From One Volunteer To Another
Jordan Ain’t No Joke Episode 6 (The Last Dance Podcast)
“Entering the 1997-98 NBA season, the Chicago Bulls had won 5 championships in the previous 7 years. But as they sought their second three-peat, the future of the dynasty was in doubt. As preparations began for the 1997-98 season, Jordan and the Bulls granted unprecedented access to a film crew for the entire year.”
As Jordan was preparing to conclude his time with the Bulls: 3 friends in Toronto were about to graduate from University. This is their story as seen through the ESPN/Netflix docu-series The Last Dance.
My Summer Lair host Sammy Younan hangs out with JT and DC to present Jordan Ain’t No Joke.
Jordan Ain’t No Joke Ep 6 covers Episodes I through X of The Last Dance.
Notable Quotable:
“Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together – mass hysteria.” — Dr. Peter Venkman
A Deep Three:
The Miami Heat retired Michael Jordan’s number 23 in April 2003 to honor Jordan’s achievements and contributions in basketball. The Heat are the only NBA team other than the Chicago Bulls to have retired the number 23 jersey.
1:00:
Introductions: The Ice Breaker
Q: We survived the end of the Bulls dynasty only to face the end of the world with Y2K. Do you have any Y2K memories…were you fearful? Was it media hype?
4:46:
Since we’re talking about the The Last Dance as a whole: where would you like to start:
Q: Was Jordan a bully or did we all just soft?
8:02:
Q: Would you say Jordan was a bully with Isiah Thomas and the Olympics?
Isiah Thomas scores a gold medal for being a jerk.
15:45:
Q: Does Horace Grant have the truth or does he just have tears?
The Last Dance soundtrack includes so much crying.
18:42:
Q: Was the Bulls Horace Grant team better or was the Bulls Rodman team better?
The Bulls are like The Beatles…
39:35:
Q: Can you explain what Jordan’s Love of the Game clause in his contact was?
Jordan wanted to crush fools at the Y.
49:50:
Q: The portrayal or the betrayal of Pippen: was Pippen fairly treated by this doc?
People get so furious so fast with Tyrese.
56:20:
Q: Who gets screwed over by The Last Dance more than anybody else?
Every detective story is focused on: “Who Benefits.”
59:00:
Q: What if Jerry Krause wasn’t as bad as we thought. What are your Jerry Krause emotions?
“Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying.”
1:04:17:
Q: Did Jerry Reinsdorf get off too easy in The Last Dance?
Did he take “ownership” for his decisions?
1:19:32:
Q: Do you think that Jordan’s relationships should have been part of The Last Dance or do you think that was all appropriately off limits?
The Kids!
1:24:00:
Q: The ultimate question really is: what you think of the docuseries as a whole?
Storytelling vs the stories we tell.
1:43:49:
Q: Would it have helped to have some sort of a narrative or narrator?
The Last Dance needed The Wonder Years Narrator especially over the game footage.
1:56:30:
Q: Where do we go from here: can we expect more 90s NBA stories or has Jordan said all he’s going to say?
The Last Dance is The Last Word.
JT’s Recommendations
O.J.: Made In America
Stop At Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story
DC’s Recommendations
30 for 30: Lance
Sammy’s Recommendations
Jason Hehir’s Next Project (which is?!)
Closing Jordan Rap Reference
“Hoop dreamin’, hangin up pictures of my idols/Jordan was like Jesus, SLAM was like the Bible/I used to read it twice and cut the pictures out/Had the Jordan free throw dunk tongue stickin’ out…” J Cole: I Got It
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#CouchWorthy: Ramy – Season 2
#CouchWorthy: Hot Docs Film Festival 2020
#SetTheVCR: May 24-30, 2020
Jordan Ain’t No Joke Episode 5 (The Last Dance Podcast)
“Entering the 1997-98 NBA season, the Chicago Bulls had won 5 championships in the previous 7 years. But as they sought their second three-peat, the future of the dynasty was in doubt. As preparations began for the 1997-98 season, Jordan and the Bulls granted unprecedented access to a film crew for the entire year.”
As Jordan was preparing to conclude his time with the Bulls: 3 friends in Toronto were about to graduate from University. This is their story as seen through the ESPN/Netflix docu-series The Last Dance.
My Summer Lair host Sammy Younan hangs out with JT and DC to present Jordan Ain’t No Joke.
Jordan Ain’t No Joke Ep 5 covers Episodes IX and X of The Last Dance.
Notable Quotable:
“Russell was already stumbling away. That hand on his backside was the equivalent of a maître d’ showing someone to their table.” — Bob Costas
A Deep Three:
According to Jim O’Brien: Chris Mullin was similar to NBA legend Larry Bird because both players lacked speed, had a great outside shot and had the innate ability to put their defender off guard. And ah…both are white players.
1:00:
Introductions: The Ice Breaker
Since this episode covers the final episodes of The Last Dance we’ll focus on endings: Team Tupac or Team Biggie: which of those tragic endings hit you the hardest?
4:45:
Our Suggested Titles for Episode IX
Don’t Mess With Black Jesus!
7:00:
Q: Do you miss those Pacer teams the way you do the Knicks or any other 90s NBA teams?
We never really talk about the Pacers.
13:13:
Q: Unbalanced: way too much in-game play vs modern talking heads?
Unmoored like a lost time traveller (whatever that means…)
15:35:
Q: Who is your favourite white NBA player?
Let’s put Larry Bird aside…
28:58:
Q: Who was Bison Dele?
“On July 6, 2002 Dele and his girlfriend, Serena Karlan, his brother Miles Dabord and skipper Bertrand Saldo set sail. Only Miles Dabord returned to shore.” Oh-Oh.
30:11:
Q: How does Jordan’s Flu Game compare to Pippen’s foibles?
Calling in sick at work? I know a guy who can write a doctor’s note for you…
33:16:
Q: Speaking of foibles: Bryon Russell Makes The List.
Foolishness.
42:50:
Q: Who is the Jordan of Comedy?
I mean…I think we all know.
44:54:
Our Suggested Titles for Episode X
“The Last Dance.”
1:03:28:
Q: What do you have to say about Game 6?
Hard to get through this without tears.
1:18:00:
Q: Do you feel the way this final Bulls run came together: was it destiny or just the necessary push the Bulls’ needed to conclude their dynasty?
Carpe That Diem.
1:20:30:
Q: With a heavy heart…should we talk about that coffee can scene?
I wanna hear Jordan’s version of Oh The Places You’ll Go!
1:27:34:
Q: What are your recommendations?
The Last Dance is over…pop culture is not.
JT’s Recommendations
Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals
Dave Chappelle’s Equanimity & The Bird Revelation (& The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize)
I Can’t Accept Not Trying: Michael Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence
DC’s Recommendations
The Truth:
Discover full Bulls games on YouTube; go beyond The Last Dance.
Sammy’s Recommendations
Jason Hehir documentaries:
The Fab Five (ESPN Films)
The ‘85 Bears (a 30 for 30)
Closing Jordan Rap Reference
“Don’t be mad cause you can’t do what I can/Like when Jordan went up, took that shot and switched hands.” Pete Rock: Don’t Be Mad
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Trailer Alert: You Don’t Nomi
156 | David Sax (The Soul of an Entrepreneur)
My Summer Lair Chapter #156: Why Are You An Entrepreneur?
The description on the back of The Soul of an Entrepreneur: Work and Life Beyond the Startup Myth says: “This book is the real story of entrepreneurship. It confronts both success and failure, and shows how they can change a human life. It captures the inherent freedom that entrepreneurship brings, and why it matters.”
David Sax’s gift as a writer is the ability to identify and reveal the undercurrents flowing through our culture. The Soul of an Entrepreneur is a compelling follow up to his excellent and thought-provoking book The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter. In a sense, he is a writer who operates like a magician with a ta-da! though in his case he isn’t pulling a rabbit of his hat…he is revealing the unrecognized hustle that fuels the engine of our economy.
It’s odd however events like this Coronavirus pandemic are useful for teaching us to live with uncertainty. This entire response to the virus hasn’t been linear or smooth, you cycle through a variety of emotions: some people are doing well; some people are not doing well…this is what business and entrepreneurship are like.
I find one of the more fascinating conversations once everybody was put under house arrest was this debate on productivity. I think for the first time in a long time people had to figure out what that actually means. And I understand employees are juggling work demands while teaching their kids school but we took productivity for granted. Just as we failed to personalize success or question what entrepreneurship truly means or looks like.
Cue David Sax and his book The Soul of an Entrepreneur. Is it a good time to start a business? Yes if only because it is today. Entrepreneurship is a wonderful thrilling adventure…why wouldn’t you want to get started today?
