Speak Up

A blog that has significantly more traffic than mine recently did an interview with Scott Radinsky (Ten Foot Pole, Pulley). Radinsky talks to Huggin Harold Reynolds about music, coaching, and his skate park venture. Here's a little to wet your whistle:

How do you juggle running the park, singing in the band and coaching?

I am surrounded by some pretty good people. I could not run a business if there wasn’t someone I could trust. So I am lucky to have that. The band has been going now for over 20 years in this same format, so I think it’s safe to say it runs itself. We have all learned how to make it work this way and get the most out of it. Coaching, well for me its the same as when I was playing as far as the time it takes away during a year. So it has been easy for all of us.

Meanwhile, this interview/confrontation recently came to my attention. I already thought Billy Beane was the most interesting GM in baseball. Do yourself a favor and read Moneyball if you haven't already. It will most likely change how you see the game and you will realize why so many people hate Joe Morgan .
Anyway, Billy Beane is an unabashed rock fan so this interview with Johnny Ramone is a gushing fanboy mess. I think the interview took place in 2002, which would be about 2 years before Johnny's death. It was presented by something called Chin Music magazine. It looks like this 'zine had a similar mission to Punk on Deck. So if you have some time to kill while refreshing the Punknews boards, check out the Chin Music archives. A wee bit of ultra-interview:

BB: Well, when I gave Hatteberg "The Filth & the Fury," I explained to him the differences between the New York scene and the English scene. He actually went home and watched it and he was just blown away. He couldn't believe how great it was!
JR: Oh, he was liking it then?
BB: Oh, he loved it!

So if you see Billy Beane out and about in Oakland, challenge him to some Guitar Hero or something.

The Standard Bearer -- Scott Radinsky

I'd be remiss to leave this guy out. Lead singer of So-Cal punk acts Ten Foot Pole and, currently, Pulley, Scott Radinsky was/is the quintessential punk rock baseball player. A south paw pitcher, Radinsky made his debut with the Chicago White Sox on April 9, 1990. He was an effective "LOOGY" throughout his career, which spanned to 2001, making stops with the Dodgers, Cardinals, and Indians. He didn't pitch in 1994 due to being diagnosed with and undergoing treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma. But no worries, he kicked cancer's ass.

Radinsky's musical career began in 1983, with Ten Foot Pole, then known as Scared Straight. Under this name and line-up, the band released two albums: Swill and Rev. Radinsky and the rest of TFP parted ways in the mid 90s, apparently because the band wanted didn't want to compete with Radinsky's baseball career. (Ten Foot Pole replaced him with a 13 year old boy. At least, that's what it sounds like. Sorry Dennis Jagard, your vocals are annoying.)

Enter Pulley. The band released their first album, Esteem Driven Engine in 1996. Overall, the band has released five full-lengths, most recently Matters in 2004. Also in 2004, they did a split with The Slackers and did a bunch of Minor Threat covers for some reason.

Today, Radinsky is the pitching coach of the Buffalo Bisons, the Triple A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. Meanwhile, there is a new Pulley EP out there somewhere and one of these days, it will be released. I suspect we won't see it until the Buffalo no longer roam.

Take a listen to some of his tunes.

Photos courtesy of Roctober Magazine and the Pulley MySpace.