Journal of Popular Music Studies, Volume 23, Issue 2, Pages 221–228 “We’re Talking about Practice(-Based Research)”: Serious Play and Serious Performance in the Practice of Popular Music Ethnography Anthony Kwame Harrison Virginia Tech Reporter: “So you and coach Brown got caught up on Saturday about practice?” Iverson: “If I can’t practice, I can’t practice. It is as simple as that. It ain’t about that at all. It’s easy to sum it up if you’re just talking about practice. We’re sitting here, and I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and we’re talking about practice. I mean listen, we’re sitting here talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game, but we’re talking about practice. Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game [like] it’s my last but we’re talking about practice man. How silly is that? Now I know that I’m supposed to lead by example and all that but I’m not shoving that aside like it don’t mean anything. I know it’s important, I honestly do[,] but we’re talking about practice. We’re talking about practice man. (laughter from the media crowd) We’re talking about practice. We’re talking about practice. We’re not talking about the game. We’re talking about practice. When you come to the arena, and you see me play, you’ve seen me play right[?] [Y]ou’ve seen me give everything I’ve got, but we’re talking about practice right now. (more laughter) (“Allen Iverson”) The Allen Iverson quote used in the title of this piece was intended to imply a degree of nonseriousness associated with the activities of practice. In Iverson’s world(view), practice (or its musical equivalent rehearsal) was not something that really mattered. Nothing to talk about. What mattered was how he performed during the game. The frustrations that fueled his “tirade” are typical of the losing sports figure’s age-old conundrum: “If we had won no one would be asking such silly questions.” Of course, Iverson’s coach C  2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.