Title Town

Did you ever live in Title Town? A moment ago I heard something on the radio about the NCAA basketball tournament, which got me to thinking about my profound apathy in the face of most sports competitions. But then it occurred to me that if my city was home to one of the Final Four college teams, I'd probably be at least mildly excited right now, and if my city's college went to the final, I'd almost certainly watch the game. That's saying something, because other than the Olympics, the occasional college football match, and the odd pro-am golf tournament, I seldom watch sports on television.

In short, it's pretty exciting to live in Title Town. I know because I lived in Chicago when the Bulls were winning all those pro basketball championships, and I was watching vastly more professional sports on TV than I have before or since. It helped that the Bulls had such marvelous players, from super sexy Michael Jordan to sexually ambiguous Dennis Rodman (though my sexually ambiguous Bull of choice was the late Bison Dele, n� Brian Williams).

It's strange how a successful team can rouse even sports agnostics like me. At some point in the Bulls' run the Chicago public-radio show "This American Life" did a program about various Bulls' turning up in Chicagoans' dreams, and the topic made a lot of sense to me--those guys had a way of insinuating their way into the consciousness of virtually everyone in the Windy City.

I suppose living in a metropolis like Chicago increases your chances of finding yourself in Title Town, since the big-city pro franchises can better afford championship players. But the remarkable thing about college sports is that, theoretically at least, even a lil' ole town like Madison or Knoxville or Norman once in a while gets to be Title Town.

Laurels

On Sunday the Junkers won a Mama for our 2003 release Live Characters Nightly, and I couldn't be more thrilled. It's a marvelous capper to a great four years of music, and I'm right proud of LCN, I must say.

But question: why, for me, must ceremonial occasions always coincide with zits?

Whew

Just back from a whirlwind trip to the hamlet of Townsend, my ancestral home in East Tennessee, where I went to my great aunt Inez' funeral. She was 96. She was a teacher and historian of her county, and one of Maryville, Tennessee's prominent citizens. We in the family called her Bab. Here's an article about her.

I don't recommend making the 12-hour drive to Townsend every day, but it's doable.

Hint from Heloise

The key to a good cup of tea is to warm the milk first. I don't know why it took me so long to figure this out.

Geek nostalgia web site du jour

A java version of the old Hitchhiker's Guide text adventure. This takes me back to many an hour misspent on a Commodore 64.

Neither cheap nor a trick, if you ask me

In honor of Ereck's week-long vacation from la vie academique, I'm desperately trying to find a copy of Cheap Trick's "Spring Break," the title song of the 1983 sex comedy. This came out during the band's wander in the early-80s cinematic wilderness--think of the "Spring Break" track as a poor man's "Up the Creek." (I'm a fan of both songs. Without a paddle, baby.)

Speak, CableGuide

This page of 1983 magazine covers with Olivia Newton-John is, naturally, of inherent interest. But it's also interesting to me because the second magazine featured is Nashville's CableGuide, and I have a burning interest in browsing issues of that publication from, in fact, precisely the time of the Olivia Newton-John issue, which is dated January 18, 1983.

Cable television was then a new and exciting thing to twelve-year-old me--it's impossible to convey how very, very exciting--and I'd like to refresh my memory. Out of curiosity, I checked the catalog of the Nashville public library, but they don't have the CableGuide. Where would I find this valuable archive?

(Olivia is indeed a vivid early cable memory for me, especially her hot "Physical" video, the surprise ending of which had gym queens.)

(Another early cable memory is pay-cable broadcasts of Men of Chippendales extravaganzas. I would furtively sneak late-night viewings of these.)