Month: November 2020

James Woods, the conservative actor that Family Guy referred to as a “political troll and maniac on Twitter” (he’s earned that title), has led a controversial life, to say the very least. Word on the street is that he left the Democratic party when Bill Clinton got impeached, although he sure stuck with the MAGA crowd even though Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Woods, who is known for dating women decades younger than himself (one of them was truly named Ashley Madison), has claimed that his political beliefs got him blacklisted from Hollywood. No one could possibly say whether that’s the case, but nothing stopped him from playing Rudy Giuliani in a 2003 USA Network movie, Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story, particularly in one clip that’s making the Internet rounds.

Woods does not appear to be aware (at least on Twitter) that people have rediscovered a seduction scene from that movie, or he’s simply ignoring it while tweeting about fake conspiracies and such, but yes, it’s true. Woods portrayed Rudy during his “America’s Mayor” years, but more importantly for the Internet’s purposes, he took a romantically moonlit walk on a beach, and that’s (of course) the scene that people are zeroing in upon as “fucking G O L D.” It “absolutely murdered me. I am dead,” wrote another user.

An important question here: is this a scene where Rudy is romancing the cousin that he married (a union that was later annulled)? Nope, but now you can’t stop thinking about it, right?

The people are demanding a sequel (we’d probably all watch the hair-dye meltdown and My Cousin Vinny moment reenacted), and oh boy, lots of laughter going on here.

Also, maybe don’t mention this movie (ever) to James Woods unless you wanna get blocked (maybe you do want that?). Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story is now streamable on Amazon Prime, if you’re feeling adventurous.

Today is a big day for The Recording Academy, as later this morning, they will announce the full list of nominees for the 63rd annual Grammy Awards. Ahead of that, though, they shared some other significant news related to the ceremony, which is set to take place on January 31, 2021. Hosting the show will be somebody who has plenty of experience with hosting: The Daily Show‘s Trevor Noah.

Noah says of the hosting gig, “Despite the fact that I am extremely disappointed that the #GRAMMYs have refused to have me sing or be nominated for Best Pop Album, I am thrilled to be hosting this auspicious event.”

While Noah isn’t exactly a music figure, he’s no stranger to the Grammys: His 2018 stand-up special, Trevor Noah: Son Of Patricia, was nominated for Best Comedy Album last year. Noah didn’t take home the award, as it went to Dave Chappelle for his Sticks & Stones special. Noah was also a presenter at the 2020 Grammys, so he’s spent time on that stage before.

He does have some experience with the music industry, though, as he has had some of the biggest figures in music on The Daily Show over the past couple years. Since 2018, the program has hosted performances from people like Anderson .Paak, Jason Isbell, and Margo Price. On the show, Noah has also interviewed Lizzo, Logic, and Pusha T.

The list of Grammy nominees will be revealed soon, so keep an eye on Uproxx to stay informed about who will be up for what awards.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

A number of famous musicians have died at before their 28th year of life, enough of them where the “27 Club” list have gained notoriety over the years. Artists on it include Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse, among others. In a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Miley Cyrus, who just turned 28 on November 23, admitted that part of the reason she decided to get sober and quit drugs and alcohol was because she feared joining that club.

Cyrus told Lowe:

“27 to me was a year that I really had to protect myself. That actually really made me want to get sober was because we’ve lost so many icons at 27. It’s a very pivotal time. You go into that next chapter or this is it for you. I just feel that some of the artists that almost couldn’t handle their own power and their own energy and their own force. It’s an energy. I, no matter what, was born with that.”

She also revealed that she hit a speed bump in her sobriety recently and was two weeks sober at the time of the conversation, saying, “Well, I, like a lot of people, being completely honest, during the pandemic, fell off and felt really a lot of… and I would never sit here and go, ‘I’ve been f*cking sober.’ I fell off and I realized that I now am back on sobriety, two weeks sober, and I feel like I really accepted that time. One of the things I’ve used is, ‘don’t get furious, get curious.’ So don’t be mad at yourself, but ask yourself, ‘What happened?’”

Watch the full interview above.

Randy Quaid, an actor best known for playing unhinged characters like Cousin Eddie in the Vacation movies and an alcoholic pilot in Independence Day, is plenty, let’s say, “eccentric” in real life, too. There was the time he released a sex tape with his wife Evi where she wears a Rupert Murdoch mask, and when they sought asylum in Canada because they feared “Hollywood star whackers” were after them. In recent years, the one-time Academy Award nominee has taken his nuttiness to Twitter, where he caught the eye of none other than — guess who! — the President of the United States.

On Tuesday morning, Donald Trump shared multiple tweets from Quaid, including a wild video where the actor rails against Fox News (“TIME TO MAKE OAN & NEWSMAX RICH. FOX IS DEAD TO ME!”). He also quote-tweeted Quaid multiple times: Trump replied “no!” to “I just don’t see Americans rolling over for this election fraud. Do you?” and asked “Are you listening Republicans?” to “We’ve lost confidence in the system that elects our leaders. 79 million Americans believe election was rigged, the results fraudulent. We need an in-person-only-paper ballot re-vote, especially in the States where flagrant irregularities have occurred. No accuracy, no democracy!” Needless to say, this bit of “election fraud” nonsense was flagged by Twitter for being “disputed.”

Trump also thanked Cousin Eddie for “working hard to clean up the stench of the 2020 Election Hoax,” because that’s where we’re at as a country.

This would be hilarious performance art, even if it wasn’t so depressing.

Taylor Swift’s beloved new album Folklore was recorded during the pandemic without in-person contact between Swift and her two primary collaborators, Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff. Now the trio behind the album have come together for a new concert film, Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, which begins streaming on Disney+ tomorrow (November 25).

Swift shared a trailer for the film today, and in one clip, Swift, Dessner, and Antonoff note that these sessions were the first time all three of them have been in the same room together. The room, by the way, is the titular Long Pong Studio, Dessner’s building in Hudson Valley, New York where The National recorded their two most recent albums: 2017’s Sleep Well Beast (the album cover of which is a photo of the building) and 2019’s I Am Easy To Find.

Dessner and the rest of The National previously discussed the studio in a CBS This Morning interview from 2017, with Matt Berninger saying, “It’s the perfect environment. I’ve never been in a place this nice and this tranquil, honestly. Swimming in that pond and then there are like red-winged blackbirds landing in the cattails… it’s kind of ridiculous.”

Watch the Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions trailer above.

When Scott Van Pelt was given his own midnight edition of SportsCenter he retooled the format to bring new segments, including embracing gambling content that had been taboo on television but that longtime listeners of his radio show had come to expect from him. There is Winners, his weekly college football picks segment complete with a Trombone Shorty intro, but the one that has become a phenomenon is Bad Beats.

Every Monday night, SVP and Stanford Steve deliver the absolute worst in backdoor covers and totals getting busted that saw money flip at sportsbooks. It is, for my money, the best segment on sports television right now and it’s not particularly close, as it’s appointment viewing every time just to see if one of your own bets made the list or to find some obscure beats you never would’ve otherwise known about.

This Monday brought an all-timer from a game few likely even were aware happened on Saturday, as Abilene Christian was a 39.5 point underdog at Virginia. After cutting the lead to 36 with a touchdown inside two minutes to play, Abilene was covering. What transpired from there is truly awe inspiring and produced one of the finest calls I dare say in SportsCenter history from SVP and Stanford Steve. Please, enjoy.

In case things weren’t ridiculous enough, the double pass play was an accidental call from Virginia’s offensive coordinator.

The absurd joy they take in watching that awful double pass play from Virginia to make it a 34-point game is delightful, as they giggle to each other about what the hell the plan was. But nothing tops the final play pick-six as Steve screams “67, GET ON YOUR HORSE” and SVP retorts “the horse is on him!” For anyone who bet on Abilene Christian, one, salute for being a real degenerate, and two, my goodness I’m so sorry, but I hope you at least got some joy from this recounting of your horrific bad beat.

P.S. Dear Emmys, give them all of the awards.

The New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets recently came together on a massive, four-team trade headlined by Jrue Holiday making his way to the Bucks. As part of that transaction, Steven Adams moved from Oklahoma City to New Orleans, fortifying the Pelicans’ frontcourt and leaving the only team he has ever played for in the NBA. On Monday evening, things got even more interesting, as Zach Lowe and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN report that Adams has agreed to a two-year contract extension that will guarantee him $35 million additional dollars through the 2022-23 season.

The Pelicans used a lottery-protected 2023 pick to acquire Adams, which was certainly a lofty price to land a player on a $27.5 million expiring contract. With that said, New Orleans desperately needed to fortify its interior defense from last season and, in Adams, the Pelicans are getting an established, experience center with size and defensive aptitude.

At this stage, Adams is likely overpaid for the 2021-22 season at $27.5 million but, with the extension, his salary slides back to a more manageable $17.5 million annually. Adams is an “old” 27-year-old given the amount of NBA experience he has, but his size and physicality should allow him to age with relative grace.

It will be interesting to see how Adams fits in with the Pelicans, as one of the chief criticisms of the trade is that he does not profile as the ideal frontcourt partner for Zion Williamson. Adams has many strengths, but he is not a floor-spacer on the offensive end, and while he is very potent near the rim defensively, he isn’t incredibly versatile on that end of the floor at this stage. Regardless, the Pelicans felt compelled to invest heavily in the center position for the 2020-21 season and, with this move, they can now plan to utilize Adams beyond the original timeline.

Conway The Machine dropped his highly anticipated record From King To A God back in September, but unfortunately the rapper’s longtime friend and producer DJ Shay passed away just weeks before its release. Conway included the powerful track “Forever Droppin’ Tears” on the record as a tribute to Shay and now, he’s shared a compelling video for the mournful track.

Running some eight minutes, the video honor swhat would have been Shay’s 49th birthday. Directed by Langston Sessoms, the video stitches together snapshots from the two’s long friendship. It opens with them as young men living in New York and follows Shay’s influence on Conway. (Shay served as a musical director, DJ, mentor, and father figure.)

Speaking about the video in a statement posted to Instagram, Conway reflected on Shay’s influence:

“I was thinking about the beginning of this journey. I remember when I came from jail in 2005 and big loveboat and kutter(free kutter) brought me to Shay lab to start this buff city records sh*t. I was the first, then I started bringin Benny and west, chinegunn and thugz and everybody around the lab and we built something monumental for the city. Fast forward 15 years and we all got record deals and some people would even consider us to be some of the best rappers in the game right now, and it’s wild because Shay seen this shit from the beginning way back then, he seen us being something that we probably didn’t even see ourselves being, and that’s hip hop legends. That’s why it’s f*ckin me up so much that this man is no longer here with us to bask in these moments and celebrate these incredible accomplishments with us, I think about unk everyday and I hold back tears, but I find comfort in knowing that GOD don’t make mistakes, and I know my n**** watchin over me and smiling down like ‘yeah machine fuck them n****s up’” Lol so just know we gone hold u down forever Shay! Happy gday almighty!!”

Watch Conway The Machine’s “Forever Droppin’ Tears” video above.

From King To A God (Deluxe) is out 12/11 via Griselda. Pre-order it here.

Pairing whiskey with food presents a delicate proposition. First, wine tends to dominate that conversation, with beer coming in second. Bourbons, ryes, gins, and even vodkas are mostly afterthoughts. Second, it’s not quite the same as a lower-alcohol pairing, where you’d course things out. If you course out a whiskey pairing, you’ll be on the floor before dessert.

Nevertheless, whiskey happens to feature flavor notes that place nicely with a hearty autumn-winter meal. Especially those big, carb-heavy, umami-rich, butter-laden holiday feasts.

To help us better understand food and whiskey pairings, we reached out to some serious whiskey experts. We asked distillers, critics, consultants, awards jurors, writers, and drinkers for the one bottle of whiskey they’d bring to a big seasonal meal to pair with the food. The prices for the nine bottles vary, but they’re all squarely in the “affordable” range, with a few pushing the limits just a tad.

You should be able to find most of these nationwide with a little sleuthing, or click on the prices if you want them delivered straight to your door.

Nikka Pure Malt — Charles Nelson, co-founder Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery

ABV: 43%
Distillery: Nikka Whisky Distilling Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan (Asahi Group)
Average Price: $80

The Whisky:

Impressively balanced, each sip contains a subtle, mouth-watering sweetness that makes an amazing pairing for any Thanksgiving dessert dish but also works like a charm in a highball. I often believe that the simpler something is, the better. That’s exactly why I love this whisky so much. There’s no pretension or overcomplicating things. It just is, and it’s magical.

While it sits on my top shelf at home, this one is accessible enough and approachable enough that I reach for it regularly.

Tasting Notes:

Brilliant fruitiness and a perfect touch of honey compliment the delicate creaminess from front to back. A perfectly wonderful maltiness balances the sweeter notes to round out the structure without trying too hard. This one epitomizes an effortless elegance to me.

Starward Two Fold Double Grain Australian Whisky — Becky Paskin, Whisky expert and co-founder of OurWhisky

ABV: 40%
Distillery: Starward, Melbourne, Australia
Average Price: $34

The Whiskey:

When showing up to any gathering where food is served, the whisky you bring should be a crowd-pleaser. It should be something bold enough to pair with any strong flavor the host’s cooking can throw at it. But, it should also be versatile and appealing to everyone in the room.

Pairing neat whisky with food can be tricky, particularly when most of us prefer our meals accompanied by a long, refreshing drink. That’s why I recommend Starward Two Fold. A blend of malt and wheat whiskies matured in Australian red wine barrels, it’s delicious neat or with ice, makes a superb highball served with tonic or soda, or works well mixed into a cocktail.

Tasting Notes:

Melbourne’s Starward Distillery is known for its signature maturation in Australian Shiraz, Cabernet, and Pinot Noir barrels. So expect plenty of apple and berry flavors with tropical fruits, cereal, and creamy vanilla with a touch of baking spice.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof — Chris Perugini, Scotch and bourbon reviewer and founder of Single Malt Savvy

ABV: 66.4%
Distillery: Heaven Hill Bernheim Distillery, Louisville, KY
Average Price: $75

The Whiskey:

This was an easy choice for me — since this whiskey has been a Thanksgiving tradition in my house for a few years now. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof has an incredibly dynamic range that allows it to pair nicely with anything your holiday feast can throw at you. This unfiltered, high-strength bourbon has a rich and oily body that won’t get overpowered by a variety of competing flavors (think savory gravy, sweet cranberry sauce, and salty turkey or ham). If you can hold off until dessert, give this pour a try with a slice of pumpkin pie.

Tasting Notes:

At 12 years old, ECBP is a well-aged bourbon in a world where age statements have decreased or vanished with so many bottles. The result is an oak-driven profile with enough age to keep those young, spirit-forward notes at bay. This release varies slightly by batch, but expect to find toffee, brown sugar, and sweet maltiness.

With time, that profile develops into a sugary layer of ginger snap cookies and dried berries. There are undertones of leather and tobacco and plenty of vanilla as well, but the sweetness, spice, and oak are all nicely balanced and it always drinks well under its bottling proof (though you may prefer high-strength whiskey after spending enough quality time with your eccentric great-uncle). Happy Sipsgiving!

GlenDronach Allardice Aged 18 Years– Jared Himstedt, Head Distiller and co-founder Balcones Distilling

ABV: 46%
Distillery: GlenDronach Distillery, Aberdeenshire, Scotland (Brown-Forman)
Average Price: $180

The Whiskey:

Pairing whisky with food can be tricky. Do you pair in a way that the whisky and food complement each other, or are you hoping for contrast so that each brings out and emphasizes aspects of the other in an interesting way?

In my experience, desserts are the easiest to pair whisky with, but what about a big family meal? A holiday meal is going to be filling, with diverse dishes, and rich foods, with a good amount of starches — meat, fat, holiday spices, and maybe even some berries. I would want something with enough acid, body, and density to stand up to all of that without taking the center stage, which is, of course, reserved for the meal and the company.

I’m going with Glendronach 18 Allardice.

Tasting Notes:

There’s no smoke to complement the proteins, but the sulfur and funk of a good sherry maturation fill that role nicely. It’s sweet enough to go with honeyed ham and a cobbler, but with enough acid and tannin to cut through the richest of dishes. Loaded with fruit notes, hints of custard, clove/allspice, and a subtle nuttiness, it is a perfect pour to accompany a traditional holiday meal.

Sazerac Rye — Bobby Childs, founder of Adventures in Whiskey

ABV: 45%
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY (Sazerac Company)
Average Price: $32

The Whiskey:

When it comes to a big meal, the flavors, aromas, and textures can fill the entire spectrum. The challenge of choosing only one bottle to pair with an entire meal is daunting, but I think I have it: rye whiskey.

Why rye? A nicely balanced rye whiskey can offer sweet, spicy, herbal, and earthy flavors that can cut through any meal and cleanse the palate in-between courses. It’s also required for my favorite cocktail — the Sazerac. And we all know that you’ll certainly need a pre-dinner cocktail or two.

So with that in mind, I’d bring a bottle of Sazerac Rye. It’s tasty and won’t break the bank.

Tasting Notes:

Buffalo Trace Distillery’s popular rye whiskey has a fair amount of corn, which gives the whiskey some body. The nose is classic rye whiskey with caramel, toasted rye bread, vanilla, and cloves. You’ll find some toffee and vanilla alongside spicy rye grain and some baking spice on the palate. The finish is warming and has a slightly lingering spearmint note.

The whiskey itself is around six or so years old, so it doesn’t lend itself to a lot of heavy oak notes and retains its grain-forward freshness. It’s just what you’d need for that big Thanksgiving meal.

Monkey Shoulder — Gillian Murphy, Tullamore DEW Ambassador

ABV: 40%
Distillery: Kininvie Distillery, Dufftown, Scotland (William Grant & Sons)
Average Price: $35

The Whiskey:

One of my go-to scotches is Monkey Shoulder. This 100 percent malt whiskey, is made from a blend of three unique single malts and is a deliciously tasty sipper. From cocktail classics to modern mixes; richness and vibrancy combine with mellow vanilla notes to make it perfect for mixing. And for me, that makes it the best candidate for bringing to a big holiday meal. You can go any way with this whisky — sip it neat, on the rocks, in a highball, or in a cocktail.

Everyone’s happy around the table!

Tasting Notes:

Balanced, rich, sweet, and smooth. This whisky leans into creamy puddings with plenty of vanilla, Christmas spices, and fruit. The malts come through and join cloves, red berries, dried apricots, and a note of honey.

Method & Madness Single Pot Still Finished in French Chestnut Casks — Greg Dillon, founder of Great Drams and Drinks Producer of the Year 2019

ABV: 46%
Distillery: Irish Distillers, Midleton, County Cork, Ireland (Pernod Ricard)
Average Price: $85

The Whiskey:

Firstly, I love the name and the idea behind Method & Madness from the great team at the Midleton Distillery and wider Irish Distillers group. And the products are, frankly, superb. So what is Method & Madness Irish whiskey all about then?

Having been designed by a husband and wife team of designers who have never designed a whiskey bottle before, I must say the result is great. There’s lovely faceting on the bottle. The corks (especially the 31-Year-Old Single Grain) are nicely engineered and the copper foiling is fantastic. Each product has had a unique artwork created using screen printing to represent the flavor profile and to add good shelf standout in-store, and presumably in bars.

The MM logo marque, for Method & Madness Irish whiskey, is neat, tidy, and very grown-up. There’s a sophistication that is an interesting take on what a new Irish whiskey brand means when you compare it to other startups and expressions from existing brands looking to introduce new ranges.

The Irish Whiskey Act allows distillers to push boundaries in wood programs much more than the scotch producers are allowed to. Irish distillers don’t just have to use oak, for example. For this release explore they used sweet chestnut wood to finish the single pot still whiskey. And boy, does it deliver.

Tasting Notes:

This started off as a pot still spirit being matured in American oak with a little bit of sherry influence, but not much. Then it was put into French chestnut casks and checked every three months to ensure the wood was working and the flavors were maturing how they wanted them to.

The nose is sweet and very oaky. I would have to say, it has the perfect palate with a nice medium toasted note there too with lots of juicy exotic fruits. It’s my favorite of their releases to date, for sure.

Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon — Adam Levy, Alcohol Professor, and founder International Spirit Competitions

ABV: 47%
Distillery: Heaven Hill Bernheim Distillery, Louisville, KY
Average Price: $32

The Whiskey:

There are certain expectations when your friends know you are in the liquor industry and they invite you over for a big meal. Showing up empty-handed is not an option. You want your drink to be your comfortable companion and not a whiskey that will be a challenge all night. You want a whiskey that you can drink from when you arrive through dessert.

One of my top picks to bring with me is Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon. It’s one of the stars from the great value whiskey portfolio from Heaven Hill Distillery.

Tasting Notes:

When you raise your glass and your nose first interacts with the whiskey, you will find the presence of vanilla along with hints of caramel and oak. Once in the mouth, the taste continues to match with vanilla and continued traces of oak. As it swirls around your mouth hints of spice and nutmeg are on the edges of your tongue. The experience of the finish isn’t syrupy but more balanced with a sweet soft low-fire end.

This is a whiskey for all night long with friends and good food.

Writer’s Pick: Woodinville Straight Bourbon Finished In Port Casks — Zach Johnston, Deputy Editor UPROXX Life and host of Expression Session

ABV: 45%
Distillery: Woodinville Whiskey Company, Woodinville, WA
Average Price: $50

The Whiskey:

I like to bring things from my home to big meals. It’s a conversation starter and a chance to highlight something cool from my neck of the woods. I’ve really been into Woodinville’s whiskeys this year and their Port Casks finish has been a standout. The whiskey has a heritage reaching back into Maker’s Mark history. The grains are all sourced locally from a single Washington farm. Their straight bourbon won “best bourbon of 2020” at San Francisco while the distillery has been named the best distiller of 2020 throughout whiskey media.

The Pork Cask is one of the most sought after bourbons in the line. The bourbon is aged for five years, as per bourbon rules. It’s then transferred to Ruby Port barrels for a final six months of mellowing before bottling. The only downside is that it’s a very limited edition and might be harder to find outside of the Pacific Northwest.

Tasting Notes:

This is a wonder in a glass. Out of a Glencairn, you get a nose full of candied fruit, roasted nuts, plum, vanilla, Christmas spices, and a touch of smoke and oak. The sip has a velvety body that really leans into the buttery and molasses-laden Christmas cake while adding a layer of bourbon corn next to more oak, vanilla, spice, and a note of stone fruit in the background.

After some water, a whisper of worn leather and dark cacao arrives.

This is stuffing loaded with dried fruits, nuts, and butter next to all the pies you could want that leads right into all the crackling fireside Christmas vibes in a glass. It’s big, bold, and will stand up to any meal while accenting it nicely.

Actors are not their characters. It’s a fairly simple fact that can be hard for some to remember, especially when real people seem to adopt specific traits of fictional icons.

Nick Offerman is not Ron Swanson, the mustachioed, meat-eating Libertarian of Parks & Rec fame – but that doesn’t mean the two men are utterly dissimilar. They both value independence, they both enjoy a good glass of scotch, and they’re both craftsmen. But unlike his on-screen identity, Offerman’s using his artisanal talents to give back in unique ways.

It’s part of the actor’s lore by now, his love of woodworking. He was wielding miter saws and crafting canoes long before he rose to fame on NBC’s beloved comedy about the inner workings of local government. Between jobs he’d take commissions on gazebos and kazoos to pass the time, eventually opening his own workshop in L.A. where he invited other craftsmen (and craftswomen) to indulge in their shared hobby. The Offerman Woodshop, as the place is known, sits in East L.A. and houses a small collective of woodworkers who create one-of-a-kind items to sell on the shop’s website. Lined with antique machinery, cutting-edge saws, personalized workbenches, and memorabilia from Offerman’s day job, it’s practically the physical embodiment of Offerman’s public persona, but it’s the charity work the shop does that better defines the likable comedian.

The shop partners with other small businesses and nonprofits in the LA area in the hopes of finding inventive ways to meet a real need while also spreading a message about the importance of having a craft.

“Making anything with one’s hands is a very healthy pursuit,” Offerman once told Men’s Health. “Anytime you’re using your craft for good is a wonderful thing.”

Offerman, a proud outdoorsman, sources lumber for the shop’s many projects from suppliers on the West Coast who are committed to sustainable practices. These are places like Angel City Lumber, an organization that recycles felled trees around the city to sell to local woodshops. By salvaging these trees – ones that have died because of natural causes or been uprooted because of construction projects – Offerman Woodshop minimizes its ecological footprint, turning material that might serve as chippings or fire-starters into bespoke pieces for collectors to show off.

And while the “what” of what the shop’s working with is important, the “who” it’s giving back to and “how” are almost more so.

Offerman Woodshop has made a habit of partnering with worthwhile foundations across LA, combining a niche hobby with a broader mission. The actor serves on the board of a local nonprofit called Would Works that aims to help the city’s growing homeless community find work and purpose. Created by Connor Johnson in 2012, Would Works invites members of the community to free woodworking workshops where they learn basic craftsman skills – think smoothing a white oak charcuterie board or engraving a cedar soap dish – while getting paid for their labor. They walk away with money and/or necessities, sure, but also with real work experience and job references from the nonprofit and the shop which are meant to make finding employment easier. Offerman Woodshop hosts many of these classes and advertises the nonprofit’s store, where some of the finished products of its participants are sold. The money goes back into funding more workshops for the homeless and into employment programs with partner organizations.

“What I really liked about this program is it not only gives assistance, it also allows those who can’t find work to be able to build up solid work references,” Offerman told Men’s Journal about the program. “They are earning these credits through labor like finishing wood products. So down the road, they can apply for jobs, and hopefully, eventually, get back on their own two feet. Our economy leaves a lot of people out in the cold, and all they want is the opportunity to get out there doing work to earn their own bread.”

Offerman’s found a way to use his woodworking hobby to help others before, and since, his partnership with Would Works. He raffled off a giant wood emoji for Conan, starring in a satirical commercial for the piece before Conan decided to sell 100 of them to benefit the Children’s Defense Fund. Recently, the shop hosted a raffle to fund scholarships for prospective BIPOC students to The Krenov School of Fine Woodworking and donated a percentage of proceeds from early sales to the California Coalition for Women Prisoners with Offerman promising to match any donation.

Plenty of celebrities launch charities or put their names behind worthy causes, but Offerman’s approach feels refreshingly simple and authentic. Take something you love and find a way to use it for good. That’s a blueprint anyone can use.