Paul Shirley is the consummate example of the classic American Dream. Growing up the heartland (Meriden, Kansas, to be exact), a lifelong athlete (if only to stay a step ahead of his three brothers), he went on to attend Iowa State University on brainpower, earning a National Merit scholarship to study mechanical engineering.

Athletic enough to walk onto the Iowa State basketball team and get drafted into the NBA upon graduation, Shirley’s had the distinction of playing for professional basketball teams around the world. Teams as disparate as the Chicago Bulls to club Joventut Badalona in Spain have utilized his hardwood prowess.

Being a bright guy in the wild world of professional sports, Shirley began talking about the world around him on blogs, which were sharp and witty enough to earn him a book deal, resulting in “Can I Keep My Jersey,” an engaging look at life in the NBA.

Combining his journalistic skills with a lifelong love of music, Shirley’s latest gig is writing for ESPN as a music blogger. Applying his same sardonic and distinctively Midwestern views to the world of music has been an inspired combination.

We spoke with Shirley on the phone for a freewheeling conversation that covered everything from the spirit of radio to why the Drive-By Truckers might be the best band in America.

I’m a real fan of your music writing. You always try to make whatever you’re talking about relatable to pretty much anybody

I don’t really react to that whole condescending Pitchfork or Drowned in Sound theory of acting like you know everything about music. To me, the point is to make it easy for everyone to be able to find good new music.

The first piece I read was your review of the most recent Animal Collective album, which generated a lot of buzz on indie websites for its honesty.

Yeah, that was an interesting one for me. I get what that band means to a lot of people, but I had to listen to it a few times to really get a grasp on the record. I think there are way more people like me out there than people that get it straight away.

You recently did a promotion where Amoeba Records gave you $50 in credit to shop around the store. That must have been a lot of fun.

I love Amoeba, but I have a real love for record store culture. It’s so much more enjoyable that browsing around online for music.

What did you pick up on this trip?

On the new side of things, I got the new album by the Sounds, which I’m really excited about. I’m a fan. I saw them once when I was dating this DJ. They’re really good live and the female lead singer is really, really pretty. I got the I’m From Barcelona album, because I have a friend that’s been hammering me to check them out.

When I’m at Amoeba, I like to do some serious used perusal. It sort of narrows it down. If I was just looking through all of the new stuff, I don’t know if I’d be able to focus.

So what did you grab in the used bin?

I got an old PJ Harvey CD, “Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea” for only three dollars. I’m always shocked at what I find used. It’s like the person that decides they’ve had enough of Pearl Jam’s “Ten” and sells it back for a dollar. What’s wrong with you that you do that? I also got the My Morning Jacket live album, which I always meant to buy. And I got the Phoenix album “Alphabetical.” I had “United” and currently getting into their new one for a column, so I wanted to brush up.

I got a record by this Lawrence [Kansas] band Mates of State. I saw them live recently on whim and was really impressed. I went into it like “Oh boy, a husband and wife team. This is going to be boring.” And they turned out to be really cool. The last one CD was by Cage the Elephant, who I know nothing about but a couple of people recommended.

Is there one CD you’re most excited about?

Yeah, the new solo record from Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers. That was one of my big-ticket purchases at $14 (laughs). I think Drive-By Truckers might be the closet best band around. When I ask myself who the best band out there is right now, I would say maybe TV on the Radio. But honestly, I find myself leaning towards the Drive-By Truckers. They’re always just so consistent.
You did a great column recently on easy ways for people to discover new music

It’s all about paying attention. It’s not like people set aside a special time to find something new to listen to. I think once you plug in just a little bit, it flows like water. One person tells you to check something, and then somebody else recommends the same thing. OK, maybe I should check it out. It’s hard to define the methods. That was a hard column to write.

I love that you talk about discovering a band you like, Airborne Toxic Event, the old-fashioned way—on the radio.

I think our radio station out here in Kansas City is probably better than anything in L.A. right now, next to KCRW. And even that has so much talk. It’s 96.5-FM “The Buzz.” They went off the air for a little bit, but there was a petition to bring them back and it worked. They have this great character called Lazlo, an outspoken punk fan who lived in Detroit and has lots of opinions on everything. He does a great job of spotlighting whatever. I was on the air there recently, and we were playing stuff like Gaslight Anthem and Manchester Orchestra, which I know is not super-cutting edge, but for radio is pretty cool. It’s where I first heard bands like stellastar* and Elephant. And in Kansas City, that’s huge.

Yeah, you’re not going to hear a lot of that stuff in L.A.

My brother just moved out there, and he was giving me a tour of the radio stations. It’s like a wasteland out there.

Could you ever see yourself as a DJ?

Oh, definitely. I’ve actually been in talks with a few different stations about doing something. I just want to talk about what’s going on in the world, and here’s some new music you might not already know about and should go out and buy. I’m trying to figure out how to do something like for ESPN possibly.
What else are you working on right now?

A lot. I’m writing a novel. I’m trying to buttress all of these things into one thing.

So what music would you recommend people check out this year?

The solo album by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys is amazing. I can’t get enough of it. The most fun album I’ve heard this year is “It’s Blitz” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. They kind of changed it up, but in a good way. And the new Phoenix album “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” is fantastic. I know that might sound very six weeks ago, but whatever.  I love it.