The key to any bet is how you phrase it.Ă‚
[READER]( On the day of the Big Game, I was where I always am for Big Games—slouched on the couch in the home of my dear friend Cap. A glorious night loomed—chili and corn bread, red wine and wings. The man can cook, ladies and gentlemen. But first . . . the national anthem. We watched country star Mickey Guyton belt out a version. And when it was over, we exercised our inner Ebert and Siskel, as we do with all Super Bowl performances. “Not bad,” I said. “But not as good as Whitney,” said Cap. I knew he’d say that—he says the same thing every year. In Cap’s mind, it’s all been downhill on the national anthem front since Whitney Houston back in 1991. “Yeah, but Whitney wasn’t as good as Marvin,” I said. “You’re right,” said Cap. And so ended another national anthem exchange—a precise replication of the one we had last year. And the one we’ll have next year. And the one I’m sure we’ll be having for as long as we’re on this Earth. Cause, folks, let’s face it, when it comes to the national anthem, everyone knows Marvin Gaye did it the best. Well, everyone except for Milo, another old friend, who insists Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock is the best. But Milo’s always been a stubborn kind of fella, as Marvin Gaye might say. Back to the Super Bowl. As an afterthought, I said: “Marvin sang his a cappella—without any choir backup.” And that set off the following exchange . . . “You’re wrong, Benny. He had a band.” “No, he didn’t.” “Yes, he did.” “Wanna bet?” “Yeah, I’ll bet you wings and pizza at Pequod’s that Marvin didn’t sing it a cappella.” I paused. In my mind, I went back in time . . . February—1983. NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles. Camera panning down the line of stars—Pat Riley, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson . . . Marvin Gaye striding to the microphone. Singing the song like it was a love song—a romantic ballad. But was there a band? It had been so many years. And your memory can play tricks on you. You might remember something that’s really not there. The more you think you know something, the less you actually know about it. Yet, I was certain—no band! So . . . “You’re on!” I declared. To YouTube, Cap went. Cutting away from the game. Yes, this bet was so important we were prepared to miss the kickoff. He found the scene. And it was as I remembered . . . Marvin Gaye striding to the mike. Pat and Kareem standing at attention. Singing the anthem like it was a love song. Best of all—no band! “See! I told you. No band,” I said. “There’s a drum,” said Cap. “So what! You said a band, not a drum.” “Yeah, but the bet was a cappella. And that means no drum!” What could I say? He had me. After the game, I looked it up on the Internet. And there it was, clear as day. Marvin had been backed up by a drum machine. A freaking drum machine, people. Not even a drummer. Much less a band. Let that be a lesson to all you wannabe gamblers out there. The key to any bet is how you phrase it. So, yes, I lost. But it wasn’t a knockout. More like a technicality. In boxing, they’d call it a TKO. Hey, Cap—wings and pizza on me. Sincerely,
🏆[Sign up for exclusive Best of Chicago updates to be the first to know who wins!]( 🏆 Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created "Sunday in the Park with George" by James Lapine. An absolute must-read for all you Sondheim fanatics out there. Though I suspect any Sondheim fanatic has already read it. For the rest of you, a parable about the challenges of genius at work.
[Aaron Cohen’s]( tribute to Syl and Jimmy Johnson
[Ben Joravsky]( on race and football—the Bears should have hired Brian Flores as their coach. [Achy Obejas]( the great poet and novelist and translator, returns to talk free speech and much more.
[Rummana Hussain]( Sun-Times columnist/editorial writer, on Joe Rogan
[Devin Thompson]( singer/songwriter, names just some of the local guitarists better than Eric Clapton. Listen to [The Ben Joravsky Show](
[New directors in a new year](
The Chicago Japan Film Collective brings emerging indie directors to local audiences.
by [Nina Li Coomes]( [Moonfall](
by [Noah Berlatsky](
[CPS nurses are exhausted](
Nurses say conditions remain dire more than a month after a standoff with the mayor.
by [Adam M. Rhodes](
[Issue of
Feb 3 - Feb 16, 2022
Vol. 51, No.]( [Download Issue](
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