(Last updated: 17/06/26)
On my bedside table pile right now:
I will note, there is nothing that I love more than recommending people books and I have a comprehensive categorisation system to help me with this, so please if you are ever unsure of what to read, let me know and I will try my best to find something good for you!
My all-time favourite TV show is Riverdale, and yes I am serious about that. So serious, in fact, that I presented a talk on it, entitled "Can Riverdale Ever Jump the Shark?". The talk notes and slides are available. I'm also eagerly awaiting the news season of Interview with the Vampire! It's finally coming out soon!! I love a weird gothic show :)
My recent biggest obsession is the Pitt. I have never before enjoyed medical dramas but there's some kind of secret sauce in this one because I'm totally obsessed with it. Ok, I know what part of the secret sauce is -- the incredible Mel King played by the inimitable Taylor Dearden. I laughed, I sobbed (a lot), and I tore through the first season faster than pretty much any other TV show (other than Gilmore Girls. but we don't need to talk about that).
Regarding movies I've been trying to watch more as of late, and you may view my opinions on letterboxd dot com. And! I have lots more I'm excited to watch too. I'm struggling to convince people to watch some of them with me... but I'll manage eventually.
I am kept sane by year-round sports. NHL through the winter, F1 through the summer, and MLB to plug the gaps. I am a super-mega fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins & Oscar Piastri and my allegiances have now been firmly pledged to the Yankees (no disowning in my future) as I have successfully saddled the lovely Anna with my beloved Bluejays (sorry for giving you a team that immediately went on a losing streak and lost every good player to injury).
Inspired (blatantly stolen) from my wonderful friend Anna, I am going to try my best to update my song of the week :) This list aims to collect songs that feel like they're going to kick their way out of my chest when I listen to them. If I also end up looking really stupid dancing to them at the bus stop because I literally cannot stop myself that is often a corollary.
For past songs of the week & my thoughts on them, check out the archive here: Song Archive
This song of the week is a bit of a departure perhaps from my normal form in that I did not pick the songs we're going to be looking at. Instead, we're going to be reviewing the 25-26 playlist selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins. This was put together to start the season in September, so it includes selections from players who are no longer with the team, and does not include any choices from players who were acquired later in the season. This is intended to be a lighthearted way to judge rich and boring men, while also potentially finding some new picks!
Also, before we start I think it's relevant to mention, as has come up many times before, that I love dogshit basic country. A clean 50% of the songs on this playlist could reasonably be enveloped by that descriptor, so I'm going to be an incredibly biased evaluator. In fact, all of this is biased because it's about my opinions so anyway, let's get in to it.
Sidney "bowl of raisin bran" Crosby (arguably my favourite cereal, so this is a pot-kettle situation) has continued his trend and picked a completely inoffensive country soung. As far as I can tell, the dream of his life is to be an ordinary man named Mike who daps up his buddies and goes out for drinks after beer league games, and this is the musical equivalent of that. Chayce Beckham is an American Idol winner who writes country despite being from California and this song was a #1 country radio hit -- it's all extremely safe. This song is Fine and made me feel nothing.
I'm broadly pretty neutral on Luke Combs, though he is a massive darling of all hockey players it seems (see: Habs getting in trouble with Toronto media for having too much fun at a Luke Combs concert after getting eliminated in NC). I think he's got a lovely rich country voice paired with blandly palatable lyrics and melody. Which means I enjoyed some of these picks -- Tristan Jarry's Where the Wild Things Are pick is a lot of fun, if deeply basic. [Note: I'm listening to it again while reviewing this and honestly. It's unfortunately kind of banger IM SORRY!!!]. I like the influences coming in of electric guitar, and a belted ballad chorus. Going, Going, Gone from Bryan Rust is arguably the exact same song, but again I'm stuck because if you imagine being at a cheesy show and waving a lighter above your head it is a great song. Would make great background music in a bar, etc. I find this a very difficult phenomena to explain as, to repeat myself, this is objectively not particularly interesting music about nothing specially different. Sometimes stuff's popular for a reason, though. Now after all this reluctant compliment giving, Noel Acciari is about to lose out, because he's picked Fast Car which offends me on a deep level. WHY WOULD YOU NOT PICK THE TRACY CHAPMAN VERSOIN!? It's a deeply beautiful song and this is a PALE IMITATION!! Straight to jail. I'm going to tentatively suggest that this is why Acciari is the only member of our incredible fourth line that is not re-signed going in to next season, and I will be perfectly ok if it stays that way. Also, if I may add, Going, Going, Gone is literally already Luke Combs' response to Tracy Chapman. He talks about how he loves that song so much and wanted to try and write his own version with a distinctive mood and memorable riff. That was also the song where he first played his own guitar on the track, rather than a session musician. What I'm saying is the correct answer was literally there, and Rust slid in an stole it.
For a little variety, we've also got Morgan Wallen -- who I am decidedly NOT neutral on. He's a guy with a horrible mullet from Tennessee which, snap, so I feel qualified in this judgement. I hate him with a deep passion but I'm very bravely listening to these songs all the same because I love y'all. Caleb Jones' pick of You Proof makes me respect him less. This is a deeply bad song. He's got a questionable voice, bad lyricism and a boring looped beat does not save it. I may be overly cynical in my assessment but this song makes me feel deeply cynical, I don't know what to say. Like it makes me feel sad about the future of music and this planet. I was going to write about how he feels like a corporate creation but having read about his origins, he made his start on the Voice, so I reckon I was right on the money. Despite ostensibly being Tennessee I'm still inclined to believe he's putting on that accent, but maybe that's just the stink of artifice that clings to him. Anyway, Parker Wotherspoon is also on my shitlist for I Got Better. Who could believe that a 37-track album is filled with utter horseshit. Bad! Bad!
I don't know anything about Zach Bryan and I've learnt over time that this is generally the safest way to keep country musicians. I'm not gonna give him money without running the "Read the Controversies Section" check, but I reckon I can review some of his music quickly. On that note, Fear and Friday's was enjoyable so kudos to Blake Lizotte, I guess. I just love harmonicas, I don't know what to say. Lizotte recommended me Beartown, so he's already got a pretty high plus/minus, this being a just-alright song from a possibly-dodgy man doesn't affect that too much. American Nights doesn't have as forward of a harmonica so Jack St Ivany gets a lower score; the chorus being "wet, hot, American nights" is also not helping his case. Other that, it's basically the same song, which is not particularly shocking. Honestly, if you want to learn about the hockey culture of conformity, just take a quick glance over this playlist. A lot of people who don't want to risk showing slightly too much personality, that's for sure.
Guys. I love Chris Stapleton. Anthony Mantha thus gets an immediate free pass, despite his godawful playoff performance, because there's basically nothing he could've picked from him I wouldn't have liked. Parachute hits, and what a great showcase of Stapleton's soaring soul voice and rolling guitar this is. Another very safe top-10 song choice from an artist, but I can't betray myself and act like this isn't a fantastic song.
Philip Tomasino, famous for -- um. Oh, yeah, we traded him early in the season to the Flyers in exchange for Egor Zamula, who immediately failed to report to WBS and was suspended and then placed on waivers for contract termination. Highlight of the season for sure, yeah, he was very impactful. Only a shame how that trade went down because we missed out on our opportunity to Egormaxx. Anyway! He's introduced me Alex Warren, and that's one were I'm not so sure I wanted to introduction. This song is almost as forgettable as Tomasino himself. Warren seems to be best known for founding the Hype House, and some of his musical inspirations are Justin Biever, Shawn Mendes, Benson Boone, and worship music -- surely a line up that you want to shine through for truly enjoyable and interesting music!
I'm a little confused by whether they asked the prospect for new songs. Taking a look at the choices from last year, there's a number of repeats in this category. Maybe they just really know what they like, who can be sure. After playing 25 games last year, Owen Pickering played only 4 games up in Pittsburgh this year. I wish he'd dug deep and found a bit of Alan Jackson's hall of fame energy. This is definitely the kind of country I love -- bit of fiddle and a twang that makes you wanna dance. Certainly of somewhat of an older fiddle-forward style that I really enjoy and wish we still saw more of near the tops of the charts. Rutger McGroarty's also got the same song as last year, but it's another good one. He had the opposite trajectory than Pickering, moving up to play 24 games with the big boys this year, despite an injury-affected start to the year. Maybe the high energy music put him in the right mood? Let's say that. I'm not confident an Empire of the Sun pick is showing the most personality but Alive's a great, pumping song that reminds me of school discos. Honestly any vaguely EDM from the early 2010s gets a massive nostalgia boost from me, and seeing as me and McGroarty are about the same age I'll decide that's why he picked it too. Do they have school discos in the US? Unsure.
Kindy isn't represented here, but I feel he's spiritually-embodied by Harrison Brunicke's old-ass Rolling Stones pick. I do wonder if this is indicative of the fact they thought he had a better chance of staying up than Kindel did? Or, maybe an 18-year-old rookie didn't feel quite ready yet to reveal his personality? Either way, it's a shame because he had a comically good rookie campaign, and I would've loved to have seen which Eagles song he picked. But back to Brunicke -- you really can't go wrong with classic rock, and this isn't one of their top-10 most popular songs, so he's getting bonus points from me for that. I love the trend of young guys going with throwback picks -- last year Tristan Broz picked the Beach Boys iirc.
Now I do love that Kris Letang seems to always pick something different from the pack, and is additionally potentially the only hockey player to know what a woman is. I know they're all married fathers of twelve, but that's still not giving me much confidence. The only other player to get a possible pass here is Connor Dewar, as we'll see it later. Anyway, this song is really not for me, but I'm glad it was picked. When I listen objectively it's a fun song, but it sparks truly nothing inside of me.
Rickard Rakell is a victim of my being biased against Ed Sheeran, because were it not for that I'd probably enjoy this song. It's undeniably catchy pop and I love the European club vibe. Look at Rakell's puckish face and tiny mustache and say that doesn't make sense for him. However, I have a deep one-sided feud with Ed Sheeran, such is life. Nil Points.
As far as I recall, I enjoy Migos, but have never listened to anything solo from Offset so thanks to Matt Dumba, I guess. I'm a big enjoyer of Cardi B so I have the vague feeling I should dislike this on principle, but honestly past the opening which I did really like this is just not a song that's for me. It's at least something fairly different though, which will always be worth something in the hockey world. On a similar note, Ryan Shea's consistently brought his enjoyment of rap to this list and I respect him for that. Last year he picked a Mac Miller and this year he's had (in my opinion) another good pick. 21 Questions is a pretty safe classic, but it's a good song all the same.
It makes a lot of sense to me that Ryan Graves would pick mopey cursive singing just sort of, visually. He's got a face made to be put inside a locket, you know? Or maybe attached to a letter and put safely in the pocket of a soldier. Anyway, the photo on the cover of this single and on Quinn XCII's artist page are really lovely so I think that's improving my experience of what is really a very nothing song. It's chill and nice background music but does little more for me.
Connor Clifton's made what they're calling a pandering pick by choosing a pop-punk song. Sound of my childhood! Like McGroarty's pick, this immediately catapults me to the past in a positive way, it's just soo nostalgic and fun. And Clifton's a feel-good glue guy! It makes sense. I hope we resign him, not just because of his truly insane hits/60 but also because I want to know more about his song picks, this one is great. Based on this My Chem is probably too recent for him, but surely we could get a bit of blink-182? Sum 41? Maybe even Paramore if he wants the "for 5$ name a woman" badge?
Kevin Hayes has got yet another pick that just feels sooo on the nose to me. I don't know why it's so him but it is. It's 2008 feel-good rock like. Yes! I've never heard this song before and yet I feel like I've already fallen in love with it and had a baby with it in another universe. You get me? Honestly, it's making me feel really emotional about no more Hayesy next year (Turn the car around!). I've always been the first person loudly groaning any time he's in the lineup. He's a big slow player who's not helping with the average age of our roster, and I swear to god when he hops the boards you can hear his hip creak then see the game get faster around him as he moves in slow motion. He wasn't the best when he was in his prime, and now he's 34 years old with a 7.1mil cap hit. But you ask any question to the guys in the room, and they're championing Hayesy. He's always happy, he brings people together, he cares. You couldn't find a player more happy or more gracious to show up 60 games a year and sit and eat pressbox nachos. He's got a goofy smile and you're always seeing it, and a lot of fucking heart too. I didn't know I liked him at all until I started writing this paragraph, honest to god. If you want to really understand him, and maybe cry a little, you should read his Player's Tribune article in honor of his late brother, Jimmy Hayes. It's stuck with me since I first read it, it's fantastic and beautiful writing, and I think it sums him up well.
Like Ryan Graves, Boko Imama's got another pick that's very vibey but unfortunately not doing much for me past that. It's so lowkey but I struggle to feel anything for it, though it would be perfectly fine backing music. It's a problem I've also got with Sam Poulin's pick. There's something a little ironic about me saying the same things about three players who've ended up down in the minors this year, especially Poulin who headed to Edmonton in the Jarry trade, not that anyone really remembers his involvement. I do think picking a song from the F1 movie is kind of crazy on principle but even trying to ignore that, Poulin's not picking up many other points. It's lowkey, it's repetitive, it uses a lot of autotune in a way I'm not super a fan of.
Ok so now we have my favourites, which I've saved for last. My favourite hockey players or favourites songs, you ask? Well, incredibly fortuitously for me, the two have converged.
Tyler Childers is probably my favourite contemporary country singer, so I was SO excited to see that he was Avery Hayes' pick. I recognise that it falls in to the same bucket as basically everybody else but there's something special about it (similar to, say, scoring two goals on the first two shots of your NHL debut). Childers writes genuinely interesting songs with clever & powerful lyrics that discuss faith, racism & police brutality, personal myth, identity... So while I recognise that it's still country, I also think it's relevant to understand it's a fairly different subject matter and style of country than we've previously seen. This is, in fact, the exact same pick as last year just like the other prospects, but that's fine. It's a good song. A little basic (similar to, say, being obsessed with fishing), but beautiful all the same.
On, Connor Dewar, thank god. SMASHING PUMPKINS !!! TONIGHT, TONIGHT !!!! I'm filled with so much genuine love. SONG OF ALL TIME !!!!! I don't have the words :)
A few years ago, when I was still working at Evil MegaCorp, I did a full day of training about how I should be myself at work. Here was the argument presented: if you are more yourself, you will have better client interactions, and we will make more money. Shockingly, this didn't do a lot for me to genuinely feel like I could express myself at work, and mostly made me feel like I was trapped in one of those classic se correr o bicho pega, se ficar o bicho come situations. I think that's why these kinds of small things do actually mean a lot to me. I spent years feeling like I couldn't wear my hair or do my makeup or wear clothes like myself. Like I couldn't talk about my own interests or share my actual views or respond in the way I naturally could. I know it's not a new concept that people wake up and put on a new mask for work, but I also think it's not recognised enough how genuinely alienating of the self that is. Like a weird puppet version of yourself, actions filtered through the interference of strings and felt. To me, professional team sports -- and particuarly ice hockey, which has a deeply conservative and team-focused culture -- seem like the worst most twisted version of that. Your relationships with your coworkers are much much closer, and the rules are much much stricter. Locker rooms often have kangaroo courts wherein players can be fined or punished by veterans for any perceived infractions, and not being seen as someone who "gels" or is enough of a "team player" will lose you your job entirely. I suppose my point is, Smashing Pumpkins is an unapologetically weird pick. If you haven't seen the music video before, I would really recommend it because the visuals are incredibly and intricately odd. I like to think there was something a little prophetic about that, too.
This year, I was lucky enough to watch Dewar put up a career year. He hit a career high in goals, assists and (necessarily) points. He played almost every single game, put up by far his best career plus/minus, and got the opportunity to play center again. He was the first to say that part of his transformation as a player was finally having a coach who really believed in him and made him a core part of the team, while understanding what he brought to the game. As Jazz Chisholm has proven, feeling like you belong and are accepted in the locker room can be a massive part of performance. Am I reading in to this too much? Of course! I am fabricating a narrative from very little, because that's what I enjoy doing. But when I found this playlist and hit play on Dewar's pick, it did make me feel genuinely emotional, and I wanted to explore why that could be.
Ultimately, the aim of this extremely long piece of writing is to encourage you to go listen to Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness -- and if you've already listened to the album, to do it again. I know further up I was just complaining about overly long albums but let's be real, that was in the service of dunking on Morgan Wallen. 28 tracks of complex psychedelic and progressive music is more than a guy like me could ask for, so my job is simply to accept the gift and enjoy it. There are some absolute classics on here (Zero, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, 1979) and some deliciously weird tracks (Cupid De Locke, Galapogos, Porcelina Of The Vast Oceans). Whatever category they fit in, they're all good though, which is what matters.
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