MISERY LOVES COMPANY

Did you miss me? (Don't answer that...unless the answer is "yes.")

You may have noticed that there was no Wednesday email this week. I'm sorry! In my defense, this was a holiday-shortened week that made things especially frantic here at Boredwalk HQ. 

It's just as well, since Wednesday was also my birthday, and our forgetfulness successfully thwarted co-founder Meredith's plan to spend your valuable time talking about how much she appreciates my existence. I think it's safe to say that we all dodged a bullet there.

 If a hole in the earth could open up and swallow me for 24 hours on my birthday and spit me back out on September 9th that'd be great.

But that was Wednesday, and today is Friday. Yay! Let's find out what we should be celebrating on September 10th, shall we?

Let's see...we've got National Stand Up To Cancer Day, which to be fair is a very worthy cause...but the wording also implies that cancer is a bully after your lunch money. Solid premise, mediocre execution (like so much of my life to this point).*

*Someone is about to hit "reply" and fire off a screed about my flippant joke about a poorly-worded public relations initiative and accuse me of being pro-cancer even though I just said it was a very worthy cause, I guarantee it. Such is the life of being a humorist on the internet, I guess.

Today is also National 401(k) Day, and if retirement savings doesn't send a thrill up your spine heading into the weekend, I don't know what will. Did you know it's estimated that 79% of Americans work for a company** that offers a 401(k) plan, but only 41% of them actually take advantage of it? True story!

**You know what else is a true story? Boredwalk is one of those companies! No foolin'. Even better? Boredwalk has FIVE open jobs that folks in the Los Angeles area could apply for right this very second! These range from three junior and senior marketing roles, and two entry-level positions in our production department. If you've ever thought to yourself "I bet I could print shirts better and write funnier emails than Matt," now is your opportunity to prove it!

Finally, today is also National TV Dinner Day. Way to end on a bleak note, amirite? Now let's move on to famous birthdays and this week's podcast episode so I can get home and microwave my sad feast of futility.

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Happy birthday to golf and soft drink legend Arnold Palmer, born this day in 1929! Mr. Palmer won 62 PGA Tour titles over the course of his career, and popularized the combination of iced tea and lemonade to the point that the beverage now bears his name.

Today is also the birthday of rock legend Joe Perry, lead guitarist of the band Aerosmith, born this day in 1950! Aerosmith released a string of classic albums in the 1970s, with the twin pinnacles of 1975's Toys In The Attic and 1976's Rocks widely considered their greatest achievements.

Happy birthday to English actor Colin Firth, born this day in 1960! Mr. Firth's acting career began in earnest in the 1980s, but it was his role as Mr. Darcy in a 1995 BBC miniseries production of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice that introduced him to a wider audience and led to roles in films like The English Patient, Bridget Jones's Diary, Shakespeare In Love, Love Actually, and many others. 

Finally, a very happy birthday to hip-hop icon Antonio "Big Daddy Kane" Hardy, born this day in 1968! Kane was a member of the Juice Crew with Biz Markie and Marley Marl in the mid-1980s before going solo with hits like 'Ain't No Half-Steppin'', 'Smooth Operator', 'I Get The Job Done', and others. 

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 OK, podcast time! Meredith and I were very pleased to be joined this week by Eric Alper. Mr. Alper is a Toronto-based music publicist, SiriusXM radio host, and speaker who loves all things music, so we enjoyed chatting with him about his work in media relations, the things he likes about the music industry (as well as the things he doesn't particularly care for), and some of the up-and-coming Canadian artists he's keeping his eyes and ears on.

We also talk about his formative musical moments, including his first concert-going experience at the age of 8 seeing ABBA live! It's a lot of fun, and we hope you enjoy eavesdropping on our conversation!

To listen, click here and select your desired podcast platform.

OK! If you're in a spending mood this weekend — like, say, buying that sweet Bad Vibe Tribe hoodie up top — don't forget to use the code SUMMER10 at checkout to save 10% on orders of $75 or more! 

We'll be back here in your inbox next week with a fresh Boredwalk Community Q&A with a fan just like you! We'll also have another new podcast episode to share, and maybe more new art! Until then...

Peace, love, and OK vibes,

Matt