Michael Jordan Getting Serenaded At A Restaurant With The Bulls Intro Song Is Yet Another Reason Why He's The GOAT

You know, I imagine life as Michael Jordan is pretty sweet. Not only are you largely considered the greatest basketball player to ever walk this earth, you also have a net worth of $3.2B, you get to golf whenever you feel like it, and you can travel the globe without a care in the world. I'd say that's a pretty sweet gig if you can get it.

And while it's also probably pretty annoying that you can't go anywhere in public without drawing massive crowds making everyday life a bit of a hassle, it also presents you with moments like this

Look at that smile! MJ wasn't even that happy when he was winning titles, but who could blame him? The 90s Bulls intro song is without a doubt the greatest sports intro song in existence. You can try and debate that claim, but you'd be wrong. Chills every time

It doesn't get much better than that folks. In fact, during quarantine I wrote an entire blog about this very subject

That intro plays in a sold out arena with 18,000 people and it absolutely plays in a packed restaurant via saxophone. Which brings me to my next point and the overall purpose of this blog.

The saxophone is an impossible instrument to learn. Back when I was in middle school we all had to take an instrument as an elective or whatever. Some people chose the violin, some people chose the french horn, some people chose the trumpet or chello etc.

Me? I chose the saxophone like a goddamn idiot.

I'm not sure what I thought would happen, but the reality was a complete disaster. Even the simplest of notes/songs seemed impossible. Have you ever tried to actually play a saxophone? It's exhausting and very frustrating when you have zero musical talent and have no idea what you're doing. You get a random squeak here and there with zero consistency even though you feel as though you're doing the same thing every time. You have to find the perfect balance of blowing into the goddamn thing where you have to hit it just right or your entire face is going to hurt. That wooden reed tenor? Good luck keeping that thing dry. 

God bless my poor parents who had to listen to me try and practice. That lasted about 3 tries before I just said fuck it. Easily one of the most frustrating experiences I've ever had. I'll never forget at the end of the year we had a big recital with all the students and their instruments and when it came to the saxophone section we just put the kid who was actually good in front and with the mic (shoutout Steve Hochman) and I just stood behind him and faked it like you read about. 

This was basically me during the recital

Not one part of me was actually playing the song, and I'll never forget my parents asking me what the hell I was doing since they clearly knew I had zero idea how to actually play the saxophone. One of my best snake it till you make it moments for sure.

So when I watch that MJ video, as cool as it may be to see him vibing out to the Bulls intro, I can't help but be more impressed with the dude playing the saxophone. I know that struggle. I know that grind, and that dude nailed it. I'm not going to say it's the most impressive thing I've seen on the internet, but I'm also not not saying it. When someone crushes a saxophone solo that shit will ALWAYS get the crowd going. It's about as cool an instrument as it gets in my opinion if you can actually play it like it's intended to be played.

I'm certain many of you have similar stories, so what was the instrument for you growing up?