In Praise of Small Things
Sometimes it helps to appreciate the less obvious details of the things that make up the fabric of existence around us. Here are some of my favorite of those details:
Jeffrey Leonard's "One Flap Down" Home Run Trot
As a kid, Jeffrey Leonard was one of my favorite players. He was a two-time all-star and he won the 1987 NLCS MVP Award despite the fact that the Giants lost the series to the Cardinals. But the two things I've always remembered best about him were his awesome nicknames ("HacMan", like PacMan, and "Penitentiary Face" because he never smiled) and his ridiculous "One Flap Down" home run trot. The "One Flap Down" was born sometime during the 1986 season when the HacMan decided to leave his left arm motionless while he rounded the bases after hitting a home run. The signature trot gained further notoriety during the afformentioned 1987 NLCS when Leonard employed it while running the bases after each of his four home runs in the series.
I wish I could post a video of the HacMan performing the "One Flap Down" so you could see it in all its weird, showoff-y glory. Alas, Major League Baseball refuses to allow anyone to post any of their copyrighted materials online because they don't want people to appreciate the game, or something. I can't even find any good pictures of him doing it. In any case, you'll just have to trust me that back in the late 80s, it was one of the coolest things my young eyes had ever seen. For years, even after Leonard was traded away, I would imitate it while playing wiffle ball in my back yard as a child.
When the HacMan would break out the "One Flap Down", it was ridiculous, unneccessary, and always seemed to piss off the other team. I'm sure Leonard got hit with his fair share of pitches in retaliation for the celebration, but he says he didn't care if that happened. Regardless of the opponents' reactions, the "One Flap Down" was always pretty funny. Leonard even had variations on the basic, stiff-arm technique that he referred to as the "sling" and the "half-cocked". And it was a genuinely unique act in the history of baseball. I can't temember any other player who had a signature home run trot. Some players have celebrated particular home runs while rounding the bases, like Joe Carter after winning the 1993 World Series or Mark McGwire after he hit his 62nd home run in 1998 (unnecessarily NSFW language on that one). And other players had signature celebrations when they hit home runs. Sammy Sosa did his goofy little hop, and Rickey Henderson tugged at his jersey on his way to first base sometimes. But nobody besides the HacMan has ever had a regular, signature home run trot.
Even though the Giants traded him to Milwaukee mid-way through the 1988 season, when I was 3 years old, I've always held fond memories of Jeffrey Leonard and his "One Flap Down." In fact, for years, as a child, I would imitate it while running around in backyard, playing wiffle ball as a child.
The Opening Guitar Riff on Eddie Kendricks' "Day By Day"
My friend Alexis recently introduced me to the mighty wonder that is Eddie Kendricks' People...Hold On and the album has been one of my primary musical obsessions of late. There are so many things to love about this album (start with the all-time classic album cover), but one of my favorite things about it can be found on the song "Day By Day."
I love the synchopated, two note riff that kicks off the song, before fading into the background and reappearing during each chorus. Even though it's just two notes, it gets stuck in my head all the time. And it's what initially led me to recognize this as one of my favorite songs on the album (though it's far from the only reason). Something about the simple, fuzzy, funkiness of the riff really gets to me. And the sound quality of the riff is great, too. It almost sounds as if the guitar part is doubled with some sort of keyboard.
Kendricks' backing band on this album was his live band, the D.C. funk band Young Senators, instead of (or maybe in addition to) the usual Motown studio musicians. It's in little moments like this that the funkiness of that band comes out. And on an otherwise lush, smooth, pretty song, a dirty, funky little riff like this is a great, subtle touch.
While doing researching information on this song, I found out that Kanye West sampled it to create the beat for a Lil Wayne song, "Let the Beat Build". When I listened to that song, I was disappointed with its messy, disjointedness. Lil Wayne sounds like he's lost (not in a good way) and the song doesn't seem to go anywhere. I also noticed that West's sample only barely includes a snippet of the riff that I love so much. I can't help but think that this could be directly related to the underwhelming nature of the beat as a whole. If Kanye had chosen to build the beat around the riff, or at least include it as a significant part of his beat, I think he may have come up with a better song.
The Tail Lights on a 1965 Chevy Impala
I'm not really into cars all that much. I can't tell you the difference between a slant 6 and a V8 (I assume one is slanted and has 6 pistons, while the other is shaped like a V and has 8, but I don't really know). I don't know how to change a tire. I could care less about what a carburetor does. Hell, I drive my grandma's old 1992 Ford Taurus station wagon. But I have a soft spot in my heart for cars when it comes to one particular type of automobile: the Chevy Impala. And I particularly love the 1965 Impala. I was lucky enough to own one for my first car, and stupid enough to allow it to fall so deep into disrepair that I had to sell it. As with the Eddie Kendricks album discussed above, there are many reasons to love the 65 Impala, but one in particular that I would like to highlight.
Going back to the initial 1958 model, one of the hallmarks of the Chevy Impala is the triple tail lights. Even some later models have some semblance of this feature (though I don't think the most recent models do). From 1958 to 1965, the tail lights were separate, ornate, circular, and partially extended. They stood out as important aesthetic components of the vehicle. There is something beautifully, retro-futurisically appealing about these circular lights, particularly compared to the tail lights that appeared on the models starting in 1966. Sometimes Chevy would return to some sort of circular lights for the Impala, but they post 1965 tail lights just didn't have the same appeal as those found on the earlier models.
However, one aesthetic feature of the models from the later 60s that I do appreciate is the overall sleekness of the body compared to the earlier models. In fact, a large part of the reason that the 1965 Chevy Impala is my favorite car is because it's the only model that combines the earlier, more ornate tail lights with the late 60s sleek body. And the resulting combination makes for one of the greatest aesthetic achievements in the history of automobile design.
Seriously, I wish I had taken better care of my Impala.
Jeffrey Leonard's "One Flap Down" Home Run Trot
As a kid, Jeffrey Leonard was one of my favorite players. He was a two-time all-star and he won the 1987 NLCS MVP Award despite the fact that the Giants lost the series to the Cardinals. But the two things I've always remembered best about him were his awesome nicknames ("HacMan", like PacMan, and "Penitentiary Face" because he never smiled) and his ridiculous "One Flap Down" home run trot. The "One Flap Down" was born sometime during the 1986 season when the HacMan decided to leave his left arm motionless while he rounded the bases after hitting a home run. The signature trot gained further notoriety during the afformentioned 1987 NLCS when Leonard employed it while running the bases after each of his four home runs in the series.
I wish I could post a video of the HacMan performing the "One Flap Down" so you could see it in all its weird, showoff-y glory. Alas, Major League Baseball refuses to allow anyone to post any of their copyrighted materials online because they don't want people to appreciate the game, or something. I can't even find any good pictures of him doing it. In any case, you'll just have to trust me that back in the late 80s, it was one of the coolest things my young eyes had ever seen. For years, even after Leonard was traded away, I would imitate it while playing wiffle ball in my back yard as a child.
When the HacMan would break out the "One Flap Down", it was ridiculous, unneccessary, and always seemed to piss off the other team. I'm sure Leonard got hit with his fair share of pitches in retaliation for the celebration, but he says he didn't care if that happened. Regardless of the opponents' reactions, the "One Flap Down" was always pretty funny. Leonard even had variations on the basic, stiff-arm technique that he referred to as the "sling" and the "half-cocked". And it was a genuinely unique act in the history of baseball. I can't temember any other player who had a signature home run trot. Some players have celebrated particular home runs while rounding the bases, like Joe Carter after winning the 1993 World Series or Mark McGwire after he hit his 62nd home run in 1998 (unnecessarily NSFW language on that one). And other players had signature celebrations when they hit home runs. Sammy Sosa did his goofy little hop, and Rickey Henderson tugged at his jersey on his way to first base sometimes. But nobody besides the HacMan has ever had a regular, signature home run trot.
Even though the Giants traded him to Milwaukee mid-way through the 1988 season, when I was 3 years old, I've always held fond memories of Jeffrey Leonard and his "One Flap Down." In fact, for years, as a child, I would imitate it while running around in backyard, playing wiffle ball as a child.
The Opening Guitar Riff on Eddie Kendricks' "Day By Day"
My friend Alexis recently introduced me to the mighty wonder that is Eddie Kendricks' People...Hold On and the album has been one of my primary musical obsessions of late. There are so many things to love about this album (start with the all-time classic album cover), but one of my favorite things about it can be found on the song "Day By Day."
I love the synchopated, two note riff that kicks off the song, before fading into the background and reappearing during each chorus. Even though it's just two notes, it gets stuck in my head all the time. And it's what initially led me to recognize this as one of my favorite songs on the album (though it's far from the only reason). Something about the simple, fuzzy, funkiness of the riff really gets to me. And the sound quality of the riff is great, too. It almost sounds as if the guitar part is doubled with some sort of keyboard.
Kendricks' backing band on this album was his live band, the D.C. funk band Young Senators, instead of (or maybe in addition to) the usual Motown studio musicians. It's in little moments like this that the funkiness of that band comes out. And on an otherwise lush, smooth, pretty song, a dirty, funky little riff like this is a great, subtle touch.
While doing researching information on this song, I found out that Kanye West sampled it to create the beat for a Lil Wayne song, "Let the Beat Build". When I listened to that song, I was disappointed with its messy, disjointedness. Lil Wayne sounds like he's lost (not in a good way) and the song doesn't seem to go anywhere. I also noticed that West's sample only barely includes a snippet of the riff that I love so much. I can't help but think that this could be directly related to the underwhelming nature of the beat as a whole. If Kanye had chosen to build the beat around the riff, or at least include it as a significant part of his beat, I think he may have come up with a better song.
The Tail Lights on a 1965 Chevy Impala
I'm not really into cars all that much. I can't tell you the difference between a slant 6 and a V8 (I assume one is slanted and has 6 pistons, while the other is shaped like a V and has 8, but I don't really know). I don't know how to change a tire. I could care less about what a carburetor does. Hell, I drive my grandma's old 1992 Ford Taurus station wagon. But I have a soft spot in my heart for cars when it comes to one particular type of automobile: the Chevy Impala. And I particularly love the 1965 Impala. I was lucky enough to own one for my first car, and stupid enough to allow it to fall so deep into disrepair that I had to sell it. As with the Eddie Kendricks album discussed above, there are many reasons to love the 65 Impala, but one in particular that I would like to highlight.
Going back to the initial 1958 model, one of the hallmarks of the Chevy Impala is the triple tail lights. Even some later models have some semblance of this feature (though I don't think the most recent models do). From 1958 to 1965, the tail lights were separate, ornate, circular, and partially extended. They stood out as important aesthetic components of the vehicle. There is something beautifully, retro-futurisically appealing about these circular lights, particularly compared to the tail lights that appeared on the models starting in 1966. Sometimes Chevy would return to some sort of circular lights for the Impala, but they post 1965 tail lights just didn't have the same appeal as those found on the earlier models.
However, one aesthetic feature of the models from the later 60s that I do appreciate is the overall sleekness of the body compared to the earlier models. In fact, a large part of the reason that the 1965 Chevy Impala is my favorite car is because it's the only model that combines the earlier, more ornate tail lights with the late 60s sleek body. And the resulting combination makes for one of the greatest aesthetic achievements in the history of automobile design.
Seriously, I wish I had taken better care of my Impala.
Labels: baseball, chevy impala, eddie kendricks, music, sf giants, small things, sports
posted by Carlos Animals at 12:26 AM
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