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Giuseppe Rossi: Props Like The Micro Chip Founder

So, I really had to say something this time. That's right, it took a kid from Teaneck scoring goals for the Italian National Team against the United States National Team to lure me out of semi-retirement. (I still might decide to Roger Clemens the game for next four or five years. We'll see what kind of offers come in.)

I really could never have imagined a stranger scenario. Someone that grew up playing on the same fields as me could win the World Cup one day, or at least the Confederations Cup this month, for Italy.

Even stranger, there's no one player that the U.S. could use more right now than Rossi. Sure there are more skilled players in the world, but he's got that cold-blooded asshole swagger that does an international footballer well. Celebrating like that right in front of your hometown (metaphorically speaking, of course)? Even Cristiano Ronaldo knows not to get down like that.

Sad to say, but the U.S. needs a jerk like this. Landon pretends to be one every now and then, but deep down all he wants to do is chill out on the couch, watch Golden Girls, and play the hackey sack to Dave Matthews.

Giuseppe Rossi wants to eat babies. And then jump into the waiting arms of Daniele de Rossi.

I Like That From the People Up Top

I've come to a point in my life that's equally sad and satisfying. I have basically seen every musical act live that I care to see. Two exceptions are Busta Rhymes (I have no idea how he never popped up on stage at a concert I was at.) and Lil' Wayne, who charges too damn much for tickets. So, here are some of the greatest shows I've ever been to in roughly chronological order. Check out the first installment and the second.

Concert for 9/11 featuring Beastie Boys, N.E.R.D., Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, others, ca. September, 2001, Hammerstein Ballroom



My cousin cajoled Starco and me into buying (expensive) tickets for this and I'm glad he did. Just a few weeks after 9/11, everyone in the NYC really needed to have a good time and the artists that appeared that night certainly put on quite a show. I wasn't really sure what N.E.R.D. was, but Pharrell and the boys made me a believer. Jon Spencer was great, again, and it was really interesting, again, to see people who'd never really heard of them not know what to make, at all, of the skinny white dude doing an Elvis impersonation while a guitarist and drummer went nuts behind him.

The Beastie Boys, though, were the real reasons we were there. They came out with "Sure Shot" and played a quick and intense 20-minute set. It was one of those rare occasions that the whole crowd really acted like one organism, jumping when they jumped, rapping along. It was a nice little distraction from the reality of that dark and gloomy fall in New York.

Snoop Dogg's Up in Smoke Tour, ca. October, 2001, Hammerstein Ballroom



This show also proved to be a nice distraction from post-9/11 NYC, but for an entirely different reason. Basically, the entire ballroom turned into one giant cypher for the evening with Snoop, Warren G, Bishop Don Juan and whomever else was on stage playing ringleaders. Needless to say, the specifics of the show are a bit blurry. I think later in that tour Snoop's tour bus got pulled over and they found a good bit of contraband on board. Smart cops, we got in this country.

Public Enemy, ca. October 2002, The World in Times Square



I'm pretty sure the venue was called The World. I guess it doesn't exist anymore. It was a cool place, though. It kind of looked like a high-class strip club without the strippers. Lots of different levels and bars and whatnot.

Anyway, I'm bringing this concert up not because of the music--Chuck D announced straight off that Flavor Flav was in jail for DUI or something, so how great could the show actually be? I bring this show up because Chuck D was just about the surliest you could ever imagine him being. At one point he started a whole "Fuck Bush" chant, and that was cool. But then he was like, "All right, who here likes the Yankees?" (The Yanks were in the playoffs at the time, I believe.) There was a good amount of applause at that one. But Chuck shot back, "Fuck the Yankees. Fuck baseball. They're just a bunch of corporate slaves. You all make me sick." Or something like that. I thought, "Really , Chuck D? You're hatin' on baseball? I've never even seen you not wearing a baseball cap." The crowd shared my confusion. Then he played some boring rock songs.

Growing up as a punk rocker, I always thought it would be cool for a performer to be a gigantic jerkface to the audience, but when confronted by it by one of my heroes, it really wasn't that cool. I kind of wanted my money back.

RZA, ca. Spring, 2003, the Roxy, Prague, Czech Republic



That's right. I saw RZA in Prague. I was studying there for a semester and I saw flyers around town that said RZA, Roxy and some Czech stuff in big letters. At first, I thought it was a joke, that it would be some dude impersonating RZA or some Czech folk singer, but I did some research and found out that Bobby Digital was indeed on a tour of Eastern Europe with Masta Killa, I think. So, I immediately bought tickets and prepared for one of the most random shows I would ever go to.

About a week before the show, the Prague Pill, the city's English alt-news weekly, published a little capsule absolutely slamming RZA for charging an exorbitant amount for his tickets (really around $15, much much less than what he'd charge in the States), being a typical blinged-out hip-hop star (I think the writer actually used the word glitterati) and booking the presidential suite at the nicest hotel in town. I had to respond. So, I wrote a letter pointing out that RZA is a true hip-hop egalitarian, he would most likely lose money on his Eastern European jaunt (CDs cost like $30, which translates to about 60 beers. So nobody was gonna go out and cop a RZA CD in Praha after seeing the show.) and that if RZA doesn't deserve the presidential suite, who does? Presidents? I concluded that the only reason the dude, who obviously knew nothing about hip-hop, wrote the capsule was because RZA wouldn't do an interview with him. He wrote back with some more anti-corporate BS and I concluded that this dude was even worse than me when I was 13. He was just a hater. In any case, the letter made the Pill and it caught the attention of the editor of the paper who later took me to a pro basketball game in Prague. I had a nice time with the guy and at the end of the visit he revealed that the writer had indeed gone off on R-Z-A (as he called him) because he wouldn't sit down for an interview.

Anyway, the show was pretty spectacular. Some Wu-affiliate from Amsterdam praised the 9/11 attacks as he opened the concert, so that wasn't cool. But other than that, RZA really ripped it and the Czech crowd was absolutely nuts. I pushed my way almost all the way to the front and I probably screamed more at that show than any other, because I was actually repping with a purpose. I was one of the few people there that actually grew up in the same area as RZA and I had to let him know that the Tri-State area was in the building. At one point, Bobby was like, "Aight, Prague. Let's see how loud you can get. Our crowd in Sofia, Bulgaria has been the livest so far. Let's see if you can top them." I'm pretty sure we did. Eat it, Sofia.

I also went to a B-boy battle while I was in Prague. It was in this huge warehouse on the outskirts of the city and those Czechs and Slovaks really knew how to break. Good times.

Representin' For the Seat Where Rosa Parks Sat

I gotta ride with Lupe on this one. The thing that I'll remember most from Tuesday night is seeing Jesse Jackson weep after the election was called for Obama. From witnessing the assassination of Martin Luther King to watching as, 40 years later, a black man gets elected president, it's easy to see why Rev. Jackson got so emotional.

There are three over-riding thoughts that I keep having about President-elect Obama.

One, it's truly amazing that we have a president that we believe in. Walking past a deli in Brooklyn the other night, I saw a framed photo of President Obama in the window and it really hit me. We have a leader whose face we actually want to see. We want to hear him speak, we're proud of him and we want to show him off to the rest of the world. When he makes his first state visits to Europe and Africa, it'll really be clear how much of a global icon he is. I don't think the U.S. has ever had a leader like that.

Two, it's absolutely beautiful that young black kids can, now, really believe that they can be anything they want to be. There are truly no barriers anymore for anyone. It's a new epoch in the U.S. In a generation or two, whites will be the minority in any case, but this really jump-started that party. From going through an endless supply of WASPs broken only by JFK to electing a Hawaiian with a Kenyan father who grew up party in Indonesia, it's pretty staggering. America has finally woken up.

Three, Obama has a huge-ass task in front of him. I remember reading a Busta Rhymes interview from a few years ago, before Obama even had a national profile, where he suggested that the next president would be black. He pointed to Deep Impact, which featured a black president and said that things are way too messed-up now and a black guy is destined to take over and clean it up. Obama finds himself in that exact situation and he'll be scrutinized to no end. He has to be pretty much perfect or there could be a serious backlash by 2012.

These are just my thoughts, people.

I Like That From the People Up Top

I've come to a point in my life that's equally sad and satisfying. I have basically seen every musical act live that I care to see. Two exceptions are Busta Rhymes (I have no idea how he never popped up on stage at a concert I was at.) and Lil' Wayne, who charges too damn much for tickets. So, here are some of the greatest shows I've ever been to in roughly chronological order. Check out the first installment.

Luscious Jackson/Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Central Park Summerstage, July 4, 1999



Lucious Jackson were the headliners, but Starco and I were there to see the Blues! The Blues is number one! And Jon Spencer, Judah Bauer and Russell Simins did not disappoint. The Summerstage is always a great place to watch a show, but, of course you have to deal with the elements. On that day, the temp was hovering right around 100 degrees for the mid-afternoon 4th of July show, but Jon and the boys jumped around like maniacs and played like it was 40 degrees cooler. Spence was also wearing a black long-sleeve collared shirt that looked like it was made out of velvet and black leather pants, but that didn't phase him one bit. I mean, I was damn hot standing around in a t-shirt and shorts, but homeslice is a true professional and the band tore through all their hits. His Elvis shtick probably threw off some of the non-initiatied in attendance, but Starco and I could only gape in wonder at this incredible showman. I'm not sure he even said much more than "Thank you very much!" to the audience, he just let his rowdy party music speak for itself. As the show crescendoed to a climax, Spence just couldn't take the heat anymore and he tore off his shirt. Then, while Bauer and Simins kept the beat going, he stalked off stage without saying a word, grabbed his baby, who was being held by his lovely wife, Christina Martinez, on the side of the stage and ambled down to the backstage area without ever looking back. What a cool dude. I think I actually might've turned gay for a minute back then. Bauer and Simins kept the beat going for a few more minutes before the epic and steamy show finally ended.

Lucious Jackson, obviously, could not keep the momentum going. They came on stage and played as if they were half-asleep. I think we left early. I made it home and probably went to bed by about 10 o'clock. No fireworks for me. Jon Spencer and the Blues Explosion kicked my ass that Independence Day.

Lyricist's Lounge Tour featuring Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, Bahamadia and others, Hammerstein Ballroom ca. Winter 2001



Bahamadia had a really nice soulful set and this was before Talib Kweli started his downward spiral into an embarrassingly bad live performer, so that was cool. But what I really remember was Dead Prez. Of course, the show climaxed with "Hip-Hop" and I'm still getting chills thinking about it over seven years later. The floor was literally jumping as the duo tore into it. It really almost collapsed. Then, for the second verse, when it seemed as if it couldn't even get any more intense, they just dropped the beat and rapped it acapella along with the couple thousand of us in attendance. The show ended and we all started streaming out of the venue, but nobody was ready for it to be over. The whole crowd, coming down the stairs, exiting from the first floor started chanting "It's bigger than hip-hop, hip-hop, hip-hop/DP got that crazy shit/We keep it crunk, huh?/John Blazin' shit . . ." Good times.

Brian Blade, Joshua Redman and Sam Yahel Smalls, ca. March, 2001



I was friends with a few jazzbos while I was in college so I went to a handful of jazz shows at Smalls, Blue Note, Tonic, etc. during my freshman year. This one, though, is the one that stands out. For those that don't know, Blade is a drummer, Redman plays the sax and Yahel is a keyboardist. I'd seen Blade and Yahel a couple times before this, but they were in rare form that night. Maybe it was the presence of Joshua Redman, who is certainly the most recognizable name of the three, or maybe it was because it was a mid-week late night show and the only people in attendance were serious fans . . . and me. My three jazzbo friends and I were right up close for this show. There's not really a stage at Smalls so we were pretty much right on top of the action. I could go on and on about this show and, in fact, I wrote a paper about it for a music theory class that I took in college. Without exaggeration, it was breathtaking.

The show climaxed with a slow dirge. Yahel played the same few notes over and over on his keyboard and Blade and Redman traded solos. Redman went first, I think, and he just made mad passionate love to his sax. He probably knew that Blade was gonna come with it in a couple minutes so he left it all out there and just wailed. At the end, he just collapsed on to a couch on the stage and let Blade take over and the drummer just went crazy. Blade is simply the most intense drummer imaginable. He didn't exactly play his drums, he kind of just beat up his drum kit. His technique was definitely not how your drum teacher would want you to play. He just slapped at his drums, stood up on occassion and every now and then he'd just let out a yell and everyone in attendance, probably 50 people at the most, would answer back. It was kind of like watching a waterfall. I know that sounds crazy, but that's what I thought at the time. You could see, hear and feel the passion that night. And Redman was just as enthralled as any of us. I remember looking over at him during the solo and he just had this look on his face like, "Are you kidding me? Is this guy really this good?"

The show ended around 3 a.m. and we were all wired. We went to Ben's for a slice of pizza and were pretty much speechless. We could not believe what we had just witnessed. Pound for pound, that was the greatest show I'll ever attend.

Lick a Shot for Barack Obama

I felt it on the day of the first WTC bombing. It was a perfect winter day with some flurries. But then I got home from school and I saw my dad's car in the driveway

I felt it on the day of the Oklahoma City bombings. It was a beautiful spring day and there was some kind of electricity in the air.

I felt it before I went to sleep at 2 a.m. on September 11.

I even felt it on the day of the Blackout before the lights went off in the mid-afternoon. I was at work and, literally, a picture frame fell of the wall for no reason. About 30 seconds later the power failed.

I felt it the night of Jay-Z's farewell concert as I was walking towards the MSG in a huge crowd.

I felt it the morning of the London bombings, before I even knew that it happened, as I was walking to work.

And, of course, I feel it today. I think we all do.

Today's different, of course, because we all knew in advance that it would be a historic day. But as the day goes on, it just gets more and more clear, that this is a truly monumental day and really, unlike, any other.

Hopefully, this will be the most historic day of all of our lives.

I Like That From the People Up Top

I've come to a point in my life that's equally sad and satisfying. I have basically seen every musical act live that I care to see. Two exceptions are Busta Rhymes (I have no idea how he never popped up on stage at a concert I was at.) and Lil' Wayne, who charges too damn much for tickets. So,here are some of the greatest shows I've ever been to in roughly chronological order.

Everclear/Hagfish/Menthol, Roseland Ballroom, ca. April, 1996



This was the first real show I ever went to and the first of many concerts I attended with Starco. Menthol was forgettable but the rest of the show was anything but.

Hagfish, some little punk band from Texas, really put on a pretty rowdy show. The lead singer was kind of rocking a mod-ish look and the band played with tons of energy and really won over the crowd. I later bought an EP and played it over and over. One of the songs was called "Eat it While I Work." Let's just say it's not about pizza.

Everclear, though, were the stars of show. They came on stage and screamed into "Electra Made Me Blind," and the whole crowd started jumping in unison. Art Alexakis didn't say much, but the band tore through all the hits off Sparkle and Fade. Art seemed genuinely touched when the crowd started screaming along to "Heroin Girl." There was some pretty serious moshing througout and, of course, the 14-year-old aspiring punk rocker that I was, I jumped right in. Though it was my first concert, it was definitely the most serious mosh-pitting I've ever seen. People were crowd-surfing all over the place. It was one of the shows that you leave sweaty and with some serious hearing loss.

As an epilogue, I saw Everclear a few years later also at Roseland as part of some snowboard festival or some such and they were pretty horrid. For some reason, they had a keyboardist, two drummers, a percussionist and two extra guitarists. Art should've known that less is always more when it comes to punk rock. A pre-Fergie Black Eyed Peas opened and were pretty good. Those dudes can dance. Soul Coughing also played and some jacked-up idiots tried to mosh to them. M. Doughty made a comment about the jocks not getting laid that night. I thought that was cool.

Smashing Pumpkins, Nassau Coliseum, ca. February, 1997



Starco and I actually had tickets to a Pumpkins' show at MSG the summer before this concert. Of course, the night before that concert, Jonathan Melvoin, their touring keyboardist, and Jimmy Chamberlain OD'ed in a Manhattan hotel room. The band cancelled the rest of their Mellon Collie tour dates and kicked Chamberlain to the curb.

The Pumpkins re-grouped, though, and the next winter they were on Long Island and I made sure not to miss them. My sister had warned me that they were pretty terrible live. She'd seen them at Lollapalooza a year or two earlier and, apparently, Billy Corgan was having one of his bad days. Not so that night in Uniondale. The Pumpkins absolutely ripped it. Corgan was nuts and friendly and funny and had a couple costume changes, I think. During X,Y,Z he unleased a blood-curdling scream and the band really dug in. Some kind of non-sanctioned mosh pit broke out and one dude basically had a seizure right in the middle of it before being carried off by security. I thought that it was absolutely unbelievable that Corgan screamed that loud every night. I thought maybe he just pulled it out for the savvy Tri-State crowd. But a friend who saw a pre-OD Mellon Collie show in Florida just recently confirmed that Corgan screamed like a lunatic at that one, too. Pretty incredible there, Billy.

The one down note was that Chamberlain, one of the most amazing drummers on the planet, was not yet back in Corgan's good graces. The drummer for Filter, I think, filled in and was quite solid. But there's only one Jimmy Chamberlain.



Founatins of Wayne opened up. They sucked.

Chemical Brothers/Death in Vegas, Hammerstein Ballroom, ca. Winter, 1996 or '97



This show really illustrates the hardships of growing up in Jerz just outside the, NYC. The driving age in Jerz was (is?) 17--so this was before I had my license--and buses to my part of the state stop at about 11:30. So, if you're young and you like doing stuff late into the night, you're gonna have to get creative. Well, I didn't get creative and I was subject to the whims of a middle-aged couple who agreed to drive Starco, my roll-dawg Shady Cuban and me into Midtown on that cold winter night. The couple set a hard 1 am curfew for us, so, needless to say, we missed most of the Bro's show. The two songs that we did see were pretty damn incredible, though. We were right up front and they had an amazing sound system and some big projection screens showing kung fu clips or something. Those dudes rocked hard back then. Then, of course, we had to push our way out of the venue, which, at that point, was probably one of the lowest moments of my life. Making our way past ecstatic twenty-somethings and suburban teens who stole cars to get there, everything illuminated by strobe lights, it was bittersweet. That's probably when I, subconsciously, decided to go to college in New York.

It wasn't all sad faces, though. Death in Vegas opened up and they put on quite a show, as well. Those are some seriously smooth dudes.