Month: June 2022

Keeping track of all the new albums coming out in a given month is a big job, but we’re up for it: Below is a comprehensive list of the major releases you can look forward to in June. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.

Friday, June 3

• 070 Shake — You Can’t Kill Me (GOOD Music)
• Al Riggs — Themselves (Horse Complex Records)
• Andrew Bird — Inside Problems (Loma Vista / Concord)
• Angel Olsen — Big Time (Jagjaguwar)
• Astronoid — Radiant Bloom (3Dot Recordings)
• Ben Zaidi — Acre of Salt (Nettwerk Records)
• Chelsea Rose — Truth or Consequences (Paul Is Dead Records)
• Drive-By Truckers — Welcome 2 Club XIII (ATO Records)
• Fantastic Negrito — White Jesus Black Problems (Storefront Records)
• Farees — Galactic Africa (Rez’Arts Prod)
• The Fixx — Every Five Seconds (BFD/The Orchard)
• Flaccid Mojo — Flaccid Mojo (Castle Face)
• Forgiveness — Next Time Could Be Your Last Time (Gondwana Records)
• Frank Zappa — Zappa/Erie (Zappa Records/UMe)
• Gene On Earth — Time On The Vine (Limousine Dream)
• T. Gowdy — Miracles (Constellation)
• GWAR– The New Dark Ages (Pit Records)
• Have You Ever Seen The Jane Fonda Aerobic VHS? — Maine Coon (Vild Recordings)
• Horsegirl — Versions of Modern Performance (Matador)
• iamamiwhoami — Be Here Soon (To whom it may concern)
• Jasmyn — In the Wild (ANTI- & Royal Mountain)
• Jelly Crystal — ILY EP (Smuggler Music/PIAS)
• Ken Yates — Cerulean (Ken Yates)
• Killswitch Engage — Live At The Palladium (Metal Blade Records)
• L’Objectif — We Aren’t Getting Out But Tonight We Might EP (Chess Club Records)
• Las Cruces — Cosmic Tears (Ripple Music)
• Mary Gauthier — Dark Enough To See The Stars (Thirty Tigers)
• Memphis May Fire — Remade in Misery (Rise Records)
• Michael Franti & Spearhead — Follow Your Heart (Boo Boo Wax)
• Mr Little Jeans — Better Days (Nettwerk)
• Namir Blade — Metropolis (Mello Music Group)
• Oklahoma Kid — Tangerine Tragic (Arising Empire)
• Poliça — Madness (Memphis Industries)
• Post Malone — Twelve Carat Toothache (Mercury Records/Republic Records)
• Purity Ring — Graves EP (The Fellowship)
• Queen of Jeans — Hiding in Place EP (Memory Music)
• S.G. Goodman — Teeth Marks (Verve Forecast)
• Saajtak — For the Makers (American Dreams)
• Sub Urban — Hive (Warner Records)
• The Suffers — It Starts with Love (Missing Piece Records)
• Tedeschi Trucks Band — I Am The Moon: I. Crescent (Fantasy Records)
• Tove Styrke — Hard (Records/Columbia)
• Tuff Bear — Tuff Bear’s Picnic (Acrophase Records)
• Ural Thomas and The Pain — Dancing Dimensions (Bella Union)
• The Zells — Ant Farm (Crafted Sounds)

Friday, June 10

• A Little Farther West — Vaya Con Dios (Town & Country Records)
• Adrian Quesada — Boleros Psicodélicos (ATO Records)
• Allison Ponthier — Shaking Hands with Elvis EP (Interscope Records)
• American Aquarium — Chicamacomico (Thirty Tigers)
• André Bratten — Picture Music (Smalltown Supersound)
• Between Friends — Cutie EP (10K Projects)
• Big Gigantic — Brighter Future 2 (self-released)
• Billy Howerdel — What Normal Was (Alchemy Recordings/Rise Records/BMG)
• Bloomsday — Place to Land (Bayonet Records)
• Bobby Oroza — Get On The Otherside (Big Crown Records)
• Carrie Underwood — Denim & Rhinestones (Capitol Records Nashville)
• Chase & Status — What Came Before (MTA Records)
• Cold Showers — Strength In Numbers EP (Dais Records)
• David Newbould — Power Up! (Blackbird Record Label)
• Deau Eyes — Legacies (Tone Tree Music)
• Dion Lunadon — Beyond Everything (In the Red Records)
• Erin Anne — Do Your Worst (Discrepancy Records)
• FKJ — Vincent (Mom+Pop)
• Future Palace — Run (Arising Empire)
• George Ezra — Gold Rush Kid (Columbia Records)
• Grace Ives — Janky Star (True Panther/Harvest)
• Jack Flanagan — Rides the Sky (Imports)
• Jamie Drake — New Girl (AntiFragile Music)
• Jenny Owen Youngs — It’s Dangerous To Go Alone EP (Nettwerk Records)
• Joyce Manor — 40 Oz. To Fresno (Epitaph)
• Judah & the Lion — Revival (Cletus the Van/Virgin Music)
• Julius Rodriguez — Let Sound Tell All (Verve)
• LIFE — North East Coastal Town (The Liquid Label)
• Liss — I Guess Nothing Will Be The Same (Escho / In Real Life)
• Mapache — Roscoe’s Dream (Innovative Leisure / Calico Discos)
• The March Divide — Lost Causes (Slow Start Records)
• Marco Benevento — Benevento (RPF)
• Michael Monroe — I Live Too Fast To Die Young (Silver Lining Music)
• Michael Rault — Michael Rault (Daptone Records)
• Michaela Anne — Oh To Be That Free (Yep Roc Records)
• Moonchild Sanelly — Phases (Transgressive Records)
• Museum Of Light — Horizon (Spartan Records)
• Neneh Cherry — The Versions (Republic Records)
• Nick Mulvey — New Mythology (Verve Forecast)
• Riley Pearce — The Water & The Rough (Nettwerk)
• Rufus Wainwright — Rufus Does Judy At Capitol Studios (BMG)
• Sinead O’Brien — Time Bend and Break the Bower (Chess Club)
• Spacey Jane — Here Comes Everybody (Spacey Jane/AWAL)
• Vance Joy — In Our Own Sweet Time (Liberation Music)
• Vieux Farka Touré — Les Racines (World Circuit Records)
• The Wrecks — Sonder (Big Noise Music Group)
• Wylderness — Big Plan For A Blue World (Succulent Recordings)

Friday, June 17

• Alice Merton — S.I.D.E.S. (Mom+Pop)
• Anteloper — Pink Dolphins (International Anthem)
• Bartees Strange — Farm to Table (4AD)
• Calum Scott — Bridges (Capitol Records)
• Charlie Griffiths — Tiktaalika (InsideOut)
• Chillin Villain Empire (CVE) — We Represent Billions (Nyege Nyege)
• Dan Reed Network — Let’s Hear It For The King (Drakkar Entertainment)
• Dylan Moon — Option Explore (RVNG Intl.)
• Flasher — Love Is Yours (Domino)
• Foals — Life Is Yours (Warner)
• girlfriends — (e)motion sickness (Big Noise)
• Hank Williams Jr. — Rich White Honky Blues (Easy Eye Sound)
• Harken — Honeymoon Suite (Hand Mirror)
• Hazel English — Summer Nights EP (P-VINE)
• Hercules & Love Affair — In Amber (Skint/BMG)
• Horse Jumper of Love — Natural Part (Run For Cover Records)
• Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals — King Cobra (Phantom Limb)
• IV And The Strange Band — Southern Circus (Black Country Rock)
• Joey Badass — 2000 (Columbia Records)
• Kevin Gates — KHAZA (Atlantic Records)
• Lionel Boy — Down at 8 EP (Innovative Leisure)
• Lit — Tastes Like Gold (Round Hill Records)
• Logic — Vinyl Days (Def Jam)
• Making Movies — XOPA (Cosmica Artists)
• ME REX — Plesiosaur EP (Big Scary Monsters)
• Mt. Joy — Orange Blood (Dualtone)
• Nova Twins — Supernova (Marshall)
• Nick Cave — Seven Psalms (Goliath)
• Patty Griffin — Tape (Thirty Tigers)
• Perfume Genius — Ugly Season (Matador)
• Pet Fox — A Face In Your Life (Exploding in Sound)
• Tim Bowness — Butterfly Mind (InsideOutMusic)
• Tungsten — Bliss (Arising Empire)
• TV Priest — My Other People (Sub Pop)
• UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell & Astro — Unprecedented (UMe)
• Violet Skies — If I Saw You Again (Artium)
• Yaya Bey — Remember Your North Star (Big Dada)

Friday, June 24

• Alexisonfire — Otherness (Dine Alone Records)
• Art d’Ecco — After The Head Rush (Paper Bag Records)
• The Brian Jonestown Massacre — Fire Doesn’t Grow On Trees (A Recordings)
• Bryan Senti — Manu (Naïve Records)
• Caamp — Lavender Days (Mom + Pop Music)
• Candy — Heaven is Here (Relapse Records)
• Christine McVie — Songbird (A Solo Collection) (Rhino Records)
• Conan Gray — Superache (Republic)
• Damien Jurado — Reggae Film Star (Maraqopa Records)
• Day Wave — Pastlife (PIAS)
• Dune Rats — Real Rare Whale (Ratbag Records/BMG)
• Emery — Rub Some Dirt On It (Tooth & Nail Records)
• Empress Of — Save Me EP (Major Arcana)
• ENPHIN — End Cut (Pelagic Records)
• G. Love — Philadelphia Mississippi (Philadelphonic Records/Thirty Tigers)
• Glenn Jones — Vade Mecum (Thrill Jockey)
• Goose — Dripfield (No Coincidence Records)
• Hackensaw Boys — Hackensaw Boys (Nettwerk)
• Hollie Cook — Happy Hour (Merge Records)
• Jack Johnson — Meet The Moonlight (Brushfire/Republic)
• James Vincent McMorrow — The Less I Knew (Faction)
• Jimmie Allen — Tulip Drive (Stoney Creek Records/BBR Music Group)
• Joan Shelley — The Spur (No Quarter)
• Katie Alice Greer — Barbarism (FourFour Records)
• Katrina Ford — Katrina Ford EP (Violin Films)
• Limbs — Coma Year EP (UNFD)
• Linda Hoover — I Mean To Shine (Omnivore Records)
• Lindsay Clark — Carpe Noctem (Audiosport Records)
• Luke Combs — Growin’ Up (Sony Music Nashville)
• Luminous Beings — Horrors (XL)
• Lupe Fiasco — Drill Music In Zion (1st & 15th)
• Martin Courtney — Magic Sign (Domino)
• Mikey Erg — Love At Leeds (Don Giovanni Records)
• Motherhood — Winded (Forward Music Group)
• Muna — Muna (Saddest Factory Records)
• Peter Rowan — Calling You From My Mountain (Rebel Records)
• Petrol Girls — Baby (Hassle Records)
• Porcupine Tree — CLOSURE / CONTINUATION (Music For Nations)
• Soccer Mommy — Sometimes, Forever (Loma Vista)
• Tijuana Panthers — Halfway to Eighty (Innovative Leisure)
• Tim Heidecker — High School (Spacebomb)
• Wire — Not About To Die (pinkflag)
• Young Guv — GUV IV (Run For Cover)

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

Memphis’ FOX13 News reports that the court date for Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith, the two men accused of killing Young Dolph, has been moved per their attorneys’ request. Both men appeared in court on Friday, May 27, where their attorneys requested a reset to July 1 due to some new discovery that they say will be vital to the judge setting Smith’s bond. July 1 will also be Smith’s new bond hearing.

Smith’s attorney, Michael Scholl, said, “We are receiving more information and I want to take a look at it. One of the factors that go into the bond is the likelihood of conviction. Other factors are [whether the accused is a] flight risk.”

Johnson was identified by police as a suspect in the case around two months after Dolph was shot to death outside a local Memphis bakery, Makeda’s cookies. A warrant for Johnson’s arrest was issued in January and he was arrested shortly thereafter in Indiana.

Meanwhile, Smith was identified and arrested when the car used in the murder was linked to another shooting in the immediate aftermath of Dolph’s death. A third suspect, Shundale Barnett, was arrested in January but was mistakenly released, while two other men, Devin Burns and Joshua Taylor, were also named as persons of interest in the case.

School shootings are a distinctly American epidemic, and one that many of us have become disturbingly inured to. While the normal human reaction to hearing about a mass murder like the one that took place at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, earlier this week is extreme heartbreak, the typical Republican reaction is to blame everyone and everything but the country’s absurd lack of gun laws for the crime.

But given that the Uvalde attack was the twenty-seventh school shooting in America in 2022 alone, pro-gun pundits are having to find new targets for their faux outrage that aren’t the gun lobby or organizations like the NRA. And Tucker Carlson came up with a real doozy on Wednesday when he declared that pandemic lockdowns are to blame for the two most recent shootings in Texas and Buffalo, New York.

So… just exactly how does that work? Carlson, reacting to recent reports that the pandemic increased reports of mental illness in young people decided to make a pretty big leap:

“Oh, so the lockdowns dramatically increased the instance of mental illness among young people and in ten days, we’ve seen two mass shootings from mentally ill young people. Could there be a connection? Now that’s not finger-pointing. That’s not to blame Fauci for yesterday’s shooting—we’re not that low, we’re not Joe Biden. But if people are becoming mentally ill because they’re disconnected from others, what can we do to connect them to others and thereby reduce the instances of mental illness? That’s a real conversation—is there a more important one?”

Well, how to keep semi-automatic rifles out of the hands of teenagers might be a better place to start, but…

You can watch Carlson’s inanity below.

Death Cab For Cutie is nearing a major career milestone, as the group’s tenth album, Asphalt Meadows, is set to drop this September. When they announced the album last month, they shared the single “Roman Candles,” for which they’ve now released a proper video. It’s a neat one, too: In the single-shot clip, the band performs the song in a room as they’re fitted with protective equipment and pyrotechnics go off around them.

The band previously said of the song, “‘Roman Candles’ is about the crippling, existential dread that goes hand in hand with living in a nervous city on a dying planet, and that the only way to be in the moment is to let it all go.” Ben Gibbard added, “The lyrics were cobbled from a couple of different songs dealing with my general sense of anxiety; the feeling that the fabric that weaves a functioning society together was crumbling during the pandemic.”

Watch the “Roman Candles” video above. Also revisit our (pre-Asphalt Meadows) rankings of Death Cab’s best songs here.

Asphalt Meadows is out 9/16 via Atlantic. Pre-order it here.

Death Cab For Cutie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

While the average festival attendee might not recognize the names of Jordan Wolowitz, Tom Russell, and Yoni Reisman, they have proven to be pivotal to New York City’s history. After founding the production company Founders Entertainment as 20-somethings with an immense passion for live music, they also crafted the idea to host a music festival on Governors Island in 2011.

The sounds of the city were still drawn to the Indie Sleaze movement, and so, the festival’s single-day lineup reflected that — with electronic artists Girl Talk, Pretty Lights, and Empire OF The Sun headlining that year. That decision to cater to a generation of fellow early adults paid off immensely, as the aptly-titled Governors Ball’s debut drew the highest attendance for any event on Governors Island. “As many area festival attempts often fall flat due to poor execution, the Governors Ball was a pleasant exception to the rule, leaving us looking forward to its return next year,” Flavorwire wrote about the festival.

Building upon their success, the founders expanded Governors Ball to a two-day festival the following year, moving the location to Randall’s Island to better accommodate the growth — which included popular city food vendors (Luke’s Lobster, Wafels & Dinges) and a variety of outdoor games. Beck, Kid Cudi, Passion Pit, and Modest Mouse were on 2012’s top billing.

Despite the momentum, the third year was not a charm for Governors Ball, as disaster struck in the form of Tropical Storm Andrea on day one — the start of weather that would prove to be a common struggle for the founders in years to come. By 9 pm, the entire festival was canceled, with local paper Gothamist publishing a slideshow of the conditions. Crowds in colorful ponchos dispersed, just trying to avoid being drenched in mud.

“It was a heck of a storm: a lot of rain and high winds. When you have 40,000 people on your festival site, which is grass, and you have five to six inches of water descend upon that site within an eight-hour period, the result is a field of mud,” Russell told INC about that year. “There’s not much you can really do to combat that. We laid down plywood, sand, and landscaper’s hay, but everything just sank. Around 8 p.m. on Friday, when we started getting 40 mph wind gusts, we knew we had to cut the show.”

Throughout the years, weather complications have continued to be a common theme affecting Governors Ball. In 2019, Sunday attendees were stuck on Randall’s Island, until an 8:30 pm announcement officially canceled The Strokes and SZA’s nighttime performances. With severe thunderstorms, ticket buyers walked back across the RFK bridge to get home.

Still, Governors Ball planned to get back to normal. The original 2020 lineup continued the cross-generational appeal by featuring Tame Impala, Missy Elliott, Flume, and Vampire Weekend as headliners; it was eventually canceled due to the pandemic. After taking a-year-and-a-half hiatus until returning in September 2021, much like the rest of the world, the festival made some major changes. As for whether these will prove for better or for worse is to be determined.

Upon their return, Governors Ball announced they would be moving the permanent location to Citi Field — with stages set up just outside of the Mets stadium. Last year marked my first time attending the festival, so it’s difficult to compare to past locations. However, crowd control seemed to be a significant issue. Given the stages are spaced quite closely together, a lot of the audiences blended into one giant crowd, with very minimal lamp posts or clear exit signs. About six months later and in the wake of Astroworld, it seems to be a potential safety issue.

Still, Governors Ball has the opportunity to smooth out any roadblocks for their second year at Citi Field. At the very least, they have an all-star lineup — one that leans heavily into aiming for a younger demographic instead of keeping one headliner your Gen X mother might recognize.

Saturday’s headliner, Halsey, is one of the most exciting artists on the bill. They sought out their musical heroes — Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails — to eventually began crafting an industrial-inspired pop record together. The result was their cinematic fourth studio album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. While the writing process began before Halsey’s pregnancy (and first child), it conceptually began to wrap around all the various aspects of motherhood.

Rapper J. Cole will close out the festival as Sunday’s headlining performer. Last year, he released his Grammy-nominated sixth album, The Off-Season. “The Off-Season symbolizes the work that it takes to get to the highest height,” he told Slam magazine last year. “The Off-Season represents the many hours and months and years it took to get to top form. Just like in basketball, what you see him do in the court, that shit was worked on in the summertime.”

Hip-hop continues to play a heavy part in Governors Ball’s main acts: Friday headliner Kid Cudi, Jack Harlow, British MC Skepta, Coi Leray, Roddy Ricch, and many more. As a fun surprise, basketball player Shaquille O’Neal is scheduled to perform on Saturday under the stage name DJ Diesel.

For those looking for rising indie acts, Samia is one of the solo artists not to miss. The singer-songwriter released her first full-length record, The Baby, in 2020. She has since followed that with a handful of equally strong singles, from the somber, piano-driven “Desperado” to capturing feelings of love, and acceptance on “As You Are.” Last year, Samia also teamed up with a handful of prominent indie artists to reimagine songs from her debut album, including Bartees Strange, Christian Lee Hutson, Palehound, and many more.

The past year has also been a record-breaking one for Michelle Zauner, who fronts the Philly-based indie band, Japanese Breakfast. Between releasing a Grammy-nominated album, Jubilee, and becoming a New York Times bestselling author with her debut memoir, Crying In H Mart, Zauner has continuously distinguished herself as a talented artist — no matter what the medium is.

In all, Governors Ball has the chance to redefine itself for this new decade, evolving as necessary, and representing its city as the flagship festival offering.

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

If you’re a fan of Breaking Bad and/or Better Call Saul (are there people who like one, but not the other? I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t want to know), you should follow Thomas Schnauz on Twitter. He’s written (and occasionally directed) many of the best episodes for both shows, including “Say My Name” and the Saul season six midseason finale “Plan and Execution,” and answers questions from his followers.

Like @David66393582, who wondered “if deaging tech was ever considered? And would you use it if and when Walt and Jesse emerge in BCS?” It’s a fair question considering Saul takes place before the events of Breaking Bad, but Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Giancarlo Esposito, etc. look older in the prequel series, because that’s how aging works. “You either go with it or you don’t,” Schnauz replied. “We don’t have the time or budget to do that.” Better Call Saul does not have The Irishman money.

The Emmy-nominated writer also responded to a question from @TruthScarier about whether Saul takes into account people who haven’t seen Breaking Bad. “We try to have it make sense for people who haven’t seen BB, and that just means returning characters and references have to work organically with the plot and not be forced in,” he explained.

Also, Schnauz tweets about testicles.

A lot.

Like hundreds of times.

Honestly? Good for him.

There was no reason for it to be anyone else. When the cover for Madden NFL 23 was unveiled to a room full of press and other members of EA’s staff it became obvious that nobody besides the late John Madden should be placed on it. The man who influenced not only the game of football, but the world of both broadcasting and video games. The impact of Madden is apparent all over the game from menus to how the game is being designed this year.

As for the cover itself, there will be three covers that each represents different stages of his career. There’s the cover with his time in the booth as a broadcaster, a cover of one of the most iconic images of his coaching career, and finally a recreation of the original cover from his first ever game, John Madden Football on the Apple II.

There was really nobody else they could have put on the cover for Madden NFL 23. The last time Madden himself was on the cover was Madden 2000, and every year since has featured an NFL athlete. This of course has led to intense yearly debates on which athlete should be on the cover of Madden, but this is a great tribute to the man who brought the game to life.

With the cover revealed, EA Sports will unveil the first full game trailer for this year’s edition on Thursday at 10 a.m. ET here.

A fantastic fourth NBA season concluded earlier this spring for Trae Young. Despite some hiccups in the first round against the Miami Heat’s rangy, physical defense, Young’s fourth year may have been his finest yet. He made his second All-Star appearance and last week, was selected as an All-NBA Third Team honoree. Across 76 regular season outings, the 23-year-old averaged 28.4 points, 9.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds on 60.3 percent true shooting.

As a superstar point guard, Young recognizes the internal rigors of the limelight and pressures associated with being a franchise pillar. They initially manifested when he starred during his lone collegiate season at Oklahoma en route to an All-American selection.

In aim to provide resources for others dealing with mental health struggles, the Trae Young Family Foundation was enacted in 2019. On behalf of Trident, Dime caught up with Young to discuss how he navigates the ebbs and flows of mental health, what this NBA season taught him and the next steps ahead on his hoops journey.

What have you learned during your life about the importance of mental health?

Yeah, I mean, obviously, for me, it’s been more about basketball. And it really started in college and going through a season where it was up and down, and felt like the whole country loved you. And then, the whole country hated you at the same time. Just because of basketball and being 18, 19, going through that, I really had to think about my mental health, and it was really messing with me at times. So going into the league, that was a big focus of mine, when starting my foundation on what I would focus and emphasize on and so that was the reason.

With your foundation, did you want to provide an outlet for people to have somewhere to go to that could help with their mental health?

Yeah. 100 percent. So, I mean, you hit the nail on the head, that’s the reason why, and that was a focus for me after just going through that experience. And yeah, just now, people are obviously talking about it more since COVID and these last couple of years, but that was the focus for my foundation from day one.

When you feel your mental health slipping, what sort of habits do you practice to try and address that?

I really just try to focus on thinking positive as much as I can with anything, And then also seeing my friends or my close family, like just being around my circle, I think also helps me in just being positive and helped me with when there are down times, and things like that. So, I think those are important for me.

What do you consider the the mission or the objective of your family foundation? What is it that you want to accomplish?

Really, just focus on the mental health side of everybody and try to force the positivity out there. To let people know that if they are going through things that it’s okay to speak up and talk to somebody about it. I’ve had people I’ve talked to throughout the last couple of years that helped me throughout things. So I think it’s okay to let the people know that. For other people to see me from a distance and think that everything may always be good to understand that sometimes it’s not. I think it’s just shows people that they can speak out too.

Who are some people who helped you feel more comfortable speaking up and what did they do to make you feel like it’s, OK that you don’t have to put up the facade?

I think first person who really helped me was my college coach, Coach (Lon) Kruger. He helped me, as far as just seeing the mental health side. Just seeing me throughout that season struggling sometimes, and helping me and guiding me to the right people. He really helped me.

What did you think exactly was key for you with your relationship in that regard?

He was around me every day. We were playing games, and we’re winning and doing good. And then, obviously seeing the struggling times. He was just around and he guided me to a person who helped me and somebody who I still talk to to this day. And I appreciate him for that.

Is it the correct assessment that it was like the first prolonged period of consistent inconsistencies for you as a player and team?

Yeah. And it’s on a bigger stage. When every game is the headline of college basketball, it’s a big stage. Being a freshman trying to lead a team to the championship, It’s a big thing and a big stage. With good things comes bad things, too. So I think I just had to go through it. And it’s made me a better person today.

I just remember watching some games on ESPN and they had like a Trae Young Tracker or something like that.

Yeah, there would be games that weren’t even mine and they were putting my stats on it.

I can imagine that’s quite the burden to bear, both positively and negatively, at such a young age. This year, what do feel like you learned about your game and what do you hope to really address this offseason to help lead your team back to where you were a year ago and even further?

I think it’s been a great year. Obviously, we didn’t finish as far as we did last year, but I think with what we went through this year, with the injuries and guys being out, I think just seeing how he fought to the end, it was good to see. And then obviously, next year, we don’t know what it’s going to bring. So, I’m just happy that the season ended with guys fighting.

Yeah, for sure. You went up against a really talented Miami team with one of the best defenses in the league. What did what did that series teach you about your game in areas where like you already excel or areas that you want to you address moving forward?

The Heat had a really good team. They had the personnel to switch everything And I think we just ran into a tough matchup. … I think the front office, and everybody’s, talking about making some moves. But I don’t know what’s going to happen this offseason. But just understanding that we got to get a higher seed going into next year is the main focus point.

What do you take from that series that you kind of allow to influence your offseason training like, ‘Oh, I gotta get better at this? Or maybe they kind of exploited a certain part of my game here.’ Like, where do you kind of let the those games influence how you approach this offseason, if at all?

They just did a good job of not letting me get into the paint. And I mean, a big part of my game is being in the pick-and-roll and getting into the paint. When they’re switching everything, you’re not really able to get into pick-and-roll games. They just had a great, great defensive scheme. It’s more about just now figuring out how, if they’re going to be switching, still find ways to get into the paint and make plays for myself and for others. They just did a good job. You gotta give them credit.

Where do you kind of feel like you made the most strides individually this season?

I think really just being consistent with just my play, and and really just being better in efficiency. I’ve gotten better in that (every) year, so just continuing to be better in my efficiency. I think that was good to see this year.

If you told me, a person who has lost all sense of time over the course of the pandemic, that Bo Burnham’s Inside came out 6 weeks, 6 months, or 6 years ago, I would believe you. Monday, on Twitter, Burnham said it was a year ago. Okay then. He also said he spent 2 months prepping the release (on his YouTube channel) of The Inside Outtakes, an hour’s worth of new material (behind-the-scenes footage and outtakes) from the original lockdown sessions that resulted in the widely beloved Netflix special. This is exciting.

For the unfamiliar, Inside stands out as a document of our collective time spent inside during COVID with Burnham capturing himself during a long stretch filled with impossibly catchy songs and comedy bits that alternate between searing and silly. When it came out, I called it a “cross-section of comedy, anger, and stir craziness.”

Since its release, Inside has been nominated for a Peabody, won three Emmys and a Grammy, and seen its companion album top out at number 7 on the Billboard 200. Obviously, the special hit a very specific nerve at a time when a lot of people could relate to (and needed to laugh through) the side effects of isolation and boredom as we waited for a sign that it was safe to resume our normal lives. But that time is over now. No, seriously. I think masks got outlawed and the hesitant and high risk have been drawn out to center stage like Stephen King’s Carrie with everyone’s hot breath drenching them as the pandemic continues. Rub some dirt on your mental health problems, get out of your makeshift home office, crack your nest egg and smear the yolk on the gas pump, your landlord… this got gross. What I’m saying is: normality has returned, ready or not.

So, Burnham’s special is a period piece now, referencing a time deemed too depressing for revisitation by everyone else in pop culture. Think: when was the last time you can recall a major TV series with an arc that referenced masks or COVID? That’s the challenge of releasing this new material right now, but I’m sure Burnham had a look around at the landscape and did this anyway. Why? Is this companion content a statement about our “over it” attitudes toward the pandemic? A gift to his fans? A look into the arduous craft required to make Inside while reinforcing the idea that this is a classic that should be considered and reconsidered? Or is it just a useful distraction that was easier to commit himself to than some new thing that might spark anxiety for its need to equal or better Inside? Maybe it’s all of it, maybe it’s none of it. As with all things Inside, Burnham isn’t offering many additional clues.

A product of the internet and early days of YouTube, Burnham has reinvented himself (or, I suppose we could just say he’s grown) into a serious filmmaker (Eighth Grade) who occasionally teams with his peers to push the envelope on the visual spirit of comedy specials (Jerrod Carmichael’s Rothaniel is a great example). This version of Burnham doesn’t tweet much and he didn’t really say much about Inside when it came out. Instead, he let the work speak for itself. Something he’ll probably do again with Outtakes. It’s a novel approach: quiet in an era of self-promotional noise. It also leaves space to fill because people inevitably get curious about why art happens, especially when it seems so personal.

Left with only the work to define itself, we can report that The Inside Outtakes is great, funny, weird, clever, and closer to some of the less heavy moments from the original Netflix special. This is more “White Woman’s Instagram” (which is about privilege and mocking a parade of cliches on social media) than “Welcome To The Internet” (which is a jaunty number about how the internet has poisoned our brains while continuing to draw us deeper into its web). “Five Years” (which is about a couple bickering at the five-year mark in their relationship) and the “Jeans” fake ad are great examples of the tone here. I wonder why that is, though. Was this material from earlier in the filming process? Later? Mysteries, mysteries.

Oh, there’s another Jeff Bezos song! How many Jeff Bezos songs does Bo Burnham have in him? What about Elon? Is he taking requests? The “Joe Biden” song is great (and a bit of a bop), tapping into dissatisfaction with Biden as the pick to be the lesser of two evils in November 2020. Why didn’t that make it into the final cut of the original special? Maybe it felt more dated in May 2021 than it does in May 2022 when there’s less excitement over old Joe in these streets.

There are also several efforts to take the piss out of self-important comedians in the new material (as there was in the original, specifically with “Comedy”). The podcast bit here (that reads as a slam on Joe Rogan) and the repeated swipes at the significance of Inside with numerous faux ads all accomplish that seeming goal. But this may seem a little odd since Burnham has, himself, been elevated to comic philosopher/messiah status by critics (myself included) following Inside. Yet it’s fair to remember that he didn’t necessarily ask for that or supply anything toward our construction of the pedestal we have placed him on, save for his work, silence, and maybe his Christ-like look (I mean, it writes itself). Bo Burnham doesn’t have to be who we’re trying to make him.

There’s one more specific moment I want to call out that speaks to the new material and this stubborn question about why and what Burnham is trying to say. It’s a sweet song called “Chicken” and it’s about a bird plump with dreams who must find the courage to cross the road away from the mundanity of her life and how she freezes in the street as headlights approach. The metaphor here is not subtle to anyone who has tried to time their own adventure back out into the world and it’s a lovely thing that ends with a little optimism. It also stands out because I don’t know that a bunch of in-depth profiles and interviews with Burnham would have revealed more about his headspace than this song or “Look Who’s Inside Again,” “Problematic,” or “That Funny Feeling” from the original.

Exploring motives is an important part of trying to understand art. I don’t want to make it seem like there’s no value to be gained from asking questions. But the absence of that further context does not halt the reach of that art. That’s my point, specific to someone like Burnham who doesn’t seem to want to offer an explicit road map or much more than a few highly intimate snapshots of his mind from a time when few of our minds were ready for the flash of a camera. We always want more, but like Inside, that goddamn chicken song hit me right between the shoulders, and so, at the risk of putting too convenient and breathless a cap on this thing, the why doesn’t really matter that much. The enjoyment gained from that song (and this material) and the power of that is why art happens. And that’s just going to have to be a good enough answer.

‘Inside: The Outakes’ is available on YouTube

Laura Ingraham, who’s regularly torched by her brother, Curtis (imagine those Thanksgiving dinner conversations), has blamed the Left for every ill in society. She hates Big Bird and loathes clowns, and Curtis has called out her “evil” response to the Uvalde mass school shooting when she somehow blamed trans people and immigrants (after nonexistent gun control made it possible for an 18-year-old gunman to purchase two assault rifles, which he used to kill elementary school kids and their teachers).

Ingraham has a new scapegoat, though, which she trucked out to blame for all the violence in America. She’s actually attempting to make some sort of twisted connection here, although one would be hard pressed to find any mass shooter who has confessed to lighting up a joint and then going on a killing spree. Some right-wing opinion columnists disagree, and Ingraham is onboard with that thinking.

“Why aren’t people in general not talking more about the pot psychosis violent behavior connection?” Ingraham very seriously asked on Monday night.

As Mediaite points out, Ingraham was drawing conclusions from the Daily Mail and New York Times reporting that the Uvalde shooter may have smoked pot at some point, so she now sees weed as a big scapegoat for all mass shootings. And she got dragged mightily for Michael Steele, a former RNC chairman, who wanted to know of Ingraham, “What kinda sh*t you smoke’?”

Chip, cheese doodles, and ice cream lovers everywhere joined in the ridicule, as did one user who wondered why weed-loving Canada (clearly) isn’t experiencing a mass shooting epidemic.

Well, at least it’s incredibly hard to imagine Ingraham smoking up or even vaping (unlike Sean Hannity). So, Cheeto-on, smokers.