Rambocky

Wawa Records and Filmed Entertainment presents Rambocky, starring Philly Boy Roy and Patton Oswalt.

See it HERE.

'Nem Tasers

On this week's Best Show on WFMU, "Philly Boy" Roy Ziegler had a chance to react publicly to the week's news about his son running around Citizens Bank Park and eventually being tasered into submission.

TO hear it, click HERE, and skip to 22:15.

The Philadelphia Mafia

After reading that a recently deceased ex-mob associate was a frequenter of my favorite local bar, I wondered, "hey, what ever happened to the South Philly mob?"

Luckily, Philadelphia Magazine had my back, as THIS ARTICLE answers that question superbly. It's 12 pages, but it's a quick read and if you're at all interested in the mafia, it's worth reading.

The Wonder Years

The Wonder Years are at the top of a very small list of punk/hardcore bands from Philadelphia that haven't sold out. They make the top of the list for liberally employing the use of the moog. Nothing to write home about, but they're good guys and they make a lot of Philly references in their songs.

Plus they're funny. Here's a song about Captain Crunch and Kool-Aid:

Sports Talk Rules

During the Eagles' Super Bowl campaign of 2004 I discovered sports talk radio. I was drawn to it because a team I rooted for was close to winning a championship for the first time since 1993, and I wanted to feel like I was sharing the experience with other fans even though I was living at college with fans of other teams from Boston and New York. I continue to listen even today, but with far less enthusiasm and with a disposition that makes me much more likely to shut it off mid-call or shout obscenities at callers. Here are some things that callers do that make me cringe:

1. Talking about their own sports career - I have a feeling that Brian Westbrook's concussion isn't anything like the one you suffered playing pee wee football in the 4th grade. There's just no way any civilian's own meager sports career should ever come up in the context of comparison when discussing professional sports. It's embarrassing.

2. Making bets with the host - This is only okay if it's invited by the host, which of course it rarely is. But rest assured people do this all the time.

3. Bringing up "money" and "greed" - This may annoy others less than it does me, but I feel as though part of the deal of being a fan of any professional sports team is that in exchange for your entertainment you have to allow yourself to be forced into the conceit that athletes make millions of dollars and don't care about you or your city. Calling a sports talk show to complain that athletes make too much money is a sign that maybe you should just stop...you know, being a fan.

These last two are similar:

4. Telling the host "hey, I'm the guy..." - About that time you guys ran into each at a book signing in 1998. This unabashed man love and need to be personally recognized--by a sports talk host--is truly embarrassing.

5. Asking the guest if he remembers something - In this example the guest is usually an athlete or coach. Last Thursday I heard a guy ask Larry Bowa if he remembered a posterboard sign that he made during the 1980 World Series. This kind of--again--need to be personally recognized by people is just something I'll never understand. Sorry dude, Larry meant to remember that sign, but when he looked for a pen to jot it down while he was in the dugout during the WORLD SERIES he couldn't find one so he continued on LIVING HIS LIFE.

Tony Luke Jr.

Most Philadelphians know Tony Luke Jr as the proprietor of one of the city's most well liked cheesesteak shops. What they may not know is that ever since he found success as a business owner he's been searching for a sweet piece of side success with his first love: acting. Up next for Luke? A starring role along side Tony Danza and William Forsythe in The Nail: The Story of Joey Nardone. From imdb:

After high school, while performing in local theater, Tony's interests swayed more and more toward music. Tony began to get more involved in the writing and singing of music in the 80s. He wrote songs for Brandi Wells and Motown artist AC Black. He also wrote and performed songs in his own groups such as "Off The Streets", "AJ Spats", and "Too Cool Project". In 1992 he opened up a sandwich shop in South Philadelphia, with his father, Tony, and his brother, Nicholas, called Tony Luke's. While doing local commercials for his store, Tony was once again bitten by the acting bug. In 1997 Tony decided to pursue his acting career again.

So, there's that. You may also remember him as "Guy with Cape at tryouts" from 2006's Invincible.

Check out this impressive acting resume'.

Weird Al at the Valley Forge Music Fair

Speaking of my first concert ever, it was "Weird Al's" fifth stop of the 125+ show "Bad Hair Day Tour." His single "Amish Paradise" was pretty big at the time, enjoying a regular rotation of plays on The Box, and his "hits" from the 80s were making a comeback as a result. So it stands to reason that his concert was something I wanted to see, rather than something I was being forced into, and from what I can remember it was a decent entry point into the world of live music. I remember Yankovic making multiple costume changes throughout the performance, including a less involved version of the "Fat" Suit he wore for his parody of Michael Jackson's "Bad." Luckily I didn't carry with me the irrational expectation that all concerts should include costume changes. I also remember really wanting to hear his parody of the Kinks' "Lola," called "Yoda" but having to wait until the last song to hear it. My first encore! Aside from that, I remember what the venue looked like. It seemed huge to me at the time, and comfortable since there were seats. Seats! A luxury I wouldn't again have at a concert until just two weeks ago at the Dead Man's Bones show at the Church. Unfortunately I never saw a show there again (because it closed not long after) and I had completely forgotten (or not cared) where it even was.

But now, every day when I go to work I travel roads that remind me of that concert. The problem is that I've never been sure of whether or not they actually are those same roads we took to get there way back when because as a 5th grader I would have had no idea where I was. I just see certain landmarks. An overpass, an intersection, a parking lot, all somehow reminding me of that Weird Al concert. They look different yet at the same time similar to the vague memories I still have. It turns out that my suspicions have been correct, but nowadays what once was the spot of the Music Fair is now a Giant supermarket. Kind of sad, really. From the history I've read it seemed to be the perfect west suburban Philadelphia concert venue.

Henry Hill and the Phils

This has been posted on literally every website based out of Philadelphia in the past week. So, for archiving's sake, what's one more?

I hereby present Henry Hill's reaction to a Jimmy Rollins NLCS walkoff double.

NLCS Game 4

Get some, heavy B.

Photo compliments of Drunk Athlete

Buddy's Watching You

In honor the Eagles' big win over Kansas City today, I bring you a video I am sad to know exists.

HERE we have the 1988 Eagles performing a rap song called "Buddy's Watching You," which they recorded for charity. I know these professional sports raps were all the rage in the mid to late 80's after the 1985 Bears recorded the Super Bowl Shuffle, but I've always been proud to know my beloved Philadelphia teams had wisely steered clear of such nonsense....until now.

Werth & Wurster

Today's we feature a bonus version of Separated at Birth.

After the conclusion of last week's episode of The Best Show on WFMU, fans (called the "Friends of Tom [Scharpling,host]) gathered at a bar near the station for a Gathering of the FoTS where they met the host and that night's guests Ted Leo, and John Hodgman. Also appearing live was one of the show's famous callers Philly Boy Roy, who is actually Jon Wurster, primary drummer for such indie acts as Superchunk, The Mountain Goats, Bob Mould, and touring or session drummer for a whole host of other bands like REM, Rocket from the Crypt, and The New Pornographers.

As you can imagine, Philly Boy Roy is rarely photographed so while checking out a fan's photographic account of the night, I thought it was interesting to see that he looks ironically like Phillies' RF Jayson Werth.

On that note, let's listen to my all-time favorite track from Ted Leo and the Pharmacists.

	Ted Leo / Pharmacists - Timorous Me
	Found at skreemr.com

Philly Origins: Phanatic

There was a great article in the Wall Street Journal a few days ago detailing the origins of 8 sports mascots, including Philadelphia's own Phanatic. I found this bit especially interesting:

The Phanatic has since become one of baseball's most popular mascots, but since this is a Philly sports story it can't have a totally happy ending. Former team vice president and current part owner Bill Giles wrote in his autobiography that he made a key blunder when commissioning the design. Given the option of buying the Phanatic costume alone for $3900 or the costume and its copyright for $5200, Giles didn't shell out the extra $1300. This decision turned out to be an expensive mistake: five years later Giles and a group of investors bought the team and eventually purchased the copyright from Harrison/Erickson for $250,000.

Check out the article online HERE.

Globetrotters at the Spectrum

The longtime home of the Philadelphia 76ers and Flyers will be demolished later this year to make way for restaurants, shops, and a hotel a la the Baltimore harbor...only without the ambiance of an actual harbor or any scenery really. To celebrate the end of the Spectrum era, the Globetrotters will play their longtime nemesis Washington Generals on the roof of the Spectrum on March 3rd, providing Philadelphians with an event I'm sure nobody asked for. It prompts the question "is that even safe?"

More details at: the700level.com