Will Tyrus Thomas or Andrea Bargnani ever become reliable fantasy studs?Janet - That's the kind of information I would rather you tell me.
Sam - They feel more like 2nd-tier dudes to me, but you never know - coaching changes, trades, etc. can work alchemy on players, as you know. Bargnani seems a little more like a work in progress, so we will see.
Steve Alexander - Since this question was asked over a month ago, both players have pretty much blown up. Thomas is absolutely rolling right now, while Bargnani has had his highs and lows, but is generally offering nice value right now if you can handle the bad shooting percentage.
What comes to mind when you see the Rotoworld column entitled "Roundball Stew"? Speaking of Rotoworld, would you classify yourself as a junkie? Joanna - I definitely read Rotoworld, but I'm not a junkie. I only add/drop if one of my guys is injured, sucks, or just isn't playing enough.
Janet - I adore Rotoworld. It's my favorite website and I check it often. Yeah, I'm a junkie, although having a boyfriend cuts into my quality RT time. Steve, your columns are the best, the most personal, and quite reliable. I think Roundball Stew has been beaten to the ground already, no?
Sam - Far as I know, everyone in the league visits the site. After you joined the league, I looked around for a competing site to try to get alternative advice and info, but forget it. I know there was some back and forth on the Roundball Stew thing, and when I thought about it, it seemed a little absurd, but nothing wrong with that. "Roundball" is a weird, possibly stupid concept, though - like "Squarecube." It's that sort of super-nerd sportscaster jargon that is ridiculous, but also charming - like a toupee.
What is your dream word to post in a game of scrabble? Or better yet, do you recall the one you're most proud of?Joanna - Quizzing. It crossed two triple-word scores!
Janet - My bandmates are the brainy ones...good at Scrabble and crosswords. I'm just the drummer making a racket.
Where does Ty Chandler's punk move on Joel Przybilla's wrist rank in all-time punk moves made by an NBA player?Joanna - Well, with
Bruce Bowen's flying Karate kick to
Wally Szczerbiak's head being #1, and Kermit Washington's roundhouse punch being #2, Bowen probably still takes #s 3,4 and 5 with assorted ankle-breakers, um...#6?
Janet - Pretty high I guess. Top 20 maybe? I still think
Charles Barkley miming the phrase "s--- my d---" to the Portland crowd was the most punk move I'd ever seen.
Sam - It doesn't even really make the list. Have you read
"The Punch"?
What songs have you not covered yet, but want to? Janet - I hope to someday cover the
Overature from Tommy, by the Who...would have to be Quasi I guess.
Joanna -
Kids of the Black Hole by Adolescents, or One of These Days by Pink Floyd.
Steve Alexander - Ironically, as I was typing this up, my wife paused her episode of TMZ and left the room. I picked up the remote to change the channel and noticed that Max, the blonde, surfer dude my wife is infatuated with, was wearing an Adolescents shirt. That's pretty weird.
What was the first concert you attended? What was the first record you remember owning?Joanna - First concert was The Who with Three Dog Night opening when I was five years old. First records were a bunch of 45's my uncle's girlfriend gave me. I remember liking "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by The Who. It was a b-side, don't even remember what the single was. There was also "A Little Bit of Soul" by the Music Explosion and "Talk Talk" by the Music Machine.
Steve Alexander - I believe Jekyll and Hyde was the b-side for
I Can See For Miles.
Janet - My first concert was David Bowie at the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles. I was in 5th grade. My first record was a 7" by The DeFranco Family, called "Heartbeat It's a Lovebeat."
Sam - I saw Yes in the Round, '79, L.A. Sports Arena and Aerosmith "Rocks" was my first record.
What music are you listening to these days? Janet - Blitzen Trapper!!! For real, I still love the record
Furr, even after listening to it a million times.
Sam - Mid '70's Zambian rock...Amanaz, Chrissy Zebby Tembo, The Peace, The Witch. Also Sic Alps.
What projects are you guys working on? What can we look forward to in the next year?Janet - New Jicks, new Quasi, hopefully by the end of 09, maybe early 2010.
Sam - Quasi recording in April. Double LP by my prog/psych band Pink Mountain coming out in spring. In the middle of project with Spencer Hella Seim, coming out this year? Musical director of Ensemble Is, LP out pretty soon. Who knows what else? It's good to keep working.
Your thoughts on indie bands selling songs for commercial use?Janet - I'm pretty indifferent about songs in movies or TV shows. I wouldn't be so quick to sell one for an ad though, mostly because it annoys me to hear tracks I like in that context. I feel like advertising makes music socially important and diminishes a song's cultural power. But I realize folks gotta eat and try not to judge too harshly.
Sam - I understand it, but hate it, sure. On the other hand, if you don't watch TV, how would you even know? But I have seen Iggy Pop used on Royal Caribbean Cruise, though - it doesn't make me hate "Lust for Life" or Iggy, and it doesn't make me think Royal Caribbean is rad; something about it is irritating, but mostly I feel stone ambivalence. It's hard for most musicians to make enough money to survive – I'm not talking about getting rich - so TV commercials & teenage movies reap the benefits. Corporate Capitalism eats cultural rebellion for breakfast - I think even like Iggy's "Search & Destroy" was used in a car commercial. But some of these songs/musicians are so flaccid and mainstream to begin with that their stuff pretty much belongs in McDonalds commercials or whatever, and I'm sure there are plenty of musicians out there who are basically comfortable with the socio-economic status quo and don't even have qualms about this sort of thing. Personally, I don't think I know any, but I'm sure they are out there.
There are plenty of bands represented in our league. What are your favorite songs by Pavement, Built to Spill, Sleater Kinney and the Grails? In addition, any favorites by Elliott Smith, Lou Barlow or Zeppelin?Joanna - Too hard! Always changing but here's what came to mind at this particular moment; Pavement's
Father to a Sister of Thought, Built To Spill's
Velvet Waltz, Sleater-Kinney's
Ballad of a Ladyman, the Grails are awesome live, Elliott's
Southern Belle, Barlow's
The Freed Pig and Zeppelin's
Out on the Tiles.
Janet - Pavement -
Stop Breathing, BTS -
Velvet Waltz, Elliott Smith -
Ballad of Big Nothing, Led Zeppelin -
Misty Mountain Hop Best live act going right now?Joanna - The Cribs!
Janet - Any band where I get to watch Zach Hill (of Hella) play drums.
Sam - I'm not really qualified to comment...maybe Boris?
What is the best thing about living in Portland?Joanna - It always smells nice.
Janet - Drinking free lattes at Stumptown under a gray sky.
Sam - My friends.
There you have it. Hopefully I have future interviews coming from guys in My Morning Jacket, Band of Horses and the Whigs to take us through the end of the season.
If you missed the last two editions of
Backstage Pass you missed interviews with
Stephen Malkmus and
Doug Martsch, which you can check out by clicking on their names. This time, while you may not recognize the band name right off the bat, I'm thrilled to present the
Quasi interview.
Quasi is made up of Sam Coomes, Janet Weiss and Joanna Bolme. If you like indie rock, you probably know that Joanna is the bassist for
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, and that Janet is the drummer. Janet was also the drummer on the last several
Sleater-Kinney records and
somewhat famously sang this duet with Eddie Vedder at the final S-K show in 2006, while Joanna was largely responsible for the release of
Elliott Smith's posthumous
From A Basement On the Hill record. Sam was in a band called
Donner Party in the 80s and went on to play (with Smith) in the legendary Portland band
Heatmiser before forming
Quasi. Sam runs a sweet record store in Portland called
Exiled Records, which you should check out by clicking the link, and has also appeared on some Built To Spill records.
Many of the e-mails I received after the first two interviews remarked about how cool it was that those guys really know the NBA. I think you'll be equally impressed with this trio's knowledge, and Weiss is even a former league champion, taking home the trophy for the 2006-07 season.
We all play in the same fantasy hoops league, commissioned by Malkmus, but the four of us aren't really tearing it up right now.
20 (or so) Questions With QuasiHow long have you played fantasy hoops and how many leagues are you in? Do any of you play fantasy football or baseball? What's your favorite?Janet Weiss - This is my 6th year of fantasy basketball. I had to look it up to be sure. Time flies when you're having fun, I guess. I am only in one league, although I wish I had started another with unlimited waiver moves. I LOVE the wire.
Sam Coomes - I guess five years now - only one league, and that's plenty. Other sports - no...all the flavor is in the NBA.
What is your team's name and why?Joanna Bolme - I usually have some Trail Blazers' related name. Last year I was Yoko Oden and I was The Noxious Weed (for
Damon Stoudamire) the year before. This year I'm Crap E. Mascot because the Blazers have this mascot named Blaze, but nobody's really sure what kind of animal it's supposed to be. The team colors are red and black and the cheerleaders look like Rock of Love rejects. I always wanted Rob Halford of Judas Priest to be the mascot during the "Jail Blazers" heyday. Just roll out on a Harley before every game, but they've really cleaned up their image these days.
Janet - My team is called "Havoc McGavock," although I think I am better known for one of my past names, "Shatter Mob." It stuck best, but for some reason we change team names each year.
Sam - I have a tradition of putrid team names and I started out with some middle-earth thing this year, but I decided to try to classy it up a little, so I imagined an
Orc in 19th-century formal wear - Shagrat Spats.
How do you keep up with your leagues/setting lineups when you're on tour? Has touring ever cost you a championship?Sam - My bandmates are also in the league, so there is understanding. It's more difficult overseas - occasionally you have to just set your lineup for a couple weeks & leave it to fate.
Joanna - We do have laptops and Wi-Fi these days. I wish I could blame tour for my losses but I would have to chalk it up to bad draft picks and injuries most of the time.
Janet - The only way to really and truly keep up is to bring a laptop. Joanna gets away without one because we room together and she's always welcome to hop on mine. But for the Rotoworld readers, it's best to have access all day long. As you know, a lot of things change at the spur of the moment. I once saw Malkmus pick up
Ron Artest in the security line at the airport...shoes off and ready to go through the x-ray machine. It was amazing.
How do your families or significant others feel about your fantasy sports addiction? Amazingly, I've been married for 18 years - Once we got thru the first five fantasy-sports filled years it was all gravy from there...Janet - I am only recently in a relationship, so it's been smooth sailing until now. The boyfriend has done more damage to my team than any tour! When I'm single, I can really focus. Decent tradeoff though. He's basically pretty cool about it... thinks it's funny. He spends lots of time on Facebook, which I snicker at a little bit.
Joanna - My fiancee is English and doesn't even like soccer. He takes the piss and I pretend that I'm listening - it's funny.
Sam - I pretty much do my fantasy work at night when everyone is asleep – I'm a full-on deadbeat, but my wife is a saint, so I'm OK (for now). A couple years ago a friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) was in our league, but became super obsessed and ended up spending hours trolling the waiver wire and juggling stats, etc. He had to quit the league because it was messing up his family and work life. That was a little cautionary tale.
Who are some of your favorite players and why?Joanna - That's tough. When I was a kid, it was Maurice Lucas (got his autograph at the championship parade downtown). After that I enjoyed the cocaine-fueled antics of Billy Ray Bates. Then
Clyde Drexler, of course. So classy.
Arvydas Sabonis is definitely one of the best passers ever and who didn't love that guy?
Rasheed Wallace used to drive me nuts when he was with the Blazers, but now that he's a Piston I'm free to love him again.
Janet - Until last year,
Gilbert Arenas was my favorite. I snuck down and got a high five from him at a Blazer game once, which was so exciting. But now, and I know it's so boring, I'd have to say Lebron James. I love the way he walks with his toes out like Charlie Chaplin, and how he rushes to the bench and immediately sits down at time outs. He's intriguing and mysterious... girls like that. I can't BELIEVE
Kevin Duckworth is in the running to be your favorite Blazer...that's hilarious. I moved to Portland in 1989 and loved the Adelman squad of the early 90's. Clyde was so awesome to watch because he was such a fast runner. Currently, I am keen on
Brandon Roy in all his fundamental glory.
Sam -
Manute Bol? Favorites are tough - yeah Clyde, Duck...that whole team was endearing. When I see an old picture of Clyde doing his ballet leap/finger-roll in a Blazers uniform, its sort of a golden memory scene. I have to say, something in me loves 'Sheed the best, though.
Do you draft with your head or your heart? Is it better to have a bad team full of guys you like to root for, or would you rather own players you don't care about?Joanna - I don't draft Kobe, which is a huge mistake. Next year I'll take him if he's available.
Janet - I draft with my head...that Rotoworld draft guide has way too much influence on me, and I pour over it before it's time to go. But my memory is terrible and I don't have much of a statistics brain...so I need help. I should really just listen to league mates Malkmus and Sticky Green. They give good advice. Certain guys I won't pick, like
Dirk Nowitzki. But this year I chose
Tim Duncan, a notoriously boring player, and have loved having someone so solid in the lineup. A few guys I drafted with my heart - like
O.J. Mayo and
Rodney Stuckey - make me feel proud.
Sam - After finishing second last year, I came up with a draft strategy for the first time this year – and I ended up with a pretty crappy team. Always before I just winged it. I had a great team last year - I thought I was hitting my stride. So using my head was a bust and I should have known better.
What player did you draft that you're most disappointed with? Will you ever draft him again?Janet - ELTON BRAND...NEVER AGAIN...NEVER AGAIN. Like I said, I had Dirk and won't draft him again...or
Shawn Marion. What a crybaby.
Sam -
Carlos Boozer killed my team. I knew he was an injury guy, but last year he made it through the season, so I rolled the dice on him. I had Camby last year and I was freaked out, waiting for the injury, but he was a cornerstone. Was hoping for similar scene with Boozer, but no luck. I'd never draft
Tracy McGrady (though I had him a couple years back) or
Ron Artest (although I'm a fan). I feel for Rick Adelman.
Will Tyrus Thomas or Andrea Bargnani ever become reliable fantasy studs?Janet - That's the kind of information I would rather you tell me.
Sam - They feel more like 2nd-tier dudes to me, but you never know - coaching changes, trades, etc. can work alchemy on players, as you know. Bargnani seems a little more like a work in progress, so we will see.
Steve Alexander - Since this question was asked over a month ago, both players have pretty much blown up. Thomas is absolutely rolling right now, while Bargnani has had his highs and lows, but is generally offering nice value right now if you can handle the bad shooting percentage.
What comes to mind when you see the Rotoworld column entitled "Roundball Stew"? Speaking of Rotoworld, would you classify yourself as a junkie? Joanna - I definitely read Rotoworld, but I'm not a junkie. I only add/drop if one of my guys is injured, sucks, or just isn't playing enough.
Janet - I adore Rotoworld. It's my favorite website and I check it often. Yeah, I'm a junkie, although having a boyfriend cuts into my quality RT time. Steve, your columns are the best, the most personal, and quite reliable. I think Roundball Stew has been beaten to the ground already, no?
Sam - Far as I know, everyone in the league visits the site. After you joined the league, I looked around for a competing site to try to get alternative advice and info, but forget it. I know there was some back and forth on the Roundball Stew thing, and when I thought about it, it seemed a little absurd, but nothing wrong with that. "Roundball" is a weird, possibly stupid concept, though - like "Squarecube." It's that sort of super-nerd sportscaster jargon that is ridiculous, but also charming - like a toupee.
What is your dream word to post in a game of scrabble? Or better yet, do you recall the one you're most proud of?Joanna - Quizzing. It crossed two triple-word scores!
Janet - My bandmates are the brainy ones...good at Scrabble and crosswords. I'm just the drummer making a racket.
Where does Ty Chandler's punk move on Joel Przybilla's wrist rank in all-time punk moves made by an NBA player?Joanna - Well, with
Bruce Bowen's flying Karate kick to
Wally Szczerbiak's head being #1, and Kermit Washington's roundhouse punch being #2, Bowen probably still takes #s 3,4 and 5 with assorted ankle-breakers, um...#6?
Janet - Pretty high I guess. Top 20 maybe? I still think
Charles Barkley miming the phrase "s--- my d---" to the Portland crowd was the most punk move I'd ever seen.
Sam - It doesn't even really make the list. Have you read
"The Punch"?
What songs have you not covered yet, but want to? Janet - I hope to someday cover the
Overature from Tommy, by the Who...would have to be Quasi I guess.
Joanna -
Kids of the Black Hole by Adolescents, or One of These Days by Pink Floyd.
Steve Alexander - Ironically, as I was typing this up, my wife paused her episode of TMZ and left the room. I picked up the remote to change the channel and noticed that Max, the blonde, surfer dude my wife is infatuated with, was wearing an Adolescents shirt. That's pretty weird.
What was the first concert you attended? What was the first record you remember owning?Joanna - First concert was The Who with Three Dog Night opening when I was five years old. First records were a bunch of 45's my uncle's girlfriend gave me. I remember liking "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by The Who. It was a b-side, don't even remember what the single was. There was also "A Little Bit of Soul" by the Music Explosion and "Talk Talk" by the Music Machine.
Steve Alexander - I believe Jekyll and Hyde was the b-side for
I Can See For Miles.
Janet - My first concert was David Bowie at the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles. I was in 5th grade. My first record was a 7" by The DeFranco Family, called "Heartbeat It's a Lovebeat."
Sam - I saw Yes in the Round, '79, L.A. Sports Arena and Aerosmith "Rocks" was my first record.
What music are you listening to these days? Janet - Blitzen Trapper!!! For real, I still love the record
Furr, even after listening to it a million times.
Sam - Mid '70's Zambian rock...Amanaz, Chrissy Zebby Tembo, The Peace, The Witch. Also Sic Alps.
What projects are you guys working on? What can we look forward to in the next year?Janet - New Jicks, new Quasi, hopefully by the end of 09, maybe early 2010.
Sam - Quasi recording in April. Double LP by my prog/psych band Pink Mountain coming out in spring. In the middle of project with Spencer Hella Seim, coming out this year? Musical director of Ensemble Is, LP out pretty soon. Who knows what else? It's good to keep working.
Your thoughts on indie bands selling songs for commercial use?Janet - I'm pretty indifferent about songs in movies or TV shows. I wouldn't be so quick to sell one for an ad though, mostly because it annoys me to hear tracks I like in that context. I feel like advertising makes music socially important and diminishes a song's cultural power. But I realize folks gotta eat and try not to judge too harshly.
Sam - I understand it, but hate it, sure. On the other hand, if you don't watch TV, how would you even know? But I have seen Iggy Pop used on Royal Caribbean Cruise, though - it doesn't make me hate "Lust for Life" or Iggy, and it doesn't make me think Royal Caribbean is rad; something about it is irritating, but mostly I feel stone ambivalence. It's hard for most musicians to make enough money to survive – I'm not talking about getting rich - so TV commercials & teenage movies reap the benefits. Corporate Capitalism eats cultural rebellion for breakfast - I think even like Iggy's "Search & Destroy" was used in a car commercial. But some of these songs/musicians are so flaccid and mainstream to begin with that their stuff pretty much belongs in McDonalds commercials or whatever, and I'm sure there are plenty of musicians out there who are basically comfortable with the socio-economic status quo and don't even have qualms about this sort of thing. Personally, I don't think I know any, but I'm sure they are out there.
There are plenty of bands represented in our league. What are your favorite songs by Pavement, Built to Spill, Sleater Kinney and the Grails? In addition, any favorites by Elliott Smith, Lou Barlow or Zeppelin?Joanna - Too hard! Always changing but here's what came to mind at this particular moment; Pavement's
Father to a Sister of Thought, Built To Spill's
Velvet Waltz, Sleater-Kinney's
Ballad of a Ladyman, the Grails are awesome live, Elliott's
Southern Belle, Barlow's
The Freed Pig and Zeppelin's
Out on the Tiles.
Janet - Pavement -
Stop Breathing, BTS -
Velvet Waltz, Elliott Smith -
Ballad of Big Nothing, Led Zeppelin -
Misty Mountain Hop Best live act going right now?Joanna - The Cribs!
Janet - Any band where I get to watch Zach Hill (of Hella) play drums.
Sam - I'm not really qualified to comment...maybe Boris?
What is the best thing about living in Portland?Joanna - It always smells nice.
Janet - Drinking free lattes at Stumptown under a gray sky.
Sam - My friends.
There you have it. Hopefully I have future interviews coming from guys in My Morning Jacket, Band of Horses and the Whigs to take us through the end of the season.