Here we are in the middle of a ton of political news with a bunch of GOP wannabes challenging Trump for the nomination, Trump’s four indictments and upcoming trials, the Republicans going after Hunter Biden…and what are we going to talk about today on the Lean to the Left podcast? Rock ‘n Roll, time travel, and baseball.
Great to have Andy Frye with us today. Andy’s the author of the novel "Ninety Days In The 90s: A Rock N Roll Time Travel Story." Andy’s written for Rolling Stone, ESPN and other publications, and currently writes about sports business for Forbes.
Over his career, Andy has interviewed hundreds of rock stars, celebrities and athletes, including Billie Jean King, Megan Rapinoe, Tom Brady, Tony Hawk, and more. You can check out Andy’s sports writing for Forbes by going to SportyFrye.com
Some Rock N Roll, Time Travel & Baseball Highlights
During the episode, Andy looks back at some of the music of the '90s and the movement away from "showy, big Los Angeles record company labels" and from "airbrushed, polished corporate rock stars" to singers and songwriters doing their own thing, "writing songs in their terms, playing their own instruments, writing their own songs, and if they feel like wearing a T-shirt on stage, that's the way it's going to be, and that's the real them."
The music, he says, "was all about authenticity and variety and, really, diversity."
Andy talks about interviewing sports stars and reveals how they often wanted to talk about anything but sports -- like cooking, for example.
He's a huge Chicago Cubs baseball fan and the conversation turns to this year's pennant races, the imbalance between large and small market teams, and the new baseball rules designed to speed up the game, like the pitch clock which has helped slash average game times significantly. Johnny Bench was one baseball star who Andy interviewed and talks about on the show.
We also moved into politics, the Trump indictments, and much more.
"It seems like it's been going too slow for too long," Frye says. "I'm not a super fan of (Attorney General) Merrick Garland. Put a beer in me. I might call him Milktoast Merrick Garland. I think we're all at a place where we fear that democracy's at risk and justice doesn't mean the same thing that it used to.'
Some questions we discussed with Frye:
Tell us about your book, 90 Days in the 90s. What’s it all about?
What prompted you to write this story? Your first novel.
The 90s brought us the Gulf War, a recession, Bill Clinton, the reunification of East and west Germany, the launching of the Hubble Space Telescope from the Space Shuttle, and the birth of the Internet. But what about music?
Compare the popular music of the ‘90s to the music of today.
You’re from Chicago and you love the Cubs. You work that into your book, right?
The Cubs are having a good year…as of today, 65 and 60 for 2ndplace in the NL Central. Will they make the playoffs?
You write about money in sports, right? What are your thoughts about the disparity between large market and small market teams and their ability to compete?
The Baltimore Orioles are having a breakthrough year after years in the doldrums. It’s happening largely because of young stars bringing athleticism, talent and excitement. But the other day, team owner John Angelos threw cold water on the future by saying the team can’t afford to offer these young stars long-term contracts. Is that a mistake?
What do you think of the changes made by MLB, including the pitch clock, ghost runner in extra inning games, etc.?
The 90s brought some important developments for the O’s, with the opening of Camden Yards and Cal Ripken breaking Lou Gehrig’s consequitive games record of 2130. Given the way the game has changed, can that happen again?
World Series prediction?
Politics today…
Russia, Ukraine War
Where can people find your book and learn more about you?
Listen to the podcast:
View the podcast: https://youtu.be/LoZ9QeoN-GE