Today, Olivia Rodrigo officially revealed that her new album is called Sour and that it’s coming out on May 21. The release date is new information and so is the title… sort of. Some fans have pointed out (at least one fan on Reddit, anyway) that Rodrigo actually low-key revealed the album title all the way back in January.
The revelation came via an Easter egg in the “Drivers License” video. More specifically, it arrived via an earring that Rodrigo wears in the video. The earring is visible in some shots, like when Rodrigo lays on the floor as she sings. Here’s a screenshot of one such moment:
YouTube
In frames like these, it’s not clear what the earring says (or that it says anything at all). However, a few weeks after the “Drivers License” video was released, Rodrigo shared a behind-the-scenes video from the making of the visual. In that video, she can be seen wearing what appears to be the same earring and it is much more clearly visible, so much so that “SOUR” can be easily read on the lettered beads that are strung on a safety pin. Here’s a screenshot from that video that shows the earring, brightened and edited for clarity:
Americans woke up this morning to the news that the FDA and the CDC have recommended a pause on the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine out of “an abundance of caution” while they review 6 incidences of rare blood clotting issues out of the 6.8 million J & J vaccines administered in the U.S.
Let’s be super clear about the numbers here. Six out of 6.8 million. That means, of the people who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine since its February 27th emergency use authorization, 0.000088% of recipients have reported encountering this rare blood clotting issue. Literally less than one in a million.
On the flip side, some people are trying to compare these rare clots with the increased risk of blood clots in pregnancy and for those taking birth control pills, but this particular combination of clots and low platelets can’t be treated the way clots normally are treated, which the CDC and FDA say is part of the reason for the pause—to alert doctors to treat any of these rare issues properly.
Getting technical:
“In these cases, a type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) was seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia),” said a statement from Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, and Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination.”
“Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare,” the statement added.
The problem, of course, with this responsible pause for review is that people who were already unsure about the vaccines may become even more hesitant. “See? We were right to wait! The vaccine isn’t safe!” However, there are two big reasons why that’s the wrong reaction.
1. Even assuming these clotting issues are truly caused by the vaccine and are wrapped into the numbers, the vaccine is still a far, far safer bet than taking your chances with COVID.
The math bears this out clearly. More Americans have received a COVID vaccine shot than have been diagnosed with COVID, with no pattern of deaths following vaccinations that would indicate a safety issue. Meanwhile, we have 562,000+ deaths from COVID. Even if you believe the COVID mortality numbers to be overcounted in some way (despite experts believing the count is likely an undercount), you would have to have practically zero COVID deaths to make the vaccines riskier.
But risk isn’t just about death, right? What about side effects and long-term health effects of both? According to the WHO, approximately 10-15% of people who get COVID will develop severe illness, and about 5% will become critically ill. No one knows the long-term impact of COVID infection yet, but a WHO survey found that even among people ages 18 to 34 years in good health, 20% (1 in 5) of reported “prolonged symptoms.” People with mild illness have reported months-long health issues, and we don’t know yet if, when, or how people will recover fully. Meanwhile, immune system responses to the COVID vaccines can make people feel ill for a short time, and a very small number of people have experienced allergic reactions to the mRNA shots, but researchers have identified no patterns of long-term health issues with the vaccines at this point, which leads us to the second point.
2. This pause means that safety monitoring is working exactly like it’s supposed to.
The FDA and CDC had to weigh the risk that pausing the J & J vaccine may cause vaccine hesitancy, but went with the pause recommendation anyway. Some people have expressed frustration with this choice, as the miniscule risk of blood clotting issue does not mathematically outweigh the risk of people not getting vaccinated, but ultimately people need to be confident that the process is thorough and transparent.
This is exactly what the safety monitoring of the vaccine rollouts is supposed to do—identify any potential risks and review them as they come up. These blood clot issues are so rare that there was no way for them to have shown up in the clinical trials, as that would have required a sample size of millions of people.
Messaging here is vital, of course. People need to know that the issues FDA and CDC are reviewing are extremely rare, that a pause is not a permanent halt, and that the reason they are pausing is because of the 6.8 million doses administered so far, these 6 very specific, very rare blood clot incidences are the only potential red flags they’ve seen.
(1) This is exactly the right move. All possibly concerning safety signals should be immediately & transparently in… https://t.co/8aKbjlPJ7Z
That is impressive. And as far as hesitancy about vaccines goes, people also need to know that the J & J vaccine is a different kind of vaccine than the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. The J & J pause has zero bearing on the other two.
In addition, a pause on the J & J vaccine is not going to have a humongous impact on our country’s vaccination numbers, since it only makes up about 5% of our total vaccine shot numbers. More than 100 million doses of Modern and Pfizer have been administered, with only a minuscule number of severe allergy reactions.
(4) To be sure, this is a disappointing setback, because the one-dose J&J has so much potential for easy distributi… https://t.co/DEpqdMYFi8
Statistically, the vaccines—even the J & J, despite the pause for review—are on very solid safety ground. The problem is how humans process and calculate statistical risk. (Basically, we’re really bad at it.)
For some people, the idea of putting something into our bodies on purpose (a vaccine) feels riskier than taking a chance with getting the virus and the chance of having problems with it. But that’s risk assessment based on feeling, not fact. People make most of their decisions based on emotion over reason, even if they think they don’t.
So even though the J & J pause is actually a good thing, as it shows that the people in charge are monitoring things closely and taking any potential risks seriously no matter how small, there’s a good chance that this news will lower people’s confidence in the vaccines.
The key thing to remember is that nothing is 100% safe. But there is zero doubt that, overall, the vaccines are a far safer bet than COVID.
In a bit of a curveball for his first Uproxx Sessions performance, buzzing Staten Island rapper CJ foregoes his big hit, “Whoopty,” in favor of playing a simmering rendition of its slick follow-up “Bop.” Sporting a low-key black-on-black ensemble, CJ delivers a pitch-perfect performance with all the restrained energy of the swaggering original recording.
CJ, who saw the 2020 “Whoopty” climb all the way to the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, was resolute in pursuing the success of his breakout hit with new music, following up with an EP, Loyalty Over Royalty, earlier this year. This past New Music Friday, he dropped a deluxe edition, which featured two remixes of “Whoopty” that approached the song from different angles.
On the NYC Remix, he recruited vocal doppelganger French Montana and the recently released Brooklyn drill prototype Rowdy Rebel to add complementary verses to his, then, on the Latin Mix, he employed fellow Latino artists Anuel AA and Ozuna to speak their piece. Not content to just ride remixes of his breakout, CJ also dropped videos for most of the songs on the EP, including “Bop,” “Real One,” and “Set,” then put out a new song from the deluxe, the sex-positive “Lil Freak” featuring fellow New Yorker DreamDoll.
Watch CJ’s Uproxx Sessions performance of “Bop” above.
UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross,UPROXX Sessionsis a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.
CJ is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Taylor Swift is set to appear on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert tonight, where it seems they will talk about, among other things, Folklore (Taylor’s Version). Ahead of the broadcast, Swift shared a teaser clip, in which she unconvincingly denies that “Hey Stephen” is about Colbert.
The clip Swift shared shows Colbert cutting to the chase and asking if “Hey Stephen” is about him. Swift laughed and replied, “It’s just the power of music, Stephen. Good songs, they just make you feel like it’s about you.” Colbert replied, “Well, ‘Hey Stephen’ is definitely a good song.”
“Thank you! Yeah, it was really fun to record it again. In fact, to get me back in the same headspace as when I wrote it, I just wanted it to be really authentic as an experience, so I dug out my old mood board.” She then held up a poster board plastered in images of Colbert, the letters of his name, and hearts. Through quiet laughter coming from off-camera, Colbert said, “OK, um… Taylor, those are all pictures of me.” Swift looked down at the board, examined it, and shot back, “No.” Pointing to one standout image in the corner of the board, Swift noted, “This is a pizza.”
No one, not even Olivia Rodrigo herself, could have predicted the major success of her debut single “Drivers License.” The song was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for seven consecutive weeks, making it the first debut single to ever spend that long at the top of the chart. Rodrigo recently followed up the song with a more poppy number, “Deja Vu,” but she has now revealed that fans don’t have to wait too long to hear even more music, as her debut album is well under way.
The singer shared a first look at her debut album Tuesday, which is titled Sour. She unveiled the LP’s cover art, tracklist, and release date, which is set for mid-May.
Ahead of announcing her debut album Sour, Rodrigo said in an interview with Rolling Stone that she didn’t want to be “pigeonholed” as someone who only writes sad songs:
“Us and my team didn’t want to do the safe thing of putting out another heartbreak ballad. I think people probably would resonate with that, and they resonated with ‘Drivers License,’ but we really wanted to show that I’m a versatile songwriter and I’m a versatile artist and I can write heartbreak songs, but I can also make cool alternative pop songs. I just didn’t want to be pigeonholed [as a] heartbreak ballad girl. But ‘Drivers License’ did give me a lot of confidence in that regard.”
Check out Rodrigo’s Sour cover art and tracklist below.
Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.
While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.
Spirit Of The Beehive – Entertainment, Death
On their debut LP for Saddle Creek, Philadelphia trio Spirit Of The Beehive sound unlike anything they’ve done before. Clicking play on Entertainment, Death is like entering a whole new world with unfamiliar sights and sounds. It’s loud and fully enveloping, making for one of the most unique listening experiences of the year so far.
Briston Maroney – Sunflower
After his 2018 track “Freaking Out On The Interstate” gained massive traction on TikTok late last year, Nashville-based songwriter Briston Maroney has returned with Sunflower. The ten-track effort serves as a bit of a coming of age story for Maroney, a process he calls “terrifying and serene alike.” The album was produced by John Congleton (St. Vincent, Angel Olsen), and finds Maroney co-writing with the likes of Jenny Owen Youngs and Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull and Robert McDowell.
Matthew E White/Lonnie Holley – Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection
The collaborative effort between Spacebomb Records founder Matthew E. White and Alabama sculptor Lonnie Holley is not just another record. Inspired by Miles Davis’ electric period, Broken Mirror requires a recalibration of the musical mind to make sense of the vibrant improvisational spirit and arrhythmic arrangements.
Skullcrusher – Storm In Summer EP
Skullcrusher (aka Helen Ballentine) caught our attention with her self-titled debut EP last year. Ballentine certainly doesn’t lose any momentum on her new EP, Storm In Summer, which features gorgeous indie folk arrangements that perfectly supplement her ethereal vocal.
Rostam – “Changephobia”
Just a month ago, Rostam announced Changephobia, his first new solo release after helming the production of lauded albums from the likes of Clairo and Haim. Now, the former Vampire Weekend member has shared the album’s title track, a deeply personal but light-sounding number that revels in internal monologues and anxiety about the future.
Japanese Breakfast – “Posing In Bondage”
Michelle Zauner is gearing up for a massive spring, with the upcoming release of her memoir Crying In H Mart, and a new Japanese Breakfast album called Jubille. This is a column about new indie music, which means I can’t talk about the book (it’s devastating and impeccably written), so will focus on the music. “Posing In Bondage” is the second preview of Jubille, and is what Zauner called in a statement “a ballad about loneliness and longing, a song about two people who want so badly to connect but are never quite able to do so.”
Free Throw – “Cloud Sick”
Nothing like a fun emo song. The first taste of Free Throw’s new album Piecing It Out Together is ripe with twinkling guitars and one of the most infectious choruses the Nashville band has ever put to tape. It’s a far cry, yet a natural and exciting evolution, from “Two Beers In” from their debut album.
Sufjan Stevens – “Lamentation II”
You can’t say that Sufjan Stevens is anything less than prolific. After releasing two projects in 2020, Stevens is back with Convocations, a five-volume mega album depicting the five stages of mourning. (Stevens’ father died just days after the release of his 2020 album The Ascension.) Stevens shared the Meditation volume last week, and this week brings Lamentation. The volume is prefaced by “Lamentation II,” which features, according Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx, “airy synths contrasted by harsher, lower tones.”
Holy Wars – “TV Dinner”
Remember Sleigh Bells? It seems that duo might have passed the dark pop-rock torch to Holy Wars, who employ a similar brand of searing guitars infectious melodies to force your attention. The latest single from the Los Angeles-based group’s forthcoming debut album, “TV Dinner,” is dedicated to “the empty promise of an American Dream, and death of the paid artist where art and music is valued by a ‘like’ on a fleeting app,” according to a statement from singer Kat Leon.
Sour Widows – “Bathroom Stall”
Just a few months removed from their debut self-titled EP, Bay Area trio Sour Widows are back with another short-form project. Crossing Over is previewed by “Bathroom Stall,” a sprawling track that clocks in at nearly six minutes but manages to remain evocatively reserved in its delivery.
Museum Of Love – “Cluttered World”
For the first time in seven years, LCD Soundsystem’s Pat Mahoney and Dennis McNany are gearing up to release a new album under the name of Museum Of Love. Life Of Mammals was recorded in short spurts between Mahoney’s touring commitment with LCD Soundsystem, and was mixed in its entirety by James Murphy. Fans of LCD will love Museum Of Love, as lead single “Cluttered World” finds the tight percussion taking the driver’s seat while the track evolves around deep bass synths and flourishes of spastic guitars.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
There’s no denying that Netflix’s Bridgerton (from Shondaland) is a phenomenon. Yes, it’s frothy fun and silly but also subverts prescribed cultural notions of what we generally see from Regency London-based works and even what we see in contemporary society. The (many) sex scenes are mostly presented through the female gaze, and although Last Week Tonight‘s John Oliver recently summed up the series as “lots of jizzing in blankets,” there’s much more to appreciate there. Heck, the The Daily Show‘s Desi Lydic recently saluted the show’s contribution to the onscreen history of the female orgasm.
So, even though Regé-Jean Page won’t be returning as The Duke of Hastings, and the show will focus on the pairings of Bridgerton family members other than Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), this show will continue for at least three more seasons. Lady Whistledown apparently caught wind of this “most exciting announcement” and couldn’t resist spreading the word.
Well, it remains to be seen whether the show can keep drawing as many eyeballs without Page, who apparently only wanted this season to be a one-off on his end, something that certainly caused angst with some of the show’s female audience, and he also turned down a few guest stints for Season 2, so society will have to find excitement and intrigue elsewhere.
The upcoming season of Bridgertonwill focus on the love life of Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), which goes along with the plan of Julia Quinn’s second series book, The Viscount Who Loved Me. Hopefully, we’ll at least see a few appearances from Daphne, who can at least tell us whether the “jizzing in blankets” has resumed or not. Hey, it’s an important detail.
No human seems to have more things going on at a given time than Shaquille O’Neal. This was the case during his NBA career — he’d play games and use his free time to, say, make a movie or drop an album or wrestle or any other number of things — and now that he’s retired, he’s making sure free time doesn’t pile up.
He’s on TNT twice a week as a basketball analyst. He’s a businessman who seems to have a new venture every week. He’ll dabble in music, especially as a DJ, and he’ll still show up on TV and in movies every now and then. There was even a moment earlier this year when he got back into pro wrestling for a second, because Shaq is the kind of person who seems physically incapable of slowing down.
The latest way he’s keeping himself occupied is by partnering up with The General for a new video series through Bleacher Report called Shaq Gives Back. In it, the big man and the insurance company’s mascot with which he’s appeared in commercials for years go to a trio of businesses in the greater-Atlanta area and shines a spotlight on them, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic has done a number on small businesses nationwide. The first episode debuts on April 13.
Ahead of Shaq Gives Back, we caught up with the Hall of Fame inductee to talk about the show, charity, Inside the NBA, why he loves Italians (we promise, this will make sense at the end, just double-check the author’s last name first), and more.
I’d love to start by just getting some background information on this new video series that you have coming up.
We shot a three-part series called Shaq Gives Back. It debuts Tuesday the 13th on Bleacher Report. The pandemic has led to devastating effects on local communities, and The General, a long-time brand, and myself, we just teamed up to surprise and support everyday people with a break from their financial challenges. We visited three places in Atlanta: a record store, a restaurant, and a nonprofit delivery meal service. We wanted to learn about their company, their owners, their staff, and we just wanted to join the community and have them come together during this COVID-19 process.
So, none of the people knew I was there. We showed up, had a good time, and then at the end, just The General and myself, we just do what we do, just make people happy and give people a break. What a lot of people need to understand is The General is a quality insurance company. They’ve been saving people money for years, so we wanted to give back. A lot of people ask, “Why are you in bed with The General?” In 1989, when I bought by first car, which was a Bronco Two, I couldn’t afford insurance, and The General was the only insurance that I could afford, so that’s why I love The General so much.
So, you mentioned the places that you picked for this series. Were there any specific reasons why you picked the ones that you picked, or was it just those are places that are in the Atlanta community that we want to highlight here?
Well, we looked for stores that have rich tradition, stores that have been around a long time, stores that a lot of people love to visit, where people talked about it. There is this one record store in a certain part of Atlanta. Think about a record store. Not a lot of record stores have withheld time, withstood all of the downloads and this and that, and when I went in the record store, it was like, “Oh my god, I love this place.” A famous restaurant, a nonprofit delivery service, meal service — you can’t turn your back on the meal service people.
Yeah, and you mentioned the other night on TNT that whenever you leave your home, you try to do one good deed. Where does that desire to give back to people and help them out come from?
It comes from Dr. Lucille O’Neal, my woman. She’s trying to do something every day to change somebody’s life. That’s what I do. So, my favorite place to change people’s lives would be Best Buy and Walmart. I like to look for the single mom and son, or an elderly person. I remember one time, an elderly lady was looking at a 45-inch TV, and I said, “What kind of car you got?” And she said, “My son has a truck. He’s going to pick me up. He has an F-150 pickup.” I was like, “Well, pick the big TV.”
“Huh, what do you mean? I can’t afford that.” I said, “You don’t need to afford it. I got it.” She started crying. I wanted her to be able to sit back and enjoy the 75 inch. Because, just think about it, a 75 inch TV is only $700. I remember when it first came out, I was the dummy that paid $5,000 to get 75 inches around the house. Now, it’s $700, so I was able to bless an elderly woman with a TV.
And, I’m guessing that’s something that it’s rewarding every single time you do it, correct?
I just like to make people smile. I don’t do it for the need to be rewarded. I’ve already been rewarded. I’m blessed, I have a great job, I get to work with The General every day. So, it’s not about being blessed, it’s about blessing somebody else. This is something that they’ll never forget — I remember around Christmas time, I was able to go back and see my dad and my mom. It was a family that had a piece of paper, and they had how much money they had on the paper, and they had four kids. They were trying to get all their kids the best they want. And, I could remember my dad doing that. I could remember my dad coming to me and saying, “Hey, man. I don’t have enough. I’ll take care of your sisters first. Since you’re a man, I’ll take care of you the next pay day.”
So, I just told the dad, “Just grab what you want. How many kids you got?” He was like, “We got four.” I was like, “All right, 20 toys each.” “What?” I said, “20 toys each.”
“Man, you serious?” Mom started crying. “Oh my God, thank you.” I said, “Yeah, just do it.” They get what they want and I take care of it. I remember my mom and dad used to do that, used to try to ration off and save for toys and groceries, and all that stuff, so I just like to make people smile.
When you talk to young players, the guys just coming into the NBA, do you talk to them about this and say, “Listen, you have this platform, use it for something good”?
No, I just try to show them. A lot of guys, I guess they think they have their own platforms, so they try to do it their way. I just … what I’m doing, I’ve always been doing. You don’t want a guy that’s never been doing it to just try to do it, especially for this platform. Because to me, image is reality. So, if you try to create a certain image, it will catch up with you and bite you. So, I’m going to do this all my life.
I’m going to have a basketball question or two for you in a second, but one thing that I did not realize is that you’re coming up on a decade with Inside The NBA. What is it, in your eyes, that has made it so that you guys can have the same show, you, Ernie, Kenny and Chuck, and still have it be as popular as ever over all these years?
You know, one, I think people don’t understand we have G14 classification when it comes to knowledge of the game. Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, Kenny won a couple of championships, I’m a Hall of Famer, and then we’ve got the Hall of Famer Ernie Johnson. And then, we also realize that if we’re going to keep you up past 12:00 AM, that we have to at least entertain you and make you laugh. So, Charles is going to say some stuff, I’m going to say some stuff. I think when it’s not scripted, comes off as natural.
I’m sure you get asked plenty of questions about Chuck, and Ernie, and Kenny, but I love that Tuesday show. Is there anything about Adam, and Candace, and Dwyane when you’re with them, the vibe, the approach, the conversations that you have that you think differentiates it from the Thursday show.
Well, Candace and D-Wade, they’re definitely a lot more serious. They can have funny moments, but Chuck is always funny. You never know what you’re going to get from him. Adam is blessed to learn from a guy like Ernie. Adam is a consummate professional, he’s a young guy. He told me how he started off, Ernie told me how he started off in Valdosta, Georgia. So, it’s been a long journey for both of them, but the shows are kind of different.
So, whenever I see an interview with you, I feel like you’re always asked about big men. You’re asked about Embiid, Jokic, all those guys, but you also played with some incredible guards, and I want to know, what are the ways that you see a guy like Kobe or a guy like Dwyane Wade influence guards in the league right now.
You know, we’re all products of our environment, so all the guys that are playing now definitely watched D-Wade and Kobe. They ask me about big men because I am the lord supreme of all big men, when there’s a big man to win three or four championships, I will give up my kingdomship. But, it’s a fun job. A lot of time people think when I’m criticizing, I’m jumping on them, but actually, I’m giving them information on how to be great. I know how to be great, I played with the greatest guards in the game, so I always tell the youngsters that when I’m saying something, don’t take it to heart. Just know what I’m saying.
Yeah, because I always feel like stuff can be taken as criticism, but in talking to you, seeing how you say these things over time, it seems like you legitimately do care and want to see the NBA be as good of a place as possible. Is that fair?
When you understand the business and understand this thing of ours, when you’ve got guys that are playing great and guys that are playing phenomenal, everything is going to flow. Why do you think a guy like Rudy is able to make $200 million? It’s because of the guys before him. LeBron, KD, the Golden State Warriors when they went 72-10, they gave the world a great product. You can only give the world a great product when you play up to your full potential and past your full potential. Some guys just get the money and they kind of just don’t care, but you have to care, because it’s not about you when you play the game. It’s about the mom and dad. The dad that brings all his kids to the game. It’s about the corporations that are sitting there watching you. It’s about the little boy that wants to be like you. It’s always bigger than you.
So, two final questions. One, I know that there has been a bit of a push to make Kobe the logo. It doesn’t have to be that specifically, but would you like to see the league come up with some sort of permanent way to honor him?
Well, we’ve definitely honored him, but my thing is, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It’s a lot of people you can say are the logo. Magic, Jordan — it’s a lot of guards — AI. So, he’ll always be honored, he’ll always be remembered, especially in L.A., but the NBA logo is what it is for many years. Keep it.
Then my last question, something you mentioned a few minutes ago, you know as well as anyone what it takes to win a championship. Like you say, you have the G14 classification and, as you look at the league this year and you see that there are seven, eight teams that have a shot to win, what do you think is going to separate the team that wins from everybody else?
Consistency and dominance. You look at how Brooklyn is set up. They’ve got guys that can really shoot the ball, so if you’ve got those three guys playing at a high level, shooting at a high clip, nobody’s going to beat them. They may mess around and break our record of 15-1. Then Philly — Joel is averaging 28 now, or Jokic. They’re averaging 27, 28 now. In order to get to that next level, it’s going to have to be 36, 37. And, it’s going to have to be every night, no nights off. The years I won a championship, I had to average 40. I had to average 40 and Kobe had to average 28 for us to win.
So, I always say when you get to the playoffs, you have to add at least six or seven to your points per game. But, there is a lot of dangerous teams out there. Like Portland, if they can shoot the ball well a couple of series’ they can make some noise. It’s always about consistency, because what if a guy that’s a great player has two bad games? That can change a series.
Yeah, I don’t know about you, but for me, I don’t think there is one team that is just head and shoulders above everyone else for the first time in a while. It’s, again, a bunch of teams, and maybe it’s been for you, but for me, that’s made this season just so much more fun.
You don’t think Brooklyn is head and shoulders above everyone else?
I think Brooklyn can be head and shoulders above everyone else. I want to see … you mentioned no nights off. I want to see what happens when the playoffs roll around and making sure everyone’s healthy, making sure everyone can stay on the floor, because if they are healthy and stay on the floor, I think they are head and shoulders above everyone else.
This is why I love Italians. Because, we think the same way. Like, it’s all good now, but I want to see it come around when the Playoffs come. And I agree with you, Bill DiFilippo.
A great travel podcast stokes your wanderlust while giving you a serious education in the process. It’s a delicate balance. Not all that long ago, you’d have to trudge down to a library or bookstore to grab a Lonely Planet or Frommer’s if you wanted to know anything about your dream vacation or travel spots. Today, you can throw on a podcast and get great, current information about almost any destination around the world.
Hopefully, all that info also arrives with some storytelling and maybe a few jokes — something fun and engaging to keep you coming back for more. Again, it’s a balance.
For those who love travel, now feels like a great time to download a few pods. Travel isn’t fully open here in the US and there’s no telling when international travel will feel safe again. Entire continents are reeling with new COVID strains. Borders are opening only to close again as quickly. Vaccines are slowly rolling out but even that isn’t a magic bullet.
Still… it’s fair to say that we’re in the “it’s cool to start planning bigger trips” stage of the pandemic. Finally.
That’s what these 30 podcasts are perfect for. In one way or another, each of them invites you to dream about future adventures and to envision your next big trip. Find the ones that speak to you and let them help you wait out this last stage of pandemic-travel limbo.
TV host, pilot, diver, and all-around adventure-seeker Kellee Edwards’ podcast is one of the best in the travel world. Edwards tackles deeply moving issues related to travel through guests recounting searching for their roots in Africa or finding a place in the travel world as a deaf person or decolonizing travel. The show is a truly unique and thoroughly engaging travel pod that goes well beyond just talking about the cool places to eat or swim when you’re on the road.
Where To Start:
On Reclaiming History as an Indigenous Hiker Edwards talks candidly with Indigenous Women Hike founder Jolie Varela to speak out re-ordering the way colonial settlers think about the continued erasure language of Native Americans, the racist nature of John Muir and why we still cling to his racist legacy, and how Indigenous women are traveling in a non-colonial way.
Cohosts Noami Grevemberg and Anaïs Monique have created a space in the podcasting and vanlife world for BIPOC and LGBTQIA voices to share their travel stories and experiences. While the show has vanlife at its core, Grevemberg and Monique cast a wide net and speak with people living and working in every corner of the travel world.
Where To Start:
Home vs. Homeostasis is a great place to get the vibe of the show while also going inside flight attendant life. Co-host Anaïs and Naomi are joined by Raena Rice, a U.S.-based flight attendant, to talk about creating in the travel world, working on planes every day, and making a safe travel environment during a pandemic.
We’ve all gone down the Atlas Obscura rabbit hole during one or two sleepless nights. The publication’s penchant for looking at the world of travel through the quirky, unique, and downright weird is what makes it so enduring, engaging, and truly unique. That whole vibe is distilled into a podcast that’s hard not to binge, especially in times when travel is hard.
Where To Start:
Jump in at Pyramiden. The episode covers an abandoned mining town in rural Russia that’s “frozen in time.” This really is a quintessential episode of Atlas Obscura that feels like you’re going down a rabbit hole on the website in the most entertaining and engaging way.
Condé Nast Traveler’s Women Who Travel is hosted by travel editors Lale Arikoglu and Meredith Carey. The show takes a deep look at travel as an experience through female experiences on the road. It’s less about giving you practical Lonely Planet-type travel tips and more about how travel can change your life and maybe even help you live a better one.
Where To Start:
What We Wish We Knew Before Moving Abroad is a great place to start as it’ll give you the core of the shore while also providing great, practical information. The show focuses on guests Rachel Coleman and Katalina Mayorga who took the leap and moved to Berlin and Bogota respectively. They break down why and how along with what they wish they knew before they moved abroad permanently.
With local and outdoor travel becoming more prescient in the era of COVID, America’s National Park Podcast has become essential listening. The show takes a deep dive into the practicality of the nation’s national parks and lands, as managed by the parks system. If you’re looking to get real, current, and in-depth information for an upcoming trip to a park, this is a no-brainer listen.
Sailing is one of the purest (and least environmentally impactful) forms of travel. Hosts and pro sailors Andy Schell, August Sandberg, and Emma Garschagen bring on fellow salts to talk about the world of sailing and travel, the devotion it takes, and the trials you encounter out there at sea.
Even if you’re not into sailing as a form of travel, it’s still a fascinating and edifying listen that’ll be sure to stoke your wanderlust.
Where To Start:
Sea Shanties and Storm Weather Shanty Choir is a fun and very educational way to get into this podcast. The show takes on old-school sea shanties (yes, it’s having a moment) and digs into why these songs exist and how they still resonate. It’s light-hearted while still being very informative.
Uproxx contributor Charles Thorp hosts this deep-dive travel podcast. The show centers around a single guest interview with a focus on adventure travel in extreme conditions (think filming sharks or being a stunt pilot for a major Hollywood movie). The show offers a first-hand glimpse into the wider and more dangerous world of travel that’ll have you itching to get out there and experience the globe for yourself.
Rick Steves Over Brunch is the perfect balance of entertaining and educational. At its heart, the show is a TV rewatch pod where hosts and travel writers Stephanie Craig and Christopher Mitchell rewatch and break down the now-iconic episodes of the Rick Steves’ Europe TV series. It’s very light-hearted at its core while also bringing along a real sense of place and delivering more current travel information from the hosts’ own experience in the various destinations.
Where To Start:
Give “Iran: Historic Capitals” a listen. You’ll get a full feel for the sense of sympatico that exists between hosts Craig and Mitchell while also getting a great feel for how they break down Steves’ shows. It’s fun, easy-listening that’ll whet your appetite to travel again.
Last year, Tom Green and his trusty canine companion Charlie set out around America’s Southwest to live the vanlife. Green has been documenting his (and Charlie’s) experiences through a podcast, video series on YouTube, and lots of analog and digital photography. The podcast is a mix of interviews Green conducts on the road with practical check-ins between stops and guests. It’s an endlessly fun and engaging listen that’ll get you thinking about finally buying that van or RV and setting out on your own tour.
Where To Start:
Brent Underwood – Ghost Town Living is a fun starting point. Green interviews Underwood about his venture of restoring an Arizona ghost town and living in the desert solo while he toils at the reconstruction. It’s a fascinating listen of someone truly going their own way on the road and finding a deep passion along the way.
The Get Lost Podcast from travel writer and all-around bon vivant Joe Sills is an easy and enticing listen — no, I’m not just saying that because I was on the podcast talking about sailing across the Indian Ocean. Sills is a great interviewer who draws stories out of his guests that always make for fun listens.
Where To Start:
Season two, episode four of the show simply titled “Iraq” is a great introductory episode. Travel writer Rebecca Holland drops by to talk about visiting Kurdistan in northern Iraq. It’s an illuminating listen from start to finish.
Holly Rubenstein’s The Travel Diaries is one the most listened-to travel podcasts out there. And with good reason. This is a well-put-together and intriguing pod, to be sure. The show offers a chance to look at travel from a non-U.S. perspective, which is one huge advantage. Rubenstein also has a seriously deep roster of guests, from actors to explorers to the biggest names in the travel industry.
Where To Start:
The episodes are broken up into “long hauls” and “short hauls.” The former is closer to an hour in length while the latter is closer to 20 minutes. Our advice, start with the “short haul” like actor Dev Patel’s episode. It’s a great way to get a taste for the show and hear some short-form travel storytelling.
Host Aaron Millar’s Armchair Explorer is a classic traveler interview show with storytelling and high-level production values. Millar is an award-winning traveler and host of National Geographic in the U.K., which again offers a unique, non-U.S.-based look at the travel world.
The Big Travel Podcast is hosted by British travel journalist and filmmaker Lisa Francesca. The show takes on almost a talk show feel with two people simply chatting about travel, what it means, and telling interesting stories from all over the world — making it one of the easiest listens on this list.
Where To Start:
Jump in when fellow travel podcaster and author Oliver Gee drops by to in episode 95 to talk about Paris, East Africa, and American road trips. The episode is a fun listen all around, especially when the two discuss American regional accents and travel in the U.S. from a foreign POV.
Road & Kingdom’s The Trip comes from Anthony Bourdain’s old travel, food, and drink publication. Bourdain’s partner on the project, Nathan Thornburgh, carries the torch that he and Bourdain began and interviews artists, travelers, chefs, bartenders, writers, and more on this engaging podcast.
Where To Start:
Full disclosure, several episodes are behind a paywall at Luminary. Of the free episodes available, we’d recommend listening to the current Tijuana mini-series which covers everything from deportees to cocktails to journalism on the US-Mexico border.
Debbie Arcangeles’s very popular The Offbeat Life podcast covers travel in a very specific way. Arcangeles takes you behind the curtain to see how travel influencers, content creators, and writers make a living out of travel. Most episodes are in-depth interviews covering how that travel-content-creator got started and found success. It’s a fascinating behind-the-scenes look that also offers real tips for doing it yourself.
Where To Start:
“How to create inclusion and diversity in the tourism industry with Dr. Kiona” is a good first episode. “Dr. Kiona” joins Arcangeles to talk about how colonialism is still a huge part of travel, especially travel influencing, and how to shift the focus to locals and allow them to define their narratives.
Hosts Peter Gwin and Amy Briggs bring a very fun and novel concept to podcasting with Overheard at National Geographic. The idea is the hosts pick up threads of stories heard around the NatGeo offices and bring on a guest to talk about these takes of adventure. It’s a great behind-the-curtain look at the inner workings of NatGeo, alongside wonderfully rendered storytelling focused on travel big and small.
Where To Start:
Season two, episode three “The Hidden Cost of the Perfect Selfie” looks at wildlife tourism and the darkness behind it. National Geographic writer Natasha Daly joins the hosts to take a sobering look at how animals are abused, largely, just for photo ops around the world.
Travel with Rick Steves is the gold standard of travel advice in radio-podcast form. Known mostly for his guidebooks on Europe, Steves’ podcast covers the entire world via interviews with experts and locals. The podcast has high production quality and Rick Steves’ notoriety allows him the opportunity to get big names on the show to talk about their travel adventures.
Where To Start:
Any episode is going to be enlightening. We like “Curry Nation; Young China” wherein Steves welcomes guests to talk about the immigrant food movement in Britain and, then, about how China is changing and the tourism industry. It’s a fascinating place to get a taste of Steves’ engaging style.
She Explores has a knack for telling amazing stories of adventure and travels through diverse female guest’s voices. The show takes a unique and refreshing view of the travel experience with a clear focus on spending time outdoors.
Where To Start:
Jump in on episode 89, Lost & Found. The episode welcomes guest Lydia Sturgis who recounts when she got lost in Montana’s backcountry. Then helicopter nurse Krista Elkins gives tips for preventing getting lost in the woods and what to do if that does occur. It’s essential listening for any adventure traveler.
Jason Moore wants to give you the tools to not only travel more but to live on the road. Zero To Travel covers topics that are bread and butter for the young traveler. Where Moore lands a cut above the rest are his deep dives into the realities and practicalities of actually moving abroad, finding a job, and starting a new life.
Chris Christensen is the Amateur Traveler (though that title is a definite misnomer these days — he’s got over 600 episodes to choose from). Each pod is formatted as a simple location guide, with Christensen bringing in an expert on each location to give an in-depth interview about getting to a place and how best to experience it. It’s like an entire Lonely Planet guidebook in 20-40 minutes.
Where To Start:
With hundreds of episodes to choose from, picking a single one is really up to you and your tastes. A favorite of ours is about getting to and around Greenland.
Theme parks are serious tourist destinations. They combine travel and entertainment. What could be better than that? The Season Pass is hosted by three guys who love theme parks. In fact, they love them so much that they obsess over all aspects — from the rides to the temporary installations to the tricks of the trade.
Where To Start:
Hosts Doug, Brent, and Robert geek out on rides and attractions for an hour or two on every podcast with a big list of recurring guest hosts. A great place to start is with the hosts’ personal experience as kids going to Disneyland, paired with a history of the park.
Mike Siegel is a comedian by day and a travel junkie by night. There are a lot of comedy podcasts out there. So Siegel decided to focus his in on more than just cracking wise when he created Travel Tales. The show is really a travel companion piece where you feel like you’re on the road with your best pal.
Where To Start:
A great place to dive into the show is comedian Tom Rhodes’ episode about being an L.A., stand up, and working comedy clubs in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. It’s the comedy grind meets intense international travel and the perfect example of Siegel’s engaging style.
Extra Pack of Peanuts is hosted by travel expert Travis Sherry. Sherry started out by heavily focusing the pod on using credit card rewards and frequent flyer miles to optimize major discounts for travel. Over the years, the podcast has evolved to cover all travel topics from road trip playlists to the state of the industry by the numbers and everything in between.
Where To Start:
Dive right in and listen to Travis’ interview with Bo Cordle — who went all-in on his dream to sail around the world. From there, you’ll find hundreds of episodes that’ll both inspire and give you practical information.
Travel Today with Peter Greenberg has been a standard-bearer for all things travel for as long as we can remember. Greenberg is able to take a bit of pre-internet radio talent and infuse it with amazingly pertinent travel information for any kind of traveler. Given the radio show aspects, Greenberg also covers travel news and insider tips that many of us are simply too green to have experienced. The man is a professional with a lifetime of travel behind him. You’ll come away from his show smarter with every listen.
Where To Start:
Greenberg has been talking about travel for so long that finding an enticing episode is simply a matter of scrolling through his massive archives and starting with the travel experience that jumps out at you.
JUMP (formerly The Budget Minded Traveler), hosted by Jackie Nourse, is a quintessential travel podcast. Overall, the show is a solid balance of practical and real. That makes it a must-listen for itchy travelers waiting to strike out on the open road.
Where To Start:
You can choose from in-depth interviews with travel experts, experiential tales, travel tips, and guides. We like How to Plan a Trip to Patagonia as a starting point to get the vibe of the show.
Location Indie is a unique travel podcast that focuses on living abroad as a digital nomad. Jason Moore and Travis Sherry live and work abroad and have created a platform to help all of us who dream of living that dream. Their show is a step-by-step guide to making your vagabond fantasies into realities.
Where To Start:
This is probably the only one on the list that we’d recommend starting with episode one and just working your way through. Think of it as getting a full-on degree about living and working abroad in the 21st century.
Rolf Potts is one of the most esteemed travel writers of his generation. Since his 2003 book, Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel, Potts has been the voice to follow in the world of travel (the story “Storming ‘The Beach‘” is legit legendary in backpacker circles). Potts has parlayed that into a dynamite podcast that trades in travel but dips into art, music, politics, and the joys of life from those who follow their hearts.
Where To Start:
While digging through the archives is a blast, we’d recommend something a little more recent. Backpacker, Go Home: How Tourism Is Ruining Everything (or Not) is a great place to get a handle on Potts’ style and voice while also learning about overtourism around the world.
Amanda Kendle’sThe Thoughtful Travel Podcast is an intimate look at someone who’s devoted their life to living abroad and traveling. Kendle’s prowess is in her accessibility as a travel buddy behind the mic. You feel Kendle’s ease with travel which makes her the perfect travel guide to help you on the road.
Where To Start:
With well over 100 episodes, you have a lot of choices. We recommend hitting episode 149 – Class and Privilege When We Travel. It’s a great place to get into Kendle’s headspace and get a feel for the flow of the show and guests.
Author and editor Joe Stange joined forces with me, UPROXX Life deputy editor Zach Johnston (me!), to talk about the great beer cities of Europe. One More Road For The Beer looks at an iconic European city through the travel and beer lens. They talk beer styles and then take you on a walk around the city to the best beer bars, hidden food spots, and beer-centric hotels to spend the night sleeping all of that beer off.
The show is planning a comeback/season two covering classic beer cities around the U.S.!
Mike Schibel’s Travel with Meaning is a well-structured podcast about travel. The aim is to bring people together to speak to their strengths in the world of travel. It’s absolutely wanderlust-inducing but also offers real information about making travel a bigger part of your life.
Where To Start:
UPROXX Life’s own Editorial Director, Steve Bramucci, was on an episode last year and though the audio is a little choppy, it’s a great place to start. You’ll get a chance to learn about Bramucci’s travel history before he and Schibel dive into what they see travel looking like in the near and far future.
It may no longer be the No. 1 single, but Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” is still one of the biggest songs in the world right now. However, Lil Nas X himself says (“not even joking”) that after today, the song may no longer be available on streaming platforms. In fact, some users are already unable to hear the song.
It appears Lil Nas X was first made aware of the issue last night when he responded to a tweet from a US-based listener who was unable to access the song on Apple Music. He then told his followers, “go to apple music and click on call me by your name to see if it’s still available in your country.” Sure enough, fans from other parts of the world also found they weren’t able to stream the song on Apple Music. This afternoon, he responded to a tweet from somebody having issues with the song on Spotify, noting, “it’s happening on all the streaming services [sad face emoji].”
He then joked (or perhaps said and meant sincerely), “since call me by your name is no longer working on many streaming services i will be uploading the audio to pornhub at 3pm est.” After that, he declared, “not even joking. everybody stream call me by your name hard today because it may no longer be available tomorrow and there’s nothing i can really do about it. thanks for all the support tho!” He also shared a screenshot of the tweet on Instagram and later returned to Twitter to give his fans some advice: “everybody screen record the audio/video on youtube so you will have the song in your gallery worst case scenario.”
since call me by your name is no longer working on many streaming services i will be uploading the audio to pornhub at 3pm est
not even joking. everybody stream call me by your name hard today because it may no longer be available tomorrow and there’s nothing i can really do about it. thanks for all the support tho!
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