Running Commentary

Monday, December 5, 2011

Running Commentary, December 2, 2011

As some of you know, my first gig out of undergrad was on Capitol Hill. I was a legislative correspondent for then Senator Al Gore and, in case you’re wondering, a legislative correspondent is simply a fancy title for someone who responds to constituent mail on legislative and regulatory issues.

My research areas included healthcare, taxation, higher education, historic preservation and the arts. It was a great way to stay up on current affairs and I responded to inquiries and complaints on everything from Medicare reform to Robert Mapplethorpe.

On my first day, Senator Gore’s chief of staff, Peter Knight, offered me a single piece of advice. “Remember,” he said, “anything you write can end up on the front page of the paper.” I took that advice to heart and was always very deliberate in my research and responses.

The only time the content of one of my letters did end up on the front page of a paper was a pledge of support to save a historic post office in rural east Tennessee – a pledge that was later fulfilled, so I’ll chalk that up as a good thing.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been reminded of Peter’s advice and that it is perhaps even more relevant today than it was when I was working on the Hill. In fact, I would even expand it a bit to account for the changes in technology over the last twenty years. In 2011, it’s important to remember that what you write, tweet, text or post can end up going viral and make the front page of virtually every paper or blog or message board or…you get the picture.

You may have heard about Emma Sullivan. She’s the 18-year-old Kansas high school student who last week tweeted, "just made mean comments at gov brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot." Yes, her tweet was rude and disrespectful, but I’m pretty sure she thought it was harmless at the time. After all, it was only going to be read by a handful of her 65 high school friend followers, right?

Think again, Emma. The governor’s office takes this stuff pretty seriously. One of his staffers read the tweet and promptly notified the high school. Emma, who claims to have never been in any kind of trouble, was immediately called to the principal’s office and told bluntly that she was an embarrassment to the school and that she would be writing an apology letter to the governor.

Of course, the story went viral with debates raging about Emma’s lack of respect and the governor’s critical response. Eventually, the governor’s office retreated and admitted to overreacting to the teen’s snarky tweet. Emma, whose pre-Brownback tweets were pretty much limited to the Twilight series, suddenly started quoting Gandhi and championing free speech.

Her first tweet following her infamous one read, “I knew this day would come, but I didnt know itd be today #makingheadlines.” This time, the message went to her 65 previous followers plus the additional 15,870 she had accumulated in one day with her newfound fame.

Emma’s fifteen minutes could end up working to her advantage and, who knows, even impacting her educational and career direction as she prepares for college. Jeff Toole’s headlines, on the other hand, could cost him his job.

Toole, as you may know, is the Chief Financial Officer for Texas A&M’s athletic department. Earlier this week, Toole inexplicably called A&M President R. Bowen Loftin a “putz” and an “unqualified puppet” on an Aggie fan message board. Since he was using his screen name, UtayAg, Toole erroneously thought his comments would be anonymous. Oops.

In a previous post a few months before, Toole had revealed his identity and position with the athletic department. His comments about Loftin were in the Houston Chronicle the following day and, you guessed it, went viral soon thereafter.

While Toole maintains that what he wrote was his personal opinion and, in no way, reflected the opinions of the athletic department, the damage had been done. President Loftin’s spokesperson said the president was aware of the comments and that the matter would be “dealt with internally.” Yep, the dreaded HR-speak for time to brush up the ol’ resume.

At least Toole did offer some sage advice to help others avoid similar blunders. “Don’t mix beer and typing,” he said. Thanks, Jeff. Here’s some more. Don’t write, post, tweet, or text anything that you don’t want the world to know.

In today’s world, news, and even non-news, travels fast.

Running Commentary, November 18, 2011

A few years ago, shortly after I started my role with TEMBA, I boldly announced in this column that my goal was to make us the best professional MBA program in the United States. At the time, I wrote that this would not be achieved “by following some arbitrary ranking system from a publication,” but rather by “providing one of the most challenging, meaningful and life-changing experiences a person can have.”

I bring this up because one “arbitrary ranking system from a publication,” Bloomberg Businessweek, recently validated some of our progress in reaching this goal and I wanted to share it with all of you.

Last week, Businessweek announced its top part-time MBA programs for 2011, and while I still have issues with the term “part-time”, I was intrigued with the results. I should note that while this year’s ranking was based on information gathered from the evening program only – specifically the TEMBA Class of 2011 - I sincerely believe it is representative of the direction we are now going across the entire portfolio of working professional programs and, as such, applies to everyone.

In this year’s ranking, the Texas MBA vaulted to #11 nationally, up from #37 in 2009. Forty percent of Businessweek’s ranking formula comes from student surveys, so I focused more on those results than anything else. Here are some of the key findings:

• #7 in overall student satisfaction, up from #48 in 2009

• #4 in program outcomes, i.e. did the program fulfill expectations

• #3 in teaching quality

• #3 in enhanced learning from classmates

• #1 in organization of overall program

• #1 in staff support

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t pleased with those results. It means we are on the right track. It means we are making progress. It means we are focusing on some important internal measures of success. It means we have a dedicated faculty and staff committed to your success. It means you made a good decision when choosing the Texas MBA.

Of course, it also means we have room for improvement. It means we can do better. It means our work here is not yet done. It means, for better or worse, you’re stuck with me for a while as I work with our team to ensure your Texas MBA experience is the best it can possibly be - challenging, meaningful and life-changing. The goal remains, so let’s get to work.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Running Commentary, November 4, 2011

Two score and seven years ago my mother brought forth on this continent, a new baby - me. That’s 47 years for those trying to remember the definition of score and a big no for those wondering if I was around for the Gettysburg Address.

When it comes to birthdays, I subscribe to the Satchel Paige philosophy. The baseball great once wisely asked “how old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?” That's sound guidance from a man who threw three shutout innings for the Kansas City Athletics when he was 60. I’ve always tried to live by Satchel's advice, though my wife would tell you I often take this directive to the extreme given the frequency of adolescent behavior and general tomfoolery occurring at the Thurman household. All I know is that I’ve still got a few years to blame it all on Sam and Ben.

The average age in our three professional MBA programs is 30, meaning that, on average, I’m now roughly 17 years older than most of you. Seventeen years ago, I was a newly minted Texas MBA settling in to my post-MBA job at Trammell Crow and ready to conquer the world. It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago, but looking back, much has changed since my days at McCombs (then simply known as the Graduate School of Business) and I thought it would be interesting, and hopefully even humorous, to share some of those reflections from 1994.

• In 1994, with email in its infancy, I, and most other Texas MBA students, relied on physical mail folders located in the northeast corner of the atrium for program related news. Several times a day, I would check my mail folder for notes from my study group, student organization flyers and other important notices.

"Classroom 2000" Back in the Day

• In 1994, the Legacy Events Room was the very mysterious and futuristic-sounding Classroom 2000, home to the school’s information systems management program. To this day, I remember Professor Tm Ruefli’s overhead slide showing a large dollar sign designed to highlight the market demand for ISM graduates as a way to entice incoming students to select this concentration. At the time, graduates specializing in ISM and technology were averaging 3.5 job offers (much higher than the school average) at an average annual salary of…are you ready for this…$50,000.

• Speaking of technology, in 1994 I was using a Dell 320 SLi notebook computer for all school-related work. I was told at the time of purchase that the 2 MB of RAM and the 40 MB hard drive was “all I would ever need.” The model was later recalled because of overheating issues that caused some computers to literally catch fire and blow up. I think mine is still in my car’s trunk which, ironically, was recalled for the very same problem.

• In 1994, the weekly MBA Think n Drinks were always at the same location, Nasty’s, slightly northwest of campus. I may still have an open tab if you're interested.

• In 1994, I bought my first mobile phone, the Motorola MicroTAC DPC-550. It wasn’t quite as ancient as the “brick” phone used by Gordon Gekko in his “go to work” call to Bud, but it was close. The not-so-smart phone had a seven-character LED display, spotty coverage, short battery life and, well, that’s about it.

• In 1994, I was still listening to Nirvana’s Nevermind album quite a bit. Remember the baby on the album cover? He’s now 20 and works as an artist at the Obey Giant design firm with Shepard Fairey.

• In 1994, Rice beat Texas in football…yes, football. It was the first time since 1965 and the last time, well, maybe ever.

• In 1994, 4,258 people registered for the 8th annual SXSW conference. Johnny Cash delivered the keynote address and provided a memorable acoustic set at Emo’s. This year, official registration topped 19,000 and the economic impact to the city was estimated at $167 million.

• In 1994, marketing professor Robert Witt was the dean of the Graduate School of Business. Today, he is president of the University of Alabama.

• In 1994, the Texas MBA “cohort” experiment was well underway as the first class under that structure finished the core requirements with their assigned cohorts. While the move caused significant upheaval for my class, history has shown that it was clearly the right thing to do.

• In 1994, I was reluctantly transitioning from cassettes to CDs. I still have more than 500 cassettes in various boxes and have been pleasantly surprised to see a few indie bands return to the inexpensive format in the last year or so. Cassette sales are up 46% this year, with 22,000 units sold. Of course, in the early nineties, this figure was around 400 million. Baby steps, cassettes. Baby steps.

• In 1994, I was enrolled in an elective course entitled Business & Government. The instructor was Admiral Bob Inman…that is until President Clinton selected him to be Secretary of Defense. While he ultimately withdrew his name from consideration, it was still an exciting time to be in the class.

• In 1994, my state-of-the-art 27” Sony Trinitron television weighed in at 107 pounds and required a shelf depth of at least 26 inches. My current TV weighs 42 pounds and technically only needs about 2 inches of shelf space.

• In 1994, Google, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Amazon, LinkedIn, Twitter, Craigslist, Blogger, eBay, Pandora, Foursquare and Flickr did not exist. Man, I should have been more productive.

• In 1994, the Texas Evening MBA, the Texas MBA at DFW and the Texas MBA at Houston programs did not exist…neither did my job. Since that time, the three programs have collectively produced more than 1,300 Texas MBA graduates and I now have the best job in the world.

So, here's to the next 17 years and beyond, even if I'm not really counting.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Running Commentary, October 7, 2011

I’ll admit that my hopes were a little too high. Three years in a row was simply asking too much, I guess. All good things must come to an end.

Looking back, I should have known better. Coke…done. Frito pie…done. Margarita…done. Grilled cheese…done. Pizza…done. Butter…done. Beer…yes, even beer…done. There simply wasn’t a lot left.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m talking about the annual State Fair of Texas “Big Tex” Choice Awards for fried food. Two years ago, it was Abel Gonzales’ deep fried butter taking the creativity crown – a delectable that inspired me to place Gonzales on an almost saintly pedestal.

It’s hard to top fried butter, but just one year later Mark Zable did just that when he introduced deep fried beer at the fair. I’ll admit that the concept was much better than the actual product (basically hot Guinness injected into ravioli), but hey, the guy did manage to fry beer without compromising its alcoholic integrity, so I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

This year’s winner for creativity? Deep-fried bubblegum. Nothing against bubblegum mind you, it’s just not…well…butter or beer. Do you eat it or just chew it and, if you swallow it, does it take seven years to digest or is that just an urban legend? Frankly, I just don’t get it.

O.K., to be fair, I discovered that the treat is not actually bubblegum at all, but rather bubblegum-flavored marshmallows that are battered and deep fried before being covered with powdered sugar and icing. That’s a little better, but hell, I could make dirt taste pretty good if you gave me enough powdered sugar and icing.

I honestly don’t know what I was expecting this year. I pinned my hopes on Gonzales who, in addition to the butter, introduced the world to fried Coke and fried PB&J sandwiches, but even he disappointed me this time with his fried pineapple upside down cake. C’mon, Abel…this is the freakin’ State Fair of Texas, not a Chi O rush party!

Just when I was considering putting my coveted TX-OU tickets on Craigslist, I received a tip. Somehow lost in the flurry of fried fodder was a new entry from long-time fair vendor Ruth’s Tamales, a mysterious dish called Deep Fried Southern Hospitality. With such an intriguing name, I had to learn more and, boy, I’m certainly glad I did.

Ruth’s creation combines seasoned pork, collard greens and cornbread all placed in a cone, deep-fried and then served on a stick. Hey, you can’t spell hospital without hospitality and this recipe is an express ticket to Parkland. It’s pure genius! How this one got overlooked in the creativity category I’ll never know.

So if you are looking for me this weekend, I’ll be the guy celebrating the Horns’ win with a stick in one hand, a non-fried beer in the other and a write-in petition for Ruth somehow cradled in my arms. Hook ‘em.

Running Commentary, September 23, 2011

If you’ve read Christopher McDougall’s book, Born to Run, you’re probably familiar with Gordon Ainsleigh. Ainsleigh is the guy who, on August 3, 1974, joined 198 other riders for the 19^th annual Western States Trail Ride, a 100-mile horse ride from Squaw Valley to Auburn. The original purpose of the ride was to prove that the modern-day horse could still cover a long distance over rugged terrain in a single day.

Trouble was, Ainsleigh’s horse pulled up lame just before the start. Game over, right? There’s always next year, eh Gordy? Not a chance. Ainsleigh decided to cover the distance on foot. You read right…on foot.

23 hours and 42 minutes later, Gordon Ainsleigh arrived in Auburn with 18 minutes to spare and, in the process, invented the modern-day ultra-marathon. The races in 1975 and 1976 attracted only one runner each, but it gained momentum in 1977 when sixteen runners attempted the brutal course. Today, the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run annually reaches capacity as male and female runners from all over the world tackle the challenging terrain in a quest for the silver belt buckle given to finishers.

When Ainsleigh ran in 1974, ultra-marathoning was largely non-existent. Sure, there were a handful of long-standing distance runs, but really nothing in the United States. Today, there are several hundred races each year, most at full capacity, and it all can be traced to Gordon Ainsleigh’s decision to run back in 1974.

All of us face similar dilemmas in our professional, academic and personal lives. Maybe it’s a lack of resources on a project. Perhaps it’s an unrealistic deadline. Possibly it’s the seemingly never-ending balance to maintain work, school and a personal life. The roadblocks are inevitable. How we handle them is what makes a difference.

I encourage you to reflect on this story from time-to-time and, when faced with these decisions, be willing to think like Ainsleigh and cover the distance by foot if necessary. After all, that’s how we truly change the world.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Running Commentary, September 16, 2011

Believe, Belong, Become. That is the motto for Howard Payne University. The small school in Brownwood is perhaps one of the unlikeliest places on earth to hatch the idea for the modern day music festival, yet one could argue that is exactly where it all started.

Let’s rewind to 1990. A handful of college baseball players think it’s a good idea to run through the girls’ dorm wearing nothing but their jockstraps. The players get caught and ultimately lose their scholarships. The childhood dream of playing major league baseball ends for one of those players.

Without a scholarship, that guy moves to Austin. He waits tables at Pappadeaux, bartends at Cain & Abel’s and eventually gets an internship at the Backyard, the live music venue off Bee Caves Road. The internship opens the door to bigger and better things - partner in La Zona Rosa, booking agent at Stubb’s, organizer of Austin’s A2K festival. He had found his calling.

Following the success of A2K, the guy turned his attention to a new idea….staging a major music festival in Austin and, well, you probably know the rest. The guy is Charlie Jones – better known as one of the three C’s of C3 Presents.

Over the last decade, Charlie has been a driving force in the music industry and, whether he realizes it or not, the embodiment of the Howard Payne motto: Believe, Belong, Become. He believed in his idea, belonged to every detail to ensure success and became synonymous with the model for some of the most successful musical events in the country, including ACL and Lollapalooza.

So, as we celebrate ACL’s 10^th year this weekend, a special toast to Charlie. Who knew that an ill-timed dash through the girls’ dormitory could turn out so well.

As has become the annual tradition, the TEMBA Gazette is once again pleased to guide you through the ACL experience. This year’s panel spent countless hours researching the line-up and other important festival factors to ensure maximum enjoyment for all of you.

A special thanks to Brian Hopkins, TEMBA ’12, and Jeff Bock, TEMBA ’03, for serving on the panel of experts. And now the picks…

Brian Hopkins’ Recommendations

Brian used the current controversy on the Longhorn gridiron to help you overcome the gridlock that is the ACL grid.

The only thing more frustrating to Austinites than a Longhorn quarterback controversy is getting excited about two of your favorite bands playing ACL only to later find out they are scheduled at the same time. Therefore, in the spirit of the current football situation, I am going to break down each day's big competitions in the hope of making your decisions a little easier. The metrics used to decide each battle involved not just the quality of music, but the whole experience.

Friday: James Blake vs. Smith Westerns

James Blake made one of my favorite albums of the year, but I'm just not sure how well he will translate to Zilker Park. The value is in how intricately produced this dubstep artist's music is. When I saw him at Stubb's in March there was probably 2,000 people just quiet the whole time listening. Not sure he is going to scale to 100k. Still, if you're interested in great music, he may be the best going this weekend. On the other hand, the Smith Westerns seem built for a festival stage. A good old fashioned rock and roll band. To give you an idea of their sound, they were the first band signed to Wilco's new label.

Saturday: Telekinesis/Twin Shadow on the Google+ stage vs. The Antlers

A lot of people are excited about the closing acts on Saturday, but the openers are actually my favorites. Telekinesis and Twin Shadow play on the same stage with a 45 minute break in between. Antlers play on the other side of the park in that exact 45 minute window. Technically you could probably make all three. The reality is that running across Zilker in 100 degree heat when you still have another 10 hours in front of you isn't going to happen. Antlers make amazing music, but kind of a James Blake problem. I'm just not sure they are built for an outdoor festival. Their sound is like a super-slowed down Arcade Fire. A lot of build up that takes some patience. My experience is that while they were great at the Parish this spring, 100 degree heat doesn't lend itself to patience. Telekinesis is maybe an early 2000's indie-pop band. Their producer is the lead guitarist from Death Cab for Cutie, and the music is pretty similar. The only way of describing Twin Shadow is to picture what the most ridiculous looking, pretentious, indie rock band, looks like... and then multiply it by 10. I saw them three times over SXSW and enjoyed every experience. Their sound is similar to Bloc Party.

Sunday: Fleet Foxes vs. Manu Chao

I've heard great things about Fleet Foxes but haven't seen them live. Manu Chao has a huge international following and the crowd may be more fun than listening to the music. The deciding factor on this one is that Fleet Foxes is sandwiched on the same stage between Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire- the two must-see shows of the weekend. While I would never advise someone to miss Manu Chao, the best option of the weekend is posting up early before the BSS show and just riding that stage through Arcade Fire.

Hopefully this helps, and while I won't be able to join everybody at the park this weekend, if anybody is going to either the Cut Copy/Twin Shadow/Diamond Rings after-show on Friday at Emo's or the Bright Eyes after-show on Saturday, please try to find me and say hi.

Thanks Brian. Excellent advice and, just so I’m clear, the fact that you work for Google can get me backstage at the Google + Stage for TV On The Radio, right?

Jeff Bock’s Recommendations

Kid Bock is a music warrior. He goes to all the major festivals and is the brains behind The Pulse, the respected music blog you can find here, www.pulseworthy.com. At press time, Jeff was en route to Austin from Tokyo. Upon arrival, he will head immediately to Zilker for this weekend’s festivities.

We will post Jeff’s recommendations on the online version of my commentary (www.trentsrunningcommentary.blogspot.com) when he returns.

Trent Thurman’s Recommendations

Before my picks, let’s clear one thing up. Contrary to rumor, I was not, repeat NOT, at the Regal Theater in Chicago when Little Stevie Wonder recorded Fingertips in 1962. Are we clear? Good.

Madeline Follin of Cults during SXSW 2011

Best Way to Start the Festival: CULTS. This East Village duo was on my list for SXSW in March, though they were still relatively unknown. I saw them in the back lot of Urban Outfitters with about 50 other people and knew their nostalgic, 60s-inspired sound would soon attract a larger audience. It has. Since SXSW, Cults has released its debut album on the Columbia label and is currently touring with Foster the People. I can think of few ways I would rather start ACL than listening to Madeline Follin belting out Go Outside. Friday at 11:45 AM, Honda Stage

Best Band Named After a State Park: HA HA TONKA. This Missouri indie rock group has been around for a while, but Friday will be the first time I’ll get the chance to see them live. I first heard the group in 2007 with the release of Buckle in the Bible Belt and have been a fan ever since. Relentless road warriors, they played nearly 200 shows last year and have opened for the Meat Puppets and Violent Femmes to name just a few. If you’re bummed about Old Crow Medicine Show cancelling their ACL appearance, you’ll be more than satisfied with the Ozark folk-rooted sound coming from these guys. Friday at 12:45, BMI Stage

Best Recommendation from my son, Sam: REPTAR. If a band hails from Athens, Georgia, I automatically take notice. When I first heard REPTAR’s Blastoff blaring from Sam’s bedroom, I knew he was on to something. Sure enough, the group created a lot of buzz during SXSW and recently recorded under producer Ben Allen, who has worked with such big names as Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective, the Beastie Boys, Matt & Kim and P. Diddy. I’ve told Sam to save me a spot, since I’ll be running over from Ha Ha Tonka. Friday at 1:20 PM, Austin Ventures Stage

Foster the People, SXSW 2011

Best Musical Guilty Pleasure: FOSTER THE PEOPLE. Ugh. I don’t want to admit that I like this band, but, alas, I do. I almost included them on my SXSW recommendations in March, but was convinced that the catchy Pumped Up Kicks was merely a one hit wonder. That didn’t stop me from seeing them perform an intimate set at Shangri La in front of 100 or so people in March and then again in early summer at a Waterloo in-store performance. Songs like Helena Beat and Houdini prove these California guys have staying power. How much have things changed for these guys since SXSW? 35,000 fans came to see them at Lollapalooza. Expect a huge turnout this weekend as well. Oh, and if you are looking for me, I’ll be the one who is not a teenage girl. Friday at 5:30 PM, Google + Stage

Best Opportunity to See A Legend Not Named Stevie Wonder: TIE: MAVIS STAPLES & WANDA JACKSON. I have a rule. If someone is performing who was at one time on the Stax label, go see them. This rule applies to Mavis Staples who, as part of the legendary Staples Singers, brought us R&B standards such as I’ll Take YouThere and Respect Yourself. I have another rule. If someone is performing who once performed with Elvis, go see them. This rule applies to the Queen of Rockabilly, 73-year-old Wanda Jackson, who not only played with Elvis, but also dated him. Mavis Staples plays Friday at 7:30, Vista Equity Stage and Wanda Jackson plays Saturday at 5:45 on the Austin Ventures Stage

Best Group You’ve Probably Never Heard Of, But Will Soon: LITTLE HURRICANE. This self-described “dirty blues” band from San Diego was formed when Tone Catalano placed a Craigslist ad for a drummer and found Celeste Spina. Since that time, little hurricane has taken San Diego by storm, garnering the Best New Artist award at the 2010 San Diego Music Awards and releasing their debut album, Homewrecker, at the end of last year. Sunday at 12:20, Austin Ventures Stage

Best Reminder of the Hell Breaking Loose Gate Crashing Melee During SXSW: DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979. One of several black eyes for SXSW was the chaos that erupted shortly after Death From Above 1979 began their ‘secret’ reunion show on the tiny back patio at Beauty Bar in March. Fences fell, police were called, beer was thrown, mace was sprayed and rioting ensued. Not the best way to kick-off a reunion tour, but the other tour dates - which included performances at both Coachella and the Donau Festival - went off without incident for this Toronto-based duo. Here’s the chance to see what should have been in March. Sunday at 5:30, Honda Stage

Best Beer Tent: LEFT OF THE BUD LIGHT STAGE. Head to the northeast corner of the park where our own Jenna Gelgand, TEMBA ’13, will be behind the counter. Incidentally, I’ll be in that area around 2:20 on Sunday waiting on The Airborne Toxic Event should anyone have the urge to buy me a beer. Just text me.

Best of the Rest (Others Worth Seeing): Kurt Vile & The Violators, Smith Westerns, Telekinesis, Skrillex, Cut Copy, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Jr.

See you at the park!

Friday, September 9, 2011

Running Commentary, September 9, 2011

Wow. Has it really been six months? 180 days? Half a year? Yep, sadly my last Running Commentary column was written way back on March 11^th. For TEMBA students, this was likely a welcome respite from my weekly ramblings. For the rest of you…well, sorry…I’m back.

Cu Chi Tunnels

Much has happened since that last column. I did catch a lot of live music during SXSW (the subject of the March 11^th blog). I also, in no particular order, crawled through the Cu Chi tunnels in Vietnam; celebrated my 20^th wedding anniversary by running a half-marathon across the Golden Gate Bridge; shook Mike Tyson’s hand; attended the Final Four; shot an M16; witnessed sunrise at Angkor Wat; moved; had a beer with Jon Gruden; sang karaoke in three countries; watched my twin sons transition to high school; saw the Giants raise the Word Series flag at AT&T Park; rode an elephant; lost a toenail (my fellow runners will understand that one); beamed with pride when my true freshman son, Ben, started in his high school’s varsity football opener; raced tuk tuks in Cambodia; and, oh yeah, met a lot of wonderful people when my role expanded to include the DFW and Houston MBA programs.

It truly has been a great six months and much of that is due to my involvement with all of you and the Texas MBA. From May’s graduation to this summer’s DFW & Houston Capstone to the three weeks of Austin Intensives, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every minute and am looking forward to a wonderful fall.

When I started this column nearly four years ago, it was a part of my overall plan for better communication between the program office and the TEMBA student body (you can find that column here, http://trentsrunningcommentary.blogspot.com/2008/02/temba-gazette-running-commentary-column.html). The topics have run the gamut: alumni success stories, career advice, college athletics, annoying Facebook posts and even car cleanliness….or, in my case, the lack thereof. My hope is that the return of this column will continue to play a part in keeping us all connected.

Angkor Wat at Sunrise

In addition to the weekly Gazette for each program, I’ll post the latest Running Commentary online at www.trentsrunningcommentary.blogspot.com. Let me know what you think, and if I ever mention my toenails again, please know you have my full permission to unsubscribe from future program emails.

Have a great weekend.

Friday, March 11, 2011

TEMBA Gazette, Running Commentary, March 11, 2011

Last weekend, as part of RISE University Day, Joshua Baer, founder of Other In Box, revealed his Five Secrets to a Killer Elevator Pitch. The first technique, according to Josh, is to focus on the problem. In other words, make them feel your pain. Those of you in the Capstone course are very likely going through this very analysis with your ideas right now.

In 1987, the problem facing Austin musicians was simply getting exposure beyond the local music scene. This problem was not unique to Austin in the pre-itunes days, as artists around the globe struggled with this very thing, but Austin, as is often the case, decided to do something about it.

With a goal of “creating an event that would act as a tool for creative people and the companies they work with to develop their careers, to bring together people from a wide area to meet and share ideas,” SXSW was born.

Founders expected 150 mostly local acts at the inaugural SXSW, but more than 700 registered, proving the problem was widespread. Austin’s rich musical history was showcased like never before as music industry executives from around the world filled the bars and clubs to hear relatively unknown talent. The problem had been identified and SXSW appeared to be the solution.

In 1994, film and interactive were added to the SXSW mix and one of the premier entertainment industry events was in high gear. Today, attendance at sanctioned events is estimated at 200,000, creative new ideas are hatched, artists from around the world gather to make important contacts and the entire SXSWeek pours an estimated $113 million into the local Austin economy. Problem solved.

With nearly 2,000 bands, five days of interactive conferences and hundreds of films; navigating SXSW can be overwhelming. Never fear – the TEMBA Gazette is here to help. As has become tradition, we are pleased to offer our must see picks for 2011.

Our focus has always been on the music showcase, but thanks to some great research by the communications team here at McCombs and the work of the RTF crew over at the College of Communications, we are pleased to add some suggestions for interactive and film this year.

Wow! Props to Tracy Mueller, a writer, editor and social media guru at McCombs. Her 27 SXSW Interactive Sessions for Business is spot on. You can find her picks here, http://blogs.mccombs.utexas.edu/mccombs-today/2011/03/27-sxsw-interactive-sessions-for-business. Thanks Tracy!

The Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas is consistently rated as one of the top programs of its kind in the nation and rightfully so (maybe this plug will get me an invite to the RTF SXSW party at Progress). Each year, they present a list of SXSW films to which current students, alumni or faculty have contributed. Here is a link to this year’s list, http://rtf.utexas.edu/events/rtf-2011-sxsw.

Now to the music! Wow, this year is tough. I’ve spent hours and hours reading reviews and listening to select tracks in an attempt to come up with a few must-see acts. I even enlisted the aid of Brian Hopkins in the 2012 class and want to publicly thank him for his help.

In all honesty, you can’t go wrong this year. Just find a venue and listen. With the talent assembled, I’m confident you’ll find something you like. In fact, that’s one of the best parts about SXSW – finding that hidden gem.

Last year, I saw Local Natives in the back parking lot of Urban Outfitters when they had already generated quite a bit of buzz. The year before, they played to roughly 50 people in the San Jose/Jo’s parking lot on South Congress. Tonight, they’ll play to a packed house at a sold-out show at Stubb’s. That’s what’s SXSW is about.

Our picks for 2011:

Brian Hopkins’ Picks

Givers

The Fresh and Onlys- “I always like bands that have some contradiction in what they do, and I read one of their reviews that does a better job of capturing this than I can, ‘While still jangly and poppy, it’s also a little gloomy, a lot new wave, with buzzy Joy Divison bass, squalls of wild psychedelic guitar, plenty of ooooh’s and aaaah’s, tribal drumming, angular riffing, a perfect mix of sixties jangle, and cold/new wave gloom. The production is lush, but also weird, and tripped out, ethereal and gauzy…definite contender for year ends best’."

Givers- “Haven't heard a lot from them, but a friend that writes about music for a living emailed me multiple times to tell me this is the one band to see. They don't have the exact sound of Vampire Weekend or Grizzly Bear, but a similar feel maybe.”

Toro y Moi- “My favorite DJ. Uses a ton of samples and weird beats that somehow work when put together. Seems like he is headlining about 10 shows over the course of the week.”

Antlers- “Put out one of my favorite albums from last year, but seems a little gloomy and dramatic for a sunny day in Austin, Texas. However, their new album is supposed to be more upbeat with a combination of rock and electronic.”

Bright Eyes- “The perfect balance to a half week of skinny jeans and PBR overload. Taking the family out for a picnic at the free Auditorium Shores show Saturday night to see one of the better lyricists of our generation.”

Thanks, Brian! Great picks….though I’m not sure there is such a thing as PBR overload.

Trent Thurman’s Picks

Oberhofer

Oberhofer- “I challenge you to listen to Away FRM U and not have it stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Frontman Brad Oberhofer is barely 20 years old, but has a very bright future if he keeps this up.”

Kurt Vile- “If it’s good enough for Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, it’s good enough for me. Gordon claimed in an interview that she listens to Vile all the time. I’ve been listening to his Childish Prodigy album for a few months now. Will be performing at the All Tomorrow’s Parties in the UK with Animal Collective later this year.”

JEFF the Brotherhood- “I saw this Nashville duo at FunFunFunFest last fall and have been listening to them since. The brothers started out in the Nashville punk scene and have been getting quite a bit of attention lately. They’ll also be giving away some 7” vinyl while in town, so be sure to check them out.

Cults

Cults- “Pitchfork said it best when they stated ‘there’s more information on the wrapper of a candy bar than there is on the internet about Cults.’ The duo, film students by day, became somewhat of an internet sensation after posting songs to their bandcamp site….yes, bandcamp. Listen to Go Outside and you’ll see why.”

Braids- “A blog post described Braids as ‘Animal Collective with a female singer.’ I can buy that. With an album released in January, this is the perfect time to catch this Montreal group that is already getting comparisons to early Arcade Fire.

So, there you have it. Enjoy the shows!

Friday, March 4, 2011

TEMBA Gazette, Running Commentary, March 4, 2011

By now, most of you are undoubtedly aware of Charlie Sheen’s bizarre and very public meltdown this week. Major news outlets, tabloids, talk shows and social media are all having a field day with the outbursts and, let’s face it, the whole demented saga is hard to ignore. How else can you explain Sheen’s Twitter account attracting 1.3 million followers in less than two days?

I got sucked in on Tuesday when the Guardian newspaper featured an online “Who Said It” quiz using quotes from Sheen and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. After correctly answering only 4 out of 10 questions, I determined this would be a fun and challenging exercise to share in this week’s Gazette. Unfortunately, the quiz went viral and most of you are now probably aware of it.

Undeterred and without any other engaging ideas for this week’s column, I decided to press on. The Sheen vs. Gaddafi idea is indeed clever, but doesn’t measure up to the quiz standards to which seasoned MBA students are accustomed. Where’s the challenge, after all, when you have a 50/50 chance right off the bat?

With this in mind, I developed a decidedly more difficult version of the Guardian quiz by adding a few other colorful characters to the multiple choice mix. Now, instead of choosing solely between a crazed actor and an unstable dictator, the field includes:

· Aging punk icon Iggy Pop

· Deceased writer Hunter S. Thompson

· Random Comments I’ve Recently Heard in the Halls of McCombs

The first person to correctly answer 10 out of 10 and post on my blog will win a prize. Honor Code applies.

Ready?

1.) “I feel the same way about disco as I do about herpes.”

A. Charlie Sheen

B. Muammar Gaddafi

C. Iggy Pop

D. Hunter S. Thompson