Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to
the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
Today’s Question: What is the best pop culture to come out of Washington state?
Editor’s Note: Seattle is the home to the Museum of Pop Culture, so Jami and Matt thought that they would venture off the field a bit for the Buckeyes’ first road trip of the season.
Jami’s Take: ‘Sleepless in Seattle’
If there’s one thing I love more than football in the fall, it’s a Nora Ephron movie, and this week promises to be extra autumnal with all roads leading to Seattle.
If you’re looking to pregame Ohio State’s matchup with the Washington Huskies this Saturday, there’s no better place to start than a viewing of “Sleepless in Seattle.” Make yourself some tea, light some seasonal candles, and get cozy with one of Ephron’s best films.
The 1993 classic rom-com follows Sam, a widowed architect played by an ever-so-charming Tom Hanks, who moves to Seattle with his son Jonah for a fresh start. Jonah takes it upon himself to call into a radio talk show on Christmas Eve to request a new wife for his grieving dad.
Tuned into the program that evening is Annie Reed (Meg Ryan, in one of her best performances), who feels something is missing from her own relationship and, inspired by the film “An Affair to Remember,“ writes a letter to Sam suggesting they meet on top of the Empire State Building on Valentine’s Day.
Jonah finds the letter and, convinced Annie is the one for his dad, gets up to shenanigans to try to facilitate the meeting. The film is hopelessly romantic despite Annie’s rampant emotional cheating and the fact that the two leads don’t even meet until the final minutes of the film.
Despite being set in both Seattle and New York, filming largely took place in Seattle, with several memorable scenes showcasing the city’s attractions. From Pike Place Market to Alki Beach, the movie celebrates the magic of being in love while also showing off Seattle’s beauty. And who could forget one of the film’s most iconic filming locations—Sam’s houseboat, situated on the picturesque west shore of Lake Union.
The movie itself feels like a warm hug. It’s the kind of comfort film you want to watch in your PJs with a fire going. The cast is stacked with all-stars, including Rosie O’Donnell, Bill Pullman, Gaby Hoffman, Victor Garber, Rita Wilson, and David Hyde Pierce, among others, and while my favorite film of all-time is another Ephron film (“When Harry Met Sally”), I do believe Sleepless is her best script. Witty, charming, and sharp, even throwaway scenes feel memorable.
It’s the perfect way to get ready for the Buckeyes’ trip to Seattle this weekend, celebrating what makes the city great before Ohio State hopefully topples the Huskies by at least three touchdowns.
Matt’s Take: Pearl Jam
I was really torn on this one. Do I go with one of the greatest guitarists of all time in Jimi Hendrix? Do I go with my favorite pop culture collectibles, Funko Pops? Do I go with the first breakthrough grunge band, Nirvana?
I could have made compelling arguments for all of those contenders, but like Jami, I am who I am, so I am going with one of the most influential bands in my life from age 12 to 16, Pearl Jam. This era in music was when I first started discovering bands and artists beyond what my parents listened to, and Pearl Jam was at the top of that list.
Coupled with Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, Beck, Blind Melon, Weezer, Counting Crows, Green Day, and many more across a variety of genres, I discovered what types of music I liked (and didn’t like) during this era of flannel shirts tied around your waist, and mumbling through lyrics that were only semi-intelligible even when sung perfectly pronounced.
With all due respect to Kurt Cobain and everything that Nirvana did for grunge and alternative music in the early 1990s, but, for my money, Pearl Jam’s breakthrough album “Ten,” is one of the best rock albums of the decade, and increasingly of all-time. While “Even Flow” and “Jeremy” get much of the attention (and deservedly so), the album is so much deeper with “Once,” “Alive,” and “Black” rising to iconic levels of both poetry and musicianship.
When you combine the bangers on “Ten” with “Vs.” and ”Vitalogy” in rapid succession, you get an evolving repertoire of varied musical styles and perspectives, and one that cements Pearl Jam very near the top of my favorite bands of all-time list.
