Primatologist and anthropologist Dr. Jane Goodall, 86, has lived an incredible life that’s been defined by her ability to bridge the gap between humans and the animal kingdom.
Most notably, her work studying chimpanzees up-close in the Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania from 1960 to 1975 changed how people perceive what it is to be human and chimpanzee.
After documenting chimpanzees using tools in 1961, the discovery was so Earth-shattering it prompted her mentor, anthropologist, and paleontologist, Dr. Louis Leakey, to make the bold proclamation: “Now we must redefine tool, redefine Man, or accept chimpanzees as humans.”
Since she has gone on to found the Jane Goodall Institute UK and the Roots & Shoots program where tens of thousands of children in 100 countries work together to make the world a better place.
Her monumental accomplishments are even more incredible being that she began her career at a time when women faced an uphill battle in the world of science, and many dissuaded her from going into the jungle.
“Everybody laughed at me and said that I’d never get there. It was far away, we didn’t have money, and I was just a girl,” she told our partner site, GOOD, last year.
In a recent profile for theWall Street Journal, Goodall was asked her advice for those who wish to follow in her footsteps by going where they’ve been told they shouldn’t.
“Follow your dream, follow your passion, do what you’re passionate about. When I dreamed of Africa when I was 10 years old, everybody laughed at me: How will you get by? You don’t have money. (It was wartime.)You’re just a girl,” Goodall said.
But she had incredible support from her mother, who probably had no idea at the time that her prodding would help inspire generations of women and scientists to push boundaries.
“Mum said, ‘If you really want something like this, you’ll have to work terribly hard. You’ll have to take advantage of all opportunities. And if you don’t give up, maybe you’ll find a way,'” Goodall recalled.
As someone who was told to know her place in the world, her advice is important for those who are told they cannot achieve their dreams because of who they are.
“That’s the message I take to young people all around the world, particularly in deprived areas,” she added. “So many people have said or written, Jane, I want to thank you because you taught me, because you did this, I can do it too — meaning follow your dreams.”
Now, for the rest of us who may not want to spend decades alone in the jungle observing nature, Goodall has advice on how everyone can help make the planet a better place.
“Every single day we live, we make some impact on the planet and we need to make ethical choices, thinking about the consequences on future generations,” she told GOOD. “What do we buy, eat, wear? Where did it come from? That will start moving us towards a better world.”
After 86 years of being on one of the most incredible adventures of the past century, Goodall seems to have two ideas that she believes are paramount: persistence and consciousness.
She believes everyone should be persistent in the pursuit of their dreams while also living a conscious life, focusing on how their day-to-day decisions have an impact on the future of the planet.
Craig Robinson is a man of many talents, best known for his work on The Office as Darryl Philbin and, more recently, his recurring role as Doug Judy aka The Pontiac Bandit on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and hosting The Masked Dancer for Fox.
He’s also a pitchman extraordinaire, heading up Pizza Hut’s new campaign for the Tastemaker deal where he taps into the nostalgia of the Hut, playing Pac-Man in a sensational tracksuit reminiscent of the old Pizza Hut table cloths. Robinson recently spoke to Uproxx about that tracksuit, his favorite pizza, arcade memories, the joy of being on set with Andy Samberg on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, lessons learned while on The Office, and much more. First, though, I had to fail miserably at trying to get some Bulls talk out of the Chicago native, who has sadly not been able to stay dialed in on his beloved Bulls while living in L.A.
To start, I want to ask the question everyone wants to know: Are the Bulls back?
[laughs] Are they?! What happened? Are they on a winning streak?
They’ve just been actually pretty good this year, they’re in the playoff seeding at the midway point of the season.
Oh man. Zach LaVine baby! I mean, I’m out here in L.A., so I only catch the Bulls games when they’re out here. But I think it’s fantastic…I don’t know! [laughs]
You’ve got this campaign with Pizza Hut, and, first, I have to ask, can you get me one of those tracksuits?
It can be done. It can be be done, but you have to have your measurements and all that.
Oh, is it a tailored tracksuit?
It’s tailored. It’s not just like, “get me a medium or an extra large.” This is legit. You see the — did you go to Pizza Hut back in the day?
Yeah, man.
So you see the tablecloth?
Do they weave the old tablecloth into this? This is vintage?
Exactly. So dope.
What is your go-to pizza order?
Sausage. Pepperoni. And, let’s see. I’m gonna meat-lovers. Straight meat-lovers, give me some ham too.
Just pile it up.
Pile. It. Up.
In the spot you’re playing Pac-Man. Did you grow up as a big gamer?
Ohhhh, yeah. I was big on Pac-Man and Centipede and Ms. Pac-Man. Yeah, I was at the arcade all the time. I remember one time I was playing, my mother came into the arcade and snatched me out by the ear [laughs].
What did you do to earn a snatching?
I don’t know! I just remember seein’ her come in and somebody — cause I was having a good game — and somebody just hopped up to my game as I was getting snatched out. Somebody just hopped up like it was theirs for the taking. Which it was, but I was like, no one was like, “Hey, miss, don’t grab that guy.” They don’t know who she could’ve been.
That’s obviously a memory that is burned deep into your brain. Was the arcade a place you went regularly as a kid and meant a lot?
So it was the corner store, they sold candy and light groceries and they had like three machines in there — Centipede, Pac-Man, and something else. Galaga or something. You remember Galaga?
Yeah, it’s great.
But yeah, I would be in there a lot of the time. I don’t even remember her saying I couldn’t go or something, she just surprised me.
That’s a tough scene. Also, like, everybody’s going to remember that, too.
Yeah, I mean, I kinda kept to myself. So, it’s not like the crew knew. You see people in there, but it’s not like that’s your crew.
OK. Are you still into gaming? Especially this last year where we’ve been at home a lot, is there anything you’ve been into recently?
No. The last game I was into was called, uh, NAMCO was the company and a character I would use a lot was called Nightmare. It was a fighting swords game or something — it was dope — and I got too good at it. I wore it out. I got too good at it, and then I left it in Chicago. I took it home one Christmas and just left it there.
That was it.
Yeah, I mean, you talk about a waste of time. And I don’t even know, like, if I was to get into games today, these games are crazy today. It’s all life-like, you can dance and whatever, steal cars. Or you like, are in the army or something.
Yeah, they’re really intense now.
Back when it wasn’t that intense I was hooked. So imagine if I got hooked on something now. It’d be over. I’d be playing right now instead of talking to you about Pizza Hut.
Has there been anything you’ve gotten into over the last year? Obviously you’ve had The Masked Dancer going on, but has there been anything you’ve picked up to pass the time over the last year — like, I’ve started cooking a lot — that’s become a new quarantine hobby?
Yeah I started jogging. That was nice. I kinda fell off, but I as pretty consistent for a good five months there. So I’m looking forward to picking that back up. My legs started to hurt — my knees and hamstring — so I had to pause for a second.
[Laughs] I gotta get started on that. You saw that, that was the interview of interviews right there.
That was an all-timer. I do want to ask, because one of the things so many people have been doing over the last year is going back and binging their favorite TV shows, and for me one of those was Brooklyn Nine-Nine. How much fun is it when you get to go be Doug Judy? Because that energy comes through on screen and it looks like you guys are just having the best time.
A thousand percent. Andy and I are like — you ever see two five year olds just meet and then start playing? That’s what it is, man. We live to make each other laugh when it comes to that set. So, yeah, it’s always a blast. We always improvise something and it’s always something that makes the cut, and I forget we did it and then I watch and episode and it’s like, “Oh yeah, that happened.” But it’s always something, whether it be a handshake or some silly song.
Do you have a favorite Doug Judy bit? Or was there one that was especially fun to shoot? Because I’m partial to cruise ship Doug Judy.
[Laughs] Oh man, so many. I like when we sing the theme song and then there’s a talking dog. But it’s just so in the moment. We’ll make it up and then shoot it, and then it’s just done. But it’s like, we’re fighting crime and then it turns into there’s a talking dog at the end and then the dog dies or something. Or something.
As someone that comes from a stand up background how much do you enjoy when you get to be somewhere on on a set where it is a little more free flowing and you get that chance to, to kind of be more in the moment and ad lib and have that free rein off of the script?
It’s the best. It’s nothing better for an actor than to be present and connected with someone. I used to shy away from it, because I was like “What are the words?” But every project I do, they’re like, you can improv and play with it, so now I’m used to it. When I came in, thank god I took classes at Second City and stuff like that, so I had a little bit of experience. But now, yeah, you figure it out. You mine the scene for gold. Mine it for gold.
How much of that experience comes from your time on The Office where, obviously that you’re around a bunch of folks that had that experience and there was that kind of interplay?
We had a lot of improvised things on The Office. But then, they write stuff so perfect for my voice that I almost didn’t have to. They’d give you what they call a “fun run.” You say it a few times and get it right, and then they’d be like, “Alright, let’s do a fun run and see what comes out.” That’s when you improvise or try whatever different. But yeah we would play a lot and improvise a lot, that was fun. I learned a lot watching them cats.
Is there a role or anything where you say, “Man, I’d like to be able to do that.” Anything you have on your wish list for something you’d like to be able to do?
I won’t say it here. But yes, good question. And yes is the answer.
You don’t want to jinx it?
I gotta keep my cards close to the chest.
OK…
I already told you I like meat-lovers.
[Laughs] That was from the depths of your soul?
[Laughs]
Alright. I will not press any further, I will respect your wishes. Craig, I appreciate it. I look forward to getting custom fitted for a tracksuit, and be well, man.
It’s been nearly a year since Snoop Dogg first unveiled his years-in-the-making partnership with Australian winemakers 19 Crimes. He released his Snoop Cali Red bottle last summer, a wildly successful blend that Uproxx named “impeccably smooth.” Now, Snoop returned to announce he has another wine in the works.
The rapper once again teamed up with 19 Crimes wine, this time to create a fruity rosé. Named Snoop Cali Rosé, the new wine has tasting notes of fresh raspberry, strawberry and red cherry, and blends together Zinfandel, Grenache and Pinot Noir.
Speaking about the new bottle, Snoop said:
“We did it big with 19 Crimes Cali Red, so you know we had to do it again – and this time, I was thinking pink. I can’t wait for everyone to sip on my Snoop Cali Rosé and bring those fresh feels from spring into summer and beyond. I hope when you open a bottle of this wine you take a little mind trip to my Cali home. This is how we Rosé the Snoop Dogg way!”
Echoing Snoops statement, Treasury Wine Estates marketing vice president John Wardley said: “Snoop has been a dream collaborator that has taken 19 Crimes Snoop Cali Red to the top of the charts as the no. 1 Wine Innovation of 2020. We can’t wait for this second release to hit our loyal 19 Crimes fan base and see how they Rosé with Snoop Cali Rosé. This is 19 Crimes’ first California rosé and we are already seeing high demand from our retail partners to get it in store as soon as we possibly can.”
Snoop Cali Rosé is available now in the US. Get it here.
808 Mafia producer Southside (real name Joshua Luellen) was arrested in Miami on firearms charges on Sunday, according to NBC Miami. He also received a charge of knowingly driving with a suspended license, which had been suspended since 2019.
Miami police reportedly noticed the “heavily tinted windshield” on his Mercedes-Benz SUV, pulling him over and discovering that the Georgia driver’s license he presented had been suspended for almost two years. The officers also saw two loaded handguns, for which he said he had a concealed carry license. However, concealed carry regulations require firearms to be inside the glovebox or a lockbox inside a vehicle, putting Southside in violation.
The arresting officer is noted as informing Southside of this, saying, “I advised Joshua that he was in violation of his CCW permit by having the firearms within reach and not secured in the glove box or encased in a box inside the vehicle.” A records check showed that this license was also suspended. Southside was booked into Miami-Dade Corrections Center and released on bond for $5,500.
Last week, Southside said that he was “throwing the towel in” on production after the next 808 Mafia project, saying that he wanted to focus on giving opportunities to young, up-and-coming producers instead.
Debris (NBC, 10:00pm) — This fresh sci-fi series has been trucking along while following what happens when an alien spacecraft scatters debris all over the Western Hemisphere and starts screwing up the laws of physics as we know them. Two agents (who are a bit Mulder-and-Scully-like with their conveniently opposing viewpoints) must unravel what the hell is happening, and this week, Bryan and Finola dig into an otherworldly artifact that appears in a field and says a lot about Earth in the process.
Snowpiercer (TNT, 9:00pm) — This week, Layton is attempting to make a nearly impossible choice following an engineering SNAFU, all while Wilford’s still f*cking things up. This season’s introduction of Bean caused the series to gain momentum, so the time is still right to catch this ride.
Bulletproof (CW, 8:00pm) — Bishop, Pike, and the fam decide that a much-needed vacation is in order, but not all goes well when a friend of the family goes missing.
Black Lightning (CW, 9:00pm) — A line gets crossed when it comes to Jefferson and Lynn, all while Anissa’s got important news to share while Tobias is surprising everyone.
Beartown (HBO, 9:00pm) — This Swedish crime drama based upon Fredrik Backman’s bestselling novel, and it follows the domination of a junior ice-hockey team upon a small community after a retired pro hockey player, Peter, relocates to Beartown for a fresh start. This week, Maya and Kevin give statements to the police while their coacn and star player are both out of commission.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Gwen Stefani, Dr. Sanjay Gupta
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Ringo Starr, Eric Andre
The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — John Oliver, Brian Tyree Henry, Japanese Breakfast
Late Night With Seth Meyers — Jennifer Garner, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Valerie June
In case you missed these picks from the weekend:
Cherry (Apple TV+ movie) — Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is currently hard at work while web slinging for another MCU movie, but he’s bridging the gap with some diversified projects. That might be an understatement, for this is Tom Holland like you’ve never seen him (far beyond the buzz cut) before, and interestingly enough this is happening while Holland reteams with the Russo Brothers for an adaptation of Nico Walker’s debut novel. This certainly isn’t Spider-Man territory, to say the very least. Cherry‘s an autobiographical story about Walker’s time as an Army medic during the war in Iraq, followed by undiagnosed PTSD that led to falling into the belly of the American opioid epidemic and bank-robbing sprees. Obviously, this is dark stuff but with a satiric edge.
Last Chance U: Basketball (Netflix series) — The Emmy-winning franchise returns with a no-holds-barred, somewhat gritty look into community college basketball. The players all want to rise to the next level and achieve dreams, but first, those damn personal demons and warring emotions happen on and off the court, all while the East Los Angeles College Huskies set their sights upon an unprecedented California state basketball championship.
Today, we’re going to take a look at some of the lesser-known-but-equally-well-made Irish whiskeys on the market. Each one is nicely suited to St. Patrick’s Day drinking. Even if there won’t parades and epic Dropkick Murphys sing-a-longs at your local pub, you can still enjoy a few drams of the triple-distilled stuff. Check them all out below, pick a few that sound tasty, and crank up The Dubliners or The Pogues.
With a name like Vintage Grain, you know this is a unique expression. This hand-selected single grain whiskey was aged for eight years in charred, ex-bourbon barrels. The result is a well-balanced whiskey that bridges the gap between fruity and spicy.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find aromas of charred oak, sweet caramel, and cocoa powder. The sip yields notes of buttery vanilla cream, subtle tobacco, rich leather, and a nice, final hint of oak and spicy cinnamon.
Bottom Line:
Six generations of Egan family members have made whiskey, so you can bet they’ve become fairly good at it over the years. Give this gem a try if you love bourbon but want to experiment.
This inexpensive Irish whiskey is a blend of grain (75%) and malt (25%) was aged in ex-bourbon casks. It’s bargain-priced around $20 and is mellow, well-balanced, and filled with sweet, spicy, and rich, sippable flavors.
Tasting Notes:
Take a moment to breathe in the aromas and you’ll be transported to a world of sugar cookies, dried fruits, and toasted vanilla beans. Take a sip and find notes of buttercream, caramel apples, and just a hint of sweet cinnamon. The finish is medium in length, filled with pleasing heat, and ends with a final crescendo of cracked black pepper.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a fan of a bargain and bourbon, this sweet, spicy, highly drinkable Irish whiskey deserves a permanent spot on your home bar cart.
This pot still distilled 100% malted barley, single malt Irish whiskey was aged for ten years in former bourbon barrels. The result is a unique, highly sippable, deeply memorable whiskey that you’ll go back to again and again.
Tasting Notes:
Give this whiskey a nosing and you’ll find aromas of caramel apples, banana bread, creamy vanilla, and charred oak. Take a sip and you’ll find flavors of buttery caramel, clover honey, and a nice bit of spicy cinnamon. It all ends with a long, warming, salted caramel finish.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for a reasonably-priced single malt Irish whiskey, you can do much worse than Kilbrin 10, with its nice mix of sweet and heat.
This limited-edition release from Hibernia Distillers was named after Douglas Hyde, the first President of Ireland. Similar to many well-known American whiskeys, the brand sources the single malt whiskey from another distillery. It’s aged in both ex-bourbon barrels and rum casks for a total of ten years.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find sweet molasses, tropical fruit flavors, and sticky toffee. The palate is filled with sugar cookies, dried fruits, creamy caramel, orange zest, and a backbone of sweet rum. It ends with a finish of spicy pepper and sweet toasted vanilla beans.
Bottom Line:
Hyde plans to make its own whiskey within the next five years. For now, if you want to enjoy a Hyde product, it will have to be a sourced whiskey they finish themselves and this gem is a great place to start.
Released in 2017, Roe & Co is a blended Irish whiskey. This blend of single malt and grain whiskeys is non-chill filtered and matured in ex-bourbon casks. The result is a smooth, highly drinkable blend perfectly suited for mixing or slow sipping over a single ice cube.
Tasting Notes:
The nose features the aromas of almond cookies, sweet cream, and toasted vanilla beans. The palate adds hints of sweet treacle, butter toffee, charred oak, and a slight, spicy, cinnamon finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a new brand in the blended whiskey world. It’s owned by Diageo and you’ll probably start seeing it often on bars, bar carts, and liquor store shelves.
This single malt whiskey was aged for eight years in first-fill ex-bourbon casks and actually gets its name from the brand owner’s father, John Mulgrew, who was a bartender. Mulgrew famously lived by the “barman’s code” and told no tales about his customers — hence the “quiet man” moniker.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find scents of caramel apples, clover honey, charred oak, and vanilla. On the palate, you’ll be treated to notes of orange zest, sticky toffee, almond cookies. A sweet, buttery, caramel finish ties everything together nicely.
Bottom Line:
This is a sublimely well-rounded, sweet, mellow whiskey perfectly suited for slow sipping with a single ice cube while you think of memories of St. Patrick’s Days gone by.
Knappogue Castle 12 is the brand’s flagship expression for a reason. This single malt whiskey made from malted barley is triple distilled in copper pot stills before being aged in ex-bourbon casks for twelve years.
Tasting Notes:
Take a moment to nose this memorable single malt and you’ll find sugar cookies, cinnamon, and charred oak. The sip is filled with sticky toffee pudding, sweet cream, buttery caramel, and just the right amount of peppery spice. The finish is long, loaded with warming heat, and ends with a final note of dried cherries and vanilla.
Bottom Line:
For the price, you’ll have a rather difficult time finding a great-tasting 12-year-old single malt Irish whiskey better than this one.
If you’re anything like us, you find the name “oak devil” confusing. This blended whiskey, which’s matured in ex-bourbon barrels, gets its name from the nickname of “hell” bestowed on the rowdy, tough Dublin Liberties neighborhood in the 1700s. A carved oak devil even stood at the entrance to the area.
Tasting Notes:
Take a moment to breathe in the aromas of dried cherries, charred wood, and sweet, toasted vanilla beans. Once you take a sip, you’re sure to pick up buttery caramel, sweet vanilla, cracked black pepper, and raisins. The finish is medium in length, warming, and ends with a nice sweet, chocolate, and vanilla one-two punch.
Bottom Line:
Pay tribute to the raucous Dublin of the past by sipping on this mellow, easy-to-drink blended whiskey.
Here’s another exciting, unique blended whiskey. Named for the street performers you’ll find all over Dublin, The Busker is a blend of single grain, single malt, and single pot still whiskeys aged in ex-bourbon, sherry, and marsala casks.
Tasting Notes:
Take a moment to nose this whiskey and you’ll be greeted with scents of vanilla beans, toffee, and a subtle hint of peppery spice. The first sip yields dried cherries, sweet sherry, candied orange peels, buttery caramel, and a final flourish of candy apples at the very end.
Bottom Line:
For $30 it’s hard to find a triple-barreled, easier to drink whiskey. It’s perfect for mixing into your favorite cocktail or sipping on its own.
This single grain Irish whiskey is first matured in ex-bourbon barrels before finishing for six months in Oloroso sherry casks (hence double barrel). The result is whiskey with a perfect mix of caramel sweetness and pleasing, spicy heat.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find hints of creamy chocolate fudge, charred wood, vanilla frosting, and cinnamon spice. On the palate, you’ll find flavors of crème brulee, dried fruits, salted caramel, and a final note of baking spice and charred oak.
Bottom Line:
This is the perfect bottle for fans of sherried single malt Scotch whisky. Try this instead of your usual expressions from The Macallan or GlenDronach.
Tiffany Haddish had an emotional and uplifting moment while filming Kids Say The Darndest Things on Monday morning. The comedian had been nominated for a Grammy for her comedy album Black Mitzvah, but she didn’t seem too convinced that she was going to win when her producer brought it up as she was filming a segment with two of her young co-stars. Ever the professional, Haddish made sure to tell the young girls that it’s always an honor to just be nominated before getting ready to move on with the show. The twist: Her producer dropped the bomb that she actually won.
At first, Haddish thought the whole thing was a joke, but once reality set in, she started tearing up as the two girls clapped for her. When Haddish shared that a Black woman hasn’t won a comedy category since Whoopi Goldberg in 1986, one of the girls proudly said that she already knew that because she learned it during Black History Month, which prompted Haddish to offer some words of advice to her young co-stars. Via People:
“Can I tell you why I’m crying?” Haddish then asks, before saying, “It’s a lot of bumpy roads that you cross and it’s a lot of times you feel like, ‘What? Am I doing the right thing? Is this good enough? Am I good enough? Am I strong enough to do this job?’ And you just have to believe in yourself as much as you can and against all odds, you just say, ‘You know what? I’m gonna put my best foot forward and I’m gonna give the world the best that I’ve got.’ Anything is possible.”
You can watch Tiffany Haddish’s emotional reaction to winning a Grammy above. Or in the tweet below. This is all very cool.
How I found out I won a Grammy while working on @KidsSayDarndest I am so Honored to share with the kids. Full situation is on my YouTube page. pic.twitter.com/pYzmt4nIgo
Megan Thee Stallion — who came away with a Best New Artist win at last night’s Grammys ceremony — doesn’t believe that the awards show is inherently rigged. While some stars, like The Weeknd and Lil Wayne, spent the last several weeks railing against the Recording Academy’s “unfair” selection practices, Megan had a far more philosophical outlook on the results of the voting. Stopped by TMZ at some point over the course of the evening, Megan gave a straightforward response to their question about whether she had advanced awareness of the results.
“I didn’t know sh*t,” she replied. “Hell no, the Grammys ain’t rigged. Bitch, you win some, you lose some.” Asked about the importance of the wins for women, she just threw out her standard response: “Real Hot Girl Sh*t!”
The Grammys’ “snub” of artists like The Weeknd in multiple categories — and the singer’s reactive boycott of last night’s ceremony — have only contributed to the feeling that the Grammys have become more of a “popularity contest” in recent years, despite efforts to become more inclusive. However, as Cardi B pointed out, plenty of artists were nominated despite lack of mainstream recognition.
While it’s easy for artists who miss out to chalk their losses up to conspiracies and agendas, the truth is, a voting body comprised of such a broad variety of music industry professionals can hardly be expected to agree on anything, even if more efforts are made to include atypical entries on ballots and shortlists — and artists, who by nature are “sensitive about our sh*t,” to paraphrase Erykah Badu, are exactly the type of folks to take their ommissions personally and resort so using social media to publicize their sour grapes.
You can watch the video of Megan responding to the question of whether the Grammys are rigged here.
Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Odin Frost has always loved the sound of skateboarding, especially the rhythmic sound of the wheels rolling over wood. As a nonverbal autistic young man, having tools for soothing distress and anxiety is important for Odin, and his parents say he connects with music and different kinds of rhythms.
Tim Frost, Odin’s dad, sent legendary skater Tony Hawk an email inviting him to collaborate with him and Odin on a musical piece based on the sounds of skateboarding. The idea was that they could use skateboard sounds as percussion and build a song around it. Not only did Tony agree to help out, but he did a special recording of a run on the half pipe specifically for Odin and Tim to use for that purpose.
If Odin looks familiar, there’s a good reason for that. We shared his life story last summer, when photos of him and his best friend Jordan went viral after their high school graduation. Both boys had both been given slim chances of survival and had overcome tremendous obstacles to graduate from high school, and their story of friendship, perseverance, and family support touched millions.
Upworthy was thrilled to learn about Odin had gotten a chance to meet his hero, Tony Hawk, and we recently caught up with both Tony and the Frost family to chat about their musical endeavor and what it was like for them to meet one another.
Despite living very different lives, Tony told us that he identifies with Odin in a couple of ways. One, he understands what it was like to be different from other kids growing up, and celebrates what’s good in that experience. And two, he knows how having parents who support you makes all the difference in the world.
“You can see that Odin thrives from it,” Tony told us. “I met him. I can tell that he’s right there with them. You know, on the surface, from the outsider’s perspective, you don’t understand how in tune he really is with everyone.”
Tim shared how he came up with the idea of making a song based off of Tony’s skateboarding with and for Odin, and Tony explained how it helped him see skating in a whole new way.
“I think I didn’t understand the potential of it until I heard the song they created,” said Tony. “I think that one thing that Odin has taught me is that there is a zen of skating in just the motion and the sound of it that maybe I never had tuned into.”
Imagine teaching the world’s most recognizable skater (at least by name) something new about skateboarding. But as Tony said, “We learn from each other.” Indeed we do. What a delightful match-up of creativity and humanity this collaboration turned out to be.
You can see more of the Frosts’ story about connecting with Tony Hawk and listen to the whole song they created here. (The song begins at the 2:00 mark.)
Last year, Phoebe Bridgers revealed that she once accidentally pooped herself on stage. It’s embarrassing, sure, but things like that can happen sometimes. It turns out Bridgers recently had other fecal-related goings-on before her Saturday Night Live performance, as she revealed on Desus And Mero.
Bridgers was asked where the performance ranks amongst all of her experiences and she responded, “Very, very high, but also… yeah, I don’t know, I…” Bridgers trailed off before letting out a laugh, seemingly taking preemptive delight in what she was about to say. She continued, “I pretty much had diarrhea all day from nerves, but it was great. I think I was more excited for it to be over because it was so nerve-wracking, but it was really cool.”
She went on to talk about smashing the guitar on stage and the reactions to that, topics she has touched on before in multiple interviews. Elsewhere during the conversation, she talked about her Saddest Factory record label, saying she’s looking forward to devoting more time to it: “This album cycle has been so, so long that I think the next thing that I want to do… I started a record label over lockdown, which is so dumb, but I did. So we have some cool stuff that I’m working on and [I] can’t wait to kind of take a back seat and work on somebody else’s records for a while.”
Check out the full interview above.
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This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
