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19 plus, Ontario only. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or the gambling of someone close to you, please go to conixontario.ca. This is the best Hang podcast featuring Max German, Shane Cunningham and I and Mike Bierman. Welcome to the best Hang podcast.
I'm like, we got Max, we got Shane. And I think we got a very exciting episode today. I'm kind of sad we're not all in person because I feel like there's going to be a lot of juice to this episode. We got huge announcements to make or to discuss.
We got life changes with our beloved Shane Cunningham. I got a story about taking Winona to her very first NHL game. I feel like we got a lot going on today and I'm very, very excited. Let's start with the big news.
This is why people are tuning in. They're all aware. Our Kels have announced coming in the summer of 2025 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The rally is back.
It's happening. We want you all to come. It's the third weekend of June. That's our Kelsweet spot.
We traditionally do something at Budweiser stage or in Hamilton at it's no longer called Tim Hornsfield. It's called Hamilton Stadium. And after our show there, it'll be called our Kels Memorial football. Yeah, it calls him whatever.
And yeah, so I mean, yeah, it's obviously a labor of love. We've put a lot of time and effort into making things feel special. We are playing a show on Thursday. Are you guys around on Thursday?
We're playing a surprise club show. Did you guys see this? I did. I was very like a week ago.
You messaged a bunch of us old band guys, bunch of guys around the block back in the day. You have an example of like one of these old posters that we used to play venues like the Casbot, Underground, which you get to all these venues around around Hamilton. And what was very cool is you did you announced this like super small club show that you're going to be doing at the underground at the underground. Yeah.
And the Casbot has recently closed our IP is which is great venue and the underground still exists. They don't really host anything there though. It's like below dirty dog saloon and club 77 and we asked them if they could open their doors for us one more time and they agreed and we wanted to it was one of these. One of these moments where we're like, am I imagining this poster because I could so clearly see what every poster for the underground look like it was like this.
So like early 2000s black and white, the font, I don't even know how to describe it. But it was a very signature look and we started, I started looking at it and I just find that and then my R Mike D can design it and make it look like this retro thing. And it was nowhere to be found on the internet. And I was like, Mike, you remember what I'm talking about.
Oh, yeah. And then he tried to look you can find anything. So we started texting different guys and bands like yourself. If they had any posters lying around, no one had a poster and I was like, are this really happening?
Like, does how does this thing not exist anywhere? It's not like some like relic from like the 1940s or something like that. It's like somebody should have it and then eventually Ash put in enough keywords into a Google search that led her to somebody's like Facebook page who had an archive of these posters. So that came through and then I texted Noah Freilich from the right theory or young rival, you know, they changed names and he found one of the posters.
So a few began to emerge. But yeah, so we're thrilled to be able to rip off that design for the poster. So Thursday night, if you want to come, the only way you can come is if you ever take it to the rally and I know you two guys are buying many tickets to the rally. So you guys can we have the right.
No, I don't know. Listen, like this is obviously very exciting. And as Ash is pointing out in the group chat right now, this episode is coming out tonight. So you're getting this today, which means that the show we're discussing is this Thursday.
So it's going to be exciting. But like you said, the only way to get to this super small club show is to buy tickets to the rally. One of those on sale. That was up now tomorrow morning.
It's 10 a.m. So get on it Tuesday morning. I got to tell you this is I feel like it's such an event and Shane, you might have this going on as well. Once you guys announced the rally and you know, we knew that you know it was percolating.
It was probably happening this summer on set, but once you announced it to the masses, I feel like everyone that knows that you know, we do this pod with you suddenly everyone's like, Oh, you know, kind of feeling it feeling around like, Oh, do you got access to things? I'm like, listen, I was like, I don't even know what the deal is. I know there's a club show. I actually thought the club show was going to happen like the day before the rally.
And then when you guys posted the post, I was like, Oh, that's this Thursday. That's pretty in my lineup perfectly that I can be available to come hang up with Shane. Did you feel like when they announced family and friends start sort of hitting you up being like, Oh, you know, Max sort of thing. Alex more so because Alex is kind of like my representative.
I think people who want to talk to me also talk to Alex. So she got hit up by a few people this morning. I was actually hit up by a family member who called me. And well, they didn't really have my number Alex given my number.
And then they called me and I need to talk to you just for a moment. After the zoom about a special request that you may be up for. I think I think I don't want to write checks on my bun can't cash, but I kind of said it shouldn't be a problem. I don't know.
I should be incredible, incredible. But, Shane, are you around Thursday? I mean, I feel like we can't transition to bigger news about whether you could be around Thursday or not. I don't know.
I don't know. Do you think you could get to the underground on Thursday night? What are you insinuating? Mike, I'm confused.
I'm insinuating you might physically not be able to go to a club show. Oh, you know what? I'm actually somewhat mobile. I have a walking boot.
I did. I did kind of bust my ankle. I don't think Max knows anything about what happened to you, Shane. I had a slip and a fall and six years ago I broke my ankle.
I fractured it and then I was at a trampoline park with my daughter. And when I got to the park, I'm like, I'm not going to be jumping on the trampoline. So I'm just going to keep my shoes on. And Alex says, oh, well, you're supposed to take your shoes off.
I go, well, the employees were actually walking around the trampoline. They're wearing their shoes. She goes, I'm these, but the other parents are taking their shoes off. Take their shoes off.
So I go, OK, I take my shoes off and walking around, sock feet, but I'm not going on the trampolines at all. But there is a bench kind of in the middle of the trampolines and my one daughter, she's kind of high anxiety. So she really likes me close to watch her. And then she was running off in a direction and she's like, Daddy, come watch me.
So I got up without thinking and I stepped on the mat around the trampoline and then I and there's like a metal bar underneath those mats. So those mats, they look cushy, but they are not in the height of the bench that I was sitting on was kind of an awkward height. So when I put all my weight down on my kind of weak ankle, I went down immediately and I heard a crack and like a pop and I just knew my ankles really fucked up. It was disgusting.
I didn't know what to do. I'm also embarrassed because I'm at a trampoline park and I'm going to have to walk out on crutches and someone recognized Alex there and they were like watching us. And it was just so humiliating. I could do nothing but laugh it off and act like it's not that bad, but it was brutal.
And I was in the ER for nine and a half hours. Oh, no, X-rays and you got to wait for the X-rays. Turns out it's not even a fracture, which is what I wanted because then you get all this empathy because people understand fractures, but it's like a grade three strain, which people are like, oh, good. It's not a break, but in some ways it's worse because it's the heel isn't as cut and dry.
So it's very hard for me to walk. And now I'm walking with a limp, which creates a whole other set of problems because then your calves aren't being utilized properly and now it's like causing a bit of a calf injury. But Thursday is Alex's birthday, so I cannot come back. Long way around.
Well, I'm glad to hear that you're mobile again, Shane. I thought you were more laid up with the last time I got the update on the injury and the strain. Isn't the strain like a tear to? It's like a turn.
There's a lot of language and it's ligaments were pulled and she's told me there was also like bone fragments floating around my ankle, but she played it off pretty cool. Like that wasn't the end of the world. So I was like, oh, OK, bone fragments floating around cool. OK, well, Shane Shane is on the mend, but I thought it was exactly for sure.
I thought that's what it was. No, never. Not really. My legacy has to live on if anything tragic happens to my children.
But that brings us back to the children. That's what I can say. So that's what happens to the children double vehicular homicide. Alex is wiped out with a bus and the kids.
Yes. You need more. Yeah. These genes need to continue on.
But my question about trampoline parts when you're at a trampoline park with your daughters, do you jump around? Or are you embarrassed to jump around with the kids? I don't like to jump around. So I've gotten very good because I was bringing one of all these little things, you know, trampoline parts are like, you know, fun villa and places like that where they climb around.
I got very good at making friends with another little kid. I would go in and I would be the social connector. I would find one on a friend so they would connect and then they would go off and play and I could read about the NBA because it's hard to put. You know, like those, those like those, you know, what's on top of like fun villa or funzilla.
You go into those places like they're not built for like adults, you know, so you got to really crawl around and shit. So I just find it very sort of exhausting. Like I do love playing at the trampoline park. Same thing.
I'd like, I'd have fun for like 10 minutes bouncing around with her, but like kids have a ton of energy. And so then I would try and find a little buddy and then they would go off and bomb around and do lots of fun stuff. So you'll just like a roger child and be like, are you looking for a friend? You don't do that.
I do it in a creepy way. You know, there's always kids moving about kids eye each other, but they're almost a little too shy to make the first move. This is a great service. You should offer the service.
You should make a business. Just make a connect friends. I'll be able to hear about the game. I'll be like, what's your name?
And she'll be like, I'm selling. I'm like, I'm selling. I'm like, hi. I'm like, yeah, I was like, you should be friends.
Or do I go and then she like went on to play and they go off and do it and then they go off and do it. And then I can always tell her to appreciate it too. Like a mom or a dad will give me the nod. I'm like, yeah, anyway, so I don't bounce a time.
I'm like, the trampoline park, but you don't bounce Shane. You just sort of observe because I'm scared to get injured and Myers is a big bouncer. He does flips and he'll like start dunking a basketball and impressing people, but he really fucked his ankle up the last time he did this. So me being smart, I go, I'm just going to sit on this bench here.
What's the worst that could happen? And then the worst thing happened. It did. I did sort of speaking of a, you know, bad things happening or things getting derailed.
I derailed the talk of all the rally and more importantly, this show on Thursday night. So Max, you asked, are we available? I'd love to come to this show. I've been at the underground in years.
Yeah, well, nobody has. It's not been open to the public, but I absolutely come. And for the June 21st show, Portugal the Man is opening and we love Portugal the Man Valley and other artists named Siegel. And yeah, we're very excited.
It's probably taken up. It's so funny with the man for the most part, just gets to go on stage in front of thousands of screaming people on this particular gig. But Ash just spent probably about, I don't know, 700 hours, like getting it to this point. She's the labor and labor of love.
Yeah. So shout to Ash because she's doing more with anybody. But anyway, tell us about this hockey game or you also teach about the life change that's happened or something. What is it going on for Shadyboy?
Yeah. I think he's like three episodes where we've got, I feel like Shane's got all this stuff going on, but each episode is sort of in its own sprawling animal. And then at the end of the episode, we just sort of wrap quick and we never get to it. Should we save it till the end?
Is this going to become one of the life time where we get to get one? No, you know, and I hesitate to bring this up because I did tell Greg, your brother, Mike, and he was very upset with me for some reason. He was like, histh off, you know, but I like that closeness. You were there by the use of his reaction.
I like when you're close with someone and then they don't even have to act like they give a shit or they're supporting you. It does suggest like, oh, me and Greg are really close friends. So I told him that I've moved homes and I'm now living in my, my in-laws home is now my new home. So we, I've moved into the house that I got married in their backyard and I told Greg this and he's like, why?
He's like, I thought the other house was your forever home. Now you're moving homes. I was like, yeah, I don't know. It's just, I guess this was the one home that we would consider maybe it would be the one home of any homes that we would actually consider moving homes.
And now we're here into this awesome house and we're, we're happy living here. It is that thing where you're definitely house poor. I'm feeling what that feels like, but it is enjoyable to be here. It's a beautiful home.
It's just for content. Where do they go? Where do your parents go? You know, the in-laws listen to this house or this, this is this pot too.
Sorry. I got to talk to the house and devices in the house talking about finances and stuff. It's tricky. But I will say there is an onus to your, you know, the other siblings.
So they can't give us such a great deal that the other siblings like, whoa, whoa, whoa, you know, what about my inheritance? So it's true. And then probably tariffs come and we're like, oh, maybe the market's not so good. Maybe we can hold them over the coals a little bit.
And then it's like, we're family. We're family. We got so little to do with anything in this situation. I think people don't have as much money in these tariffs maybe.
And then they're not as fluid to buy new homes. I don't know. And then the market can shrink. I don't know.
And then the monarchy can shrink. Not the monarchy. Stop making me stupid. I'm close.
But I'm not that stupid. I'm saying the market is what the market is. Sorry. I didn't hear.
The monarchy is ever shrinking. They do have a PR problem. But to say it's point, economic instability, the threat of tariffs and the tariffs and the inflammation of the tariffs go on. But it is funny this house because I remember when I was like in the early throws of dating Alex, I was like, oh, I love her parents home.
And Greg's like, oh, yeah, he's like, oh, we had to practice like a speech. We were going to give it someone's wedding. So I was like, hey, come, come over and come to the backyard and I'll show it to you. And we can practice the speeches.
Like, OK, he showed up and he's like, man, this place isn't that great. And he was just like not even loving the house back then. So I don't know. I think maybe it's not for everybody, but for me, I'm like dream home.
So but for Greg not. Yeah, what do you think Max? Does this make you mad and different? Happy?
No, you know, whenever anybody tells you a story, you just start thinking about yourself, you know how that works. And I was thinking about homes and I think maybe it's probably a large track of children, but I kind of don't care that much where I live. Obviously you want to have somewhere that's like their conditioning is good. You know, you kind of want that and you want to have like a good TV.
But beyond that, I don't think I care that much about where I live. I think the neighborhood is very important to me. So I want to be near Dan Hamilton. Yes.
Those are those are things that are important to me. But beyond that, I, you know, I don't care. So I'm happy for you, but doesn't make me mad. Does not make me mad at all.
The TV was huge for me too, by the way, because I'm always looking for just a vessel to have a giant TV in my other house. Wouldn't facilitate that. So I bought a 98 inch television. I was like, that's crazy.
You're like home theater in there. Yeah. And I keep trying to like find excuses to film it and put it on Instagram, not that I'm a big Instagram bragger, but this is one thing I'm like, this is going to blow up Instagram and then no one says anything about it. And I talk to Mike and Mike didn't say anything about it.
I'm like, what's the deal? Mike, you even called about it. I'm like, you know how bad I wanted that TV and you didn't even say anything like Oh, congrats or anything. And he's like, well, big TVs don't photograph.
Well, Mike has a massive TV too. And he was kind of the inspiration for me really wanting one. And when you do put it online, people cannot tell how big it is. You can't tell.
Yeah. It's 100% true. Well, so when he sent the photo, he sent it to a group chat with me and John Popless. I sort of looked at it and he was he was a something for bulges.
So I thought what he was showing was just, Hey, I'm watching this funny scene and I just kind of kept scrolling. I didn't realize because he'd been talking about buying this 90 inch or four weeks and I'm super happy for you about the house is beautiful. It is incredible. And then she was getting this TV and he sent the photo.
It didn't even register to me that this was the giant TV. So then he very chain like was like, Hey, so nobody gives a shit about my TV. And I was like, Oh, yo, I didn't realize. And I was like, as a fellow big TV guy who tries to who's tried to photograph and film mine online.
It never looks impressive. I've seen him. You got to stick a little kid next to it for like scale or something. People can't tell him that you put something next to it to see how big it is.
It's just a wall and a TV. But I haven't been there personally. I'll see it tomorrow. And I'll be right.
You know what? Same thing with the moon. There was a beautiful moon the other night and it was right. It was back lighting this as I was like, I went to the park.
It was right behind the scene tower. And so the scene tower was backlit perfectly at this one particular part of the park. Like this is going to be the most epic photo. And then just as I was watching, I was like, now, you know what pictures of moons always suck.
You know, there's like a goal is always started doing some will put a fake moon there. So they have this AI technology. You take a picture of it. They replace it with a moon that's not even there just to make the moon look awesome.
It's kind of sneaky. It's true. They do this, but your house for right now. How's it stressing yet?
I thought the moon fact would be a little more interesting, but the house. That's just a blue mine. Yeah. Well, I say house poor, but it's like a handshakes moon landing.
Now they're faking them. Sorry. That's it. That was the joke I was looking for.
But yeah, I think I'm house poor. Like it's kind of a handshake agreement and money hasn't really got like I don't just move in and you haven't given any money yet. It's amazing. Yeah.
I'm not going to tell Jake. Jake should be pissed. We've got all of our stuff in the house. I've bolted a TV to the wall.
So I'm like, I think you both the doors shut. No, no, no, no. My thought was once you put a 98 inch TV on a wall, you own that house. Like there's no take back.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's in the rules, but they're living at our old house now. So they've moved all of their stuff into our old house, but we're going to sell that house like April or May. So I don't know where they're going to go. Yeah.
Maybe we don't sell it, but the monarchy or the what's it called? Nothing. I'm not good to sell. If they were to come back to the house and all of you live together in one roof, like under one roof, like a sitcom, how do you think that would play?
Would you go out into that? You know, John and Lorna here? Well, it'd be tough for space, but if there was any people that I could live with, it'd be them. Like I've been in close quarters with them in there.
Pretty easy to get along with. Yeah, they're delight. But they might be a good nation. Lord of us.
And that made Greg mad too. Like they might build a house right next door. Greg doesn't like that proximity. He said, he said, what?
What was the term of use? He said, I'm not codependent, but something like when you can't, you know, separate. Yeah, he has said that about you. He said, you always need some, some like, I think maybe you said this, though.
You always have like a like a work wife and a real life. Like John Paul says your work wife. And before that, it was Mike German. Yeah.
But yeah, Greg was fired up and we'd only had like two beers at that point. But yeah, that's that's the plan. I might have been ahead of you guys because I don't remember him being. Well, you were a great, you know, being hilarious that.
Yeah, I was, well, I mean, the reason we were getting together for beers is I, you know, I'm not going to get really get, but my beloved, Alma had passed away who Greg and I, you know, she's really the matric of her family. And there's, I could say a million things about how she's just very like, you know, growing up, there's a little bit of instability and stuff, but she was always the sort of rock of like, oh, Oh, oh, no, if something goes a lot of stuff, we can go to Alma. We can talk to Alma. Like if you need a meal or somewhere to sleep, like everyone in the family has spent time living in like that basement, you know, she just really sort of like was an incredible matric for a family, sort of a beacon of inspiration.
Like when I first moved to Toronto, I was 20 years old and I got this job in much music and I was working like for as a unisistent. Anyway, after a year of where I was commuting, my mom, I went home one day, my mom was like, okay, so like, we're moving. And I was like, oh, you're like leaving the town. She's like, yeah, we got like an apartment because my brother's still living with my brother's to me.
And I was like, oh, cool. I was like, okay, I was like, so like where are we moving? And she's like, well, like me and your brother are moving to the apartment because there was only two bedrooms. And she's like, so you're more than what if you and Greg want to share again, like you're more than welcome.
And it was just a real like, oh, I'm not part of this move. And I guess she feels like I'm old enough now at 21, I guess, because I have a job that it's time for me to move out. So I need to find a place to live. And so I went on the other way to like these like message boards internally and much music and I found, oh, there was an apartment at Elm and McCall, which is literally a three-minute walk from work.
So I go and I meet this guy who I'm going to live with literally just like, I mean, I was like, hey, I want to move in. I got this job of like, yeah, okay, cool man. He's like, it's 625 a month to live here. I'm like, sweet, great.
So I show up the next month with my $625 and I give him the $625. He's like, man, it's like, it's first and last month rent that you need to give. So I actually needed $1,250, which I did not have at all. I literally was like, I just stopped being part-time and I was like, I didn't know anybody in my life that could quickly like within the next 24 hours come up with $625 to lend me, except for obviously my OMA who was like the most responsible and thoughtful and plano person in our family.
So I went to OMA and I was like, oh, I need this. I'm in a bit of a pickle. I agreed to move this apartment and she's like, oh, Michael, like, absolutely. And I'm like, I'm going to pay you back and give you a little bit like every month or whatever, every paycheck and she's like, okay, okay, fine.
It's whatever. So she just gave me that money. No questions asked. I was able to move into that apartment in Toronto.
And then she would never take my money. I would try to give her money. She refused to take it. So to this day, I still owe, you know, $625 that she would never take.
And she would, for that first, like, when my mom passed away, I used to go back to Hamilton and I would say, my OMA is and she would say, bring your laundry back. So instead of paying for the laundry in the basement of the apartment, I'd bring a duffel with my laundry. She'd cook it or sorry, she'd do my laundry for me. She'd cook the shit.
She'd do my laundry for me. And then she would make me chicken, catchetory. This is another thing my OMA would do. You tell her once like, oh, my God, chicken, catchetory was good.
And then she would make it for me every weekend. So I'd come back to Toronto on the Monday with my chicken, catchetory. Well, she was very Italian, right? She would fight a little Indonesian woman and she would find recipes like, I told her to talk, she was from every time I was there.
And she was the best. And we were very sad to see her go at 88. And I could really go deep on her. You know, she immigrated very young.
She was born into like Indonesia during the occupation that immigrated to Holland, where they weren't accepted and then eventually Canada, where they made their life. And because they did. And because it was Hamilton, my brother and I are here. But she.
I think with that all the time, I give you, because you told me that they were given a few different options, right? Australia, Hamilton and somewhere. I think Vancouver, which is where this is where different places where steelwork was. And they were trying to say.
And they chose. They chose the hammer. And now look at us. We're all together.
But yeah. And so she passed away at the age of 88 extraordinary and just loved her. Like a lot of old people, no bullshit, a little bit of a generational hater. You know, she could hold a wedge and she's like, just really authentic.
And yeah. So anyway, love for the death, but that day that we were sitting there having beers at odds, actually, Maxie, we sat there and John was ready to just kept him coming. But we sat there and sort of post saying bye to my OMA me and Greg was in town for that. And Shane, boy, and Julian actually joined us.
We just basically sat there and drank like 10,000 buckets. And we're talking, telling fun stories. And then Shane had recently bought the removed into the house. That's that became a big topic conversation.
But that was a very large digression guys. But RIP, OMA, Theresa, and what a one. You know, I never knew her name was Theresa. There you go.
Trish. She was a nurse for years in Dundas. Yeah, like a care facility. And so they all know.
Yeah. That was my mom's name too. That was her name. Yeah, that's funny.
I always think an OMA just OMA becomes their name. I know. I know. And it just to wrap this up.
So when I bring my kids over there, because we go over there like Winona and Birdie, she would always have these Mr. Big chocolate bars. Like for sure, for Winona. And it was always like, damn, I'm like, that's a lot of chocolate.
But the kids like fucking love it. And OMA didn't, you know, grandparents are there to spoil. They don't give a shit. So she just made sure the fridge always had these Mr.
Bigs. And every time the kids would go over now, they'd just like, they'd very cutely ask for the Mr. Big and they'd say thanks and OMA loved giving it to them. But you know, after she'd passed, I went by the place to sort of help, you know, do arrangements and all that.
And then I went to the fridge and there was two Mr. Bigs, I didn't wait for the, I know, waiting for Winona and Birdie. So I took a photo and was just like, oh, that's, you know, it was there, you know, like a movie ending or something. Yeah, honestly, it was very sweet.
And I got to meet OMA and she was the nicest, cutest woman ever. I was, I'm not saying like a hitting on her way, but she was very cute and adorable. Yeah, no, totally. And she like, she did whenever her friends around it, you know, not a ton of her friends.
Like she met you, Shaney and Dan Hamilton, the Dawson brothers when we were doing the band and stuff like that. But like, she was always very, yeah, she liked her friends a lot. And it was, yeah, it was just really sad to say bye, especially when they're older, but, you know, I think it's a little easier to take when someone's lived for 88 years, you know. And it was a good life.
I'm proud of you and your road to my. Yeah, yeah, we always felt that love. The score bet up here with trusted stats and real-time sports news. Yeah, hey, who should I take in the Boston game?
Well, statistically speaking, no more statistically speaking. I want hot takes. I want knee-drick reactions. That's not really what I do.
Is that because you don't have any news? The score bet. Trusted sports content, seamless sports betting. Download today.
19 plus Ontario only. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or the gambling of someone close to you, please go to conicenterio.ca. Oh, you know, not just to have me keep chatting, but I also want to give a shout out to our friend Matt Frickman. He literally texted me a couple of two weeks ago.
He goes, what's your address? I have something for you. I go, this is a bit bizarre, but exciting. I say, okay.
I send Matt my address and I go intrigued period. You know, I kind of want to be surprised. Totally forgot about it. And then like a week later, Danica was like, you got a package here from Amazon or something.
I was like, well, I was like, okay. I was like, I don't even know what that would be. I come home from work from the office. I get in.
I open the package. Utter delight. It is. The new Lauren Michaels book.
Right now, Frickman had read, I felt like I needed to read it. He also told me, Shane, I should flip it to you. What I'm done. He's like, you guys will love it.
And he's like, texting me, I haven't a chance to crack into it yet. But he almost wants to like book club, even though he's read it. Ironically, because he's named checked in your song book club and he sent me a book club. He's a book buddy.
So he sent me the Lauren Michaels book, which I'm very excited to read. It's sitting there on my shelf. I actually brought it to work on it because I'm going to crack it open. But then I had worked to decide.
I had done it. I'm very much looking for it to it. Have you read it? For him, and his very good at sending books.
Yeah, he's very generous in that way. You're so thoughtful. So very, and I know this is a podcast. So thank you.
And I saw him. We were together after Raptors game recently, and we were chatting. Shane, I will give it to you next. I prefer a new copy of Matt's list.
I'm not saying I won't buy it. I'm just hinting. Hey, speak of lineage, though. Tells about the hockey game with Winnie and Buffalo.
Oh, geez. OK. Generation of Ehrman. That's right.
We also mentioned a lot of his podcast, Dan Hamilton, reached out. He's like, hey, I don't know if you're doing anything next Saturday. He's like, but I got extra tickets to the Buffalo Sabers. You'd be interested in going with one owner or something.
He's like, he was going with his mom and her husband, Rob. And I was like, I was like, I don't think I have plans on Saturday. I'm like, I would never really go to an NHL game. I'm like, I know it's a little tricky going to the States right now.
So I'm like, I don't know. But a message, Dan, I'm like, hey, Danica. I'm like, Dan Hamilton, off of this thing. I think it'd be really fun with Winnie.
I don't mind driving over to Buffalo and just experiencing these free tickets. So she's like, yeah, that sounds awesome. But then the next night, she's like, but really going to America. I was like, yeah, yeah.
I was like, I don't know. Maybe I just won't post her something. I'll try not to spend money. It's a free ticket.
But anyway, so we went. And the thing about when I talked about this podcast, I brought her to, I think she's been three Raptors games now. And progressively like, they're better and better. Like the first one, she kind of lost interest by like the second quarter.
And then she gets it a half time. And then the last one we went to, we got almost all the way through the third. She would have chilled, but the game was a blow. And we'd want to get the train.
So we never really got through a whole game. And she's more sort of interested in like the raptor doing funny shit or than throwing t-shirts and stuff, more so than like the basketball. So I bring this hockey game like, oh, this is a funny person. Wow.
Buffalo savers versus the Vegas Knights. I had to look up like records to even see what the stakes were for the game. Like Buffalo's in last place. Knights are pretty good.
Whatever we get there. This guy comes at number nine for the Vegas Knights. Immediately the whole arena starts booing the shit out of them. When everyone's like, what's going on here?
I'm like, I don't know the story. I'm like, but every time this happened in basketball, that guy probably used to play for Buffalo. I'm like, he didn't want to live in the city anymore. And requested a trade.
Now they all hate him. Turns out I was actually right about that. I got damn hands in the convertible and I got to the game. So she immediately gets this weird, like, she's in this emotional canon where these people are booing him like he's Vince Carter or something returning to the city of Buffalo.
So right there, it's interesting every time I'm not in touch with the book. Then on the first pair, there's two fights. So now she's in a gladiator combat. The place is going insane.
You can't replicate the emotions of whatever. It was in that building that day. 13,000 people losing their minds at all this stuff. Then the game ends up, you know, it was, it was, it was, it was, it was the, the away team went ahead by one goal with two minutes left and everybody was crushed.
And I was like, oh, when this is going to be cool, because they're going to pull the goal. You're going to see the goalie skate over to the bench. And then the next guy, and she's getting into the game theory now and she's like, kind of thirst for blood. And then the goal goes up with 13 seconds left.
Buffalo ties the game. Everybody loses their mind. No one is losing their fucking mind. And then I spend with Sun Death over time is in every possession.
She's like, writing me. She's like, she's shaking me like we're watching like the Raptors in the championship. She's living and dying with every possession. She's totally picked up like some of the nuance of the game.
And, and then the overtime ends and I'm like, well, tag game. I guess we're going, it has been so long since I've been to a hockey game. I forgot that it goes to a shootout. And then my friends in front of us turned around and look at me like, it's a shootout brother.
And I was like, I'm more of a rapper than a basketball fan. I'm a point of my Raptors. Anyway, we watched the shootout, which is so exciting, perfect for a little kid. Because you know, you just get like 10 different, whatever, five, five, you know, one on one breakaways.
And we left there and I was like, no point was she went. Like we watched her on the concourse a few times in the second period. But I was like, holy shit, I was in a den. I'm like, I think she's a hockey fan.
I don't know if I can ever get her back to basketball at this point. Yeah. So that was, that was the trip. It was great.
It was great. Do you sleep in Buffalo or? No, we just, we drove there. It was like door to door and hour and 20 minutes.
The border was actually pretty, you know, it was a little bit jammed, but like 20 minutes of the border and then went in and, and he showed up to Lauren, who's a friend, you know, friend, been to a million, our tells show, you know, when she was, she works for the sabers and that's, you know, her and Dan are good friends. And that's, you end up sorting us out with the tickets. But, and then we all went for dinner after. Oh my God.
And then so, so, so Lauren, her friend, Ham's like, Danny, his, his mom and Rob, and me and we decided to go for a bite. They want Buffalo wings and we're in Buffalo. So like, I was like, I will probably drive back. But when it was like, no, we're going to the restaurant, like any of you are in the room and she love the second or third location.
She didn't want the party to end. So she was like, we're going, okay. But it happens to be St. Patty's Day, they're celebrating in Buffalo.
So it goes bar or whatever. It's a restaurant, we're eating the restaurant, but this like scruff, buffalo, like door person, this woman, as we're supposed to walk in, she goes, no, absolutely not. We're like, what? And she's like, no kids today.
Any other day fine, but not in St. Patty's Day, we're going to the parade today. No, she can't go and you can see like, when known is pretty crushed. And I was like, ah, this sucks.
But I'm also with like five other adults that want to go eat. And so I was like, we're good. We just want to go see the water anyway. We're going to go walk down by the water.
It's cool. And then Dan's like stepdad, Rob goes, no, he goes, I ain't going anywhere that won't have her. I eat where she eats and pointed out, well, no, no. And then we suddenly got filled with this like real sense of like importance and felt wanted and defended.
And I was like, I was just really grateful to Rob to do that. And we all went to another restaurant, you know, 15 minute walk away or whatever. But, and he was just like, well, no, no, I had the greatest time ever. And I'm, you know, now I'm trying to reconcile the fact that I think I have a hockey fan in the family and I might have to go to a lot more hockey games going for him.
That's my favorite. So I'm like, oh, I'm hockey is great though. Live hockey is awesome. I say my brother because I put a story on Instagram, like I tend to do, I like in the archives, I can remember these days, but Greg was like, looks like she enjoyed that more than the basketball game I got you guys into.
And I was like, yo, I was like, I think I might be coming up becoming a hockey fan between the four nations in that sabers game. Like I might be back in a minute. I come play out time. You'll see.
I went to an event last night. So there's this kid in the neighborhood, Zimz Temasso. And I do the sports day on Tuesday with my nephews. They're nine and 15, 14.
And I was like, I need a neighborhood kid who's like good at sports to do sports day with me in the event. And so I found this kid through their older sister Emma who was in grade 12 at Harvard collegiate, the high school that I used to go to. And Temasso has become like the most important member of our family. He's like this really gregarious, like polite, just talented grade 12 kid.
And he's like a member of like the cover band club. He plays hockey. He plays baseball. He's just like really well-spoken.
He's teaching the kids how to skate. Like I can't really skate. And now Lex is like learning how to stop and go back. It's just like so great.
And these two boys, my nephews guy and Lex now have this really nice, really cool grade 12 that they're just hanging out with every Tuesday. So Temasso has told me he's in this band. And so I'm like, okay, tell me what the band. Lex is like nine inch nails, early nineties industrial influenced band.
I'm like, oh, no, no, it's quite my thing. But okay, okay, I'll go with you. And he plays guitar in the band. And so he's like, come check it out.
So I go to this place called the Transac Club, which is at Brunswick in Bloor. It's like this non-profit cultural center for around for like 50 years. And in it, there's three different rooms. And in the front room, there's like these people like in their 40s and 50s playing folk music.
And the other room at the front is like this Indian acoustic Indian act, like East Indian. And it's a packed room full of that kind of music. And in the back, there's this scene of the coolest high school kids supporting their friends and it's like they're all like the most alternative, cool looking like music loving teenagers in the back room. And of course, there's some parents at the back.
So like, massive fans at the back there could be nicer. My dad comes, my sister comes, Kai is there, my sister is whole family basically is there too. And so I'm like, I wonder how it's going to go. And the first band, it's like, you know, it's like a punk rock band, but sort of like they're wearing eye makeup and they look really cool.
It changed over seven minutes long, which is great. Cause when you're hell on, when's some massive band going? And it's like literally, it's like a very quick turn up. And to us, it was so great.
So the singer, you know, it's so amazing how you can really tell like people's personalities at a very young age. It's like, so the singer comes on stage, most confident man alive. I think he's a little bit older. I think he's like 19.
I think he's like in university flamies, but actually when he comes out wearing a ski mask, you don't know what his face looks like. Totes shorts on shirt off ski mask with sunglasses. Oh my. And he's got every move and he just says shit with the most confidence in the world.
He's just like, all right, just so you all know nothing is real. Nobody said, you know, it's like, fuck the government. Nothing is real. Go outside.
Here's our next song. And you're such a sponge to max. You're going to be taking some of these things. I'm like, I'm on Thursday.
I want you to come out and say that. And he was just delivering stuff with such confidence. He had another funny bit about like, if anybody wants to drink my like, uh, Fanta, it's the Beetlejuice sponsored Fanta drink. If anybody wants something, you just have it because that's like, he's like, we're sponsored by Fanta Beetlejuice version.
Like cool. So the base player also, it's amazing how like different personality types established themselves like immediately is because these kids are like, you know, like, not, they're like teenagers, but like the base player is like wearing like a bolo tie and a button up shirt, but he kind of looks like the basis in the strokes. Like he just could not give one fuck. He's also wearing like a wedding ring on his hand.
I'm like, what's going on? He's like expressionless like, like acts like he couldn't give a fuck in the coolest way. The drummer is wearing these Elton John sunglasses, also shirtless. And then Tommaso is wearing this, I love high park t-shirt.
It's like, I heart high park because he's like a camp counselor there, but on his arm, he has sharpie to I have a girlfriend in big. It's great long hair. He's like so confident up there. And, um, and then and then the guy's getting the crowd to like mosh pit a bit.
There's so many good one liners that I've like forgotten by now, but they played. I'm amazing. How long was it? It was maybe like 20, 25 minutes.
They did a tool cover. They were playing a track too. Like they were like not just like in years and stuff. It was it was really impressive.
But it just kind of reminded me. I was like, oh, and I was like, are the kids cooler now? Like, are they cooler now? Like our kids cooler now than they were confident.
Yeah. I was like so kind of blown away. And it's just because like they're so exposed to like performing or different or like the agency because maybe on TikTok, they see other 17 year olds with lots of confidence and that like boost their own confidence. Because like when we were kids growing up, the only thing we had to look at was or to idolize where like people use like adults you'd see on TV, but maybe with the internet because they can see like these different prodigies or these different really self assured kids.
It gives them more. I think they just have so many spaces to express themselves publicly that it's not as nerve racking. Like when I used to perform, it was like, this is my only chance to talk to a collective group in public. But once you're on Instagram, it's like every day you're kind of spouting off a little bit.
Yeah. The stress on stage like with like a really fancy camera just like so casually like walking around just like on the stage taking photos of the band. Like at one point, just like walked across the stage and took photos of the band. I was thinking about like our beloved Nathan Ashley, like who who edits this pod.