BOOK OF THE WEEK: "Think Again" by Adam Grant

If we want to to be an effective society, we have to be constantly re-thinking. Re-thinking everything we do. Everything we say and everything we think. We may come to find out that those things we once believed and held on as truths for the longest are no longer valid. 

There was once a belief that the world was flat, but that theory was debunked over time - although if you hang out with Kyrie Irving he may lead you believe differently. Even in recent times, we've seen constant re-thinking that has lead to drastic discoveries. Early during the pandemic it was believed that COVID-19 could be transmitted via surfaces leading many to disinfect their groceries or wait three days before consuming. But over time that has been proven to be untrue. 

Constant re-thinking about how we see things, the world or even people can lead us to success. There's nothing wrong with changing your mind. If there was one thing that the COVID pandemic taught us was ways of re-thinking.

Nearly every business had to change and adapt due to the pandemic. Restaurants were forced to get creative with outdoor dining when restrictions threatened occupancy. With no fans in the stands, the sporting world had to figure out a way increase revenue stream (i.e. cardboard cutouts replacing fans). Education had to pivot into the online virtual world and figure out how to reach the underprivileged. Things were changing and had to be re-evaluated. Doing the things the way they were done before was no longer an option. 

Everything in 2020 was turn on its head. Questions are good and asking why something is being done is perfectly acceptable. Notice how in history class you probably never learned about Emmett Till or June 19th - unless you had a history class with Dr. Upton. When you think back the history books were written by white, anglo saxon men. You would be hard-pressed to find much about black history or women's history and if you did you would be from the white male perspective. We alway believed what we read in the history books to be the truths, but we never really thought if it was correct. Or who was writing that history. Re-thinking is paramount when it comes to looking at our history. 

Now, knowing what you know about re-thinking and the importance of questions, here's a question. If you're a die-hard Red Sox fan, could you root for the Yankees? And vice-versa, could a die-hard Yankee fan, flip and root for the Red Sox? 

Adam Grant comes to find that the two sides are not that far apart. What Red Sox fans dislike about Yankee fans is the same as what Yankee fans dislike about Red Sox fans.  We really do, as Jerry Seinfeld said, cheer for the laundry. 

 

BOOK OF THE WEEK: "Welcome To My Panic" by Billie Joe Armstrong

If you grew up in the 90s, then you knew the band Green Day. Green Day paved the way for the music category of punk rock and bands like the Dropkick Murphys, but it was Green Day's lead singer and guitarist, Billie Joe Armstrong, that made the band popular. 

I never really listened to music in the 90s, choosing sports as my primary source of entertainment, and it wouldn't be until 2003 / 2004 that I began to take a liking to Green Day. Like many artists, a lot of the band's songs have a left-leaning ideology and has caused controversy with, arguably, it's top single "American Idiot." 

The song was released in the shadows of the September 11th attacks in 2004. At the time it came out, President George W. Bush was not seeing very favorable approval ratings and it caught on with the younger voters, who tended to favor Democratic candidate, John Kerry. Because of its success, Weird Al Yankovic climbed on board and parodied it song in his version, "Canadian Idiot." 

Similar to Bruce Springsteen, through music Billie Joe put a lot of himself into the songs he wrote. 

Jesus of Suburbia, the second song on the band's American Idiot album, has been described by fans as the millennial, punk-rock version of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." In "Jesus of Suburbia," Billie Joe takes fans through the life of a presumably young teenager through five sequences of the nine minute long song. Looking back, one could inference that Billie Joe was describing himself as the Jesus of Suburbia and his younger life growing up in northern California. 

(Jesus of Suburbia)

It was the first time Billie Joe has done this. A decade prior the band debuted "Basket Case," which Billie Joe later admits that he was high when he wrote this song. The following day he went an re-read the lyrics he wrote and thought it was was crazy. He asked the rest of his band mates if they should go through with it, and they said yes. With its catchy tune, "Basket Case" is about Billie Joe's anxiety attacks and how he would wake up in the middle of the night with increased panic and the only way he knew to alleviate those was to write about it. While probably not the most politically correct words to use, the way he wrote it made it more relatable to people who do suffer from anxiety and other anxiety disorders, because the song is so very real.  

(Editor's note: "Basket Case" was the song that drew me towards Green Day after former camper, Sean, performed this at a camp talent show. All summer long Sean talked about his older brother teaching him to play the guitar and he wanted to show off the skills he learned and used this song as an example.) 

(Basket Case)

The last song I want to mention is also on the American Idiot album is "Wake Me Up When September Ends." It's a very emotional song. The month of September has come to be known as an end period. The summer is ending. Kids are going back to school. Fall and winter are just around the corner. It's a surreal month and a time to "turn the page" looking at something new. Patriots fans can remember that this song was used to get the team through the first month of the 2016 when, then, quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for the team's first four games - for allegedly "being aware of" deflating footballs. 

Personally, Billie Joe wrote this a memory to his father, who died of cancer when he was only 10 years old in the month of September. 

(Wake Me Up When September Ends)

FREE ON AUDIBLE: "Welcome To My Panic"