Category: News

Europe is a wonderland for culinary travel. The wines of Italy, Spain, and France have the cellars that oenophile dreams are made of. The food halls of Berlin, London, and Rome are the gourmand’s delight. The pizza of Naples has to be tried at least once in your life. The tapas of Barcelona will inspire you. And the beers of Germany, Belgium, England, and Czechia are probably the best in the world.

Look, food and drink just hits different in the best corners of Europe because, often, it is. But let’s not fool ourselves. There are still plastic packages of processed cheese, Burger King and Starbucks, and generally crappy food and drink over there too. And that’s very true of beer. Germany, Belgium, England, Czechia, and everywhere else all have trash cheap beer too. Stuff that’ll give you a wicked headache the next morning. Let’s not pretend that these places are fantasy lands where everything’s better.

Still… some things are made better across the ponds and it’s important to go and try them. Especially the beer.

To that end, we’ve reached out to some beer experts and brewers to ask what their favorite city is to visit for a beer-fueled adventure. A lot of classic cities came up with a few outliers that might surprise you. Hopefully, these beer-centric looks at iconic European cities will inspire you to finally book that trip of a lifetime and chase down some good beer this year. Let’s dive in!

— Zach Johnston, Drinks Editor UPROXX Life

Rome, Italy — Zach Johnston, Drinks Editor UPROXX Life

The Beer City:

Rome isn’t the first place in Europe anyone thinks of when they think of beer. Hell, that’s probably true of Italy as a whole. But Rome has one of the coolest beer scenes in Europe and some of the hippest beer bars as well. The main attraction of Italian beer is its quality. Like the food, wine, and spirits, it’s just … better. The deep adoration for agriculture and culinary arts in Italy is just as present in brewing and the beer is all the better for it. And like any capital city, all of the best from all over the country — and in this case the continent — makes it to the beer bars of Rome.

What To Drink:

Everything. I’m only half joking. But Rome has a great balance of local craft and European powerhouses. The absolute must-stop place in the Eternal City is Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa at Via Benedetta 25. The whole place is a scene unto itself. You’ll meet some serious beer nerds drinking there and they’ll help you find the other great spots in the city. That aside, the selection here is one the best in all of Europe, seriously. The owners travel around Europe and procure the best barrels of beer from all styles and regions to pour at their tiny, hole-in-the-wall beer bar. It’s truly magical.

Bamberg, Germany — Phil Markowski, brewmaster at Two Roads Brewing

The Beer City:

Bamberg is a beautifully charming city. It was spared destruction in World War II and retains much of its original character. But unlike other German ‘fairytale’ towns, Bamberg is a living, functioning city of 80,000 people. Moreover, it’s a city of that size with 10-plus breweries essentially within walking distance of each other. In a few cases, breweries are literally across the street from each other — such is the case with the famed Mahr’s and Keesmann breweries and Fassla and Spezial breweries. A couple of these have a Gasthaus, where you can spend the night.

What To Drink:

Bamberg has a large variety of beer styles to offer. Most of the breweries in town brew a variety of styles in addition to local classic rauchbier (smoked beer made from locally smoked malted barley). On my last visit, I found that Klosterbräu had the most diverse offerings including a pils, a maibock, and a weizenbier. Then there are Greifenklau, Hopfengarten, and Ambräusianum. I may have missed one or two! If one somehow gets bored with walking around town visiting the breweries in the heart of the city, you can venture out into the Franconian countryside at any one of scores of breweries located in little farming villages or sometimes, literally on farms.

Prague, Czechia — Ryan Pachmayer, head brewer at Yak & Yeti Brewpub and Restaurant

The Beer City:

Czech beer is fantastic. Nobody takes care of the pouring of its beer like the tapsters in the Czechia. The quality of the beer is just higher over there.

What To Drink:

Visit places like Brevnov Monastery, Únětický pivovar, Hostomice Andělský pivovar, and U Fleků. Drink authentic Czech-style lagers. It’s what you’re going to be wowed by. You’ll experience the quality and range of Czech beer that you won’t find anywhere else in the world. And these days, you’ll also be able to sneak a .3l of local IPA once in a while. And since the quality of the beer is already so high, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by their takes on classic and crafty IPAs.

London, UK — Zach Johnston, Drinks Editor UPROXX Life

The Beer City:

London has two things going for it as a great beer city. First, there’s the pub culture wherein every neighborhood has a few pubs with a few different vibes to suit unique groups of people who want to casually meet friends for a quick pint to people who want to really tie one on. Then there’s the craft scene, which is probably one of the most innovative and diverse in all of Europe. That’s largely thanks to London being so ethnically diverse. People from all over the world are making beer there and it’s rarely bad and almost never boring.

What To Drink:

I like starting out in East London around the Truman Brewery. There’s a massive outdoor food and goods market with vintage shops, skate shops, clubs, bars, and all the food you could possibly imagine. The beer is classic craft from old-school lagers served fresh from a tank to crisp bitters to new-wave IPAs. If you want a classic pub experience (with great food) and fresh Pilsner Urquell, then you have to hit The White Horse in Fulham. From there, I’d hit The Rake in Borough Market for excellent small-scale local craft and great pies, and, finally, end up at The Lyric in Soho for that quintessential small pub experience in the heart of London with an exemplary beer list.

Cologne, Germany — Bryan Donaldson, brewing innovation manager at Lagunitas Brewing Company

The Beer City:

The classic (and in my opinion, best) beer city in Europe is Cologne. I think people should travel there this year and every year (followed closely by Brussels). The culture they have built around their beer style of choice, Kölsch, is truly amazing. There are serving rituals (but not over the top) and a lot of different producers putting their subtle spin on the beer style.

What To Drink:

Kölsch! Some might find it boring drinking only one beer style, but I find the ability to stop in anywhere and find a beautiful glass of beer that I know will be of high quality and especially refreshing is what makes this city so great for beer.

Plzeň, Czechia — Josh Bartlett at Learning to Homebrew

The Beer City:

The fair city ofPlzeň has a special place in my heart as the true birthplace of the Pilsner beer style. Light, crisp, refreshing, and sparkling gold, the pilsner is one of my favorite styles. While you’re there, take a tour of the Pilsner Urquell brewery where the ‘original pilsner!’ is still made today.

What To Drink:

Unlike Prague, which has all the beer your could drink from all over the country, a stop in Plzeň is about one beer, Pilsner Urquell. There are few places better to drink that beer than at the source.

Brussels, Belgium — Zach Johnston, Drinks Editor UPROXX Life

The Beer City:

This is the one city to go to if you’re looking for an immersive beer experience in Europe this year. Between the mussels, pomme frites, and waffles, there’s just a ton of great beer, especially lambic and gueuze (gentle barley/wheat beers with deep tart fermentation). The beauty of Brussels as a beer destination is that you can get iconic beer that usually costs a pretty penny in the U.S. at almost regular beer prices all over the city. That $50 bottle of gueuze might only be $6-$8 in Belgium. That alone is worth the trip. Add in the cobbled streets, excellent restaurants, and pastoral countryside (perfect for bike riding from brewery to brewery) and you have a must-stop destination for beer lovers.

What To Drink:

Brasserie Cantillon on Rue Gheude 56 is usually the first stop and a great one thanks to the old-world vibes and delicious beer. Moeder Lambic Original on Rue de Savoie 68 is the spot to hang out and drink amazing Belgian beers with and like locals. La Fleur en Papier Doré on Rue des Alexiens 55 has a unique charm and a long list of great pours to while away the days alongside classic Belgian beer-influenced dishes. And that’s only scratching the surface.

Leipzig, Germany — Fal Allen from Anderson Valley Brewing Co

The Beer City:

Leipzig, Germany is my pick because it is a hidden gem for beer. Sure, there are other more beer-centric cities in Germany, but Leipzig is a beautiful city with a long and storied history. Dating back to 1015, Leipzig is still a major center for higher learning and the arts. And then there is the beer. Leipzig is home to one of the major beer revolutions in beer history. It is where gose — a local wheat beer with salt and coriander that’s lacto-fermented — became a drinking phenomenon in Europe and has caught the attention of the modern craft beer scene in the U.S.

What To Drink:

There are still several breweries in and around Leipzig that produce gose including Ritterguts, Bayerischer Bahnhof, and the famous home of gose’s rebirth the Gosenschenke Ohne Bedenken. If you are a history buff or just want to drink some unique German beer then Leipzig is well worth the visit.

Dublin, Ireland — Chris Osburn, Senior Drinks Writer UPROXX Life

The Beer City:

While there’s no denying the appeal of some of the big beer cities in Germany, Belgium, and the Czech Republic, my go-to European beer city is Dublin.

What To Drink:

Clearly, the home of Guinness is a huge destination and worth the trip alone, but the city is also home to a ton of craft breweries like The Porterhouse Brewing Company, Rascals Brewing Company (grab some pizza while you’re there as well), and Dublin City Brewing. Add to that the countless bars and pubs serving up pints, fish and chips, and bangers and mash if you’re still on the fence about going to Dublin.

Munich, Germany — Dominique Trolliet, brewer at Wynwood Brewing Co.

The Beer City:

The obvious answer to this question is Munich, Germany. In September, Oktoberfest will take place over two, beer-fueled weeks. It’s the mecca for beer lovers in a bustling city with gorgeous parks and seemingly endless beer halls.

What To Drink:

During Oktoberfest, beer festhalls include but are not limited to Paulaner, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, and Hacker-Pschorr. Singing and clinking liters of beer with cheerful people at the tables to the right and left of you is an absolute blast. Up to 6,500 people in just one tent all singing and laughing together are definitely the makings for a good time. Oh, and then there is the beer. It’s perfectly brewed, poured, and served as they have been doing for centuries.

[Ed. note: Augustiner Kellers (multiple locations) are one of the best experiences for beer in the city outside of Oktoberfest dates.]

It sounds like a nightmare come to life—having no recollection of a loved one, least of all your own child.

However, this was the situation that Nesh Pillay found herself in. The Toronto-based mom suffered from a long-term brain injury brought on by a car crash, which caused sudden memory loss.

Though Pillay shares multiple aspects of her memory loss journey in her TikTok videos, a clip detailing how she forgot her own 6-year-old daughter, but not her “maternal instinct,” is going viral.

It’s a poignant testament that love remains, even when memory fades.

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“Last year the unthinkable happened,” Pillay began, explaining that her memory would reset every minute. She has shared in previous videos that she’d been in a car crash during childhood that was never fully examined, causing her to have several concussions and compounding brain injuries throughout her adult life.

The video goes on to show several moments where Pillay is in the hospital, seemingly after a reset, repeatedly asking if “the child” is okay. Though she doesn’t know the child in question is her own, she finds herself “in panic” over her safety.

“The fear for her well-being was so intense that I often couldn’t sleep at night,” she confesses in a voiceover as she’s seen eagerly asking if she can FaceTime with the little girl. Her loved ones in the hospital try to remind her that Sinead (Pillay’s daughter) is sleeping at the moment but that they can chat in the morning.

While the video is heartbreaking to watch, Pillay notes that “the lesson is nothing—not even memory loss—can impede the love between a mother and her child.”

“Even if one day my brain fails me, she’ll always be in my heart,” she proclaims.

@pillay.nesh Making this one has me sobbing. I cant explain how scared for her I was. #concussion #invisibledisablility #traumaticbraininjury #memoryloss #motherdaughter ♬ Slipping Through My Fingers – From ‘Mamma Mia!’ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Meryl Streep & Amanda Seyfried

The video racked up a ton of comments from people showing their support, many of whom likened it to those who have dementia remembering their loved ones.

“THAT is unconditional love, not even memory loss can break it,” one person wrote.

Another added, “I work hospice. Even with Alzheimer’s I’ve seen moms who don’t remember anything/anyone but they see their adult children and go ‘that’s my person.’”

Pillay shared in a subsequent video an equally touching exchange between her and her siblings, whom she remembered only as children.

“Why are you a grown-up?” she asks her sisters, voice shaking. “You’re so beautiful. When did you grow up?”

It really is a bittersweet, yet undeniably beautiful example of love’s enduring impact.

@pillay.nesh

In addition to forgetting my partner and child when I lost my memory, I was surprised to find my younger sisters grown up. Yes, they really are beautiful ❤️

♬ original sound – Nesh Pillay

As for Pillay now, she tells CTV News Toronto that there’s no knowing when or if complete normalcy will ever return and that recovery is full of “good brain days” and “bad brain days.” And yet, on even the worst days, her emotional memory seems to remain intact. Even her fiancé, who Pillay first thought was her Uber driver, felt instantly safe, she recalled.

Thanks to Pillay for being open to sharing this experience. It might be of comfort and insight to those going through something similar.

Becoming a parent is many things—exciting, scary, joyful, messy, wonder-filled, smelly—but mostly it’s a bit overwhelming. Even if you are thrilled with having a baby, there’s a lot you have to learn and figure out as you go. To help you through that learning process, there are about a thousand parenting books filled with “expert” advice, at least half of which simply won’t work for you or your kid.

Genuinely universally helpful parenting advice is a unicorn; it simply doesn’t exist. But occasionally, a golden piece of age-old child-rearing wisdom manages to break through the noise—something that works most of the time for most kids and parents. Something your grandma or auntie passed along that sounds too simple to be effective, yet works like a charm. Something that few if any people could possibly find controversial or problematic.

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Something like: “Put them in water or take them outside.”

This advice was highlighted by The Motherhood Project in 2021 and has been shared on Facebook more than 123,000 times.

The “water or outside” advice is generally used for babies or toddlers who are inconsolable, as wee ones are known for screaming like banshees for no apparent reason and throwing conniption fits with no apparent prompting.

“Apparent” is the key here, of course—logically, there must be some reason for wailing as if being tortured—but most babies and most toddlers aren’t able to verbally articulate their issue, and sometimes that issue might be as simple as “I don’t want to be where I am or doing what I’m doing.”

Once you’ve determined the kiddo is not injured in some way, “Put them in water or take the outside” is solid advice that often works when all else fails. And thankfully, it’s effective for tiny people as well as older kids (and honestly, sometimes even teenagers). A bath, pool or shower is often just the distraction or soothing sensory experience needed to snap them out of whatever mood they’re in. And fresh air and sunlight are simple human needs that many of us neglect too often—a reality that becomes all too clear when you take kids outside and the drama all melts away within minutes.

Of course, there are caveats here. Some babies absolutely hate the bath. Some kids have sensory issues that are triggered by certain outdoor environments. So it’s not universally foolproof, but it’s definitely worth trying.

Countless commenters testified to the efficacy of the “put them in water or take them outside” advice.

“I didn’t hear this until after I had my 2nd baby,” wrote one mom. “I used it with my 3rd often, and it truly does work. So mad I heard a lot of terrible advice before learning this one!”

“Yes!! And I even give my daughter a bath during dinner time and feed her in the bath sometimes cause she gets so hangry she can’t calm down enough to eat. But in the bath, she naturally calms down enough to eat while she’s playing. She’s almost 5 and we’ve been doing this most of her life. Even did it tonight again,” shared another mother.

One mom shared that it works with her older autistic son: “When my 12 year old autistic son gets overly fractious he either goes in the bath or goes outside……. always works .”

Another expanded the idea to “just add water,” including things like watercolor, playing in the sink, etc.: “I have heard the phrase ‘just add water’ as well. When things are crazy just think of ways to add water to it. Waterpaints, playing with the hose outside, taking a bath, filling the sink up and adding toys, fill small Tupperware bowls with water and let their imagination go wild, taking a drink, giving them a wet paper towel for ouchies, etc. It’s one of my favorite pieces of advice I’ve gotten.”

Some parents shared that holding their colicky newborn in the shower was the only thing that helped calm them down. Others said that baths were a sanity saver for their kids’ entire early childhoods. Some said that simply stepping outside with a cranky baby was enough to get them to stop fussing most of the time.

It’s good advice for us adults, too, when we’re feeling frazzled. Soaking in a tub or going for a walk seem like such simple things, but they really can make a huge difference in how we feel and how we view things.

Add water or go outside: A solid tip for new parents and a great life hack for all ages.

Late last week, Brown-Forman — the parent company of Jack Daniel’s — was sued and asked to halt construction on their new set of barrel houses in Lynchburg, Tennessee over something called “whiskey fungus”. The lawsuit comes at a time when Jack Daniel’s is growing by leaps and bounds. They’re growing so fast that they literally cannot build barrel houses fast enough to meet the amount of juice they’re able to produce.

That growth has led to a slew of new Jack Daniel’s expressions that are helping redefine the brand from an old whiskey that you’re grandparents drank into one of the most exciting and innovative whiskey shingles in American whiskey. That growth has also drawn the ire of a couple living in Lynchburg, Tennessee, — a tiny community of just north of 6,000 residents — and their lawyers thanks to a growth that comes with industrial-sized spirits production.

The root of the lawsuit against Brown-Forman’s Jack Daniel’s Distillery is around a black fungus colloquially called the “Whiskey Fungus” and officially called baudoinia compniacensis. We’ll get into what that is exactly below. But it’s causing locals in Lynchburg some hassle and they want Brown-Forman to do something about the nearly ubiquitous fungal growth before the fungus mutates, uses humans as hosts, and completely destroys our civilization. No. Wait. That’s The Last of Us on HBO.

Baudoinia compniacensis, or whiskey fungus, is completely harmless in relation to humans and other animals. But it’s still annoying. So, let’s get into what’s actually going on here.

Part 1 — Why Is Jack Daniel’s Being Sued?

Before we get into the details of why Jack Daniel’s and Brown-Forman are being sued in 2023, we have to point out something very pertinent. This is nothing new. The spirits industry gets sued over this all the freaking time. Hell, law firms like William F. McMurray & Associates have made a lot of hay off of suing massive spirits companies everywhere from Barbados to Scotland to Kentucky over whiskey fungus.

This isn’t even Brown-Forman’s first rodeo with “whiskey fungus” lawsuits. Back in 2012, William F. McMurray & Associates filed two suits in Kentucky that demanded Brown-Forman, Diageo, and Heaven Hill stop “polluting” the air with ethanol that nourished whiskey fungus which was a pain for locals and their home aesthetics. Those lawsuits basically claimed the exact same thing as the current one, which was filed by Jason Holleman who’s representing Christi and Patrick Long down in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

Here are the brass tacks. Christi and Patrick Long are upset that her event-space mansion (built in 1900) in Lynchburg is covered in whiskey fungus that grows thanks to the ethanol (angel’s share) that enters the air due to evaporation that happens during whiskey distilling and aging. The Longs’ complaint states that they have to pressure wash their event space/mansion to keep the fungus off, which they claim is costing them over $10,000 a year in water and bleach.

Holleman and the Longs want Brown-Forman to install ethanol filters on the 90-odd barrel houses throughout the community and halt any further building of new warehouses (14 are currently under construction) until they’re redesigned with the ethanol filters.

If you’re ever been to Lynchburg, you know full well that every single thing in that town revolves around the Jack Daniel’s distillery, and every cent spent in that town is filtered through that undeniable fact. So, there’s that. You also do see the black fungus everywhere. Some buildings are cleaned off and fresh, while others are not. But you cannot miss the black fungus, it’s omnipresent (and some might say part of the charm).

Currently, the county has asked Brown-Forman to halt construction on new warehouses and they’ve complied. Until the issue is resolved, Brown-Forman seems to be in a holding pattern and, obviously, not commenting on the subject.

Part 2 — What is “Whiskey Fungus”?

Whiskey fungus was first observed in France around cognac distilleries and warehouses back in the mid-1800s but has been around for eons. The fungus thrives off of ethanol which helps it germinate and flourish. Millennia ago, you’d find it on trees with its fruit fermenting on the ground below. That’s the reason you’ll see it around breweries, distilleries, and even bakeries. Basically, any area where there’s something producing ethanol in huge amounts will be rife with the fungus.

The fungus was sort of taken for granted after its definition around 1870. Deeper research on the fungus was done in the 2010s that better defined the fungus as something fed by ethanol that attaches to any surface outdoors where it flourishes the more its fed ethanol.

As mentioned above, if you’ve ever toured a distillery — rum, whiskey, brandy, etc. — anywhere in the world, you’ll have seen the black patina on, well, everything around those places.

The fungus has been studied and defined precisely. And while it is a minor nuisance if you want to keep your white walls white, there is no effect at all on humans. Moreover, the U.S. Clean Air Act does not consider the emission of ethanol — which feeds the fungus — into the atmosphere as a violation. This leads us to…

Part 3 — Will Jack Daniel’s Win or Lose?

Remember that 2012 lawsuit mentioned above? Yeah, that was thrown out in the federal courts in 2016. Looking at William F. McMurray & Associates’ lawsuits on their own page shows only L’s, no wins.

Long story short, whiskey fungus isn’t hurting anyone. And it’s kind of part of the deal when you live in an area where the entire economy is based in that industry, like Lynchburg, Tennessee.

Brown-Forman will likely win this case in that the Longs moved to Lynchburg in 2020 and chose a community that has an economy 100% based on Jack Daniel’s existence in that town/county, and it’s painfully obvious that whiskey fungus is something everyone in that community lives with. It’s kind of like moving to Disneyland and being pissed off that there are tour busses with Mickey on them. Moreover, this isn’t a class action case from the whole town or county — it’s two people who are mad about the way their house looks.

All of that aside, the legal precedent is on Brown-Forman’s side as well thanks to William F. McMurray & Associates’ big losses in places like Kentucky last decade. Releasing ethanol isn’t a public threat and whiskey fungus doesn’t affect human or animal life. It’s a pain in the ass if you want to have a lily-white house though. But then… maybe don’t move next to one of the world’s biggest distilleries and open an event space for people keen to visit that specific distillery?

It’s a thorny issue, to be sure. Thank god that, unlike Last of Us, the stakes aren’t particularly high.

Luka Doncic is a man of many talents. He’s currently leading the NBA in scoring at 33.4 points per game while trying to pull the Dallas Mavericks out of the play-in tournament. Doncic consistently dazzles on the court with no-look passes and stepback threes, but he’s reticent to discuss all the things he loves to do off the court — a Doncic press conference is rarely revealing outside of consistently calling things amazing.

One thing we did learn about Doncic during his rookie season: he loves video games. In fact, he loves them so much that he recently hopped into an Overwatch 2 game that was being broadcast on Twitch and coyly revealed his occupation.

Doncic is simply a guy being a dude on the stream, as basketball is merely a hobby for the three-time All-NBA First Team player who lead his team to the conference finals last year. The stream participants want to know if he plays varsity, and while you could describe the Mavericks defense as varsity, Doncic responds with a simple Dallas Mavericks. He’s a man of few words, and the guys on the stream had to verify Doncic’s identity with a very high level question.

They ask “Luka Donovich” to verify his birthday to confirm his identity and also gave Luka a great pseudonym for hotel check-ins. Let this be a heads up that if you’re playing Overwatch 2 online, you just might match up with Luka Donovich.

Bartees Strange has had quite a journey. He became a breakout indie star in 2020 with his critically acclaimed debut Live Forever and then scored even more attention with the release of his powerful 2022 LP Farm To Table. Last month, he proved he’s still got it by sharing two new songs, “Tisched Off” and “Keekee’in.” Now he’s back with more.

Today, the “Heavy Heart” performer unveiled “Daily News,” a track that was previously only available on the Farm To Table vinyl. Strange’s poignant voice is the centerpiece of the song from the get-go, singing with a special vulnerability. The soaring guitars create an immersive whirlwind of sound. It’s entrancing, and it only becomes more powerful as it goes on. It ends with stunning instrumentation that keeps building into a massive crescendo.

It’s going to be a good year for Strange. In the fall, he’ll be opening for The National on their tour for their forthcoming record First Two Pages Of Frankenstein. Last year, he even joined them on stage to help with the performance of “Mistaken For Strangers.” It was an important moment considering his 2020 EP Say Goodbye To Pretty Boy had five covers of songs by The National.

Listen to “Daily News” above.

The Good Place ended a little over three years ago, bringing to an end another top shelf Ted Danson series. Was the afterlife comedy as much of an all-timer as Cheers? Probably not, but what is? Besides, perhaps it will seem that way in a decade or so. In the meantime, Danson isn’t sitting on his laurels: He’s set to reunite with the show’s creator for something completely different.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, the erstwhile Sam Malone and Good Place instigator Michael Schur are teaming back up for another scripted comedy, this one based on a true story. It’s an adaptation of the 2020 Chilean documentary The Mole Agent, which his described by the IMDb thusly: “A private investigator in Chile hires someone to work as a mole at a retirement home where a client of his suspects the caretakers of elder abuse.”

The series has been picked up for an eight-episode order by Netflix, which is one place where you can currently find The Good Place.

Schur has a pretty sterling CV. He’s co-creator of not only Parks and Recreation but also Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The guy knows office culture as well as the post-mortem, which should do him well in a retirement home setting where Danson has gone undercover — especially considering the guy can dance.

(Via THR)

We’re another day closer to the release of Black Thought & El Michels Affair’s joint album Glorious Game, and today, the rapper and his other band rewarded fans for their patience with the title track from the album. “Glorious Game,” like “Grateful” and “That Girl” before it, sounds like an excerpt from a 1970s-era Blaxploitation film while Black Thought displays his usual virtuoso, rhyming an ode to the titular “Glorious Game” and detailing the secrets to his effortless cool.

Glorious Game is Thought’s second joint project in as many years, following 2022’s Cheat Codes with Danger Mouse, which saw him take a step back from his duties as the frontman of The Roots to spit alongside some of the rap biz’s finest MCs, including Joey Badass, MF DOOM, and Run The Jewels. Meanwhile, the multitalented rap pioneer has also been busy as a producer of film, television, and stage, most recently teaming up once again with his bandmate Questlove to produce a four-part documentary series about James Brown for A&E titled James Brown: Say It Loud. Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones is also listed as a producer.

Glorious Game is due for release on April 14 through Big Crown. Find more information here.

Ron DeSantis hasn’t even formally launched his 2024 presidential campaign yet, but it’s already clear how he would rule if he won. As governor of Florida, he’s sung the glories of freedom all while punishing those he hates. So when word that a Republican state legislator proposed a chilling bill that would require bloggers writing about elected state officials to register with the state, it didn’t seem far-fetched to imagine DeSantis himself supporting it. Alas, it’s so extreme that it’s being met with pushback from such progressive figures as…Newt Gingrich…and even Meatball Ron.

Let’s start with the former Speaker of the House and GOP boogeyman of the Clinton era. Gingrich — a man so principled he divorced his first wife when she had cancer and left his second after she’d been diagnosed with MS — was not only appalled at the authoritarian idea of restricting a free press, but also that a Republican in the year 2023 could dream it up.

“The idea that bloggers criticizing a politician should register with the government is insane. it is an embarrassment that it is a Republican state legislator in Florida who introduced a bill to that effect,” Gingrich tweeted. “He should withdraw it immediately.”

It’s a pretty insane bill, even for a guy who openly complained about how easy it was for Georgians to vote. As proposed by one Jason Brodeur, it would require any bloggers covering state officials to register with “the appropriate office” five days after their first post. But that’s just the start. They’d have to file monthly reports if they continue to blog about them. Failure to file reports could lead to $2,500 fines per story — well above what anyone’s being paid per blog.

Given DeSantis’ open hostility towards the free press — and his silence when the bill was proposed — it was assumed that it had his tacit approval. And yet, miraculously, it does not. As per Mediaite, DeSantis belatedly distanced himself from the bill during a press briefing on Tuesday.

“There’s articles with my face on the article, saying that ‘Oh, they’re going to have to, bloggers are going to have to register for the state’ and it’s like attributing it [the bill] to me,” DeSantis. “That’s not anything that I’ve ever supported, I don’t support [it].”

Or at least he doesn’t support it now. DeSantis is MAGA Republican lawmaker, whereas Gingrich hails from a very different and very bygone version of the GOP, when there was at least a modicum of respect for journalists and their rights. Maybe DeSantis will change his tune.

(Via Vanity Fair and Mediaite)

One of the biggest festivals of the year is HARD, a long-running festival that began in 2007 to highlight alternative and electronic acts and has been running ever since. This year, though, it’s making some big changes, moving to a new venue in Los Angeles and continuing to expand its horizons, adding hip-hop acts such as 21 Savage and Kid Cudi as special guests after bringing in Megan Thee Stallion and Lil Uzi Vert last year.

HARD Summer 2023 returns to Los Angeles, the festival’s birthplace, for the first time in 10 years on August 5 and 6, leaving behind the San Bernardino NOS Event Center for the Exposition Park area near downtown, which includes both the Coliseum and BMO Stadium (formerly the Banc Of California Stadium).

And although there are some other rap names on this year’s lineup, including Fat Joe and Ludacris, HARD’s keeping things mostly the same, with headliners Kaskade and Skrillex joining a lineup that includes standouts such as Four Tet, Diplo, Black Coffee, Dillon Francis, Oliver Tree, and more. There also appear to be some surprise artists on the bill who will presumably be announced as the festival nears. And don’t discount the possibility that Drake, who collaborated with Black Coffee on last year’s Honestly, Nevermind, might show up too. Never forget who started EDM in the first place.

Tickets go on sale on Friday, March 10 at 10 am. You can get more info on the official website.