Eddie Griffin at the Tampa Improv, Saturday, March 28th, 2009

I saw comedian Eddie Griffin at the Tampa Improv Saturday night. Although I think I hurt the experience by watching Eddie Murphy's Delirious the night before, Griffin is one funny dude.

A few of the subjects he covered:

- Why the founding fathers were coke heads
- The true meaning of library (bury lies), congress (cons digress), and constitution (con institution)
- Why loud women are loud and why they don't get men
- The art of cunnilingus (normally I am not a fan of sex humor - too easy and extremely overdone - but Griffin was funny)
- Why the stage at the Tampa Improv sucks
- Why Barack Obama is a "black man's black man" (of course he didn't say "black man" - use your imagination)
- Why President Obama did Bill Clinton a favor by making Hillary Clinton Secretary of State and giving her a job that requires her to be frequently out of the country
- Why he only smokes cigarettes made by Native Americans
- What Bernie Mac and Richard Pryor are currently up to in heaven

Like I said, after watching Delirious I could see Murphy's influence on Griffin. And when Griffin went into his discussion of Michael Jackson's voice and its lack of manliness, it was almost as if he was ripping Murphy off word for word. Then again, in defense of Griffin, making fun of Michael Jackson never gets old.

My only disappoint was after the show when Griffin took off and didn't spend any time with the fans. Although I wanted a pic with one of the most famous characters to don a 'fro, I was lucky in that one of the Improv staff hooked me up and got Griffin to sign my Undercover Brother DVD insert.

Mark Teixeira Plays Stickball in Tampa

Cool story in Tampa Bay Online (via Ybor City Stogie) about New York Yankee first baseman and multi-gabillionaire Mark Teixeira playing stickball with some local teams in the historic Ybor City district of Tampa.

(Yankee Hits Ybor Street For A Game Of Stickball)

The Florida Stickball League web site has a few videos of the event.

I am confused about why Teixeira is even "playing" first. I thought stickball was played with "automatics". Maybe it's league preference. Whereas here in Florida they use bases, a Troy, NY league and the Uptown Stickball Association of Bayonne, NJ doesn't.

Anyway, good to see Teixeira taking time to play ball with people who play for the love of the game, even if it was a promotional event. Would it be too much to hope a few Tampa Bay Rays players join in local stickball games like the old folks say Brooklyn Dodger, NY Giant, and NY Yankee players used to do back in the day?

A Response to Virgil Griffiths' "Music That Makes You Dumb": Part 1

In the last week, several people have asked my opinion on a recent study proclaiming that Hip-Hop, among other music, “makes you dumb”. This is the first part of my two part response. Today, I will dissect the study itself and tomorrow I will defend hip-hop against those who would use the study to show it is an intellectually lesser form of music.

The study:

According to Virgil Griffith, a 26-year old student at Cal Tech, certain genres of music can be associated with the average entrance exam scores of college students.

To quote Mr. Griffith’s methodology

1. “Get a friend of yours to download, using Facebook, the ten most frequent "favorite music" at every college via that college's Network Statistics page on Facebook (manually -- as not to violate Facebook's ToS). These ten "favorite musics" are perhaps indicative of the overall intellectual milieu of that college.

2. Download the average SAT/ACT score (from CollegeBoard) for students attending every college.

3. Presto! We have a correlation between musical tastes and dumbitude (smartitude too)!

Music <=> Colleges <=> Average SAT Scores

4. Plot the average SAT of each "favorite music", discarding those with too few samples to have a reliable average.

5. Post the results on your website, pondering what the Internet will think of it.

Ok, so if this scale was made specifically from data from my alma mater (Florida State), and the average SAT/ACT score at Florida State was 1600, and the only music listed among Florida State Facebook users was “the sound of toddlers banging pots and pans”, then “the sound of toddlers banging pots and pans” would rate as a 1600. If another school’s students listed “the sound of toddlers banging pots and pans”, but only received an average score of 800, then “the sound of toddlers banging pots and pans” would drop to an average test score of 1200. Hence, “the sound of toddlers banging pots and pans” would rank somewhere between Bob Dylan and U2.

(Actually, FSU ranked 265th out of 1352 colleges with an average test score of 1154 across 31,347 students with listening preferences of Jack Johnson, Sublime, Coldplay, Bob Marley, The Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pink Floyd, John Mayer, Weezer, and The Fray.)

Points of Contention:

As I explained, what Mr. Griffith listed was the listening preferences of the smart colleges versus the listening preferences of less academically prestigious colleges. First of all, he does not go into academic study. Of course, colleges specializing in classical study will have more kids who listen to Beethoven, the music linked to the “smartest scores”. On the flip side, colleges specializing in urban anthropology may have more students listing to Lil Wayne (889 average score) and Nas (1071 average score).

Second, looking at Mr. Griffith’s chart, I immediately noticed most of the music on the lower IQ side derives from African beats and influences. Of course, the most basic instinct would be to label this as yet another study supporting racism and minority intellectual inferiority. The website ThisIsRealMusic.com blasts Mr. Griffith along this assumption. However, TIRM fails to mention where or how Mr. Griffith got his information. They just proclaim he is a closet racist. I don’t think that is fair, nor is it a good way to do a counterpoint.

Where I do believe Mr. Griffith dropped the ball is in his title and its associated media blitz. In labeling his study “Music that makes you dumb”, he is opening himself up for comments and negative attention. The proper title of his study should have been “Music Preferences of Facebook-Using College Students Based on School Average SAT/ACT Scores”. But that wouldn’t have garnered him any attention.

Also of note is that several Historically Black Colleges are listed in the bottom quarter of Mr. Griffith’s school data along with their students’ music tastes. I have little doubt Mr. Griffith saw this trend emerging as he graphed his data. Here again I fault Mr. Griffith’s presentation of the data.

What does it say then about Historical Black Colleges that they score so low? Either HBCs are letting in students who are not stringent in their academic requirements or the students of HBCs are not as smart as students in the top schools. The latter theory can of course be countered by the idea that minority students (assuming they make up the majority of HBC student bodies) are not being prepared well enough to score well on college entrance exams. Some even go as far as to label the tests racist. So where does the bigger fault lie: in the music HBC students listen to or the school systems they come from?

The bottom line is that Mr. Griffith was irresponsible in releasing his findings in the manner that he did. He should have known the societal repercussions of his display. The fact that he attempts to cover up his naivety in the cloak of statistical impartiality does not hold water. And honestly, instead of playing with numbers and pinning music to test scores, he would have been better off trying to devise a statistical way for students to do better on their entrance exams.

By the way, as for Mr. Griffith and his personal music tastes, according to the FAQ he listens to Daft Punk (not on the list) Tool (1083), Radiohead (1220), and Metallica (1063). Averaging the available scores, and using his musical tastes as an indicator of his own intelligence, Mr. Griffith probably received an 1122 on his entrance exam. However, this would put him nearly 400 points below the average Cal Tech student, who received a 1520.

So either Mr. Griffith is far below the academic standard at his university or, if he did score among the average test taker, his musical preferences are not indicative of his intelligence. If he then is an outlier in his own study, why should we attach his system to any other test taker in any other school?

Saying we are supposed to correlate attributes to people when the creator of the attributes is such a drastic outlier is like saying a Wookiee, an eight-foot tall Wookiee, would want to live on Endor, with a bunch of two-foot tall Ewoks. It obviously does not not make sense.

Chewbacca Defense - These bloopers are hilarious

Dymond Simon vs Simon Diamond

While watching Sunday night's Arizona State versus Florida State women's basketball game, one name stood out above all the rest. No, not the best player on each team (sorry, I am not a big women's hoops fan, I was just watching for FSU). What caught my attention was the announcers' mention of ASU Sun Devil guard Dymond Simon.

This is Dymond Simon:



The reason her name sounded so familiar?

This is former Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) competitor Simon Diamond:



Although I don't think they're related, one thing is for sure: I have watched too much pro wrestling.

Curt Schilling and the Baseball Hall of Fame

Pitcher Curt Schilling hung up his spikes the other day. As a member of three World Series-winning teams and a veteran of 20-plus years, Schilling accumulated quite the career resume. Of course, all the pundits, prognosticators, sooth-sayers, and wise guys men are throwing in their two cents on whether or not Schilling belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame. What do they know?

I have already given my opinion. My mind was set over two years ago. Once again, I was ahead of the curve.

256.25 schillings will get you a ticket to the Hall of Fame (The Serious Tip, February 6th, 2007)

Playboy, the power of Western tunes, and the albums that shaped my ear

Because I am busy on bigger and more prestigious things right now, and because I blogged my rear end off last week, you, dear reader, are getting links to other people's stuff. Enjoy.

- I haven't read a Playboy Magazine in years. Apparently, the magazine just isn't what it used to be. I am going to go out on a limb and think you could almost compare Playboy and Saturday Night Live. I think after reaching their heyday in the 70s, neither grew with the times. Then, after the explosion of the Internet and online media, both really struggled. Although SNL has started to design content for the online audience, Playboy might want to heed the 10 Ways Playboy Can Be Better from the NSFW blog Free Porn Star Pix (the title is a bit misleading, it is a blog about the porn industry).

- According to National Geographic, "Western tunes — even with no words — can convey emotion across cultural barriers". This according to a study by the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany. The article claims Western music mimics the tone of the human voice more effectively than other forms of international music.

- Tim Niland of the blog Music and More listed the five albums that Shaped His Listening Habits. I always learn a lot from Tim's blog of mostly jazz and blues reviews, and this time he lists some absolute classics like Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

In return, here is my personal list of five albums that molded my listening:

1) Soundgarden - Superunknown: This was my first rock album and set the tone for the type of rock I like. Between this and Pearl Jam's Ten, I developed my rock sensibility around the "grunge" sound.

2) Public Enemy - Apocalypse 91 ... The Enemy Strikes Black: This was among my first rap albums. When I first got into listening to rap I bought Heavy D and the Boyz, the Fresh Prince, and Public Enemy. Right off the bat I knew PE definitely had more to say than Will Smith and the Heavster. As I was just getting into politics, for some reason I gravitated to the realism of Chuck D. Not a bad decision for a 14-year old white kid from the suburbs who, embarrassingly enough, used to watch and read Rush Limbaugh regularly. (Then again, I was only 14. What did I know?)

3) Jimi Hendrix - Blues: This album got me into the blues. True story: way back in early 1996, I was on an overnight flight from Phoenix to Tampa. During one of the late night hours, I plugged my headphones into the armrest and started flipping through the airline music channels. On one of the channels I heard the DJ say something about Jimi Hendrix and Booker T and the MGs, then he plays Jimi's version of "Born Under a Bad Sign", which is still my favorite track on the CD. Needless to say, I made it my goal to find that song and this album. I still think it was a message from somewhere that at that particular moment I plugged in and that DJ introduced me to one of my favorite albums.

4) Clutch - Clutch: After a few years of listening mostly to gangsta rap (I went from PE to Ice Cube to Snoop and Dre), this album was one of two to get me back into rock (the other is number 5). Clutch's second album has a little bit of everything - catchy lyrics, stories of pirates, tales of aliens and conspiracies, and even one of the best stoner jams I have ever heard. It's heavy but not only coherent, but also intelligent.

5) Sublime - Sublime: I'll admit, this album has just about entered the realm of the overrated. I don't share the opinion that it is the absolute classic so many people suggest it is. The fact that every frat guitar player from Long Beach to Long Island has this in his repertoire definitely bugs the snot out of me. But Sublime, like Clutch, has a huge place in my musical history. It was the first album I heard that mixed rock and rap. Of course, the Beasties and Run DMC did it before Sublime, but something about the scratching and sampling in Sublime made me think that maybe I should check out some of that rock and roll stuff the kids were listening to.

Hopefully this list will get other people listing their most influential five albums. As long as nobody lists Yoko Ono, I think we will be alright.

(About the image: I don't know if it is from this article or not, but back in 2007, there was a Colombian guitar maker who was making guitars out of AK-47s. I'd like to hang one of those above the fireplace.)

The World Domination continues

I reached a new record this week. Including The Serious Tip, I blogged on four different sites in the last seven days. Check out the links:

Tues:
A preview of the Florida Marlins at Thunder Matt's Saloon.

Wed:
A preview of the New York Mets at Thunder Matt's Saloon.

Thurs:
A brief post over at ScalpEm.com about a conference at Florida State.

Fri:
A preview of the Florida State Seminoles over at Deadspin.

And of course, my posts here.

To paraphase the Wu-Tang Clan:

“So what’s like, I mean what’s like your ultimate goal in blogging?”

“Domination, baby.”

A Forgiveness Poem to Bologna

So I was bored the other day and I wrote a poem. I hope you enjoy.



This poem may remind long-time readers of my stuff of a poem called "Happy Cows". For those who have only started following me in the last few years, I'll have to post that poem sometime.

Religious Leader Declares War Against Offensive Pro Wrestlers

Last week, the Islamic Republic of Iran announced its displeasure with Darren Aronofsky’s film “The Wrestler”. Iranian officials claimed Aronofsky’s character “The Ayatollah” was insulting to Iranian culture and portrayed the Iranian people in a negative light. Iranian response to the Wrestler was so negative, even members of Iranian Pres. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's staff expressed their concerns.

In response to the Iranian government's reaction to “The Wrestler”, the Supreme Holy Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, issued a fatwa, or religious edict, against all professional wrestlers who could be insulting or could have in any way insulted Persian, Arabic, Islamic, or Middle Eastern culture. Reports claim this fatwa will specifically by name target both active and former wrestlers and could possibly have the same effect that a previous fatwa had on author Salmon Rushdie, who ended up hiding out for decades.

According to a vague CIA translation of the fatwa, the numerous wrestlers mentioned by name include The Original Sheik, The Iron Sheik, General Adnan, Colonel Mustafa, The Sultan, Sabu, Sheik Abdul Bashir, and recent WWE Superstar Muhammad Hassan.

“They claim these performers have made a mockery of their people and their faith,” said one CIA worker. “Personally, however, we don’t see what the big deal is. Sure, Iron Sheik wore curled boots, spit on the American flag, spoke in jibberish, announced how great his country was, and badmouthed America. But don’t most Middle Easterners do that?”

Despite the threat of violence against their Middle Eastern-themed peers, many pro wrestlers are ambivalent or even supportive of the Iranian decree.

“Those un-American pukes never belonged here,” said wrestling legend Sgt Slaughter. “I spent my whole career trying to make the good ol’ US of A safe against pukes like the Iron Sheik. Good to know their own homeland doesn’t care much for them either. Maybe there is hope for those pukes over there after all.”

WWE CEO Vince McMahon was unavailable for comment.

Could US cities become wretched hives governed by foreign scum and villiany?

I'm going serious today, so you've been warned ...

Lately I have been reading quite a bit about the effects of the Global Recession on various parts of the world. Especially as it pertains to our hemisphere.

(Check this article out for a really good read: How The Crash Will Reshape America.)

I've also been reading quite a bit about the growing power of Mexican drug cartels and the increasing lawlessness that is sweeping through Northern Mexico, and in some cases, making its way into the Southwest US.

There is no doubt these issues are related. Less money circulating through the economy means higher unemployment, more people battling for fewer resources, and a higher chance of drug infestation.

But what if it is more than that? What if various organizations started taking over the functions of US cities?

Imagine if the infrastructure of certain US cities fails to have the ability to provide for the citizens. What if the drug cartels started hiring their own nurses, doctors, teachers, garbage collectors, and firemen? What if these cartels started operating their own public schools in places such as Arizona and south Texas? Then, following their wave of good will, what if one of the cartel members ran for mayor?

This model of permeation is not unheard of. In Lebanon, the Islamic group Hezbollah began in the early 1980s as an anti-Israel militant organization. Now they provide a vast array of services for the Lebanese people. According to a United Nations report,

"The group currently operates at least four hospitals, 12 clinics, 12 schools and two agricultural centres that provide farmers with technical assistance and training. It also has an environmental department and an extensive social assistance programme. Medical care is also cheaper than in most of the country’s private hospitals and free for Hezbollah members."

Surely it would not be a stretch to see Mexican drug cartels begin to emulate the success of Hezbollah along the southern US border. But could the same process occur simultaneously in some of our northern metropolitan areas? What about in Detroit?

There is no hiding the fact that the city of Detroit is on its last legs. It may be the most dire nearly failed city in the US. Houses are selling for a dollar, people are unemployed, and the auto business - once the shining star of the American capitalist system - has gone kaput. How much longer until the infrastructure starts cutting vital services? How long can the city stay effective?

I don't think it wouldn't be such a large leap to think a radical faith-based organization could manipulate Detroit from local government control. Not too far from Detroit is Dearborn, Michigan, home of the largest Muslim community in the United States. Could a Muslim faith-based organization use the Hezbollah model to provide services to the people of Detroit? If they could even secretly align themselves with Hezbollah, and perhaps even Iran or Syria, they could even receive funds from a country openly hostile to the US for the feeding, care, and education of US citizens. That is good public relations at its finest.

Worst of all, eradicating a foreign-influenced organization that is providing basic services, regardless of their long-term, possibly devious intentions, would be a nightmare for the United States. These organizations would immediately build up goodwill from the first Thanksgiving turkey they hand out or the first doctor check-up they provide. The longer they go and the more effective they are, the more difficult it will be for the local, state, or national government to re-insert their influence. The support of the people, the basic citizenry, will have been bought by the organization providing for their well-being.

I'll admit, this theory is a bit out there. The odds of US cities being taken over by Mexican drug cartels or Islamic fundamentalists are probably quite small. But then again, if someone had told me last year that we would have massive bank failures and the stock market would decrease by 50%, I wouldn't have believed them either.

Link: An Interview with Glass Joe

Last week, Will Cavedo of SportsOnAStick.com caught up with legendary boxing failure Glass Joe. This is an absolute must-read and so far the best creative sports blog post I have read this year.

SportsOnAStick’s Will Cavedo catches up with: Glass Joe

Grapefruit League Tour 2009 Stop 2: Mets at Nationals, Viera, Fla.

Yesterday marked my second excursion to Space Coast Stadium in Melbourne Viera, Florida. In 2007, I watched the Nationals take on the visiting Dodgers. This year's visit pitted the Nationals versus my beloved New York Mets.

First, a few notes on Space Coast Stadium: back in '07, I commented how the Nationals organization had re-done Space Coast Stadium and removed any and all traces of the Marlins time at the facility. Well now the Marlins are long gone. Yet there is still work that needs to be done at the Nationals' spring training stadium to make it a more enjoyable experience.

1) Upon entering Space Coast Stadium, there is no sign to point visitors in the right direction. Every other ballpark I have visited has at least one sign to guide fans to their seat. Signs that state "Sections X thru Y --->" or "Sections A thru B <------". I did not see one sign at Space Coast Stadium that would have helped me find my seat.

2) There were no roaming vendors. None. I was shocked. The ballpark experience falls just a little bit when I don't hear someone shilling peanuts, popcorn, cotton candy, or even beer. All guests as Space Coast Stadium had to visit the concession stands.

3) Lack of ushers. This goes with point #1. Most other stadiums I have been to have numerous ushers to direct guests to their seat or even check their tickets to ensure they are in the right place. Space Coast Stadium had a few ushers, but all the limited few of them did was stand around and watch the game. They seemed useless.

4) No mascot, no dancing grounds crew, no cheerleaders, and a useless Public Address announcer. There was nothing at the ballpark to excite the fans except for the game. Although many fans may think the lack of extraneous entertainment is a good thing, good or bad, I found it oddly absent. I guess I am used to seeing something attempting to entertain me between innings, or someone trying to get the crowd excited. Space Coast Stadium seemed rather bland in the customer experience department.

As for the game: Due to the World Baseball Classic, the visting Mets were playing mostly minor leaguers - prospects such as Wilmer Flores and Ike Davis. On the mound starting for the Mets was ancient right-hander Livan Hernandez. Livan makes me feel old, as I remember his rookie season with the Marlins back in '97. Now he is a cagey vet, surviving only on his experience, cunning, and guile.

The Nationals, on the other hand, played many of their big leaguers - players such as ex-Met Lastings Milledge, Elijah Dukes, Austin Kearns, and Ryan Zimmerman. On the hill for the Nationals was John Lannon.

The game was your average spring fling: lots of errors (including a very surprising bone-headed mistake by Zimmerman), many random pitching changes, and lack of all-around quality play. There was no doubt the best of the Mets was not on the field.

Funny side note: back in 2007, the Tampa Bay then-Devil Rays had what many today call the worst bullpen in major league history. Coming out of that pen on a near-daily basis was right-hander Gary Glover and lefty Brian Stokes. Both of them pitched like garbage for the Devil Rays. During yesterday's contest I saw both of them: Stokes pitched the bottom of the 7th for the Mets, and Glover closed out the game for the Nationals. My condolences to either team if they are relying on these ex-Devil Rays to be a key part of their bullpens.

The final was 8-3, advantage Nationals. Washington is now 2-0 when I visit.

Once again, I have written too much and said too little. If you want the details of the game, click here:

Mets at Nationals

Next stop: Disney World on March 21 or Port Charlotte on March 22.

(P.S. Sorry, I forgot to bring my camera. Picture was obtained from NatsNQ.com)

Beer Wars: The Movie - Better than the Battle for the Last Brew

Many moons ago, back in my college days, my roommate and I both used to play a game called "Hide the Last Beer". The rules were simple: when there were two beers left in the fridge, the person getting the second-to-last-beer would hide the last beer in the vegetable crisper drawer and then play it off like their beer was the last one. After finishing the second-to-last beer, the drinking roommate would then go back to the fridge to remove the "hidden" beer and have a good laugh at the duped roommate's expense. It worked every time.

Looking back, I am glad I had a roommate who could take a joke. Other roommates might not have been so forgiving. Back in Dec 2002, for example, a man was convicted after shooting his roommate after the roommate drank the last beer.

"There was only two beers left, so I took one, and I told Willie not to take my last beer".

These days, however, I am a little more mature. I have moved on to a different type of beer war. One with far less potential for gunplay (I hope). This is a war between small, independent brewers throughout America and the major companies who continue their stranglehold on the consuming public. And if there is one thing I am strongly for, it is my local breweries. These fine brewmasters give their blood, sweat, and tears for my alcoholic enjoyment. The least I can do is give them my money and indulge in their wares.

Coming this April 16th is a movie that explores this very topic. One that tells the tale of the battle for the palate of the purchasing public. Soon the whole world will know what beer snobs, connoisseurs, and other enjoyers of fine hops and barley have known for years: more often than not, local beers are better beers.

So go check out Beer Wars. I guarantee you will be better off for it.

(H/T GregandBeth.com)

Today is Music Freedom Day

Today people all around the world will be celebrating Music Freedom Day. Today is the day we recognize the power and ability of music to change the world. Without this ability, without the musicians, the singers, the poets, the artists, the writers and most importantly, the listeners and the readers, we would not be as aware of the world around us.

Freemuse.org, the organization behind Music Freedom Day, has a list of inspiring phrases to help people spread the word on this important day. This is my favorite:

"Imagine the world without music. Or imagine a world where we are told what to play, what to sing and even what we may listen to in the privacy of our own homes. That world already exists. In more countries that you might imagine, musicians and composers are under threat. And that threat is growing.
Today we therefore join Freemuse – the World Forum on Music & Censorship – and colleagues all over the world in the celebration of Music Freedom Day. This concert is dedicated to the freedom of musical expression, and the motto is Music will not be silenced."

So in honor of Music Freedom Day, here are a few of my all-time favorite protest songs:

Of course, I have to start with Public Enemy:

Then a little Gil-Scott Heron:

Gil Scott-Heron / The Revolution will not be Televised

Here is a band that exemplifies Musical Freedom, Acrassicauda, Iraq's most famous heavy metal band (who, by the way, recently meet James Hetfield of Metallica - check out the video clip):

And lastly, here is a song sung by a Somali singer. I honestly have no clue what he is saying, but it sounds passionate and bluesy.

What other songs should I be checking out this Music Freedom Day?

Asher Roth's "Gin and Juice" for the 17-23 white boy demographic

Most mornings, I wake up, get my breakfast ready, and unconsciously turn on SportsCenter. But following those nights that I leave ESPN's flagship show on and watch my sports news in the PM, I'll explore the rest of the netherworld of early morning television programming. Nine times out of ten, I usually settle for one of the three music channels I get: MTV, MTV2, or Fuse.

The other day on MTV2 I saw a video for a song called "I Love College" from rapper Asher Roth. Here is the video:

Now I must be getting old, but my first impression was "Wow, can they really show those images and talk about people getting drunk and having sex on TV?". My next thought was "Hey, what about the great academic parts of college? Like the libraries and the science labs and the stimulating intellectual discussions?".

Just kidding.

Actually, Roth's video reminded me of another great drinking tune in Hip-Hop history: Young Black Teenagers' old-school classic "Tap The Bottle".

Again, I kid.

Here is what Roth's song really reminded me of:

See? They are nearly identical.

First, they both have catchy choruses.

Second, both endorse their favorite alcoholic beverage (Roth: Miller Lite - Snoop: Tangeray and some Seagram's Gin).

(Note: Isn't ironic that Roth, playing the role of the fraternity stereotype college student, asks people to "fill up his cup", while Snoop, the gangsta from the 'hood, denies his people his precious gin? There is a social-economic statement there, I think.)

- Both mention the use of condoms (hey, at least they are advocating safe sex).

- Both videos feature house parties.

- Both show people puking.

(Another side note: Why do Roth's people seem to think another's misfortune is funny? One of Snoop's boys looks like he is checking on his sick friend. Who would you rather hang out with if you had one too many?)

- And last, but definitely not least, both have half-naked women.

(Not sure who the advantage goes to here: Snoop has the ladies from Compton imported to serve him, while Roth makes out with a bevy of buxom barely-legal beauties.)

I have to give Asher Roth and his marketing people credit. Fifteen years or so after Snoop's "Gin and Juice", people are still milking the party niche. Although Roth's album won't be released for another few months, I'll go out on a limb and predict it will sell well, especially in the 17-23 demographic. And best of all for the college crowd, it has "coverability". I would bet hundreds, if not thousands, of college bands are currently learning how to incorporate "I Love College" into their sets. Especially those acoustic guitar players who do unplugged versions of various hip-hop songs (check out "What I Got", "Boyz in da Hood", and "Big Poppa", etc.).

Finally, on a personal note, although I was normally adverse to the typical frat songs (John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Dave Mathews, etc), had "I Love College" been released six years ago (egads, that long!) I'll admit I think I would have been all into Asher Roth.