Hello, hello! Welcome to the Timestamp Newsletter. You’ll find recommendations on how to best use your time, things to think about, and general boss babe $#it!….. But for real, these shorter posts are designed to be in the here and now, while the longer have more timeless application. Enjoy the ephemeral!
With that, Let’s ROLL.
In October, every company logo, sports jersey ( + mascot), and social media page will be painted Pink to bring awareness to Breast Cancer. A worthy cause, and one that deserves attention. That said, if we really cared about the health of women, every other month would be plastered, airbrushed, and draped in RED. Heart disease is responsible for 1 in every 5 deaths of all women; with 310,661 deaths vs. 42,275 from Breast Cancer; more than 7X more. It should get, at minimum, the same attention and platform as Breast Cancer. Paint all months RED.
MUSIC Worth the Listen-
Pearl Jam – Give Way. This live album dates back to its recording down under in 1998 – ( hence the name, Give Way; the Australian equivalent of the American “Yield” sign, and the name of the album they were supporting). This live show features drummer Jack Irons, who powers through some classics ( and at the time) new Yield tunes with intense ferocity. PJ has had many drummers, and Jack deserves his due. This album helps that. “Hail, Hail” and “MFC” are standouts on the recording.
The National – First Two Pages of Frankenstein. I swear you don’t need to wear flannel and have thick rimmed glasses to enjoy this band. Even if you’ve never ordered a pour-over coffee, this band and album could still be for you! It’s not a record that’s necessarily going to make anyone feel better about life but it’s hard to not completely understand the descriptive lyrics of “New Order T-Shirt” & Worth taking in.
Flipturn – If sadness doesn’t bring you joy ( a la The National), try these folks. Was able to see this band while I was at the Railbird Festival in Lexington, KY this year. Their set grabbed me from the opening note and held the whole way – intense fun! They’re a rock band that will remind you of some odd melting pot of all the fun bands and styles you love, but with a high pitched ( almost Jeff Buckley-esque, but definitely not his style) voice from the lead singer. Start with these songs.
RFK Jr. –
For a dude that claims that the legacy media hates him, he sure does seem to be all over it ( and everywhere else too!) right now. I don’t have a formed opinion on the man. From what I gather from listening to a couple of podcast interviews of his, he is crafty without coming off as such. Let’s take this shirtless Twitter video as an example. What’s not obvious to many is that he’s deploying the Kennedy Family playbook: using the shallow medium of the current times to get attention. His uncle, President John Kennedy, was smart enough to know that his good looks would gain him favor over comic book villain, Richard Nixon in a TV debate, and used the camera ( and Jackie) to snag public favor. The Presidential debate between JFK and Nixon had two different perceived winners depending on the whether it was listened to on the radio vs watched on Television; proof that we assign value via shallow judgments. So, when a tanned, shirtless heir of American royalty shows up in your social media feed, just know that he’s deploying an old tactic with new technology.
Side note: Again, don’t know enough about the man to form a political opinion on him, BUT… I can say I agree with his Tweet here, wholeheartedly ( and would from any candidate from any party that said something similar). Chronic disease is America’s largest iceberg. I will support any candidate’s position of eliminating our largest stealer of time, joy, and money.
Andrew L Hamilton 