the year. This album I believe will be in the running for album of the decade and we are only 2 years in. It's that good.

Thanks for reading this and feel free to email or post your thoughts in the comment section. I'm always looking for new bands! Happy listening in 2012! (PS: Here is my favorite rap song of 2011 from an album I don't own :) Drake - I'm On One love the chorus!)

Update: Andover sends out a letter to parents

2011-11-30T18:01:00.000-08:00

On my last blog post, I called for Andover High School to act on the allegations that two students were hazed last summer at a basketball camp. Well, AHS has yet to act officially but they did send out a letter to parents saying that the hazing rules were violated and that action was going to be taken soon.

Rumor is that multiple suspensions are being handed down and potentially 2 expulsions as well. More to come as it becomes official but it sounds like AHS did what was right in the end. Eagle Tribune's outstanding article on the case is here.

Superintendent McGrath wrote to Andover Parents tonight:

A thorough investigation has been completed and submitted to me, and I am saddened to report to

you that the investigation concluded there were violations of our policies. As a school district, we will now take all appropriate action in accordance with our district policies and state law. While I fully understand and appreciate that you are legitimately interested in the outcomes for the violations of these policies, I am prohibited by federal and state laws from disclosing information about individual student discipline. I can tell you, however, that in the case of violations of our anti-bullying and anti-hazing policies, our school district policies permit a range of disciplinary actions which include suspension and expulsion from school. You have my assurance that I intend to strictly enforce these policies based upon the evidence and to the extent allowed by our policies and laws. We will address, separately, the involvement of any Andover Public Schools employees in connection with these allegations.

AD Chris Bergeron to Andover Parents tonight:

After consultation with Superintendent Marinel McGrath and Andover High School

Principal Thomas Sharkey, I intend to suspend student-athletes from participation in the

Andover High School 2011-2012 athletic program for varying periods of time due to apparent violations of Andover High School athletic policies and rules.

Any student-athletes who may be subject to possible suspensions have certain procedural rights which must be honored and I will be following that process. The Athletic Department is committed to the best interests of all student-athletes who participate in its programs and will rigorously protect those interests. As stated in the rules, which apply to all athletic programs, participation in the AHS Athletic Program is a privilege, not a right, and the highest standards of conduct will be enforced.

I wonder if Mr. Bergeron would have done this if the Bill Burt's story doesn't run? And for the record, Andover learned of this on November 11th. It's November 30th. Better late than never though.

EDIT: This paragraph from the linked article above is identical to what I first wrote about on Sunday. I'm glad my town and I still think alike: The two ringleaders of the hazing were expelled while the others involved received suspensions for an unknown amount of time and will not be allowed to compete in school sports for the remainder of the school year, sources said.

I wrote: Any player found to have participated in the hazing of the young men on the campus of Stonehill College should be off the basketball team for no less than one year.

EDIT 2: Ring leaders who are expelled take to Facebook to plan a secret meeting ... not very secret guys. SMH.

Andover High Needs To Act Now

2011-11-27T21:06:00.000-08:00

I sent this Op/Ed to my hometown paper - The Lawrence Eagle-Tribune after reading a story that came out yesterday:

The incident involving the Andover High School basketball team was brought to my attention on Thanksgiving by my brother who is a junior at the school. He asked me if I had heard about the “Ookie Cookie situation” involving the basketball team and what I thought of it.

After hearing the details for the first time, I didn’t know what to think. Older basketball players forcing fellow younger players to eat a semen covered Oreo cookie in a Stonehill College dorm room was enough to make me (want to) vomit up my turkey.

There is no justification for such behavior and there should be zero tolerance of it. Those committing hazing incidents, while unfortunately common these days, have to be handled swiftly and harshly.

Sadly, that has not happen at AHS.

My family has a long history with Andover High including graduating myself, father, mother, stepfather, 2 of my brothers and 11 of my aunts and uncles. I was a varsity athlete as was my stepfather and 2 of my brothers.

I’ve been in those AHS locker rooms and played briefly for AHS head coach David Fazio’s program. As a sports media and broadcasting professional for the past 15 years covering sports at every level (including high school sports for Rivals.com), I have seen this story before.

I’m just sorry to see it happening in my hometown.

The argument being made in defense of Coach David Fazio is that since the crime (and yes, I’m calling it a crime) occurred off school grounds and not at a school sponsored event that, according to a statement from his attorney “Mr. Fazio did everything possible to deal with this 4-month-old situation. This is not a school-related issue."

While that might resolve Coach Fazio from any legal responsibility, it does not excuse the conduct by the student-athletes and does not explain why none of them have been suspended from the basketball team by the school as of yet.

Athletic Director Chris Bergeron needs to explain when exactly he was made aware of the incident and why the players have yet to be suspended from the team. The Easton Police Department opened an investigation but so far, AHS hasn’t done anything besides issue a statement on their website claiming they are investigating the accusations.

According to the story in the Eagle Tribune, Coach Fazio was made aware of his players’ behavior on November 11^th, four months after the fact, but it’s the end of the month and we haven’t heard from AHS officials yet. Why wasn’t there something sent out to parents as soon as the victim came forward?

My mother is the parent of a current student. She has received nothing from AHS on the matter.

The student-athlete who had the courage to come forward has since transferred from Andover High due to the attack, which shows how serious this was. If accounts of Fazio informing the parents of the victim immediately are true, then I believe Coach Fazio did what needed to be done in his position. This did happen during the summer and he did not witness it obviously.

My issue is with the young men who perpetrated the act. There should be an immediate suspension of anyone suspected of being present during the hazing event. Reportedly, 9 AHS basketball players were there. All should be placed on indefinite suspension until an independent investigation can be carried out into what actually happened in that door room.

If that causes AHS to forfeit the basketball season, so be it. If the Penn State sex abuse scandal has taught us anything is that allowing a sports program to investigate itself is just plain stupid. There is money and power involved in AHS basketball and losing an entire season could hurt the school’s bottom line.

As an alum, I don’t care.

The fact that AD Bergeron hasn’t suspended the players suspected of that attack is extremely troubling. I’m not calling for anyone to lose his or her job … yet. However, an INDEPENDENT investigation must be conducted to find out when the AD and head coach really knew about the incident and what was done with that information.

If it was handled correctly, then we move on to the players themselves.

Any player found to have participated in the hazing of the young men on the campus of Stonehill College should be off the basketball team for no less than one year. It is conduct unbecoming of a student-athlete at Andover High School. It is gross, lewd, and completely unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.

Sports are a privilege, not a right. Even though we are taught to believe that they are bigger than life, in particular at AHS, behavior such of this must be handled with an iron fist. No excuses.

There is no grey when you are abusing a fellow student. You commit acts like ones being reported, and you lose the privilege to wear the AHS uniform. The integrity of the program is at stake.

I sincerely hope AD Bergeron does what is right and suspends the suspected athletes immediately until an independent body can investigate the accusations against its basketball players.

Right now, the lack of action makes it look like AHS has been caught trying to bury an awful story.

Matt Perrault is a 1995 AHS graduate and former AHS student-athlete and host of “The Home Team with Matt Perrault” on WGAM “The Game” 900 AM in Nashua, NH and 1250 AM Manchester, NH

EDIT: The camp has been kicked off Stonehill College's campus for lack of protection of young people. The latest: Story is here

EDIT 2: Sadly, Chris Bergeron refused to talk to ESPNBoston.com

EDIT 3: This is from a dear friend of mine who works in college athletics. His thoughts on this story speak to exactly what AHS is failing to see:
"We often say "there is no 'I' in team." But this is not accurate--when the team (or protection of the team, or school, or "brand") becomes more important than protecting the rights of the individual, then there should be no team. A great team is often not comprised of the most talented individuals, but more often comprised of individuals with talent who recognize the value of each member of the team and use those talents--they understand that by improving the conditions of one, they improve the conditions of all. When you have a team that does not recognize the values of each member (and it appears that this is the case at Andover HS) then you have a severe breakdown of the team concept."

Am I The Only One Still Angry?

2011-10-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

“Let me tell you somethin’…. I’ve had enough of Irish-Americans who haven’t been back to their country in twenty or thirty years … and come up to me and talk about the revolution back home. And the glory of the revolution and the glory of dying for the revolution. FUCK the revolution! They don’t talk about the glory of killing for the revolution. What’s the glory of taking a man from his bed and gunning him down in front of his wife and his children? Where’s the glory in that?”

-Bono during the Sunday Bloody Sunday Rattle and Hum performance.

I’ve always believed that through great pain come art. Pain leads to anger and anger leads to a message that requires a medium to be expressed.

I’m 34 years old and as I look at the current state of music... I have to ask – where the hell is the anger? Where the hell is the art? Where the hell is the message?

The quote above was spoken in the middle of a song during a U2 performance around 1988. Ten years later, the band Pearl Jam would appear on MTV’s “Unplugged” and lead singer Eddie Vedder would scribble the words “Pro-Choice” violently on his arms during the song “Porch”.

Anger. Message.

U2’s Rattle and Hum movie followed the band on their Joshua Tree tour and director Cameron Crowe honored the 20 year anniversary of Pearl Jam’s release of the album Ten with “20”. Both were amazingly done and I highly recommend seeing each one several times.

Both of those bands have been hugely influential on me and it struck me this week as I watched each bands’ Rock-u-mentary: they had SOMETHING to say.

I came away thinking … What in the HELL is going on right now? What happened to the anger in rock music?

The current problems in this country should bring out the most violent, deep, animalistic anger in those with the microphones in their hands and stages beneath their feet.

Instead….we get Coldplay’s new album release this week.

Now, I like Coldplay, don’t get me wrong, but the image of a giant yellow balloon bouncing around is not going to fire me up to change the world nor is hearing “every tear is a waterfall” going to change the way I think.

I need passion. I need fire.

Who is going to write lyrics like this in the future?

“Don't mean to push, but I'm being shoved!

Ohh, I'm just like you, think we've had enough

I can't believe a thing they want us to...oh..

Oh, we all got scars, they should have 'em too

- Pearl Jam “Whipping”

High unemployment, record debt, the Occupy movement, abortions trying to be banned in Mississippi, tuition costs spiking, the Tea Party, the Gulf oil spill, the bank bailout, Gay marriage rights, and on and on an on….

There is so much to be angry about but we have ZERO response from our lyricists and our music artists.

Where are the bands like Rage Against the Machine, Ministry, Marilyn Manson, OLD SCHOOL 311, Metallica, Nirvana, Sound Garden, Alice in Chains, Pantera, Biohazard, or Operation Ivy, bursting onto the rock scene with something to say with a message wrapped in a power cord and double bass?

I’m sorry but Taylor Swift telling me about me that the thing she does best is “revenge” is not exactly going to get my heart beating.

Am I the only one seeing this? Rock music is the least profitable radio format in the country. Thus, rock music commercially is dying fast. SO WHAT!? I don’t get why the artists are going down with them?

Is creativity tied to being able to monetize it? I’m seriously asking because I don’t have the answer to what is happening right now.

Is it because they aren’t being promoted? Well, I thought the Internet was going to allow us to discover new bands and not have to worry about the record label's agendas anymore. That hasn’t happened or am I missing something?

Are we all just a bunch of pussies, living at home in our mother’s basement, waiting for the Genius Bar to call our names so our fixed iPhones can tell us what to do next?

What is this generation standing for…..text messaging?

I found Ani Difranco in a time where my personal anger was beginning to soften and I was willing to look deeper at societal issues. Gay people were unknown to me growing up in Andover, MA and bi-sexual, folk singers sure didn’t exist either.

While the genesis of her rage wasn’t something I related to, the questions she raised about who we are and what we value helped to shape who I am as an adult. I loved her uncompromising, unforgiving fire and willingness to piss people off.

Where is the next self-publishing, self-motivated, activist artist with a message that has to be heard? I don’t see a counter-culture anymore.

I can’t be the only one noticing the SERIOUS lack of a social movement in this country right now. Musically, we are so ripe for the next big thing. We had Seattle in 90’s so I’m biased towards rock but has Rap music won? Is THAT the only place we can go for socially aware music now?

I refuse to believe that.

Americana music has taken a large step forward in the past 3 years with acts like Mumford and Sons, Avett Brothers, and The Head and The Heart but their message is more timeless. It looks at the bigger picture of love and life and doesn’t get into the dirty stuff. Also, a band like Old Crow Medicine Show would have tough time being taken seriously if they started singing about racial oppression.

But who will be next to sing lyrics like:

“Who stuff the banks

Who staff the party ranks

More for Gore or the son of a drug lord

None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord

Lights out guerilla Radio

Turn that shit up"

– Rage Against The Machine

On the day the nation’s largest radio company, Clear Channel, fired hundreds of on-air talent in order to automate their stations with computers and to standardize their playlists, I’m afraid I sound like our fathers and uncles who pulled out records of Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, The Clash, The Rolling Stones, Credence Clearwater and said “back in my day, music meant something.”

Well, back in my day – music SAID something.

Today, it’s all about American Idol wanna-be artists rehashing songs and asking for the country to “vote” for them to stay on the island of fame for one more week.

Nobody is willing to ask the tough questions or stand up for something real anymore. Nobody has the balls to say what is really happening around them…. all we want is the same cookie-cutter bullshit.

Who isn't afraid to say something unpopular?

they caught the last poor man on a poor man's vacation

they cuffed him and they confiscated his stuff

and they dragged his black ass down to the station

and said "ok the streets are safe now”.

all your pretty white children can come out to see spot run

and they came out of their houses and they looked around

but they didn't see no one.

and my country tis of thee

to take swings at each other on talk show tv

why don't you just go ahead and turn off the sun

'cause we'll never live long enough to

undo everything they've done to you

undo everything they've done to you”

-Ani Difranco

I know she isn't ... but who is next?

I ask you - What the F is going on?!!

GEEK OUT FOR PJ!

2011-07-26T12:12:00.000-07:00

I know I said I'd write more on here and I've obviously choked on that claim but for the moment...just enjoy the VIBRANT excitement that I have for this movie trailer and soon-to-be released Cameron Crowe doc on Pearl Jam.

PJ, as I called them in High School, was first discovered by me in Homeroom of my freshman year. A blonde, pretty girl was singing "Alive" under her breathe with headphones on. I asked her "who was that?" she was listening to. She put the headphones on my head. Magic I tell ya for a angry teenager who needed someone to explain that being pissed at your parents was O.K.

I was just 14 years old. Shit, I'm old huh? 20 years ago this all started. I'm 34 now.

But at that time, I was just learning about the power of music and becoming a nut for its ability to move me. I wanted to know everything about every new band on the scene and wanted to hear all types of music for myself to experience it and to be first to find the band everyone would be talking about in three months. U2 was the band of middle school for me but then grunge took over. Soon I would be wearing flannel shirts tied around my waste and Doc Martin shoes on my feet. Bands like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Stone Temple Pilots, SoundGarden, and Mudhoney would follow ... but Pearl Jam was special.

"Alive" was the first song I heard from Eddie Vedder and it shook me, changed me. I don't have vivid memories about a lot things in my life prior to becoming an adult ... but I will always remember where I was when I first heard Pearl Jam.

Hours and hours of music listening followed, including my senior year quote in my yearbook. PJ was my high school band and I owe PJ a lot ... the music helped me get through some tough times and was an outlet for my emotion. I would blast songs like "Indifferent" and "Black" when I was sad and "Rearview Mirror" when I knew I wanted to leave Mass.

"State of Love and Trust" is still my favorite song by them ... after all these years. "Ten" and "Animal" are amazing records. I joined the "Ten Club" for almost a decade and belonging got me amazing seats in Hartford for my first PJ show in the late 90's. I still have the ticket stub.

I can not wait to see this movie. This movie will help me see what I missed over all those years when I was in college and not able to go to shows as much as I would have liked . I wasn't old enough to really enjoy seeing PJ when they were at their best ... the club years. By the time I was 21, Pearl Jam had already changed dramatically. Later on, I would promise myself to never miss a band when they were at their most pure.

I've been pretty lucky to see some amazing acts but I never saw Pearl Jam with 1000 people in the crowd. This movie will show what it was like and I can't freakin' wait!

Pearl Jam Twenty from Pearl Jam on Vimeo.

Sorry ...

2011-07-21T19:58:00.001-07:00

I've really slacked with my blog posting. I apologize. I've got some time coming up this weekend so I'll get something up for sure soon. Thanks for checking it out!

STANLEY CUP CHAMPS

2011-06-16T09:08:00.000-07:00

39 Long Years are HISTORY!!

For Boston, for Boston,
we sing our proud refrain
for Boston, for Boston
'tis wisdom's earthly fane
for here are all one
and our hearts are true
and the towers on the heights
reach the heavens own blue.
for Boston, for Boston
'til the echoes ring again

For Boston, for Boston
thy glory is our own
for Boston, for Boston
'tis here that truth is known
and ever with a right
shall our heirs be found
'til time shall be no more
and thy work is crowned
for Boston, for Boston
thy glory is our own
- Dropkick Murphys

A Full Circle Graduation

2011-06-11T18:55:00.000-07:00

AHS 1995 grad book

“The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple.” – Oscar Wilde

My brother Colin graduated from Andover High School on Monday. This blog has always been a place where I have discussed my life, my thoughts, and my feelings on a variety of issues. While some are made uncomfortable by the frankness of my words on here … I don’t know how to be any other person but me.

And being me means being honest. So …

In 1992, my mother informed me that I was going to have a second brother as her and my stepfather were expecting their first child.

I was 15 years old.

My brother Ben and I were the offspring of my mother's first marriage which ended when I was 11 years old. I never thought that 23 years later, my family would look like it does today. Hell, I didn't think I would live in Iowa, Nebraska, Alabama or Virginia either but don't try to predict how your life will go. You'll just end up completely wrong.

Tomorrow in Andover, my "modern family" will celebrate the high school graduation of Colin from AHS, a school that my mom, dad, stepdad, and brother Ben all graduated from at one time or another. I have an 18-year-old brother, a 15-year-old brother, and an 11-year-old sister to go along with my 31-year-old brother.

I am 34 years old and I’m going to guess that you aren’t closer in age to your mother than your sister. Today in fact, my mother informed me that my little sister played at a friend's whose house is the one my father's parents lived in for the better part of 40 years. I spent my first year of life in that house.

It really has all come full circle for me.

In May of 1999, I graduated college and left three months later for Virginia in search of a career, a journey, and myself. My stepfather, in order to comfort my crying mother as I drove off in my U-Haul, said to my mother “He’ll be back in 6 months.”

I did not move home to New England until March of 2011.

My yearbook photo

During those years of being gone, I dated a various number of women, even living with two of them but I was never was 100% committed to spending the rest of my life with any of them. However, I returned home a much different person than I left as you could imagine. The South and Midwest made me into a man.

As I sit here now in Massachusetts, I do have to wonder however, what impact my brothers had on me while I was a high school student and how it shaped eventually who I am today.

Two years after the news of Colin, my mother, now 36 years old, stopped me as I was walking into my house after soccer practice one day. “I have something I need to tell you”, she said to me on our front porch step. “You are going to be a brother again.”

My response as I blew past her: “Whatever.” I refused to discuss the news for several days, injuring my mother for several months.

I was 17 years old.

It didn’t matter to me that I was about the same age as my mother was when she gave birth to me, I was furious that she was going to pregnant again and was going to be pregnant at my high school graduation.

Four years later at my college graduation from UMass, my mother would be pregnant again with my sister Maggie. I was 21 years old and by that time, numb to the uncomfortable looks parents would give to my family after seeing a pregnant woman celebrate the graduation of her oldest son.

So, as I sat in the Tsongas Arena in Lowell this past Monday evening, watching the class of 2011 receive their diplomas, I began to think about how different my life was back then compared to my brother’s right now. I pulled out my old high school yearbook and began to reminisce about the child I once was and how I used to handle myself. The memories weren’t always easy to re-live but things happen in your life for a reason and the lessons you learn always help you later on in life.

As I thought about how I've changed, I'm proud that I’ve always been an open person. I know that scares a lot of people, especially in my professional life, but I will never again be ashamed of who I am or what I came from.

I’m different. So what? I’m home now and had to leave to understand the importance of that.

I kept journals for all the years I was gone and there are pages full of my wanting to return home to New England. While I knew the transition would not be easy, I’m very thankful to be here now and to be a part of my family again. Professionally, this is where I want to be and have a long-term future here, something I never saw at any of my four stops along the way. Sure, I love Omaha will always love Omaha (I still work in Omaha really) but I wasn’t going to raise a family in Omaha and didn’t want to drag another girl around the country with me after doing so after college. It wasn’t fair.

But I was only 24 then and the mistakes I made were much different than the mistakes my father made at that age while he was married to my mother.

Watching Colin graduate from Andover High School was pretty special for me, something I would have surely missed if I hadn’t moved back. I have never been married and have never seriously thought about having a child of my own but Colin was the first human I got to see from diapers to diploma.

The teen-angst he went through (and is still going through) was so familiar to me and I related so much to that uncomfortable-in-your-own-skin suffering of a teenager. It really is wild to watch someone raised by your mother appear so similar to you in so many ways, yet be so different as well.

Tomorrow, we celebrate Colin’s achievement and send him off to Merrimack College where he will be a starting pitcher for their baseball team next fall. He earned a scholarship that is worth over $80,000.

The journey for him is just beginning while mine is starting another chapter. I’m just really glad I’m around to be a part of celebrating the good news. Sometimes, it feels like I never left. Other times, it feels like I missed too much.

As the oldest of my mother's 5 children however, I'm proud of my family and proud of who we all are today. My mom raised two adults so far. I'm in radio working for two stations in New England. My brother owns and operates his own organic farm in western Mass with his wife Liz and their two kids. Tomorrow, number 3 sets off to find out who he wants to become.

Seems like a long time from when I was 15 and my mother told me that I was going to be brother for the second time.

Don't we all love to "Remember When"? From 1995...

HELP ALABAMA and the South!!

2011-05-03T05:45:00.000-07:00

I spent 4 years in Huntsville, Alabama while I was on my radio journey and met some of the most amazing people. I learned how to be a talk show host in Alabama. The storms that ripped the apart the south have left my friends down there REALLY hurting and in need of your help!

Watch this video. It's by the band Emphatic of Omaha, NE - another stop on my career path and then contact http://www.redcross.org/ to donate money. PLEASE help. This story has broken my heart. Over 200 people died in storms that took only seconds to destroy lives and families.

Harrison Barnes' Mom doesn't like Marty Tirrell

2011-04-05T09:01:00.001-07:00

Don't take my word for it ... read the release yourself from Mrs. Barnes, Shirley:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Marty Tirrell, Mouth of the Midwest at it again

Ames, Iowa - Marty Tirrell of Mouth of the Midwest and Calling All Sports, acting apparently on his desire to be in the know, is again making inaccurate and uninformed statements about former Ames High student and current University of North Carolina freshman, Harrison Barnes.

Early Monday on Calling All Sports.com Tirrell reported that Barnes had made a decision about his collegiate future and would make those plans known on April 5th. Tirrell also made several tweets on the subject:

Harrison Barnes returning to Chapel Hill for sophomore years..."unfinished business " and cites desire to win a championship

2:38 PM Mar 29th via Mobile Web from Des Moines, IA

Harrison Barnes to make it official Tuesday.... Back to Heels-

about 19 hours ago via Mobile Web from Charlotte, NC

Harrison Barnes prattle 10a east at callingallsports.com Monday

about 16 hours ago via Mobile Web from Augusta, GA

Harrison Barnes commits to "work left to be done" at NC Tells family and friends wants and feel Heels can move forward and " win a title "

about 12 hours ago via Mobile Web from Georgia, US

In 2009 as Ames High was preparing for their first state tournament appearance in 18 years, Tirrell, who worked for KXNO Radio at the time, reported that then-junior Harrison Barnes would attend Oak Hill Academy, a college preparatory school in Virginia known for its basketball prowess, in the fall of 2009.

This major distraction for the school and the team resulted in Barnes' family responding with a press release stating the report had no merit and was solely generated by those reporting it.

Again, Terrill's statements have no merit and are solely speculation by the reporter.

Terrill has not spoken to the Barnes family or to anyone in their inner circle. His actions are irresponsible and amount to harassment. As a result, the family is fielding calls to rectify inaccurate reporting.

Harrison Barnes and members of his family will not field further questions on the subject of his future until a decision has been made.

EDIT: Ken Miller of KXnO contacted Shirley Barnes to make sure the press release did come from her. There were some saying that the release was a fake:

Ken,

Thank you for checking. Yes, the release did come from me and sorry for spelling Mr. Tirrell's name incorrectly in the closing paragraph.

Sadly Mr. Tirrell gave his opinion as fact which included a decision date. What should be a low key private family decision has turned into a media circus.

-Shirley

Pretty Cool Birthday Gift

2011-04-03T13:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy few weeks for me and I haven't had much time to write about the opportunities that have been flying at me or how great it has been to be back in New England but with tomorrow being my birthday (April 4th) and the Red Sox about to get swept to start the year, I've found a few moments to write.

First, the new show on WGAM, The Hometeam, has gotten off to a tremendous start. Justin Bastinelli and myself have gelled quickly and our chemistry on air is easily heard. I hope you will check out the show from M-F 4 to 6 pm est either on air or stream it. We are really enjoying ourselves and I think it's a good show. I've know Justin since I was 16 years old and to host a radio program with someone who you have that kind of history with is extremely rare. It's been a lot of fun and we start our 4th week on the air tomorrow. The first month has FLOWN by, which is great.

The other angle of my job in New Hampshire is that I've returned to selling ads on my own show. This was something I did for 6 years earlier in my career in Virginia and Alabama. While it can a frustrating at times and tough given the economy, I've always enjoyed the business side of radio and frankly, I missed it. My mind has always been geared towards radio promotions and marketing and getting to have control over my own show in that capacity again has been refreshing. I'm working for a locally owned company again which has give me the flexibility to use my full arsenal of ideas.

That's job 1. Most of you know that I run a Creighton Bluejay website which is job 2. The latest job is the one that will get me the most exposure.

This past Saturday, my new show on the WEEI Sports Radio Network debuted as 'Sports Saturday' with myself along with Rob Bradford and Kirk Minihane of WEEI.com hit the airwaves to talk about the Red Sox. The show will be on every Saturday from 9 a to 1 pm.

I was so pumped up after the first show that I crashed my car in the parking garage across the street from the station. Not good, but it was just cosmetic damage, nothing major.

For the past 8 years, I've been telling Jason Wolfe, the PD of WEEI, that I was going to work for him one day. While hosting a Saturday show is not the end of my career climb in Boston, I am very proud that I was able to finally land a position with WEEI. Next week, I'll cross off another career bucket list item as I'll get to host a radio show live from Fenway Park before the Red Sox and Yankees play that afternoon!!

To say that I'm over the moon for that show would be a dramatic understatement and with tomorrow being my birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME.

As I turn 34 tomorrow, it hasn't been lost on me that I'm finally able to relax about my career. Gone is that ticking clock in my head that kept me awake at night countless times. I'm covering the teams I've always wanted to cover and while still working to get up to speed on everything that has happened in New England over the past 10 years, I'm where I'm supposed to be.

I've been able to spend time with my family in a way that I haven't been able to for over a decade. While I'm still not moved into my own place and won't be for a few more days, being home is as great as I thought it would be. I'm needed here.

It hasn't been all good news as my past caught up with me here in New England like I thought it might and a cool opportunity was taken away from me because of something that happened years ago but for the most part, this is has been a dream come true.

I'm not sure I'm fully aware of how much fun I'm having yet but as soon as I get my own place set up, I'm sure I'll be letting you all know!

Matt and Maggie Review "Beastly"

2011-03-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

So, now that I'm living at home - I get to spend more time with my little sister Maggie. One that we got to do during my visits were to go movies and then review them together. It was a nice way of doing something with her each time I was home and got her comfortable speaking on camera. Maggie wants to be an actress and is very talented on stage.

I've been home for exactly 8 days and here is our first movie review.

One thing that "Beastly" does an outstanding job of is highlighting how hurtful superficiality can be to young people. I didn't mention this in the video below but I thought the message of this movie was outstanding and really worth showing your pre-teen or high schooler.

The message makes the movie.

Top 10 Things I've Covered

2011-03-06T20:47:00.001-08:00

I spent the better part of the drive back from Arch Madness thinking about endings and the fact that on Friday I will be driving my life back home after leaving 11 years ago. I never like this week, the final week because all I do is reflect on what I just experienced. I really don’t like endings.

I never have.

There are clear memories in my brain of crying as a 10 year old when my summer camp experience was over after being away from home for 2 months. I hated that I had to go home and would ask my mom if I could just stay for one more day.

While I’m very excited to be going home, I can’t help but feel like my summer camp experience is over and now, after 11 years, it’s time to go home. It’s caused me to be introspective and reflective on the experiences that I was lucky enough to enjoy.

I thought it might be fun to list my Top 10 favorite things that I got to cover since I left Andover in August of 1999.

10. Play by Play Voice of the NBADL’s Huntsville Flight: The first year was by far the best of the four seasons of play by play I did for the minor league of the NBA. That was the season that I went on the road with the team. I will never forget Eric Chenoweth, former KU player, lighting off firecrackers in the parking lot of a Georgia gas station at 2 am. He earned the nickname “Cheno-bomb” for the rest of the season from Bob Thornton who was the head coach. I’ve stayed in touch with Bob over the years and he now coaches with the T-Wolves. I learned a ton about the game and the business of basketball.

9. Virginia vs. Virginia Tech: The only football game I saw between these two featured a certain QB named Michael Vick in 2000. He was kinda good that year. It was my first taste of a instate college football rivalry and I’ll never forget the first time seeing guys and girls dressing UP to go to a football game. It blew my mind but southern belles sure know how to go to games.

8. Iowa vs. Iowa State: I only covered two of these games but the build up to them will be what I remember. It’s a pretty angry, intense rivalry that can get nasty on message boards. The only problem was the games were not competitive as Iowa rolled in both years. Honorable mention goes to Nebraska vs. Iowa State though.

7. Creighton vs. Nebraska basketball: For six years, this was the best college basketball rivalry that I got to personally cover. I never saw the Jays lose at home but only saw 1 win at Nebraska for CU. My radio show in Omaha had a lot of coverage of this yearly brawl. I still don’t like Nebraska basketball and probably never will.

6. Broadcasting from Cameron Indoor: In college, I called a men’s game from Phogg Allen Field house at Kansas but as a pro, it was a women’s game that I called from atop the crow’s nest at Duke’s home arena that was awesome. It’s crazy how high the broadcasters have to go up, including climbing a ladder, to get up to the location but it's a mecca of basketball. Honorable mention goes to the 2000 ACC tournament that I covered too.

5. Four full seasons of Alabama football: During the middle of the 2000’s, I went to every Alabama football game in a RV. It was crazy but so much fun like the time we partied with a millionaire dentist and his wife inside their 1 million dollar RV, complete with stripper pole. I got to see so many awesome football games as well, in some of the best college towns in this country. I also learned how to drive one of those beasts around.

4. Arch Madness: For six seasons, I traveled to St. Louis to cover the Missouri Valley Conference basketball tournament. In 2007, Creighton won the whole thing and went to the NCAA tournament. From drinking on Morgan Street at Sundeckers and Big Bang to seeing the sites of the city, it’s one of the most entertaining weekends you can have. If you’ve never gone – go! It's an amazing 4 days of basketball.

3. 2007 World Series win for the Red Sox: This wasn’t an event that I covered at first but I became a media member as I got to go on the field after Game 4 in Denver. Because of the combo fan/work angle, I dropped this to 3. It’s my favorite sports moment that I witnessed personally however.

2. Alabama vs. Auburn: AKA The Iron Bowl. There is nothing like it in college football. The passion, the tailgating, the players, the atmosphere is all second to none. Throw out the records and buckle up for a crazy ride. I’m really happy I watched one of the four that I was present for from the stands. It gave me a great perspective of just what the game means to the fans.

1. The NCAA Tournament: I went to one as a college broadcaster and 3 as a pro and simply put – I think that March Madness is the greatest thing we do as a sports country. It’s my favorite thing to cover. In 2007, I watched Creighton play Nevada in New Orleans. Then in 2009, Omaha hosted eventual National Champ Kansas for their first two games and then last year – I watched UNI pull the upset of the dance by sending No. 1 seed Kansas home. That win sent me to my first Sweet 16 game as UNI lost to Michigan State in St. Louis.

Other fun events worth mentioning:

-2010 and 2011 Insight Bowls for Iowa State and Iowa.

-Every Nebraska football home game for 4 years
-Every Creighton basketball home game for 4 years
-Big 12 Media Days for 6 straight years for football

I’ve seen some awesome things over the past 11 years and I know I won’t be seeing as many games in person with my new job but I feel like I’ve been very lucky in what I’ve be able to witness.

New Dropkick Murphys Out Today!!

2011-03-01T10:39:00.000-08:00

So on the week that I get to announce I'm moving home to New England, the Dropkick Murphys release their new album and I get to see them live in St. Louis!!!

It's been an awesome Boston-oriented few days for me and I can't wait for Saturday night! Now, if you remember, the last time I saw DKM live, I dislocated my shoulder. I'm going to behave at the show I promise. I've got to move home a week later!!

New Album "Going Out In Style" - kinda describes how I hope to in Iowa. So perfect huh?!

Enjoy the new video!

2011 Oscar Picks

2011-02-27T09:22:00.000-08:00

It’s Oscar night. Tonight, Hollywood will reward the work of the talented men and women who work to entertain us on the silver screen. The field is extremely deep this year for the golden trophies and I really had a tough time picking winners in certain categories.

I was a film minor in college so I’ve often taken the opportunity to see all the nominated films for best picture and try to see as many of the performances of the actors and actresses who have been singled out by the committee. It's one of my hobbies that I really enjoy.

However, it’s gotten a lot harder to see all the films because we now have 10 films selected for the category of Best Picture. That’s a lot. I try to see about a movie a month but having 10 pictures nominated has bloated the category. I’m sorry but Toy Story 3 should not be nominated. It should be the winner for animation but it’s not in the same category of a movie like The Social Network.

After getting off my soap box, here are my picks and predictions for tonight.

Best Picture:

This was extremely difficult for me to pick. Winter’s Bone is a tough look at life in the Ozarks in Missouri and wonderfully acted. True Grit takes you back to a time of cowboys and sheriffs. The Kids Are Alright tackles homosexual families and the challenges that they deal with. The Fighter dives into a family of boxers dealing with the drama that comes out of the struggles to get to the top of the sports world.

All amazing movies and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. But they aren’t going to win.

In my opinion, I chose from The Black Swam, The Social Network, Inception, and The King’s Speech as legit contenders for the award tonight. This was really hard to pick but I have to go with my first blush reaction to the movie after screening it and only one completely blew me away after viewing it.

My Pick: Inception

Runner Up: The Social Network

Who will win: The King’s Speech. (correct, damn it)

Best Actor:

This is a two horse race in my opinion. Colin Firth vs. James Franco.

Firth did an amazing job of bringing you into the world of a stutterer and stammerer and made you feel the frusration that comes from not being able to get words out of your mouth. Franco took you into the horror of being trapped and being forced with unbelievable choices. As someone who overcame a speech impediment, I love what Firth brought to the role but Franco was just tremendous, carrying the entire movie.

My Pick: James Franco for 127 Hours

Runner up: Colin Firth for The King’s Speech

Who will win: Colin Firth (correct blah)

Best Actress:

This is isn’t even fair. The race has been over for a weeks.

My Pick: Natalie Portman for The Black Swan

Runner up: Jennifer Lawrence for Winter’s Bone

Who will win: Natalie Portman (correct!!)

Best Supporting Actor

Again, we have a two horse race but this is one is going to be VERY interesting to watch. For most of the year, Christian Bale’s gritty performance was thought to be the pick here but The King’s Speech popularity has rocketed Geoffery Rush into the conversation. I think the momentum of Firth helps Rush here.

My Pick: Christian Bale for The Fighter (winner!!!!)
Runner up: Geoffrey Rush for The King’s Speech

Who will win: Geoffrey Rush (wrong)

Best Supporting Actress:

This a tough category because the names do not jump off the screen. I was only really moved by one performance and that’s why she is my pick.

My Pick: Hailee Steinfield for True Grit

Runner up: Amy Adams for The Fighter

Who win will: Helena Bonhamn Carter for The King’s Speech (wrong)

Best Director:

This is going to be a REALLY tough pick. So many good movies to go with here.

My Pick: David Fincher for The Social Network

Runner up: Darren Aronosfky for The Black Swam

Who will win: Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech (correct F!)

Cinematography: Inception (correct)

ENJOY!!

THE NEXT STEP FOR MY CAREER

2011-02-25T13:15:00.000-08:00

It’s not everyday that you get to write about achieving something that you have been working towards for 11 years but today is one of those days. First, thank you for all the interest, emails, twitter messages, and phone calls. It means a lot to me that people care what is happening with my career.

Thanks to the pieces falling into place finally, I can now say that I’m going home to take a run at big time radio in New England.

When I was 22, I was working in the basement of a news/talk station in Nashua, NH for my first professional radio job. I was the board op for a conservative talk show for 2 hours everyday and I got to host a sports talk show from 8 to 9 am every Saturday. I did that for 3 months after I graduated college and my college buddy Brett reminded this week that I used to put him on as a guest so I had someone to talk to during the show.

Little did I know that I would be returning to that city over a decade later.

In August of 1999, I left my newborn sister with my mother, stepfather and 3 brothers back in Massachusetts in order to get the experience needed to one day get to work on the radio in Boston. I went to Virginia, Alabama, Nebraska, and Iowa and had a blast covering some amazing sporting events and cutting my teeth in the sports talk business.

When my contract was not renewed in Omaha in 2009, I thought that I was going to have to start over from scratch because I wasn’t sure that I was going to reach my goal after being passed over by several major market jobs. I even thought I was going to Seattle right up until my contract expired in Nebraska but I lost out to someone who worked for ESPN in the final hours.

Then Ken Miller called me and asked me to join the afternoon show on KXnO.

A man named Joel McCrea runs KXnO. I didn’t know it at the time but he would become the second greatest boss of my career, behind only Bill Dunnavant who hired me with the sole purpose of turning me into a talk show host. Without Bill, there is no career but without Joel, there is no announcement right now.

Over the past 2 years, I have been allowed to fill-in on sports talk stations in St. Louis, Kansas City and most recently, my dream station of WEEI in Boston. Being able to show off my talents in major markets has opened so many doors for me and put me in the position to be coveted. I would like the audience of KXnO to know that I was not actively looking to get out however. From 25 to 30, I applied for as many jobs as I could but for the last 2 years, I have honestly not applied for a single position. Every opportunity was presented to me, not pursued by me and I turned down 2 job offers in just the last year.

And now the announcement:

I will now be hosting afternoon drive on WGAM in Nashua/Manchester, NH beginning in March. Being in the area will open so many doors for my career but I'm so excited to be joining an awesome organization. Mike Winn, my new GM, has been someone that I have wanted to work for for years and I can't wait to get going with him.

It was the combination of working in market 11 while getting to talk Boston sports every weekday on a great station that was just too much to pass up when it was offered. Plus, I’ll be 20 minutes from my family after living over 1,000 miles away the past 11 years. My sister is now 11 and I've missed countless birthdays, plays and special moments. Now, I get to tape more "Matt and Maggie Movie Reviews"!!

This opportunity would not have been possible if it wasn’t for Joel McCrea letting me spread my wings and grow. I was not pushed out at KXnO. I was not told to find another job and I sure as heck was not fired. Anyone saying as much is lying and trying to take away from the hard work I put in to earn this opportunity. Yes, Joel has taken a ton of heat for me but he believed in me as a broadcaster and has tutored me through some very tough situations.

There is more to this story too. Justin Bastinelli is co-host of the new show in New Hampshire. He and I went to high school together and Justin introduced my brother to his wife. Having him to work with everyday only increased the attractiveness of the job and I can’t wait to get started working with him.

However, I want to thank Ken Miller for telling KXnO that I was the guy he wanted to work with and going to bat for me to get the job. Without Matt and Miller, there is no way I ever get the chance to be on WEEI. I grew as a talk show host by working with Ken and learned a ton about football from him. His sports knowledge and ability to breakdown games is truly remarkable and I hope I stay in touch with him for years to come. It was truly an honor to get to work with him and he is first class all the way.

I’ll start on the air in March on WGAM but you can hear me this Sunday on WEEI from 4 to 7 Eastern Time if you want to hear some Boston sports talk from me before I head to New England officially. And for those wondering, the Rivals site (TheBluejaycafe.com) that I run will still be part of my day-to-day job.

Thanks to everyone who has been a friend to me along as this journey. I have met so many amazing people. It’s been a wild ride but after a few more days ….

it’s time to go home.

2011 Grammys Were Awesome

2011-02-15T22:09:00.000-08:00

We always hear it barked out in bars from half conscious jukebox listeners or from a parent while you are driving with them in a car as they scan the radio.

“Nobody makes good music anymore.”

I think some people just say it now because it makes them sound cool or retro. My retort to them is pretty simple: Open your ears to the 2011 Grammy Award show.

I was blown away at the talent displayed on Sunday night and I realized that we are getting to experience and enjoy some amazing music right now. I love all genres of music and I know I’m not normal but I really thought that the artists who were selected to play were awesome. There was so much diversity yet all were so talented and skilled at the art of performing.

As someone who has been going to shows since I was 15, I thought the 210-minute show wasn’t long enough and didn’t want it to end.

The show started off with a tribute to Aretha Franklin sung by 5 women: Jennifer Hudson, Christina Aguilera, Florence Welch, Yolanda Adams, and Martina McBride.

Talk about a cross section of singers!

But the power and beauty of their voices reminded me that we didn’t always have singers like at the Grammys. Remember the 2000 show with the Britney Spears disaster?

Speaking of pop music at the Grammys, you might hate Lady Gaga but she can flat out sing. You might despise Justin Bieber but the kid played guitar on stage, sang his own song, and danced along side Usher, maybe the greatest dance artist of our time. You might think that Katy Perry is a bimbo but the girl can sing the hell out of a pop song and “Teenage Dream” is an album full of catchy, radio friendly hits.

Country took center stage as Miranda Lambert performed the multi-nominated “House That Built Me”. If you don’t know Lambert’s music, you should. She played in Des Moines a few months back opening up for Brad Paisley and did a very nice job. She is one of the young stars of country music that doesn’t get talked about enough.

Mumford and Sons, The Avett Brothers and Bob Dylan stole the show in my opinion and if you don’t have Mumford’s “Sigh No More” or Avett’s “I And Love And You” albums BUY THEM!! Like RIGHT NOW! The Alt-Country movement is exploding and I could not be more in love with the sounds and songs coming out from it.

Memo to all you 1970 retreads – Rock music is not dead. Muse and Arcade Fire blew the doors off the Staples Center. Arcade Fire’s electrifying rendition of “Ready To Start” ended the show after the band had been awarded the Grammy for “Album of the Year.” I’ll admit it, I was way late on Arcade Fire but the band has really grown on me and their sound is so unique that I think it scares people away. I love the huge number of members and double drum sets that they display and any band with a fiddle is worth checking out in my book.

Rap/Hip-Hop/R&B accounted for two of the most interesting moments of the night when Bruno Mars, B.O.B. and Janelle Monae sang four of their songs together on stage and when Eminem came out, teaming up with Rihanna and Dr. Dre to blast out “Love The Way You Lie”, we saw the true skill of the best rapper in the game.

Rihanna’s performance of “What’s My Name” with Drake was memorizing also and highlighted the depths of her talent.

Lady Antebellum owned the night by winning multiple awards including the coveted “Record of the Year” for mega-popular “Need You Now”. I don’t care what you say, you like that song. It’s heartbreaking, powerful and honest and exploded across genres this past year. The harmony singing of the band is something we are going to hear more of in 2011 from acts like The Civil Wars.

There were some fun moments like when Cee Lo Green sang “Fuck You” with Gwyneth Paltro with puppets as back-up singers, making the Grammys the unique show that it is.

I think the 2011 Grammy Awards were the retort to anyone that asks, “What happened to music?” I say to them: what happened to you that you are so lazy that you can’t recognize the talent that we current have to listen to?

Yes, Katy Perry is the perfect combination of beauty, sex, singing, and dancing and pop radio plays her to death but what do you say about Mumford and Sons performing or Arcade Fire playing two songs? There is something for everyone out there right now and at high quality. Lucky for me – I like it all.

Espranza Spaulding winning best new artist was joke but that’s ok. Every award show needs a little controversy and sometimes I actually like when my favorite bands don’t win Grammys. Keep ‘em hungry for that win.

Sunday night showed me that great music is alive and well. If you disagree, you just have to open your ears….and maybe your mind.

Sidebar: Just read that the A.P. called this year's Grammys "The Year of the Indie" ... no wonder I loved it :)

What's In A Number?

2011-01-24T22:13:00.000-08:00

Do you believe in fate? That you are on a predetermined path and nothing you can do can change what will become of your life?

I don't because I don't like to think I'm not in control of my own decisions. I think I carve my own path in life. However, there is something similar that has been a part of my life that has often caused me to think about fate and the path I've been on.

I believe in luck, fortunate situations that work out for you because you were in the place you were supposed to be. I also believe that some things just …. happen. But doing what you were born to do is the key to being content in my opinion, and being on the right path will often lead to luck finding its way to you.

Now, do you believe in lucky numbers? I mean more than just favorite numbers but numbers that actually are in play with your life and can sometimes show you, in hindsight, that you went the right direction?

Mine are 2, 4, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 32 and the role they've played in my life is pretty wild.

Those are not numbers just pulled out of thin air and I’ve actually spent some time thinking about them and how they are involved in my life and when I do, I get a little freaked out.

I've come to believe that there is a rhyme and possibly a reason to how I've bounced around in this life and I've seen good things happen to me when those numbers are in play.

Maybe I’m completely crazy or completely supersitous but I don’t believe in a traditional “God” or “Religion” so maybe this is my wacko belief system that has no proof but it’s not like I let this govern my life nor do I use them before I make a decision. I just think it’s cool to point them out after the fact when things go right and my numbers are involved.

Here’s how I got my numbers:

I was born on 4-4-77. April 4, 1977.

In that (2) 4s and (2) 7s exist right? Well, I took 2 (the 4s) x 7 = 14 and then went 4 x 7 = 28.

14 was my number growing up for all sports until I couldn’t get it for basketball and had to go with 32. 14 was my "lucky" number and was always drawn to it for whatever reason. I don’t know for sure why I picked 32 but I think it was the favorite number of my girlfriend at the time and I used it for my senior year for varsity soccer as well.

How did I get 21? Well, the best I can come up with is Roger Clemens wore it, my second favorite Red Sox player growing up. So I’m cool with that and I’ve always liked 21. It’s Blackjack after all.

Des Moines has been awesome to me. So, I like to look around and see if there is a possible number equation that could be why I was suppose to come here. Maybe that's really weird but I like to know why I was supposed to move here.

I love my building downtown but I loved it even more when I saw that if you add the numbers in my address it equals 4. I was really pumped too when I saw that when you take my apartment number it’s 2 x 7 = 14. Those numbers came into my life completely by chance and I didn't even realize it until I had lived here for 6 months but I think it’s a good omen.

My Iowa license plate has the number 32 on it totally by chance and my Nebraska plate had 2s and 7s in it.

More?

I work at 2141 Grand Ave. 2 X 1 = 2. 4 x 1 = 4. In addition to those numbers 2, 4, and 21 are in the address. Fate? Just dumb luck? Probably but it’s still cool to me.

Oh, by the way, I work on 1460 on the AM dial. LOL. I worked at 590 AM in Omaha before that. 5 plus 9 = 14.

My first job where I learned how to become a talk show host in Alabama, the one place I never thought I would ever live and had to be convinced to take the job by my first ever PD by being told that I was a natural talk show host but I just didn't know it yet ... was on 730 AM.

7 x 3 = 21. :)

Maybe I’m nuts but I still think it’s cool.

My Top 10 Albums for 2010

2011-01-02T14:32:00.000-08:00

As the syllables “U2” came out of my mouth, the conversation stopped as if a waiter had dropped a tray full of china in the middle of a crowded French restaurant.

One of the first debates I ever got into with friends was “who is the greatest rock band?” It’s a typical conversation over drinks but when argued by people who play cover music in bars and people who claim to understand music on a spiritual level, the debate becomes very boring and predictable. There is a judgment that is passed by certain music lovers that has always bothered me. You know whom I mean, the ones who think that anything popular is instantly unlikeable. One of the guys actually said to me "Dude, do you know how much good music never gets heard?!"

I had to fight the urge to laugh. No man, I've only been going to shows since I was 15 to see acts that most people have no clue who they are.

So when I said that I believed that U2 is the greatest rock band now and maybe ever, well, the look of disbelief raced across the faces of the quasi-strangers that I was talking to. The retorts were as easy to see coming as fat kid going after wedding cake. Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Doors, and Queen all came flying out. All fine selections but I don’t own every album by those artists. I do own all 12 U2 albums and can listen to them all still to this day.

This debate actually pushed me towards sports as a profession to be honest. I debate music as “in my lifetime” because I wasn’t alive during the 60’s. I wasn’t alive during most of the 70’s even so how can I debate something as personal as music when I wasn’t around to experience it? Ani DiFranco has had a much bigger impact on me than Simon and Garfunkel.

I’m 33. The people I was debating this topic were 31 to 26. They weren’t around it either but that didn’t stop them from sounding like something from a Dazed and Confused scene with bands they were throwing out. I just don't get into what WAS in music. I like to talk about IS going on with it.

Yet to me, there is no right answer when debating the topic of music. In sports, you can argue stats, performance, and records. In music, you have ticket sales, album sales, radio play, and other money driven numbers that have nothing to do with the emotion of the art. Is Ke$ha better than Laura Marling cause she sells more records? No. But it’s personal, how the music has touched you, affected you and maybe a girl in Milwaukee likes Ke$ha more cause she can relate to her music more than Marling's. I didn’t want to debate emotion for the rest of my life. It takes away from my own enjoyment of the beauty so I decided to not pursue a career in music.

I think the movie "Almost Famous” was the perfect explanation of how I feel about music. When you get too close, you lose something.

So in that vain, here is my Top 10 Albums for 2010. And you can argue with me if you want, but don’t get mad if I don’t engage you.

10. Speak Now by Taylor Swift

If you love music, you love Taylor Swift. I don't care if you're a country fan, a pop fan, or whatever...the girl is just flat out talented. Her third studio album just continued to prove that Swift will be a force in the music world for years to come. Sure, she is still really young and lots of her fans are girls under the age of 18. So what? Taylor is not Ke$ha or Brittany. So far, Speak Now has seen all 14 tracks appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after it was released on October 25th. The first single "Mine" has made it to No. 3. Articulate and smart, Swift is the type of artist that you are completely comfortable allowing your kids to idolize. My 11 year old sister went to go see Swift in concert this summer and came away even more in love with her (if that were possible). Swift has the amazing ability of writing songs that speak to people twice her age while still maintaining a youthful shock to how successful she actually has become. Here's to looking for forward to even more from the amazing singer/songwriter.

9. Distant Relatives by Nas and Damian Marley

The Marley family has been making amazing music for generations. I think if you were born in the 70's, Bob Marley's Legend album was required owning. I'll never forget driving around Cape Cod in high school during the summer listening to Bob. In college, things slid into Ziggy Marley and his amazing spin on Reggae music, touring with his father's backing band - The Wailers. Damian Marley has taken his career into hip-hop and "Distant Relatives" is an amazing album. That doesn't mean Nas isn't a star on this album as well. I prefer listening to rap music that has purpose and a message. I don't like hearing about ho's and drugs in every other line. The track above is my favorite off the album.

8. Mt. Desolation by Mt. Desolation

I've written about this album before on this blog, but if you like country with a different spin - this album is amazing. Keane writer Tim Rice-Oxley and member Jesse Quin joined forces with members from The Killers, Mumford and Sons, Noah and the Whale, and others to form this new band that released their first album in October. Being a huge Keane fan, I knew of this album and was counting down the days till it was released. "State of Our Affairs" is the best track on the album in my opinion but there are several really interesting tracks to discover.

7. Night Train by Keane

If you have read this blog before, you knew this album was going to be on this list. However, it's lower than I probably would have thought it would have been after I put it all together. The EP did not sell well in America and I'm not sure what the future for this band will be in the US. Regardless, Keane is currently in my top 3 for favorite artists and seeing them twice and then meeting the band in Minneapolis this summer was a huge deal to me. Night Train is different than other Keane albums but the song above was released here and should have been a bigger hit than it was. It's my favorite on the record. "We won't be leaving by the same road that we came by" .... exactly!

6. I Speak Because I Can by Laura Marling

To continue the run on British bands who released albums this year, Laura Marling's second full studio album (third overall) is probably a little higher on this list because how much I love all her work. The 20 year old is kinda like the Brit version of Taylor Swift with a little more attitude. Her guitar playing is tremendous and her voice is haunting. Her songs will stick with you for a long, long time if you are kind enough to expose yourself to her. I Speak came out in March and is filled with songs about women and their role in society. The album reached number 1 on the Brit charts .... Hello America? Wake up to this woman's talents.

5. Recovery by Eminem

This is another album that caused me to write a long entry on this blog after listening to it. Eminem's newest album returned him the level of the elite performers of our time. His honesty on this record brought millions of his fans into his life and showed the vulnerability that caused his explosion in the first place. Em speaks to so many different people through his music that his appeal is nearly universal. I love the beeps in the track above (LOL) but The Roots rocked the backing band!

4. Lungs by Florence and The Machine

Ok - technically this album was released in 2009 but there were some issues getting it out in America and really didn't hit until January of this past year. So, I put it in 2010 ... and BOY what a year for this band. Florence's voice is one of the most unique I've ever heard. There are so many amazing tracks on this album and yes, The Killers are easily heard inside of her music but her lyrics are gripping and the notes she hits are awesome. Fiercely original, I can't wait to see what she does with her second album. On my top list of 5 bands I haven't seen yet, Florence and the Machine sit at number 2.

3. Brothers by The Black Keys

No, not The Black Eyed Peas ... this band from Ohio had a big year in 2010. Brothers came out to mass critical acclaim and the video above is my favorite of the year. Their sound is very easy to distinguish from other rock bands from the Midwest with their mix of blues and rock. Spin Magazine named the band their artist of the year in 2010. Rolling Stone picked this album for the second best of the year. I completely love it. Highly recommend it.

2. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kayne West

By most publications, this is the album of the year. I don't argue with anyone who says that. It is flat out inspiring and amazing on all levels. Intense, personal, and passionate, the first four tracks of this album might be the best beginning to any rap album I've ever heard. It simply explodes in your head. Power is picked by some for the song of the year as well. You might hate Kayne as a person, but as a performer - the dude is sick.

1. Sigh No More by Mumford and Sons

In February, Mumford and Sons' album finally made out in the US. The date you see in the clip above is exactly two years before America would get to hear the talents of this amazing band officially. The confusion on when this album officially came out is one reason why you don't see it listed by most publications. However, in December, it was nominated for 2 2010 Grammy Awards. Laura Marling is close to this band and together they are producing music in England that crushes anything I've heard in America from folk bands over the past year. If you don't own this album, I suggest you run to your computer to download it. Simply put, it's the best work of the year from start to finish.

I Can Post This Now

2010-12-30T18:17:00.000-08:00

I read this pre-Christmas but rather insult so many who love the holiday (my favorite by the way but not for the religious implications of it) - I held this until today. If you are curious, I claim to be agnostic myself but several of my friends are atheists and understand their point. I just think there are things bigger than us at play in the world.

However, I love this quote from Ani Difranco in 2000 during this interview:

"Well, I'm not a religious person myself. I'm an atheist. I think religion serves a lot of different purposes in people's lives, and I can recognize the value of that, you know, the value of ceremony, the value of community, or even just having a forum to get together and talk about ideas, about morals — that's a cool concept. But then, of course, institutional religions are so problematic."

Amen :)

Maggie and I

2010-11-25T18:21:00.000-08:00

So my sister and I have been doing these movie review for about a year plus now ... I thought it would be neat to post all of them we've done so far on here:

Night at the Museum II

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

UP

A Christmas Carol

Toy Story 3

And finally....our latest ... Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 1

Hope you enjoy a few of these ... my sis and I have fun making them!

Back To My Roots

2010-11-08T21:47:00.000-08:00

There has always been deep love for female singer song-writers in my life. It was put there by my mother who played Edie Brickell, Tracy Chapman, 10,000 Manics and others in the house while I was growing up. While my tastes expanded as I got older to include several male oriented genres, I still come back to the music of my childhood quite often.

Being exposed to those powerful female artists early in life planted the seed for my obsession with acts like Ani Difranco, who has been a staple in my life since I was 18. I've seen Ani over 15 times in several different states, most recently this past spring in Des Moines and Omaha on back to back nights.

The connection to female singer/songwriter music is obvious as my mother raised me by herself and the lyrics of those artists speak to the trials and tribulations of women in today's society. My mother's strength empowered me to become the independent thinker that I am today and I owe everything to the sacrifices my mother made to get me where I am today.

Whenever I find a new female musical talent that reminds of my childhood, or any new act for that matter - I love to share the find with as many people as possible. It's why I wanted to go into music radio at first.

Brit Laura Marling is simple amazing and comes from the same group of singer/songwriters that has produced Mumford and Sons and Andrew Bird. While still young at 21, she is extremely talented and her EP and two albums that have followed are FANTASTIC. Highly recommend her music.

Here are a few live tracks showing off her amazing voice.

Not live but this is my favorite song by her

"Alt-Country" Becomes the Music of this Fall

2010-10-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

What can I say….I love writing about music and I’ve found a new sound that I needed to share with anyone who is looking for some new music.

As some of you know, my love for Brit music started with bands like Oasis and Travis during my high school days and has been a constant in my musical listening life over the past 15 years. It led me to bands like Lily Allen, Kate Nash, Florence and the Machine and many others.

I will never forget buying Keane’s first album Hopes and Dreams while living in Alabama in 2001 and falling head over heals in love with the band. (No kidding right? Just look at this blog). This past summer was basically devoted to listening to them.

Moving around the South and Midwest for my radio career opened me up to country music in ways that I never, ever imagined. In high school, when people used to ask me what kind of music I liked, my standard answer was “everything but country”.

I wasn’t alone in that opinion growing up in Boston as historically, country music never got much attention except when you stumbled onto the Country Music Awards on CBS after a Patriots game ended and you quickly laughed at the ridiculous twang of the performers.

Ironically for me, while living in Alabama, it was a girl from Boston who exposed me to country music in a way that made me actually listen to songs and lyrics and find an appreciation for the art. Bands like Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Dixie Chicks, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Josh Turner, and Sugarland started to get placed on my IPod and have stayed ever since. I’ve even been to several country music concerts including seeing Rascal Flatts three times.

But then came Bluegrass and that’s how my love of Brit music and country ended up headed on a collision course.

Alison Krauss and Union Station perform some of the most amazing songs I’ve ever heard. Most people know her work from the soundtrack to the George Clooney movie O Brother Where Art Tho. Her solo work also has won her more Grammy’s than any other female country artist and she quickly became one of my favorites. Alison and her band currently sits at Number 2 on my list of bands I must see before I die (R.E.M. is number 1).

One more stop before I get where I’m going this and that was my finding of the band Old Crow Medicine Show – a southern bluegrass band that expanded my musical horizons and made me search out more bands with similar sounds. I just caught the fever of the music.

It all came together when I discovered the band Mumford and Sons, and suddenly, my love of Brit music crashed into Bluegrass and country. I literally haven’t been able to stop listening to their 2009 album Sigh No More. Dust Bowl Dance shook me the first time I heard it and their perfection of the crescendo is masterful.

It all came full circle this past week when Keane writer Tim Rice-Oxley’s spin off group Mt. Desolation, released their self-titled first album. If you haven’t heard the song State of our Affairs yet, please take the time to below and hear how haunting of a song it is. It will stick with you in a very good way.

So what to call this new sound? When I first heard the label “Alt-Country”, I wasn’t sure I liked it but then I started to hear why it works. On the Mt. album, you will hear the influence of Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Neil Young, and Linda Ronstadt. You will hear some Union Station and Old Crow inside the music of Sigh No More as well. It's an amazing redux on a great American sound.

From a love of Brit music, to country, to Bluegrass to Alt-country from Brit musicians – my music journey continues to be a passion of mine and I love where it is taking me.

And just for fun...I play this song every time I go into my favorite bar in Omaha

Just Because.....

2010-10-22T10:34:00.001-07:00

Favorite song I heard this summer and since I was at this show and met the band right after this song....and since I haven't written on here in a while...KEANE!!

To Go Along with my Em post

2010-10-12T09:11:00.000-07:00

This won't be make NOT hate Em if you do....but it's worth watching to learn more about what I was talking about below

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6945449n&tag=topnews

Goodbye Summer of 2010.

2010-08-31T22:30:00.000-07:00

For a lonely soul, you're having such a nice time
For a lonely soul, you're having such a nice time
For a lonely soul, it seems to me that you're having such a nice time
You're having such a nice time. - Keane "Nothing in my way" (see below for song)

Met Keane in MN

When you are single at 33, there is a lot of quiet time late at night which allows for massive amounts of self-reflection and introspection. I blame my uncle for introducing me to this world of single life where the greatest question invented lives on steroids: "Why?". He is well over the age of 45, single, no kids and challenged me early in my life to pursue the road less taken and to follow my heart.

I was reminded this summer that I'm really fortunate to have the kind of life that I always wanted. Sometimes, in the rush of living, I think I forget to stop and look around at what is good in my life and the opportunities that are provided to me because of the choices I've made. That doesn't mean I don't have issues because my life can be lonely at times. The solemn existence is caused by a piercing desire to pursue a career that forces me to move around the country to places where I never thought I would live.

Radio is who I am and without it, I don't know what I would do with myself. I have my uncle to thank for my career. This summer was quite possibly the greatest of my life, yet I spent the majority of it alone or with just one or two people along for the experiences. It causes me to wonder - have I spent too much time alone these past few years that I'm now forever destined to live solo? My poor mother is wondering if her oldest son will ever grow up and settle down but it sure doesn't look like it at the rate I'm going. I am 33 for god-sakes.

I'm now even asking myself if I will ever give up this bachelorhood? I don't think I want to but don't I have to if I want to do the wife and white picket fence life kinda thing? Debating that is my new late-night struggle.

I've written of my childhood before, explaining how we never traveled anywhere beyond New York City. It was like the world stopped at tip of lower Manhattan. This bubble was allowed to remain intact because everything you focused on was in Boston or New York. Movies, art, TV news, baseball, football, it was all about Boston and New York.

But then radio came along and this Pandora's Box of experiences was opened up for me and I was never the same. I call it "the ride" and it's been filled with so much selfish fun.

I'm not going to bore you with every detail of what I did this summer but the highlights are pretty wild and gives some background to why I'm still single. Yes, I did go home to Boston to see the family for five days but the real fun started afterwards.

Keane performing in Vegas

Everyone should spend the 4th of July in Los Angeles just once, especially if you are from the East Coast. I don't want to say that people in Cali aren't patriotic because they are, but the 4th there feels like a played-out family tradition rather than a celebration of our country's history. I also learned a big lesson in California this summer - growing up means you have to learn to keep your mouth shut and let your friends make their own mistakes with love. Even when you want to scream at them, you have to just accept their decisions because saying what you think can be devastating. I lost a connection with a close friend in July and I hope one day, we are able to re-build our friendship. He was my best friend for many years before a woman entered the picture one night in Vegas.

Speaking of Vegas, my annual July trip this year was highlighted by staying at the Green Valley Ranch Resort and getting a ton of stuff comp'd due to a connection I had at the hotel. If you are looking for a place off the strip that is really chill and very nice - that's the place to stay. The 21+ pool rocks too. I walked out up $250 from the casino, so that was a nice treat as I left the desert. It was different without my friend around though who had been a major part of my last three trips to Sin City.

But Vegas 2010 will be remembered for seeing the band Keane for the first time at the House of Blues (pic above). I don't know if I'm normal or weird that I can go to concerts alone but I've always been this way and it further fuels my thoughts that I won't ever settle down. My first concert ever was seeing Cracker by myself at the Avalon club in Boston when I was 16. My favorite thing in the world to do is go to concerts but since many of my bands aren't popular with a lot of people, finding friends who want to go see those bands can be tough sometimes. I couldn't care less about going by myself to shows.

I'm happy to report that I finally made it to Chicago to cross off another bucket list item. In fact, after not going there for 33 years, I made two visits to the Windy City this summer. I first went for a couple of AAU tournaments for my website and then I went for Big 10 Football Media Days. While in Chi-town for the second time, a connection got my co-host and I great seats so I could see Wrigley Field - home of the Cubs for the first time.

Chicago feels a lot like Boston with its history and quaint neighborhoods. I also made it up to Minneapolis in August and found out that their downtown is simply awesome. So much going on but so easy to get in and out of and so clean!

After going 7 years without seeing Keane, I got to see them twice during a 3 week period. The second time was in the Twin Cities at the famous First Avenue Club. That's where Prince made his name so it was pretty cool to be in there but not nearly as cool as meeting the entire band and having them sign something for me (see pic above) after the show. My friend Kat (she works in the music industry) set the whole thing up and I owe her a huge debt. It was the highlight of my summer as the band could not have been cooler to talk to for the 10 minutes I spent in their dressing room.

But again, while Kat was hanging out with her work friends, I roamed the club by myself, dancing along to the music. It just felt right I guess.

I went to other places like Dallas for Big 12 Football Media Days, which was very routine in nature and we didn't do much fun stuff except go to a Rangers game to see Cliff Lee pitch. Kansas City was where I flew to Las Vegas from but went to a big AAU tournament first, so I spent a couple days there.

Yet, I keep coming back to a larger debate with myself when thinking about this summer: how long can you keep doing this and remain happy?

Marriage, relationships, and family have always been part of how I saw my life unfolding. I'm a family oriented guy living the most non-family friendly lifestyle. What girl wants to be around this madness?! It's a catch-22 for me.

Most of my relationships recently have been of the one to two month variety which has been perfectly OK. I date very differently than I used to. In the past, I would go years with the same girl and never walk away soon enough. Now, I get bored of them or they get sick of my behavior. There is no way that I could have gone to Boston, LA, Chicago twice, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Minneapolis and Dallas during a 8 week period if I were married - but that's exactly what I did this summer and loved every minute of it. I know it's the quintessential single guy life that leads many to get hitched - coming home to your cat and empty loft of silence after days of partying, but how many unhappy married guys would take my life in two seconds?

All I know is, I had a blast this summer and most of it was spent by myself on planes, in cars, at shows, in hotels or at work. What does that say about me....I don't know exactly yet but I'm still loving my career, loving my freedom and loving my next chance to ask that great question:

Why?

Set List from Minneapolis Show for Keane

Hear the Encore in Minny below!

A Quick Thought On Golf

2010-07-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

The thing I have always loved about the game of golf is that its principles extend way beyond the course or the country club.

America took the game and made it “exclusive” by creating the country club atmosphere, the polo brand, and high priced courseside houses, but I think the game has always been about learning life’s lessons. There is nothing exclusive about that at all. We all can learn something from the game.

It’s the only contest where you get to police yourself. Nobody to argue with, in or out, it’s your call. People say you play golf the way you live your life and I think that’s pretty accurate.

For me, I play golf with a love for the competition but have to fight the urge to cut corners and stay focused on each individual shot. When I get caught up in the bigger picture, like my score, I struggle and normally implode. I can be easily distracted and make mistakes if I start to play too quickly.

My behavior in life is very similar.

So when I had surgery on my shoulder and I thought my golf career was over, I suddenly felt like I had lost something that had been a part of me since I was 11 years old.

I taught myself how to play the game by sneaking onto the Andover Country Club course at dusk on summer nights when nobody was out playing it. My friend Mike and I would get 3 or 4 holes in and then we’d putt until we couldn’t see our hands in front of our faces.

As the summer grew on, we would get braver and braver as to how early we’d go out to play. By the end of the season, we would be nuts enough to sneak between groups and play nearly a full 9 holes. Needless to say, we got chased off the course more than once.

Golf has taught me another life lesson just recently however, as I’m back to playing the game again. 18 months removed from surgery, I simply cannot swing the club as hard as I used to be able to and it’s difficult to accept that fact. I was the guy who could step up to the tee and drive the ball 300 yards straight down the middle.

I thought about this new lesson as I drove from the course this morning after shooting a 41 on a Par 35 for nine holes.

Driving the ball is a guy’s ego in full affect, a dick-measuring contest that we don’t really talk about much but it’s the reason why Drivers are $300 and a putter is $100. I’m a decent golfer but the one thing I could do was hit the ball a long ways. It was fun to see the reaction of people when I hit a drive. I’m not that big of a guy but I could really get into a golf ball.

Not anymore.

Surgery has robbed me of the ability to swing hard and go after the ball with the force I used to uncork. I was angry for a while until I learned to accept my limitations and play within myself. I have to hit a 4 iron from 190 yards now.

Smooth swing. Slow back, controlled on impact. Proper finish.

The result – I’m probably a better golfer now than I was before the surgery and I’m not as wild off the tee as I was before. I’m not swinging “for the fences” if you will and instead just trying to put the ball where it needs to be put.

The lesson – learn what you can do well and do it to the best of your ability. Don’t worry about the showmanship and ego side of things, as all they will do is get you hurt. Be smart about yourself and know what you are capable of doing.

It’s not the beginning that matters, it’s the end result. Golf, once again, teaching tools that can help you in life.

Who Do You Want To Be?

2010-06-25T09:26:00.000-07:00

FOR COLIN

Is anybody out there?

It feels like I’m talking to myself

No one seems to know my struggle

And everything I’ve come from

Can anybody hear me?

I guess I keep talking to myself

It feels like I’m going insane

Am I the one who’s crazy?

-Eminem “Talking To Myself featuring Kobe”

And with that moving chorus, Eminem’s new album Recovery explains the running theme of his latest album that hit stores this week and now has my mind spinning about this journey I’ve been on for past 11 years since I left home.

I’ve often wondered why white kids like myself have fallen for the rapper from Detroit's talents and have bought his albums for years. There are other artists who put out similar sounding tracks without us paying them any mind. In my opinion, I think it’s because Em has the ability to connect with something most white males have inside of them - a desire to have our feelings of struggle understood by someone without the warm and fuzzy feminizing of the emotion.

Em said it is “cause he looks like us”, which is probably very true, but his lyrics are different than most rappers. His storytelling allows fans to see a deeper meaning and draws from experiences that many of us white bread suburban kids can easily relate to because of our own childhood memories.

I just came back from a five-day stay in Boston with my family, which probably should be called my second family. My first family was as dysfunctional as any rap song that Em could put out. More on that in a second, but I grew up with a crystal clear understanding of the burden that my existence put on my parents. That caused a lot of anger in me growing up in the upper middle class, white town of Andover, MA.

Mercedes in my hometown are as common as Nissans in others but I lived in nothing but apartments well into my teenage years. My mom’s second family started while I was in middle school and turned into a happy marriage of nearly 20 years with three great kids who are 17, 15, and 10 and a house at the end of a cull de sac. My story has had a very happy ending.

And that’s where artists like Eminem bond with people like me. After the storm, you want to reflect on what the hell happened to you before you knew who you were.

It’s amazing how your first 12 years of life can be such a source of pain and anger for your adult years. Like a blistering sunburn on my memory, my youth taught me a lot about how tough life can be if you make poor choices early on. I’ve vowed to be different and smarter than the people who gave me the chance to exist.

My parents knew each other for a grand total of 6 weeks before they got pregnant with me in the summer of 1976. I’ve lived with that knowledge my whole childhood. There was no courting or falling in love story to tell at the dinner table and I used to think it was something to be kinda proud of.

Seriously.

I guess the reason was because my mother’s best friend got pregnant at the same time and had an abortion. My mom had me. I have no idea what my father wanted to do but I’ve always suspected that he wanted my mother to do what her friend did and relieve him of the 18-year commitment that he would never fully take responsibility for (even though he did have a second child with my mom – my 30-year-old brother). My father required that my brother and I call my mom and dad by their given names – Mark and Donna. It screws with a kid’s mind I can tell you that.

I’m not writing this on a blog to make people feel bad for me but I feel like there are a lot of kids out there (one of my brothers) that are going through some tough issues and need to know that they can do whatever they want to do in the world. A lot of the kids that buy Eminem records have a dream of being more than the names your dad used to call you at the dinner table while drunk.

So let me say this; you are alive and since you are alive, why not carve out a slice of life for yourself the world will remember you for?

There are many sad stories I could tell about my father and mother during those first 12 years of my life. Plates being thrown like Frisbees at my mom’s head, cops dragging my father down flights of steps leaving a trail of blood all the way to backseat of the cruiser, drunken fights between my body and his fists, or as I later learned, illegal acts that should have put my father in jail for what he did to us.

I can’t rap about what happened but I can share my experiences with others to tell them that they aren’t alone if they are struggling to get through the dark tunnel. I’m evidence that there is a light at the end if you are willing to push through.

The black clouds of those times have been a part of me as much as the hair on my head and I will admit that I was looking for a way out of it all when I walked into WMUA’s studios on the campus of UMass in 2000. I needed to find a way to experience the world in my own way and radio provided that for me. I never traveled as a child. No family vacations or trips to see colleges. We were luckly to be able to keep the car running and pay the rent.

I wanted a lot more out of my life and I was determined to get it for myself.

If you believe that everything happens for a reason than you will see a clear line from my job in Virginia falling apart after little over a year to getting hired in Alabama in 2002 a few months later.

Moving to the Deep South felt like I was as far away from Andover as I could get but it was the equivalent of enrolling in radio boot camp. The same man who educated Sean Hannity taught me the talk game everyday in a variety of confusing ways. It was like being on Dagobah with Yoda for 4 years with the lessons and riddles he challenged me with every morning before sun came up. It gave me the tools to go forward in this business and the belief that I was born to do this. Some don’t understand how much I study talk radio but it’s the most important thing in my life outside of my family and friends.

I was born to be a talk show host and I learned that while in Alabama, working for a man I never thought I would ever get along with, let alone owe my career to.

So if you are going to pick up Eminem’s new CD and a song like “Not Afraid” speaks to you – do something with that feeling. Dream. Ask the best question ever invented – why? Why am I here? What can I do while I have air in my lungs? And who do I want to be before they throw dirt on me? Who can I help? Where should I be? What was I born to do?

Don’t be afraid to do something unconventional. Don’t be afraid to listen to your heart and follow it, no matter where it leads you. There is no wrong answer in life if you listen to your heart. It’s what you were meant to be and people who really love you will understand that fact.

Like Em said during the song “Lose Yourself”:

“Look, if you had, one shot, one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted, would you capture it? Or just let it slip?

You only get one shot. Do not miss your chance to blow. This opportunity only comes once in a lifetime. You better lose yourself in the moment”

There is no better time than today to get after it.

Year 1 in Des Moines

2010-05-04T22:25:00.000-07:00

What a first year.

I think you are officially considered an adult when you begin to talk about your life in terms of years.

I'm now 33 but I don't like to admit that I'm a grown up.

Remember in high school, when you were dating someone for three months, that was a long time. In college, if you had two semesters of school left, you thought that was forever.

Now, I say things like “this year I want to” and “for the last year”.

On April 30, 2009, I moved my career to Des Moines, Iowa adding another stop on this crazy train ride (to go with Nashua, Charlottesville, Huntsville, and Omaha). Just another town that I never thought I would call home when I graduated high school in 1995.

However, I feel like I've found a perfect spot here in Iowa.

I can honestly say that moving here has been the most amazing, perfect, and fortunate break of my career. I’ve been interviewing and applying for large market jobs for the better part of 8 years but little did I know that the break of my career would come after being let go from a job that I truly loved.

In February of 2009, I was nearly positive that I was moving to Seattle. One of my bosses at Big Sports 590 was helping in the hiring process and all but told me that I was going to be hired in the Emerald City. It was big because I had been told that my contract was not going to be renewed due to budget cuts in December of 2008.

I have been close for numerous large market jobs over the years, but that one stung for a while because of how the courtship ended.

The morning before I was supposed to fly to Seattle to meet the executives to close the deal in all likelihood…. it fell through. They were hiring another early 30’s, Boston born talk show host from within their affiliation group.

It crushed me.

My contract was over at the end of March in Omaha and my plan was to move to back to Boston. That’s when Ken Miller called to ask me if I would ever consider coming to KXnO to be his co-host.

I didn’t know at the time that it would be the most important phone call of my career so far.

In some ways, I can now relate to Greg McDermott’s run at Iowa State. You need a support system around you to be successful in anything in life, radio included. Sometimes, it’s not the right fit and sometimes you are the victim of bad breaks.

The KXnO interview process was easy but I still can’t believe that I was up for a job against Trev Alberts in talk radio. He eventually took the job as Athletic Director of UNO, a smart move considering he is making around $100K more than he would have in Des Moines as a talk show host.

His decision allowed me to move two hours east and into an awesome opportunity.

Everything happens for a reason right? I think KXnO did for me because I’ve grown so much since I moved here.

Sure, the first year has been bumpy at times, getting used to a new audience, new teams, new show but for the most part, I think it’s been a successful transition.

I finally work for a “real” radio station who values talent.

In just the first year of “Matt and Miller”, we’ve covered Media days, Bowl games, NCAA tournament runs, the NFL draft, and the Kentucky Derby. Tell me another sports radio station outside the top 75 markets that can claim that?

And I’m learning more and more about sports careers and how fluid sports can be at every turn.

Dana Altman leaving for Oregon was a sad moment for me. I found out via text from Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports while I was on a train from New York to Boston. Brian Fish, one of his assistant coaches, was someone I considered a friend beyond the basketball court.

But I understood why he was going. It was his shot and his time to take it.

And maybe one day, I’ll get my big shot….but until then, I could not be happier with how my career has turned out so far.

I’m now running a website that has completely changed the way I look at sports media coverage. I work for a General Manager who I can sit and talk radio with for hours. And I’m learning more and more every day and get up with thirst for becoming a better host.

What else could a guy who is in love with talk radio ask for? I'm pretty lucky.

Ani DiFranco - Omaha April 18, 2010 The Slowdown

2010-04-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

If you were to draw up THE set list that most Ani DiFranco fans would kill to hear, I think Omaha's stop on this current tour would be pretty darn close to what it would look like.

The night before in Des Moines, the show was sleepy and very current as the theatre audience allowed Ani to play slower tracks that honestly were difficult to digest on a Saturday night.

The next night however, Ani ripped into her version of what could be called a "greatest hits show" if she ever wanted to do one.

Talk about a different show from one night to the next!

Classic songs exploded into my ears from the first Ani album I ever bought - Dilate which shot me back to walking the UMass campus with Untouchable Face blaring on my headphones. Amazing tracks from Little Plastic Castle including Swan Dive (my favorite DiFranco song and a huge source of inspiration for my radio career) and Red Letter Year's incredibly political Alla This filled the 90 minute set list.

She played Grey, 32 Flavors, Fuel, and Napoleon!

The show was so good that I actually reverted back to being 19 again and asked for the set list from the sound tech....an old trick that I used to pull out for only the biggest of shows.

It was simply an amazing night. If you love Ani DiFranco, that set list should make you just say "WOW!"

2 Shows in 2 nights that could not have been more different but so much fun. Just another reason why Ani DiFranco is my favorite female artist ever.

Ani DiFranco - Des Moines April 17, 2010 Hoyt Sherman Theatre

2010-04-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

I'm not a concert reviewer and I'm completely biased when it comes to Ani so don't read this if you want me to get all critical on you.

The song Swan Dive has been used by me as inspiration for my career and the things that I've done over the past 12 years and I believe I owe a lot of determination to her story.

So when I sit down to talk about a show that I saw last night in Des Moines, I will instead just tell you what I thought about it, give you the set list and look forward to seeing Ani in Omaha tonight!

Ani, over the past 5 years or so, has become a 90 minute act nearly to the minute. Her concerts are shockingly punctual which is understandable given that she has been on tour for nearly 2 decades now.

At 9 pm - you will see Ani hit the stage and 90 minutes and 2 encore songs later - she will depart. Die-hard fans understand this and have grown accustomed to it but some feel like for an artist with nearly 300 songs recorded, she should play longer.

I don't really care either way - I just want to see her play.

Last night, I sat with two of my friends who were seeing Ani for the first and second time. I felt a little bad for them because the set list last night was not for the casual fan and it looks like that has been the case over the past few shows. DiFranco is playing very current songs - mostly off her Reprieve, Knuckle Down, and Red Letter Year albums. She did go back and play a few of her popular older stuff but this set this was very political and very current.

Maybe it was because she was in Des Moines for the first time in a while and wanted to talk more about the issues of the day surrounding the election of Obama, the Tea-baggers of the 15th, or her new found love of parenting, but it was one of the most unique Ani shows I've ever seen.

I'm not saying, as the lyric goes, "They taught me different was wrong" however. I've seen Ani since 1995 play live, so many times that I've lost count (somewhere around 15 or so) but last night was one that I will remember for sure because of how different it was .

Set List (Best of my memory, sorry if I get something wrong):

Anticipate

78% H2O

Lag Time

Marrow

Albacore

Red Letter Year

November 5, 2008

Which Side Are You On

Unrequited

Splinter

***Didn't know it*** Left to say?

The Atom

Paradigm

Decree

Present/Infant

Both Hands

Encore

Evolve

Hypnotized

It's Ani Week!!!

2010-04-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

Ani Difranco is coming to Des Moines on Saturday and Omaha on Sunday. She is, by far, my favorite female artist. I've seen her more times than I can count - around 15. I was 18 when I first came across her music....14 years and every CD later....I can't wait to see her in the city I'm living in!!

To get you ready, here's an NPR Ani Show:

A Song For Turning 33...

2010-04-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

Today's my birthday. As my mother told me today when she called me this Easter Sunday - the day we remember the resurrection of Christ, that Jesus died when he turned 33. Today, I turned 33 on Easter. I have no idea what she was getting at with that but she thought it was interesting.

I heard this song today and thought it reminded of my life. Death Cab For Cutie's I Was Once a Loyal Lover

WIll I have learned so very little
When these bones are old and brittle?
I wait to talk when I should listen
And cloud mistakes with false revisions

All my friends are forward-thinking
Getting hitched and quitting drinking
And I can feel them pulling away
As I'm resigned to stay the same

And you can't even begin to know
How many times I've told myself "I told you so"

I was once a loyal lover
Whose lips did never seek another's
But now each love's more like a match
A blinding spark that burns out fast

And they all conclude with the same sentence:
"I've never met someone more self-centered
Who thinks that life with a nice girl's like
Waiting for a bus to work"

And you can't even begin to know
How many times I've told myself "I told you so"
And you can't even begin to believe
There's so many bridges engulfed in flames behind me

If you deem it so
Just cut the cord and go
You'll be fine
There's plenty of hills to climb

You can't even begin to know
How many times I've told myself "I told you so"
And you can't even begin to believe
There's so many bridges engulfed in flames behind me

Since 1999....

2010-03-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

This quotes sums up my life since I left my mother holding my 1 month old sister in her arms on the front lawn in Andover, Ma. as I drove out of site:

"They take pictures of mountain climbers at the top of the mountain.

They are smiling, ecstatic, triumphant. They don’t take pictures along the way cause who wants to remember the rest of it? We push ourselves because we have to, not because we like it. The relentless climb. The pain and anguish of taking it to the next level.

Nobody takes pictures of that. Nobody wants to remember. You just wanna to remember the view from the top. The breathtaking moment at the end of the world. That’s what keeps us climbing. And it’s worth the pain – that’s the crazy part. It's worth anything " - Grey's

I'm hard wired for Radio. Don't know why....but I am.

If I Picked the Best Picture Oscar....

2010-03-11T20:56:00.000-08:00

Out of the gate, I have to admit that I only saw 8 of the 10 nominations for best picture this year but seriously - 10 different movies? That's ridiculous. Still, here is how I would have ranked the 8 movies that were nominated this year for Best Picture.

This excluding "Precious" and "A Serious Man" and I apologize to you if you loved those films. I can't see that many movies! :)

8. District 9 - I saw this movie most recently and was impressed by Peter Jackson's political spin on an alien movie. It was really wild to see the special effects and an interesting look into human behavior. I don't like horror flicks and this isn't one. This is major-league Sci-Fi.

7. Inglourious Bastards - If this movie was a true story, I would have liked it much better. I couldn't help but remember that it wasn't a true story while I was watching it and thus, I was pulled out of the fictional world. Brad Pitt was ok in this - not his best role. It got a little nutty at times. Not Quentin's best work but worth seeing.

6. Avatar - This was a visual explosion of color. The 3-D film is the highest grossing movie ever for a reason. It was a wild, wild ride. However, the story line wasn't amazing and the acting was ok. It was a good movie but not an amazing movie. Must see in 3-D however...but you probably did.

5. The Blind Side - I read the book so I was really excited to see the film. I have to say, Sandra Bullock was AMAZING. She deserved the best actress award. She is from Alabama so I think she was the perfect fit for the role of the southern belle mom. Hell, that's her!

4. UP - This movie was just so sweet and deep at the same time. I took my 10-year old sister to see it and I thought it was such a wonderful message about never being too old to go on an adventure. One of my favorite Pixar movies of all time. Great family film. Buy this movie, seriously.

3. Up In The Air - George Clooney was outstanding in this film. At times I felt like I was watching a movie that was based on the places I've lived! Des Moines, Omaha, Alabama, Wichita, etc...all played a big part in this "flying" movie. I related this to movie's theme of movement and asking larger life questions as you get older.

2. The Hurt Locker - I know this movie won the Oscar and I have no problem with it. It was a gritty, real, and moving film. Visually amazing and wonderfully directed. It deserved all the awards that it won...but I have it as number 2. War movies are cool but I'm never huge into them.

1. An Education - I'm probably in the minority here but I fell for this tale of love, lies, and dreaming in England. It was really, really well done and the perfect length. The acting was wonderful (best overall), the accents which were really fun (great retro outfits too) and the trip back to a time that we all remember as teenagers did what a movie is suppose to do - make you think. This movie was my favorite of the year.

Greatest QB of All Time

2010-02-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

I caused a stir on my radio show on 1460 KXnO in Des Moines the day after the Super Bowl by saying that I didn’t think Peyton Manning was a Top 5 QB all time. And I still don’t.

During the show, I mentioned that I didn’t have the list set in my head but I had Manning in the Top 10 All Time but I didn’t get how in the world people thought that Manning, with a career playoff record of 9-9, was on his way to being the best to ever play the position.

Now, Manning does a ton for his team and has more freedom than any other QB in the league but that doesn’t make him the best ever when you break it down.

Jason Whitlock wrote about this today and he doesn’t have Manning in the Top 5 either.

So here’s my Top 10 after thinking about this for a few days. My criteria are based on these factors:

Championships. This why we play and it should carry the most weight.
Records and Numbers: What did you accomplish while playing
Come from behind wins in big moments: did you have a “moment”? What did you do when all the chips were down and you had the ball in your hands.
Surrounding Cast – who was around you when you won.
If you had 1 game to win, who would you pick to be your QB?

10. Troy Aikman: 61.5% completions. Nearly 33,000 passing yards. 6x Pro Bowler. 3x Super Bowl Champion. Pro Football and College Football Hall of Famer. Super Bowl 28 MVP.

Aikman was surrounded by OUTSTANDING talent in Dallas. The Cowboys were built to be dominant and they were while Aikman was their QB. Facts are facts for me though - the guy won.

9. Peyton Manning: 64.8% completions. 50,128 passing yards. 10x Pro Bowler. 1 Super Bowl Championship. 4x NFL MVP.

For all the records and numbers that Manning has, he is just 9-9 in the playoffs and threw a costly interception that was returned for a TD in Super Bowl 44 that led to another playoff defeat - this time in the biggest game. That playoff record is huge for me. Manning is great, there is no question, but there are others who are better in the playoffs. He is tied for 2^nd with 34 come from behind 4^th Qtr regular season wins which puts him above Aikman.

8. Dan Marino: 59.4% completions. 61,381 passing yards. 9x Pro Bowler. 1984 MVP. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer.

Marino is hurt big time by the one lacking thing on his resume – Championships. He only played in 1 Super Bowl – a loss. To me that’s huge but he goes on the list because of outstanding numbers and he’s number 1 with 36 4^th Qtr come from behind wins.

7. Brett Favre: 62% completions. 69,329 passing yards. 11x Pro Bowler. 3x NFL MVP. 1 Super Bowl Championship.

Favre has played in a record 309 consecutive games. He is the toughest player ever to play the position. Favre is the only quarterback to have led a team to victory over all thirty-two teams in the league since the NFL first expanded to 32 franchises in 2002. If the game is on the line, Brett Favre can win it or lose for you with one throw but you want the ball in his hands regardless.

6. Steve Young: Highest QB rating ever for a career of 96.8. 7x Pro Bowler. 2x NFL MVP. 43 rushing TDs. 3x Super Bowl Champion. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer. Super Bowl 29 MVP

I need to thank Jason Whitlock for pointing out Steve Young’s career because I really forget it all the time. Young was the first QB that showed you could run and throw at the position and win a Championship doing it. He lost some years due to the USFL and waiting his turn in San Fran but he was awesome once he got his chance.

5. Terry Bradshaw: 27,989 Passing Yards. 3x Pro Bowler. 4x Super Bowl Champion. 1978 NFL MVP. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer. 2x Super Bowl MVP.

Bradshaw won. Period. That’s the reason he’s this high to me and it wasn’t just cause of the running game and defense. He also had a stellar career passing the football.

4. Johnny Unitas: 54.6% Completion 40,239 passing yards. 1970 Super Bowl Champion. 2x NFL Champion. 10x Pro Bowl Selection. 3x NFL MVP. Pro Football Hall of Famer

I’m too young to say I’ve seen Johnny U play but he revolutionized the position. He showed coaches you could throw the ball down the field to win football games. His record of throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games (between 1956-1960) remains unsurpassed. Unitas is tied for 2^nd with 34 come from behind wins in the 4^th Qtr.

3. Tom Brady: 93.3 QB rating, 30,844 passing yards. 5x Pro Bowler. 2007 NFL MVP. 3x Super Bowl Champion. 2x Super Bowl MVP. 2009 Comeback Player of Year.

Brady goes this high to me because of the 2 things I want from my QB – I want a winner and I want someone who can lead me to a victory on a final drive of game. Brady did this against St. Louis and Carolina in the Super Bowl and against Oakland in the playoffs. When the game is on the line, you don’t want Brady to have one more shot at you. Brady has a 3-1 record in the Super Bowl. The only loss coming after his defense let him down following a great drive to put his team ahead late against the Giants. I have said this before – Brady is one SB win away for him to have a serious shot at the No.1 spot to me.

2. John Elway: 51,475 passing yards. 9x Pro Bowler. 1987 MVP. Super Bowl 33 MVP. 33 Rushing TDs. Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Elway led Denver to 34 comeback wins in the 4th quarter and overtime. “The Drive” against Cleveland was incredibly influential on my life as a sports fan. A 15 play, 98 yard drive during the AFC Championship game to send the game to OT where Denver won will be remembered as an EPIC moment for me. Elway is No. 2 because of his 2-3 record in the Super Bowl. Canon arm and great escapability - he could hurt in so many ways.

1. Joe Montana: 40, 551 passing yards. 8x Pro Bowler. 4x Super Bowl Champion. 3x Super Bowl MVP. 2x NFL MVP. 1986 Comeback Player of Year.

“The Catch” against the Cowboys in 1982 and the game winning drive against the Bengals in Super Bowl 23 are just some of the amazing moments of Montana’s career. Joe threw 45 post seasons TD’s – the most ever. In the Super Bowl, Montana threw 11 Tds to 0 interceptions and never lost. Only player to be MVP of the Super Bowl 3x.

Agree?

Why Do Some Like Their Leaders Average?

2010-02-08T22:13:00.000-08:00

Something has been eating at me for the past few years and I’m angry enough to write about it publicly tonight.

As a sports talk show host – what the hell do I know about politics right? Well, I take them quite seriously as my father has been involved in them for my whole life. I debate for a living so politics are a natural for me.

I should thank Sarah Palin for the crystallization of my thoughts on this topic cause I now know what I want to ask of my country…..and I’m serious here but:

Why do some people want to elect leaders that they think are exactly the same as them?

Maybe a better way to ask it is why are some so insecure in this country that they can not stand to think that someone else is smarter, better prepared, or better suited to lead our country? The “average” person in this country is a wonderful thing, but I don’t want “average” running the greatest nation on earth. I want "elite".

I watched a large part of Sarah Palin’s speech at the “Tea Party” convention in Nashville this weekend and was astounded at the boorish nature of her accusations. Her wanna-be folky talk was insulting at best, dishonest at worst. All anger and bashing, no recommendations on how to fix our country.

Speaking to people who paid $600 to listen to her speak so she could get a $100k speaking fee which she says will be put back into the “Tea Party” isn’t exactly going on 60 Minutes. No tough questions coming.

Palin's other outlet for nonsense speak is Fox News - the now media wing for radical conservatives like Palin, Beck, and Hannity. It’s time for us "liberal elites" to start name-calling back. These "American" people are "radicals" who hide behind the American flag because they think they are more “American” than me. American by their own definition of course. If I'm a "liberal" - Fox followers are "radicals" who enjoyed watching the last 8 horrendous years cause we had someone to go blow up.

These "radicals" love the label of “elite” too. It always seems to get a round of applause with a certain segment of middle aged, white Americans who they recruit. You know who I’m talking about - the ones who elected George W. Bush to two terms because they felt like he was going to lead our country into a time warp so Ronald Reagan could climb out of the grave to read us all bedtime stories.

Then after 911, these same white Americans felt like the “Cowboy” was the safer pick for our highest office cause they felt like they could have a beer with him. Don't get me started on 2000 but 2004 was just as bad in my book.

And now we have Sarah Palin.

A former governor of a tiny population state who quit before the ethics scandal exploded in her face. The women who said she wanted to sell the state plane on EBay but actually used it to fly her daughter around the country on the taxpayer dime. It gets better now as the Governor’s husband was involved in major state decisions as well according to released emails.

I was very scared when George W. Bush was elected for another term in 2004. I vividly remember thinking that in 2008, we were all going to look back and ask, “How the F did we let that happen?”

And we did and still wonder it today in 2010. Look how much damage we are still cleaning up. I’m not going to argue about Obama here, he’s made plenty of mistakes in year one – but the guy really was handed a bag of crap from day 1.

But back to the point of this - when someone as dim as Sarah Palin said that Obama is like a law professor lecturing the country, all I could think of was: So what!? That makes him a bad President or leader? Because he wants to educate the public on an argument by using facts rather than scaring people with inaccurate threats?

Girlfriend - you had to write NOTES ON YOUR HAND and you are saying that the President can’t talk without a telepromter? Did you miss the two live Q and A sessions he did with lawmakers? At least he didn’t know what questions were coming like you do in your “interviews”.

Are some so insecure in this nation that we can’t listen to someone who might be smarter than us? Excuse me, but I want my President to be smarter than me. I want my President to know more than me. I want my President to more stable than me in the face of the crazy world.

I truly believe that Obama is one of the top minds in our nation at the moment. The guy is so calm, so cool under fire that I think people are afraid of him because of it. They are afraid of a guy, who happens to be black, who appears so confident. They think it’s fake.

So they fall for a true fake like Sarah Palin. Someone who claims “What do you read?” is a “Gotcha” question from the media. Someone who writes down talking points on her hand like a fifth grader cheating on a math test. Someone who hides behind Facebook to control her message and is only concerned for “her brand”.

Sarah Palin is not very bright. She’s cunning and maniacal, motivated by her own personal gain rather than this country. She can’t even keep her arguments straight when she draws a line in the sand like she did with the “F’ing Retard” controversy.

I’m a successful, middle class white male. I’m the demo that Obama has struggled with recently but I have always been 100% behind him from the first time I heard him speak about his ideas. But that’s me…. what scares me are the people that think Sarah Palin should or even could be President.

If someone can tell me one thing that she has done that has looked “presidential” in her time since she was plucked from obscurity – please share. John McCain chose her because she was in the right place at the right time, not because she was the right pick for our country. We should always remember that. We would never have heard of her without that monumental mistake.

Obama was a Senator and CHOSE to run for the highest office. He was vetted. This Right Wing creation - she is a nightmare of epic incompetence.

I really hope one day I figure out why people want their leaders to be on the same level as they are but then again – this is America. We haven’t always been right in the way we do business.

According to the Fox News "radicals" - that statement means I'm a traitor.

Top 5 Sports Montage Songs

2010-02-08T12:20:00.000-08:00

So I wanted to link sports and music for my next entry on here.

Every week, I come into the office and go to a website that lists all of the play-by-play calls from the weekend past. Fox Sports produces them which allows me to quickly go through all the best moments – the buzzer beaters, the upset specials, the great screams from the press box - to find the calls that people will remember.

It’s a lot of fun and let's me be creative with my two passions mixed together. It takes about 2 hours to do it but luckily, I have the time in the day before the show to get it done.

The key is though, to find the right music to match the calls that came out of the past 2 days. I've got over 6,000 songs in my IPod but you have to look for the one that captures the moment. You can't put any song on there because this is how "Matt and Miller" open the show.

A bad song can start us off on the wrong foot.

Sometimes, it’s really easy like using this song for baseball season for a Cub win.

or for a Super Bowl win by the Saints

Here are my favorite 5 songs to use for sports montages.

5. Eye Of The Tiger: I still remember running with my walkman on growing up to this song. It was easily the best pump up song of my childhood. All I needed was a meat locker to punch things in the freezing cold and I'd would have had the Rocky run down pat. Amazing how this song has lasted.

4. Centerfield: Any baseball summer time montage works great with this track. It's a classic

3. Sandstorm: Most, including me, have never heard of the band Darude but this song has been played in arenas for several years. It's great for basketball opens that happen throughout the winter.

2. Sirius: To be always known as the song that Michael Jordan and the Bulls came out to - Allan Parson's song is easily one of the most used songs ever but still so good.

1. Requiem For A Tower: This one allows me to link all 3 of my favorite things - Music, Movies, and Sports. Requiem for a Dream was simply a brillant movie by director Darren Aronofsky. Jennifer Connelly's character was haunting and memorable but the music of Clint Mansell moved me. It later would be a large part of the Lord of Rings movies - that's probably why you know it but for dramatic affect and building anticipation, this song does it the best.

What do you think? Agree?

Finding An Old Album New

2010-02-02T08:53:00.000-08:00

Thirty-three years go by
And not once do you come home
To find a man sitting in your bedroom
That is
A man you don't know
Who came a long way to deliver one very specific message:
Lock your back door, you idiot
However invincible you imagine yourself to be
You are wrong - Ani Difranco Parameters

My musical tastes are quite funny to me. I still don't understand them even after 2 decades of obsession and my behavior is not predictable at all. Often times, the albums that sit un-listened to by my favorite artists because my ear turned against them become, later in life, incredibly important.

Maybe it's cause Ani Difranco is coming to the area in the coming weeks or maybe I'm just ready to hear this particular album but Knuckle Down is now on constant rotation on my IPod after sitting cold for five years. 2005 is when I bought the album....played it three times and buried it away. For the 2000's, the only Ani release that got played consistently was the double album Revelling/Reckoning that came out in 2001.

Now, though....this album finally grabbed me.

It's the exact same thing that happened with Achtung Baby by U2 when I was in High School. I literally hated the album for a year before I was ready to "hear" it. It was so different and such a change from what I was used to hearing from my favorite band that I rejected it. Now, it's one of the most important albums in my collection.

I don't know why Knuckle Down hits me now. Maybe it's because Ani was 33 when she put it out and I am about to turn that in April or maybe it's because I've listened to her since I was 18 and I feel a connection to her dream of achieving something bigger than just a house, 2 kids, and Christmas card.

But as the poem reads above, maybe it's because I realized now that I'm not invisible. That life is fragile and fleeting and all the waiting and wondering you do in your 20's can lead to a moment where a decision is necessary to be made about the rest of your life.

Strange place to be but Ani was always like that for me. Walking just slightly ahead of me, pointing out the scenery along the side of the road.

Here's the poem in full:

I don't know but....

2010-02-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

This song has been in my head all day....Ani in DSM and Omaha in April!

Come home and my guitar
Has nothin to say to me
I recoil from all my friends
And then I'm in misery
Been so long since I've been held
Really since I was his
Probably just need to be held
That's probably all it is

Course, then I think of my dad
Who time travels mostly now
Back to when he was free
And holding out hope somehow
Who sits all day in a line
Of wheelchairs against a wall
Inventing ways to play out time
Like us all
Like us all

To all the people out there tonight
Who are comforting themselves
If you should happen to see my light
You can stop and ring my bell
I'm just sittin here in this sty
Strewn with half written songs
Taking one breath at a time
Nothin much going on
Nothin much going on

Little flashing zero
On my answering machine
Rats scratching at my brain
Brain shuffling its feet
Yes I have my father's heart
It may or may not keep on trying
Can't really tell you what it is
Keeps me this side of that dark line

But I'm not there to take care of him
And I'm not here to take care of me
I'm going outside to watch the house burn down
Across the street
I'm going outside to watch the house burn down
Across the street

To all the people out there tonight
Who are comforting themselves
If you should happen to see my light
You can stop and ring my bell
I'm just sitting here in this sty
Strewn with half written songs
Taking one breath at a time
Nothin much going on
Nothin much going on

For Grammy Night

2010-01-31T23:20:00.001-08:00

Just a track that everyone should hear. I met Sara a few years ago....she is going to be huge in the coming years. Extremely talented....I'll have more to say after the show tomorrow.

Weekend Tunes: George Winston

2010-01-30T09:32:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start a series of musical selections every weekend off this blog.

Music has meant so much to me but one of the things I love to do with music is to share the artists that I truly love. The first - pianist George Winston. Here's a quick description of his talents.

His melodic impressionistic style comprises much of his recorded output, choosing to record albums with specific themes and it is this genre, a cross between the range of traditional American folk music and the instrumental pop/R&B that he grew up with, that he calls rural folk piano. George also plays in two other styles that he has studied for many years, the earlier-mentioned stride and rhythm and blues piano.

If you want to know more about George, here is his Wikipedia Page.

I came across Winston when I was 11 years old. My mother was about to get remarried and she was looking for wedding songs to walk down the aisle to. My step dad brought home an album called "December" and put on a song called Variations on the Kanon by Pachelbel. They loved the song and chose it for their wedding the next summer.

It was in late fall/early winter when his notes first awoke something inside of me. It moved me. I remember that I took the tape of the album as soon as it was lying around, slapped it in my walkman, and listened to it for hours. I had never heard piano music played with such emotion. I literally have cried listening to that album for years since. It was the only lyric-less music that I enjoyed as a teenager.

Over the years, I've lost the album either in moves or people borrowing it and not returning it. I can honestly say I've purchased "December" on either tape of CD around 10 times. Thank god for IPods now and MP3s. Won't have to worry about that anymore.

If you haven't heard Variations before....here it is:

Christmas and George Winston are synonymous for me. Every year, I drive around, in what ever town I'm living in, listening to the entire album to check out the lights and festivities. "December" is one of the 10 most influential albums in my life. There are just so many memories attached to it.

It wasn't until I was in my mid 20's that I was informed that Variations was not unique to my mother and step-father's wedding. I was laughed at for believing that they were unique in that song's selection. Turns out, it's a rather popular track for weddings. It was good for a laugh for many days afterwards at my expense. It's ok though, it's still special to me and my family.

However, it didn't decrease my attachment to George's music once I learned of the popularity of the track. I've seen over 500 concerts in my life but I've never seen Winston perform. I really hope one day I get to see him play in person before he hangs it up. My Brother and Sister-in-Law bought me his box set this year for Christmas which is simply amazing.

Once again, Winston is associated with December 25th for me. I'm now addicted to the album "Plains". Not surprising, that's where I currently live.

So here's another track that I love by George. I hope you find him as wonderful as I do.

Obama Is On Fii-YAAAAhhh

2010-01-29T18:33:00.000-08:00

On the same day that President Obama went on live TV to take question from Republicans for the first time in history, the sports world learned that the President might do something about the most unfair crowning of a sports championship in our country as well.

Now before you roll your eyes and tell me that it’s not the governments job to get involved with the NCAA and college football, read the following from this article that came out tonight. The Fiesta Bowl might have been the last straw for certain members of Congress:

SI article:

In the letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch, obtained by The Associated Press, Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich wrote that the Justice Department is reviewing Hatch's request and other materials to determine whether to open an investigation into whether the BCS violates antitrust laws.

"Importantly, and in addition, the administration also is exploring other options that might be available to address concerns with the college football postseason," Weich wrote, including asking the Federal Trade Commission to review the legality of the BCS under consumer protection laws.

Consumers aka the sports fan is getting ripped off by the BCS, in my opinion. It's not fair that the money is kept for just the big boys and the teams are not equally allowed to get into the fight for a championship. They are robbing us, as fans, and we know it's wrong.

It’s like steroids in baseball. Looking back on it – we all knew it was going on but we just went along for the ride until we were given the chance to stop the madness.

It's time to stop the madness with the way we crown a champion in college football!

Why do we accept that the most profitable collegiate sporting contest is run in a way unlike any other in the entire world? No one uses computers and sports writers to decide who gets to play for a champion. It’s stupid and we know it.

I love the angle to go after the BCS. Instead of saying it’s unfair, say it’s illegal. Find laws that it breaks and use that to make the change. When Al Capone went down, it was for tax evasion, not murder. Everyone knew he was a killer, but he went to the slammer for what they could prove.

If government can prove the BCS is illegal – I’m 100% behind it and I'm behind the investigation. However we kill the BCS, I’m on board.

Vikings Fan Makes Me Remember....

2010-01-24T10:59:00.001-08:00

They told us it was going to be different after it happened.

Champagne would dry. The Banners would be raised and get battered by the weather. And the T-shirt you ran out to buy would fade and get turned into a rag you used to wash your car.

“They” are people not from losing cities but rather ones who believe winning is a birthright.

The New Yorkers, Chicagoans, and Dallas-ites – people who expect their teams to raise the championship trophies cause they’ve seen tons of them. Confident fans that are used to parades and championship t-shirt buying trips to the mall.

Boston – we can now be grouped in the “they” category.

And it sucks sometimes, to realize that the hope of joining those winning cities, was in some ways better than actually becoming part of the club.

One of my friends is a Vikings fan and on Twitter he wrote about his nerves before today’s NFC Championship game between his Vikings and the New Orleans Saints. Minnesota has never won the Super Bowl. The city of Minneapolis hasn’t seen winning since the Kirby Puckett days with the Twins.

He’s pacing. He’s hoping. He’s dreaming what it would be like to see a title for the Vikes.

The city is hungry. Starving really, for a championship and today’s game might be the first time in a long time that every Vikings fan can taste the champagne of victory.

Back in 2004 when the Red Sox changed everything for me in the world of sports, I remember people saying “what would happen IF the Red Sox won it? Would Boston burn down? Would Red Sox baseball be better or worse?”

I didn’t care – I wanted to win damn it! I would tear up at the idea of seeing my beloved team do something that nobody had seen for nearly 90 years!

Let me tell you, winning is FAR better than losing but it can still feel awkward if you don’t grow up with it. It’s kind of like wearing a tuxedo for the first time in a long while – you know you are suppose to feel good in it and like the way you look but it takes some time getting used to.

The last out of that World Series against the Cardinals was a weird moment for me.

It seemed all too fake for me. Maybe it was cause I was in Alabama, maybe it was cause of the girl I was with - embraced me in a very uncomfortable, drunken hug or maybe it was cause I just couldn’t believe it was happening but I didn’t feel they way that I thought I should.

In a way, there was a touch of sadness in my heart as I screamed with joy.

A wise person once told me of my career, “Enjoy the ride, because going up is the most fun part. Once you get to the where you are headed, you’ll look back and realize the climbing up was more fun than the summit”.

And that’s how I feel about my fandom now.

It was the heartbreak that made it fun in a sick way. Bill Buckner’s ground ball gave me a memory, a moment captured for the rest of my life. Boone’s homer will forever be with me as a haunting image of my hatred of the Yankees. The Patriots SUCKED growing up. I still remember the Fridge crushing Tony Eason and Steve Grogan in the Super Bowl – our one cool season. The Celtics were great and I loved them but I never got attached to them.

The Red Sox had my heart.

I was there in 2007 on the field in Denver after the Red Sox won it again. It was euphoric to see my baseball idols up close and watch them celebrate. To shake Mike Lowell’s hand, to walk around with Curt Schilling and his wife, to see Theo Epstein raise the trophy – it will be one of my favorite memories ever.

Yet, even with that happening all around me, I thought about how long it would all last? The run can’t go on like this can it?

The Patriots started it in 2001 with the Super Bowl win in amazing fashion. I was in Tunica, Miss for the “Tuck Rule” moment. I was in Huntsville, Alabama for Adam’s kick. Then the Pats won 2 more. Then the Red Sox won 2 and then the Celtics won their 17^th title.

Boston became title town USA and all of a sudden….it became routine.

Thus, this year when the Patriots got rocked by Baltimore in the first round of the playoffs after I watched, in person, Jonathan Papelbon blow Game 3 against the Angels to end the Red Sox season and the Celtics did nothing in the post season – I barely lost an wink of sleep over it.

I was numb. We had won so much that I wasn’t upset. I could look at my teams with realist eyes and say “we weren’t that good”. I was no longer lost in my fandom vision.

It was all too clear to me.

So, I’m pulling for the Vikings today. I’m pulling for my friend to get a chance to win a championship. I’m envious of those naïve emotions towards winning – that it makes all your fandom dreams come true.

It will in a way but the moment is fleeting. It doesn’t stay. There is next year for all those other teams who are trying to take what your team just accomplished away.

You climb the mountain and then you have to do it all over again.

And that advice rings true once again – going up is the best part.

Good Luck Minnesota!

PS: Cub fan: If the Cubs ever win the World Series - keep this blog post handy...you'll understand then :)

New KXnO Matt and Miller Twitter

2010-01-21T13:04:00.000-08:00

I've split my personal, Bluejaycafe.com, and KXnO twitter accounts.

For Matt: www.twitter.com/sportstalkmatt

For KXnO: www.twitter.com/mattandmiller

For Creighton: www.twitter.com/Thebluejaycafe (this one is still a work in progress)

Thanks!

A Story To Read For The New Year

2010-01-08T09:45:00.000-08:00

Some people have asked me over the years why I feel so strongly about Creighton and the people that work there. I wanted to give you an example of why.

Below is an email that was sent to me before Christmas from Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen of Creighton. I had written him to wish him Merry Christmas and tell me that my brothers and sister were all sporting CU gear as I took them to the movies. Most kids in Andover, MA have no clue where Omaha is but my family does. In fact, my Mom and sister were at a game last year and my brother Colin met the GA for baseball at a baseball camp (he's a pitcher for Andover High).

The people of Creighton is why I love working with them and I truly feel like I learn something every time I talk to Rass. I read this story to my mother on Christmas eve....she cried listening to it.

Matt:

May you and your family have a great Christmas--I want to thank you again for your support of Creighton athletics--you have been awesome and have assisted in raising the visibility of Creighton athletics. My wish for you is that you are the bell for others and you have others who are the bell for you.

Rass

The Blind Horse

Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it. From a distance, each looks like every other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him. This alone is amazing.

If nearby and listening, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to her halter is a small bell. It lets her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her.

As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see how she is always checking on him, and that he will listen for her bell and then slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not lead him astray. When she returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, she stops occasionally and looks back, making sure her friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way.

Good friends are like this... You don't always see them, but you know they're always there.

Top 10 Albums Of The Decade

2010-01-03T10:16:00.001-08:00

Next top 10 - the best albums of the decade.

I often judge an album on staying power. Can I pick it up 4, 5, 8 years later and does it still move me?

Does it still have songs that are relevant and moving?

These are my favorite 10 of the MANY that came out over the past 10 years and made it into my collection.

10. Kate Nash - Made of Bricks: I loved this album from start to finish the first time I heard it. Amazing lyrics, quirky sounds, and catchy hooks. "Foundations" and "Pumpkin Soup" are great tracks.

9. The Fray – The Fray: In 2009, this album ended the decade on a constant rotation on my IPod. Favorite track is “Enough For Now”. I hope their next one is even better.

8. Lost Prophets – Start Something: I stumbled upon this band in 2004 witth this album. I had never heard a hard rock edge from a Brit band but this album is awesome.

7. Alison Krauss – Lonely Runs Both Ways: This is the album that exposed me to the talents of Alison. Bluegrass is something I had to find at the right time in my life and boy – did this album do the trick in 2004.

6. Kanye West – College Dropout: Keeping with 2004, which was probably the best year for music in the decade, Kayne West came onto the scene with the song “Through The Wire”. The MTV video also became very popular talking about an accident that West suffered and was the inspiration for the track. “Jesus Walks” became one of the biggest hits of decade of this album as well

5. Flogging Molly – Float: As I’ve said before, I like my food Italian and my music Irish (or British). This is a Irish sounding band with a California twist. Dave King is a tremendous front man and a great musician.

4. Dropkick Murphy’s – The Meanest Of Times: This band will forever be known as the Red Sox band that Matt dislocated his shoulder watching. From start to end, this will be an album that stays with me for years to come. They will forever be - Boston's Band.

3. Keane – Hope and Fears: As I mentioned in the previous article, this band was the highlight of the decade for me in terms of new music. Keane will be a band that has staying power with tremendously well written songs and melodies.

2. The Killers – Hot Fuss: If there is a soundtrack for everyone’s life, the album would be heavily on mine. I drove from Alabama to Omaha with this album on repeat. Every song is something is great.

1. Death Cab For Cutie – Transatlanticism: This is my favorite album for so many reasons. If you have never heard it – I highly recommend this album to anyone looking for great songs, touching lyrics, and tremendous musicianship.

Honorable mention goes to Ani Difranco's double disk - Revelling/Reckoning. Ani is still in my top 5 for favorite acts all time but while there are epic tracks on the album, as a whole there were better ones for me. Still No. 11 isn't bad.

Top 10 Debut Musical Acts Of The Decade

2010-01-03T00:24:00.000-08:00

2010 is upon us and it’s time for reflection on the past 10 years. I thought I’d give you a few top 10 lists for the decade that we just closed. Music, movies, sports, radio, love, living, and travel made up most of my time so that’s what you are going to get from me. Keep checking back over the next few days as I’ve got a bunch of lists to put out.

First, let’s start with my passion: finding new bands.

Since I was old enough to make my own money I’ve been trying discover new music and buy their albums. Let’s start with my top 10 list for bands that I found over the past 10 years. These are NEW acts to ME…you may have known about them before the year 2000, but I had not.

10. Mat Kearney – In 2006, this singer/songwriter put out his first album "Nothing Left To Lose" to critical acclaim. I loved the mixture of touching lyrics and great acoustic guitar playing. The title track was the radio hit exposed me to Mat and the album was awesome from start to finish. One of my favorite lyrics from this album was:

“If everything we’ve got is slippin’ away – I meant what I said when I said til my dying day…. I’m holding onto you holding onto me – Maybe it’s all gone black but you’re all I see…you’re all I see”

In 2009, Kearney released "City Of Black and White", which is more mature and just as good as his first album.

9. Lily Allen/Kate Nash: I have to admit that I have an fetish for British female singers and I discovered these two right at the same time so I’m going to combine them into one slot. Lily and Kate both are amazing writers and have unique, beautiful voices. Allen is more popular as her two albums have both done very well. “Alright, Still” burst out in 2006 thanks to the hit “Smile” which featured the loving lyric; “When you first left me I was wantin’ more but you were fuckin’ that girl next door – what did ya do that for?” . In 2008, “It’s Not You, It’s Me” came out with a song that made me a fan for life of Lily Allen: “Not Fair” is a hysterical song about a boyfriend who couldn’t satisfy her in the bedroom.

Kate Nash’s debut album “Made of Bricks” came out in 2007 with the Brit hit “Foundations” as the main track that you probably would have heard of. I LOVE that song. Easily one of favorite of the entire decade.

8. Kayne West : I won’t spend too much time on Mr. West since everyone knows who he is and what he’s all about. I have everything he’s ever done. In 2004, “College Dropout” came out and made him a star. The decade saw 4 albums from Kayne, all to huge success. He’s my favorite rapper along side Eminem.

7. Rascal Flatts: Here’s a tip for the guys – if you’re single – take a girl to see this band live. The after party will be a success for you for sure! I’m 3 for 3 on this but that’s not why this band makes the list.

This band put out 6 studio albums during the decade and I love every one of them. I was dating someone from Boston while living in Alabama when she turned me onto this band with the song “Then I did” from their 3rd album “Feels Like Today” about two career people chasing their dreams which lead them apart…pretty accurate song for how that relationship went but:

“By now I figure, you had all your numbers changed. Been at least year, since I called you up to say – We need to talk, I got this job and I think I’m going to take it. Cause I’ve been waiting all my life for a break like this. It’s my chance of a lifetime – I just know it is. I got to go and find these dreams – was the last thing that I said….and then I did….” I was hooked for life.

6. Shiny Toy Guns: This band from Oklahoma turned me on my head in late 2008 and early 2009. A awesome mix of punk, electronic beats, great guitars, and dueling male/female vocals really made an huge impact on me. Both albums that came out this decade are tremendous and I highly recommend them.

5. Alison Krauss: Yes, I know she has been around since 1985 but I didn’t get exposed to her until 2005. I love her now and has opened me up to other Bluegrass bands like Old Crow Medicine Show. Extremely talented and a joy to listen to whatever song she sings.

4. The Killers: In 2004, “Hot Fuss” came out and became a HUGE HUGE favorite of mine from start to finish. I will later list my top 10 albums of the decade and this album will be very near the top. I love every song on it and will never forget the drive to move from Alabama to Omaha playing it over and over. Who can forget “Mr. Brightside” and the impact the song made on everyone who listens to good music:

“It’s just the price I pay. Destiny is calling me. Open up my eager eyes. Cause I’m Mr. Brightside”

Their 2nd album “Sam’s Town” came out in 2006 wasn’t nearly as good but The Killers are still a huge band for the decade for me. I’ve never seen them either which makes me mad.

3. The Fray: You might laugh at me for this selection but since 2005 when “How To Save A Life” came out and I saw this band perform at a small club in Omaha – they have been one of my favorites. Every song they do is heartfelt, well written and beautifully performed. In fact, I became a bigger fan when in 2009 “The Fray” followed and was even better than their first album. I seriously can’t stop listening to it. Piano heavy songs with tremendous hooks and lyrics – so good.

2. Death Cab for Cutie : If you haven’t dived head first into this band – you are missing one the best acts in music right now. Death Cab puts on a show that you have to see to believe as well. I first heard a song by the band at the end of the series “Six Feet Under” as the closing scene was the most powerful emotional experience I’ve ever seen on television. The song “ Transatlanticsism” was the title track of the bands 2003 album, which happens to be my favorite album of the decade.

I’ll never forget watching the characters of the show sing “I need you so much closer” as they fast-forwarded through the rest of their lives. I was a mess, crying for most of the scene. I was a fan of the band for life. On a whole, Death Cab put out 6 studio albums but really got known when they signed with Atlantic Records in 2004 and put out “Plans” in 2005 which included the hit “When Soul Meets Body”

“I do believe it’s true that there are roads left in both of our shoes. But if the silence takes you, I hope it takes me too.”

1. Keane: Of course it’s a Brit band at number 1. If you know me at all, you would have guessed that. This band however, from the first time I heard the song “Somewhere Only We Know” in 2004 locked me up for life.

“And if you had a minute why don’t we go – talk about it somewhere only we know. This could be the end of everything – so why don’t we go somewhere only we know”

2 other albums would follow in the decade: “Under The Iron Sea” which would earn them the GQ Band Of The Year award in 2006 and finally “Perfect Symmetry” came out in 2008. All 3 albums are in constant rotation on my IPod.

Honorable mention to: Dropkick Murphy's

CHECK BACK SOON for my picks The Top 10 Albums, Top 10 Sporting Events, and Lessons Learned of the 2000’s

Iowa State Wins The Insight Bowl

2010-01-02T19:22:00.001-08:00

KXnO sent me down to Phoenix to cover the Insight Bowl. I got the chance to be on the field after the win. Here's the video that I shot of the Cyclones celebrating their win over Minnesota

My Take on Tiger

2009-12-02T11:40:00.001-08:00

Tiger Woods was born a little more than 1 year before I was. After my first year of playing golf at 12 years of age, I still remember reading about him in Golf Digest. The name was funny-sounding but the story was raving about the next big thing in golf that was about to explode on to the game.

And boy has he ever.

Today though, we are talking about Tiger Woods in a much different context. The most popular athlete on the planet has been forced into the uncomfortable position of having to admit that he cheated on his wife, Elin, this morning via a statement on his website. He was forced into the mea culpa because of US Weekly’s interview with an alleged mistress that had proof of the affair. A 24 year old cocktail waitress from Las Vegas has positioned herself to bring down one of the biggest brands in sport.

Now everyone is asking: Is this any our business?

It doesn’t matter because the media in this country has everything in this story that makes for a huge scandal. Rich, powerful, popular man crashes his car at 2:30 A.M outside his house and is unconscious for some reason after a 30 mph collision with a tree (drugs? and a car crash). 911 is called and the police show up to investigate (record of the call made public). Rumors of a sexual affair with a beauty (sex, beautiful people and lying) that became tabloid news a few days before seems to be the trigger for a fight between the powerful man and his wife and the man has cuts on his face when cops arrive (domestic violence?). The police want to talk to the powerful man and his wife but he refuses and instead lawyers up (hiding something). Then a different sexy female comes forward with sexts and voicemails (evidence and proof) claiming to be from the powerful man. Man is caught red handed and vaguely admits that he did cheat on his wife via a message on his website (vague admission).

To the rich and powerful man, he thinks that means the story is over.

WRONG.

In fact, the story has now just begun.

Tiger Woods has done everything right in the public eye since becoming the golf phenom picked to pass Jack Nicklaus as the greatest golfer in history. His father Earl, who passed away a few years back, once said that “Tiger will do more than any other man in history to change the course of humanity”. That’s the divinity that the Woods family expected from their son. He was the chosen one.

The money, the endorsements, the winning, the gushing of affection from the general public, all of it has fed an alter-ego that was carefully hidden away until a golf shot went astray. Then the language would come out. The angry glares towards fans would come out. The nasty, human-side of Tiger would be released and people would be shocked to see the calm, cool customer they loved, all of a sudden becoming a fire-breathing dragon of sorts. We all knew there was a different person inside of that winning smile but we just didn’t know what kind of person.

We know now: A human being.

That is why Tiger Woods has made such a major mistake this morning with the admission of his “transgressions” via a vague, contrived admission on his website. When Mark Mcgwire refused to talk about the past in front of Congress, everyone knew he was done as a public figure. Nobody could defend him from his accusers any longer but people still wanted to know about his past. What did he take? When did he start taking steroids etc? The media slowly began ripping him down. Politicians wanted his name off of highways in St. Louis and the voters won’t elect him into the Hall of Fame. More damage was done over time instead of just admitting it and watching the story die.

While Tiger didn’t do anything against the rules of golf, his public image awaits the same fate as Mcgwire’s because for some reason, Woods thinks he can control this story. He can’t. Woods is not operating from a position of power. The media doesn’t need him to sell this story.

At 32, I could have gotten married a few different times in my life. However, I knew I wasn’t ready for the commitment because my career was more important than starting a family. We now know that Tiger wasn’t ready for the commitment either but his statement about his “principles” made me choke when I read it. Tiger is now claiming that his “principles” of privacy are more important that his marriage vows and he is asking everyone to leave him alone because he is Tiger.

That takes some big balls to try to pull off and a really stupid PR firm for allowing him to put that out there.

You can’t call upon your principles when you are sleeping with another woman for over two years behind the back of your wife. You can’t claim to have principles when you admit to doing “something” but not admit to what you did. I’m not a saint and would never admit to being the greatest person in the world to be involved with romantically but in my years of dating, I have never cheated on anyone. I’m not saying I’m better than anyone who has cheated but it angers me to read about someone’s selective use of morals.

A “transgression” to me is a one-night stand. So far, it’s a two and half year relationship with one woman. How many others are out there? I’ve never been married but Tiger shouldn’t be married either.

Tiger can’t control or spin this. All he can do is tell the truth to throw water on the fire and for some stupid reason, he won’t.

This is the same situation that A-Rod put himself in by doing that stupid fluff interview with Peter Gammons on ESPN a few years ago. He lied about what he did and then had to come clean at a full blown press conference after the media kept digging around the story. When you leave out details, the media will fill them in.

I know I’ve used two baseball steroid stories while talking about a golf sex scandal but this is what it means to be a million dollar athlete these days. What you do off the field is as much news as on the field. I know Tiger never used performance-enhancing drugs but A-Rod’s sex life as been as much tabloid fodder as was the “Boli” story. It’s the life of the athlete that people want to know about. It’s the reason behind why Tiger crashed his car is what everyone is after.

If Woods admits to exactly what he did, then it all goes away. Go on Oprah if you have to but make it disappear on your own terms. Control the story with the truth: see David Letterman!

Cheating in this country is not that big of a deal unfortunately and we are a forgiving nation once we have all the information that’s out there. Then it’s not juicy anymore. Right now, there is a race to find out how many women and how many times Tiger cheated and the line is getting longer by the hour.

If nothing less, he should do it for his family so they aren’t being hounded at the grocery story by TMZ and the National Enquirer. Those are the principles I want to see out of Tiger now. Protect the people you have hurt already from the paparazzi that will continue to hound you until the story is dead.

Tiger cheated on his wife. This is not the story. Tiger’s image is. Sponsors are staying put now but will they after Us Weekly, People, Star, SportsbyBrooks, and others run a laundry list of his sexual exploits over the years with quotes, stories, pictures, voicemails and text messages from him?

We know now that Tiger is human but I want to know: does he have courage? Can he stand up and face the music or is he much more like every other husband who has cheated?

Lie until you are caught and then, lie some more.

Be a real man Tiger. Stand up, admit what you did completely, and then let’s all move on. Save the image that I and others have of you as a strong willed, determined, imperfect human but a principled man who knows when he is wrong and will do the hard thing – the correct thing when the time comes.

Until you do that - get the door, TMZ is knocking.

Live In-Game chat for Michigan!!

2009-11-26T08:04:00.001-08:00

No. 15 Michigan vs. Creighton live chat starts at 10:45 am!! All are welcome!

Michigan vs. CU In-Game Chat

Live Chat with Matt at Noon

2009-10-20T08:54:00.001-07:00

Bluejaycafe Chat No. 2

Matt's Monday Thoughts for Oct. 12th

2009-10-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

The Red Sox are the team that my emotions are tied to the most.

One spring morning back in 2003 while living in Alabama, I was driving to work thinking about what it would be like to see a Red Sox championship. My eyes welled up thinking about the parades, the celebrations, and the different world it would be to see my favorite team win it all.

To be a fan of a great team, that’s all most Red Sox fans wanted and if we became hated like Yankees – so what? We would have had our moment in the sun.

A few years later, after the first title for Boston in 86 years, I flew home at the last moment to watch the 5th game of a 5 game series of the Yankees vs. Red Sox. I was in a long distance relationship at the time with someone from Boston and she flew in to meet me at Fenway. It was expensive mini-vacation but we were offered awesome seats cheap so we had to go.

The Red Sox had dropped the first 4 games to New York and were looking at an epic 5 game sweep at home to our hated rivals.

We had 1 championship in our lifetime so both my girlfriend at the time and I could die in peace (or so we told ourselves) but we wanted our team to stop the slide and avoid a historical first to NY. A 5 game sweep in baseball is nearly unheard of. A 5 game sweep at FENWAY to the Yankees was completely unacceptable.

The Red Sox lost that afternoon. I would later look back on that day realize that Yankee Cory Lidle pitched that afternoon for the last time at Fenway. He would die in a plane crash in Manhattan a few months later but after the game I was just pissed off.

I walked out of Fenway and could not believe my team had managed to break my heart again. Even after the championship of 2004 – they could still sting my heart.

On Saturday morning, I jumped a double flight from Des Moines to Boston in order to watch the Red Sox battle the Angels in Game 3 of the American League Series the next day. I had never been to the playoff game at Fenway in my life, only Game 4 of the World Series in Denver in 2007, so my track record was pretty good. Again, I was offered good seats cheap and had to go.

The Red Sox had never lost to the Angels in a playoff series. Dating back to 1986, where the Sox came back to beat the then California franchise on a huge homerun by Dave Henderson in Game 7 of the series, we owned the Angels.

After the 5th inning, Boston was up 5-1 and people were making plans for Game 4 in their heads. I know I was and even though deep down, I knew better.

Welcome to Black Sunday.

On this day in Boston, I got the chance to watch the Red Sox choke away a 4 run lead in person and then watch the Patriots blow a 10 point lead on the road at Denver. More on Pats in a second….

Jonathan Papelbon had not given up a single earned run in his playoff career before Game 3. Over 20 innings of work and nobody had crossed home plate against him.

On Sunday, he allowed a hit that scored 2 runners in the 8th and then gave up 3 runs in the 9th to allow the Angels to beat Boston 7-6 in Game 3. Unreal. Pap walked Tori Hunter to load the bases in order to pitch to Vlad Guerrero…..their clean up hitter who had done nothing in the series but a veteran who took a first pitch, meatball, fast ball and put it in center field. Game over.

My heart stung again.

The Red Sox have been a unique story that went from tragedy to triumph thanks to finally winning but after the past 2 years you have to ask is it over?

1918 to 2004, 86 years between titles and everyone said Boston would never be the same. Those people were right cause Sox fans walking out of Fenway were shaking their heads, not headed for ledges like they would have been in the past.

I couldn’t believe how easy people took the loss. I was pissed off but my family just said “Oh well, they weren’t that good this year”. And they were right to say that cause L.A. was a better team but still…..we lost! Where is the anger?

Sure, I picked them to win in 4 over a Boston team that could not score enough runs in the regular season to catch the Yankees vaunted line up. We all knew the Red Sox weren’t the best team in the American League and I think they would have struggled against at least 2 of the National League playoff teams. Yet I had hope….a hope that was dashed like in the playoffs of 2008 and 2003 and 1999 and 1995 and on through out the history of my baseball team.

Suddenly, 2007 seems like a long time ago for me. But my family’s reaction of “Oh well” made me realize that Boston really won’t ever be the same town that I grew in. 2 Championships in 5 years has created a different type of fan. One that believes that in the future, there are good times ahead even if things suck right now.

Now, all I can only do is hope once again.

*Is it time to say that Tom Brady without Josh McDaniels is a problem? Tom Brady had a record setting performance in 2007 under McDaniels leadership. Then Matt Cassel became a quarterback and became multi-million dollar athlete with McDaniels as his tutor. Now, Kyle Orton has the Denver Broncos undefeated and McDaniels is the hottest name in the NFL for what his doing with him.

Brady and the Pats got shutout in the second half in Denver and New England gave up 13 unanswered points including the game winning field goal in Overtime. The Patriots’ offense looked slow and out of synch again as Brady continues to struggle with his timing.

New England is 4-2 on the year and still looks like the best team in their division but in both losses this year – at New York and Denver, the Pats offense has been held in check by dominate defenses.

In the post season, Brady has to be better if the Pats want any chance of winning a 4th ring. He has to get back on the same page as Randy Moss and has to be more accurate with his throws.

Bottom line – Tom Brady needs to play more like Tom Brady is supposed to.

*No show reviews this week as I just got back to Des Moines this afternoon. However, I’ll try to do a mid-week blog post on them. Thanks for reading.

Bluejaycafe.com Live Chat Noon Friday

2009-10-09T08:16:00.001-07:00

BluejayCafe Chat No. 1

Matt's Monday Thoughts for Oct. 5th

2009-10-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

I experienced something this weekend for the first time in my 10 years as a radio professional.

I went back to a town that I had previously worked in to stay overnight.

Since 1999, I’ve lived in Charlottesville, VA., Huntsville, AL, and Omaha, Nebraska. All great towns but it wasn't until Saturday night that I actually woke up in my old place of living the next morning. It was kind of weird to be honest, especially waking up in a hotel room after living in the city for 4 years.

Being gone only 5 months after my move to Des Moines made it a lot easier to pick up where I left off but it was still an interesting experience to see so many faces that I knew. Yet, there were some changes that surprised me like construction and new bars that had opened up.

I was back in town for a bunch of client meetings for my Creighton website and then I went to the Tucker Max movie and party event. While seeing “I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell” was a cool experience, the party…..well – I only have 1 word and it’s not good for those of you who know of Tucker and would expect a great story:

LAME.

It was at a bar in West Omaha that tries very hard to make you think you are not in Nebraska. The lighting, the drink prices, the music….all trying very hard to convince you that you are aren’t in a city of less than 1 million people and state with less than 2.

A for effort though but the douche bag dudes out numbered the attractive girls 10 to 1 and the vibe of the place was that of a bad frat party.

Not my scene.

I actually was staying at the same hotel as Tucker Max and met him in the lobby as I was checking in. 5’6, probably 160 lb…nothing special to look at but a nice guy and somebody you can tell is still getting used to the spotlight. He’s jumpy at first when you alert him that you know who he is but calms down quickly.

At the overpriced, wanna-be city bar, I talked with Tucker for a minute or two amid guy after guy trying to shake his hand or talk to him or get an autograph. It’s kind of weird to think about his celebrity. All he really did was tell stories about his life.

As I told him – he could be 1 of 100 guys in the country but the difference is that he’s an outstanding story teller. He disagreed with me saying that it was him just being honest. Maybe – but honesty with a talent for putting words together has made him a lot of money.

A lot more than if he would have tried to be an actor. His 1 scene in the movie flopped.

Thank god for the Rose and Crown….my bar in Omaha. That made the night fun and drunk after I left the Tucker worship party.

*Entourage. Season finales are always sad. I hate them to be honest. All endings have been met with a nasty response by me. Even back when my mom used to pick me up from sleep away camp…I hated the final day. No more fun and games.

Well, the ending to this season was awesome. E proposing to Sloan was a gift to me because I was pissed that Jamie Singler was off the show after breaking up with Turtle. You have to give us one of the two and Sloan marrying E keeps her around for good.

As a 32 year old, a lot of my friends are getting married soon or have been married for a while. It was nice to see the real life side of the show poke through.

Next season could be the last. Donna and David’s marriage ended 90210. Maybe E and Sloan’s will end Entourage. They can’t keep going forever.

*Bored to Death. This show is going to be fun. I really like it and the comedy is perfectly matched to me. HBO has a big hit on their hands again.

Now, where is Big Love?

*Boy I feel for Iowa St. Another really tough loss at Arrowhead after the previous one to Florida St. and a game they would have won if they had A-Rob. 3-2 is still not horrible. But where are the 3 W's coming from now for a bowl game?

*Iowa's Ricky Stanzi was having a killer game...until he became Ricky Stanzi again and threw a pick 6 vs. Arkansas St. He's still the 1 guy who might keep them from a Big 10 title.

For more to date posts...

2009-09-08T19:03:00.001-07:00

Be sure to check out my work blog:

http://www.kxno.com/pages/mattandmiller.html

I will post on here more than I have been but I get paid to post on the link above :)

To Remember September 2001

2009-08-31T08:50:00.000-07:00

Every September, we remember 9-11. I remember the fact that there were over 100 people from Mass. that died that day on the planes. In fact, some from my hometown of Andover. I heard the poem - Self Evident - today by Ani Difranco and thought I'd share it. Love it.

For her voice - mp3 is available here

Self Evident by Ani Difranco

yes,
us people are just poems
we're 90% metaphor
with a leanness of meaning
approaching hyper-distillation
and once upon a time
we were moonshine
rushing down the throat of a giraffe
yes, rushing down the long hallway
despite what the p.a. announcement says
yes, rushing down the long stairs
with the whiskey of eternity
fermented and distilled
to eighteen minutes
burning down our throats
down the hall
down the stairs
in a building so tall
that it will always be there
yes, it's part of a pair
there on the bow of noah's ark
the most prestigious couple
just kickin back parked
against a perfectly blue sky
on a morning beatific
in its indian summer breeze
on the day that america
fell to its knees
after strutting around for a century
without saying thank you
or please

and the shock was subsonic
and the smoke was deafening
between the setup and the punch line
cuz we were all on time for work that day
we all boarded that plane for to fly
and then while the fires were raging
we all climbed up on the windowsill
and then we all held hands
and jumped into the sky

and every borough looked up when it heard the first blast
and then every dumb action movie was summarily surpassed
and the exodus uptown by foot and motorcar
looked more like war than anything i've seen so far
so far
so far
so fierce and ingenious
a poetic specter so far gone
that every jackass newscaster was struck dumb and stumbling
over 'oh my god' and 'this is unbelievable' and on and on
and i'll tell you what, while we're at it
you can keep the pentagon
keep the propaganda
keep each and every tv
that's been trying to convince me
to participate
in some prep school punk's plan to perpetuate retribution
perpetuate retribution
even as the blue toxic smoke of our lesson in retribution
is still hanging in the air
and there's ash on our shoes
and there's ash in our hair
and there's a fine silt on every mantle
from hell's kitchen to brooklyn
and the streets are full of stories
sudden twists and near misses
and soon every open bar is crammed to the rafters
with tales of narrowly averted disasters
and the whiskey is flowin
like never before
as all over the country
folks just shake their heads
and pour

so here's a toast to all the folks who live in palestine
afghanistan
iraq

el salvador

here's a toast to the folks living on the pine ridge reservation
under the stone cold gaze of mt. rushmore

here's a toast to all those nurses and doctors
who daily provide women with a choice
who stand down a threat the size of oklahoma city
just to listen to a young woman's voice

here's a toast to all the folks on death row right now
awaiting the executioner's guillotine
who are shackled there with dread and can only escape into their heads
to find peace in the form of a dream

cuz take away our playstations
and we are a third world nation
under the thumb of some blue blood royal son
who stole the oval office and that phony election
i mean
it don't take a weatherman
to look around and see the weather
jeb said he'd deliver florida, folks
and boy did he ever

and we hold these truths to be self evident:
#1 george w. bush is not president
#2 america is not a true democracy
#3 the media is not fooling me
cuz i am a poem heeding hyper-distillation
i've got no room for a lie so verbose
i'm looking out over my whole human family
and i'm raising my glass in a toast

here's to our last drink of fossil fuels
let us vow to get off of this sauce
shoo away the swarms of commuter planes
and find that train ticket we lost
cuz once upon a time the line followed the river
and peeked into all the backyards
and the laundry was waving
the graffiti was teasing us
from brick walls and bridges
we were rolling over ridges
through valleys
under stars
i dream of touring like duke ellington
in my own railroad car
i dream of waiting on the tall blonde wooden benches
in a grand station aglow with grace
and then standing out on the platform
and feeling the air on my face

give back the night its distant whistle
give the darkness back its soul
give the big oil companies the finger finally
and relearn how to rock-n-roll
yes, the lessons are all around us and a change is waiting there
so it's time to pick through the rubble, clean the streets
and clear the air
get our government to pull its big dick out of the sand
of someone else's desert
put it back in its pants
and quit the hypocritical chants of
freedom forever

cuz when one lone phone rang
in two thousand and one
at ten after nine
on nine one one
which is the number we all called
when that lone phone rang right off the wall
right off our desk and down the long hall
down the long stairs
in a building so tall
that the whole world turned
just to watch it fall

and while we're at it
remember the first time around?
the bomb?
the ryder truck?
the parking garage?
the princess that didn't even feel the pea?
remember joking around in our apartment on avenue D?

can you imagine how many paper coffee cups would have to change their design
following a fantastical reversal of the new york skyline?!

it was a joke, of course
it was a joke
at the time
and that was just a few years ago
so let the record show
that the FBI was all over that case
that the plot was obvious and in everybody's face
and scoping that scene
religiously
the CIA
or is it KGB?
committing countless crimes against humanity
with this kind of eventuality
as its excuse
for abuse after expensive abuse
and it didn't have a clue
look, another window to see through
way up here
on the 104th floor
look
another key
another door
10% literal
90% metaphor
3000 some poems disguised as people
on an almost too perfect day
should be more than pawns
in some asshole's passion play
so now it's your job
and it's my job
to make it that way
to make sure they didn't die in vain
sshhhhhh....
baby listen
hear the train?

Neat Story

2009-08-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

At 32, I know I don't have the life that everyone would want. I've lived all over the country, striving for something that I don't know I'll ever achieve, hundreds of miles from my family.

It's really hard to follow your heart and chase your dreams. So when I hear of someone else who is doing that....well, I'm really proud to know that I'm not alone in my pursuit of something that isn't easy.

Meet Adam Dawson. I wanted post his email that he sent to me cause I think it's awesome what he has done.....

Hey Matt

My name is Adam Dawson, I'm from Omaha and listened to you the entire time you were in town. I've emailed a couple times in the past, pretty much just as you were leaving town to wish you luck. Seems like things are going well at KXNO, hope you're happy with where you're at. I listen to your new podcasts as much as possible, I'll miss all the Creighton talk once the season starts up!

I'm bothering you today because I landed my dream job this week, I'm now fully involved in the world of professional sports. About a month ago I decided I was going to follow through with my dream of being a tour caddie. I've played golf for 15 years and love the game more than most I know, I named my kids after DLIII and Kaari Webb for example. I hated the job I've been doing for the past four years and needed to make a change, now seemed like as good a time as any. The fact that the Nationwide Tour was coming to Omaha and after Columbus the following week it's in Wichita, Springfield and Overland Park gave me a good chance at trying it out for a month. Tournament week for the COX Classic came and I went to the volunteer caddie meeting up at the course. I was first to arrive but last to pick a number, that valuable #1 position was waiting for me in the end. My player showed up at 11:30 on Monday morning after five hours of waiting, his name is Steve LeBrun, a guy with lots of potential who has been struggling hard this year coming off of a shoulder surgery, I know of someone else who had something similar ;) . Steve and I hit it off almost immediately, he liked my ambitious attitude and the fact that I had plans to be out on tour for a while. By the end of Tuesday's practice round I had the job through the Overland Park tournament and at the end of round two I was offered the full-time gig! Things like this just don't happen to people, I'm not religious but something is happening this week with all the breaks I've been getting. The World Herald is running a front page story this weekend on caddies at the tournament and I was one that was picked for that, should have my picture on the front page which is cool.

I'll wrap this up, I tend to go on forever about this. I have a blog that I'll use to keep people posted as to what's going on with me and Steve in the weeks to come. I figured you might think this is kind of a cool story and like to take a look at it. I'm at http://caddieadamdawson.blogspot.com, my twitter updates are linked up to that too.

Thanks for what you did while you were in town Matt, we miss you!

Adam Dawson

Omaha

Vegas

2009-07-26T15:56:00.000-07:00

I will post a full - unedited story of the Vegas trip later when I get home late next week...until then - here is the professional version:

http://www.kxno.com/pages/mattandmiller.html

Busy week....

2009-07-20T09:07:00.001-07:00

Ok - for my Bluejaycafe.com subscribers - get ready for a full week beginning on Thursday morning. I suggest you follow me via Twitter - for the latest info on Creighton basketball recruiting while I'm in Vegas.

Flight to Vegas is on Wednesday. Adidas Super 64 starts on Thursday and goes to Sunday.

For you KXNO people in Des Moines - we are live in Vegas on Thursday and Friday for "Matt and Miller"....same link via Twitter is good for you for up to the second info from the Big 12 Media Days in Dallas as we will go there right after Vegas. We land on Monday morning and do our show from the hotel hosting the event.

Iowa St goes Monday!!

Included in Dallas trip will be a tour of the new Cowboys - $1 Billion - Stadium...lots of pics to be taken and posted. 8 days, 5 shows, 2 cities, and lots of fun! (Happy early Bday to AC who will be having his party on Saturday in Vegas! Can't wait for that)

We are back in studio next Thursday the 31st after the trips!

My dream girl....

2009-07-01T15:51:00.000-07:00

I've been obsessed with Emmauelle Chriqui for the last few years....Simply the most beautiful girl I've ever seen....

NSFW!! Hide the kids...

2009-06-22T21:04:00.001-07:00

But this is damn funny.....poor TO :)

The New Bluejaycafe.com

2009-05-31T21:56:00.000-07:00

Check it out - i've teamed up with Fred from the BJC to relaunch the site for Jays' fans now with Rivals networking...

www.thebluejaycafe.com

Should be really cool!

Maggie and Matt Movie Review

2009-05-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

Check out what my 9 year old sis and I did together - our first movie review

Ani's Work...

2009-05-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

I've been a huge Ani Difranco fan for YEARS. I was so happy to read that she has now become incredibly active in a very poor part of the world.

Read more about here!

http://www.righteousbabe.com/ani/burma/gallery/SA32.asp

Keeping Her Crown But....

2009-05-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

These pictures are out now of Carrie Prejean...she says it was "windy"...yup, ok. :)

http://photos.tmz.com/galleries/carrie_prejean_2#41796

but they are fine...I disagree with her mind - the rest of her is all she will be remembered for anyways so let's stop caring what a beauty queen thinks.

Moving to Des Moines

2009-05-11T11:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a vidcast that I did for my move to Des Moines for KXNO.com

American Idol Is Officially Girly

2009-05-07T06:24:00.000-07:00

American Idol is stupid. I will admit that off the top. However, I'm a huge music fan and since Idol has produced a few acts that have become good - see Underwood, or successful - see Hudson: I watch from time to time.

Now, my biggest problem with Idol is the fact that these kids are considered "artists" or at least Kara - the hot but strangely deranged judge - told them to they had to be to win. Wrong. All they have to be is male. No guy in the there right F'ing mind will pick up the phone and vote for another guy who sings. That would be ridiculous. If another guy can sing - you just acknowledge and move on. You don't take action. Now, if a hot girl can sing - that's another story but even then - if she isn't answering the number you are calling, why the heck would you waste your time? You know who votes on Idol now - my 9 year old sister Maggie and her friends. Thus, you get 2 dudes at the end of Idol and the one girl who will actually have a career - Alison goes home (pic left). In the beginning, lots of people were watching Idol. Thus you had a lot girls winning cause they were the best and the teeny boppers couldn't vote for their 9 grade crushes. Now, that's all that's left. Girls voting for the cute guy or in this cause - the gay cute one.

Ok, I know I just wrote a blog piece on American freaking Idol, but I had to get that out. That Adam dude is a freak and can't sing anything except a Broadway play. The fact that he is going to win has guaranteed another Ruben Studdard. Enjoy those sales Simon.

FaceBook Fun

2009-05-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

So Face Book is an interesting place where people can follow the lives of others that you casually know. This picture comes from the facebook page of former Husker volleyball player Dani Mancuso. Are you serious! :)

I don't mean to make fun of whatever religious place she is about to go into - but come on,....that's funny

It's Matt and Miller on KXNO Des Moines

2009-04-30T14:17:00.000-07:00

After 3 weeks of rumors and questions, today Ken Miller and I made it official. We have teamed up to form the "Matt and Miller Show" every weekday afternoon from 4 to 7 pm on KXNO in Des Moines. Some quick things:

1. Yes, I'm very excited about the new opportunity and it should be really interesting to get to know Ken along the way. Ken is very knowledgeable and I think we play off each other well. We don't know each other well so it's going to be fun to start fresh.

2. Everything happens for a reason and stepping into a show that had a talented previous co-host will be challenging but I'm my own man. I'm not concerned about being type-casted. I think people will learn quickly that I have my own thoughts.

3. Brian, The Producer of the Big Show, did not come with me from Omaha. There wasn't a spot for him on the new show. While i hope to work with Brian again someday, the timing was right for that to happen.

4. I can't wait to get back on the air. It's been 30 days since my last show...I'll be rusty but I'm ready to go.

I know some of you have been pre-judging me and saying I'm going to be like this or like that. I'm gonna ask that you give the show a chance before you make up your mind. If after a couple of weeks, you don't like the show - change the station and go somewhere else for your sports information. However, please have an open mind tomorrow when the show gets off the ground. It's going to be a little shaky at first because you have 2 guys who don't know each other very well. It will be an adjustment for everyone. We will be much better in 1 month from now than tomorrow.

Quickly, I just want to say something about how I ended up here in Des Moines. I did not want to leave Omaha but I feel very blessed to get a job in the PM drive slot so fast after my time in Omaha ended. However, for those of you who think my show on Big Sports 590 failed in Omaha to draw an audience - the latest ratings book came out and The Big Show was 3rd in our key demo (which is Men 25-54). Now, Z-92 was 1 and 1620 was No. 2 but having a Top 3 show in your core demo does not get you fired in radio. The decision to end the show had nothing to do with the success of the show or about my abilities....but rather Journal's desire to stop paying me. I can only control what comes out of the speakers and the product- not the sales on the station. Journal Broadcast Group in Omaha is in real trouble money-wise because they can not sell their product any longer.

So, with that, I hope you will tune on 1460 Am in Des Moines or KXNO.com tomorrow at 4 pm as my 4th job in radio starts anew. "The Matt and Miller Show" will debut and I hope you can be around in a few years to say "I remember their first show".

Lastly, Bluejay fans - I've entered into serious talks to take a certain Jays website to the next level with information, interviews, post game reaction podcasts, and premium message boards. It's about time the Jays got a website that serves their needs completely with consistent information. Let's be honest - the Omaha World Herald doesn't do enough. Big Sports 590 is going to pathetically try and serve Jays' fans but will fail with the pre/post games shows next year without an afternoon show. This website should be launching in the next month so be on the look out - I think you will really like it.

At Long Last

2009-04-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

In terms of secrets....this might be one of the worst kept ones ever....where is Matt going next? Tomorrow - at long last - I can finally talk about it publicly. I will write a lot more on here tomorrow and eventually - this blog will morph with my new job's website.

Thanks for all the emails and questions...it's been hard to keep my mouth shut for as long as I had but I'm really excited about the new opportunity and I think you will too once you hear about it.

Stay tuned for just 24 more hours...and then I can talk. Also, I might have some fun news out of Omaha about my old show to share as well so check back tomorrow around 4.

Love Bill...but TEMPLE! Killin' me...

2009-04-29T10:07:00.001-07:00

Bill went to UMass too...we play football Bill too!

Uh Oh. I Hope This Isn't The Norm

2009-04-29T06:24:00.000-07:00

So whenever I move to a new place, I'm always concerned about the politics of the city. I'm not a radical or anything but my views on life are reflective of a lot people my age. We try to accept everyone and don't get caught up in the hate speech of the baby boomers.

In Iowa, this gay marriage issue is causing people to lose their minds. It's like they are being forced into a world that they can't exist. I am proud of Iowa and proud that the state was at the forefront of the gay marriage issue. My home state of Massachusetts is also involved with this debate.

Here is an article that I came across today that really freaked me out. Why it was printed in the Des Moines Register is beyond me but this is hate speech. The word "recruited" especially scares me. I just wish people who actually are religious would actually follow what their religion teaches....I'm not religious but I often feel more Christian than the most devout. Here's a great clip and while I'm sorry that this family lost their son...being gay doesn't destroy society.

"For those still uncertain about homosexual "marriage," please understand that the more accepting we are of homosexuality as a society, the more likely it is that your family, and society in general, will suffer the pain that ultimately results. Homosexuality took the life of our son."

EDIT - This is great!

Well, Don't Lean Over Then!

2009-04-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

This is really funny. You can tell that Lindsay Soto of Versus was told to "COVER UP!" during this interview in her ear....pretty funny actually. I feel bad for women cause guys never have to deal with this type of thing.....but funny none the least

4-20 Giggle

2009-04-20T22:38:00.001-07:00

Love KG!! :)

Sorry I've Been Away

2009-04-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

So I apologize for the lack of content on this blog of late. I haven't been able to write because I have been in the middle of closing a deal for a new job and then I went to LA for the weekend (check out the sunset last night in Laguna!). I still can't talk about the new opportunity but I'm really excited about it. I also am working on some new things that will interest Bluejay basketball fans.

Quickly, great day today for me. 1st - It's Patriots Day. Awesome holiday to celebrate the amazing acts of our forefathers. I'm reading "Burr" by Gore Vidal right now. Great book! 2nd. It's 420 :). Always a fun day for us liberals. 3rd. Red Sox beat the O's for a sweep. Celtics have a huge playoff game vs. Chicago, and the Bruins go for a 3-0 lead on hated Montreal. 4th - The Boston Marathon was today! Record finish for the women.

I'm sitting in Orange County where it's 92 degrees waiting on my flight back to Omaha....can't beat this day eventhough I won't get to see much of the fun. Happy Patriots/420 day!

Good Day Today

2009-04-14T11:58:00.001-07:00

There will be news coming out about me this week. I can't talk about it until I'm given the OK which I have not yet. Stay tuned and I'll write more about the new situation when I can.

So Long Harry and Predictions

2009-04-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

Sports lost a truly amazing voice today when Harry Kalas - voice of the Phillies and NFL films died at the age of 73. There are few voices who leave a mark on the entire sports world but Harry certainly did. So long Harry - we will miss you.

Gotta get to the predictions for the MLB post season

AL- Division

Boston vs. Cleveland

Tampa vs. Angels

NL - Division

New York vs. LA

Philly vs. Chicago

ALCS

Boston vs. Tampa

NLCS

Chicago vs. New York

World Series

Tampa Bay vs. Chicago

WS Champ - Tampa Bay - I know, crazy right? but Harry's son Todd is the voice of the Rays. Only fitting after the Phillies title last year

New Golf Fans Need To Act Like Golf Fans

2009-04-10T13:24:00.001-07:00

A fan screamed "It's in the hole!"

The line was heard after Tiger Woods struck his tee shot at the par 3, 16th hole at Augusta National yesterday during the 1st round of The Masters.

"Oh, not at Augusta!" immediately followed from CBS/ESPN broadcaster Peter Oosterhuis .

I thought the exact same thing.

Golf is not baseball. Golf is not football. Golf is not basketball. Golf is a game where men and women wear a uniform of slacks and collard shirts. Golf is a game where dress shoes are spiked and the person with the greatest power to penalize your performance is yourself.

Clean is the word I like to use when I talk about Golf. It is the one game that I have always known that I would play for my entire life and The Masters is the most amazing event I've ever been to. From Hogan's Bridge to Founders Circle to Amen Corner - the course is near heaven on earth.

People often have asked me why do I get upset when Tiger Woods wins. He's the best player in my lifetime. Tiger has grown the game in a way that nobody thought an African American could worldwide. There are more millionaires on tour now than ever before because of Tiger. All this is true but it's the growth of the game that has concerned me. Who is now coming to golf because of Tiger?

The reason is why I get annoyed when Tiger wins is because it brings out THAT GUY - the one who yelled "It's in the hole" yesterday. He's the guy who loves Tiger - not golf. He thinks he is cheering at a sporting event. No big deal right? Well, it is. Walking Augusta National last year was one of the greatest sports experiences of my life. The beauty of the course and the elevation changes aren't done justice on TV. You have to see it to believe it. Every angle, every green, every fairway - just so clean. Golf is different and those who don't get it either need to learn that's it's different or get out.

The Masters is something special and it's sad that 1 fan can cause such a disappointing moment but I really hope that the new fans learn to love the game - not the player. If you don't understand the etiquette - educate yourself. If you don't know all the players - read about them. Tiger Woods is 7 strokes back going into the weekend of the 2009 Masters. His largest come-from-behind win of at the Masters was in 2005 where he came back from 6 strokes after 36 holes. He is basically dead in the water but the tournament is setting up to be AWESOME. Real golf fans will be watching every stroke.

One final note - if you need someone to cheer for....how about Anthony Kim. 11!! birdies today and 3 bogies. He shot a 65 after a 75 yesterday. 10 strokes better! The 11 birdies is the most EVER in a single round at The Masters. If he just par'd those 3 holes he bogied - he would have shot a 62! Course record.

Sick Shot

2009-04-10T08:37:00.001-07:00

This made me smile:

Read Of The Day

2009-04-09T14:32:00.000-07:00

From Today's New York Times - something that Omaha people should remember - and Iowa people need to keep in mind. Great read

For Brian the Producer

2009-04-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

So Brian loves to say that he has never seen a single minute of Star Wars. We would fight about this on the air because I just don't get how you wouldn't watch one of the greatest movies of our time...Star Wars is a right of passage for teenage males. You have to see it....it's too good not too.

But I wonder if the movie was like this video - would he watch? :)

New Video For Em

2009-04-08T20:03:00.001-07:00

This is damn funny. I've always been a big Em fan....he goes after everyone including Tony Romo and Sarah Palin is this video and song: