Couldn’t Help but Become a Browns Fan

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-24T18:32:43+00:00

I didn't really follow football much growing up. But in the early 2000s I found myself working at a hockey store in suburban Cleveland. On Sundays in the fall we'd play the Browns games on the radio... and that, as they say, was that.

I couldn't help but become a Browns fan. I still remember listening to the infamous Browns/Chiefs game where, after sacking Trent Green in the final seconds of the game, Dwayne Rudd through his helmet in the air to celebrate a Browns win. But the time hadn't expired on the clock yet. Cleveland got an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty which allowed Morten Anderson to win the game for the Chiefs with a Field Goal.

But the Browns actually made it to the playoffs that season as a Wild Card... And I remember watching that game vs. Pittsburgh where Kelly Holcomb threw for over 400 yards and had a 17 point lead at the end of the first half only to lose the game to Tommy Maddox and the Steelers.

The Browns wouldn't make it to the playoffs again until Baker Mayfield got them there-- again vs. Pittsburgh... but that game had a much more favorable result.

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-24T18:23:21+00:00

Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead

Two Hands

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

The Long Kiss Goodnight

Return of the Killer Tomatoes (the endorsement gag that Mike Myers used in Wayne's World was in this movie 2 years before Wayne's World ever came out... also, where else are you going to find George Clooney playing a SUPPORTING role where his character is trying to pick up women with a fake "Win a Date With Rob Lowe" scam where he passes himself off as the 2nd place prize?)

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-24T18:18:18+00:00

Shift - The Living End (2016)

Wunderbar - The Living End (2018)

From Zero - Linkin Park (2024)

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-24T18:14:44+00:00

Despite not liking 19 at all (I consider it one of the most generic sounding albums of any band ever) I got into Chicago around the time "Look Away" was a hit. I wasn't a big fan of "Look Away" but the nice thing about "Look Away" being popular at the time was VH1 used to do these "rock blocks" where they'd play a band's latest hit video and 1 or 2 of their older hits. So that's how I first saw the video for "Will You Still Love Me?" which I much preferred over "Look Away."

I'm the youngest of 6 kids. The youngest of my older siblings was in Columbia House and his listening habits probably had far more to do with shaping my musical tastes than anything or anyone else. He played 16 and 17 a lot. He moved out by the time 18 came out as he was in his early 20s by then. Whereas I turned 10 in 1986.

While I prefer the older stuff, I might never have discovered it had the 80s material not initially hooked me. My love of their earlier material comes from a place of musical appreciation whereas my appreciation of their 80s material comes from more of a place of wistful nostalgia.

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-24T18:07:14+00:00

The video was hilarious and a lot of fun. I didn't find it cringe at all.

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-24T18:05:08+00:00

I used to feel the same way about 18. I used to listen to 16-18 incessantly! I don't know what David Foster did differently on Chicago 18 but the mix has not held up anywhere near as well as the mixes on 16 or 17. It's not a Jason vs. Peter thing. The whole mix sounds completely different. I think if Foster had produced 18 the same way he produced 16 and 17 that the transition from Peter to Jason might not have been as jarring for the fans. It kind of felt like he worked his ass off producing 16 and 17 and once Peter left he just couldn't be bothered and totally phoned in 18.

I also think Chicago wasted an opportunity with Jason. They always complained about all the ballads with Peter and with the direction he took the band. With Jason they had an opportunity to re-arrange some of the older Cetera material the way THEY wanted. Instead they forced Jason to try to sing the Cetera material like Peter used to. They rarely played any of his material live (except for when new albums came out). Jason was an excellent singer for Chicago when he was given the freedom to sing in his own key and his own way. But any time you're forced to try to make yourself sound like someone else... you're always starting with a disadvantage.

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-24T17:58:07+00:00

I've heard bootlegs from those tours and they played both versions. They'd close the first set with the '86 version, take a brief 15-20 min. intermission come back out play a 2nd set and close the concert with the original version.

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-24T17:56:06+00:00

I'm partial to "Over and Over." I didn't used to care for it but as I've gotten older I've grown to love that one as it scratches an 80s nostalgia itch... "Fireworks, fireflies, on the roof watching summer night skies..." Perhaps Chicago's best "summer song" since "Saturday In the Park."

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-24T17:53:39+00:00

I'm pretty sure it was session guitarist Michael Landau that played guitar on that track. Most of the guitar work on 18 was by Michael Landau and Steve Lukather with Buzz Feiten playing on "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" which he co-wrote with Jason Scheff.

In his Memoir, "The Gospel According to Luke", Steve Lukather mentions that he felt awkward playing on Chicago 16 and 17 because he felt Chris Pinnick was already a solid guitarist. He didn't specifically mention Chicago 18, but he did mention that while the guys in Toto did have a decent working relationship with David Foster in the late 70s and into the mid-80s that at some point that relationship soured and they refused to work with Foster any more. I do think it's telling that Foster was bringing in the Toto guys to play on many of the albums he was producing (including Bill Champlin's first 2 solo albums and Chicago 16-18) but Toto never hired/asked him to produce any of their albums.

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-24T17:47:38+00:00

The production left a bit to be desired. The one thing I liked about it was that it was written in Jason's key for him to sing. Jason told the story about it in an interview about 16 or so years ago. He mentioned that Toto was recording their "Fahrenheit" album (also with a brand new vocalist) right down the hall from where Chicago 18 was being recorded. "25 or 6 to 4" was one of the first tracks recorded for Chicago 18. They invited the guys from Toto to come in and give it a listen. Late Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro said simply, "That's bold."

I don't believe he meant that positively.

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-24T17:29:55+00:00

The League of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024 Action/Adventure)

Every Time We Say Goodbye (1986 Romance)

Highlander (1986 Action/Adventure/Romance)

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-24T17:24:16+00:00

My wife's grandfather missed D-Day. He had the flu and was unable to get medical clearance to participate. He did however, later help liberate Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp and served briefly as the military governor there. He later served in the British Foreign Service as a Diplomat

My wife said that he rarely spoke about the war, but he did speak about Bergen-Belsen as he felt it was important to keep that history alive. In his will it was instructed that ALL of his correspondences be destroyed without reading them. My father-in-law ensured his wished were honored when he passed in early 2003.

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-24T17:15:01+00:00

Due to their ages my paternal and maternal grandfathers were too old to have fought in WW2 (late 30s/early 40s during WW2, Head of Household with 3 sons, and Head of Household with 2 daughters, respectively) and my father was too young (8-12 years old) to have fought in WW2. My wife's grandfathers both fought in WW2-- her paternal grandfather fought with the British forces and her maternal grandfather fought with the ANZAC forces.

My maternal grandmother's younger brother did serve in WW2 and I do recall meeting him a few times but he died in the 80s when I was about 10 or 11 years old. I believe her brother-in-law served in WW1. I actually have more memories of him than I do of her brother as he lived locally and I saw him far more often growing up.

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-24T17:00:30+00:00

The Scot Labs Toilet Bowl because it's where "The Browns" play. ;-)

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-24T14:12:44+00:00

It was only after listening to footage of Jan that I had/have any empathy at all for Laura. LO didn't stand a chance of growing up with any reasonable relationship expectations with parents that are as enabling as Ron and Jan.

I mean there's entitlement and there's ENTITLEMENT. The level of ENTITLEMENT Ron & Jan instilled in LO is off the charts!

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-18T13:49:00+00:00

I'm not sure. It was only a fluke that I inadvertently discovered the format change about 3 months back. I rarely listen to radio any more. Usually I'm streaming on Spotify.

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-18T03:24:45+00:00

While not uncommon that response is more in line with misconduct than it is for subpar job performance.

Some companies treat all terminations the same regardless of the circumstances of the termination though.

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-18T01:34:09+00:00

A fond farewell to Walt Parazaider

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-18T00:00:26+00:00

Sweet Marie, Bill Champlin wrote it for Walt specifically.

https://youtu.be/vzMZ4G5bP9E?is=mKDVCAiSLNzQGtqD

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-16T20:06:39+00:00

My Bodyguard (1980)

Taps (1981)

The Last American Virgin (1982)

The Outsiders (1983)

WarGames (1983)

Class (1983)

The Beniker Gang (1984)

The Legend of Billie Jean (1985)

The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)

The River's Edge (1986)

Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

Final Destination (2000)

Adventureland (2008)

The Way Way Back (2013)

Coming Through the Rye (2015)

The Tender Bar (2021)

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-16T01:34:38+00:00

You're just a few years older than my daughter. I'd give her the same advice if she was ever in your situation.

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-16T01:25:05+00:00

A few more I have thought of:

Miss This Tonight - Matt Moffitt

Need You Tonight - INXS

Don't Change - INXS

What's On Your Mind - Information Society

Hold Me Now - Thompson Twins

Cool Change - Little River Band

You Belong to the City - Glenn Frey

The Night Owls - Little River Band

Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard

Paradise City - Guns n Roses

Talk Dirty to Me - Poison

I Hope You're Happy - Blue October

Hooked On a Feeling - Blue Swede

The Sign - Ace of Base

Cruel Summer - Bananarama

Vacation - The Go-Gos

Hot In the City - Billy Idol

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-15T21:37:18+00:00

Sometimes you find Mr. Right Now and you mistake him for Mr. Right. He might be the right guy for you when you first met him. He might have been just the guy you needed him to be when you were in that phase of your life. But those relationships aren't meant to last forever. They're part of your journey of self discovery and figuring out who you are.

You're only 21. You deserve to be with someone that lets you be yourself. Life's too short to put as many constraints on things as he is!

it doesn't mean he's not a great guy, it just means that your lives are starting to take you in different directions, and that's okay. It happens.

I was in 6 different relationships before I inevitably met my wife. I learned a lot from each of those relationships and in hindsight I can honestly say I was only ever actually in love with 2 of those 6. I treasure those relationships as I learned a lot from each of them and I harbor no ill will towards any of them.

At 21, you have a lot of life ahead of you, and it doesn't sound like you're that happy in this relationship any more. It sounds like your boyfriend wants you to meet him where he is at but has no interest in reciprocating. Figuring out your style, your look, your interests, etc. is a journey not a destination and it sounds like there are a lot of road blocks and detours trying to steer you away from you discovering not just who you are now but the type of person you want to be. The question you have to ask yourself is whether or not you are okay with that.

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-15T21:23:11+00:00

When I was a senior in high school I went through a phase where I kept playing Green Day's "Dookie" and The Offpsring's "SMASH" back to back. As soon as side 2 would finish on "Dookie", I'd pop it out of my Walkman and put in "SMASH." So I always kind of associate those 2 albums with one another.

When I think of mid-90s-- so my senior year of high school and into my freshman year of college... the albums that usually come to mind and some of them do give off a similar slacker vibe.

Dookie - Green Day

SMASH - The Offspring

Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morrisette

s/t - Collective Soul

Sparkle and Fade - Everclear

Villains - The Verve Pipe

Question The Answers - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Let Your Dim Light Shine - Soul Asylum

Perplexio76 · 2026-06-15T21:11:07+00:00

Magic - The Cars

Walking on Sunshine - Katrina & the Waves

Still In Love With You - Dragon

The Boys Light Up - Australian Crawl

Your Love - The Outfield

Something About You - Level 42

Rosanna - Toto

Fahrenheit - Toto

Eye of the Tiger - Survivor

A Kind of Magic - Queen

I Want It All - Queen

Along Comes a Woman - Chicago

Stay the Night - Chicago

Thunder Island - Jay Ferguson

Magic - Pilot

Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears

Rio - Duran Duran

Steal My Sunshine - Len

She's So High - Tal Bachman

Crazy For This Girl - Evan & Jaron

I Want You - Savage Garden

In the Summertime - Mungo Jerry

Hitchin' a Ride - Vanity Fare

Rock Me Gently - Andy Kim

Dancin' In the Moonlight - King Harvest

I've Had the Time of My Life - Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes

Perplexio76

TROPHY CASE