Djokovic breaks down during Dimitrov shocker; treats audience to a dish.

Madrid, 07.05.2013

Novak Djokovic truly is a sight to behold. From his flawless physique, impeccable hair and facial features, to his on-court acrobatics, he really has been the most striking individual in the world of tennis for the past two and a half years.

Known for making impossible shots, and ripping his t-shirts, Hulk style.

But next to being a fantastic athlete/demigod, he's also..

....a very emotional man. 

A 'ball' of emotion one might say... 

And so every and now then, during his most testing moments, much like his Madrid loss to 'baby Federer' Grigor Dimitrov, his countrymen are reminded of the core dictionary affiliated to raw emotion. 

To quote, after winning the second set, Djokovic walked to his chair and visibly upset by the audience' support for Dimitrov (much could be said of that favoritism, but I'll omit it fully) Djokovic, in return, offered the audience a traditional Serbian dish, and did so with unmistakable Serbian charm:


" sad ćete da mi ližete kurac... 

...sad ćete kurac da mi ližete! "


Or...in lingua franca, and accompanied with relevant imagery:

Nole smash!

To be fair, in the scene imaged above Djokovic was only taunting the audience with gestures. However, the imagery and the words do complement each other rather well, methinks.

Love him or hate him the man has balls, and isn't afraid to serve them. And mind you, regardless of the occasional antic, he inspires and he thrills with his game, and that's all that really matters.

Phoenix - Bankrupt! A matter of sequencing.

So. What of the new Phoenix record?

You decide, but since I'm highly involved with Phoenix I've given it more spins than most and I've come to the conclusion that a lot of the mixed reviews are spot on.. but it's not really the songs most found fault with. I think it's the way they are sequenced... You'll often read that track five weighs the thing down, and you may notice that many completely overlook Side A because it's so predictably Phoenix. Additionally..or in extension of the previous, I've come to the conclusion that the album is very intensive as it is.. its energy somehow unbalanced.

but if you mix it up a bit...

It becomes a breeze... a very accessible record that does not fall short of their previous work, and  me; due to involvement with the lyrics and a more thorough understanding of the band this time around (reading and watching all of the interviews they've done in promoting the album) I appreciate it quite a bit more...

So, without further ado... IF you also felt the current track-order didn't quite work for some reason (e.g. Track five weighing the record down... Side B being too intense and shapeless, Side A bit bland...) for a potentially better album experience, sequence it like this:

Entertainment
The real thing
Don't
Trying to be cool
Drakkar Noir
S.O.S. in Bel Air
Oblique City
Bourgeois
Chloroform
Bankrupt!

Now, what this does for me..

it gives both sides more air/pace. 'Don't' lightens up side A, 'Oblique city' speeds up B well enough as it's airy already with 'Bourgeois' and 'Bankrupt!' ...And 'Bankrupt!' really WORKS as a closer... the album is now light enough to have it there... and it's a wonderfully reflective track as it is... as much as it a blatant pt.3 to 'Love like a sunset pt.1 & 2' from the previous record.