The Weekday Ramble is a daily dose of sports, music, culture, and more from Rambling On founder Erik Ritland. For more information check us out on Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, or at our website.
Friday February 27, 2015
The Pohlads ruin a good thing, the power of having a plan, Shaq is the best
Terrible radio
A couple years Minnesota Twins owner Jim Pohlad bought independent radio frequency 96.3 in the Twin Cities. They promptly declined to renew their radio broadcasting contract with 1500 ESPN and put Twins games on their own station.
But what would it be during the day? After flirting with a Cities 97ish format of slightly hip pop they transformed into a refreshing mix of classic and new rock. The Beatles, Tom Petty, Soul Asylum, Franz Ferdinand, and John Mayer all found a place next to each other. Last year they even played their entire music library A to Z, something neutered classic rock dinosaur KQRS quit doing years ago.
For some reason Pohlad’s team recently changed the format to essentially the worst new pop/rock that Cities 97 plays and the worst Indie rock that the Current plays. Either the tastes of Twin Cities radio listeners is awful or radio programmers are too scared to stick with something that doesn’t immediately succeed. Regardless, music radio in the Twin Cities is awful, especially on the commercial side. Instead of standing out, as KTWIN did, the new format simply fits right in with that principle.
On intentionality
I was recently caught in the middle of an argument between friends about how to change yourself for the better. One of them, who is following a healthy eating and exercise program based around a diet shake, applauded the systems emphasis on having a plan, following through, and being part of a community of like-minded people. My other friend was skeptical, claiming that if you want to change yourself for the better you just have to do it, plans and support group being superfluous. In his eyes personal desire and self-control are the simple keys to bettering yourself.
In my experience nothing gets done without a plan. Sure, one out of every thousand people can change and get things done on an island via sheer willpower, but the rest of us need to deliberately and intentionally plan something in order to make it happen. A community to assist us doesn’t hurt, either. The entire “I can just do it on my own” mentality sometimes works but it is mostly a symptom of the individualistic myth of America that feeds phony machismo.
Shaquille is Shaq-ool
Recently I have been borderline obsessed with Shaquille O’Neal’s ridiculous Gold Bond commercials. What can I say, I’m a sucker for silly humor. Above is my favorite, as it features the big man sing, but you can check most of them out at this site.
Erik Ritland is a writer and musician from St. Paul, Minnesota. His blog and podcast Rambling On features commentary on music, sports, culture, and more. He is also a contributor for Minnesota culture blog Curious North. Support Erik's music via his Patreon account, reach him via email, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
Erik Ritland is a writer and musician from St. Paul, Minnesota. His blog and podcast Rambling On features commentary on music, sports, culture, and more. He is also a contributor for Minnesota culture blog Curious North. Support Erik's music via his Patreon account, reach him via email, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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