Local Heroes

Last Thursday, I was reminded of the unexpected ways you can connect with your childhood when you live in your hometown.

That night, I attended the Sleeping Giant Reading Series, a new monthly event where two authors read excerpts from their books in front of an eager audience, followed by an hour of mingling for writers and readers alike.

I was there to support my friend Hirsh Sawhney, who was one of the featured authors. Hirsh and I met on our first day at Amity High School in 1994: sophomore year, third period, Mrs. Leach’s U.S. history class. We’ve been friends ever since, and now we’re neighbors in the East Rock section of New Haven.

While I sipped on an East Rock Brewing pilsner in the front row, Hirsh read from his upcoming second novel, which I’m excited to see in full. (His wonderful debut novel, South Haven, came out in 2016.)

Hirsh addressing the crowd at Best Video. (D. Fleschner photo)

The event was held at Best Video Film & Cultural Center in Hamden, about 10 minutes up Whitney Avenue from my house. The only previous time I was there was more than 30 years ago, when the store primarily rented out movies on VHS tapes. (I took out a copy of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure with my school friend David Mann, who lived in that neighborhood.)

One of the hosts of the event, Alice Mattison, is one of the area’s best-known writers. When I was in elementary school, almost four decades ago, she visited my class and talked to us about writing. I didn’t know who she was at the time (after all, I was just a little kid), but I have always remembered her visit since then. And on Thursday night, I was able to remind her of it. She recalled that day with pleasure, and I was proud to tell her that at least one of the kids she addressed so long ago had grown up to become a writer.

I also got to speak with Randall Beach, a retired journalist whose byline and photo I saw in the New Haven Register for many years when I was a kid. He now writes Randall’s Newsletter on Substack. I’m a subscriber, and I had gotten his latest edition just that morning — which partially solved an East Rock mystery I had been wondering about. I thanked him for that.

But the night was about Hirsh. He read his prose with poise, heart, and enthusiasm, sharing a chapter from his story about a high school sophomore trying to act tougher and cooler than he really was. Afterwards, he received praise and appreciation from several people — including a lovely woman named Grace who asked him to sign her copy of South Haven.

Before starting his reading, Hirsh pointed out to the audience that his novel was “not autobiographical.” But as I watched him onstage, I couldn’t help but think back to his real 15-year-old self and appreciate how far he’s — and we’ve — come.

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The Best…

…Documentary I Watched This Week

Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos (2024) — Directed by Alex Gibney
Streaming on MAX

I would consider myself a good authority on The Sopranos. I’d estimate that I’ve watched the series all the way through seven or eight times. I’ve read a few books and many articles about it, discussed and quoted it with friends for years, and eagerly listened to the Talking Sopranos re-watch podcast (hosted by stars Steve Schirripa and Michael Imperioli) as it came out every week during the pandemic.

So what could I possibly learn about the show and its creator, David Chase, from a documentary? As it turns out, quite a bit.

Directed by Academy Award winner Alex Gibney, Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos has something for both casual and die-hard fans.

It tackles familiar territory in the first of its two episodes. Namely, the inspiration for the show itself: Chase’s troubled relationship with his mother. Plus, it covers Chase’s pre-Sopranos TV career; the birth of the series; the assembly of the cast; and the breakout first season. (One standout section includes the deft editing of audition performances from several actors who tried out for the show.)

If you’re interested in the series but don’t know all the ways that it broke with convention and created a new era of TV, you’ll be intrigued by this first episode.

But for aficionados, the second episode is where the really fascinating stuff is. Here, we learn about the ugliness that was going on behind the scenes; we see how James Gandolfini dealt with playing a monster like Tony Soprano; we relive some of the most intense, emotional, and violent scenes; and, of course, we get Chase’s take on the controversial series finale, which fans are still debating today.

Gibney’s film is not just a Sopranos celebration though. It also raises a variety of interesting questions, particularly about toxic behavior in the making of art.

But I think the best review I can give is this: as soon as I finished watching Wise Guy, I was inspired to immediately return to the series pilot and start yet another Sopranos re-watch. With a show this rich, there is always more to discover.

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…Podcast I Listened to This Week

“The Pick Who Became Tom Brady: An NFL Secret, Finally Revealed” — Pablo Torre Finds Out, September 12, 2024

I admit that this episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out is incredibly esoteric. But it’s also great.

It’s a sports story, a detective story, and a history project all wrapped into an entertaining 49-minute package. No spoilers here, because you do have to get to the end to appreciate all the juicy sports nerd goodness. But I’ll give you the premise.

The mystery has to do with the selection of Tom Brady by the New England Patriots in the 2000 NFL Draft. Brady was famously taken in the 6th round with the 199th pick — a position that would prove to be laughably low when Brady later racked up Super Bowl win after Super Bowl win for New England.

Most of the picks in the NFL Draft are determined by each team’s win-loss record from the previous season. In general, the team with the worst record picks first in each round and the team with the best record picks last (there are seven rounds).

But there are exceptions to that — they’re called compensatory picks.

A team is eligible to receive a compensatory pick when it loses one of its players to another franchise via free agency and opts to not replace him with a comparable player. The NFL can then grant that team an extra compensatory pick somewhere in the draft.

In the case of the Patriots in 2000, the 199th pick was one of these compensatory picks. (They had already used their “normal” 6th round selection on a gentleman named Antwan Harris at No. 187.)

The unanswered question has always been — which player did the Patriots lose via free agency to trigger the granting of pick No. 199? In other words, whose departure from New England helped the Patriots create the greatest dynasty in modern sports? Nobody could ever get to the bottom of it.

So, to paraphrase the title of his podcast, Pablo Torre tried to find out. And that journey turned out to be quite the charming ride.

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…NPR Tiny Desk Concert I Watched

The Philharmonik — Posted May 24, 2024

NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts series always delivers.

If you’ve never seen any of these videos, the premise is as follows: A band or performer does stripped-down versions of their songs from behind a desk at NPR’s offices in Washington, D.C.

There have been hundreds of them, racking up billions of views on YouTube. A recent favorite of mine is rapper Juvenile’s appearance from last year. (No Lil Wayne for “Back That Azz Up,” unfortunately, but… Mannie Fresh! Trombone Shorty! Jon Batiste playing a melodica! And a string section!)

Last week, reader Mark L. shared the above video with me. I had never heard of The Philharmonik (aka Christian Gates), a musician from Sacramento, but as the winner of the 2024 Tiny Desk Contest, he got the chance to bring his band to D.C. and record a show for the series.

Crossing over several genres, and with evocations of Office Space, Goodfellas, Hamilton, and others, this joyous, melancholy, righteously angry, and hilarious set is well worth your time. Check it out.

(Read more about The Philharmonik here.)