Enthusiasms - What to look forward to 5-24-24
Welcome to Enthusiasms. Your reminder to always be looking forward to something. Pulltab Sports Editor-In-Chief, John King, points you in the right direction.
THE TRAVIS MCGEE BOOK SERIES WILL MAKE YOU PRIME MALE
What if I told you there were 21 short novels that are essentially romance novels for red-blooded dudes? What if I told you these books were written in the ‘60s when men were men, and the world hadn’t gone soft? What if I told you the protagonist was a Magnum P.I. type who lived on a houseboat he won in a card game (aptly named the Busted Flush) in Fort Lauderdale? What if I told you he was a hard drinking, lover of women, who provided as much social commentary as a New York Times op-ed in sprinkled into the middle of his pulp fiction? What if I told you our fictional hero at different times has been linked to Leo DiCaprio and Austin Butler to play him in a movie or series?
Do I have your attention?
The late John D. MacDonald is the maestro behind the Travis McGee series. I had heard about these books years ago from a buddy whose father, a Lake Minnetonka legend in his own right, had cherished them. Recently said buddy found himself walking by a Little Free Library when fate had him find not only a Travis McGee novel, but the first one in the series—The Deep Blue Good-By.
He mailed me his copy for my recent 50th birthday, and I devoured it on a short flight. I’ve already read the second installment in the series. Here are just a few reasons you owe it to yourself to start reading the Travis McGee series and begin your journey to becoming a prime male yourself:
John D. MacDonald is one hell of a writer. You’ll notice that the acclaim for the McGee series often includes glowing endorsements from the likes of Deen Koontz and Stephen King. Yes, Mr. MacDonald knows his craft. The McGee series is famous for extended diatribes where our hero lays down the law as he sees it. The writing in these sections reads as powerful as Costner’s speech in Bull Durham. They are the sort of prose that will have you folding the bottom corner of the pages to come back to later or taking pictures of the sections to send in the group chat with your buddies.
Yes, the world has changed. The modern man drinks seltzers, wears joggers, and counts his steps. And while we can’t go back to the days of two fat finger cocktails and swashbuckling masculinity, Travis McGee allows you to transport yourself back to a time when mustaches weren’t ironic, and women loved men who knew precisely what they wanted.
Intelligence. A quick read of my McGee pitch might have you thinking these books are filled with some sort of toxic masculinity of the past. This is not the case. The emotional intelligence of Travis McGee is off the charts. While he oozes with Y chromosomes, the reality is McGee’s sensibility would be quite at home in 2024. Dare I say a 26-year-old woman who frequents NPR podcasts would be just as attracted to McGee as a hairstylist in rural Florida in the ‘60s. While created 70 years ago, Travis McGee was sent from the future.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least acknowledge the romance novel appeal here as well. Every 200-page McGee jaunt includes a relationship or two with a woman you’d be hard pressed to create in your brain. The depth of these relationships is extraordinary, sexy, and smart. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say MacDonald unlocked the model of writing a drug store romance novel for dudes. And he hit it out of the park.
If you don’t get lucky at a Little Free Library, or don’t have plans to visit the Florida Keys in the near future, I’d encourage you to visit Amazon and pick up a McGee novel. I’m not sure you need to go in chronological order, but if you’re organized that way, I’ve provided a link of the books in order HERE.
Once your first book arrives, pour yourself a strong cocktail, unbutton your shirt one more button, and prepare yourself to meet a man you’ll be thrilled to have in your lives. I’m already planning my visit to the fictitious place in Fort Lauderdale where our protagonist kept his boat.
THE NEW VAMPIRE WEEKEND SOUNDS LIKE THE BEATLES
I know it’s sacrilege to compare anyone to the Beatles, but I’m not exactly sure how to process this new Vampire Weekend record Only God Was Above Us. On the one hand there are plenty of reasons to hate Vampire Weekend. They’re a band that started at Columbia University that sings songs with names like “Oxford Comma.” Hell, if they weren’t called Vampire Weekend, you might call them White Privilege.
But that’s not seeing the big picture. Vampire Weekend makes world music in the vein of Paul Simon’s Graceland, and those lads from Liverpool. It sounds like The Lion King. It’s the sort of universal sound that you could play in a village where no one speaks English and barefoot kids would start dancing, it’s a cool mix at your next party, and you might even want to gift your dad a Vampire Weekend CD if the first line on the first song wasn’t “Fuck the world.”
Lead singer Ezra Koenig is as much a conductor as frontman, and the sonic precision of Only God Was Above Us is off the charts. It will have you driving around your car like the villain in Road House swerving from side to side smiling.
Another sign that Vampire Weekend may in fact have just made the album of the year is that their entire Spotify top listens is currently dominated by tracks off the new record. A rarity in general for new music to be so quickly embraced, and even more impressive for a band with such a big following already.
JOHN DUTTON DIDN’T DIE; HE BECAME A MOVIE STAR.
I’m probably a bit early on this one as Horizon—An American Saga Part 1 doesn’t release until June 28th. But as a fan of the famously incomplete Yellowstone series, there’s nothing wrong with being excited about a movie release a month from now, that’s what Enthusiasms is all about!
Horizon Part 1 recently premiered in Cannes, receiving a 7-minute standing ovation.
The two trailers are quite promising, as Costner seems to have a little Travis McGee in him making as the ladies swoon, “I’d just like to have a drink tonight with someone who knows how to act.”
Only time will tell if Costner can stand up a Western post Yellowstone without the brilliant writing of Taylor Sheridan, but I’m already intrigued by a big theatrical release of a western arriving in two parts. Count me in for opening night.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THE HENDRICKSON FOUNDATION NATIONAL HOCKEY FESTIVAL
The Hendrickson Foundation is a different type of charity. Grass roots to the core, with low overhead and all the money going to support sled, special, military, blind, deaf and hard of hearing hockey in the State of Hockey. If you hear the Hendrickson Foundation story firsthand and don’t reach for your wallet, you likely don’t have a heart. And nowhere is the Hendrickson’s Foundation’s tagline “Hockey Changes Lives” more on display than their annual National Hockey Festival in Blaine.
If you’ve never dabbled in the Hendrickson Foundation’s National Hockey Festival, here is a quick lay of the land on how to dive in:
Thursday—Warrior Academy with “Bugsy”
New to the festival this year, HF has carved off a day of military specific programming. Dubbed Warrior Academy, Thursday will be dedicated to programs benefitting our military veterans. 22 veterans die by suicide each day, and the Hendrickson Foundation is working with NHL vet, Ryan “Bugsy” Malone, to tackle this important issue. Warrior Academy programming on Thursday will include a keynote speech from a special forces vet providing a toolkit for mental health and coping with issues like PTSD. For anyone familiar with Ryan Malone from his many cameos on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, “Bugsy” is basically the Matthew McConaughey of NHL alumni, and he’s focusing his energy now to make sure our military are “alright, alright, alright” as they return to civilian life. While a new entry to the festival, Thursday has a lot of potential to be a staple going forward and it’s always fun to hang out with the vets in this environment. Maybe “Bugsy” will even play the bongos.
Saturday’s Celeb Game and Program
If you want to hit the apex of the festival, you’re going to want to be at the Super Rink around 5pm on Saturday June 1st. After a year off, the Hendrickson Foundation has brought back their very popular celebrity game. This is a great chance to meet and mingle with Wild players and some of the famous friends of HF like Brock Faber and his amazing sister, to bid on silent auction items, have some drinks and hear the firsthand story of the foundation. If you’re just looking to dip in and check out the National Hockey Festival, Saturday night is your game 7.
Championship Sunday
A deeper cut, but just as meaningful, is to visit Blaine on Championship Sunday. While not as prominent a social scene, if you’re a hockey fan or want to see inspiring stories—come to the Super Rink on Sunday June 2nd for a full slate of championship games across all of the Hendrickson Foundation’s divisions. Including a trophy presentation from none other than Pulltab Sports. We’ll see you there!
