June 13, 2026
What I'm Watching, Reading, Listening to, and Rediscovering This Week
If you don’t have World Cup Fever, that’s okay. There’s still time, as the tournament is only just kicking off.
It’s the biggest World Cup ever — 48 teams; IMHO it’s 16 too many — AND it’s being co-hosted in three countries — 2002 was the first-ever co-hosted tournament, with games in both South Korea and Japan — AND since three countries are hosting — The USA, Canada, and Mexico — all three get automatic berths into the field. So you’re gonna have Canadians and Mexicans and Americans all trash-talking about their home teams.
So, in the spirit of the FIFA World Cup, let’s spin through the world of…well, a few other things that aren’t soccer-related, but are from around the world.
First, the Subscribe button.
Watching: David Hockney: The Art of Seeing (BBC)
David Hockney died on Friday at the age of 87.
I saw the report on Sky News Friday morning — I’ll admit to only having heard of Hockney and his work — and figured the guy was a big deal when the newsreader said that Hockney “did for British art what The Beatles did for British music.”
Then Sky devoted the first 18 minutes of the A-block to Hockney and his work.
I found, then, this documentary called David Hockney: The Art of Seeing that aired on the BBC a year ago. It’s captivating. Worth spending some time on this weekend.
Reading: The Brand Positioning Workbook by Ulli Applebaum
I met Ulli Applebaum online last year and had the pleasure of interviewing him for an episode of The Vandy Program this past Wednesday. (A link is below.) Keeping with our global theme for the World Cup, Ulli is German but has lived in the Twin Cities for a long time; he brags about his “Eastern Minnesota accent.”
We actually spent most of our time talking about brand associations, so here’s another angle to explore: brand positioning.
In The Brand Positioning Workbook, Ulli walks you through WHAT that means and HOW to do it at an organization. It’s part art, but mostly science, something Ulli talks about in our interview; the workbook serves as a guide to sorting out the science part through the 26 “success triggers” behind an effectively positioned brand.
And here’s a link to my discussion with Ulli.
Listening to: Two Canadian Bands…The Beaches and Japandroids
In keeping with our global theme, let’s go with two bands from Canada that happen to represent the two Canadian cities hosting World Cup games: The Beaches (from Toronto) and Japandroids (from Vancouver).
I’m a pretty big fan of The Beaches and it’s great to see them getting credit for being pretty darn awesome. Named for a neighborhood in Toronto, the all-female band had a debut album called Late Show and here’s “T-Shirt.”
“Blame Brett,” off of the album Blame My Ex, made Dave’s Top Ten Songs of 2023 list, clocking in at #9. (It went #1 in Canada.)
I’m also a big fan of the song “Edge of the Earth,” also off the Blame My Ex album.
Japandroids were…pretty different. Two guys. One played guitar (that was Brian King) and the other, David Prowse, played drums. Both sang.
No longer touring or releasing albums, the band formed in 2006, developed a cult following, and had a breakthrough with their Celebration Rock album in 2012; that disc was so good that they were named Spin magazine’s Artist of the Year.
Here, then, a concert from the band at Massey Hall in Toronto from a band that I was able to see live. Just once, in Chicago. Memorable show.
Rediscovering: Charlie Brooker’s ‘How to Report the News’
We’ve been international with this edition of The Saturday List, having bounced between a British artist, a German author and strategist, and a couple Canadian bands.
Why not give England another victory — they haven’t won a World Cup since 1970 — by throwing back to Charlie Brooker — yes, the creator of Black Mirror — from his program called Newswipe and an all-time classic: “How to Report the News.”
Me…wishes you a great week ahead.
Dave