Hip Hop and Writing

There is little doubt in my mind that my years of listening to hip hop, or rap if you will, has made me a substantially better writer. Whether anyone finds that hard to believe, I do not know. Most of the people I've mentioned it to, inside the ad biz and out, seem to make sense out of it. I still find myself intrigued by the notion.

Perhaps it is the remnants of growing up amongst so much criticism of the genre as "not music," or "garbage," but part of me sees it as not an entirely intuitive connection. It could also be that the hip hop I grew up listening to was not always rich with artistically lyrical pontifications. At least not in the same way it is today with lyricists like Yasiin Bey, Black Thought of the Roots, Pharaohe Monch, Blu, Murs, Homeboy Sandman, Talib Kweli, and the like. Thinking back to the gangster rhymes of one Andre Young or Calvin Broadus (a.k.a. Dr. Dre or Snoop Dogg), I sometimes wonder how the genre enriched my vocabulary.

Maybe I'm oversimplifying, or just looking at it wrong. For it seems what hip hop really did for me was to broaden my understanding of the English language and the flexibility it allows. Throughout the history of hip hop, play-on-word analogies and double entendres have been at the forefront of superb lyricism. And I believe this is where hip hop has aided me the most, especially when it comes to describing things (professionally, products or services), in a unique, often-times humorous, way.

Of late, the line constantly at the forefront of my mind is from a Pharoahe Monch song:

I make headlines like corduroy pillows.

Top 5 Beers to Drink while watching a Round 1 NHL Playoff Game 7

By the time the NHL Playoffs roll around, the cold weather is much more intermittent than it used to be. Or at least that was the case before this global warming business got started. 85 degrees the first week in March. We need to get that under control.

Anyway, I thought I'd compile a list of the five best beers to drink while watching Game 7 of the first round of the NHL Playoffs, because I can. Here we go:

5. Goose Island Fleur:  Taking in a match-up of finesse versus finesse? Or perhaps a series between two teams who have absolutely no bad blood against each other? This delicate Belgian-style ale is the way to go. Especially if you could care less who wins. Brewed with hibiscus flowers, this divine concoction tastes more like a sweet, fruity wine than it does a beer. Very light bitterness subtly underscores the sweetness. Don't share this. Unless it's with someone who doesn't mind seeing you naked.

4. Orkney Brewery SkullSplitter:  About to witness a blood-bath? Have these two teams spent more time hammering on each other than trying to score goals? This is the beer for the Game 7 that will end with penalty minutes cresting the three-digit mark. Bold isn't quite the word for SkullSplitter. Smash-mouth, maybe. This wee-heavy style beer packs more than enough flavor to match up with the intensity of this bruiser of a game. It's also potent enough to help you forget that even though your team is great at knocking people out, you still need to score goals to win games.

3. Sixpoint Crisp Lager:  If you're actually invested in the outcome and are a true fan of the craft that goes into the game of hockey, this less-potent offering is for you. It will satisfy all of your flavor centers and keep you clear-minded enough to enjoy the entire game, including overtime. Offered up in cans, this beer has a pleasant, albeit slightly bitter taste experience that carries throughout. You won't be able to put them down like one of the traditional adjunct pretend-lagers mass-produced in cesspools of crap, but the can will give you some cover against any of your non-beer-snob friends who like to call you a sissy for drinking fancy beer. Make sure to bounce an empty off their foreheads after they're team loses.

2. Left Hand Brewing Wake Up Dead Stout:  This is the beer to crack open when there are less than thirty seconds left and your team is down by two. Or when there are two periods left and your team is down by five. Basically what I'm saying is, this beer will do an excellent job of distracting you from how awful your team is playing with it's alcohol content, and will taste wonderful while doing so. Robust, full of flavor and character, just like your favorite NHL tough guy.

1. Molson Canadian:  As far as beers go, it's nothing special. And it doesn't have the awesome twin labels anymore. In fact, they haven't for a few years now. But it's Canadian, it's drinkable, and it's usually not too expensive. All of which make it a great companion if you have to supply your beer-swilling, drunkard friends who have gathered at your house to cheer on the team you're rooting against. Assholes.

Always remember, if you drive when you're drunk, you're a dick and no one likes you. So don't do it, especially after drinking these beers and watching hockey.

A Day Early

It would appear the sadness fairies have arrived ahead of schedule. (Not all fairies bring sunshine and money in exchange for things that fall out of your mouth as you get older). For those who may not know, tomorrow is my Dad's 61st birthday. We'll be celebrating by crying next to his tomb in a mausoleum outside of Pittsburgh, PA.

This week has been a challenge, to say the least.

Perhaps what I've been struggling with most is extrapolating, and trying to accept, that every new great thing that happens in my life won't be witnessed by my Dad. I won't get to share the view, the joy, the happiness, the satisfaction, of anything ever, with him again.

Where it really seems to be sticking is with my recent, albeit moderate, success. I have a full-time job that pays me fairly. I have benefits. I have a girlfriend. I have a really nice apartment. I live in a beautiful part of the country. The shores of Lake Champlain are a mere quarter-mile from where I live. I can look out from that shore and see the Adirondacks. I put in a lot of time and work to get to this point. Through all of the ups and downs, successes and failures, my Dad supported me. He made sacrifices in time, money, and most likely his own success, to do everything he could to get me to this point. And I can't share any of it with him. I have no way to prove to him that it wasn't a waste. This will stick with me for a long time, probably the rest of my life.

The List of Beers The Beer Challenge Facebook App Should Have

in it's "General" list. We won't even go into what categories they should break them up into. (Craft, Micro, Mass-produced, by Country of Origin, by Season, by Style, by Coast, by Brewery instead of by beer name)

Limiting myself to 100 (not easy, trying to avoid seasonals, trying to stick to flagship beers):

1. Yuengling Lager
2. Samuel Adams Boston Lager
3. Blue Moon
4. Left Hand Milk Stout
5. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
6. Harpoon IPA
7. Blue Point Toasted Lager
8. Newcastle Brown Ale
9. Guinness
10. Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale
11. Long Trail Pale Ale
12. Magic Hat #9
13. Stone Smoked Porter
14. Rogue Dead Guy Ale
15. New Belgium Fat Tire
16. New Glarus Spotted Cow
17. Hooegarden
18. Sixpoint Sweet Action
19. Brooklyn Brewery Chocolate Stout
20. Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale
21. Speakeasy Payback Porter
22. Lake Placid Ubu Ale
23. Smuttynose Old Brown Dog
24. Red Hook ESB
25. Abita Turbo Dog (or Amber)
26. Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen
27. Anchor Steam Ale
28. Pretty Things Jack D'or
29. Goose Island IPA (or Honker Ale)
30. Coney Island Lager
31. Lakefront Eastside Dark
32. Saranac Black Forest
33. Yuengling Black & Tan
34. (JW) Dundee Honey Brown
35. Southern Tier Pumking
36. Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale
37. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
38. Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA
39. Victory Golden Monkey
40. Breckenridge Vanilla Porter
41. Ommegang Rare Vos
42. Wolaver's IPA
43. Peak Organic Espresso Amber Ale
44. Speakeasy Payback Porter
45. Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
46. Brooklyn Brewery Local #1
47. Lancaster Amish Four Grain Pale Ale
48. Cisco Whale's Tail Pale Ale
49. Ayinger Oktoberfest-Marzen
50. Hill Farmstead Edward (or anything, really)
51. Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold
52. Troegs Java Head Oatmeal Stout
53. Tommyknocker Butt Head bock
54. Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter
55. Cigar City Maduro Oatmeal Brown
56. Sprecher Black Bavarian Lager
57. Evil Twin (anything)
58. Great Divide Smoked Baltic Porter
59. Smuttynose Robust Porter
60. Founders Porter
61. Belhaven Scottish Ale
62. Southern Tier IPA
63. Lindemans (anything)
64. Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn Lager
65. Samuel Adams Light (best "light" beer I've ever had)
66. Old Speckled Hen
67. Boddington's
68. Atwater Block Java Porter
69. Riverhorse Tripel
70. Fort Collins Retro Red
71. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
72. 21st Amendment Monk's Blood
73. Ithaca Apricot Wheat
74. Keegan Ale's Mother's Milk Stout
75. Fuller's London Porter (or any other Fuller's, really)
76. Geary's Pale Ale
77. North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Russian Stout
78. Bass Pale Ale
79. Founders Red Rye Pale Ale
80. Stone Ruination IPA
81. Goose Island Matilda (or Sophie or Fleur)
82. Ommegang Hennepin
83. Rogue Double Chocolate Stout
84. Southerntier Choklat
85. Dogfish Head Miles Davis' Bitches Brew
86. Hobgoblin
87. Founders Centennial IPA
88. Chimay (anything)
89. Boulder Beer Killer Penguin
90. Troegs Dreamweaver
91. Victory Yakima Glory
92. Maine Beer Company Mean Old Tom
93. Clown Shoes Hoppy Feet
94. Dieu du Ciel! Rigor Mortis (or, my favorite Rosee d'hibiscus)
95. Abita Purple Haze
96. Young's Double Chocolate Stout
97. Moylan's Stout
98. Allagash Black
99. Mikeller Mt. Hood IPA (or really anything by Mikeller)
100. Greg's Poop Brown Ale

The amazing thing is, everyone can come up with their own list these days. I left off some of my personal favorites because they local to NYC, update NY, NH, the west coast, the midwest, or Vermont. I will take any and all suggestions.

How many of these have you had?

Same Letter, Different Senator

I will be responding to her as well. Senator Shaheen rocks my socks. And she still sends my brother a Christmas card from when he volunteered for her campaign for Governor of NH.

Dear Greg,

Thank you for contacting my office with your concerns about the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) authority to regulate harmful pollutants. I appreciate hearing from you about this important issue.

The Clean Air Act has been one of the greatest public health successes we have ever had in this country. In 1970, Republicans and Democrats came together to pass this landmark legislation to address air pollution that was leading to countless deaths and lifetimes spent battling chronic illness such as asthma and emphysema.

Since we passed the Clean Air Act of 1970, we have dramatically reduced emissions of dozens of pollutants. We have improved air quality and the public health. The EPA estimates that in 2010 alone the Clean Air Act prevented 1.7 million asthma attacks, 130,000 heart attacks, and 86,000 emergency room visits. This is particularly important to New England since we suffer the effects of pollution from coal-fired power plants in the Midwest. In fact, New Hampshire has one of the highest rates of childhood asthma in the country.

Under the Clean Air Act, we have been able to grow our economy. Our gross domestic product has more than tripled since 1970, and the average household income has grown more than 45%. We know that we can protect public health, save our environment, and grow our economy. We saw this happen in New Hampshire when in 2001 we passed the first legislation in the country to deal with four major pollutants. We can protect public health without unfairly burdening small businesses.

In the Senate, I oppose efforts to undercut the EPA's ability to regulate carbon pollution under the Clean Air Act. In addition to hurting public health, hindering EPA's ability to do its work would undermine the transition to a clean energy economy that American industry needs to remain competitive.

I will continue to work with my colleagues in a bipartisan manner to develop an energy policy that drives innovation in American-made energy technologies and energy efficiency. While I believe Congress is best suited to draft cost-effective, flexible clean energy policies, I also believe that the EPA must work to create certainty for businesses and protect families from harmful pollution.

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me and please do not hesitate to contact my office with any future concerns.

Sincerely,

Jeanne Shaheen
United States Senator

We Need to Convince Them...

it's a good idea; it's good for them; it's the right thing to do; it's in their best interest; it will benefit them; it's a healthy option; it's a great substitute; it's a quality "something."

Here's a radical notion: Rather than having to convince someone that something is a good thing for them when it is not, why not just do something that is good for them?

So much time has been spent convincing people that things that in reality are bad will be good for them. We see it in business. We see it in politics. We see in our every day lives when we try to buy something expensive or healthy. And so often, we're duped.

Imagine if we actually just did what was good for everybody. Or most people. Or, at the very least, the people it will affect the most. The world would look a lot different. Perhaps, instead of arguments over paying your fair share of taxes, we'd be concerned about paying the right amount to do the most good for the nation as a whole. Or, gasp, the world. A radical departure, because it would require a significant number of people to focus on issues outside of their own realities.

I am oversimplifying. But in that regard, it's not a complicated issue. It has nothing to do with politics or religion, or even ideologies. It has to do with human decency. Which, with increasing frequency, we are proving we have little of. If that first thought is, "How will this benefit the most people?" instead of "What will this do for me?" we might be able to move forward a little faster and solve problems a little sooner.

But that would be a monumental shift. A man can hope, though.

Apocalyptic Mayans

While I'm sure the numbers aren't enormous, I am still amused by the thought that tens, or maybe even hundreds of thousands of people worldwide have stockpiled supplies in anticipation for an "end-of-the-world" scenario, as if their survival during the initial disaster part is guaranteed.

No real-world analogies or smarmy quips. The thought just made me chuckle.

Responsible Citizen

Through one of the online petition websites, I recently sent a letter to representatives in government regarding energy policy. I received the letter pasted below from Senator Kelly Ayotte, Republican from NH.

Thank you for your comments regarding our nation's environmental policy. I appreciate hearing from you.

Common sense environmental protection preserves New Hampshire's quality of life as well as the state's economic competitiveness. I am proud of my strong record of environmental protection from my time as Attorney General, and as your Senator, I will act to preserve New Hampshire's environment while strengthening our economy.

We can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make our environment cleaner without destroying America's global competitiveness. Passing a massive cap-and-trade bill that would increase taxes, raise energy costs, and redistribute wealth - all without impacting the overall level of global greenhouse gases - is the wrong approach. Worse still is the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) unprecedented decision to unilaterally impose greenhouse gas regulations under the Clean Air Act without congressional approval. Economy-wide energy regulations should not be enacted by unelected agency officials. Congress should determine our nation's environmental policy. That is why, on April 6, 2011, I supported Senate Amendment (S.A.) 183 to a small business bill that would have prohibited the EPA from implementing a national energy tax through regulations. Unfortunately, due to a required 60-vote threshold, the amendment failed by a vote of 50-50.

To be certain, our nation must reduce our dependence on fossil fuel. This is not just an economic and environmental imperative but also a national security and sovereignty concern. While we transition to renewable and alternative sources of energy, our nation must be able to use our vast natural resources that are available here at home by expanding domestic oil exploration and increasing national gas production in ways that are environmentally responsible.

We must also foster a pro-business environment to develop new, clean energy technologies and conservation initiatives that will help reduce pollution and create jobs. We should encourage the development of all renewable, clean, and sustainable energy sources, such as wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding this issue. As your Senator, it is important for me to hear from you regarding the issues affecting New Hampshire and our nation. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I may be of further assistance.

I responded with the following.

Dear Senator Ayotte,

I appreciate you taking the time to respond. However, it is clear that we disagree on this issue. The fact of the matter is that the US has a depleted source of domestic oil, down to about 3% of the world's known reserves. While Middle Eastern countries boast about INCREASING reserves, their claims cannot be proven as access to these reserves is restricted, and the overall supply of fossil fuels is diminishing worldwide. To boot, any increase in drilling domestically would take at least 10-15 years to have any sort of effect on the prices of a barrel of oil. The best domestic energy policy available is a drastic shift toward renewable energy. Therefore, I support the EPAs restriction on CO2 emissions.

It is clear that the partisan political ideologies in Congress are blinding its members to the REAL changes taking place with our climate. While some of these changes can be attributed to the natural ebb and flow of our planet, it is a depressing state of affairs when the short-term interests of businesses whose long-term viability relies on the health and well-being of the earth and its inhabitants, takes precedent over the very real dangers our activities are creating. As is clearly evident by your policy decisions, and those of your cohorts, this is what is going on in Congress today.

I also find your comments regarding the redistribution of wealth in relation to emission restrictions spurious at best. If you were actually concerned about upward wealth redistribution, you would not support the extension of the Bush tax cuts. I believe you are using wealth redistribution claims as a wash to cloud the real issues at stake.

While it is imperative to maintain a pro-business mind set, it is this business-first mentality that has created the dire situations we find ourselves in, especially in regard to available resources, where we get them from, how we get them, and any security issues that stem from these circumstances. While government cannot exist without business, it is increasingly clear that business can exist without government. However, such a situation is extremely dangerous to the well-being to the citizenry. As such, governments now find themselves at the beck and call of the business world. How else could something such as Citizens United end up a reality in America? Corporations do not bleed. They are not birthed from a woman. They do not feel pain when things are going poorly; they do not rejoice when things are going well. They lack morality, and while they are run by human beings, our history as humans proves that as a cohesive unit working toward a goal, we cannot be trusted to always do what is right. However, I digress.

I do sincerely hope that you reconsider your stance on this nation's energy policy, for the sake of your career as a politician and for the sake of those you represent.

Best of luck to you.

Greg Marchilena

Proud, I am.

Advice I gave to a recent Syracuse Alum. (That's where I went to school)

You have some pretty boss work on your website. It's also easy to use. Both are very important.

One of the things that helped me was to continually work on new projects for my portfolio. Sometimes it can be frustrating. You can feel like you're putting in all this time and effort into things that aren't real just to impress people who have no idea who you are. But by doing so, you're constantly becoming better, more agile, more thoughtful, and most importantly, more mature.

Finding work in this business is not always easy. People will be able to tell if you don't have the drive or the devotion, or if you have no problem being complacent. Sometimes, it isn't always about pure skill or experience, but the hunger you have to constantly be better.

That being said, cast a wide net. Not everyone is going to understand you or your work. And that's okay. But don't set your sights on only the big shops or the little shops. Think of bad ass campaigns you like, national or local, and try to get in to those places for an interview. I applied to an agency in Colorado once based on local ads created for the craft brewer Breckenridge. I've never even been to Colorado, but those ads are amazing and I wanted to be a part of them.

I think most importantly, love your work, but also hate your work. When you go into an interview or a sit-down with someone to go over your work, you have to be proud of every single piece that's in there. Not pretend to be, but actually be. When sharing it with others, you have to be 100% confident about what you're showing. And then as soon as all of that is done and it's just you and your work, you have to almost hate it so that you won't be afraid to make it better or to take the criticisms others have into consideration. And again, always be thinking of new, bitchin' work to do. Doesn't even have to be advertising. Creative types these days love to see how you think and problem-solve outside of the world of advertising. If you have drawings, stories, poems, or a blog that you're okay with sharing, do it.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a copywriter. And as such, I apologize for the lengthy response. Hope it is helpful. Best of luck to you in NYC. Take care,

Can I Win an Election on $50,000?

Originally, I wondered whether a person could win an election to the federal government with no money; do it completely using free media, volunteers and time. The more I thought about how I'd go about that, I realized that it costs money to print posters and have an Internet connection, (although Internet is free at libraries and such, sometimes). Where did $50,000 come from? I don't know. It is a completely arbitrary number, probably too high even for most Americans to come up with. That being said, the 3/4 of a million that has become customary to win a seat in the House of Representatives, $50,000 doesn't seem like so much. So, I am now curious. Could I win an election in the next election cycle (or perhaps the one after it) on the backs of social media, some nifty volunteers and a (relatively) small chunk of change? Do I have the right ideas? Could I be the right brand of politician people in my potential constituency would want to support? I have no idea. But I think it would be a whole hell of a lot of fun to try.

I have no idea where I'll get the money or the volunteers. That being said, I am not light on opinion, hilarity and oversimplifications. In fact, I even have a couple slogans already. Although, I'm torn between which is better. Maybe I'll let you decide.

1. Candidate Greg: Always angry about something.

2. Candidate Greg: I'll start taking this seriously as soon as everyone else does.

Your thoughts?

Heroes.

I recently applied to a position in which, on the the application, it asked who my hero was, with the caveat that I was not allowed to choose a relative. Aside from being a bit of a cop-out on their part, it made me realize a few things, the major one being that I have no one person that I idolize above all others. There are many an amazing person in the history of the world who certainly deserve a great deal of admiration for the things that they have done, whether they have been retroactively made in to a villain by historical reconstruction or were always controversial, and thus never universally accepted. As such, I was left with a bit of a sticking point. In fact, of all the questions on the application, it was the one I took the longest time to answer.

(The list below is not my full list, just the ones who came to mind when I started writing this post. My full list is most likely much longer.)

Certainly I am a fan of the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. Sure, there are many things he may have done wrong. Some allege he was an adulterer. That may be true, but looking at the pros and cons of the man, I can't necessarily say that, if such a claim is true, it comes to close to tarnishing his record of positive contributions to this world.

I also admire Malcolm X, for his work, his ability to state the truth (or what he perceived to be the truth) regardless of how it made people feel, and his ability to continue to learn from those around him and ultimately change his views of the world and the people in it. Many do not know of the transformation he underwent in terms of his "militancy" in the year or two leading up to his untimely death. It is sometimes noted that as Malcolm X was softening his position, Martin Luther King, Jr. was hardening his. Given enough time, the two opposite poles of the Civil Rights Movement may have met somewhere in the middle. That would have been a force to be reckoned with.

My grandfather, a WWII veteran who was shot down over Italy, would've been another choice. The fact that he survived and was able to make it back to Allied territory via the Italian Resistance, without knowing a word of Italian, is enough of a reason to admire someone. However, he always carried about him an unflappable stoicism (for the short time that I knew him), a calm demeanor, an even keel if you will. I'm sure he had his moments of undisciplined emotion, but I never saw them. For the seven years I knew him, I knew a warm smile, cigar smoke, whiskers and a physically intimidating softy.

While we're at it, my mom. Despite not being perfect, she managed to raise (with my dad) two functional, increasingly successful, independent children with pragmatic, realistic views of the world. It was her goal to instill many values in us: respect for women; the value of intelligence; common decency; civility; pride; compassion and consideration for others; the drive to do whatever it takes to do whatever it is that makes us happy; and the knowledge that if you do what it is that makes you happy, the money will follow. I would probably be a faceless MBA grad working at a job I hate because it paid well had it not been for those lessons.

John Brown. How can I possibly put down John Brown, who was tried and executed for treasonous acts, as my hero? The fact of the matter is, we have very little in common, even outside of the fact that he's dead and I'm not. His logic for the abolition of slavery came from a deeply religious Christian context. To him, slavery was the of the utmost injustice one man could force upon another, and that the murder of slave owners, and in fact, an armed revolution in the southern part of the United States, would be justified in the eyes of God to eliminate the travesty of humans as property. I agree with him, in a sense, that one could only be a slave owner and a Christian with a serious use of cognitive dissonance or a bizarre interpretation of the Christian faith. Or, I suppose, the belief that skin color also determines the level of humanity. That being said, Brown's overarching views are not entirely without merit and it is no surprise a man so deeply committed to his beliefs in Christianity would extend that zealotry to an injustice he viewed with vehement contempt. Would I have taken up arms with him? I don't know. I'll honestly never know. But I can say that I would've at least heard him out.

I ultimately went with Malcolm X, for his ability to keep an open mind even when his convictions were so strong. I have no idea how that was received, and I don't care. I just think it is really unfair for someone to use the caveat, "No relatives." I think it should have read, "if you choose a relative, explain why you picked that person."

I suppose I'll keep that in mind when it becomes my job to hire people.