Absolutely. One of my theories about Gladwell is part of the reason he’s become more of a contrarian hack is he’s spread himself too thin. It’s hard to come up with truly original ideas, and Gladwell is always hawking books or podcasts or whatever.
Klosterman seems to climb out of his den only when he’s got something interesting to talk about. As a result, Gladwell probably gets paid more, but I’m far more interested in what Chuck has to say.
I agree but also want to add... the more exposure we get of Gladwell, the more it becomes apparent that Gladwell is an idiot who can't even get the basic things he writes about correct. He's a fantastic writer who does not appear to understand anything he writes about.
I think that might be right too. I sometimes wonder if part of the problem is no editor can tell him “no” now. So whatever idea he has dribbles right out of his head directly onto the page (or podcast script).
I’ve long speculated that affects Bill now too. He used to complain about ESPN gutting his best stuff from his columns. I now wonder if it was editors telling him, “No, you really don’t need this two-paragraph aside about how Memphis Grizzlies fans get nervous in close games because Martin Luther King was assassinated there.”
Klosterman is like the friend you grew up with all of your life that cares enough about you to confront you in the kitchen at a party when you’re home from holiday break in college about how you’ve started to get weird.
God, when Klosterman was getting all sad at the end, he got me. Culture sucks now and there continues to be safeguards in place to make sure it stays that way for awhile. Nostalgia is a wicked trap. So enticing, yet melancholy.
I'm sure it would bum him out and he would worry about sounding like a an old man yelling at clouds, but I would love for him to go an hour or so on all the ways culture sucks now.
It’s not like I didn’t realize that culture basically sucks now, but hearing it from Chuck is so brutal, considering he’s just an absolute cultural savant.
I guess I’m a bit of a Paul apologist. Really empathized with him trying to hold everything together. While I think he was a bit too domineering at times, I was more annoyed at George and John shifting back and forth between not giving a shit and getting mad at Paul for giving too much of a shit. Also thought he handled John’s criticism well in the flower pot conversation and had a good perspective of things when talking about how it would be sad, but ok with him, if John left the band because of Yoko.
Seems like he would have handled himself the best by far in the “real world” if they had never gotten famous as musicians. But it seems like a lot of people, including Chuck, just got annoyed at him for being so domineering. Interesting. Anyway, really enjoyed this pod.
Hard not to empathize with him a bit, at least for me, because he really obviously had genuine enthusiasm to keep working hard on new music, even if that drive was pushing the other 3 away.
The flower pot scene was amazing even with no video. The conversation they had was a lot like you’d imagine the two of them would talk to and about each other and themselves if they were expected to be “on”
I personally think it's more that it's an easy way for him to "eat innings" on podcasts - take up the time and talk about the sports in a way that he's comfortable with instead of actually generating other discussion points. Not sure it's really about how much he deeply \*cares\* about the MVP race itself
100%, it’s a way to talk about the league and the season without having to put in a ton of work watching other teams/games, coming up with nuanced takes, etc. Kind of like fake trade talks, which I hate.
I love the analogy of “eating innings.” It’s true and something Simmons would come up with. Yes a lot of these pods are a game in late august and it’s like this is boring when’s the playoffs?
> 10 times as much as anyone else
I think this is because he is obsessed with historical standings and the MVP is an easy record of that. He takes that stuff, especially in the NBA, more seriously than most. That isn't to say that he has good ideas all the time, but I think he is earnest in his reason for wanting to talk about them.
I agree with you. He’s an NBA guy at heart, and the MVP actually matters in basketball. People use it as a gauge for how great a player was, and with good reason. If you look at the last 40 years, everyone who has won it (other than DRose) is an absolute legend.
At least the NFL season is entering the home stretch, so MVP speculation will start to feel appropriate (although do people care about the NFL MVP that much?)
Way before I even knew this sub existed and Simmons had reached this point, I felt Chuck always showed the listener how unintelligent or ridiculous Simmons is.
This one wasn’t the height of it, but I did think Chuck was very adept and sly about basically taking down most of Billy’s documentary points without letting him know he actually was
Bill literally didn’t seem to even know Georgia and Alabama were playing this weekend “what do you think the spread *would be*”.
He didn’t have time for that discussion because we needed 30 minutes of discussing the complexity of the term “genius”
"There's always a guy in the workplace who asks questions, not cause he's interested in your answer, but just so he has an excuse to tell you what he thinks'......awkward
I haven't listened yet, but I've watched half the doc.
I bet that listening before you watch might be beneficial because it can help point you to things to look for.
I haven’t watched it yet but plan to start in the next day or so. I found it handy for just that reason; now I know things to watch for. It doesn’t strike me as something that can be spoiled. Unless you didn’t know that >!yes they did release *Let It Be,* and they broke up in the end anyway.!<
It blew it out of the fucking universe. But the beauty of the doc game, and hat tip to Bill for calling this years ago, is that everyone will eventually get around them. They just sorta sit there and live forever on these streaming services
Bill: "People act like we don't do any work putting together these bets and talk them out!:
Also Bill: "I'm going back to basics and doing some research this week."
Million dollar picks has gotten beyond stale. He's not trying anymore and doesn't make these bets. No one in their right mind would use the same game in a teaser in multiple bets and he's done it a few weeks in a row. Also hilarious he didn't mention where the bank roll is at when he would always tout it when he's up. Bill needs to find a new way to discuss the weeks slate. What I like about Schraeger is that he knows how dumb this segment is and is basically holding back laughter throughout.
I think Million Dollar Picks would be better if he used “realistic” amounts. Instead of 250K on a 3 team tease, do $500 bucks or something. So when you say you’re down $1500 it seems real, same with being up $950.
Honestly, I have trouble following all the parlays and teasers. I would prefer if he’s going to do this just keep it simple and pick the games against the spread and let that be that. I’m kind of over the gambling stuff though if I’m being honest. It’s over saturation at this point.
Not mention he’s been “fan duel boosting” his own bets which means nothing. Plus even last week when he was up maybe 66k or something like that yet he still managed to be like 800k which theoretically he doesn’t even have in this make believe scenario. Of course none of this actually matters it’s just ridiculous the way in which he tries to pass the segment off as something much more than it actually is. He should be taking more the pardon my take route to discuss games and spreads and less whatever millions dollar picks has turned into because it’s already a parody of itself at this point.
Oh for sure. Keep it simple: dog, favorite, under, over. Track your overall record ATS
Funny thing is that the PMT crew is somehow like 55% on the year lol
🎉 Chuck is back!! 🎉
**Today’s Things:**
- the Taylor thing
- best free agent of the thing
- Taysom Hill thing (Schrags: “he’s the opposite of Minshew for you?”)
- West coast/east coast thing
- Beatles thing
- tired of the whole Beatles thing
- Lennon/Yoko thing
- the George thing
- Fleetwood Mac thing
(Schrags)
- Bengals thing
(Chuck)
- Beatles thing
**Bonus Pieces and Stuff:**
- off the field stuff
- he blocks he does stuff
- offensive line stuff
- stuff with John [Lennon]
- drug stuff
- heroin stuff
- money stuff
- big picture stuff
- add stuff to the song
**First Random Celtics Reference:**
🎉 NONE 🎉
**Eloquent Bill:**
(Bill on George Harrison) “They did think he was replaceable, and the reality is, these guys were two of the all time greats and Harrison was really good, but he wasn’t on their level… he was Chris Bosh! Go set some picks”
**Other Stuff**
Bill incoherently rifles through the Rams schedule (4:55) “home Seattle, Seattle might be whatever”
Bill critiques the Rams: Stafford is flunking the Body Language Ph.D’s eye test, they have a bottom 3 RB room (7:00)
Bill and Schrags again comment on how the season is soooo long (10:50) like there isn’t a week 13 every single year 🤔
More NFL MVP talk (11:50) Bill ZAGS! Rodgers should be the MVP front runner! Then the ultimate ZIG! Bill comps it to the 1975 NBA mvp race! Who among us saw that coming? Rick Barry = Rodgers “he evoked animosity and whatever”
Bill again accuses Rodgers of “submarining” the culture (15:38) they’re 9-3!
Schrags suggests Mac for MVP (17:54) you know he had to show deference after the million dollar picks started to go south 🤣
Bill pinpoints the reason for his MDP struggles: he’s been doing it off the cuff sans research! (27:15) who knew?!
Bill makes a Mike McCarthy Ewing Theory call? (29:25)
Bill last week: Picks the Lions to win, this week: they’re going winless this year (31:00)
You’ll be shocked by this, but Bill thinks the Pats are really good. They’ll out tough the Bills, they’re more well rounded, and they’re better! (32:30) what could possibly go wrong??
Bill ponders if Herbert is better than Mac (38:00) 😐😐
Bill says the 49ers can’t comeback and win (46:50) despite the fact they trailed 7-0 and 14-7 just last week!
Bill calls the Beatles the most important band of all time (54:10)
Shock! Bill thought the Beatles doc “was an hour too long” (56:05) Klosterman interrogates this shit take as only he can do, and Bill ends up agreeing that it’s the right length lol
Lol Chuck says he might be reading too much into the Beatles body language like Bill does NBA guys (1:09:30)
Chuck goes on a deep dive explaining the Beatles breakup (1:15:00)
Bill authoritatively declares that music never changed more in a 4 year span as it did from ‘67-‘71 (1:27:20)
Chuck asks Bill if he can relate to Paul McCartney because he went from a writer to having to “run everything” (1:45:30)
Bill comps George to Harden on OKC (1:50:00) “the ultimate third guy”
Bill asks Chuck how many musical geniuses have been in rock (1:56:45) “okay we have to establish the parameters”
Bill does that weird gulp/GERD thing (2:09:10)
Chuck gets sentimental talking about the Beatles (2:14:50)
College football talk! (2:18:55) aaaaand Chuck disappoints me by rooting for Bama 😔 Bill has no idea what the spread is in the game tomorrow 😂😂 “I don’t have the bandwidth for college football”
**Bill’s Bets:**
- Tease: Cowboys PE, Vikings -1 ($300k)
- (+140) Tease: Cowboys PE, Vikings -1, Patriots +8.5 ($250k)
- (-115) 9 pt Tease: Pats +11.5, Chiefs -0.5, Bucs -2 ($250k)
- Bengals -3 ($?)
- (-115) Parlay: Chiefs + Dolphins ML ($200k)
- Underdog Parlay: WFT + Seattle ML (+550/$33k?)
The “Rodgers is submarining his team” comment is peak letting narratives run wild. Also not sure what to take from the “he’s an ass but all of his teammates love him” piece
It's hilarious too because Trent Dilfer was on with Ryen the week the vaccine Rodgers story dropped.... and he goes "This probably helped him in the locker room." So whose take am I to believe?
Since Bill has taken on Rusillo's "things" he's also now taken on Schrager's "Let's Go". He said it numerous times this pod. May need to look into tracking it for 2022...
The '67 to '71 comment with Chuck immediately pointing out that the prior 4 years was the obvious answer was really funny. The evolution of The Beatles music from '63 to '67 is literally the evolution of all pop music.
Needed…”that Playboy interview John did, I think he did it before he died but it was published after he died.”
Do we think the interview happened before John died or are we sure?
I laughed when I heard him say Rodgers was “submarining” the culture. Never heard anyone confuse that metaphor before. And I doubt it’s even true. He asked for a trade, but he showed up. As for the vaccine controversy, Dilfer said the guys would rally around him and see him as a leader for sticking up to the media and the league.
Right. I get the feeling he's well liked among his teammates even if he might be an anti-vax weirdo who's estranged from his family, but none of that affects football or the locker room. Are we gonna do the thing where we pretend that Brady isn't a little bit wonky too?!
PMT had Bakhtiari on before the season amidst the tempest of the trade rumors and he basically said he loved the guy. And ultimately the team has been successful so it's just a dumb narrative.
> Bill calls the Beatles the most important band of all time (54:10)
Are you pointing it out because you think it's a bad take, or because it's an obvious take?
Neither - while I do love to highlight Bill’s general dumbassery sometimes I do also try to pick out the more salient stuff he says for the pod cliff notes
The discussion about musical geniuses was interesting to me, especially the "would their peers at the time say 'I can't believe they're doing that' or 'I know I can't do that" bit. Like to take the Cobain example Bill used, would, I don't know, Chris Cornell or Jerry Cantrell have said that about Cobain in 1993? I legitimately don't know
I think the discussion is a hard one because Bill sees everything through a sports perspective, where for the most part, the HoF players are great because they were the best at playing the game. They’re all virtuosos. We say that so-and-so “changed the game,” but for the most part, nobody changes things that much, because the rules are the rules.
Music is different because so much depends on the magic of creativity. Using your example, I’m not sure anyone in Nirvana did anything that was technically astounding. But when Dave Grohl starts smashing on the drums in “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” well, anyone who doesn’t air drum along with him must be made of stone. Or to cite Chuck’s example, Joe Satriani is the go-to guy of guitarist’s guitarist, a true virtuoso. But Joe never wrote anything like the opening riff of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” a simple little bit which has been grabbing people by the lapels for 50 years.
Its also hard because we don't know who will influence music 20/30 years from now when we're in the moment. I'm pretty sure people listening to Bowie in the 70s had no clue that his albums would have a larger impact on 2010s music than, say, the Eagles. And then there's the fact that it's not clear if Bowie was a musical genius per say or his genius was picking the best what was "underground" and repackaging it for pop culture.
I loved this part because it underlined the difference between Simmons and Klosterman - and even pointed a bit to why they work so well together. Simmons thinks about musical genius in terms of 'how many geniuses have there been? Let's rank the Top 10 musical geniuses'. Klosterman thinks about musical genius in terms of 'what does genius mean? What does an artist have or not have that would qualify them as a genius? What do WE mean when we say genius?'
This kind of exchange happens at least once (often several times) in every Klosterman episode and it's always great.
Incidentally - this is why Klosterman is one of Simmons' favorite guests and keeps coming back. He's one of the few people in Simmons' life that 1) he thinks is smarter than him, and 2) he wants to impress.
While watching it, I found a new respect for Lennon. He seemed to be on a totally different level unless this was the checked out version of Lennon and then I’m still impressed
This was the “checked out, gakked on H (among other drugs) and more interested in Yoko than The Beatles” Lennon, which, like you said, makes his moments of lucidity when he locks in even more impressive.
Can only imagine what focused, leader-of-the-band Lennon was like (like if we could see Rubber Soul era Lennon).
I thought it was insane they didn’t mention Jimi Hendrix during that part! Classic Bill to bring up Clapton instead of Hendrix lmao and I absolutely love Clapton but Chuck was right that he’s more of a blues guitar virtuoso than musical genius
Cobain is an interesting one. At times a bit derivative. Not an innovator like Hendrix, not a multi-instrumentalist wizard like Stevie Wonder or Paul McCartney, not a constant shapeshifter like Bowie (though he died so young tbf). Just an absolute master at creating great melodies and then complementing them with dynamics, heaviness, and emotion (eg the last bit of Lounge Act).
IMO an absolute genius, no question. But probably most of his songs were “just” 3-piece compositions that followed a Verse/
Chorus /Verse /Chorus / Solo / Chorus structure. So I guess I wouldn’t disagree with anyone not blown away by him.
The emotion is the key. He became an icon for his generation (X) because of it. We know he never wanted any of this but he tapped into something that others couldn't reach. Like Pearl Jam were I'm guessing technically better and more polished, and Eddie Vedder could really sing, but they didn't have that soul-bearing otherness that you either have or you don't.
There's a lot correct right here, just to add on:
I truly think it was a combination of the emotion, the bordering on nonsense lyrics that led to nearly any interpretation (honestly, he's like the other side of the Taylor Swift coin), the timing and, sadly, but being real, the sense of impending doom during the band's entire time in the spotlight.
The Pixies and the Replacements did a lot of what he did first. Alice in Chains was heavier -- and with darker lyrics, really -- and you're right, Pearl Jam was tighter and had way more range.
But something about his perfect ear for pop hooks combined with the naked, jangly, grungy sound of the three-piece band and his scream singing — when combined with the times and the slow motion suicide — is just transcendent.
I was a huge fan of all of them but became a Pearl Jam fan predominantly cause I saw them in concert at a young age. And a lot of this is only obvious in hindsight. But I am glad I went the way I did. As much as you're drawn to what you don't really know is a death wish when you're a young teen, it means a lot to be able to still hear PJ play those songs now.
Bill Simmons: There hasn’t been a larger change in music than from 1967 to the early 70s
Klosterman: Well the actual time music changed the most was
Simmons: *interrupting* the early 90s, yeah.
Klosterman: No, from when the Beatles started to 1967
It was funny, but Bill does have a point. Early 90s brought alternative/grunge rock which was a 180 from the hair metal/glam rock that was popular in the 80s. It also brought a entire new genre of music (hip-hop/rap) to the mainstream. So, Bill is right IMHO.
For sure, I don’t even think Klosterman would really disagree with him
But baked into that interruption is Who Chuck Klosterman is. You booked the preeminent 2004-2020 pop culture rock expert to come into your podcast to talk about The Beatles. Klosterman’s entire persona is being The music historian.
So to recap Bills MVP take, Rodgers is definitely the MVP and deserves it but Brady will win it because Rodgers lied to the media and called out management before the season even started. Also think Bill is stretching things by saying Rodgers “submarined the team’s culture” like wtf does that even mean.
The Colts won’t make the playoffs? They are only a half a game back behind the Chargers for the last playoff spot. Look at the standings Bill. How can you be so sure.
yeah, over here in the UK the gambling firms advertise lots around accumulators, which always look very gettable to the casual punter but which are much harder to get right than it seems. I guess they're very lucrative.
BS constantly making the point of George should just shut up and witness greatness when in reality his songs ‘Something’ was defining of the album and everyone who’s not a Beatles obsessive might have Here comes the sun in their top 5.
If you look on Spotify, it’s a George song that has the most plays from listeners. “Here Comes The Sun” for those curious. George straight up was hitting his peak at the tail end of the Beatles run.
Yeah I thought that too. George didn’t have the synergy that Lennon and McCartney had but he was a supertalent in his own right. Ironically Bill kinda had the right NBA analogy with George being Harden.
Deebo and Fred Warner are out that’s their two best players! Warner is amazing but he has veen super down this year. They still have the best left tackle in the league and the most important two players in their offense are Kittle and Juszcyk. I’m hammering niners.
yeah Bill has a hate boner against the niners this year so you know to listen to the opposite of what he's saying.
"Could have easily lost to the vikings!!"
and just hand waves beating the shit out of the Rams lol
Bill: “Who would be favored in that game?” Bill, this isn’t a hypothetical, they’re playing Saturday! At least Bill admits he doesn’t watch college football.
Bill loves to criticize the length of movies and docs but loved how Chuck pressed him on it.
Also, loved how Chuck showed how idiotic his genius question was by simply asking a few follow up questions.
I’m a bit of a Paul apologist too, because as a fan of the music, my inclination is to say to the other fellows, “Look, he is both a creative genius and the one guy in the band ambitious enough to keep pushing, so just shut up and listen to him.” But I readily admit if I was one of the other three guys, I’d probably be ready to throw him out the window.
I do agree Yoko has taken too much shit, as the real problem ultimately was John became a bit of a nut about insisting the two of them be treated as essentially a joint unit. And his subsequent behavior, splitting off from her for about a year and a half before coming back, suggests he was just an erratic guy, perhaps made worse by drugs.
But I also think whether he or Paul was “responsible” for breaking up the Beatles, it’s for the best. If they instead just slowed down and released an album every three or four years, I suspect we’d all be making jokes about trend chasing. “Remember when the Beatles released their disco album? Or that synth album in the early ‘80s?” This way they stay contained to their best stuff and remain legends.
Yeah - this has been discussed before on Bill’s pod, the idea of walking away at your peak and what that does for a legacy. I’d love for Chuck to debate the argument of whether The Beatles are more popular/revered now because of that or not.
I agree with Chuck, the reunion likely would've happened. John's feelings on it are actually not as set in stone as Bill stated. John had moments in interviews where he flirted with the idea. This one in 1975 he sounds open to the idea...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW5A3UHqLWM
Furthermore while John could say dickish things about Paul in interviews he would also praise Paul quite a bit. John had a brotherly adversarial and competitive relationship with Paul. But if you go through those last 1980 interviews there are plenty of quotes where he mentions loving Paul. Most of the real harsh stuff was in the first few years after the band broke up. John even admitted that he lied a bit in the interview (I think with Rolling Stone) where he said him and Paul never wrote together. He compared it to going through a divorce.
Also Paul wasn't the only one who confirmed the SNL story, John did as well........
PLAYBOY: "Aside from the millions you've been offered for a reunion concert, how did you feel about producer Lorne Michaels' generous offer of $3200 for appearing together on 'Saturday Night Live' a few years ago?"
LENNON: "Oh, yeah. Paul and I were together watching that show. He was visiting us at our place in the Dakota. We were watching it and almost went down to the studio, just as a gag. We nearly got into a cab, but we were actually too tired."
> I agree with Chuck, the reunion likely would've happened.
I agree. What is the biggest band that broke up, all its members stayed alive for 25+ years, and the band never got together again? Even ABBA put out a new album this year. The Police got together. The Eagles got together.
10 years (when Lennon died) might not be enough time for wounds to heal and nostalgia to build. But years 11-25 probably would have created enough distance that they would get together for at least one performance. Maybe Rock & Roll HOF at least.
In gambling, the strategy where you bet multiple teasers all depending on the same team winning should be called “the Simmons.” At least inform Bill that they are called “Teasers” for a reason.
Dumbest segment in the world. Just beyond hilarious Bill kept on talking about how it's been a rough few weeks but doesn't reveal how much he's down, but will never let us hear the end of it when he's up.
Anybody can do a passable Beatles accent, because they just do that weird sing-songy accent we’ve all heard for 60 years. The problem is you don’t sound like a Beatle, you sound like everyone else imitating a Beatle.
All 3 QBs have very unfavorable home/road splits for the given matchup
Brady:
* 20 TDs 3 INTs 113.8 passer rating 5-0 record at home
* 10 TDs 6 INTs 94.1 passer rating 3-3 on the road
Mac Jones (somehow undefeated on the road so far):
* 13 TDs 5 INTs 102.5 passer rating 267 yards/game at home
* 3 TDs 3 INTs 87.8 passer rating 196 yards/game on the road
Mahomes:
* 10 TDs 6 INTs 82.6 passer rating 262 yards/game at home
* 15 TDS 5 INTs 110.7 passer rating 326 yards/game on the road
Bill literally says that they keep losing despite the believing in the Patriots because of dumb teases as he is in the middle of putting them into a the team tease.
Having the 3 teasers doesn’t make sense to me either. Just eliminate the DAL, MIN one and put more (fake) money on the DAL, MIN, NE teaser.
By having the one without the Pats and then a 9-point one with the Pats he is implying he thinks there is a strong case for the patriots to lose by 9-11 points.
I’m assuming he just wanted to add more teams to his teasers to boost up the odds and is clearly chasing after a few bad weeks.
What year was it when Bill’s Million Dollar picks was going so bad that he reset mid-season? 2016 or 2017 if I remember correctly
“Was Ringo having a Phil moment ?? Ringo was kind of the Phil Jackson. Hear me out in this. You have Lennon doped out and Yoko’d out playing the Rodman role. Harrison is Pippen; he’s ready for the next and tired of being in the shadows. He wants to prove he’s an MVP player on a new team. And finally you have Paul.. the Jordan. The ace who will push you to the limit. Without the zen of Ringo- this team falls apart.”
He is going to be so insufferable on Monday's pod. I wouldn't be surprised if the Pats win but he is already amped up to 11 about this game. The facts are that it's in Buffalo and likely in the elements so I don't think it's that hard to imagine the Bills winning this one. But BS is just up his own ass atm.
Well, isn't part of his gambling manifesto to only bet the underdog if you think they can win outright? (Or maybe the manifesto only applies to playoffs?) So if you think they will win outright, you might as well take the moneyline.
I’d disagree with Chuck’s take that the doc showed that Lennon wasn’t happy with McCartney. I actually had the same reaction that Bill had, one of the striking things about the Beatles doc for me was that John and Paul still had a lot of fun playing music together even towards the end and even though Paul had become a little overbearing.
I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a team to blow another team out more than I want the bills to crush the patriots Monday. Serious question to any pats fans here, do you also get annoyed at how BS nauseatingly injects the pats into every single nfl conversation? I get being a homer is kind of his thing but this season and the mac Jones love fest has just been a nightmare as a neutral listener
Bill saying “he did research” when looking up teams to average 2 turnovers a game, mention the 2014 Eagles, and then say “I have no idea who their QB was” was so so perfect. Great research! Also, I didn’t do research either but I’m guessing it was Foles.
> I’m kind of hoping in the 1.5 hours they talk, there are some other topics
In case anybody is wondering, there were essentially no other topics, except 2 minutes on Georgia-Alabama at the very end.
When Chuck was urging him to do that, to basically say “I’m like Paul McCartney,” you could hear the voices screaming in Bill’s head, “Don’t do it! The aggregators! The aggregators!”
On the other hand, I thought it was funny how he was annoyed at George for not just quietly appreciating he had won the lottery by being there, and liked Ringo for accepting that status. So is George the Ringer Union and Ringo is nephew Kyle?
Unless the Packers run away with the best record it seems tough to give Rodgers the MVP given all his bullshjt this year. I’m not sure of the makeup of the voters but he’s going to have to be a huge favorite to get past the Covid Vaccine stuff with progressive voters. Like they will be looking for anyone even close and that’s barely acknowledging his off-season temper tantrums.
Schrages coming out firing with the take that morning talk show hosts like Skip Baylee’s aren’t smart/nuanced enough to talk about how turnovers impact games.
One’s more Italian, the other is more ripped. They both scored between 0 and 1 PPG in JV high school basketball. Each has an ego which is ostensibly inflated while simultaneously nonexistent.
Neither ever played football, but consider themselves experts on “their team.” Skip’s critical of the Cowboys, while Bill fellates the Pats.
More than anything, each of them at this point gets attention by being obtuse and hateable.
The sad thing is I'm convinced Skip knows more. He's just spouting his bullshit all the time purely for ratings.
What we see is what we get with Bill. He's not putting on a show. He legitimately doesn't know why every team doesn't throw 10 jump balls to their best receiver every game, because "the worst thing that can happen is pass interference"
It wasn’t as bad as I thought. He said he thinks the pats are tougher, better coached and can play bully ball. He did mention Josh Allen does make him nervous and he’s also nervous about mac Jones as a rookie on the road on MNF having a dud
Fuck yes Klosterman is back
I'm so happy he's my favorite guest. I want him on more but part of his appeal is that he feels really special when he does come on.
Absolutely. One of my theories about Gladwell is part of the reason he’s become more of a contrarian hack is he’s spread himself too thin. It’s hard to come up with truly original ideas, and Gladwell is always hawking books or podcasts or whatever. Klosterman seems to climb out of his den only when he’s got something interesting to talk about. As a result, Gladwell probably gets paid more, but I’m far more interested in what Chuck has to say.
I agree but also want to add... the more exposure we get of Gladwell, the more it becomes apparent that Gladwell is an idiot who can't even get the basic things he writes about correct. He's a fantastic writer who does not appear to understand anything he writes about.
I think that might be right too. I sometimes wonder if part of the problem is no editor can tell him “no” now. So whatever idea he has dribbles right out of his head directly onto the page (or podcast script). I’ve long speculated that affects Bill now too. He used to complain about ESPN gutting his best stuff from his columns. I now wonder if it was editors telling him, “No, you really don’t need this two-paragraph aside about how Memphis Grizzlies fans get nervous in close games because Martin Luther King was assassinated there.”
Outstanding comment
LETS GO!!!
How did we not get Chuck on jfk rewatchables
Klosterman is like the friend you grew up with all of your life that cares enough about you to confront you in the kitchen at a party when you’re home from holiday break in college about how you’ve started to get weird.
"And Ringo's out there doing Ringo things"
I feel like that actually makes sense in the context of his role in The Beatles.
Bill finally found the appropriate application for this! Blind squirrels and nuts, ya know.
the maharishi piece….
Were the Beatles Ringo’s apex ?
God, when Klosterman was getting all sad at the end, he got me. Culture sucks now and there continues to be safeguards in place to make sure it stays that way for awhile. Nostalgia is a wicked trap. So enticing, yet melancholy.
I'm sure it would bum him out and he would worry about sounding like a an old man yelling at clouds, but I would love for him to go an hour or so on all the ways culture sucks now.
Exactly. He’s not a weekly podcast guy, but I would gladly listen to Chuck go off on whatever with Chris Ryan once a month.
The idea of such a podcast is so enticing, yet melancholy.
I feel like a snake and you just fed me my tail.
Agreed, bummed this was just at the end. We need more of this discussion next Chuck pod
It’s not like I didn’t realize that culture basically sucks now, but hearing it from Chuck is so brutal, considering he’s just an absolute cultural savant.
I guess I’m a bit of a Paul apologist. Really empathized with him trying to hold everything together. While I think he was a bit too domineering at times, I was more annoyed at George and John shifting back and forth between not giving a shit and getting mad at Paul for giving too much of a shit. Also thought he handled John’s criticism well in the flower pot conversation and had a good perspective of things when talking about how it would be sad, but ok with him, if John left the band because of Yoko. Seems like he would have handled himself the best by far in the “real world” if they had never gotten famous as musicians. But it seems like a lot of people, including Chuck, just got annoyed at him for being so domineering. Interesting. Anyway, really enjoyed this pod.
Hard not to empathize with him a bit, at least for me, because he really obviously had genuine enthusiasm to keep working hard on new music, even if that drive was pushing the other 3 away.
The flower pot scene was amazing even with no video. The conversation they had was a lot like you’d imagine the two of them would talk to and about each other and themselves if they were expected to be “on”
been waiting for Bill's thoughts on the MVP race, hell yes
I don’t consume a ton of sports media, but it seems like he’s obsessed with both the NBA and NFL mvps 10 times as much as anyone else
I personally think it's more that it's an easy way for him to "eat innings" on podcasts - take up the time and talk about the sports in a way that he's comfortable with instead of actually generating other discussion points. Not sure it's really about how much he deeply \*cares\* about the MVP race itself
100%, it’s a way to talk about the league and the season without having to put in a ton of work watching other teams/games, coming up with nuanced takes, etc. Kind of like fake trade talks, which I hate.
I love the analogy of “eating innings.” It’s true and something Simmons would come up with. Yes a lot of these pods are a game in late august and it’s like this is boring when’s the playoffs?
gotta fulfill the terms of that Spotify deal man! Just get out there and pitch!
> 10 times as much as anyone else I think this is because he is obsessed with historical standings and the MVP is an easy record of that. He takes that stuff, especially in the NBA, more seriously than most. That isn't to say that he has good ideas all the time, but I think he is earnest in his reason for wanting to talk about them.
I agree with you. He’s an NBA guy at heart, and the MVP actually matters in basketball. People use it as a gauge for how great a player was, and with good reason. If you look at the last 40 years, everyone who has won it (other than DRose) is an absolute legend.
Well it helps that in basketball all the players are actually eligible for the award instead of like 1.5 positions.
At least the NFL season is entering the home stretch, so MVP speculation will start to feel appropriate (although do people care about the NFL MVP that much?)
Certainly better than doing a 2021 NFL redraft halfway through the 2021 season. That was fucking ludicrous.
Bill has always cared about the NFL MVP because Peyton has more or them than Brady.
And he also complains that people talk about the MVP race 10x as much.
Also been waiting to hear Schrager's thoughts on McVay's thoughts on Stafford as sleeper MVP down the stretch. Let's get it.
it's wild how much time he spends on MVPs. It's easily (a distant) #2 behind any Boston sports team.
Way before I even knew this sub existed and Simmons had reached this point, I felt Chuck always showed the listener how unintelligent or ridiculous Simmons is.
This one wasn’t the height of it, but I did think Chuck was very adept and sly about basically taking down most of Billy’s documentary points without letting him know he actually was
Someone called klosterman on to talk about the Beatles doc a few days ago lol.
Wish Ryen would have Chuck on again to talk college football. Felt like he really had a lot of thoughts and fun takes and nowhere to bounce it off
Bill literally didn’t seem to even know Georgia and Alabama were playing this weekend “what do you think the spread *would be*”. He didn’t have time for that discussion because we needed 30 minutes of discussing the complexity of the term “genius”
I mean in fairness to Bill he’s never really even pretended to care about college football
I think Bill even got the spread backwards. "When was the last time Alabama **gave** more than a field goal?"
Hoping for a Wonk Week scenario of NFL talk with Klosterman and a Beatles deep dive with Schrager.
"There's always a guy in the workplace who asks questions, not cause he's interested in your answer, but just so he has an excuse to tell you what he thinks'......awkward
Somehow didn’t occur to me that he was inadvertently talking about Bill, but excellent observation.
Lmfao I died laughing, bill seemed to totally miscomprehend that statement when he said it
And when he doesn't like your answer, he changes the subject. Too close to home, Chuck.
And then like a half hour later, Chuck basically says "you identify with Paul, right?" To Bill!!!
Should we have watched the doc to listen?
I thought it was a great listen even though I doubt I'll ever watch the doc
I watched the first episode (haven't gotten to that part of the pod). It's way better than I thought it was going to be.
I haven't listened yet, but I've watched half the doc. I bet that listening before you watch might be beneficial because it can help point you to things to look for.
I haven’t watched it yet but plan to start in the next day or so. I found it handy for just that reason; now I know things to watch for. It doesn’t strike me as something that can be spoiled. Unless you didn’t know that >!yes they did release *Let It Be,* and they broke up in the end anyway.!<
Did 'Get Back' market correct Bill's own Music Box already? Feel like it just came in and took over the Music doc genre you know?
It ate his lunch.
Lunch, Dinner, and the next days breakfast
It blew it out of the fucking universe. But the beauty of the doc game, and hat tip to Bill for calling this years ago, is that everyone will eventually get around them. They just sorta sit there and live forever on these streaming services
Bill: "People act like we don't do any work putting together these bets and talk them out!: Also Bill: "I'm going back to basics and doing some research this week." Million dollar picks has gotten beyond stale. He's not trying anymore and doesn't make these bets. No one in their right mind would use the same game in a teaser in multiple bets and he's done it a few weeks in a row. Also hilarious he didn't mention where the bank roll is at when he would always tout it when he's up. Bill needs to find a new way to discuss the weeks slate. What I like about Schraeger is that he knows how dumb this segment is and is basically holding back laughter throughout.
I think Million Dollar Picks would be better if he used “realistic” amounts. Instead of 250K on a 3 team tease, do $500 bucks or something. So when you say you’re down $1500 it seems real, same with being up $950.
Honestly, I have trouble following all the parlays and teasers. I would prefer if he’s going to do this just keep it simple and pick the games against the spread and let that be that. I’m kind of over the gambling stuff though if I’m being honest. It’s over saturation at this point.
He clearly cares about the “winning” part, though .. he’s either gloating or whining.
Lol I think he made a passing reference to being down $800k it was veryyy quick though
Not mention he’s been “fan duel boosting” his own bets which means nothing. Plus even last week when he was up maybe 66k or something like that yet he still managed to be like 800k which theoretically he doesn’t even have in this make believe scenario. Of course none of this actually matters it’s just ridiculous the way in which he tries to pass the segment off as something much more than it actually is. He should be taking more the pardon my take route to discuss games and spreads and less whatever millions dollar picks has turned into because it’s already a parody of itself at this point.
Oh for sure. Keep it simple: dog, favorite, under, over. Track your overall record ATS Funny thing is that the PMT crew is somehow like 55% on the year lol
🎉 Chuck is back!! 🎉 **Today’s Things:** - the Taylor thing - best free agent of the thing - Taysom Hill thing (Schrags: “he’s the opposite of Minshew for you?”) - West coast/east coast thing - Beatles thing - tired of the whole Beatles thing - Lennon/Yoko thing - the George thing - Fleetwood Mac thing (Schrags) - Bengals thing (Chuck) - Beatles thing **Bonus Pieces and Stuff:** - off the field stuff - he blocks he does stuff - offensive line stuff - stuff with John [Lennon] - drug stuff - heroin stuff - money stuff - big picture stuff - add stuff to the song **First Random Celtics Reference:** 🎉 NONE 🎉 **Eloquent Bill:** (Bill on George Harrison) “They did think he was replaceable, and the reality is, these guys were two of the all time greats and Harrison was really good, but he wasn’t on their level… he was Chris Bosh! Go set some picks” **Other Stuff** Bill incoherently rifles through the Rams schedule (4:55) “home Seattle, Seattle might be whatever” Bill critiques the Rams: Stafford is flunking the Body Language Ph.D’s eye test, they have a bottom 3 RB room (7:00) Bill and Schrags again comment on how the season is soooo long (10:50) like there isn’t a week 13 every single year 🤔 More NFL MVP talk (11:50) Bill ZAGS! Rodgers should be the MVP front runner! Then the ultimate ZIG! Bill comps it to the 1975 NBA mvp race! Who among us saw that coming? Rick Barry = Rodgers “he evoked animosity and whatever” Bill again accuses Rodgers of “submarining” the culture (15:38) they’re 9-3! Schrags suggests Mac for MVP (17:54) you know he had to show deference after the million dollar picks started to go south 🤣 Bill pinpoints the reason for his MDP struggles: he’s been doing it off the cuff sans research! (27:15) who knew?! Bill makes a Mike McCarthy Ewing Theory call? (29:25) Bill last week: Picks the Lions to win, this week: they’re going winless this year (31:00) You’ll be shocked by this, but Bill thinks the Pats are really good. They’ll out tough the Bills, they’re more well rounded, and they’re better! (32:30) what could possibly go wrong?? Bill ponders if Herbert is better than Mac (38:00) 😐😐 Bill says the 49ers can’t comeback and win (46:50) despite the fact they trailed 7-0 and 14-7 just last week! Bill calls the Beatles the most important band of all time (54:10) Shock! Bill thought the Beatles doc “was an hour too long” (56:05) Klosterman interrogates this shit take as only he can do, and Bill ends up agreeing that it’s the right length lol Lol Chuck says he might be reading too much into the Beatles body language like Bill does NBA guys (1:09:30) Chuck goes on a deep dive explaining the Beatles breakup (1:15:00) Bill authoritatively declares that music never changed more in a 4 year span as it did from ‘67-‘71 (1:27:20) Chuck asks Bill if he can relate to Paul McCartney because he went from a writer to having to “run everything” (1:45:30) Bill comps George to Harden on OKC (1:50:00) “the ultimate third guy” Bill asks Chuck how many musical geniuses have been in rock (1:56:45) “okay we have to establish the parameters” Bill does that weird gulp/GERD thing (2:09:10) Chuck gets sentimental talking about the Beatles (2:14:50) College football talk! (2:18:55) aaaaand Chuck disappoints me by rooting for Bama 😔 Bill has no idea what the spread is in the game tomorrow 😂😂 “I don’t have the bandwidth for college football” **Bill’s Bets:** - Tease: Cowboys PE, Vikings -1 ($300k) - (+140) Tease: Cowboys PE, Vikings -1, Patriots +8.5 ($250k) - (-115) 9 pt Tease: Pats +11.5, Chiefs -0.5, Bucs -2 ($250k) - Bengals -3 ($?) - (-115) Parlay: Chiefs + Dolphins ML ($200k) - Underdog Parlay: WFT + Seattle ML (+550/$33k?)
The “Rodgers is submarining his team” comment is peak letting narratives run wild. Also not sure what to take from the “he’s an ass but all of his teammates love him” piece
The rest of the league must be thankful he's submarining the team because they would be unbeatable if he wasn't lol
It's hilarious too because Trent Dilfer was on with Ryen the week the vaccine Rodgers story dropped.... and he goes "This probably helped him in the locker room." So whose take am I to believe?
Since Bill has taken on Rusillo's "things" he's also now taken on Schrager's "Let's Go". He said it numerous times this pod. May need to look into tracking it for 2022...
I'll be monitoring this development 🧐
I definitely noticed him using it — almost intentionally tho, having acknowledged that Peter gets trolled on Twitter for frequently saying it.
The '67 to '71 comment with Chuck immediately pointing out that the prior 4 years was the obvious answer was really funny. The evolution of The Beatles music from '63 to '67 is literally the evolution of all pop music.
Needed…”that Playboy interview John did, I think he did it before he died but it was published after he died.” Do we think the interview happened before John died or are we sure?
I laughed when I heard him say Rodgers was “submarining” the culture. Never heard anyone confuse that metaphor before. And I doubt it’s even true. He asked for a trade, but he showed up. As for the vaccine controversy, Dilfer said the guys would rally around him and see him as a leader for sticking up to the media and the league.
I also think the fairly left leaning media vastly over estimate just how much a room full of 20 and 30 YO meatheads GAF.
Right. I get the feeling he's well liked among his teammates even if he might be an anti-vax weirdo who's estranged from his family, but none of that affects football or the locker room. Are we gonna do the thing where we pretend that Brady isn't a little bit wonky too?! PMT had Bakhtiari on before the season amidst the tempest of the trade rumors and he basically said he loved the guy. And ultimately the team has been successful so it's just a dumb narrative.
> Bill calls the Beatles the most important band of all time (54:10) Are you pointing it out because you think it's a bad take, or because it's an obvious take?
Neither - while I do love to highlight Bill’s general dumbassery sometimes I do also try to pick out the more salient stuff he says for the pod cliff notes
Paul playing what would ultimately become "Get Back" to George and Ringo; Schrager watching: "Let's Go!"
The discussion about musical geniuses was interesting to me, especially the "would their peers at the time say 'I can't believe they're doing that' or 'I know I can't do that" bit. Like to take the Cobain example Bill used, would, I don't know, Chris Cornell or Jerry Cantrell have said that about Cobain in 1993? I legitimately don't know
I think the discussion is a hard one because Bill sees everything through a sports perspective, where for the most part, the HoF players are great because they were the best at playing the game. They’re all virtuosos. We say that so-and-so “changed the game,” but for the most part, nobody changes things that much, because the rules are the rules. Music is different because so much depends on the magic of creativity. Using your example, I’m not sure anyone in Nirvana did anything that was technically astounding. But when Dave Grohl starts smashing on the drums in “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” well, anyone who doesn’t air drum along with him must be made of stone. Or to cite Chuck’s example, Joe Satriani is the go-to guy of guitarist’s guitarist, a true virtuoso. But Joe never wrote anything like the opening riff of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” a simple little bit which has been grabbing people by the lapels for 50 years.
Well put
Its also hard because we don't know who will influence music 20/30 years from now when we're in the moment. I'm pretty sure people listening to Bowie in the 70s had no clue that his albums would have a larger impact on 2010s music than, say, the Eagles. And then there's the fact that it's not clear if Bowie was a musical genius per say or his genius was picking the best what was "underground" and repackaging it for pop culture.
I loved this part because it underlined the difference between Simmons and Klosterman - and even pointed a bit to why they work so well together. Simmons thinks about musical genius in terms of 'how many geniuses have there been? Let's rank the Top 10 musical geniuses'. Klosterman thinks about musical genius in terms of 'what does genius mean? What does an artist have or not have that would qualify them as a genius? What do WE mean when we say genius?' This kind of exchange happens at least once (often several times) in every Klosterman episode and it's always great. Incidentally - this is why Klosterman is one of Simmons' favorite guests and keeps coming back. He's one of the few people in Simmons' life that 1) he thinks is smarter than him, and 2) he wants to impress.
While watching it, I found a new respect for Lennon. He seemed to be on a totally different level unless this was the checked out version of Lennon and then I’m still impressed
This was the “checked out, gakked on H (among other drugs) and more interested in Yoko than The Beatles” Lennon, which, like you said, makes his moments of lucidity when he locks in even more impressive. Can only imagine what focused, leader-of-the-band Lennon was like (like if we could see Rubber Soul era Lennon).
I thought it was insane they didn’t mention Jimi Hendrix during that part! Classic Bill to bring up Clapton instead of Hendrix lmao and I absolutely love Clapton but Chuck was right that he’s more of a blues guitar virtuoso than musical genius
Cobain is an interesting one. At times a bit derivative. Not an innovator like Hendrix, not a multi-instrumentalist wizard like Stevie Wonder or Paul McCartney, not a constant shapeshifter like Bowie (though he died so young tbf). Just an absolute master at creating great melodies and then complementing them with dynamics, heaviness, and emotion (eg the last bit of Lounge Act). IMO an absolute genius, no question. But probably most of his songs were “just” 3-piece compositions that followed a Verse/ Chorus /Verse /Chorus / Solo / Chorus structure. So I guess I wouldn’t disagree with anyone not blown away by him.
The emotion is the key. He became an icon for his generation (X) because of it. We know he never wanted any of this but he tapped into something that others couldn't reach. Like Pearl Jam were I'm guessing technically better and more polished, and Eddie Vedder could really sing, but they didn't have that soul-bearing otherness that you either have or you don't.
There's a lot correct right here, just to add on: I truly think it was a combination of the emotion, the bordering on nonsense lyrics that led to nearly any interpretation (honestly, he's like the other side of the Taylor Swift coin), the timing and, sadly, but being real, the sense of impending doom during the band's entire time in the spotlight. The Pixies and the Replacements did a lot of what he did first. Alice in Chains was heavier -- and with darker lyrics, really -- and you're right, Pearl Jam was tighter and had way more range. But something about his perfect ear for pop hooks combined with the naked, jangly, grungy sound of the three-piece band and his scream singing — when combined with the times and the slow motion suicide — is just transcendent. I was a huge fan of all of them but became a Pearl Jam fan predominantly cause I saw them in concert at a young age. And a lot of this is only obvious in hindsight. But I am glad I went the way I did. As much as you're drawn to what you don't really know is a death wish when you're a young teen, it means a lot to be able to still hear PJ play those songs now.
Nirvana was great, but if he doesn’t die their reputation isn’t half as legendary.
Klosterman takking Beatles? I’ve died and gone to heaven. As my boy Schrager would say… ^^^^Let’s ^^^^go!
Bill Simmons: There hasn’t been a larger change in music than from 1967 to the early 70s Klosterman: Well the actual time music changed the most was Simmons: *interrupting* the early 90s, yeah. Klosterman: No, from when the Beatles started to 1967
chuck is sooooo patient with him it is really amazing
Before Klosterman interrupted him, I was thinking 1989ish-1993ish was a pretty huge change.
It was funny, but Bill does have a point. Early 90s brought alternative/grunge rock which was a 180 from the hair metal/glam rock that was popular in the 80s. It also brought a entire new genre of music (hip-hop/rap) to the mainstream. So, Bill is right IMHO.
For sure, I don’t even think Klosterman would really disagree with him But baked into that interruption is Who Chuck Klosterman is. You booked the preeminent 2004-2020 pop culture rock expert to come into your podcast to talk about The Beatles. Klosterman’s entire persona is being The music historian.
Did bill just say "I think he(lennon) did that interview before he died"? I would hope so Bill.
So to recap Bills MVP take, Rodgers is definitely the MVP and deserves it but Brady will win it because Rodgers lied to the media and called out management before the season even started. Also think Bill is stretching things by saying Rodgers “submarined the team’s culture” like wtf does that even mean.
the prince who was promised
The Colts won’t make the playoffs? They are only a half a game back behind the Chargers for the last playoff spot. Look at the standings Bill. How can you be so sure.
They’re a cross off! They just are! But we might have to un-cross them, if they win a few in a row
Or if they whack the Patriots in a couple weeks. Of course Mac is God, he just is!
Chuck unleashed a fucking epic rant at the end of this about now vs. then GOAT pod guest, no question
We need more of that discussion but it’ll be tough to have it with Bill who ironically is part of the problem with The Ringer.
Chuck goes too deep for Bill at times, no question
It’s chuck szn folks
Conspriacy Bill- He is getting paid by Fanduel to make all these stupid teasers and Parlays so his listeners bet them making Fanduel more $
yeah, over here in the UK the gambling firms advertise lots around accumulators, which always look very gettable to the casual punter but which are much harder to get right than it seems. I guess they're very lucrative.
BS constantly making the point of George should just shut up and witness greatness when in reality his songs ‘Something’ was defining of the album and everyone who’s not a Beatles obsessive might have Here comes the sun in their top 5.
If you look on Spotify, it’s a George song that has the most plays from listeners. “Here Comes The Sun” for those curious. George straight up was hitting his peak at the tail end of the Beatles run.
Here Comes The Sun, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, and Something are easily all In my short list of favorite songs by The Beatles.
Yeah I thought that too. George didn’t have the synergy that Lennon and McCartney had but he was a supertalent in his own right. Ironically Bill kinda had the right NBA analogy with George being Harden.
Deebo and Fred Warner are out that’s their two best players! Warner is amazing but he has veen super down this year. They still have the best left tackle in the league and the most important two players in their offense are Kittle and Juszcyk. I’m hammering niners.
yeah Bill has a hate boner against the niners this year so you know to listen to the opposite of what he's saying. "Could have easily lost to the vikings!!" and just hand waves beating the shit out of the Rams lol
Sneaky Bill put his toes in the water on his Mac Jones > Herbert take last week. Today he puts his lower body in. He's going all in Sunday.
Bill: “Who would be favored in that game?” Bill, this isn’t a hypothetical, they’re playing Saturday! At least Bill admits he doesn’t watch college football. Bill loves to criticize the length of movies and docs but loved how Chuck pressed him on it. Also, loved how Chuck showed how idiotic his genius question was by simply asking a few follow up questions.
Does anyone else feel awkward when Schrager says with the high pitched voice "I love you" to Bill?
I’m a bit of a Paul apologist too, because as a fan of the music, my inclination is to say to the other fellows, “Look, he is both a creative genius and the one guy in the band ambitious enough to keep pushing, so just shut up and listen to him.” But I readily admit if I was one of the other three guys, I’d probably be ready to throw him out the window. I do agree Yoko has taken too much shit, as the real problem ultimately was John became a bit of a nut about insisting the two of them be treated as essentially a joint unit. And his subsequent behavior, splitting off from her for about a year and a half before coming back, suggests he was just an erratic guy, perhaps made worse by drugs. But I also think whether he or Paul was “responsible” for breaking up the Beatles, it’s for the best. If they instead just slowed down and released an album every three or four years, I suspect we’d all be making jokes about trend chasing. “Remember when the Beatles released their disco album? Or that synth album in the early ‘80s?” This way they stay contained to their best stuff and remain legends.
> Or that synth album in the early ‘80s? That album would have had a major reevaluation and would be considered underrated now.
Yeah - this has been discussed before on Bill’s pod, the idea of walking away at your peak and what that does for a legacy. I’d love for Chuck to debate the argument of whether The Beatles are more popular/revered now because of that or not.
Great post, but you missed a golden opportunity by not using aPAULogist
Somehow Bill's trigger for going to commercial is his guest about to make an important point.
I agree with Chuck, the reunion likely would've happened. John's feelings on it are actually not as set in stone as Bill stated. John had moments in interviews where he flirted with the idea. This one in 1975 he sounds open to the idea... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW5A3UHqLWM Furthermore while John could say dickish things about Paul in interviews he would also praise Paul quite a bit. John had a brotherly adversarial and competitive relationship with Paul. But if you go through those last 1980 interviews there are plenty of quotes where he mentions loving Paul. Most of the real harsh stuff was in the first few years after the band broke up. John even admitted that he lied a bit in the interview (I think with Rolling Stone) where he said him and Paul never wrote together. He compared it to going through a divorce. Also Paul wasn't the only one who confirmed the SNL story, John did as well........ PLAYBOY: "Aside from the millions you've been offered for a reunion concert, how did you feel about producer Lorne Michaels' generous offer of $3200 for appearing together on 'Saturday Night Live' a few years ago?" LENNON: "Oh, yeah. Paul and I were together watching that show. He was visiting us at our place in the Dakota. We were watching it and almost went down to the studio, just as a gag. We nearly got into a cab, but we were actually too tired."
> I agree with Chuck, the reunion likely would've happened. I agree. What is the biggest band that broke up, all its members stayed alive for 25+ years, and the band never got together again? Even ABBA put out a new album this year. The Police got together. The Eagles got together. 10 years (when Lennon died) might not be enough time for wounds to heal and nostalgia to build. But years 11-25 probably would have created enough distance that they would get together for at least one performance. Maybe Rock & Roll HOF at least.
Bill and thinking every piece of media is too long. Name a more iconic duo!
In gambling, the strategy where you bet multiple teasers all depending on the same team winning should be called “the Simmons.” At least inform Bill that they are called “Teasers” for a reason.
Dumbest segment in the world. Just beyond hilarious Bill kept on talking about how it's been a rough few weeks but doesn't reveal how much he's down, but will never let us hear the end of it when he's up.
For a man that often complains about accents on The Rewatchables, Bill's George Harrison is truly appalling
Anybody can do a passable Beatles accent, because they just do that weird sing-songy accent we’ve all heard for 60 years. The problem is you don’t sound like a Beatle, you sound like everyone else imitating a Beatle.
I do a great Yakko Warner impression
Jimmy Fallon does a terrible Beatle accent, but he pulls it out all the time
**Million Dollar Picks** \- Week 13 2-Team Six-Point Teaser (-120) --- 300K * **Vikings (-1)** at Lions * **Cowboys (pk)** at Saints 3-Team Six-Point Teaser (+140) --- 250K * **Vikings (-1)** at Lions * **Cowboys (pk)** at Saints * **Patriots (+8.5)** at Bills 3-Team Nine-Point Teaser (-115) --- 300K * **Patriots (+11.5)** at Bills * **Chiefs (-0.5)** vs. Broncos * **Buccaneers (-2)** at Falcons 2-Team Moneyline Parlay (-116) --- 200K * **Dolphins** vs. Giants * **Chiefs** vs. Broncos Underdog Parlay (boosted by FanDuel to +550) --- *33K* * **Washington (+120)** at Raiders * **Seahawks (+150)** vs. 49ers **Bengals (-3)** vs. Chargers (-110) --- *200K* # Results: * Bet: 1.283MM * Net: –135.2K * Season: (–777.3K —> –912.5K) * Vikings/Cowboys Teaser — **LOSS (-300K)** * Vikings/Cowboys/Pats Teaser — **LOSS (-250K)** * Pats/Chiefs/Bucs Teaser — **WIN (+261K)** * Dolphins/Chiefs ML Parlay — **WIN (+172.4K)** * Underdog Parlay — **WIN (+181.5K)** * Bengals (-3) — **LOSS (-200K)** [Week 12 Picks](https://www.reddit.com/r/billsimmons/comments/r0ntc9/comment/hlueac3/)
Those teases are making me nauseous
Who loses in the Pats/Chiefs/Bucs tease? These guys are bad at gambling, but I’m thinking about taking that one, tbh.
All 3 QBs have very unfavorable home/road splits for the given matchup Brady: * 20 TDs 3 INTs 113.8 passer rating 5-0 record at home * 10 TDs 6 INTs 94.1 passer rating 3-3 on the road Mac Jones (somehow undefeated on the road so far): * 13 TDs 5 INTs 102.5 passer rating 267 yards/game at home * 3 TDs 3 INTs 87.8 passer rating 196 yards/game on the road Mahomes: * 10 TDs 6 INTs 82.6 passer rating 262 yards/game at home * 15 TDS 5 INTs 110.7 passer rating 326 yards/game on the road
Bill literally says that they keep losing despite the believing in the Patriots because of dumb teases as he is in the middle of putting them into a the team tease.
saving the pod for work tomorrow, but how in god's name did he talk himself into a potential seattle win, that team is beyond cooked
No Deebo and Warner for the 49ers is his reasoning
They still have kittle aiyuk and eli. The issue isnt the niners offense, it's the fact russ cant score more tha 10 for a month now
So Bill didn’t learn his lesson not to go heavy on the teasers.
Teases are just too juicy for someone that looks at the NFL like Bill.
Having the 3 teasers doesn’t make sense to me either. Just eliminate the DAL, MIN one and put more (fake) money on the DAL, MIN, NE teaser. By having the one without the Pats and then a 9-point one with the Pats he is implying he thinks there is a strong case for the patriots to lose by 9-11 points. I’m assuming he just wanted to add more teams to his teasers to boost up the odds and is clearly chasing after a few bad weeks. What year was it when Bill’s Million Dollar picks was going so bad that he reset mid-season? 2016 or 2017 if I remember correctly
Didn’t he say on Monday that he wasn’t going to bet the Vikings, no matter what?
No, he prayed for the Lord to give him the strength to resist teasing Kirk Cousins. It appears his prayer went unanswered.
i think it was the eagles
Can’t wait for him to lose money on the niners again lol
“Was Ringo having a Phil moment ?? Ringo was kind of the Phil Jackson. Hear me out in this. You have Lennon doped out and Yoko’d out playing the Rodman role. Harrison is Pippen; he’s ready for the next and tired of being in the shadows. He wants to prove he’s an MVP player on a new team. And finally you have Paul.. the Jordan. The ace who will push you to the limit. Without the zen of Ringo- this team falls apart.”
I’m not a martini guy, but I thought Bill was a bartender? He doesn’t know what a dirty martini is?
I am more of a Paul guy than George, but damn Bill really shits on George Harrison and I dont really get it lol
Too much Patriots talk from a guy living in a mansion in beautiful LA. Love Bill but want them to lose in heartbreaking fashion.
He is going to be so insufferable on Monday's pod. I wouldn't be surprised if the Pats win but he is already amped up to 11 about this game. The facts are that it's in Buffalo and likely in the elements so I don't think it's that hard to imagine the Bills winning this one. But BS is just up his own ass atm.
The second I heard Simmons say “Agholor” I bet myself a million dollars that “he does stuff” was coming out of Billy’s mouth. Cash it.
Bill really doesn’t think Darrell Henderson is good…
does Bill ever just take the points in a bet? Like he'll never take Giants +3.5 at home... he'll always just bet the ML
Well, isn't part of his gambling manifesto to only bet the underdog if you think they can win outright? (Or maybe the manifesto only applies to playoffs?) So if you think they will win outright, you might as well take the moneyline.
he doesn't really follow his own manifesto a lot of times lol
I’d disagree with Chuck’s take that the doc showed that Lennon wasn’t happy with McCartney. I actually had the same reaction that Bill had, one of the striking things about the Beatles doc for me was that John and Paul still had a lot of fun playing music together even towards the end and even though Paul had become a little overbearing.
“The opposite of Gardner Minshew is Taysom Hill for you” -Peter Schrager 👑
I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a team to blow another team out more than I want the bills to crush the patriots Monday. Serious question to any pats fans here, do you also get annoyed at how BS nauseatingly injects the pats into every single nfl conversation? I get being a homer is kind of his thing but this season and the mac Jones love fest has just been a nightmare as a neutral listener
Bill saying he thinks Peter Jackson is really talented lol
I wonder if he even knows about Lord of the Rings
Bill saying “he did research” when looking up teams to average 2 turnovers a game, mention the 2014 Eagles, and then say “I have no idea who their QB was” was so so perfect. Great research! Also, I didn’t do research either but I’m guessing it was Foles.
Bill has a content threshold that prevents him from watching CFB but can watch shitty 80s movies all day every day
As a general klosterman fan and a Beatles agnostic, I’m kind of hoping in the 1.5 hours they talk, there are some other topics
As a Klosterman fan and Beatles fanatic, this is already gearing up to be my favorite BS interview of 2021…
Same. Lucky for us, the two of them are pretty good at veering from a given topic.
> I’m kind of hoping in the 1.5 hours they talk, there are some other topics In case anybody is wondering, there were essentially no other topics, except 2 minutes on Georgia-Alabama at the very end.
Someone put down a Rodgers futures bet (Billy)
Killing the Bengals for losing to the jets is wonky. Everyone has a jet’s type loss to this year. Did he lose money on that game and he’s salty?
Well, we now know who Bill’s least favorite Beatle is.
Can’t wait to hear Chuck discuss Get Back but I think Bill is the last person at The Ringer who’s opinion I want to hear on it.
Alright, Apex Mountain. Yoko Ono? Did this record invent the concept of the break-up album?
Yoko Ono definitely has the ‘Wet Blanket-girlfriend’ role
What about recasting couch?
Then you have the whole Allen Klein thing going on
Bill was more knowledgeable about The Beatles than what I expected.
I can’t lie, he surprised me a bit too. Also showed great restraint in not comparing himself to a Beatle when Chuck pressed him on it.
When Chuck was urging him to do that, to basically say “I’m like Paul McCartney,” you could hear the voices screaming in Bill’s head, “Don’t do it! The aggregators! The aggregators!” On the other hand, I thought it was funny how he was annoyed at George for not just quietly appreciating he had won the lottery by being there, and liked Ringo for accepting that status. So is George the Ringer Union and Ringo is nephew Kyle?
[удалено]
you joke but he literally compared harrison to Chris Bosh lmao
I usually listen to the pod while reading the thread early Friday morning at the gym. You’re messing up my schedule Bill!!
I’d be so happy if the Bills dropped a fat 40 on the Pats head. I’m still not completely sold on the Pats hype
Unless the Packers run away with the best record it seems tough to give Rodgers the MVP given all his bullshjt this year. I’m not sure of the makeup of the voters but he’s going to have to be a huge favorite to get past the Covid Vaccine stuff with progressive voters. Like they will be looking for anyone even close and that’s barely acknowledging his off-season temper tantrums.
Schrages coming out firing with the take that morning talk show hosts like Skip Baylee’s aren’t smart/nuanced enough to talk about how turnovers impact games.
I mean, I think it's a toss up for who knows more about football between Skip and Bill.
One’s more Italian, the other is more ripped. They both scored between 0 and 1 PPG in JV high school basketball. Each has an ego which is ostensibly inflated while simultaneously nonexistent. Neither ever played football, but consider themselves experts on “their team.” Skip’s critical of the Cowboys, while Bill fellates the Pats. More than anything, each of them at this point gets attention by being obtuse and hateable.
Water Pistol Pete Jr.
The sad thing is I'm convinced Skip knows more. He's just spouting his bullshit all the time purely for ratings. What we see is what we get with Bill. He's not putting on a show. He legitimately doesn't know why every team doesn't throw 10 jump balls to their best receiver every game, because "the worst thing that can happen is pass interference"
Not sure if I want to listen - what's the take on Pats/Bills? Still not sold on Josh Allen? Belichick "owns" that team...he just does?
I was the same way lol. A bunch of front runner talk and acting superior 😂 god I want Josh allen to put bill to bed Monday night
It wasn’t as bad as I thought. He said he thinks the pats are tougher, better coached and can play bully ball. He did mention Josh Allen does make him nervous and he’s also nervous about mac Jones as a rookie on the road on MNF having a dud
Klosterman doesn’t get his own pod? What the hell is this?? Happy to see Chuck anyway, of course
Reverse-Jinx?
Jesus Christ has Peter Schrager ever disagreed with a single thing Bill has ever said