On Memory and Nostalgia: Pat Summitt and Britney Spears

University of Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat
Summitt revealed that she has dementia, Alzheimer's type.
Photo by CavalierLove via WikiMedia Commons

by TS Oldman

Comparing University of Tennessee women's basketball coach, Pat Summitt, to Britney Spears seems like an exercise destined to get you punched in the face by any ardent women's sports fan. In fact, I'm pretty certain a punch in the face is what the coaching legend would give Ms. Spears if the two were forced to spend a weekend together.

Both women have become icons in their respective industries. Summitt is the winningest coach, male or female, in college basketball history with 1,037 victories to only 196 losses over the course of a thirty eight year career. While Britney Spears exists in a seemingly different universe than Summitt, she too has an impressive resume in her lengthy (for pop icons anyway) twelve year career with seven number one studio albums and sales in the US totaling 33 million units.

(Note: The sports world tends to be way more conservative than any other entertainment industry. If the sports world were a political commercial it would definitely feature the term 'family values' with an American flag waving and a family holding hands looking super well-adjusted. So, if you are uncomfortable with comparing such a high character person as Pat Summitt with Britney Spears, a woman who was legally deemed a less suitable parent than this guy, I understand your concern. But bear with me, we're only talking about their careers and cultural impact.)

However, by the end of this week, both Summitt and Spears will have been forcibly pushed toward the downhill run of their careers.

On Tuesday, the 59 year old Summitt rocked the sports world when she revealed that she has early onset dementia, Alzheimer's type. By Wednesday, the outpouring of support from journalists came in the form of glowing articles about Summitt's legacy, her character, and this touching piece by Summitt's close friend Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post. On Sunday, Spears will go through a similar (albeit far less tragic) transition at the increasingly irrelevant MTV Video Music Awards, where she will receive a tribute.

While the support and recounting of anecdotes from Summitt's career are heartwarming, journalists are now writing of Summitt's career predominately in the past tense. Likewise, although it might seem like an honor, a tribute is Hollywood's not so subtle acknowledgement that Spears' best work as an artist is behind her and she is now considered a luminary.

In other words, both Pat Summitt and Britney Spears have transitioned to the world of nostalgia and memory.

Today's 1000

It's never a good day when you realize your friends are unoriginal and lame.
Here's to a better birthday and wittier friends next year, Mark.

Finding Free Music Online: Learning the Art of the (Totally Legal) Five Finger Discount

Juliana Bixby is back to tell you
where to find (legal) downloads.

by Julianna Bixby

Hello again, Fistful of Words-ers! It's me, Julianna Bixby, back again from the wild blue yonder. Lovely to see you all; you're looking so well. Is that a new haircut? It looks fabulous. That thing you're interested in? I bet it's going marvelously.

A few months ago I had the privilege of writing a post for FoW on people's favorite sentences. I thought it went pretty well, and what they say is true: The lure of an audience is strong. I was hit with the urge to blog and blog again; much like with Pringles, I couldn't stop with just one post.

If you're anything like me, you've been enjoying all the great new music posts here on FoW. However, being like me also means being flat-out, Ramen-noodle levels of broke, the kind known only by Graduate Teaching Assistants during the non-teaching months. During those lean months, many things fall by the wayside - including, sadly, buying new music. Now, of course you can still get music from friends (or from various methods of more...questionable legality). But if you're having a momentary attack of conscience (or if you, also like me, attended an undergraduate institution that actually monitored students' access to said sites of questionable legality and was given to sending out "Hey, stop that or we'll report you to the feds" e-mails) these methods may not suffice.

But fear not! I am here to tutor you all in the ancient-ish art of exploiting the Internet in order to legally obtain new tunes for free, thus saving your bank account from depletion and your person from potential jail time.

Today's 1000

Poor notice placement:
Please keep our house free from dirt and STD's.

Fistful of Reviews: The Help

Image from http://bit.ly/nc93eV

by Elaine Dunaway

Last week I both read and went to see The Help (by Kathryn Stockett), a book and movie about the relationship between black maids and the white families they worked for in Jackson, Mississippi – all set in the 1960s Civil Rights era. While fictional, Stockett’s afterword states that The Help came from her imagining what her childhood maid, Demetrie, would have said if someone had asked her “what it felt to be black in Mississippi, working for [a] white family” (451). As such, this book has quite a bit of controversy surrounding it: could a white woman ever even come close to knowing what it was like to be the help? Should we support a more historically privileged gender or race co-opting, once again, the stories that belong to that race or gender? Should this affect our decision to go see one of the few movies of the year to contain first-rate African American actresses?

Today's 1000

Find Caveman on tour this month.

by T.S. Oldman

While plenty of music aims to get the listeners up and moving, the five piece New York based Caveman creates arresting pop music with fascinating soundscapes and lush harmonies. "Thankful," a track from the group's debut album Coco Beware, conjures up images of relaxing on a porch with a fan on a hot summer day. Not because lead vocalist Matthew Iwanusa talk about porches, summer, or fans but rather because the song puts you at ease as you slip into hypnotic drumming and gang vocals. To be sure, Caveman isn't simply white noise or background music, but instead a group that seems to have honed their dreamy chamber pop into easily accessible fun.

Enjoy the free download and find more of Caveman here: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Today's 1000

By TS Oldman

As school systems around the United States are starting back we'd like to revisit some of the newest efforts from a few artists we featured earlier this summer. Enjoy.

1) "Sympathy" / Scattered Trees- ST is not just a group of talented musicians. As they noted in their interview with FoW, the band includes graphic designers and a filmmaker. Having people with such skills make Scattered Trees a band with in house advantages when it comes to creating artwork and music videos. As with his wildly creative Star Wars video for "Love and Leave," ST band member J.M Harper has created another high quality music video for the group's latest single "Sympathy." For a track about dealing with the pain of loss, the group dons gladiator gear for an engrossing video that watches like a short film. Catch ST on Tour.

2) "Elders" / MyNameIsJohnMichael- In our profile of MNIJM, we noted how the band proudly wears the mantle of New Orleans pop music. Their mix of high energy horns and organ with hints of 1960's R&B give them a distinct color within the world of indie music. "Elders" the latest MNIJM track from the upcoming album, uses the band's signature blend of horns and organ. However, it's the jovial drum intro that places the listener squarely in downtown New Orleans. And by the time you get to the gang vocals backed by hand claps, it's unlikely you won't already be dancing wherever you are. Listen and download the track for free. 

3) "Endless Summer" Remix by J U S T S A Y J O E / My Tiger My Timing- For summer, American pop artists usually aim to create a big anthem or jam. As I noted before, MTMT went in a different direction and created a summer festival song with "Endless Summer" the first single off their sophomore album. The latest remix of the song, featured below, moves the track decidedly into electro dance territory. The frenetic keys and simple guitar riff have been made into hooks and the track is dominated by a studio produced beat. Yet, Anna Vincent's vocals, chopped though they may be, still work well in this version of the song. Download this remix and other remixes for free.


My Tiger My Timing - Endless Summer - // J U S T S A Y J O E \\ Mix by mytigermytiming

Quick Takes on Watch the Throne and the Debt Ceiling

Despite releasing Watch the The Throne,
Kanye compared himself to Hitler this week.
But he still looks better than the US Congress.

By TS Oldman

No WiFi. Big problem.

I spent last week in the mountains with no WiFi. Granted it was for work, but unplugging for six days was an interesting experience. Not because it was nice to have no cell phone service or avoid the flood of weekly emails, but rather because of how much time I've spent catching up since my return to the land of 3G. And I don't mean caught up on things that are necessary or work related. I spent hours catching up on NFL signings, MLB trades, Grantland.com articles, Economist blogs, new music, and my Twitter timeline. Throw in the fact that I finished a season of Friday Night Lights (Teary Eyes. Full Kleenex box...) and nearly completed a season of Mad Men (Yay 60s!), it's as if getting away from my normal technology filled routine led to a binge on narrative, news, and information when I returned. Although I could discuss the importance of self control and discipline, here's some quick takes on two things that caught my attention Watch the Throne and the the debt ceiling game of chicken.

Today's 1000

In a world where carbs, gluten, and high fructose corn syrup are under attack from all directions, it's nice to know Ruffles has partnered with NBC to keep a steady stream of Biggest Loser contestants coming.

Fistful of Reviews: L.M. Montgomery's Emily books

Image from http://bit.ly/puhLUh

by Elaine Dunaway

I’ve often found myself sad when I run out of books in a favorite series or books written by the same author. My dismay was great when I finished all of Jane Austen’s novels and even greater still when I finished Rilla of Ingleside, which is book eight in the Anne of Green Gables series. I believe my mother realized my childhood sadness and bought my sister and I some other books by Lucy Maude Montgomery that are set in Avonlea (or maybe it was a tv series?); however, they never came close to filling the void in my life left in the wake of Anne’s brilliance.

Not too long ago, my sister and I found a fairly acceptable remedy to this problem. While shopping at 2^nd and Charles (which, if you haven’t read my article about it, is an amazing used bookstore in Birmingham), we happened across Emily of New Moon and Emily Climbs, books claiming to be installments one and two of a three-part series by L.M. Montgomery. We were fascinated and purchased them immediately.

Seattle Rapper Macklemore On Air Jordans & Consumerism

Find Macklemore on Facebook

Now that everyone still talks about Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player ever but not even casual sports fans still believe that His Airness is even a remotely likable human being, it's all too easy to be cynical about Air Jordans, capitalism, international child labor, and Nike advertising.

But for anyone who grew up during the 90's, lived through the "Be Like Mike" ads, and watched MJ play, there exists a certain nostalgia for the shoes, even if you never bought a pair. Maybe kids today will wistfully reminisce about about iPhones, but for people from 25-40 Jordans are one of the products that will forever be lodged in our memories.

It's that sense of nostalgia for Air Jordans that acts as the starting point for Seattle rapper Macklemore and his producer Ryan Lewis on their latest track "Wings." Click through to read the rest of my thoughts on the song.

Today’s 1000

When Book Covers Go Wrong... 
or Why I No Longer Read by the Pool...

by Thomas Hokum

So after 6,000 pages+ of the Game of Thrones series (Book of Fire and Ice to the real nerds out there) I felt the need to jump into another fantasy series commonly considered more Medieval Politik than Wizards and Dragons so I chose the Farseer Series by Robin Hobb. So I read the first one, Assassin's Apprentice, and then I picked up the next one... Royal Assassin. Only to discover it has one of the most fanciful, most seriously-questionable-for-an-adult covers I've ever seen. Sword in hand, shirt all a flair in the rippling wind, wolf... howling alongside? Regardless, time to pop this bad boy inside a Breaking Dawn book cover I keep around just for such instances and get reading.

Throw Some Glitter

by Elaine Dunaway

Ke$ha. Image via Wikimedia Commons
(Elaine forgot her camera in the car). //bit.ly/o0NTzo

Let me begin with this: you are currently reading a post written by someone who has touched Ke$ha. Let’s now backtrack to how I got to this point.

A couple of months ago, some of my college friends decided that we should all go to see Ke$ha. Having always enjoyed the songs of hers that I know – “Tik Tok,” “Love is My Drug,” “Blow,” etc. – and never been to a very large or upbeat concert, I happily agreed to go. Little did I know that my concert-going cohorts were determined to be at the barrier of the concert, meaning that we got in line at 2:00 p.m. for a concert that did not begin admitting anyone until 6:30 p.m. Translation: we were surrounded by those people who love Ke$ha with all of their hearts.