Podcast Of The Week: Revisiting The Experience Economy

Joseph Pine explained (over twenty years ago!) how experiences are the link between modern companies and the customers. His work is still incredibly relevant today. He coined the idea of "mass customization," built a framework for turning services into experiences, and explained the role authenticity plays in the best run businesses of the 2000s. This …

Sunday Music: DJ Shadow And Pusha-T

Yes, they're getting old, but they've both still got it. On "Been Use Ta," Push is all about celebrating the legacy and reminding us how legacy compounds. It's the N-O-T-O-R-I-O-U-S You just lay down slow The flows are being copied at Kinkos Kinda like Vegas did to Reno But it's only one Push Tarantino The …

Sunday Music: When Adversity Strikes (Mercy, Mercy, Mercy)

It all started in an empty grocery store on a late weekday evening. I don't know whose version of "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" came on, but it was smooth, and not in the complimentary "this scotch is so smooth" way, but in the Kenny G "smooth" jazz way. That meant as soon as I got to …

Sunday Music: Remembering Kim Shattuck

That voice, that snarl, that scream. Kim Shattuck will be missed. While not well known to the mainstream, any 90s kid at least remembers her vocal on The Muffs' "Kids in America" (featured in Clueless). https://youtu.be/zLCRAalHhPc Another gem from the same period was "Sad Tomorrow." https://youtu.be/vsxyaZhdW1s Revisit the whole catalog. Her pop sensibility was real, …

Sunday Music: May 2019 Playlist

Here it is - my May 2019 Playlist of new, new to me, and a throwback song that I’ve been listening to lately. Here is the Apple Music link. If someone wants to make a Spotify link and send it to me, I’ll share it here as well. 1. “Nobody” by Hozier. Take us to …

Podcast of the Week: NYT on Bikini Kill and Riot Grrrl

Whether this is a trip down memory lane or a first exploration into what was an incredible scene - a movement - before the internet took over our lives, do check out NYT's Popcast coverage of "The Return of Bikini Kill and the Long Tail of Riot Grrrl." The print/digital coverage is worth a read …

Podcast of the Week: That Time Obama Peer Pressured Questlove to Play French Montana

The Broken Record podcast returns with a two-part interview featuring drummer, DJ, author, and all-around renaissance man: Questlove. They talk Voodoo, they talk about the sea change that was the Beasties and LL in the 1980s, and Quest tells his Obama White House party story. You don't have to be a music geek to appreciate …

Sunday Music: New Playlist for March 2019

Here it is - A new (to me) playlist gathered between late 2018-March 2019. Stream it on Apple Music here, and if someone makes a Spotify version I’ll link to it here. 1. “Champagne Ladies” by And the Kids. Ahh, the moment when we realize we’re getting old, for real, and it’s suddenly terrifying. “Life …

How To Be Less Blockbuster And More Netflix

Blockbuster should have blocked-out Netflix. They created a network of national video-rental stores, bringing convenience (and millions of frustrated “I can’t decide” Friday night moments) to America. Their eventual downfall? The late fee. Fortunately for us, their demise and Netflix’s rise is full of teachable moments.    Nobody liked late fees. No one. Well, no one except for …

Sunday Music: 25 Years of “Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain”

From way back in 1994 comes Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, the second album from Pavement. The whole record drips with a distinct, disappointed-slacker vibe, which is probably why it still plays so well. Sonically, it's all-encompassing, from the disorganized chaos at the beginning of "Silence Kit" to the whimpering, wah-wah guitar as "Fillmore Jive" closes. …