Category: News

If you use social media in one form or another, there’s a high chance you’ve seen hordes of Taylor Swift fans scrambling to get tickets to the 2023 US leg of her upcoming The Eras Tour. What you might not know, is that the Swiftie chaos was just for the presale alone. Today, Ticketmaster canceled the general on-sale — that is commonplace for most, if not all musicians (except for BTS’ Permission To Dance shows, which also had general cancelled). And this has only added fuel to the online fire.

Originally, Swifties were able to sign up for Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program until November 9, which allowed them to rank their preferred show dates. If chosen for the presale, fans were sent an exclusive code that would’ve allowed them to purchase up to six tickets. However, as fans on the East Coast found out Tuesday morning, this was not the case.

Between long queue lines, fans with merch boosts not getting in, repeated false charges, technical issues with the site, and much more, by the time fans made it into the ticket purchase area, there were none left. This prompted the West Coast presale to get postponed. Capital One offered another presale for cardholders yesterday, which saw similar results.

In the wake of disastrous ticket sales for large-scale acts like Swift, Blink-182, Olivia Rodrigo, and more, even politicians are calling Ticketmaster’s policies into question. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Tennessee’s Attorney General, Jonathan Skrmetti, have pointed out the potential of Ticketmaster breaking consumer laws and antitrust violations for their Live Nation merger.

“The site was supposed to be opened up for 1.5 million verified Taylor Swift fans,” Greg Maffei, Live Nation’s CEO, said on a CNBC appearance today. “We had 14 million people hit the site, including bots — another story — which are not supposed to be there. And despite all the challenges and breakdowns, we did we sell over two million tickets that day. We could’ve filled 900 stadiums.”

And, while they might’ve sold two million tickets, the majority of those haven’t appeared to land in the hands of fans. Most are currently on sites like Stubhub and other ticket resale companies, going for as high as $27,000 for certain seats. One fan even pointed out that people are selling non-tickets, merely for listening access outside of Swift’s Massachusetts show.

Continue scrolling for some more Taylor Swift fan reactions to Ticketmaster’s problems.

On the heels of their latest album, The Family and their final album, TM, Brockhampton has announced their final show. Their swan song will take place at The Fonda on Los Angeles this Saturday (November 19).

The band announced their final show today via social media, and informed fans that they could purchase tickets. As the tickets are expected to sell out quickly, and the fact that non-LA fans may not be able to attend, the band has also shared that the show will be available to stream on Twitch.

Last year, the group spoke about their final era to GQ, noting that while they are not ending on bad terms, they are looking forward to experiencing life outside of the group.

“…at a certain point, people deserve to give their lives to themselves,” said Romil Hemnani, a producer and DJ for the band. “So it feels like it’s time to let everyone just spread their wings and do the things that they want to do. Being in a group, I love it so much, but there’s also compromise. And I think everyone kind of deserves the shot to do what they want—no compromises.”

The Family is out now via Question Everything and RCA Records. Stream it here. TM arrives 11/18 via Question Everything and RCA Records.

It’s always a good time to grab a really good bottle of single malt Scotch whisky. Yes, it’s more expensive and a little more elusive than just grabbing a bottle of bourbon here in the good ol’ U.S.A., but that’s not the point. Single malt scotch is a whole different beast with a unique and vibrant flavor profile that takes you to completely different places than corn-fueled bourbon whiskey. It’s apples and oranges, as the saying goes.

Today, to help you find a truly great single malt from Scotland, I’m conducting a blind taste test with some of the best unpeated Scottish malts I have on my shelves right now. For the tasting, I cast a wide net to battle it out between the new and old, the classic and the soon-to-be classic, the old guard and the new blood. The most affordable bottle on this list is around $55. The price only goes up from there. Still, I kept this in the “reasonable” price range. There are no unicorns in the thousands of dollars here.

This is a test of good and accessible whisky that you should be able to find in a quality liquor store. When it comes to the ranking, I’m basing that solely on taste. The price is beside the point. I’m looking for whiskies that stand out, bring a great nose and flavor profile, and have some serious nuance and balance. Still, in the end, the taste is all that really matters.

Today’s lineup is as follows:

• The Balvenie French Oak Finished in Pineau Casks Aged 16 Years (New)
• Cardhu Aged 16 Years 2022 Special Release (New)
• Benromach Contrasts Organic (New)
• Glenfiddich Grand Cru Aged 23 Years (Classic)
• The Glenrothes 18 Years Old (Classic)
• The Glenlivet Aged 21 Years (Classic)
• Aberfeldy 18 Finished in Tuscan Red Wine Casks (New)
• The GlenDronach Allardice Aged 18 Years (Classic)

Let’s dive in and find a great single malt worth spending a little cash on this season.

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months

• All Of Johnnie Walker’s Core Whisky Line, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• Johnnie Walker Vs. Chivas: Which Scotch Whisky Brand Will Win Our Blind Test?
• The Winning Scotch And Bourbon Whiskeys From This Year’s Ascot Awards
• World Class ‘Sipping’ Single Malt Whiskies Under $100, Ranked
• Peated Scotch Blind Taste Test: Our Professional Taster Picks His Earthy Favorites

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with a soft floral note next to fresh honey, green grass, pear skins, cinnamon rolls with vanilla posting, and a hint of orchard woods. The palate has a lemon meringue pie aura with subtle hints of honey-soaked gingerbread, shortbread biscuits, rum-raisin, and orange zest with a hint of salted dark chocolate lurking in the background. The end has a light mix of ginger candies and cinnamon-laced dark chocolate creaminess with a whisper of apple/pear tobacco.

This is great.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

This opens with a nose full of barrel char and grilled tropical fruit all dusted with powdery winter spices and just kissed with taco seasoning, old leathery dates, a little bit of mango lassi, and a flutter of fresh laundry. The palate opens with a sweet and rummy burnt toffee nest to banana bread brimming with walnuts, brown butter, nutmeg, and soft sugar next to almond syrup and orange mixed with brandy and old oak. The end has a moment of black pepper spiciness that ends on a lightly fizzy apple cider and some soft caramel malts cut with a hint of woody spice.

Well, that’s another great pour of whisky. Seriously, this was astoundingly good.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

This opens with a fascinating mix of bran muffins cut with rich vanilla and lemon oils next to dry ramen packs, softly stewed brown beans, and apple-cider-infused malts with a hint of cumin, cardamon, and cinnamon that’s almost garam masala. The palate leans into the spiced malts with an undercurrent of rich toffee, gingerbread, vanilla cream, and salted banana chips with a light flutter of sage and thyme. The end has a soft espresso cream vibe next to black licorice and dry chocolate crumbles.

This is so interesting on the nose and sort of classic on the palate. It’s a nice mix.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

This is straight-up classic malt on the nose with stewed apples and pears with a slight tartness and floral impression over a buttery brioche with a hint of maple woodiness. The palate is lush and supple with a vanilla foundation and layers of pear candy, old toffees, creamed honey, and orchard wood with a sweet side. The end has a pear and apple skin ambiance that leads to barks, cores, and stems with soft floral honey and a tiny bit of proofing water.

This is really good and classic but a little watery at the very end.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Butterscotch, leather, and passion fruit draw you in on the nose with pear candies and winter spices next to a hint of menthol. The palate stays butterscotch sweet with a spiced maltiness next to cinnamon-kissed crème brûlée, savory fruits, and a touch of vanilla cake. The end has a woody cinnamon vibe with figs, prunes, and some apple rock candy sweetness rounded out with musty old oak staves.

This was fine. The butterscotch was a little… tinny at first. I don’t know. I’m not over the moon on this one.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Leather and winter spices lead the way on the nose with a hint of saffron-stewed pears, ripe peaches, and lush eggnog next to boiled beans with a bay leaf. The palate leans into the peaches and pears but puts them in a pie with plenty of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg next to apricot jam and rum-raisin. The mid-palate hits a pine resin note before descending toward brandied cherries and dark chocolate with fresh ginger sharpens and a dash of cinnamon candy.

This is pretty nice overall. It’s not my favorite but it’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

There’s a cumin and chili powder essence on the nose with vanilla cream, cherry cake, and spiced caramel malts, and maybe a fleeting hint of flour tortillas with a hint of lard. The palate Leans into the spiced and sweet malts with a dash of sharp green pepper next to lime leaves before moist marzipan and vanilla cake counterpoint the spice with sweetness. The end has a soft oakiness that leads to a hint of soda bread with a mild pepperiness to the malt.

This was interesting. It’s warmer for sure but still has a nice balance of flavors vying for your palate’s attention.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Wicker and root beer candied (you know, the little barrel-shaped ones) vibe on the nose with dates, blackberry jam, and plenty of old worn leather. The palate has a jammy plum quality that moves toward almond cake dusted with powdered sugar and dark chocolate next to a touch of cherry and apple bark. The end has a dark berry feel that circles around salted yet creamy dark chocolate cut with marzipan and vanilla cream that’s nearly a Black Forest cake.

This is a thick and dark pour of whiskey that tastes really goddamn good.

Part 2: The Ranking

8. The Glenrothes 18 Years Old — Taste 5

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $195

The Whisky:

This Speyside whisky is often crowned the “Best Speyside” whisky at spirits competitions. The whisky is made from a high portion of first-fill sherry casks, all of which spent 18 long years mellowing in The Glenrothes warehouses. Those barrels are then vatted and proofed down with local water before bottling without any coloring added.

Bottom Line:

That butterscotch nose and flavor just didn’t sit well with me this time around. This was a fine whisky overall otherwise. But at nearly $200, you don’t want something that doesn’t part the clouds for you from the nose to the finish.

7. Glenfiddich Grand Cru Aged 23 Years — Taste 4

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $374

The Whisky:

It’s all in the name of this yearly special release from Glenfiddich. The whisky matures for over 23 years in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before it’s vatted and then filled into French Cuvée casks that held Champagne. That whisky is then cut down to proof and bottled just in time for the holiday season.

Bottom Line:

This was fine and a very classic unpeated malt. The only place it flattens for me is on the finish, which exposes all that proofing water.

6. The Glenlivet Aged 21 Years — Taste 6

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $345

The Whisky:

This redesigned The Glenlivet is still a classic whisky. The hot juice is aged in a triple combination of first-fill Oloroso sherry, Troncais oak Cognac casks, and vintage Colheita Port casks. After 21 long years (at least), the barrels are vatted and proofed down before bottling.

Bottom Line:

This is where we get into the no-fault section of this ranking. From here on out, I’m only going by what grabbed my attention most and what I want to actually drink in real life. This is probably the best-tasting whisky on the list that grabbed my attention the least. It’s great but not my favorite.

5. Aberfeldy 18 Finished in Tuscan Red Wine Casks — Taste 7

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $129

The Whisky:

This year’s limited edition Aberfeldy 18 was finished in special red wine casks. Aberfeldy’s Stephanie Macleod hand-selected Tuscan red wine casks from Bolgheri, Italy to finish this whisky. Once those barrels hit the right spot, they were vatted, proofed, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This is a really nice whisky that had a good balance of spicy and sweet. This feels like a good sipper if you’re looking for a challenge for your palate.

4. Benromach Contrasts Organic — Taste 3

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $55

The Whisky:

This is the first Soil Association-certified organic single malt from Scotland. The mash is made from organic Scottish barley. That juice was then filled into new American oak barrels for a long rest. When those barrels hit the right mark, they were batched, proofed, and bottled without chill filtration.

Bottom Line:

This was funky and fun. That makes it a very easy sipper that’d also work really well in a sweet and acidic cocktail.

3. The GlenDronach Allardice Aged 18 Years — Taste 8

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $209

The Whisky:

This Highland whisky is a local tradition of sorts, dating back to the brand’s origins in the 1820s. The whisky in the bottles is hewn from barrels of at least 18-year-old whiskies. The maturation is done exclusively in hand-picked Olorosso sherry casks from Spain.

Bottom Line:

This was deep and dark. It had a little woody edge which is why it’s slightly lower in the ranking. Otherwise, this is a killer bottle of whiskey that feels like the ideal cold-weather sipper.

2. The Balvenie French Oak Finished in Pineau Casks Aged 16 Years — Taste 1

ABV: 47.6%

Average Price: $169

The Whisky:

The juice here is a masterful blend from whisky legend David Stewart. After around 15 years of aging, the whisky is transferred to Pineau des Charentes casks (a French fortified wine) for a final maturation, which is The Balvenie’s first foray into French oak finishing. The whisky is then bottled with a touch of water but as-is otherwise.

Bottom Line:

This is just a great pour of whisky. Take your time with it and really dig into the nose and palate to find some great flavor notes.

1. Cardhu Aged 16 Years 2022 Special Release — Taste 2

ABV: 58%

Average Price: $179

The Whisky:

This Speyside unpeated malt was aged in refill and re-charred American oak bourbon barrels for 16 years. That whisky was then refilled into Jamaican pot still rum-seasoned casks for a final rest before vatting and bottling as-is.

Bottom Line:

This really popped on the panel. It’s dark and fresh, unique and deep, fun and enticing. I really wanted to go back for more of this one.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

Well, the most expensive whisky certainly didn’t win the day. Hell, the most expensive whisky damn near landed in last place in this blind tasting and ranking.

As for the battle between new and classic bottles of Scotch single malt, the newbies stole the show. With the exception of that delectable The GlenDronach 18, the top bottles were all the new ones. What does it all mean? Not much? Everything? Something in between? Look, we’re still talking about expressions from amazingly iconic brands here. So it’s not that big of a surprise that classic brands can still kill it when they try something new.

Overall, you cannot go wrong with that Cardhu 16. It’s so vibrant and fun to sip. If you want something a little more attuned to a bourbon palate, I’d go with The GlenDronach 18. It’s dark and sweet with plenty of spice like an old bourbon. No matter what you chose from this list, you’ll be in good hands. So go back through those tasting notes and find the bottle that speaks to you.

After spending the past four years fully immersed in the Neil Young catalog, it’s only right that Jeff Rosenstock and Laura Stevenson have begun to emulate his views on technology. “Get rid of the internet, we didn’t earn it,” Rosenstock shouts, with Stevenson providing a more even-keeled harmony — “we didn’t use it properly.” In fairness, both artists have long had to balance their drive to democratize the music industry with pragmatism — even the most idealistic DIY artist will almost certainly have to use the internet as a means of distribution in 2022, putting them at the mercy of some tech mogul. But less than 24 hours after releasing Younger Still, their second Neil Young covers EP, they have more reason than usual to be inflamed.

Elon Musk’s $44-billion takeover of Twitter has just taken effect and the duo have settled on a kind of nihilistic optimism, that this might be the extinction level event that frees them from decades of spiritual bondage. “Kill Twitter for me so I don’t look at it anymore,” Rosenstock jokes, having yet to fully surrender like Stevenson, who has outsourced all social media management to her husband. Seeing as how three years separate the conception of this 4-song EP to execution, it’s worth pointing out how the project could have been far more prolific had they, like so many other their peers, embraced the possibilities of remote collaboration during the pandemic. Yet that approach would contradict the entire point of Younger Still and its predecessor — “let’s find a reason to hang out.”

Throughout most of their friendship, they rarely needed much of a reason or predetermination to collaborate. Rosenstock sees both EPs as a sort of throwback, “in the spirit of the periods when both of us were playing in six bands at the same time.” Occasionally, those projects would intersect, such as the 2009 split between Stevenson and Bomb the Music Industry!, the massively influential punk rock collective that Rosenstock fronted prior to forming the Death Rosenstock band. But as the two toyed with the possibility of recording a batch of Neil Young covers in 2019, the demands of adulthood and their individual successes would soon create an impassable distance. Though Rosenstock’s songwriting (and IRL) voice makes him innately suited to play the role of the neurotic New Yorker, his contributions to the Cartoon Network sitcom Craig Of The Creek helped make the long-considered move to Los Angeles a reality. Meanwhile, Stevenson was in her first trimester of pregnancy and desperately trying to avoid throwing up during the drives from upstate to recording sessions at Rosenstock’s home in Brooklyn. “I was just so nauseous the whole time, shoving saltines in my face,” she recalls.

Even with their technophobic leanings, we’re still canvassing the entirety of the United States via Zoom — Stevenson is in her Saugerties home, backed by a gigantic bookcase, whereas Rosenstock is flanked in the blindingly bright, 55-degree weather that Los Angeles passes off for “autumn.” Though separated by thousands of miles, the two finish each other’s sentences and swap stories about Jones Beach and MTV like they’re still hanging out in Long Island. Rosenstock and Stevenson see their impending 10-date, cross-country run as something of a paid vacation, albeit one where they’re still packing at the last minute. “It’s hard to describe it without making us sound unprepared,” Rosenstock laughs, as the two try to suss out the setlist in real time. But much like Younger Still, the tour exists to reconnect with the artistic and personal philosophy they’ve shared since their teens — “we should do this, life is short. I miss you. Let’s get in a car.”

Do you see recording cover songs as a break from writing original material or does it happen alongside it?

Jeff Rosenstock: I don’t look at it as taking a break from anything. At least for me, it’s an excuse to make stuff with Laura so we could have fun doing something and not really feel any pressure to write a good song. Because someone already did that! We just have to barely play.

Neil Young has written a lot of good songs and a lot of bad ones too, though.

Rosenstock: We haven’t covered any of the bad ones — Laura, are you upset about that? That we haven’t done “Motorcycle Mama”?

Laura Stevenson: Yeah, I really like “Piece Of Crap.” That’s always been my favorite “bad Neil Young song.” When I was young, I thought it was the funniest song I’d ever heard in my life.

Rosenstock: Maybe this tour will just be us playing a long “Piece Of Crap.”

Stevenson: If we do that and deconstruct a bad Neil Young song, we might find out that it’s actually fucking genius.

Rosenstock: That’s likely, I’d say.

I’m no expert on Neil Young, but I’ve definitely heard “Piece Of Crap” and know there are people who’ll vouch for it, especially since it came at a time when he was reestablishing himself for a new generation as the “godfather of grunge.” But what about the “bad songs” from when he was actively trying to break his record deal?

Rosenstock: Like if we did “Kinda Fonda Wanda?” But yo…I watched the video for “Kinda Fonda Wanda” off Everybody’s Rockin’, it’s kind of a good song! It’s stupid, but it’s still kind of a good song.

Stevenson: It’s rockin’!

After you released Still Young, were there any fans saying that this EP introduced them to Neil Young?

Stevenson: I feel like anyone who knows me has listened to Neil Young. He’s huge and I’m really obscure so how could you know me and not know who Neil Young is?

Rosenstock: You’ve probably gone through the A-list…

Stevenson: Before you get to that G-list.

Rosenstock: We didn’t do good enough to inspire anybody to say, “hey, that’s nice.”

Stevenson: Hey, my dad likes it.

Rosenstock: Laura’s dad likes it, John [DeDomenici, Death Rosenstock bassist]’s dad likes it. A lot of dads out there are happy about it.

You can do worse than breaking the “dad rock” demographic.

Rosenstock: Yeah, why isn’t there anything for older men, huh?

Maybe in 20 years, “dad rock” cover albums will be of Green Day or something like that. But as people who came up in Long Island’s punk scene, I’m curious about how the two of you first got introduced to Neil Young. When I was listening to Green Day and coming of age in the mid-90s, I mostly knew Neil Young as “that classic rock guy who Pearl Jam really likes.”

Rosenstock: I knew Neil Young as “Rockin’ In The Free World” and that he made a record with Pearl Jam that I didn’t really care about. Also, Neil Young on MTV Unplugged. When I was young, I don’t think I wanted to listen to anything that wasn’t just either really bouncy or in-your-face. Like pop or punk or metal or rap. I always knew Neil Young was good, but I listened to Harvest and was like, “I don’t care about this.” Because, “A Man Needs a Maid” — terrible song! “Old Man,” kind of a terrible song! There’s a lot of terrible songs on Harvest, this is my axe to grind with the world of Neil Young fans. But then I texted you and Mike, your husband — like, “hey, where do I get started,” because I feel like I want to like Neil Young and I don’t like this [Harvest]. You recommended After The Gold Rush and Comes A Time and I liked them both. In particular, I was listening to After The Gold Rush on a tour for a long time and did a deep dive when I was older, late 20s, I guess. It’s not that old, but older than when I was like, “is it Biohazard? Because if it’s not Biohazard, I’m not listening to it.”

Stevenson: My dad is the biggest Neil Young fan in the world. That’s the reason he has a computer, he just lives in the message boards for Neil bootlegs and is very deep in the world of nerd Neil fans. There was a stretch of time that, whenever I was at his house in the morning, he would put on Comes A Time, and that was the music I woke up to in the living room. That record really resonated with me and I love it. It’s those songs from your childhood that are just the soundtrack of your life, you’re not really diving in, it’s kinda fed to you. So later in my 20s, I would go deeper, the same thing with Grateful Dead. The Grateful Dead was always on, I was going to their concerts and Jerry Garcia Band concerts, like…“oh, there’s that chorus that I like and there’s a lot of jamming that I don’t like.” But when I saw Neil, I liked the jamming because it was very interesting and rough and super distorted. I liked Green Day and punk bands in the early-to-mid-’90s, so I liked distorted guitars and Neil was doing that. Like, oh, you can be a band that my dad likes but also be rockin’, in a way that I like.

Rosenstock: You saw Neil Young a bunch when you were a kid?

Stevenson: Yup!

Rosenstock: Jones Beach?

Stevenson: Jones Beach, Madison Square Garden…my dad would take me to shows all the time and my mom was mad. Whenever it was my dad’s weekend, he’d take us to shows. I had to make an invention for a class assignment in fourth grade, and I was always so embarrassed that I was wearing wax earplugs and they were always getting stuck in my hair and it looked so disgusting. So my invention was just a headband, but you can wear it over your wax earplugs and no one has to know you’re a loser.

Do you remember what grade you got?

Stevenson: Probably not a good grade. All I had to do was put a headband over my ears, I didn’t have to do anything.

Rosenstock: It could pass as an invention in second grade…you didn’t put any glitter glue on it?

Jeff, were your parents taking you to any shows as a kid?

Rosenstock: No! Maybe later, but I didn’t go to concerts with my parents all that much. We saw KC And The Sunshine Band play for free in New York one time and then my parents drove me to Warped Tour.

Stevenson: They were really different experiences, but I didn’t have MTV, so I was completely disconnected. I didn’t have an older sibling who showed me cool stuff. I was just trying to find stuff on the radio so I was just being fed everything.

Rosenstock: We did have good radio in Long Island, 92.7, WDRE…

What was it about After The Gold Rush that resonated with you where Harvest didn’t?

Rosenstock: The songs that sounded like a Defiance, Ohio record. That song “After The Gold Rush” sounds like a normal person just singin’ his heart out — minimal arrangements, good ass songs!

Stevenson: After The Gold Rush is the one I suggested to Jeff as a songwriter. Comes A Time has a lot of good hooks, but After The Gold Rush had more of a…romantic composer [feel], very emotional. There’s a beautiful color to it that I thought would interest Jeff as a writer who’s interested in the individual voice.

Rosenstock: There’s a lot of heart in how he’s singing. On Younger Still, you brought TWO songs from American Stars & Bars into the pile, which is a record that I have almost never thought about. It’s a good record.

Stevenson: I like those songs especially, and as a younger person, I was just drawn to the cover.

Rosenstock: The cover is awesome, it’s punk.

Stevenson: It’s so sick, I really wish we had found a way to make [our cover] a drunk dog and a drunk dog stripper…

Rosenstock: To whoever’s reading this, we need to find out whether it’s painted or a collage. I feel like it’s painted.

Stevenson: I feel like it’s a collage.

Rosenstock: Didn’t Harry Dean Stanton’s son make it? It looks like an oversaturated collage, it looks like a Thermals album cover. You guys are laughing at me! F*ck you, Laura! F*ck you, Ian! It’s 2022, if there’s an idea that people disagree with, I have to double down.

With that attitude, I can’t believe you’re not gonna miss Twitter when it’s gone! In the meantime, were there any songs that you tried out that didn’t make the cut?

Rosenstock: “Borrowed Tune,” “On The Beach,” “Like A Hurricane”…was there another one that didn’t make it?

Stevenson: I had an idea for “Hey Babe” — “we need to make this into an Antarctigo Vespucci song, super poppy and full-band.” And it didn’t end up that way, but it ended up way better than I would’ve imagined it. The songs that really resonated with us were the ones that melodically could work in any format.

Rosenstock: The way that we record, there was no way to make [a full-band “Hey Babe”] sound good — it’s two of us in a room, picking up things and playing it at the same time. It’s not a big, “two guitars, drums and bass” thing happening. Out of the pile, “Like A Hurricane” was gonna be such a rocker. But like, what are we gonna do for eight minutes? That’s not a great place to start if you’re making a record in four days. It was stuff we were fucking around with, like oh, “‘Razor Love’ sounds kinda good? Does this kinda work with you playing guitar and me playing drums and signing these parts?” Were we talking about doing “Walk On”? “Looking For A Love,” “Barstool Blues,” “Don’t Cry No Tears”…the Cyndi Lauper version [ed note: he might be referring to “Don’t Cry No More,” which is a completely different song]. Great, it’s gone, who needs it!

What are the plans for the setlist on the upcoming tour?

Stevenson: We’re still discussing it, we’ll figure it out.

Rosenstock: We’ll play some of our own songs, our hope is that it works. It’ll be a nice, intimate…intimate is the wrong word. Real casual. And hopefully, we don’t take “casual” too far.

Stevenson: We will be taking no requests. [laughs]

Will anyone else be joining the two of you on stage?

Rosenstock: It seems like it’s just the two of us for now, we’re figuring out how to arrange these things. Go see the shows!

Stevenson: We like the way that each other drives. Jeff’s my favorite driver on tour, and I’d like to think I’m your favorite driver on tour.

Rosenstock: You are and you’re my favorite shotgun.

Stevenson: And you’re my favorite shotgun!

Rosenstock: Really?

Stevenson: You’re way better than Matt was.

Rosenstock: I’m way better than Matt [Keegan] from Bomb The Music Industry! who turned off Laura’s music while he was asleep in shotgun.

Stevenson: The worst shotgun of all time.

What makes for a good driver on tour?

Stevenson: Safety, space.

Rosenstock: And if you could do it with safety and space…speed. I’ll say it!

Stevenson: Gentle speed.

Rosenstock: The three S’s: safety, space, and speed. And sobriety.

Stevenson: There’s four.

Rosenstock: And staying awake.

Stevenson: Sensitivity. Sense of humor.

Rosenstock: Converssssation.

Are the two of you locked into future Neil Young cover EPs or are you considering pivoting to a different classic rock artist?

Rosenstock: Nah… I don’t know what happened. I thought about covering some shit that’s on that first f*cking thing [Still Young] and I was, like, “Laura you wanna do this?” It wasn’t like, “what’s our angle to break into this thing as two friends chopping it up together” or anything like that.

Stevenson: It would have to only be other Neils — Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka…

Rosenstock: This is why we work well together, I’ll do both of those. Neil Hamburger…

Vince Neil?

Rosenstock: He’s a murderer. We don’t cover known murderers.

He certainly doesn’t abide by the Five S’s of Good Tour Driving.

Rosenstock: He’s got speed. At some point in 2023, we’ll record more songs and put those together with the ones we finished in Brooklyn but didn’t put out. It’ll be a 12” vinyl like, “here’s all the stuff we did together for a couple of years.” Let’s assume the tour goes well, like, we don’t cancel on day two because, hey we’re bad.

Stevenson: We don’t have COVID…

Rosenstock: We don’t have COVID, ticket sales were good, it’s just you don’t want to see this! Assuming that doesn’t happen, it’s just cool we have a nice document of the time we hung out together as we were both growing up in our lives and taking on new weird shit and communicating together through music and this weird anchor. It’s cool that we have these moments in time captured that have nothing to do with us writing it out — we just made this stuff together.

Three years ago Popeyes dropped its now infamous chicken sandwich and single-handedly changed the landscape of fast food. It sounds, frankly, ridiculous, but once Popeyes introduced the fast food-eating public to a truly delicious chicken sandwich, every single fast food restaurant that didn’t already have a great chicken sandwich tried to capture some of that magic. Now, three years later the chicken sandwich is as much a staple on fast food menus as the cheeseburger.

But strangely, Popeyes dropped a chicken sandwich, and then kind of dipped out. And while they were never the innovation factory that is Taco Bell, it still felt a little odd.

Fast food needs to innovate, constantly — sometimes that’s to a menu’s detriment. At times, that means your favorite chain restaurant dropping beloved items or re-formulating recipes that don’t need to be messed with. So it’s at least a little strange that Popeyes dropped what is easily the most famous chicken sandwich in all of fast food and then just didn’t do a whole lot with it afterward. Popeyes did link up with Megan Thee Stallion for a slightly sweet and spicy remix of the recipe, and it was delicious, but aside from that, the sandwich has remained unchanged since it was first released in 2019. Until today.

The new Blackened Chicken Sandwich is the most radical change-up of the sandwich to date. It’s not heavily breaded and fried but instead marinated in blackened seasoning, fried (rather than grilled), and served on the same toasted brioche bun with your choice of mayo or spicy mayo and crispy pickles. It’s not a complete reinvention, but it is decidedly different than the original. We’re a little salty that Popeyes still hasn’t made a version of this sandwich that is breaded in its spicy batter (spicy mayo doesn’t deliver the heat) but we always welcome change.

So is the Blackened Chicken Sandwich any good? Let’s find out!

Blackened Chicken Sandwich (Spicy)

The new Blackened Chicken Sandwich is available in both classic form (with mayo) and spicy (with spicy mayo) and for this review, I opted for the spicy version. Not because I think Popeyes’ spicily sauced sandwiches are superior, but because I thought the blackened seasoning would pair better with a bit more heat. In retrospect, I think I was right. Popeyes’ blackened seasoning features a blend of black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, onion powder, and some kind of chili powder. It’s very flavorful and tastes incredibly similar to whatever seasoning is used on Popeyes’ battered Cajun fries.

It begins with an earthy cracked pepper flavor before shifting into the more complex and spicy flavors of garlic, onion, and chili powder, with a dark-smokey finish. The spicy mayo adds a savory and slightly sweet component to the dish bringing just a touch of heat to the aftertaste. Not enough heat to make you sweat, but enough that it tantalizes the tastebuds.

The texture of the chicken is pretty interesting. Blackened chicken is grilled but in this case after marinating this chicken filet for a sufficient amount of time, Popeyes batters it and throws it in the frier. It has a crispy exterior that adds a nice little crunch to every bite. Once you break through the slightly dry exterior, the chicken inside is tender and juicy. It’s a lot drier overall than the OG version, but it’s still very satisfying and not dry enough for it to be a noticeable issue — that could be because Popeyes double-sauced the bun, but I’m pretty sure the marinade had a hand in that too.

What surprised me the most about the sandwich was just how small the filet is. Popeyes OG chicken sandwich is big, In this sandwich, I was often left hoping for a more substantial bite. Maybe I got a less-than-ideal filet, but either way, I found the sandwich to be incredibly enjoyable and bursting with flavor. On certain days when I feel like a less food-coma-inducing meal, I might say it’s even better than the original.

The Bottom Line:

Popeyes finally took a chance with a major revamp of their chicken sandwich and it has paid off. This is delicious, bursting with flavor, and definitely worthy of a pick-up the next time you’re craving Popeyes.

Find your nearest Popeyes here.

A few years back during a discussion of Inside Llewyn Davis, a friend of mine raved “every movie should have a magical cat.” Those words, oddly, have stuck with me almost as much as the movie itself (which is one of my all-time favorites).

“Magical cat” is one of the most succinct encapsulations I’ve heard, of something that virtually all of my favorite movies (and really all types of art) do. Llewyn Davis’s cat (really the Gorfeins’ cat, if you want to get technical) sort of exists in the physical and the metaphysical realms simultaneously. Yes, it’s a literal cat, that does believably cat things, like wander down the fire escape and run off into the night, but it also allows for broader interpretation — like maybe this cat isn’t just a cat, but an agent of chaos, a message from the universe.

The magical cat is a kind of non-prescriptivist symbolism, an element of the script that becomes self-aware. As opposed to, say, the suitcase in Pulp Fiction, which shouts “I am the symbolic element!” the magical cat’s magic is merely there if you want to see it, like probably all signs from the universe. It’s not religious, necessarily, but an acknowledgement that universe has, or could have, a logic beyond that which the storyteller can adequately explain or control.

Put another way, Stephen King wrote in his memoir that he knew he was on the right track when his characters started speaking to him, acting almost of their own accord. The best fiction always has characters like that, who seem to exist beyond the boundaries of the texts. It’s why people (read: me) can discuss The Sopranos for hours on end; the characters seem to have personalities, likes and dislikes, inner lives beyond what their creator prescribes for them. I know David Chase had something he wanted to say, but in the process of creating such great characters, their interactions took on a kind of life of their own beyond the initial inspiration.

This is all a very long way of saying that Barry Keoghan, previously of The Green Knight and recently of The Banshees of Inisherin (and yes, also Druig from Eternals) has become something of a magical cat unto himself. He plays very similar characters in all three — all variations on “wild-eyed, urchin-esque Irish rascal” — so it’s not as if he’s some chameleon in the Daniel Day-Lewis mode. It’s more that he has a natural wildness to him, which seems transcend the boundaries of story. There’s an element of natural unpredictability to Keoghan (who was raised partly in foster homes) that makes him a wildcard whose unpredictability can’t be constrained even within a predictable script. Keoghan seems to define Irish rascalry the same way Ben Mendelsohn defines Australian rascalry, or Walton Goggins does for American rascalry. (We may need a second post for each country’s respective national rascal).

Keoghan’s chaotic energy stands out especially starkly in The Banshees Of Inisherin, maybe because it feels like such a prescriptivist movie. In many ways, Banshees is a showcase for what Martin McDonagh does best — which is to stage theatrical versions of pastoral New Yorker cartoons. Two characters have a droll interaction with a sight gag, some cyclical dialogue, and a perfect button.

Banshees, which is far better than McDonagh’s two previous efforts, Three Billboards and Seven Psychopaths, is very clever, but the only time it ever feels like the characters are speaking to the creator and not the creator speaking through the characters is when Keoghan is onscreen. Which is something of a shame considering Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, the two leads in Banshees, are generally quite rascally themselves.

Set on the fictional isle of Inisherin during the Irish Civil War, from which the island is peculiarly insulated, Colin Farrell plays Padraic (pronounced “PAR-ick,” sorta), who has recently discovered that his best and only friend, Colm (Gleeson) doesn’t want to be friends with him anymore. Not because of any specific falling out, but simply because Colm finds Padraic dull, and he doesn’t want to waste his last few years on Earth listening to Padraic’s dull blathering. He’d rather spend it practicing the Irish national pastime, of staring morosely at sea-lashed shorelines, and composing music to play on his fiddle.

Being nice and making small-talk are irrelevant, Colm explains, because when we’re dead and gone no one will remember who was nice. It’s only art that endures. So set in his position is Colm that he promises Padraic that every time Padraic attempts to speak to Colm, Colm will cut off one of his fiddling fingers and give it to Padraic. McDonagh, an inveterate self-plagiarizer (thankfully no little people get karate chopped this time around), seems to have borrowed this imagery from his 2010 severed hand play A Behanding In Spokane. Such that I couldn’t help giving Banshees the alternate title of An Unfriending In Land’s End.

Unlike that play, McDonagh has at least chosen his setting here for reasons greater than “it sounded cool in the title.” To his credit, McDonagh even pokes fun at himself here. “The Banshees Of Inisherin” is a piece of music Colm is composing, and when Padraic asks him why he’s called it that, Colm says it’s because he’s always liked those double S-haiche sounds.

Banshees is always clever, and watchable in the way that each scene is its own self-contained New Yorker cartoon. All of which are pretty good, with sight gags that include an adorable small donkey and a passed-out naked guy with his hat still on (McDonagh apparently having evolved from little people as sight gags to little donkeys — progress!).

Yet Padraic and Colm, as well as the rest of the characters, which include Dominic’s alcoholic cop father played by Gary Lydon and Padraic’s sister Siobhan played by Kerry Condon, never quite get to the point that they feel like they’re speaking for themselves. Right up until the end credits roll, Padraic and Colm feel like competing points of view — McDonagh’s instinct to value friendship and family as the meaning of life (Padraic) vs. his instinct to elevate art above all interpersonal relations (Colm).

McDonagh seems to retain something of the star pupil about him, stretching for endings that are provocative and intentional and reflecting competing the poles of human nature — the kinds of stories an arts school professor would have no choice but to grade an A — but doing so at the expense of not quite letting the characters breathe.

It’s why Barry Keoghan, playing the local delinquent widely acknowledged as the only Inisherin resident demonstrably duller than Padraic, stands out. He’s the only Banshees character that inspires you to speculate about his inner life, to think of as more than just a creator’s utensil, who seems to have been gifted free will. And I think that’s as much due to Keoghan’s energy as an actor/person as it is due to the way McDonagh has written the character (with all due credit to the way McDonagh the director has directed Keoghan).

Keoghan is simply too much of a rascal to be constrained by a script, even by a rigidly prescriptivist writer like McDonagh. He is a human magical cat, who, with his every twitchy mannerism and wild-eyed stare inspires us to dream, to consider the infinite unpredictability of the cosmos. Every movie needs a magical cat. Every country needs a national rascal. Every Banshees Of Inisherin needs a Barry Keoghan.

‘The Banshees Of Inisherin’ is currently in select theaters. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can read more of his reviews here.

Donald Trump is many things. A former president. A twice-impeached president. An instigator of an insurrection. A reality television star. As much as he tried, he will most likely never be president again, because if the midterms proved anything, he is not popular enough even within his own party to run for president again. And, according to Apple, he is not interesting enough to be the subject of a television series anymore.

A report from The Ankler this week says that Apple has canceled its plans to develop a television series about the life of the former president. Apple quietly optioned the rights to adapt journalist Maggie Haberman’s book Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America into a series a few months ago. Haberman’s book was released in October by Penguin Press. Here’s a description of the New York Times bestseller from the publisher:

“Interviews with hundreds of sources and numerous interviews over the years with Trump himself portray a complicated and often contradictory historical figure. Capable of kindness but relying on casual cruelty as it suits his purposes.  Pugnacious. Insecure. Lonely. Vindictive. Menacing. Smarter than his critics contend and colder and more calculating than his allies believe. A man who embedded himself in popular culture, galvanizing support for a run for high office that he began preliminary spadework for 30 years ago, to ultimately become a president who pushed American democracy to the brink.”

Apple was smart to abandon this project: a Trump series does not fit in really well with the likes of Foundation, Severance, Mythic Quest, Ted Lasso, or Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me. And also, absolutely no one wants to see this anyway. The Trump Era is a part of American history that is best never, ever fictionalized.

(Via The Ankler)

Vanna White has long been a mainstay on the Wheel Of Fortune stage, working on the show long enough to see several different big boards come and go in the process. The job has changed a bit, too: she’s no longer spinning physical letters around but activating them electronically. And, honestly, it seems like a pretty good gig! But not everyone seems on board with the occupation, and we now know that one of her contemporaries overseas apparently despised their role of “turning bloody letters around.”

According to The Daily Mail, Jenny Powell wasn’t a big fan of her Vanna White-esque job on the UK version of Wheel of Fortune in the 90s. Powell first appeared on the UK version of Wheel in 1995, and it helped launch her career. But it turns out she was never a big fan of the work itself, saying “you’re just turning letters round and not saying anything” when discussing the gig on a new podcast.

She shared: ‘I ended up doing The Wheel of Fortune, which I hated it. It was the biggest thing, but I hated it. Because I was just a girl turning bl***y letters around.’

…

She said: ‘If someone said to you, right Jenny you are going to wear a really short skirt and we are all going to discuss the length of it for like four meetings, wear high heel shoes and turn some letters around and just look pretty and don’t say anything.’

‘Would you, do it? I know what I would tell my daughter today. I wasn’t actually allowed to speak.’

Simplifying the job to just turning letters seems a bit unfair, but Powell’s real criticism here is that she wasn’t allowed to inject any personality into the role. Couple that with what sounds like demeaning meetings about wardrobe and it’s easy to understand why she wasn’t thrilled with the work. And a quick look at some episodes on YouTube showcases that dissonance between what Powell likely wanted from the role and what she was forced to do.

There’s significantly more back and forth between Powell and host John Leslie than you normally see between White and US host Pat Sajak, who save their brief banter for the end of the show. Either way, Powell made it clear that she wouldn’t recommend anyone else take on the “glamorous assistant” role anytime soon.

[via Daily Mail]

The Fast franchise is known for its exponential nature. The series that started about driving post-production modified cars with your pals at night and maybe doing light crimes has turned into a full-fledged heists and international espionage movie phenomenon. Good guys (and girls) become bad guys become good guys again, and then everyone sits down for a beer they grip precariously by the bottle neck.

This is a series that’s flown cars across skyscrapers and mountain landscapes and even sent people into space. The only thing that’s certain about what the next movie will contain is that it will be increasingly ridiculous and, probably, very watchable. And now we know it will also cost a huge amount of money to make it happen. Like, on an increasingly large scale of production costs compared to previous films.

According to The Wrap, a number of factors have caused the budget for the penultimate Fast movie in the franchise to skyrocket, to the tune of 70 percent more than Fast 9 cost to make.

The budget for “Fast X,” the 10th film in Universal’s lucrative “Fast & Furious” action franchise, has ballooned to $340 million, according to individuals with knowledge of the production. That’s 70% more than the reported $200 million budget for 2021’s “F9: The Fast Saga,” and easily the most expensive entry in an action series that has generated $6.6 billion worldwide in ticket sales.

The surging price tag, which factors in tax-incentive offsets, can be blamed on numerous budget-busting elements: increased salaries for series star Vin Diesel and the rest of the franchise’s ensemble cast, general increases in production costs caused by global inflation and charges for pandemic testing requirements mandated by COVID-19 safety protocols.

As the report indicates, the series has made billions in ticket sales through its nine-movie run thus far. So it’s likely that everyone involved will get their money’s worth regardless of the film’s quality. But it certainly sets a high bar for profitability in an era where getting people to the movies has become more difficult. Perhaps part of Diesel’s salary includes some trailers imploring people to experience the majesty of the silver screen because they’ll certainly need butts in seats to afford a final Fast movie to finish the saga.

[via The Wrap]

This year’s been a long one for Ukrainians (and Russians) after Vladimir Putin decided to wage an imperialistic war. This move quickly backfired with Ukrainians (including grandmas) refusing to accept defeat and Russian army numbers dwindling to such a point that Putin called up hundreds of thousands of replacements, who are abandoning tanks after being told that there’s no medical care, sorry, and please bring tampons to treat your own bullet wounds. It’s no wonder that, along the way, we’ve heard mutterings about how Putin’s underlings were secretly maneuvering to install a successor, should he be found incapable of continuing to lead. And it sure sounds like they got closer to doing so this week while the world awaited fallout from the stray (mystery) missile that killed two people in Poland.

Previously, independent Russia news outlet Meduza had revealed that Putin’s henchmen were (via The Daily Beast) tiptoeing around with “an understanding, or a desire, that in the fairly foreseeable future he will not run the country.” Amid missile gate, Putin’s inner circle reportedly prepped themselves for imminent action to oust and replace the president at a moment’s notice. Also from The Daily Beast, it sounds like a relevant Telegram channel (apparently run by an ex-Russia security services member) detailed how high-ranking Russian security dudes consulted each other and plotted:

“Knowing Putin’s penchant for raising the stakes through escalation, … this group of security officials quickly became convinced that in response to a Russian strike on a country included in NATO there could be both a retaliatory strike and an ultimatum.”

So, according to the channel, they decided that “if the U.S. leadership and the adjoining countries show readiness for a harsh response, then the best way out would be to remove the current Russian president, Vladimir Putin, from power and create a collegial council of security officials to ‘temporarily’ take control of the country into their own hands … blaming all the problems on either a seriously ill or law-breaking president.”

As it turns out, there’s been no immediate action from Poland, the U.S., or NATO at large, so this could all be moot, at least until the next stray missile rolls out. Or when Putin officially runs out of Botox, which seems like only a matter of time, given that he’s tanked the Russian economy and earned pariah status for his country. But yeah, we have to have Botox jokes to cope with the enormity of this entire conflict. What a disaster.

(Via The Daily Beast)