The Five for May 14, 2020 – Marty, Fleischer, True Believers and More

1. Liam, on Wednesday, said this about the instructor from his new online class. “Marty is such a cool name.”

I reminded him that he has an Uncle Marty as well, and his mind was blown. Thought all the people named Marty – near and far – would appreciate the love since compliments on an old-school name don’t happen all the time, especially from the coveted 8-year-old demographic.

I can visualize my cousin, Laura, smiling as she reads this. If I bring up the price of succotash, I may hear the laughter all the way from Queens.

2. I had so much fun earlier this week revisiting a musical journey that began in second grade, found a favorite home on E Street, but was always grounded by a walk in Memphis. Here are two live versions of the song I came across.

The first, get ready for this, is a duet between Cohn and Miley Cyrus. In Memphis I tell you!

I had a music relationship with Miley this summer that might be worth a post at some point, and the duet combined with her genuine respect for Cohn is amazing. Enjoy. I also learned that Cher has consistently covered "Walking in Memphis." Here is Cher making her Bobproof debut.

3. My friend, Jeff Fleischer, is killing it.

I shared last week how the second edition of his book Votes of Confidence: A Young Person’s Guide to American Elections, was published to critical acclaim. Recently, his short story, “Redundancy,” was featured in the magazine Glassworks; it starts on page 19. Check out this remarkable review of the short story in the Oscilloscope Literary Magazine. Excerpted quotes include:

·        “It’s the most fun you’ll have with an imaginary friend this side of Calvin and Hobbes.

·        “Well-constructed story filled with nuance, humor, and charm. … Covers terrain that is both logical and unexpected.”

·        “Fleischer’s work is deeply comical, although in a subtle way.”

4. I enjoyed the movie Top Gun when it was released in 1986 and am looking forward to the sequel.  This article is a fun look at every call sign from the movie, ranked. I loved this sentence, “he has the build of a final boss in a fighting game, and his volleyball stance is a pre-Instagram thirst trap masterpiece.”

I did have to look up what a pre-Instagram thirst trap masterpiece was. I still don’t fully understand it nor is it probably 100 percent safe for work but what a line.

5. Holy Rabbit holes, Bernie! Still geeked up about revisiting the Brewers’ Easter Sunday victory in 1987, I came across this on YouTube; a link to a video I wore out watching as a kid.

I hope you have nothing pressing to do over the next 36:52.

It’s only right that, “Magic, Miracles and True Believers Walks Us Off.