One thing I can say about this book is that it is definitely irreverent. However, as far as behind the scenes looks went, I felt Eskenazi could have gone much further. Then again, maybe he didn't have to. Anyone familiar with the NFL knows about the New York Jets - a franchise eternally doomed to second-class status in any number of measurable areas - except for one shining moment in 1969 when they shocked the football world by becoming the first charter AFL franchise to win a Super Bowl. But for most of their history, the Jets were a rudderless band of malcontents and misfits begging for leadership from the top which they never received, and eventually, the culture became paranoid and toxic. This is the loose chronological thread that Eskenazi follows, with glimpses of actual humanity every now and then peeking out of the miasmic muck - the meteoric, violent flameout that was the end of coach Walt Michaels' tenure is oddly touching, for example. He intentionally doesn't tie up any loose ends, because the Jets never seemed to, either. And it's a quick read, too.
Easily one of the most sober-minded, detailed books written about the NFL ever written. Roughly covers the NFL between the mid-70's and the mid-80's, focusing on the interaction between the owners and then-commissoner Pete Rozelle. A lot of coverage is given to Al Davis and his court battles with the league and various entities over the move of his franchise from Oakland to Los Angeles. I will admit the author gets a bit too detailed at times, but if you ever wanted a primer on the motives of your average NFL owner - and just how the league works overall - this book is a must-read.
Sorry, this record gets a bad rap. I thought pop music was supposed to be fun, first and foremost, and I cannot think of a more unabashedly FUN album than this one. The raps are intentionally simple, pretty much a catchy backdrop for the sample-heavy/dance floor-a-minute grooves which is the rap equivalent of a classic KISS record. Love it or hate it - Hammer made sure you were going to remember it, one way or another.
Overall, I think Night Gallery was a great show with a few major flaws. Part of what hurts the show's reputation is a matter of perception. It was significantly altered for syndication, including radically edited episodes of another completely unrelated show from 1972, called The Sixth Sense, which also had a supernatural/thriller bent. But this is far from being the ugly step sister to the master work that was the Twilight Zone - besides, with Serling flanked by all of those stylishly grotesque paintings he had to talk over every week, how could three seasons of Night Gallery be anything but an exotic, spine-tingling thrill?
