Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Chris Farley

Yeah, I know it's a Music Friday. But, Adam Sandler's turn as host of SNL last weekend has me thinking of the song he closed with about his friend Chris Farley.

Chris was a Madison boy...and that sensibility was a big part of his appeal on the international stage. While we hate how it all ended, we couldn't be prouder of the kid from Maple Bluff, who was chronicled so well in the documentary "I Am Chris Farley."

Somewhere, in the boxes upon boxes of video and audio cassettes I've yet to unearth after a succession of moves, I have a video I shot of Chris and Tom Arnold jumping on stage, totally unplanned and unannounced at the Taste of Madison in the early '90s, tearing through an R&B classic with Madison's O'Bros (and WJJO's Johnny Danger on bongos). I will find that video and I will share it...but, gimme time. There are a lot of boxes.

In the meantime, you may have seen the SNL performance of Adam's tribute to Chris. But, this compilation video from Netflix is so much better.

Hard to believe it's been over 20 years. RIP Chris...and, thank you Adam for such a touching salute.

Toga!

Sometimes, you roll into a town for the first time and just know you've been there before.

That was the experience I had last week as I rolled into Cottage Grove OR. A cute downtown; one with real potential. But, it was the banner across Main Street that caught my eye. I'd seen this streetscape, this architecture and that sign before. But, where?

Try 40 years ago (and every time I've watched the movie since). It's the parade route for the climactic scene in Animal House, filmed in Cottage Grove.

This weekend, they'll attempt to regain the Guinness Book of World Records' status as largest Toga Party in history. If you're near...go.

We planned this for Music Friday, but, we're going with it right now. It's back to Otis Day and the Knights...and the song that is forever linked to Togas.

Shout!

Busted

It was around mid-day that I got an e-mail from a DMO pro that posed an interesting question regarding yesterday's post.

He said, you're talking to smaller destinations...but you're using larger city examples. Got any for us little guys?

Busted.

But, let's break this down. Nothing that the bigs do can't be replicated in a smaller community. People often claim money is the issue for not being able to do something...but money is never the issue if it's important enough to the community. If it's important, the money will always be found.

So, to my friend and his peers, let's start with that. Can you make the case to the City that a vibrant Nighttime Economy will spur economic and residential growth? Then, the City should invest revenue to make that happen. It is, after all, economic development. And, what City can argue with that?

But, I hear you. City leaders often aren't that sophisticated. Now what?

May I suggest that, if you're dedicating resources to content creation and industry partner relations, you're already halfway there. Because, if you already have boots on the ground, connecting with your nighttime economy is a simple adaptation of a work shift. As I said to my CEO friend, dedicate one day to working 2 to 10. Meet the people that are making the nighttime economy hum. Capture and post soundcheck from a band. Grab and post photos or videos from restaurant kitchens as they work their magic. The people who's job it is to know the destination should know it more than 8-5.

You've got this.

The Power of the Nighttime Economy

It's what encourages a drive visitor to stay the night and not head back home after whatever they came for (assuming it wasn't a nighttime experience). And yet, the magnet of music, theatre and comedy is missing in so many communities. In our work with destinations, we often survey community stakeholders as to what they think would move the needle for both enhanced livability and tourism growth. In second and third-tier cities, the answer is almost always "something to do when the sun goes down."

But how? How does a Destination Marketing Organization encourage business owners to take a chance and make an investment that may not pay off? And, as a DMO pro once said to me, "we don't have a relationship with those entrepreneurs because they're coming to work as we're heading home."

My smart ass answer, of course, was that he should spend at least one day a week working a 2 to 10pm shift in order to better understand (and build a relationship with the purveyors of) the nighttime economy.

That's what Chattanooga's Mary Howard Ade does as she connects the dots in Chattanooga's ascendant music scene.

And, the City of Vancouver is about to launch a one-year pilot program to hire a Music Advocate to attempt to mitigate the obstacles local performers face so that the music can flow and produce an even greater dent in the economy than its current $690 million, supporting 8,000 jobs in the city.

Just saying you support local music doesn't get the job done. Somebody has to own it. 

Chattanooga and Vancouver understand that fact.

Here's hoping many more cities see the light.

Owner of a Misunderstood Heart

I'm increasingly drawn to the creatives that mash two or three songs together to create an altogether fascinating take on the originals.

Ryan Nellis is one of those audio geniuses.

On this Music Friday, we're going with his mash of '80s disco and prog rock...Santa Esmeralda's cover of the Animal's cover of "Don't Let Me Be Understood" and "Owner of a Lonely Heart" by Yes.

And, it so works.

Road Songs

This so dates me. In the era in which "mixtapes" were what the cool kids did, we would assemble a playlist (before they were called "playlists") of songs to rock our rides. Usually made up of album tracks that you'd never hear on the radio, we'd then painstakingly record them, in real time, to tape, to play in our cars.

On this Music Friday, we offer one of the songs that opened many of my favorite Road Trip tapes, The Doobie Brothers' Road Angel...originally found on an album with one of the coolest titles ever: What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits.

China Grove was also a road fave...and if you want to check out whether the Doobies still have it, check out this video from a recent TV appearance...adding Little Feat's Billy Payne on keys and John Cowan on bass and backing vocals (which have never been sweeter).

They're in St. Paul tonight, the Mad City tomorrow night and through the heartland, until they head east at the end of the month.

But, really...Road Angel is a killer addition to any Road Trip mix. Add it...and crank it.

 

On Anthony Bourdain

I'll admit it. I was late to the party.

I know...as one who is looked to be on the cutting edge of everything, this was one I missed. There was something about Anthony's early video persona that I rejected...I'm not entirely sure why. But, when I read Kitchen Confidential, I was hooked. And, I knew that the persona was real and true.

The accolades that have cascaded since his death have endowed him with a culture-shifting power that is so sensationally true. He showed us the world through the food we eat, the liquids we drink and the music in which we luxuriate. And, by doing so...he made us more accepting and inquisitive of a world that our current leaders intend us to eschew.

My favorite Bourdain quote is that one's body is not a temple. It's a theme park to be enjoyed.

And then, there is this: The value of a dish is the pleasure it brings you; where you are sitting when you eat it—and who you are eating it with—are what really matter. Perhaps the most important life lesson (my Dad) passed on was: Don't be a snob. It's something I will always at least aspire to—something that has allowed me to travel this world and eat all it has to offer without fear or prejudice. To experience joy, my father taught me, one has to leave oneself open to it.

Thank you, Anthony. Thank you for everything.

Can't Have it Both Ways

Ibiza is an island off the coast of Spain that is known for its nightlife and party scene. Will Ferrell wanted to produce his new Netflix film (called Ibiza) there...but the government said no after reading the script. So, it was filmed in Barcelona and Croatia.

Wouldn't you know it...now, residents of Ibiza are pissed because it wasn't filmed on their island. And, how their party culture is portrayed. Which, of course, they may have been able to influence had they allowed the comedy to be shot there in the first place.

Just sayin...

Teaching Our Children Life Lessons

Besides the life lessons imparted by my loving parents, I learned a lot about living from the Board games I played as a child.

I learned that children are expensive from the game of Life. I learned that things are often not as they appear on the surface from Clue. And, I learned to make good choices from Chutes and Ladders.

All three are identified as being among the Top 10 Board Games for kids by FamilyEducation.com. As is Monopoly.

But, is the new edition of the venerable board game, expected out next month, really what we want to teach our kids?

It's called Monopoly: Cheaters Edition...and, according to Fast Company, it "plays faster, zanier, and perhaps more apropos of the current socio-political climate. Most of all, it’s a version of Monopoly that properly reflects the impulses inside our own dark hearts." 

One of the available cheats encourages players to steal money from the bank. If one is clever enough to pull it off, they not only get to keep the money but receive bonus cash. To be sure, if you get caught, you have to wear a handcuff connected to the Board. But, still...

Call me old-fashioned...but is validating cheating something we want to teach our kids?

Just sayin...

Do You Wanna Dance...in the USA?

Brand USA is the Destination Marketing Organization for America. Each year, they feature this country through a thematic lens. Last year it was in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service. This year, it's the Music that makes America America.

One of the ways they're telling the story of our musical culture is by taking a quintessential American classic and having five performers from five parts of the country in five genres place their indelible mark on the song. On the VisitTheUSA website, you'll find performers from Hip-Hop (Atlanta), Rock (Portland), EDM (Denver) and Blues (Houston).

Love 'em all (along with the long form video narrated by Morgan Freeman). But, on this Music Friday, we're going with the Soul version from Puerto Rico's Caloma Carmona.

It's Bobby Freeman's "Do You Wanna Dance"...and the word "luxuriate" comes to mind.

Well played, Brand USA. Exceptionally well played.