In an effort to show our appreciation for supporting us the last five years, we’ve decided to start The Message Pitch Mailbag to connect with our listeners/readers.
The premise is simple: You ask, we answer. Interested? Shoot us an email at info@themessagepitch.com with the subject line “Mailbag Question.”
Here’s what you wanted to know this week:
“How does his game winning layup, in a thrilling 101-100 exhibition victory over world basketball powerhouse, South Sudan, affect LeBron’s legacy?”
-Kyle McCune
DREW: I see what you did there, Kyle. And thanks for being a long-time supporter of The Message Pitch. Truthfully, you’re one of the reasons we decided to do this.
As you know, ESPN is the Worldwide Leader in all things LeBron. But we’ll take a crack at it.
I think it’s just another highlight clip that will be shown in his career reel. I think LeBron, due to no fault of his own really, has a lot of these clips because the media desperately wants to fuel the MJ comparisons. These moments don’t have much substance (I.e. Jordan’s push off…I mean shot…over Ehlo) in terms of great meaning or prize on the other side, but they have enough to warrant attention. And the media tries to push each of these moments because they want talking points and because we have such short attention spans/so many avenues to glean content from, they’re fighting for space at the forefront of our attention. These moments rarely have a championship or more resting on the outcome. But they do usually have a playoff series or elimination game riding on it. Or in this case, utter embarrassment on the world stage.
I do think LeBron may have a case for GOAT. Notice I said case and not definite claim. He does not have the utter dominance or even the rings of Michael Jordan, true. But Jordan also didn’t play on the Hornets for several years before joining the late-90s Bulls. And like it or not, Jordan did not have social media to deal with. What we got from him was what we saw in highlight reels as SportsCenter was rising to its status as must-see TV. Jordan played on a pedestal (which, given what he could do is understandable; no one before or after did it like him) and LeBron has played under a microscope. I think both players are great in their own right, and I’d give the nod to MJ, but I think it’s closer than people realize due to perspective.
Sidenote: Doesn’t it seem like USA Men’s Basketball always does this? They start off nearly losing to a country you didn’t even know played basketball, before waking up and destroying the field. I expect the same here.
“What’s the big deal with Zach Bryan? Why is he so popular?”
-AG
DREW: Good question. I think there are a few reasons why.
The first, he represents a departure from country music on the radio. Country music, as a genre, is kind of lost right now. At least as far as the radio goes. It can’t decide if it wants to be stadium rock, hick hop, R&B, or Southern Rock, and honestly it sounds like a mesh of all four—with a banjo added.
Nothing is wrong with any of these genres. I especially like the last two. But that’s because true R&B and Southern Rock artists are believable, because they’ve (mostly) lived what they’re singing. I just don’t get that same believability from First Name, Middle Name (Dropped Last Name at the Behest of a Record Label) attempting to rap/slow jam with a twang.
Certainly, there is good country music out there. And it does make radio occasionally. Chris Stapleton is a transcendent talent. Cody Johnson is a force. If you like bands, Turnpike Troubadours and Muscadine Bloodline are tops. And the music that Zach Bryan makes sounds like country music. It’s a departure from autotune, drum loops, and beat machines. It blends folk sounds and a rawness with instrumentation associated with traditional country music, and lyrically it is more appealing to a blue collar working audience than “girl lemme holla at y’all” that every Morgan Wallen impersonator that the labels keep signing and pushing songs about now.
Secondly, his story is more in-line with the common person who traditionally has listened to country music. Mom died early, he joined the Navy and was on active duty, started writing songs and singing on YouTube and growing an audience, recorded a lo-fi debut and people ate it up. There’s an Everyman appeal in that, and that’s what used to drive country music.
At its core, be it rap, rock, country, or what have you, music is supposed to be art. We crave authenticity in our music, we want variety, and we want to believe what the person performing is stating. It’s why we love Andre 3000, it’s why we love the Beatles, it’s why people are starting to jump on the Zach Bryan train: songs that stop you, make you listen, make you think, and make you feel.
He’s got his issues; getting arrested for obstruction of justice was silly, but his sound is different, it comes from the heart, and it connects with people.
That’s what the big deal is.
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