February 2015 Capsule

Reading: Boy on Ice – The Life and Death of Derek Boogaard by John Branch

The tragic tale of National Hockey League enforcer Derek Boogaard, as written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, John Branch, is a warts and all story of how the culture of fighting in the NHL can lead to many things, including pain killer addiction. Branch’s narrative, supported heavily by the Boogaard family, paints a dark picture of what life is like for a guy who’s sole job on the team is to use his fists to either turn momentum or exact revenge for a dirty play on a teammate.

It’s a tough job to fill, and Branch’s story relates how a guy like Boogaard, who would never have made it to the NHL as a skilled player, lost his life thanks, in part, to a pain killer addiction that he contracted by swallowing pills like they were Skittles so he could get back and not lose his tenuous roster spot. In particular, he was taking the potent Percocet tablet, doing absolutely anything to dull the aches in his hands, his knuckles, his legs, his head…everywhere. Anything to get back onto the ice. Anything to shape up for that next fight.

Before starting Boy on Ice, I thought fighting had a place in the game. Now that I’ve read what it can do to a man – depression, addiction, brain injury, death – I’ve completely changed my mind. I urge all hockey fans to pick up this book. It’s confronting, ugly, tragic and sad, and it should be a wake-up call for the NHL.

Read my Boy on Ice review here.

Watching: Gallipoli

I think the Channel Nine miniseries is excellent, but apparently I’m in the minority. Channel Nine’s ratings have gone from reasonable ratings – around the 1.1 million mark – to disappointing in it’s second week – under 600,000 – to the point now where the network has scheduled double episodes because no one is watching.

I’ve always been fascinated by Gallipoli, and I was one of those greatly anticipating the series premiere. I’ve read Les Carlyon’s epic non-fiction book, Gallipoli, which I believe is the definitive account of the fateful campaign. It’s Carlyon’s epic that formed the basis for the writing team, whose work, it must be said, is top-notch. As is the direction and the acting. Kodi Smit-McPhee, as the wide-eyed seventeen-year-old Tolly Johnson, does a wonderful job. You can sense his fear in pretty

We see parts of the Gallipoli campaign that have never been on screen before, poignant moments like the truce after an early counter attack (which was detailed in episode two), the great storm that convinced British commanders that a winter campaign was untenable, and the deliberations between senior officers on General Hamilton’s staff, to name just a few.

Yes, I benefitted from watching the entire series on Stan.com.au, taking advantage of a free trial to binge-watch in two nights, without advertisements that’ve murdered the flow and continuity of the series. That’s probably why the show is failing on television. It would’ve been better on the ABC, but the real shame is that a well-acted and crafted show isn’t being seen by the amount of people it should be.

I wrote a piece about Gallipoli’s ratings failure here.

Listening: First Kiss by Kid Rock

I’m an unashamed Kid Rock fan – and I cop a lot of grief for that.

The man otherwise known as Robert Ritchie has been my guilty pleasure eer since 1998’s Devil Without a Cause, and his tenth studio album was released late in February. You bet I’d pre-ordered the deluxe version. The lead single (also the title track) is classic second-generation Kid. It’s heavy guitars, mixed with tales of days gone by. Yes, it’s all been done before, but there’s enough new twists to make it seem like it’s brand new. Kid loves his nostalgic songs – remember his giant hit All Summer Long – as much as he loves songs that double as social commentary. The Detroit-based artist has never been afraid to say what he thinks. I don’t always agree with what he says, but I appreciate that he won’t back down from who he really is. It’s refreshing.

First Kiss benefits from a healthy dose of classic rock/country-rock riffs and lyrics. It isn’t deep and meaningful, but the music is fun and it sounds good. Importantly, he wrote or co-wrote all the tracks, which is increasingly becoming rare in music. His band, the Twisted Brown Trucker, is incredibly talented. There’s some very country-leaning tracks, and some great rock stuff, too. The bonus track on the clean version of the album ‘Say Goodbye’, was written by the great Bob Seger (another one of my absolutely favourites; how can you not love ‘Night Moves’?), and Kid’s vocal delivery is fantastic.

Go ahead and mock Kid Rock if you wish, but the fact is, he’s still going, still selling albums, and he has a rusted-on fan base – myself definitely included – who buy anything he releases. Most people will immediately dismiss the album as being crap, but those are Kid Rock haters. If you loved Rebel Soul, Born Free and Rock n Roll Jesus, you’ll love First Kiss. I can’t get the title track out of my head!